How MTG Crime mechanic works and Outlaws of Thunder Junction payoff cards

Wizards of the Coast is dropping a Western-themed Magic: The Gathering set through Outlaws of Thunder Junction, featuring a mechanic that wants you to commit multiple crimes. 

Villians from across the MTG Multiverse have gathered together for the Outlaws of Thunder Junction (OTJ) set. The Standard-legal set showcases the return of a Planewalker once thought lost and another who ruled multiple formats before getting banned. You can also find unique mechanics within the OTJ set like Outlaws, a batching mechanic.

But the most prevalent mechanic within the Western-themed set is Crime, which the game wants you to commit.

What is an MTG Crime from OTJ?

A Crime in MTG is any activated or triggered spell that targets an opponent’s spells or cards (including graveyard). This means you can commit a Crime through either a positive or negative spell that targets your opponent’s permanents, with negative being the more natural way to commit your Crime. 

Certain MTG removal spells aren’t considered a Crime, though. Any form of untargetable removal, like a board wipe, isn’t classified as a Crime, but putting a +1/+1 counter on an opponent’s creature is.

How does the MTG Crime mechanic work in OTJ and other sets?

We as MTG players have been committing Crimes since the dawn of the TCG. Now that the mechanic is official, it will affect gameplay throughout multiple Magic formats. The devs purposely did this as a backwards-compatible mechanic. Committing a Crime isn’t restricted as there are payoffs in every MTG color. It’s these payoffs that may disrupt the meta within a few Magic formats. 

What are MTG payoffs for committing a Crime in OTJ?

Some of the first MTG payoff cards for committing a Crime were seen during the OTJ spoiler stream. Oko, The Ringleader was revealed before Thunder Junction spoilers officially started. This card’s plus-one Loyalty ability rewards you if a Crime was committed during that turn.

Magda the dwarf returns to Standard as Magda, the Hoardmaster, rewarding you with Treasure tokens once per turn if a Crime was committed. And Freestrider Lookout in Green looks at the top five cards of your library once per turn if a Crime went down.