Yeehaw, Loreseekers! I reckon it's time to mosey on down to the... okay, I'll stop. Today we're going to look at Oko's gang, a small sliver of the returning characters you'll find at Magic's first omenpath jamboree! Let's get to it and have a rootin' tootin' good time. Okay, now I'll stop. Maybe. (I'll never stop).

The Core of Oko's Gang

Thunder Junction Key Art

My focus today will be on the six characters featured in the key art of Oko's gang. While the gang itself is almost twice as large, these characters are more in focus than the others. I'll cover the others in less detail at the end, as I'd like to give my editors a break and not exceed my word count, for once.

Oko

Oko, the Ringleader by Magali Villeneuve

First Appearance: Throne of Eldraine

Home Plane: Unknown

Criminal History: Attempted Regicide

Role: Ringleader

We first meet Oko in the novella The Wildered Quest, where he has encountered Garruk and used a glamour to keep Garruk by his side. His plot in that story involved kidnapping Kenrith, the Returned King and transforming him into an elk, that he then had the elves of the wilds hunt in an attempt to spark a war. Thanks to Kenrith's twins, it didn't work out for him. We don't see him again (or do we? At least, in the main continuity) until now, where he's gathered a band of ne'er do wells from across the multiverse to get into a mysterious Vault on Thunder Junction.

Vraska

Vraska, the Silencer by Kieran Yanner

First Appearance: Return to Ravnica

Home Plane: Ravnica

Criminal History: Homicide, Piracy, Assassination, Insurrection

Role: Second-in-Command (I don't have a good one for her)

Vraska has been around in Magic for a while now, and rarely has it been on the right side of the law. Arrested in an Azorius purge and thrown into a horribly overcrowded prison where her spark ignited during a riot, Vraska has never been one to trust authority. She worked for years as an Ochran, an assassin for the Golgari Swarm, but her real goal was to take back control from Jarad, Golgari Lichlord who had grown more and more corrupt over his decades of undeath. To do so, she signed up with Nicol Bolas and sailed Ixalan's seas as a pirate, where she met and fell in love with Jace Beleren. That love didn't stop her from assassinating the leader of the Azorius at the time or following-through with her Golgari coup, however. But when push came to shove, she sided against Bolas and helped usher in his defeat. When the New Phyrexians reared their heads, she signed up alongside Jace for the strike team to attempt to destroy them, but was lost to compleation. She led the Phyrexian Invasion of Ravnica, and has become persona non-grata there. What is she doing on Thunder Junction? How does she look mostly okay? These are things we'll have to wait and see if they're explained.

Kellan

Kellan, the Kid by Magali Villeneuve

First Appearance: Wilds of Eldraine

Home Plane: Eldraine

Criminal History: Homicide, Blasphemy

Role: None (Oko wasn't planning on him)

We've followed Kellan's journey as he attempts to find his father in the Multiverse throughout the last year. That includes his adventure defeating witches on Eldraine (including killing one by shoving her into her own boiling cauldron), helping fight the resurgent Aclazotz, Deepest Betrayal // Temple of the Dead and meeting his love interest, Amalia Benavides Aguirre, and helping solve the murders at Karlov Manor (where he also imprisoned Anzrag, the Quake-Mole). Now he's on Thunder Junction and has finally found his father, but is it all he hoped it would be? Spoiler Alert: It is not.

Annie Flash

Annie Flash, the Veteran by Kieran Yanner

First Appearance: Thunder Junction

Home Plane: Unknown

Criminal History: Theft

Role: Lookout (Don't have a better word for it)

Annie Flash is an Atiin, a nomadic people from an unknown plane, who have journeyed out into the multiverse with the advent of Omenpaths. At some point in the last few months, her group ran afoul of Akul, the scorpion dragon leader of the Hellspurs, and her nephew was gravely injured. She hung up her rifle after that (metaphorically), but Oko's arrival promised her revenge against Akul, and a not-so-subtle threat to sell her and her new town out to the dragon if she didn't join up. She finds herself drawn to and protective of Kellan, perhaps seeing a bit of her nephew in him. Annie was hired specifically for her magic eye, which when used can see through any illusions.

Rakdos

Rakdos, the Muscle by Victor Maury

First Appearance: Dissension

Home Plane: Ravnica

Criminal History: None

Role: Muscle

Rakdos is an odd duck, the only remaining Ravnican parun, or guild founder, he's never made much sense in the guild structures of Ravnica. His guild largely exists to keep him entertained, and while they commit crimes, by the most technical definition, Rakdos hasn't really, as he's just supposed to be himself. His search for entertainment is likely what brought him to Thunder Junction, as a new experience and the chance to test himself against the likes of Akul must have proved irresistible.

Tinybones

Tinybones, the Pickpocket by Ekaterina Burmak

First Appearance: Jumpstart

Home Plane: Dominaria

Criminal History: Theft

Role: Burglar

Tinybones is a skeleton thief from Urborg, and that was about all we knew about him before this story. While there's still not much more to say, except he is a delightful scamp, but his buddy comedy moments with Rakdos were some of my favorite from the story.

The Rest of the Gang

While not featured in key art, Oko recruited more notable names from across the multiverse to round-out his gang.

Malcolm and Breeches

First Appearance: Ixalan

Home Plane: Ixalan

Criminal History: Piracy, Theft, Destruction of Property

Role: Scout and Demolitions, respectively

Malcolm and Breeches were former members of Vraska's crew aboard her pirate ship The Belligerent. They were POV characters in our return to Ixalan, and have been hired here for their useful skills at scouting and explosives. The shouting is free!

Gisa and Geralf

Art by Chris Seaman

First Appearance: A Planeswalker's Guide to Innistrad: Gavony and Humans

Home Plane: Innistrad

Criminal History: A lot...

Role: Back-Up and Medic, respectively

Gisa and Geralf are the bickering necromancer twins from Innistrad. Geralf was hired to be the team's medic, and Gisa was... probably not actually hired and just showed up with him? Regardless, this duo has caused havoc the entire time they've been on the team, as one would expect. Geralf is interested in the plane's "thunder", a mysterious magic that could have profound effects on his necroalchemy, in the place of mundane lightning.

Satoru Umezawa

First Appearance: Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty

Home Plane: Kamigawa

Criminal History: Racketeering

Role: Tech Expert

Satoru Umezawa was brought onto the team for his expertise with technology, something most fantasy planes in Magic lack. Likely, he's also looking to expand his business contacts across the planes for expanding the Hyozan Reckoners. He also, absolutely, can't get along with his counterpart...

Kaervek

Art by Cristi Balanescu

First Appearance: Mirage

Home Plane: Dominaria

Criminal History: War Crimes

Role: Arcana/History Expert

Kaervek has recently escaped a subjective twenty year imprisonment in the Amber Prison, after his attempted conquest of Jamuraa. In truth, he has been gone for centuries, phased out with Zhalfir, only to find Zhalfir its own plane and the multiverse changed. Without his army of creatures from the Burning Isles on Dominaria, he's just a very strong mage in his own right. He was brought on for his expertise in ancient magic and devices in things like Phyrexia, which we've known he possessed since Phyrexian Vault. His old school/new school bitter rivalry with Satoru gives me life.

Eriette

First Appearance: Wilds of Eldraine

Home Plane: Eldraine

Criminal History: I don't even know how to frame it? Criminal narcolepsy?

Role: Charms Expert

Eriette is a witch from Eldraine who, along with Ashiok, attempted to expand the Wicked Slumber across the whole plane, creating a sleepwalking army. She was brought along for her magical knowledge, and her association with Ashiok.

Ashiok

First Appearance: Theros

Home Plane: Unknown

Criminal History: Being Freddy Kreuger, I guess?

Role: Patron

The biggest surprise in OTJ was that Ashiok was behind the whole thing. What are they doing here, and what are they after in the Vault? A question that may or may not be answered by the time this article posts, so I'm playing coy to not risk spoiling anything.

Time to Mosey Into the Sunset, I Reckon

This is just the first of what will hopefully be many Thunder Junction articles coming your way, given the plane's already established itself as a melting pot of characters from across Magic's history. I'll see you next time, partner.