Move over Astarion, MTG Outlaws of Thunder Junction has another pointy-eared bad boy for me to fawn over

It’s a truth universally acknowledged that people on the internet will find hot fictional characters to simp over, and MTG Outlaws of Thunder Junction proves that characters who lean to the dark side (like Resident Evil: Village’s Lady Dimitrescu and Baldur's Gate 3’s Astarion) are particularly adept at capturing hearts. 

As one of the best card games, it’s not too surprising that Magic: The Gathering would have its own contribution to this trend. Set on a Wild-West inspired plane, the upcoming MTG Outlaws of Thunder Junction will feature a whole host of plane-travelling cowboys who don’t mind getting their hands dirty in the pursuit of fortune – and at the centre of this band is the legendary planeswalker Oko, the Ringleader, who promises to be the “baddest outlaw of them all.” Thanks to his chiselled torso and handsome face, Magic: The Gathering fans think he’s bad in a whole other sense. 

While Oko, the Ringleader made quite the debut at MagicCon, this isn't the planeswalker's first appearance. Oko was first introduced in the Throne of Eldraine expansion in 2019 where he featured in the cards Oko, Thief of Crowns and Oko, the Trickster. While his pale skin and pointed ears might remind you of a certain Baldurian vampire, don’t make any plans to add him to your elf tribal deck just yet. He’s actually a mischievous shapeshifting Faerie.

Sure, his art is easy on the eyes, but Oko, the Ringleader is more than a pretty face and a set of washboard abs. He’ll make for a pretty formidable addition to your deck too. In addition to transforming into a hexproof copy of a target creature, Oko, the Ringleader boasts some useful token generation and card draw abilities. Furthering his bad-boy persona, Oko, the Ringleader also makes prime use of the new Crime mechanic. Of course, the utility of this card doesn’t quite compare to Oko, Thief of Crowns. However, given this was so powerful it justified being banned in almost every format, that’s likely for the best.
 

Central to Outlaws of Thunder Junction’s story is the conflict between Oko and his estranged son, Kellan. According to fans’ thirsty tweets, Kellan has managed to fully inherit his dad’s good looks. 

That said, Outlaws of Thunder Junction won’t be all pretty boys. A whip-wielding Vraska brings some femme fatale energy to Thunder Junction, and we’ve also gotten a look at some seriously adorable cactus folk. Though to see the full variety of creatures available, we’ll have to wait until the set’s release on April 19.

For recommendations on what to play before then, be sure to check out the best board games and the best tabletop RPGs.