First Ninja Turtle Spoilers Showcase New Legends and a Ninjutsu Variant

Last updated on October 10, 2025

People had already guessed the unannounced Universes Beyond set for 2026 was Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and a truck plastered with TMNT images and Magic: The Gathering logos driving through New York was a pretty strong nail in coffin. But now it's official, and WotC has released details on what to expect from the first crossover set of 2026!

The Return of the Precon

Details of a Nickelodeon crossover were already public well before this announcement, but it's official that Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles will be coming to MTG as the second set of 2026, releasing in March of next year.

Among the reveals was something we haven't seen in the most recent Universes Beyond sets like Marvel's Spider-Man and Avatar: The Last Airbender. There will be a solitary 5-color Commander deck for this set, complete with all the headliner ninja turtles you could ask for. They all feature the familiar partner mechanic, though with the “character select” attribute tacked on that means they can only partner with one another (and maybe other character select cards in the future?). Notably, Lorwyn Eclipsed also features Commander precons (including another 5c deck), so it looks like Commander's back on the table starting next year.

And don't forget Master Splinter!

There's a major focus on tokens and +1/+1 counters across the four legendary creatures, which have the exact typeline you'd expect.

They also introduce a new utility artifact token, the Mutagen.

There's an alternate 5c commander here too: Heroes in a Half-Shell. This one combines all the relevant creature types together (mutant, ninja, turtle) and gives you an alternative to any of the partner pairings.

Not All Commander

Kappa Tech-Wrecker | Illustration by Jehan Choo

Before you get too excited, this isn't just a Commander release, it's a full Standard playable set, complete with new mechanics.

The sneak mechanic was revealed as a ninjutsu variant that actually casts the card, and Raphael's Technique demonstrates that it can go on non-creature spells. While you're mulling it over, check out that set symbol. Gnarly, dude.

We got a nice look at some of the villains from the TMNT universe. Super Shredder is a menace threat that gets huge as permanents leave play (from anywhere!), Krang, Master Mind is an affinity threat that introduces the new utrom creature type to MTG, and you might remember Bebop & Rocksteady as one of the most memorable boss battles from the TMNT video games (also 3-mana 7/5, what the heck?).

We've got some protagonists to look at too. April O-Niel, Hacktivist and Casey Jones, Jury-Rig Justiciar are some of the most well-known characters from TMNT, and both hint at a sort of artifact theme in the set (Krang backs that up). Yes, Master Splinter's in there too, just without an official card preview.

Turtles Forever was a main-set highlight that harkens back to Gifts Ungiven, except for legendary creatures. Interestingly, it's also a wish effect, pulling cards from your sideboard as well. You could still run this in Commander and ignore the “outside the game” text, but it's definitely an interesting double tutor that plays mind games with the opponent.

New Co-op Format and Bonus Sheet Cards

There was also mention of a new Co-op format being introduced via the “Turtle Team-Up” Bundle. It's unclear if this is just Two-Headed Giant in a box, or something with a new rules set. Either way, it was announced alongside some new cards, which look to be part of the Commander set (though possibly exclusive to this bundle).

And of course, gotta have those collectible bonus sheet cards these days. In the same vein as the Marvel Universe cards from Spider-Man, TMNT will feature 20 borderless “Source Material” bonus sheet cards using original art from TMNT properties (peek that Doubling Season). Also, nice touch on the PZA set code there! And speaking of pizza, there's a Pizza Bundle associated with the set, which unfortunately doesn't come with a personal stuffed crust pizza. Instead, it includes boosters and two of six alternate art versions of existing Magic cards. We got a peak at this Dark Ritual featuring Master Splinter.

Oh, and pizza basic lands, because of course there's pizza lands. This set's still half a year away, so don't get too hyped yet. We've still gotta get through The Last Airbender and the amazing-looking Lorwyn Eclipsed first!