Outlaws of Thunder Junction (OTJ)
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April 12, 2024
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Justin
Find out what the best commons are from Outlaws of Thunder Junction (OTJ) and what you should be looking for during your next draft.
Image Credit: Magic the Gathering | Artist:
Francis Tneh
Click here for limited ratings of every card from Outlaws of Thunder Junction.
Every set has commons that define the format. Since most packs have at least 6 commons, these cards are the ones you'll have at your disposal most often. Knowing which to play, and which to avoid, will help you be more consistent in limited formats.
The Ratings you see below indicate the average across all experts. The Std Dev (Standard Deviation) indicates how much the expert's ratings differed from one another; high means there are wildly varying opinions.
This type of common removal in green is always nice to see. Of course, it's at sorcery speed and you need to have a big enough creature on the board for this to work, but having it deal damage instead of fight is always preferred. The +1/+1 counter is a nice bonus for Mount decks, but I'd take this in any green deck I'm drafting regardless.
Two-drops like this typically perform well. A must-have in any 2 or 3-color deck that includes green (always smart to include green in any deck running more than 2 colors). Being able to untap whenever you commit a crime is nice and will surely happen enough where this card typically just feels good to play.
Snakeskin Veil is a classic and I'm surprised this didn't score better. Being able to protect a creature at instant speed for one mana while also adding a +1/+1 counter on it will be good in this format where Crimes are a thing.
Dealing 4 damage at instant speed for 3 mana is solid and will remove most pesky creatures that hit the board. Destroying an artifact for three mana seems a little expensive and I doubt you'll be doing both for five mana very often, but the flexibility is nice. It will rarely feel bad to draw this.
A wolverine the size of a carriage is frankly quite terrifying. A three drop 3/2 that basically lets you draw a card is good in red and I'm sure will see a lot of play in aggro-heavy decks. Not sure plotting this for three will ever be smart, but I guess it's a nice option?
With a standard deviation of 1.41, Prickly Pair is clearly a divisive card that the experts can't agree on. Getting 3/3 worth of stats on two bodies is nice. I see this being really good in mercenary or outlaw decks but only fine otherwise.
Black always has great removal and this is no different. At four mana it's a little expensive, but at instant speed to exile a creature instead of destroying it is nice. Being able to surveil 2 if you kill something "small" is a great way to make sure this card rarely feels bad to play.
Drawing this early will help you take down any of your opponent's early creatures. It won't always be good depending on the board state, but if you're running a Desert deck it's incredible and will often remove any of your opponent's creatures for just two mana. Don't draft too many of them (unless you have lots of Deserts), but I'd be happy with one or two in almost any black deck.
A 3/1 for three isn't great, but having the ability to draw a card (and lose a life) when it enters the battlefield makes up for it. Targeting your opponent instead counts as a Crime, which may have its uses; props if you can kill your opponent at the end of the game by targeting them with this ability.
This card is all about flexibility. If it was just about creating a 2/2 flier for four, it wouldn't be good. But, it also serves as a counter for just two mana, which is solid (although it doesn't scale as well as I'd like). All-in-all, I don't love this card, but I get why it's blue's highest-rated common this set can see it turning some games around if used properly.
The fact this draws you a card is the only reason why Take the Fall ranks in blue's top commons, because a -1/0 or -4/0 combat trick is mostly meh. The standard deviation of 1.41 also shows there's some debate amongst experts about this card). I'm unimpressed, but in the end this is a one-mana cantrip which can't be ignored.
I can see why the experts don't agree on this one (with a high standard deviation of 1.50). Four mana for a 3/4 is okay. This card is much better if you Plot it and somehow have enough gas to cast two other spells on a later turn. But generally, skipping your turn four to Plot this isn't something I would be looking to do. At it's worst it's a 3/4 body which is serviceable.
Solid removal. Three mana to exile any artifact or creature is good and having the flexibility to Flash it in later in the game if you have the five mana is nice. The fact that this is white's best removal at common is a bit disappointing though considering what we've seen in the past.
Would you look at that, every expert was in agreement and gave this card a 5/10 (standard deviation of 0.00). Instant speed lifeline and indestructible can result in some major board swings. The +1/+1 counter is nice too. I'd be happy to run at least one of these in every deck that has white.
Holy cow it's the Holy Cow! A 2/2 flier for 3 is decent, but getting to Flash it in while also gaining two life and scrying one pushes this card up the ranks. In blink decks this will be a powerhouse, but regardless I wouldn't mind playing a couple of these if I see them.
#1 - Rating: 5.8 - Consuming Ashes (Black)
#2 - Rating: 5.8 - Mystical Tether (White)
#3 - Rating: 5.5 - Explosive Derailment (Red)
#4 - Rating: 5.5 - Desert's Due (Black)
#5 - Rating: 5.3 - Throw from the Saddle (Green)
#6 - Rating: 5.3 - Phantom Interference (Blue)
#7 - Rating: 5.0 - Vault Plunderer (Black)
#8 - Rating: 5.0 - Take the Fall (Blue)
#9 - Rating: 5.0 - Hardbristle Bandit (Green)
#10 - Rating: 5.0 - Irascible Wolverine (Red)
#11 - Rating: 5.0 - Prickly Pair (Green)
#12 - Rating: 5.0 - Take Up the Shield (White)
#13 - Rating: 4.8 - Loan Shark (Blue)
#14 - Rating: 4.7 - Snakeskin Veil (Green)
#15 - Rating: 4.5 - Holy Cow (White)
Click here for limited ratings of every card from Outlaws of Thunder Junction.
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