There are 276 cards in the historical 100th expansion for Magic: The Gathering, titled “Outlaws of Thunder Junction.” In this guide, I list only the most expensive Outlaws of Thunder Junction cards that can shake up the MtG market after a rather stale year.
11 Most Expensive MtG Cards in Outlaws of Thunder Junction
Gisa, the Hellraiser
- Regular art price: $9.89
- Showcase art price: $9.85
Gisa, the Hellraiser, is an excellent skeleton and zombie lord with the ability to grant them +1/+1 and menace. If you don’t have creatures of your own to play, then you can generate tokens with Gisa’s final ability, although only once a turn. But I discovered that the main reason why her price spiked recently is the synergy with cards like Endless Obedience, From the Catacombs, and Yawgmoth’s Vile Offering. This combo is highly effective and will definitely see play in various formats.
Double Down
- Regular art price: $4.74
- Extended art price: $9.90
Double Down is mainly an enchantment spell for the EDH format, as that’s the only format where such tribes as assassins, mercenaries, pirates, rogues, and warlocks have any legit chance of winning games. But that’s enough for the price to move up, especially on that extended art variant, which looks gorgeous. I also believe that this card will be immensely popular among the Limited format crowd, as that’s where you can create a very strong tribal deck with the duplication effect.
Ghired, Mirror of the Wilds
- Regular art price: $5.51
- Extended art price: $10.36
Speaking of duplicating creatures, here’s another unique commander with the ability to grant token generation to all non-token creatures, including itself. Since it has haste, it can immediately start producing tokens the turn it’s played, which is a huge plus. If you’re not playing EDH format, then the next best thing would be a Rhino tribal deck for Pioneer, where you get to copy all your red and white tokens alongside Legion’s Landing and Fable of the Mirror-Breaker enchantments.
Railway Brawler
- Regular art price: $8.58
- Extended art price: $10.97
Mono Green Stompy decks, as well as commander lists that run various Hydra creatures, will definitely want to have a copy of Railway Brawler. The effect of putting multiple +1/+1 counters is just too good to ignore, which is why this card got so much attention on the market. If you find its mana cost a bit too much, then opt for the Plot mechanic, which does delay the casting but also reduces the cost by a single green mana.
Bristly Bill, Spine Sower
- Regular art price: $14.57
- Extended art price: $12.81
If you feel that paying even four mana for Railway Brawler is still too much, then I highly recommend you take a look at Bristly Bill, Spine Sower. This legendary creature has very similar abilities, but this time, it involves a landing mechanic, and it costs only two mana. It can also serve as a commander card, which is the main reason why it trades at around $15 right now. But I think Modern Jund players may want to try it out too, alongside Tarmogoyf.
Tinybones, the Pickpocket
- Regular art price: $15.43
- Showcase art price: $15.32
Here’s one of the best new cards from the Outlaws of Thunder Junction set for Mono Black decks. I can use any discard spell, such as Thoughtseize, to remove an opponent’s strongest card, attack with Tinybones, the Pickpocket, and then play that discarded card. This is a fantastic set-up for unexpected plays and even combo breaks, although Tinybones will definitely quickly turn into a removal bait.
Final Showdown
- Regular art price: $12.12
- Extended art price: $15.92
Every MtG set has that one removal spell that everybody wants. In this case, it’s the Final Showdown, which also has some flexibility added to it. I wouldn’t be surprised to see a copy or two of Final Showdown in the White Blue lists in both Modern and Standard formats. The AoE cost may be a bit too steep, but since it’s an instant spell, the cost is totally justifiable.
Goldvein Hydra
- Regular art price: $16.08
- Extended art price: $18.20
What’s not to like about the new Goldvein Hydra card? It has one of the most powerful keyword combos a creature can have in this game, including vigilance, trample, and haste. You can grow it as large as you want, and it generates treasure tokens when it dies. This thing is incredibly powerful and will definitely find its way into a whole array of Mono Green decks. I’m not sure if that price will hold, though, but time will show.
Terror of the Peaks
- Regular art price: $17.49
- Extended art price: $22.17
Terror of the Peaks is back in MtG after its dominance during the Core Set 2021 expansion. Mono Red players in Standard will be especially happy, as the influence of red decks hasn’t been as significant since its rotation. But now you can ping your opponents once again with the horde of small creatures right after playing Terror of the Peaks. Note that the original extended art from the Core Set 2021 trades for about $70 on the market these days, so it’s a real bargain to get this reprint for so much cheaper.
Jace Reawakened
- Regular art price: $17.90
- Borderless art price: $22.91
Jace Reawakened can be a valuable addition to decks that focus on combo strategies, especially when combined with cards like Leyline of Anticipation that allow you to cast spells with a flash. It’s also a perfect candidate for inclusion in Grixis Control lists with lots of spells that cost 3-mana or less. It looks like Jace Reawakened will be huge in this meta, so there’s a big chance that the price will only increase in time.
Oko, the Ringleader
- Regular art price: $7.84
- Showcase art price: $34.31
The new Oko planeswalker may not be as appealing as its predecessor Oko, Thief of Crowns, which eventually got banned from a whole slew of formats for being overpowered, but the new version has its merits nonetheless. For example, I noticed that it can be useful in decks that focus on creature-based strategies, as it can copy powerful creatures and provide card advantage, as well as be a valuable addition to decks that utilize control or combo strategies since it offers flexibility and card selection. So there’s a lot to play with, although I think it’ll find its way mostly into the EDH format.
That’s it for my list of the most expensive Outlaws of Thunder Junction cards. Stay tuned for more MtG tips and tricks articles, including a list of the most expensive March of the Machine cards.
Published: Apr 15, 2024 08:47 am