Looking Back on Outlaws of Thunder Junction’s Underrated Gems

Out of all the recent Magic: The Gathering sets, none may be as divisive as Outlaws of Thunder Junction. Critics of the set say Wizards just slapped cowboy hats on characters and called it a day, while those that enjoy it say if you look past the admittedly tacky flavor you’ll find a bevy of great cards. 

I consider myself in the latter category. And while I understand why many of these cards have tumbled in favor of flashier ones, there are plenty that are worth obtaining at their current bulk pricing, given their utility. These are impactful, playable game pieces that are generally sitting at bulk prices at the moment, and really only have room to grow. 

I enjoyed the set quite a bit, so here are some of my picks for the most underrated cards from Outlaws of Thunder Junction and its corresponding Commander set.

Crackling Spellslinger

With the popularity of the new firebending ability from Avatar: The Last Airbender, red players are making copious amounts of mana and need something to do with it at instant speed. There are already some X spells like Comet Storm and Electrodominance that can make use of this mana, but if you’re in the market for something a little different, why not try Crackling Spellslinger?

Crackling Spellslinger is seemingly expensive at five mana to cast, but in a world where you’re making fifteen or so with Sozin's Comet, it’s actually not as unreachable as one might think. At worst, it copies a spell just once, and at best can win you the game with an arbitrarily large number of casts. 

Plus, if you're able to float the firebending mana with an effect like Leyline Tyrant, you open this spell up to sorceries as well - imagine this with something like a Chandra's Ignition. And if you’re able to keep the mana, you could also wait until your opponent casts multiple spells and utilize this then, which unlocks all sorts of potentially devastating options, especially if you’re multicolor.

All that said, my first thought when I saw this was that it’s perfect for a Dragon's Approach Commander deck like Syr Carah, the Bold (assuming you can keep that firebending mana past combat). If you're already planning on casting as many copies of Dragon's Approach as possible, why not utilize this Spellslinger to cast even more and potentially close the game out? 

Regardless of if you're running Dragon's Approach or not, Crackling Spellslinger should be prime for consideration in any deck that's utilizing firebending - and it's still at bulk prices, costing less than $1 at time of writing.

Crackling Spellslinger	CardKingdom $0.79	TCGPlayer $1.35
Crackling Spellslinger (Extended Art)	CardKingdom $0.79	TCGPlayer $0.66

Dune Chanter

Dune Chanter does a lot of things. And with the right commander, like Hazezon, Shaper of Sand or Yuma, Proud Protector (Borderless), it’s an obvious auto-include. Even outside of these ideal decks it has its spots. 

I would wager that any deck that revolves around self-milling that’s running more than one color could benefit from Dune Chanter more than something like say, Chromatic Lantern, as even though Dune Chanter does not tap for mana itself, giving you all the fixing you need could be sufficient enough in most scenarios. Plus it has the added utility of being able to self mill for two, which doesn’t seem like much, but if you can get it out on turn two or three it can add up fast. Even more, it can come in handy as a blocker with its reach ability, giving it even more relevance as the game goes on.

Then, on the speculative side of things, if Deserts are ever popular again or come back in any way, this will be one of the first cards deckbuilders will flock to. Instead of trying to pick this up then for whatever price it increases to, it might be a good idea to get it while it’s still just $0.75. Dual lands can be expensive, so if you’re trying to keep your decks under a certain budget and need fixing, Dune Chanter should absolutely be considered.

Dune Chanter	CardKingdom $0.79	TCGPlayer $0.82
Dune Chanter (Extended Art)	CardKingdom $0.99	TCGPlayer $0.50

Doc Aurlock, Grizzled Genius

This next pick is one that I knew would see relevance at some point due to its low mana cost and unique ability, and that’s Doc Aurlock, Grizzled Genius. This is an extremely powerful uncommon, giving you a 2/3 body and an increasingly relevant ability for just a blue and a green mana. Reducing plot costs could come in handy, but the real meat of Doc Aurlock’s power lies in his first line of text, “Spells you cast from your graveyard or from exile cost 2 less to cast.” 

With all the graveyard-centric shenanigans that go on in Commander, reducing graveyard costs would be good enough, but adding the part about casting from exile is what puts this card over. Whether it’s Gwen Stacy or Charred Foyer // Warped Space, casting from exile is becoming more and more common, and as this trend grows and more blue and green cards are added to this list, the Doc will only grow stronger.

Looking at recent abilities that can play off Doc Aurlock, we need look no further than Avatar and its airbending mechanic. More specifically, this works incredibly well with Avatar's Wrath, as if Doc Aurlock is on the field when it’s cast, you can get all of your creatures back for free (including all those sweet enter-the-battlefield triggers), essentially making it a one-sided board wipe. Additionally, this could be a sideboard piece to help you out of tight spots if it so happens that airbending your opponents’ permanents becomes a thing in Standard, though I admit I don’t know how viable of an archetype that would be. 

Regardless, this is a great game piece that is sure to continue to be relevant as the game evolves, though it has started trending upwards since Avatar’s release, so it might be a good time to snag one while they’re less than a dollar.

Doc Aurlock, Grizzled Genius

CardKingdom $1.79

TCGPlayer $0.97

Kaervek, the Punisher

This last one’s more of a speculative pick, but one I think worth mentioning: Kaervek, the Punisher. Yes he's a bit niche, but if you're playing black, chances are you'll be able to cast something with him. Being able to cast instants and sorceries, which mono-black has some trouble with, means this isn't a completely useless card, even if you have to jump through some hoops.

So, why do I even bother bringing this card up? Simply put, it's one of the few cards that benefit you for committing crimes that don't have the once-per-turn clause. And with all the Villains in the upcoming Marvel set, it might make sense thematically to return to the crime mechanic. Yes it's a long shot, but even if there is no crime mechanic in Marvel Super Heroes, it's just a matter of time before something breaks this, and when that happens this will likely see some movement. There are copies on tcgplayer for a quarter at this point in time, so it's basically impossible for this to go any lower as a rare. Is this a fringe recommendation? Maybe so, but the correlation crossed my mind and I thought it worth highlighting.

Kaervek, the Punisher	CardKingdom $0.49	TCGPlayer $0.32
Kaervek, the Punisher (Showcase)	CardKingdom $0.49	TCGPlayer $0.46

In Conclusion

Outlaws of Thunder Junction may have left a bad taste in the mouths of some players, but when you really pore over the cards, there's value to be found in this set. Since it's a Standard-legal set that many aren’t keen on at the moment, these may not move for a bit, but I do think they're each noteworthy in their own right, and hopefully you found one of these recommendations useful.

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