Lorwyn-TMNT Mix-Up Reveals New Mono-Black Ninja Commander

Last updated on January 16, 2026

Shark Shredder, Killer Clone | Illustration by Nicholas Gregory

We're getting an awful lot of “accidental” early looks at cards from sets beyond Lorwyn Eclipsed, though the latest one is less of a leak and more of what we in the industry like to refer to as an “oopsie”. Looks like a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles card slipped into someone's Lorwyn prerelease kit, which does happen on occasion. I like to think that this is done intentionally to drive up hype for later sets, but either way, we've got a banger of a new card to look at from 2026's first Universes Beyond set.

Shark Shredder, Killer Clone

So, like, does Shredder just become Sharkboy at some point in the series, or…?

Shark Shredder, Killer Clone looks a lot like Zareth San, the Trickster, except a lot harder to deal with mid-combat. A 4-mana 4/4 first striker is already tough to deal with, but you get punished pretty hard for not blocking it, since it'll reanimate something out of the opposing graveyard.

Note the timing here with first strike. If this hits a player, the damage trigger will bring a creature into play tapped and attacking, then you'll go to normal damage and that creature will be able to hit as well.

Sneak makes this even easier to pull off, at least the first time. For anyone who hasn't seen early TMNT spoilers, sneak allows you to return an unblocked creature to your hand to cast a sneak spell. You can't tell from the reminder text on Raphael's Technique (or the lack of reminder text on Sharkboy), but sneaking a creature into play does make it enter tapped and attacking, the same way ninjutsu does.

So, you can attack with something evasive, sneak in Shark Shredder, deal first strike damage and steal a creature from your opponent's graveyard, then immediately hit them with it. And all the better if the creature you bounced back with sneak was something beneficial to replay.

All the casual Yuriko, the Tiger's Shadow decks are going to want this, as well as anything already playing Zareth San that isn't knees-deep in rogue synergies. It's missing the pivotal horror creature type for Captain N'ghathrod, though it seems like a fine backup option for that commander, as well. And hey, it's a black octopus for Krothuss, Lord of the Deep, though you'll need a Mirror Gallery effect in play to make that actually matter, since Shark Shredder is in fact a legendary creature.

Speaking of which, one advantage that sneak has that ninjutsu doesn't is that it works from the command zone (commander tax still applies), whereas you can only ninjutsu from your hand. That makes it more akin to commander ninjutsu on Yuriko, and gives it more legs (tentacles?) in EDH than most legendary ninjas.