Time to rustle up some trouble because we got invited to a media event for the 100th expansion of Magic the Gathering (MTG), Outlaws of Thunder Junction, and have a taste of what is to come! Outlaws of Thunder Junction is the upcoming latest expansion for MTG and is set based on Wild West tropes, where heists, riches, and power takes on the spotlight.

Set in the Omenpath Arc, Planeswalker Oko has gathered up the Multiverse’s most wanted villains, Tinybones, Vraska, Rakdos, and Annie Flash, for the greatest heist – an ancient vault hidden in Thunder Junction.

Taking place in a steakhouse, this Malaysian MTG media event greeted us with an epic display of decorations and showcases of the latest expansion. Aside from a plate of delicious steak before the event officially started, we got to have a peek at some of the exquisite cards on display.

Outlaws’ Special

This expansion is all about frontier fantasy, the lawless Wild West, and the new cards clearly highlighted that. Standing on the forefront are the “Most Wanted” cards where Oko’s crew of Multiverse outlaws as well as other miscreants represent themselves in all their glory in a vintage paper-like card frame.

Another highlighted addition to this expansion is the “Breaking News” cards, reprints of old spells stylized to look like newspaper articles from the Propesrity Post. These cards are only legal in the set’s Limited formats and several other formats that they are legal in, and they can come in textured foil treatments.

Vintage style designs and Wild West vibes are the only thing that highlights the expansion because there is also The Big Score – a special subset of 30 mythic rares with their own set symbol, set code, and frame (on select cards and can also feature in the vault frame), and they are all Standard legal. An example card from The Big Score is the Hostile Investigator, which we covered previously in our card preview.

The Ancient Vault 

The event commences with Kenneth Ong, Regional Brand Manager at Wizards of the Coast Singapore, who rode into town and gave us a presentation about Outlaws of Thunder Junction, unveiling the product lineups and what is so special about this expansion.

Like previous expansions, Outlaws of Thunder Junction will be available in Play Boosters, Collector Boosters, Commander Decks, and Bundles, and there are many surprises to be had in them with some cool cards being teased on the slides.

To get us even more excited for the expansion, we got to play a game before everyone on the menu gets busy with the duels. Everyone was assigned to one of Oko’s crew members, and we would role-play as them while answering quizzes as a squad. In my case, I got to be the adorable Tinybones.

After answering, we were given a “key” to then walk up to the vault to unseal what surprises lay within. This was a joyous moment as everyone cheered loudly in excitement as the vault doors slowly opened up.

lo and behold two giant-size cards of “Oko, the Ringleader” and “Tinybones, the Pickpocket”, as well as Collector Booster for everyone!

After the loud cheers and roaring excitement, we were given our packs to be cracked open, form our decks on the spot, and have some exhilarating duels with one another. The new mechanics are interesting and get our brains moving as we figure out our new strategies on the fly.

All in all, as with any expansions, Outlaws of Thunder Junction continues to freshen up the MTG gameplay experience even after over 30 years since the card game’s initial launch. This expansion also features some extremely beautiful cards for collectors to collect, especially with the unique “Most Wanted” and “Breaking News” cards that really gave off the Wild West vibes.

Our thanks to Wizards of the Coast for the invitation, allowing us to experience the expansion ahead of the set’s release. Outlaws of Thunder Junction, the one-hundredth expansion for MTG will be available April 19th, 2024.