When Throne of Eldraine was released in 2019, one of the mythic rare cards was Outlaws’ Merriment. This four CMC Boros enchantment produces a random token at the beginning of every upkeep. On the surface, getting a free creature token every turn seems amazing. However, as players started to put the card into decks, the flaws became clear. Still, this card is super fun and is the greatest terrible card in Magic: The Gathering.
Outlaws’ Merriment In Magic: The Gathering
Let’s start with why Outlaws’ Merriment can be so fun. The tokens produced give a lot of versatility. A 3/1 Human Warrior with trample and haste is great for aggressive decks. It gives you free bodies to punch through for more damage. A 2/1 Human Cleric can help life gain decks have lifelinkers on board. Finally, the 1/2 Human Rogue can deal passive damage.
There are many cards out there that can double the number of tokens created. Combining this with those enchantments can build a board very quickly. If the enchantment stays, players can always have a blocker on board, with two out of the three options being able to take down most low CMC creatures. While the potential is there, in practice, this card has major issues.
Outlaws’ Merriment: Major Issues
The first issue with Outlaws’ Merriment is it does nothing when played. It is a four mana enchantment that has to wait until the beginning of your next turn to take effect. If your board is already built up, this play is probably fine for long-term value. If you need something on board right now, this play is essentially doing nothing. If the card created one of those tokens when entering the battlefield, it would be so much better. Alas, it does not.
Another issue with Outlaws’ Merriment is that the tokens are random. In certain decks, you might prefer one token over the others. You have no control over what you will get off of this enchantment. It makes it hard to plan a certain kind of deck around the enchantment.
Reprint In Outlaws Of Thunder Junction
Outlaws’ Merriment is coming back in the newest Magic: The Gathering set, Outlaws of Thunder Junction. Wizards of the Coast has changed it from a mythic rare to a rare. It is getting special treatment with a Prosperity Times variant as well. While you may see this card pop up here and there, the issues that it has will still remain.
However, this doesn’t take away how fun this card is to play with. I encourage everyone to try to deck with this card in it. It probably won’t have a high win rate, but it will definitely have a high fun rate.
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