MTG Outlaws of Thunder Junction gets a Cowboy Bebop crossover, but it’s maybe not in the way you’d hope

Oko from MTG Outlaws of Thunder Junction in the style of Cowboy Bebop — (Image credit: Wizards of the Coast)

The MTG Outlaws of Thunder Junction release is finally upon us, but that doesn’t mean the hype train has died down just yet. As revealed today on the TCG’s official Japanese Twitter page, there’s even more treasure in the Fomori vaults of Thunder Junction than we initially thought. To celebrate the release of the latest expansion, MTG is collaborating with Cowboy Bebop to bring some bold play mats and card sleeves inspired by the space western anime.

Before you start fumbling for your wallet, let me break the bad news to you. Not only is this a Japanese-exclusive collab, but we’ll see a very limited release of the MTG Cowboy Bebop products. From April 26 2024 to March 31 2025, those who buy 3,000 yen worth of unopened cards at a WPN store receive one of five promotional postcards of MTG Outlaws of Thunder Junction characters in the distinct Cowboy Bebop style.

Only after you’ve secured your postcard can you be in with a chance to win the limited edition playmats and sleeves. If you get lucky and receive a prize ticket instead of a postcard, you can redeem them for Cowboy Bebop x MTG Outlaws of Thunder Junction loot. There are only 1,000 of these up for grabs, so these will definitely be hot-ticket items.

MTG Outlaws of Thunder Junction playmats in the style of Cowboy Bebop — (Image credit: Wizards of the Coast)

Thankfully, even fans outside of Japan can enjoy the funky trailer for the set that makes a very clear homage to the Cowboy Bebop anime opening. The promo features Oko, Vraska, Radkos, Tiny Bones, and Kellan running, posing, and generally looking cool while set to the rambunctious big band tune ‘Tank!’. Thanks to the contributions of creatives who have been credited on anime series like Jujutsu Kaisen, this trailer has an impressively high-production feel and is super faithful to its source material.

Although, it does kind of crack me up that the shots of spaceships are replaced with those of a horse and cart or Oko zooming away on an elk. For comedy gold like that, I almost forgive MTG Japan for not sharing the crossover with the rest of us.

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Abigail used to be a Tabletop & Merch writer at Gamesradar+ but has now spread her wings as a freelancer. She carries at least one Magic: The Gathering deck in her backpack at all times and always spends far too long writing her D&D character backstory. She’s a lover of all things cute, creepy, and creepy-cute.