Tapping into the Western villain flavor of Magic: The Gathering’s Standard-legal set Outlaws of Thunder Junction, there’s the Crime mechanic and the payoff cards that want you to commit Crimes.
The Crime mechanic from Outlaws of Thunder Junction will affect every MTG format, allowing players to gain additional value from targeting either an opponent or their permanents on the battlefield. Crimes have limitations, though, as board wipes don’t count since nothing was specifically targeted. But any activated or triggered spell that targets an opponent or permanents (including cards in the graveyard) is a Crime.
Within the OTJ set, there are 26 Crime payoff cards of various rarities that are likely to significantly impact the Limited Draft and Sealed format.
All MTG Crime payoffs honorable mentions in OTJ
Another flavor-filled MTG mechanic in Thunder Junction is Outlaws, a batch mechanic that rewards you for having specific creature types in your deck. The BR Enchantment At Knifepoint synergizes with both the Outlaw and Crime mechanics, with the Crime payoff being a 1/1 Mercenary token created once each turn if you commit a Crime. Freestrider Lookout is a solid honorable mention that helps you find lands when you commit a Crime. And Raven of Fell Omens is a cute early-game flyer Aristocrat that pulls on my heartstrings.
Best MTG Crime payoffs for OTJ Draft and Sealed
Heading into the official launch of Thunder Junction, it’s hard to pinpoint the full gravity of how Crime payoff cards will affect the OTJ Limited meta. The Draft archetype UB has a main theme of committing Crimes but that doesn’t mean cards in other colors can’t take advantage of the mechanic too. Here are my MTG Crime payoff top picks for the OTJ Draft and Sealed.
| OTJ card | Crime payoff |
| Blood Hustler | A two-drop (1B) Uncommon 1/1 that gains a +1/+1 counter once per turn when you commit a Crime. It also has an Aristocrat-activated ability that costs 3B. |
| Rattleback Apothecary | Rattleback Apothecary is a three-drop (2B) Deathtouch Gorgon Warlock with 3/2 stats. The Uncommon is good as a Crime payoff as it grants any creature you control Menace or Lifelink when a Crime is committed until the end of that turn. |
| Servant of the Stinger | The two-drop (1B) Deathtouch Warlock is unique in that you can sacrifice it after committing a Crime to find any card in your library, which is very strong when attempting to pull off combos or cast a finisher onto the battlefield. |
| Vadmir, New Blood | The two-drop (1B) Rogue is similar to Blood Hustler in that it gets a +1/+1 once per turn when a Crime is committed. When the Legendary Vampire has four or more +1/+1 counters, it gains Menace and Lifelink. |
| Duelist of the Mind | Duelist of the Mind is a two-drop (1U) that synergizes with itself when a Crime is committed, having you draw a card and buff the Advisor’s power fo that turn. |
| Gisa, the Hellraiser | Gisa is a five-drop (3BB) 4/4 with a Ward of two and Pay two life. The Warlock is a lord to Skeletons and Zombies but her Crime payoff elevates the Legendary as it creates two tapped 2/2 Zombie tokens when you commit a Crime (once per turn). |
| Lazrav, Familiar Stranger | Lazrav is the three-drop (1UB) UB signpost card for the Draft archetype. Committing a Crime grants the Shapeshifter a +1/+1 counter while allowing the Legendary to exile any card from any graveyard with Lazrav becoming a copy of that card until the end of the turn. |
| Magda, the Hoardmaster | Magda is a two-drop (1R) Rare that crates tapped Treasure tokens once per turn when you commit a Crime. Those Treasure tokens can then turn into a 4/4 Dragon when three of them are sacrificed. |
| Karevek, the Punisher | The three-drop (1BB) Mono-Black Warlock has you exile a Black card from your graveyard and copy it at the cost of two life points when you commit a Crime. |
