Caustic Bronco – Outlaws of Thunder Junction
Date Reviewed: May 3, 2024
Ratings:
Constructed:
Casual:
Limited:
Multiplayer:
Commander [EDH]:
Ratings are based on a 1 to 5 scale. 1 is bad. 3 is average. 5 is great.
Reviews Below:
I’m glad some Weird West stuff made it into Outlaws of Thunder Junction – the multiverse is, after all, a super-high-magic setting with its share of weird elsewhere, so why would this world be any different? Caustic Bronco’s premise is pretty straightforward, and probably most comparable to Pain Seer from Born of the Gods. Unlike that older card, there’s no way around having to attack with the Bronco, but the risk will often be worth it. Not to mention that you can try and kill off as many blockers as you can. The saddle ability makes the bargain much less fair for your opponent, and also gives it an interesting dimension in the late game when you may need to finish off an opponent. It’s not as reliable as a straight-up direct damage spell, though it’s true that a direct damage spell generally won’t draw you extra cards at the same time.
Constructed: 3.5
Casual: 4
Limited: 4
Multiplayer: 3.5
Commander [EDH]: 3.5
Talk about a bad horse. Caustic Bronco is in a similar vein to other creatures like Pain Seer and, of course, Dark Confidant: card draw at the cost of life. The trick here is in the saddle ability turning the downside into upside: you get the card, but your opponents pay for it. And it isn’t unrealistic to play a three-power creature on turn 3, use it to saddle the Bad Horse, and get a potential swing.
Unfortunately, this is an attack trigger, and Caustic Bronco’s body is maybe a bit lacking; as just a 2/2 without keywords, a late swing by this will probably be a suicide mission, and its saddle cost is higher than its power. This is maybe something you can recoup with a good reveal, but you’re just as likely to reveal a land in most cases. I do feel like Caustic Bronco will see play for lack of better options, to be fair, but it’s not abjectly terrible; with a bit of support, he can prove himself the baddest horse in all the land.
Constructed: 4
Casual: 4
Limited: 4.25
Multiplayer: 4
Commander [EDH]: 4
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