Yee-haw! When I first heard that Outlaws of Thunder Junction (OTJ) would center on a plane themed around the American Wild West, I was simultaneously confused and intrigued. How could Magic co-exist in a fantasy world where there were also cowboys and cowgirls in cowboy hats? What was this "mount" concept, and how could anything other than a horse fit the description?

From a flavor and art standpoint, this was destined to be a set like none other in the history of the game! If executed well, the excitement of this time in the country's history could be brought to life in this beloved card game. We would all feel transported back to that time in U.S. history: duals at noon time in the streets, outlaws terrorizing towns, and sheriffs attempting to maintain order in a random, desert town.

If executed poorly, though, the dichotomous split of a fantasy world and a reality-based historical reference could lead to strange paradoxes and even stranger card artwork.

Fortunately for us, the former was the result!

Cowboy Hats for Everybody!

My favorite part about Outlaws of Thunder Junction art has got to be the prevalence of cowboy hats. It seems like the majority of sentient beings, whether they be humans, animals, or even plants, are sporting the iconic hat associated with the Wild West. While I was in Wyoming on a family vacation last year, we attended a rodeo and I purchased a cowboy hat to fit in. (Trust me, I don't normally wear this thing).

In David Astruga's Sterling Keykeeper, we see a human mercenary sporting a dashing cowboy hat while standing in front of the country jail. That makes sense - they are the keykeeper, after all! In this illustration, you can see components of the Wild West readily brought to life: the attire, the jail cell in the background, the wanted posters on the bulletin board near the door. What brings the scene together, however, is the lively cowboy hat the figure is gesturing with!

This is only the tip of the cowboy hat iceberg! All sorts of humans wear cowboy hats in this set, no matter the color affiliation!

Above, I present five different human creatures sporting my favorite milliner attire. Who wore it best? Prosperity Tycoon (Caio Monteiro), Outlaw Stitcher (Alix Branwyn), Unscrupulous Contractor (Mila Pesic), Deadeye Duelist (Diana Cearley), or Outcaster Greenblade (Josu Hernaiz) - five human creatures with five different cowboy hats! What I love about each one of these pieces is that they integrate cowboy hats seamlessly into the art, using their respective colors to bring to life the essence of each card. It delicately balances the color pie of Magic, the fantasy game we've all come to love, against the monotone theme of a cowboy or cowgirl from the Wild West.

In each of the five cards, you can readily identify the color associated with the creature without having to look at the border or casting cost. It immediately pops from the artwork. Whether it's the Green grass in the foreground of the Outcaster Greenblade, the Red attire and lightning wielded by Deadeye Duelist, or the dark background and cloak worn by Unscrupulous Contractor, these characters fit their slice of the color pie perfectly while still sporting a themed hat!

Looking beyond humans, a number of nonhuman creatures also wanted in on the cowboy hat theme of OTJ. For example, I love the Rabbit Mercenary, Claim Jumper, sporting a customized cowboy hat so that its ears can poke through holes in the hat!

Gaboleps spares no detail in their piece: the cute bunny (perhaps a plant for Bloomburrow's theme?) is decked out in a cape, cowboy hat, and Wild West themed belt and chaps! Is that a pistol in its holster, too? Claim Jumper is ready to mingle with the rest of the riff raff out west!

Then there's Fblthp, Lost on the Range (Brian Valeza). This character seems to be perpetually lost; this time, he found himself in a Wild West themed alternative universe, "on the range" as it was. He may be utterly confused, but that didn't stop him from picking out his stylish cowboy hat before wondering the multiverse! This homunculus may not know where he is, but at least he'll fit in when he stops to ask for directions.

Lastly, there's my favorite integration of a cowboy hat onto a creature in OTJ, Hardbristle Bandit by Francis Tneh).

What makes this my favorite is the simple fact that even a plant rogue has still managed enough sentience to don its spiky, on-theme cowboy hat before heading into action! I don't know if I would have ever been able to identify a "plant rogue" on my own, but this illustration successfully brings the concept to life while sticking to the theme of OTJ!

Giddy Up!

The other readily identifiable theme that resonated "Wild West" vibes were the mounts of Outlaws of Thunder Junction. As I mentioned earlier, I was pretty confused about what creature types - other than horses - would fit the description. That would have left the diversity of creatures in the set rather underwhelming.

Instead, Wizards and the Coast partnered with the set's artists to bring a diverse, vibrant array of mount candidates to life in OTJ.

For example, you could ride a sheep (Bridled Bighorn by Edgar Sánchez Hidalgo) or a cat beast (Trained Arynx, by Milivoi Ceran) in this world:

If I were wondering a random western town, I may be tempted to ride the Bighorn - it looks stable and well-tamed. The Arynx may be "trained" but I don't think I'd go near that thing! That said, the artists do a fantastic job depicting their domesticated nature by including a saddle drawn on both figures while in their natural habitat.

From here, the mounts get a bit more exotic. For example, would you consider riding a Rambling Possum in your spare time?

This art, by Adrián RodrÍguez Pérez, depicts a giant possum, saddled and ready to be ridden in the middle of town! What I particularly love about this piece is that the artist chose not to show this creature in its natural habitat. A ridable possum seems quite farfetched, so by illustrating the creature in town, surrounded by the hustle and bustle of daily activity, the artist brings the concept a little closer to normal. It's even kind of cute, what with it sticking out its tongue like that!

The most exotic of all the mounts in Outlaws of Thunder Junction has got to be the rare Seraphic Steed, by Jonas De Ro. A unicorn mount is about as fantastical as they come! This creature may be the closest thing to the horse we would have expected in OTJ, but unlike the other mounts mentioned, this one lacks a saddle. It's no easy feat to ride this unicorn, but if you do then miraculous things can happen! My favorite part about this art is how the clouds blend into wings behind the steed, implying its divine connection without obviously including angels on the card.

Legendary Creatures: Who Wore It Best?

Before wrapping up, I want to touch on some of my favorite multicolored, legendary creatures from Outlaws of Thunder Junction sporting a dashing cowboy hat. Some of these important figures in the game's story are shown wearing their own customized twist on the classic hat. Let's check some of them out!

First, there's Bonny Pall, Clearcutter (and bane of OTJ Limited), illustrated by Bryan Sola. This card depicts multiple figures wearing a cowboy hat, though these hats have an odd perforation / picot finish I'm not used to seeing.

Then there's Selvala, Eager Trailblazer by Viko Menezes.

Selvala has her own style going on - first off, she's bundled up like she's about to embark on a winter trip, sleeping roll and all. She's riding an elk/caribou creature of sorts, which tells me her hangout is a midwestern equivalent in Canada. Once again, we see that this legendary character is sporting a nontraditional cowboy hat - it has the typical shape, but Selvala's hat has some decorate holes / gaps in her hat... which seems counter-productive if you're hanging out in cooler climates. I guess sometimes you have to put style ahead of comfort!

I think my favorite character from OTJ would be Marchesa, Dealer of Death.

The art by the iconic Ryan Pancoast depicts Marchesa suspiciously eyeing us while a group of cowboys investigate a suspicious death in the background. We can read between the lies - this "dealer of death" struck again, and she's not afraid to hide this fact. I love the details in her facial expression, her hair, and her outfit. She looks simultaneously beautiful and deadly. Her hat also has its own unique style, with some light-reflective detail on the top and a sort of rivets on the bottom edge of the brim. This is up there as one of my all time favorite pieces from the entire set!

Wrapping It Up

As I wrap up, I want to again acknowledge Wizards of the Coast and the team of artists for seamlessly bringing a fantasy world to the Wild West. Even the basic lands, some of which depict a fantasy-touched old west train, marry the two universes in a way that simply works.

Before I conclude, however, I need to share two honorable mentions that I couldn't fit into the rest of the article: the depiction of a cowboy Planeswalker (Oko, the Ringleader by Magali Villeneuve) and a rogue shark (Loan Shark by Wayne Reynolds).

Oko is back in action, this time fashioning an elaborate twist on a Wild West theme. I'm not sure what's going on with this shoulders, but I do respect the weaponry on his belt and the decorative cowboy hat on his head. The Loan Shark didn't fit in earlier because it doesn't have a cowboy hat on its own (that may have been a little too fantastical). That makes this creature no less menacing! While he looks a bit like a fish out of water, I still respect the poetic license taken by WOTC to incorporate a punny card like Loan Shark in this set.

In total, the set should please anyone with an interest in the historical days of the American Wild West. The liberal inclusion of cowboy hats, mounts, saddles, belts filled with weapons, and a general western theme makes this an easily identifiable set.

I've heard Mark Rosewater mention on his Drive to Work podcast multiple times that his design goal is to have each set have a cohesive theme, such that a randomly selected card can be placed in the correct set simply by its flavor. Outlaws of Thunder Junction definitely succeeds in this endeavor - it's one of the most flavorfully consistent set we've seen in years!