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5 Winning Decks Featuring Outlaws of Thunder Junction
Quick intro
In last week's article, I mentioned some new cards from Outlaws of Thunder Junction that had the potential to appear in some decks. Today, we are going to analyze the results of the first week and see what has already started appearing in the decklists across various formats.
Deck #1. Modern Amulet Titan By Mistakenn
(5 - 0)
100% in MTGO Modern League #8075 — 16-Apr-2024
$975/349.2 Tix
Maindeck (61)
| Creature [12] | ||
|---|---|---|
| 4 Arboreal Grazer | $0.35 | |
| 4 Primeval Titan | $4.99 | |
| 3 Dryad of the Ilysian Grove | $12.99 | |
| 1 Cultivator Colossus | $14.99 | |
| Artifact [8] | ||
|---|---|---|
| 4 Amulet of Vigor | $21.99 | |
| 4 The One Ring | $79.99 | |
| Instant [6] | ||
|---|---|---|
| 3 Summoner's Pact | $4.99 | |
| 3 Smuggler's Surprise | $4.49 | |
| Sorcery [3] | ||
|---|---|---|
| 3 Explore | $0.35 | |
| Enchantment [4] | ||
|---|---|---|
| 4 Urza's Saga | $42.99 | |
| Land [28] | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1 Gruul Turf | $0.39 | |
| 1 Tolaria West | $1.49 | |
| 2 Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle | $23.99 | |
| 4 Simic Growth Chamber | $0.35 | |
| 1 Boros Garrison | $0.35 | |
| 1 Slayers' Stronghold | $0.49 | |
| 1 Sunhome, Fortress of the Legion | $0.35 | |
| 1 Vesuva | $15.99 | |
| 2 Selesnya Sanctuary | $0.35 | |
| 3 Forest | $0.01 | |
| 3 The Mycosynth Gardens | $4.99 | |
| 2 Golgari Rot Farm | $0.39 | |
| 2 Boseiju, Who Endures | $49.99 | |
| 1 Cavern of Souls | $42.99 | |
| 2 Castle Garenbrig | $4.99 | |
| 1 Radiant Fountain | $0.39 | |
| Sideboard [15] | ||
|---|---|---|
| 2 Cursed Totem | $2.99 | |
| 1 Engineered Explosives | $11.99 | |
| 1 Soul-Guide Lantern | $0.35 | |
| 3 Defense Grid | $3.49 | |
| 1 Boseiju, Who Endures | $49.99 | |
| 2 Endurance | $27.99 | |
| 1 Relic of Progenitus | $6.49 | |
| 1 Bojuka Bog | $1.79 | |
| 3 Dismember | $5.49 | |
$349.20 Tix @cardhoarder
$8.73 / Week @cardhoarder
$866.87 @tcgplayer
$1,082.46 @cardkingdom
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Magic online format
Apprentice and MWS .dec
Mistakenn is an excellent and well-known Amulet Titan grinder, and in the first leagues, he managed to get a 5-0 trophy in a Modern league with Smuggler’s Surprise. The card is really interesting and makes a lot of sense to test in this deck since it does everything the deck needs. The first ability is useful both for clearing the top of the deck and for very likely putting something in hand, as the deck is basically creatures and lands. However, it becomes even more interesting due to its second ability.
With the help of Summoner's Pact, you can constantly bring Primeval Titans, or even Cultivator Colossus at instant speed, always keeping your opponent on alert not to tap out during their turn, being able to pay for the pact on your own turn and still manage to attack. A very important aspect of this play is to strategize around Subtlety, one of the best cards against this plan.
As a bonus, the third ability allows your creatures to enter the battlefield with hexproof and indestructible, making them also able to dodge removal. The deck has been gaining popularity recently and I believe this card is here to stay.
Deck #2. Pauper Monored Kuldotha by Selkcahs
(5 - 0)
100% in MTGO Pauper League #8091 — 16-Apr-2024
Maindeck (60)
| Creature [19] | ||
|---|---|---|
| 4 Voldaren Epicure | $0.39 | |
| 4 Goblin Bushwhacker | $3.49 | |
| 4 Goblin Tomb Raider | $0.35 | |
| 3 Goblin Blast-Runner | $0.35 | |
| 4 Reckless Lackey | $0.49 | |
| Artifact [8] | ||
|---|---|---|
| 4 Experimental Synthesizer | $0.79 | |
| 4 Implement of Combustion | $0.39 | |
| Instant [8] | ||
|---|---|---|
| 4 Lightning Bolt | $1.29 | |
| 4 Galvanic Blast | $1.79 | |
| Sorcery [8] | ||
|---|---|---|
| 4 Kuldotha Rebirth | $1.79 | |
| 4 Chain Lightning | $0.49 | |
| Land [17] | ||
|---|---|---|
| 13 Mountain | $0.01 | |
| 4 Great Furnace | $2.29 | |
| Sideboard [15] | ||
|---|---|---|
| 4 End the Festivities | $1.99 | |
| 3 Gorilla Shaman | $0.39 | |
| 4 Red Elemental Blast | $4.49 | |
| 4 Relic of Progenitus | $6.49 | |
$53.89 Tix @cardhoarder
$1.35 / Week @cardhoarder
$67.20 @tcgplayer
$105.23 @cardkingdom
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Magic online format
Apprentice and MWS .dec
Selkcahs is also a well-known grinder in the community, often preferring to play with various aggressive decks and this time he presents us with a very aggressive build of Kuldotha Red, with only 1-drops in the deck and adding Reckless Lackey, a new goblin from OTJ. Although he managed to get a trophy in the Pauper league, I must confess that I was not so excited about the presence of the new goblin and will explain why.
Having only 1 attack makes it not such an aggressive creature, and it is also easily blocked by several creatures of the format, such as Thraben and Novice Inspector, the very Goblin-Blast Runner of the mirror, does not trade with Ninja of Deep Hours, Glint Hawk, knight token from Experimental Synthesizer, or even a simple Frogmite. Having 2 toughness helps against some hates, like Electrickery, End the Festivities and makes Krark-Clan Shaman have to sacrifice one more artifact, but overall, I think it's a creature that contributes little to the deck's game plan. What might be interesting is having one more goblin on the reasonable cost1 list, and this might open up the possibility to play with Goblin Grenade.
Deck #3. Pioneer Atarka Red by D00mwake)
(5 - 0)
100% in MTGO Pioneer League #8099 — 17-Apr-2024
Maindeck (60)
| Creature [26] | ||
|---|---|---|
| 4 Monastery Swiftspear | $0.69 | |
| 4 Soul-Scar Mage | $1.79 | |
| 4 Slickshot Show-Off | $22.99 | |
| 4 Questing Druid | $4.99 | |
| 4 Kumano Faces Kakkazan | $0.49 | |
| 2 Reckless Bushwhacker | $0.79 | |
| 4 Burning-Tree Emissary | $0.35 | |
| Instant [10] | ||
|---|---|---|
| 4 Monstrous Rage | $1.29 | |
| 4 Play with Fire | $4.49 | |
| 2 Atarka's Command | $1.29 | |
| Sorcery [4] | ||
|---|---|---|
| 4 Break Out | $0.35 | |
| Land [20] | ||
|---|---|---|
| 4 Copperline Gorge | $3.99 | |
| 4 Stomping Ground | $13.99 | |
| 3 Cragcrown Pathway | // | $4.99 |
| 3 Karplusan Forest | $5.49 | |
| 2 Den of the Bugbear | $6.49 | |
| 1 Boseiju, Who Endures | $49.99 | |
| 1 Sokenzan, Crucible of Defiance | $6.49 | |
| 2 Mountain | $0.01 | |
| Sideboard [15] | ||
|---|---|---|
| 4 Pick Your Poison | $0.35 | |
| 2 Unlicensed Hearse | $0.99 | |
| 3 Damping Sphere | $0.99 | |
| 3 Rending Volley | $2.29 | |
| 2 Urabrask's Forge | $4.99 | |
| 1 Scorching Shot | $0.35 | |
$99.71 Tix @cardhoarder
$2.49 / Week @cardhoarder
$258.26 @tcgplayer
$340.67 @cardkingdom
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Apprentice and MWS .dec
D00mwake is a famous grinder who is also testing the new cards and in one of his first leagues, managed to go 5-0 in the Pioneer league with a new version of Atarka Red. I am particularly very happy because I love these more aggressive decks and they are really lacking in the format.
Slickshot Show-Off fits like a glove in this deck, being a creature that we can cast and scheme with the mana from Burning-Tree Emissary, and that grows very quickly with the various spells in the list. In addition, we also have Break Out, a card that has already been tried in putting other types of decks and formats, and that also seems to be perfect for this build, also in combination with Burning-Tree Emissary, since we can cast it for free and still take advantage of the mana. Another card present in this list is Scorching Shot, a slightly better response against some cards like Vein Ripper, Sheoldred the Apocalypse, and Preacher of the Schism.
The creature also has a lot of potential in other types of aggressive decks, and I believe that Boros Heroic is one of the best builds, since the protections that the deck has make it even more threatening. It's already appearing in Modern as well, with some prowess lists making their first results on Magic Online. But I really hope that it's the beginning of changes in Pioneer, since I believe that it's very stagnant and aggro decks are lacking.
Deck #4. Standard 5C Legends by Wappa
(5 - 0)
100% in MTGO Standard League #8107 — 17-Apr-2024
Maindeck (60)
| Creature [20] | ||
|---|---|---|
| 4 Rona, Herald of Invasion | $1.79 | |
| 2 Titania, Voice of Gaea | $13.99 | |
| 1 Ertai Resurrected | $0.99 | |
| 1 Sheoldred, the Apocalypse | $79.99 | |
| 4 Inti, Seneschal of the Sun | $4.99 | |
| 4 Slogurk, the Overslime | $0.69 | |
| 1 Tinybones, the Pickpocket | $27.99 | |
| 1 Bonny Pall, Clearcutter | $0.59 | |
| 2 Honest Rutstein | $0.79 | |
| Artifact [4] | ||
|---|---|---|
| 4 Relic of Legends | $2.29 | |
| Instant [5] | ||
|---|---|---|
| 2 Cut Down | $1.49 | |
| 3 Go for the Throat | $1.49 | |
| Enchantment [2] | ||
|---|---|---|
| 2 Annie Joins Up | $1.99 | |
| Land [29] | ||
|---|---|---|
| 2 Spara's Headquarters | $16.99 | |
| 4 Takenuma, Abandoned Mire | $13.99 | |
| 2 Boseiju, Who Endures | $49.99 | |
| 1 Cavern of Souls | $42.99 | |
| 1 Deathcap Glade | $19.99 | |
| 4 Plaza of Heroes | $10.99 | |
| 1 Shipwreck Marsh | $7.49 | |
| 1 Swamp | $0.01 | |
| 1 Blooming Marsh | $2.49 | |
| 3 Ziatora's Proving Ground | $11.99 | |
| 1 Sunken Citadel | $2.99 | |
| 1 Llanowar Wastes | $1.79 | |
| 4 Otawara, Soaring City | $24.99 | |
| 1 Sokenzan, Crucible of Defiance | $6.49 | |
| 2 Darkslick Shores | $1.99 | |
| Sideboard [15] | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1 Cut Down | $1.49 | |
| 2 Negate | $0.35 | |
| 2 Duress | $0.35 | |
| 1 Kura, the Boundless Sky | $3.49 | |
| 3 Glistening Deluge | $0.35 | |
| 1 Aclazotz, Deepest Betrayal | $8.99 | |
| 2 Jace, the Perfected Mind | $10.99 | |
| 2 Soul-Guide Lantern | $0.35 | |
| 1 Ertai Resurrected | $0.99 | |
$194.07 Tix @cardhoarder
$4.85 / Week @cardhoarder
$524.29 @tcgplayer
$687.71 @cardkingdom
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Apprentice and MWS .dec
5C Legends is an archetype that isn’t among the most popular in Standard, but it gained some interesting cards and reappeared in the hands of Wappa with a 5-0 in a Standard League. Being a deck full of legends, it’s quite natural that some of the new legends would start appearing in the lists.
Tinybones is a one-drop that can greatly disrupt the opponent's plans, being able to cast spells if it's not blocked, despite being quite fragile and trading against many of the smaller cards in the format.
Bonny Pall is the opposite, a large creature that comes with a token of an Ox that gets increasingly larger. The fact that it's not the one that needs to attack makes it even better, since another creature can attack and generate immediate value.
Honest Rutstein is another legend that adds a recursive effect by bringing back legends that have been removed and even reduces the cost of creatures, allowing for some double plays that can put you far ahead in the game.
But Annie Joins Up seems to be the best addition, as it is a removal that doubles the effect of some legends, such as Ertai Resurrected, Rutstein himself or even making Sheoldred the Apocalypse even more threatening with its triggers.
Deck #5. Pioneer Niv to Light by Xemnon1
(3 - 1)
75% in MTGO Pioneer Preliminary #12630987 [15 Players] — 18-Apr-2024
Maindeck (80)
| Creature [17] | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1 Valki, God of Lies | $5.99 | |
| 2 Niv-Mizzet Reborn | $0.99 | |
| 2 Omnath, Locus of Creation | $9.49 | |
| 1 Klothys, God of Destiny | $5.49 | |
| 2 Wandering Mind | $0.35 | |
| 4 Fable of the Mirror-Breaker | $21.99 | |
| 1 Niv-Mizzet, Supreme | $0.49 | |
| 4 Sylvan Caryatid | $6.49 | |
| Instant [7] | ||
|---|---|---|
| 4 Vanishing Verse | $0.49 | |
| 2 Lightning Helix | $0.35 | |
| 1 Kolaghan's Command | $1.49 | |
| Sorcery [13] | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1 Extinction Event | $0.79 | |
| 1 Sunfall | $6.99 | |
| 1 Molten Collapse | $1.29 | |
| 4 Pillage the Bog | $0.79 | |
| 1 Unmoored Ego | $0.49 | |
| 1 Deafening Clarion | $0.59 | |
| 4 Bring to Light | $0.59 | |
| Enchantment [8] | ||
|---|---|---|
| 4 Leyline Binding | $6.49 | |
| 4 Up the Beanstalk | $2.29 | |
| Planeswalker [1] | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1 Nahiri, the Harbinger | $0.99 | |
| Land [34] | ||
|---|---|---|
| 3 Indatha Triome | $20.99 | |
| 2 Ketria Triome | $14.99 | |
| 1 Raugrin Triome | $16.99 | |
| 1 Savai Triome | $21.99 | |
| 1 Island | $0.01 | |
| 2 Jetmir's Garden | $21.99 | |
| 1 Raffine's Tower | $15.99 | |
| 1 Spara's Headquarters | $16.99 | |
| 1 Ziatora's Proving Ground | $11.99 | |
| 1 Forest | $0.01 | |
| 1 Mountain | $0.01 | |
| 1 Plains | $0.01 | |
| 1 Swamp | $0.01 | |
| 1 Drowned Catacomb | $1.79 | |
| 1 Rootbound Crag | $2.29 | |
| 1 Hinterland Harbor | $0.59 | |
| 1 Dragonskull Summit | $0.99 | |
| 1 Glacial Fortress | $0.99 | |
| 1 Sunpetal Grove | $2.29 | |
| 1 Hallowed Fountain | $10.99 | |
| 1 Temple Garden | $13.99 | |
| 1 Blood Crypt | $18.99 | |
| 1 Mana Confluence | $44.99 | |
| 1 Watery Grave | $15.99 | |
| 1 Godless Shrine | $13.99 | |
| 1 Steam Vents | $17.99 | |
| 4 Fabled Passage | $7.99 | |
| Sideboard [15] | ||
|---|---|---|
| 2 Notion Thief | $1.29 | |
| 3 Fatal Push | $2.49 | |
| 1 Casualties of War | $0.49 | |
| 3 Dovin's Veto | $4.49 | |
| 2 Ashiok, Dream Render | $1.29 | |
| 2 Mystical Dispute | $0.39 | |
| 1 Yorion, Sky Nomad | $0.49 | |
| 1 Krenko's Buzzcrusher | $0.49 | |
$177.32 Tix @cardhoarder
$4.43 / Week @cardhoarder
$512.44 @tcgplayer
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Apprentice and MWS .dec
Finally, player Xemnon1 showed up with a Niv to Light in the last preliminary and got a good result, with a card that caught my eye in the spoiler, but I didn't expect to see in that kind of deck. But thinking about it, it actually makes some sense, since it's a card that we can find with Niv-Mizzet Reborn, and that we can cast for 2 mana and look at 4 cards from our deck, an effect not common in those colors but that allows us some interesting possibilities for the deck.
First, find lands at the beginning of the game. This deck is a deck that requires a good number of lands to develop its game plan, and using 2 mana to search in the first 4 cards, even though the lists have 80 cards, I believe it’s unlikely not to find one. And in the late game, it is one of the best cards to find the necessary answers, considering that you still have the possibility of scheming and playing without paying the mana cost, doubling the plays. I will definitely test this in the deck, since I have really enjoyed playing with this type of strategy.
Final words
It's still early to say the impact of Outlaws at Thunder Junction, but multiple formats are already starting to test new ideas and the first results are there. Let's see what happens in the coming weeks, but I confess that I am already surprised, especially because some specific cards like Slickshot Show-Off and Smuggler’s Surprise are proving to be stronger than they seemed in their respective decks.
Until next time!