On the Card
A strategy site makes the case for the Quints, the 2026 card's most-debated section
The returning Quints section has drawn heavy criticism, but one analysis argues it holds the card's most flexible hand.
The Quints section returned to the 2026 NMJL card after seasons away, and it has become the summer's loudest argument at the table. Players have called it joker-hungry and easy to strand yourself in.
A strategy site, Mockingbird and Magnolia, pushes back. In a May 9 post, it argues that one Quints hand is the most flexible, highest-odds hand on the entire card, generating 216 possible combinations, which the site estimates at roughly 20 percent of all playable hands. Its takeaway is that intimidating-looking hands often have better odds than players assume.
The reasoning, as the site lays it out, rewards picking your two strongest numbers, committing to a single suit, and deciding early rather than chasing. (OOTT is not affiliated with Mockingbird and Magnolia. Prim's view: a glory hand can be earned without being unwinnable.)