Wizards of the Coast (WotC) has brought some of the most popular media franchises to its beloved trading card game, Magic: The Gathering (MTG), thanks to its Universes Beyond (UB) push. The next MTG set, which is a UB set, is based on Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMNT). The set will bring the heroes in […]
Wizards of the Coast (WotC) has brought some of the most popular media franchises to its beloved trading card game, Magic: The Gathering (MTG), thanks to its Universes Beyond (UB) push. The next MTG set, which is a UB set, is based on Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMNT). The set will bring the heroes in a half shell to the game with its own unique mechanics and characters that will certainly appease fans. We got a rundown of the MTG TMNT set, including a look at many of the cards players will be drawing in the next few weeks.
Although TMNT began as a comic book, it now spans several types of media, including video games, movies, TV shows, and more. The MTG set draws inspiration from several parts of the turtles’ history, including some deep cuts that players may not expect. As previously mentioned, it also features a mixture of new and old mechanics to differentiate the TMNT set from other sets beyond just the art.
“On the design side, we were able to draw inspiration from almost every iteration of the Turtles, like the original comics, video games, animated series, even toys,” said Eric Engehard, WotC Senior Game Designer and TMNT Set Design Lead. “There was a designer who had a favorite character or just a really cool visual from the turtles’ past, a character with a cool visual, we were able to use that character and put them in the set.”
To ensure every pack included one of the four main turtles, WotC designed a common, uncommon, rare, and mythic rare card for Leonard, Donatello, Raphael, and Michelangelo. Each one is a legendary creature and is the creature type “mutant ninja turtle.” From a narrative perspective, the uncommon will show the turtles in the lair, hanging out, or training. Then it escalates from there, with the mythic rare emphasizing each character’s strength. For example, the mythic rare Raphael, Ninja Destroyer, must be blocked if able, and has Enrage, which states, “Whenever Raphael is dealt damage, add that much [red mana]. Until end of turn, you don’t lose this mana as steps and phases end.”
To continue capturing the “vibe” of TMNT through MTG, each turtle has a team-up card that helps symbolize their familial relationships, which are integral to the turtles’ story. For example, there is the rare “Don & Leo, Problem Solvers” card, which includes the more responsible brothers. On the flip side, there is also the rare “Raph & Mikey, Troublemakers” card, which features the two more troublesome brothers.
Of course, other fan-favorite TMNT heroes and villains are in the upcoming MTG set. Some villains include Krang, Shredder, Baxter Stockman, and Leatherhead. Most notably, there is a Casey Jones card called “Casey Jones, Vigilante.” It costs two mountains and one other mana (total three), and states, “When Casey Jones enters, draw three cards. At the beginning of your next upkeep, discard three cards at random.”
In terms of mechanics, the MTG TMNT set introduces Sneak, a mechanic similar to Ninjutsu, but can also be seen on sorceries and instances, like “Shredder’s Technique” and ” The Last Ronin’s Technique.” For players who may use a Legendary Creature with Sneak as their commander, it seems players can use the creature’s Sneak ability while they are in the command zone.
The set also introduces the Mutagen token, which states, “Sacrifice this token: Put a +1/+1 counter on target creature. Activate only as a sorcery.” To use the ability, players must tap a land and tap the token. There are also cards that produce Mutagen tokens, like the sorcery, “Mutant Chain Reaction,” and the Legendary Artifact, “The Ooze.”
There are also some returning mechanics in the MTG TMNT set. This includes Alliance, Disappear (formerly Revolt), and Classes.
There are several ways to play the new MTG TMNT set. This includes the expected products, like Play Boosters and Bundles, but also includes some fun new ways to play the long-running trading card game. Here is the entire product line and its MSRP:
While most of the products listed above will look familiar to MTG fans, Turtle Team-Up is a new cooperative way to play the trading card game. It is designed as an “approachable and exciting” way to play the game, and serves as a great gateway for long-time MTG players to teach their friends or family members who may have been interested. The core experience of this product is a two to four-player cooperative game mode where players will face Shredder’s minions, as well as 11 of the brothers’ worst foes, which can be found in the boss deck.
Players can choose from one of four decks, each represented by one of the four main turtles. These are normal MTG decks, and can be played against each other for players who are comfortable with playing the Standard format. Players can also find several different ways to tune the difficulty of the experience. The Turtle Team-Up set includes 4 play boosters, in addition to the four decks, as well as a 38-card boss deck.
There are also ways for Magic: The Gathering Arena players to join in on the TMNT fun. There will be a TMNT-themed Battlefield, which is inspired by the turtles’ lair. There is also the Pack Bundle and Play Bundle, which includes several goodies to get players plenty of cards from the upcoming set. Here are the two bundles, and everything included in each when they launch on March 3:
Personally, this is the UB set I’ve been waiting for. Since WotC started bringing other properties into MTG, this was my dream pick for a UB set. TMNT is one of my favorite comic book series, including both the Mirage Comics and IDW runs. I grew up playing TMNT video games and watching the various movies and cartoons. I am very nostalgic for the turtles.
Now seeing a lot of the MTG TMNT set, I am pretty excited to see how the Commander precon plays. Having six commanders to choose from seems pretty fun and allows players to experiment with certain combos. The Turtle Team-Up set looks like it’ll be a blast with my pod, and a way for us to deviate from the normal Commander format. Also, some of these cards look like solid additions to some of my preexisting decks. It is hard to say if this will hit the UB highs of the Final Fantasy set, but I am looking forward to its release on March 6 (or February 27 if I decide to go to a prerelease event).
Check out the slideshow below to see over 70 cards from the upcoming MTG TMNT set, including the glorious borderless signature Kevin Eastman headliner cards:
Bantam Banter 