Outlaws of Thunder Junction (OTJ) Limited Archetypes Guide and Example Decks
In this guide, we go over the 10 archetypes in Outlaws of Thunder Junction (OTJ) Limited, including example decks (archetype skeletons) for you to refer to.
Hey everyone! Outlaws of Thunder Junction has launched on MTG Arena and we’ve already spent a couple days down in the trenches. I know I usually get this article out before launch, but life gets crazy busy sometimes so I fell a bit behind. No worries though as I’ve got a moment to catch back up and discuss the archetypes of OTJ draft while providing archetype skeletons for you to check out.
For those of you new to this, archetype skeletons are example lists of what a good (but not great) version of that deck would look like. They are built with limitations to ensure they are realistic because when you’re in the wide-open bomb filled lane, you really don’t need much help. These are the type of decks that could trophy, but aren’t guaranteed to.
The outline that we are using for this exercise will exclude all mythics. It will be one rare from the base set, one rare and one uncommon from the breaking news set, four base uncommons, and not more than 2 of any base common.
For simplicities sake, the mana bases are going to be static with eight of each basic land and one of the ping deserts. These are not necessarily the proper mana base, but we’re just keeping it simple here.
Azorius is all about not casting a spell from your hand during your turn to get a bonus. You can do this through plotting or holding up instants. This deck has plenty of early defensive plays along with ways to deal with large threats until you win through the air.
Orzhov is doing its usual Aristocrats thing with ways to take advantage of sacrificing cheap tokens and creatures. Nezumi Linkbreaker is a star here by letting you sacrifice it twice as well as get a token trigger out of it.
Did you know that Boros is an aggro deck? I know, right? I am also baffled by this shocking turn of events. This version is built around mercenaries. Who doesn’t enjoy a good beatdown?
Selesnya is once again a beatdown deck, but this time it specializes in mounts. You want to load up on the powerful ones and smash the face in before they know what happened to them.
The dimir deck is all about living that criminal lifestyle. That’s right, you get bonuses for committing crimes. It’s a bit of a grind, but you can’t start out at the top of the underworld. I would love to add some extra ping deserts to this, but the rules are the rules.
Izzet a spells deck? It sure is. This time it is focused around double spelling which, coincidently enough, is one of my favorite things to be doing in limited. This deck is packed with both payoffs and easy ways to enable them.
Simic has been on a bit of a downturn in limited for a while, but it appears they may be plotting something to flip the script. Basically, just plot some cards and profit.
Josh is a member of the elite limited team The Draft Lab as well as the host of The Draft Lab Podcast. He was qualifying for Pro Tours, Nationals, and Worlds literally before some of you were born. After a Magic hiatus to play poker and go to medical school, he has been dominating Arena with over an 80% win percentage in Bo3 as well as making #1 rank in Mythic.
