Final Showdown – Outlaws of Thunder Junction
Date Reviewed: May 6, 2024
Ratings:
Constructed: 4.63
Casual: 4.75
Limited: 5.00
Multiplayer: 4.50
Commander [EDH]: 4.63
Ratings are based on a 1 to 5 scale. 1 is bad. 3 is average. 5 is great.
Reviews Below:
There’s probably some kind of a comparison to be made with western movies here: something about the first time you see the hero, he looks much like every other guy in a duster and cowboy hat, yet it turns out he has the aim and the reflexes to destroy literally everyone at once. Because the first mode of the card read by itself is obviously useful, but also situational (eg. you finally got someone to block something big with a regenerating creature). The second mode is a variant of those unspectacular indestructibility combat tricks you see every set or so. Then you get to the third one, and you realize it’s an instant-speed Wrath of God variant, and then you think a little more and realize that combining the modes basically spells out “target creature you control becomes David Carradine in the Kung Fu episode climax of your choice”.
If Outlaws of Thunder Junction does nothing else, it’s going to have that design achievement as its record, as well as contributing this card to various formats. Because you really have to go out of your way not to find this useful – the number of decks it disables is comically large. And I feel I have to say again, it even works against Splinter Twin!
Constructed: 4.5
Casual: 4.5
Limited: 5
Multiplayer: 4.5
Commander [EDH]: 4.5
For when you want your opponents to yee their last haw, Final Showdown is already really interesting for being an instant-speed board wipe. Board wipes are rarely unconditional at instant speed; the only other instant-speed ones I can think of are Rout and Fated Retribution, and those are seven mana instants. So the board wipe mode of Final Showdown is already slightly better at six mana, and that is well worth the price of admission.
Of course, Final Showdown isn’t just that. The other modes are to strip away abilities from all creatures and to grant indestructibility to one creature; the idea here is to potentially bypass protective abilities and/or keep one creature you want to survive aliv as the sole survivor. Seven mana to literally kill everything is a fair price, especially at instant speed, and there’s a lot of value with this spell at six, seven, or eight mana. Of course, the other modes are usable in a pinch; it might not feel great to have to strip abilities instead of wipe the board, but it can save you in a pinch, and it’s an affordable two mana to do so.
Final Showdown’s flexibility is remarkable, as is just being an improvement on an instant-speed board wipe. That alone is powerful, but the rest of the package is well worth the price of admission.
Constructed: 4.75
Casual: 5
Limited: 5
Multiplayer: 4.5
Commander [EDH]: 4.75
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