MTG’s Western set is sure to be packed with villains and their nefarious deeds, but could Thunder Junction’s crimes be spilling out into real life?
Outlaws of Thunder Junction is the next hotly-anticipated premier set to release for Magic: The Gathering. Where Murders at Karlov Manor took the game in a Murder Mystery direction, Thunder Junction is an Old West-inspired setting packed full of danger and desperados.
Outlaws of Thunder Junction will invite Magic fans to be part of a villainous posse, and it seems the team at Wizards is getting in on the fun. In great news for MTG – and a terrible day for moral guardians – Magic’s lead designer Mark Rosewater has told the game’s players that they are encouraged to commit crimes!
Committing crimes is rewarded in MTG’s Outlaws of Thunder Junction
Though we almost wish we could end this article right here, some context for Rosewater’s statement is understandably required.
In a post on his personal blog, Rosewater responded to a fan who thought that Outlaws of Thunder Junction’s ‘Commit a Crime’ mechanic was likely to be treated like ‘Gotcha’ by players on release. Gotcha is an infamous ability from Magic’s Unhinged set that dragged out games, penalizing action and interaction.
In response to the fan’s concerns, Rosewater said:
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“It will cause inaction? You are encouraged to commit crimes, so it incentivizes interaction, not deter it.”
You heard it here first, folks! Magic: The Gathering is openly encouraging larceny, gunfights, waking your neighbors with loud music at 4 am, and more. Perhaps all that Satanic Panic wasn’t too far off the mark after all…
Joking aside, this is a really encouraging sign of how Outlaws of Thunder Junction will play. Having the set’s main mechanic heavily discourage interaction would lead to slow, hesitant gameplay. With the Crime mechanic incentivizing interaction with graveyards and your opponents’ permanents, Outlaws of Thunder Junction is freed up to replicate the havoc and fast-paced reactions of Old West duels, robberies, and more.
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