MTG does what Warner Bros. can’t as new cards reference iconic duo

Magic: The Gathering’s Outlaws of Thunder Junction is in spoiler country, with a double reveal of cards referencing an iconic pair of cartoon characters.

Magic’s latest sets have been rife with references. As the game evolves to feature new worlds, so do the in-jokes. We’ve seen what an MTG version of Columbo and Scooby-Doo would look like from Karlov Manor. Now, Wizards of the Coast appears to be doing what Warner Bros. can’t and release new Wile E. Coyote and Roadrunner things.

In the latest reveal for Outlaws of Thunder Junction, two new cards contain direct references to the Looney Tunes pair. Both Cunning Coyote and Resilient Roadrunner will hit the ground running in April.

Of course, Wizards couldn’t let the pair be too far apart. One user on Reddit has extracted the art from the cards and pasted it together to show the full panorama.

In it we can see that MTG’s version of the Wile E. Coyote might be a bit more capable than Chuck Jones’.

However, the cards do pair together like a couple of opposite magnets. The Resilient Roadrunner is impervious to Coyote cards. We don’t know yet if there are more Coyotes to debut, and this is the very first in the game. However, by paying 3 generic mana, Resilient Roadrunner can make itself unblockable to all cards – unless they too have haste.

While it’s unlikely the card will see much play outside of draft or limited formats, it’s still a decent pick for those going in for the aggressive plays.

Meanwhile, the Cunning Coyote seems to fit into a similar role as being a quick card to fire out and deal some damage before its impending death.

However, the Plot ability could be a neat surprise attack. This lets you squirrel it away for a price and play it way later in the game for free. Just like how Wile E. plots in an episode of the cartoon. Though, we’re hoping this doesn’t mean we’re falling off a cliff any time soon.

Magic does currently have an abundance of these styles of cards though. Cheap, smaller hitters that are intended to widen the gap early on so that Red decks don’t fizzle out. While a good tactic in any format, players on Reddit are pointing out that options are abundant.

One user wrote:

“Standard already has 7 creatures in the 2 mana [and] haste [in the] 2+ power slot, all with upsides of various types…

“Red has so many early game haste threats even the ones with an extra point of damage like this and charming scoundrel aren’t really aggressive enough to compete.”

With some users focusing on the mechanics side, others were hoping for a more direct reference:

“Should have “Cannot be blocked by walls”.”