Magic: The Gathering: Outlaws of Thunder Junction Set Review: "Aiming High & Shooting Middle"

screenrant.com:

It's easy to see where wanted to go with. Following a major story moment that de-sparked most planeswalkers and reset the narrative to let characters breathe, there's a lot of opportunity to establish some new heroes and villains and flesh out some of the newer cast. The issue with is that the set tries to do that with literally dozens of would-be protagonists, ultimately creating a bit of an empty mess, though it still has enough charm to carry it through its storyline issues and into some mechanics that are exciting and fun to play.

is essentially an ensemble cast of some of 's most recognizable characters, thrown together in a Western-inspired setting that features an audacious heist and the introduction of a new mysterious ancient race (which will, eventually, create the next big plot point for the game alongside its aggressive expansion into other popular IPs). The story told across the cards is fun, with art that really isn't afraid to draw from its setting — a lot of characters you might never have believe you'd see in a cowboy hat are wearing one in. It works, it's fun, but it has a few issues in its presentation and optics worth going into — but before that, what about the mechanics?

: features four new mechanics:

There is perhaps no greater mechanic to announce than the one that makes a player say «I've committed a crime this turn.» For a set about outlaws and rogues, it makes a lot of sense to have this thematically included, and for the most part, it's a flavor win that keeps things feeling fun and amusing. Cards that use «committing a crime» as their mechanic tend to have some pretty interesting effects and the mechanic feels like it's been largely balanced in accordance with how easy it is to trigger — there are a of cards in 's history that target a player or permanents they control, so these triggers need to be cautious with how powerful they are.

That said, tracking who has committed a crime is a bit of a nuisance, and does add a bit of busywork