The MTG Thunder Junction Commander decks have all been revealed, so you’re probably wondering which one you should pick up? We’ve had a good look at all four, so now it’s time to discuss which of these EDH decks is right for you.
Compared to recent Commander precon decks in Ixalan and Karlov Manor, MTG Outlaws of Thunder Junction seems to have a slightly reduced reprint value. However, for the most part these Commander decks have solid mana bases, which is very nice to see. That means you can’t go too far wrong with any of them – there’s no standout loser here.
Most Wanted
First up we have Most Wanted, the outlaws themed deck led by Olivia, Opulent Outlaw. If expensive MTG cards are all you care about, then this might be the precon for you, since at $143, it has the best reprint value of the lot.
The deck has a large number of sub-themes, with cards not only focused on treasures and outlaws, but also stealing and sacrificing opponents’ permanents, as well as gaining life. That means it could be a good choice if you like lots of variety in a deck, but it also means the deck’s gameplan is a lot more cluttered. If you like a nice, streamlined Commander deck, this probably isn’t it.
One good feature of this deck is that the outlaws theme makes it easy to swap cards out for other options. Just look for good cards that are assassins, rogues, warlocks etc. That makes this a good precon to play with if you’re just learning how to build a Commander deck, as you’ll be able to make tweaks and easily experiment.
Weirdly, this deck’s most meaningful reprints (like Veinwitch Coven) are lifegain cards. However, if you think you’ll want to break it apart and make a new lifegain deck at some point, this could perhaps be a pro not a con.
Quick Draw
In some ways, Quick Draw is the opposite of Most Wanted. It’s very focused on its theme. While the deck is going for a ‘two spells a turn’ theme, it essentially boils down to an Izzet spellslinger deck, which naturally synergizes with playing lots of spells.
What you get in this deck is a great base for any Izzet spells deck you could care to build. While, at $134, it has slightly lower value than Most Wanted, it is packed with quite pricey staples, and what notable reprints it does have are more universally useful – stuff like Pongify that you could use in any Blue deck.
What’s exciting about the new cards in this deck is that they seem very Storm focused – stuff like Forger’s Foundry and Crackling Spellslinger could work great in a Storm build, and while you’d need to upgrade the deck a bit to make it viable, you could stick with the same MTG commander.
Desert Bloom
The most unique of the precons, and also the most divisive from what we’ve seen, Desert Bloom has a Desert MTG lands theme. It’s using lands as a resource, and also doing a lot of graveyard shenanigans, as shown off by new cards like Angel of Indemnity.
While this deck has the most unusual theme, it does have a few downsides. At $116, Desert Bloom has the lowest reprint value. It lacks instant speed removal, which may cause problems in a game, and it also comes with many, many tap lands, making this the only precon of the four with a substandard mana base.
The deck could’ve sorely used a card or two to negate the inherent problems of Deserts: they’re just not very good.
Still, despite its shortcomings, there are lots of fun cards in this deck, and we think many will be attracted to the desert/cactus theme, plus the fact that the precon is doing something a bit unusual.
Grand Larceny
Finally, Grand Larceny, which has a good mana base – especially for a three-color precon. Like Quick Draw, the deck has a strong, cohesive theme. It’s all about evasive creatures that can deal combat damage and help you steal stuff.
The downsides to this deck are that its reprints are fairly unexciting, with many of the costly ones being lands. At $122, it’s not the least valuable precon of the bunch, but it’s way below the likes of Most Wanted.
For more content, check out the the MTG release schedule for the rest of the year, or dig through time with a list of all the MTG sets in order.