Outlaws of Thunder Junction preview card

Another wild set for Magic: The Gathering as we preview a brand-new card from the upcoming ‘Outlaws of Thunder Junction‘ expansion – Spinewoods Armadillo!

Outlaws of Thunder Junction is the second standard-legal set of Magic: The Gathering this year. The expansion takes place on a brand new plane with a Wild West theme and is Magic’s first take on the genre, so can expect to see a good helping of showdowns, saloon stand-offs and sunset’s, oh my!

For this set, both new and familiar faces can be encountered. A personal favorite of mine – Oko, makes a return. The first version of his character back from Throne of Eldraine took the standard meta by storm and made him quite the interesting (at the same time, controversial) planeswalker which had the card banned from that particular format. For a 3-drop that can turn an artifact or creature to a 3/3 elk, that really screams power. For Oko, The Ringleader, though his second ability has a similar outcome it is now with a downtick in loyalty point at the same time completely removes the condition of having a helpless be a target for transmogrification.

To put it simply – Oko is just happy to make Elks appear out of nowhere now, plain and simple.

Now, going back to our featured preview card for Outlaws of Thunder Junction – take a look at Spinewoods Armadillo!

Spinewoods Armadillo is a green uncommon card that costs 6 mana with a beefy 7/7 body. Complimenting his huge numbers is his equally huge size – he’s so big that he can even “reach” fliers with his first ability.

His second ability is such wonderful skill to have. With ward 3, you can make sure that this bad boy sticks around for awhile, save for board wipes. Paying 3 additional mana will make opponents that are holding a spot removal in their hand think twice.

Lastly, the third ability will come in handy when you are in a tight spot for land drops. By paying a colorless and a green, at instant speed you can discard Spinewoods Armadillo to tutor out a basic land card or a Desert card. You also gain 3 life afterwards – which is consistent with green’s color.

For those interested in trying Magic: The Gathering’s latest set, here are some key dates:

Debut and Previews : March 26

Prerelease: April 12–18, 2024
MTG Arena release: April 16, 2024
Commander Party: April 26 – May 2, 2024

Lastly, you can use Wizards of the Coast’s store locator to find an LGS near you!

Interview: Mike Turian, product architect for Murders at Karlov Manor

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