Murders at Karlov Manor may have only launched ten days ago, but already we’re barreling into another spoiler season. Thanks to upcoming previews from Bethesda, the preview season for the Fallout Commander decks begins today! As if 400 Fallout-themed MTG cards being revealed in five days wasn’t enough, over the weekend we’ve seen a plethora of leaks!
Technically, since these leaks are, well, leaks, there’s no guarantee they’re the real deal worth paying attention to. That being said, the surprisingly plentiful string of recent MTG leaks all appear to be legit on the surface. With the set’s First Look event fast approaching, it seems some can’t help but spill the Wild West-flavored beans!
Following up on the leak of Commander deck boxes, additional packaging for Outlaws at Thunder Junction has been leaked! This time around the leaks revealed packaging for Play Boosters, the Bundle, and a few MTG Arena elements. On their own, these details would usually just be a footnote within a First Look livestream.
Backing this trend, it appears the Outlaws at Thunder Junction product packaging features some surprisingly major reveals. Specifically, it seems that a pair of iconic MTG characters have escaped death!
Tibalt Is Back From the Dead?!
During Phyrexia: All Will Be One, Tibalt died like an absolute chump. Losing a fight to a hexgold-infused Tyvar, Tibalt became one of the many victims of MTG’s overly expedient story. Being thrown off a cliff and through the spheres of New New Phyrexia, Tibalt died without a trace.
Considering Tibalt is a persistent menace within MTG, this death seemed like a cop-out. Not only did they die incredibly quickly, but it seemed almost guaranteed this Compleated Planeswalker survived the fall. That was the assumption, at least, until things were made painfully clear.
Addressing the confusion, story writer Seanan McGuire stated “Yes,” Tibalt is dead. “As of right now, Tibalt is very, very dead, and Tyvar is very, very smug.” While this seems incredibly clear-cut, McGuire did leave Wizards a little wiggle room. Noting that they don’t own Wizards and call the shots, McGuire stated she “can’t guarantee he stays dead.”
Thanks to the new leaked product packaging above, it appears that McGuire’s faux prediction has been proved accurate. On the Bundle for Outlaws at Thunder Junction, it certainly seems like Tibalt is back! That seems to be the case, at least, looking at the clearly demonic hands on display front and center.
While the owner of these hands seems rather obvious, technically, we don’t know anything for sure just yet. Even if these hands look Tibalt-y, there’s a non-zero chance a different devilish character could own them. For example, Zurzoth, from Zurzoth, Chaos Rider is a potentially viable and rather flavorful option.
As much as a new Zurzoth card may be nice, MTG’s villain set would hardly be complete, or rather Compleat, without Tibalt. Subsequently, we’d be surprised if they didn’t show up in Outlaws at Thunder Junction.
Vraska Got Better
Speaking of compleated characters, during the Phyrexian Arc, Vraska was turned into Vraska, Betrayal’s Sting. As if this revelation wasn’t bad enough, Vraska also compleated Jace to make that sting really sting. To make matters even worse, Vraska, along with Jace, weren’t even healed at the end of March of the Machine!
Having disappeared toward the end of the story, rather than being saved, Jace and Vraska were two major unknowns. Given their power, there was a real chance that both these characters could have retained their Compleated state and evil tendencies. Alternatively, the death of Elesh Norn may have magically un-compleated them, since that’s what happened to everyone else.
Sadly for anyone who was hoping for a Phyrexian comeback tour, it seems the lackluster latter option is true. This appears to be the case judging by a recent leak of new player icons coming to MTG Arena. Within this trio of images, we can clearly see that not only is Vraska back, but they’re also totally healed.
While this reveal undeniably has major consequences, admittedly, it’s not that big of a surprise. Following the first teaser for Outlaws at Thunder Junction during Gen Con, we always had an inkling about Vraska’s appearance. Like Tibalt, there are incredibly few Planeswalkers who are both Gorgons and villains.
For better or worse, while we now know about Vraska’s whereabouts, Jace is still a mystery. Since they’re hardly a villain, if un-compleated as expected, then it’s unlikely they’ll turn up in Thunder Junction.
What Else We Know
Unfortunately, while the appearance of maybe Tibalt and definitely Vraska is interesting, the remaining details aren’t quite as enticing. Considering they were featured heavily in initial teaser images, Oko appearing at Thunder Junction was a given. The same is true of Kellan, who has been the protagonist during the Omenpath Arc.
Despite only appearing as icons within the recent leaks, many MTG players are already fearing the worst. Fearfully remembering Oko’s past dominance, many are dreading the return of 3/3 Elks. Thankfully, while Wizards may make a callback to this unforgettable era, it’s unlikely this Oko will match their past power.
At the end of the day, while we have seen the faces, and hands, of a few characters now, there’s still a lot we don’t know. The new set’s major new character, for instance, is still shrouded in mystery for the time being. Thankfully, that time shouldn’t last too much longer, as the First Look for Outlaws at Thunder Junction is just days away.
On the 23rd of February, Wizards is going to finally unveil Outlaws at Thunder Junction properly during a Preview Panel. Revealed alongside Modern Horizons 3 and Assassin’s Creed, this panel is well worth looking forward to!
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