When I was a kid in the early 1990s, few things were hotter than Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. The late 80s brought us the legendary cartoon that solidified the Turtles' spot in pop culture.

The original cartoon is one of the ways I came to know the franchise. Reruns and special Burger King VHS tape compilations were ubiquitous at the time, as were the toys. It was such a pop culture phenomenon, you can still find the entire first season for free on YouTube.

A World of Pixels and Fun

Where I came to know it best, however, was in the world of video games. The Ninja Turtles were everywhere in arcades and on home consoles, and for a kid who already loved the cartoon, getting to play as the heroes in a half shell felt like the coolest thing.

Childhood Memories

The early 90s continued to ride the high of the arcades, with the 16-bit consoles of the time only starting to catch up to the quality you could find from a typical cabinet. Whenever I'd find myself at one of the local mall arcades, the bowling alley, or Chuck E. Cheese, there were two games that I would be instantly drawn to: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and its sequel Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time.

Both games provided some of the best side-scrolling beat 'em up action. You, or you and some friends, could face off against wave after wave of enemies until you'd come across a boss that you'd have to overcome. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles led the genre at the time, directly influencing later titles such as X-Men, The Simpsons, and the Sega Genesis console exclusive Streets of Rage series.

I was such a fan of these games growing up that I would find myself frequently playing the remixed version of Turtles in Time known as The Hyperstone Heist.

It's the first game that I can remember renting over and over again, and I'd eventually buy it so I could play it whenever I wanted.

As a huge fan and collector of retro video games, I've always found the Turtles' history to be interesting. As I started with the Sega Genesis, I missed the four titles on the Nintendo Entertainment System - or NES - in the years prior. What I've come to learn, though, is just how massive of an impression they left on players over the years.

A Painful Classic

The first TMNT game for the console is nothing like the famous arcade beat 'em ups and feels more like a sluggish Metroidvania-style of game. It's difficult, punishing, and largely ignores the series save for the enemies outside of the boss battles.

The game was famously lambasted by the Angry Video Game Nerd nearly 20 years ago and has gained quite a reputation since. It's almost impossible to hang around nostalgic nerd spaces without seeing a meme every few weeks inspired by the game's infamous Dam level.

In this level, you'd need to navigate a treacherous labyrinth of electrified seaweed to disarm several bombs. The task was heinously difficult for many players, causing them to lose the game in this spot all the time.

Later games for the console would instead take direct inspiration from the arcade games, either serving as direct ports or new titles inspired by them. These would prove so popular that as the years went on, we'd eventually see them re-released in a collection in 2022.

All of this is to say that the Turtles boast an extremely rich history when it comes to the world of video games. In fact, it's what some - like myself - perhaps remember most fondly about the series.

The Games Come to Magic

Now with the release of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in Magic: The Gathering, we're seeing some of this influence throughout the set.

For example, Turtles in Time and Shredder's Revenge represent pretty direct callouts to the games of the same name. Turtles in Time also interestingly shares its name with the third Turtles live-action film, though they're largely unrelated.

The main set version references the game while the Japan Showcase treatment highlights the film.

Teleportation Circle on the Source Material Cards bonus sheet also shares the same cover as the first NES TMNT game. While it may be best remembered for its use here, it's also the art for the fourth issue of the comic book in the original Mirage Comics run.

Without a doubt, however, the biggest and most direct nod comes in the form of the set's Commander deck, Turtle Power.

Turtle Power!

During the set's First Look, it was revealed that this deck would have a video game theme.

Little was known about it at the time, aside from the individual Partner commanders all bearing the term "Character Select." This is, naturally, a nod to the "Select your Turtle" screen players would be greeted with within the classic video games.

Finally, during the TMNT preview season, we got our first taste at just how deep the sewer hole went when the list was revealed. Let's take a look at the list, how it works, and my approach to upgrading it.

A Bevy of Gaming Nods

This list is absolutely bursting with references from the original games. If you're a fan of the classics, you will probably recognize a few of them right away. Nearly every corner of the list pulls inspiration from the games, making it a fun collection of nods for longtime fans.

There are iconic characters, memorable game moments, and more. It was a fun precon to break down and upgrade.

The Beat 'Em Up Staples

Even if you're unfamiliar with the TMNT video games, many of these have clear gaming references like Continue? or Game Over.

Cards like Here Comes a New Hero! might surprise you, though, as it depicts someone popping in a quarter and entering the fray mid-game. Each of these are classic experiences you'd have in an arcade setting, and not just with the Turtles.

That's not to say there aren't plenty of more direct nods to the games as well. Endless Foot Assault is a great representation of how the various Foot Soldiers come after your characters nonstop throughout the games.

Other enemy representations like Roadkill Rodney and the Dimension X Pizzasaurs (who look more distinct from Alien's Xenomorphs in this iteration) are nice callbacks as well. You can stop them by using moves like the Double Jump // Flying Kick combo or blowing up an Exploding Barrel.

Ninja Pizza's special pixel treatment also depicts the health power-up items you might find throughout a level to survive. You might need it from all the ways to lose life throughout the games, like when you find yourself electrified revealing your skeleton. Despite this being depicted on the card "Shellshock," the term was used when your Turtle would be defeated and they would utter, "Aw...shell shock!"

Nods to Specific Elements

Some cards are built around more direct references.

For example, Big Apple, 3 a.m. is the first level in Turtles in Time. The fly mutant Baxter Stockman is the boss for the level. This version of the character appears on the card Baxter, Fly in the Ointment. It depicts him shooting a plasma gun that forms the shape of an arm, just like in the game.

Once the game gets going a little bit, you also find yourself through a time warp. At one point, you end up on a pirate ship. None other than Bebop & Rocksteady show up to fight you there as the level's bosses. Both the ship and these representations of the characters appear as cards in this deck.

Oh, and remember the infamous Dam level? It gets a fun nod with the powerful board wipe effect Electric Seaweed.

These are just a few of the cards that make nods to the classics I remember as a child, though there are tons of references from over the years. TMNT games were seeing new releases all the way into the 2000s, across different consoles.

Many cards depict moments from these games, such as how this deck's reprint of Vigor as Heralds of the Shredder depicts the various Foot Mystics from the 2012 series.

I could go on and on about this, but aside from the fun nods, there's still one important question: how does the deck play?

Turtle Power! | Commander | Wizards of the Coast

• Commander (1)
• 1 Leonardo, the Balance

• Creatures (30)
• 1 Acidic Slime
• 1 April O'Neil, Live on the Scene
• 1 Baxter, Fly in the Ointment
• 1 Bebop, Skull & Crossbones
• 1 Big Mother Mouser
• 1 Biogenic Ooze
• 1 Casey Jones, Back Alley Brute
• 1 Corpsejack Menace
• 1 Dimension X Pizzasaur
• 1 Donatello, the Brains
• 1 Electric Seaweed
• 1 Heroes in a Half Shell
• 1 Irma, Part-Time Mutant
• 1 Krang, the All-Powerful
• 1 Leatherhead, Iron Gator
• 1 Lita, Little Orphan Amphibian
• 1 Michelangelo, the Heart
• 1 Mona Lisa, Science Geek
• 1 Raphael, the Muscle
• 1 Rat King, Pale Piper
• 1 Ray Fillet, Wave Warrior
• 1 Roadkill Rodney
• 1 Rocksteady, Mutant Marauder
• 1 Shredder, Shadow Master
• 1 Splinter, the Mentor
• 1 Steelbane Hydra
• 1 Tempestra, Dame of Games
• 1 Tokka & Rahzar, Unsupervised
• 1 Vigor
• 1 Voracious Hydra

• Instants (6)
• 1 Assassin's Trophy
• 1 Continue?
• 1 Double Jump // Flying Kick
• 1 Shellshock
• 1 Special Move
• 1 Swift Demise

• Sorceries (10)
• 1 Blasphemous Act
• 1 Cultivate
• 1 Fast Forward
• 1 Game Over
• 1 Harmonize
• 1 Here Comes a New Hero!
• 1 Lessons from Life
• 1 Super Combo
• 1 Vanquish the Horde
• 1 Wave Goodbye

• Enchantments (5)
• 1 Endless Foot Assault
• 1 High Score
• 1 Level Up
• 1 Ninja Pizza
• 1 Together Forever

• Artifacts (9)
• 1 Arcade Cabinet
• 1 Arcane Signet
• 1 Chromatic Lantern
• 1 Coin of Mastery
• 1 Everything Pizza
• 1 Exploding Barrel
• 1 Foot Chopper
• 1 Mole Module
• 1 Sol Ring

• Lands (39)
• 2 Island
• 2 Mountain
• 2 Plains
• 2 Swamp
• 4 Forest
• 1 Ash Barrens
• 1 Big Apple, 3 a.m.
• 1 Cinder Glade
• 1 City of Brass
• 1 Command Tower
• 1 Dragonskull Summit
• 1 Escape Tunnel
• 1 Evolving Wilds
• 1 Exotic Orchard
• 1 Fabled Passage
• 1 Grand Coliseum
• 1 Hidden Hideout
• 1 Hinterland Harbor
• 1 Path of Ancestry
• 1 Rain-Slicked Copse
• 1 Rootbound Crag
• 1 Smoldering Marsh
• 1 Sodden Verdure
• 1 Spire Garden
• 1 Sunken Hollow
• 1 Thriving Grove
• 1 Thriving Isle
• 1 Thriving Moor
• 1 Turtle Lair
• 1 Undergrowth Stadium
• 1 Vernal Fen
• 1 Vibrant Cityscape

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Examining the Deck List

All the gaming references are fun, but how does the deck actually perform? Let's take a look at how it plays and how we actually go about upgrading it.

This is where I ran into some trouble with the Turtle Power precon. The individual cards are packed with flavor, but it took me a bit to piece together how the deck is meant to play.

The Commanders

The deck itself is a little strange. The oddities start with the commanders themselves.

Wouldn't you think that the five color legend, Heroes in a Half Shell, was supposed to be the primary Legendary Creature to helm your deck? Turns out that's not the case after all.

According to the TMNT First Look with Blake Rasmussen, this is not so. Blake consulted with Melissa DeTora, who led the deck's design, and we learned that Heroes was included as a simple, secondary commander option for newer players.

Melissa went on to talk about the design in an article released alongside the deck list, she stated the focus was on the Partner commanders instead.

So, the goal is to not use Heroes in a Half Shell, but rather any of the Turtles, Splinter, or April O'Neil with Leonardo, the Balance at the center. Leonardo has all five colors in his text box, setting him up to be your core and allowing you to pick your favorite secondary character as his partner.

A Simple Yet Tricky Theme

Apart from April O'Neil, Live on the Scene, all five primary Partner commanders (namely the borderless ones) care about two things: +1/+1 counters and, to a lesser degree, tokens.

To me, the theme is a bit perplexing, especially since there are multiple different Character Select options to work with. There doesn't really seem to be much to do with the +1/+1 counters besides "go bigger" and most of the token making cards are in there to trigger other abilities.

Most decks I look at have a clear theme that's easy to identify and build upon. For example, Lorwyn Eclipsed boasted decks built around Elementals and -1/-1 counters. With both of those, there were clear build-around payoffs no matter which direction you leaned. This made for several easy cards to point to and say "use these to upgrade your deck."

This time, the individual designs feel either a bit too simplistic or, again, just focus on going tall without a lot of in-depth synergies. This is made worse when you look at the individual Character Select cards besides Leonardo, the Balance.

For example, Donatello, the Brains cares about giving you more value when you make tokens but, the deck's primary focus is +1/+1 counters, meaning there aren't quite as many token generators as you might like.

Splinter, the Mentor is an even more egregious example, caring about nontoken creatures dying, which is not a core theme of this deck at all. Additionally, both Michelangelo, the Heart and April O'Neil, Live on the Scene create very specific types of tokens that the deck isn't exactly equipped to benefit from.

Raphael, the Muscle is the most straightforward of these Character Select cards. The deck cares about making your Creatures super powerful via +1/+1 counters, and Raphael allows each of these creatures to double their damage outputs. If you just wanted to use something to start and build entirely based on the "go-tall" strategy, this is where I'd start.

Upgrading the Deck

Overall, this deck is tricky, and it's difficult to suggest the clean upgrade paths I normally would. The deck is more of a pile of strong cards than a focused strategy, which makes it harder to recommend a standard set of upgrades.

Looking at things like Hardened Scales and Proliferate effects would be a great place to start for just about any deck, however. Maybe a Doubling Season if you can get your hands on a copy.

Another key problem is the deck has a clear flavor theme that is hard to maintain once you start upgrading. If you're willing to spend some time upgrading it, I'd suggest keeping it simple: pick a Character Select Partner to focus on and build from there.

I'm going to talk about all of them, except for Raphael, the Muscle, since he has such a clear upgrade path.

Upgrading for Donatello, the Brains

Donatello, the Brains cares about making tokens; if you want to use him, the simplest thing is to lean into making more tokens.

This one might be the easiest to upgrade for. There is no shortage of token generators to choose from throughout the game's long history. Find the ones that you like the most and take advantage of them.

If you'd like to keep up with the TMNT theme, there are a lot of Donatello cards you can lean on. Many of these care about Artifacts specifically and can help with the +1/+1 counters element of the deck.

Best of all, there are ton of great Artifact token makers of both Creatures and non-Creatures alike.

Personally, I'm always in favor of cards like Tireless Provisioner, Thopter Spy Network, and Magda, Brazen Outlaw to support this kind of strategy. If you go really deep and add a lot of extra Artifact cards, Sai, Master Thopterist can make things especially wild, since you'll generate multiple tokens to sacrifice at once.

The way to make the most tokens with Donatello, though? Play a Bootleggers' Stash and watch the tokens start flooding the board left and right.

Upgrading for Splinter, the Mentor

Splinter, the Mentor is both the easiest and hardest of the Character Select cards to build off of.

What do I mean by this?

On one hand, it's easy to flesh him out. Lean into sacrifice outlets and creatures that are easy to bring back onto your side of the battlefield. It's a classic Aristocrats strategy.

Creatures like Bloodghast, Nether Traitor, and Reassembling Skeleton are your bread and butter for something like this. They're super easy to return to the battlefield and make for great sacrifice fodder turn after turn. You can feed them to powerful sacrifice outlets like Viscera Seer, Ashnod's Altar, and Goblin Bombardment for a deluge in value.

The problem, though, is that this is perhaps the strategy that veers furthest away from the core Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles flavor of the deck. You can definitely try it, though if you want to focus fully on the sacrifice angle, some other commanders might make it easier.

With all the Magic cards at your disposal, there is no shortage of options.

Upgrading for Michelangelo, the Heart

One of the more fun ones to work with is Michelangelo, the Heart.

Thanks to releases like the various Eldraine sets, The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth, and Bloomburrow, Food has gotten quite a bit of support over the years. That makes for plenty of cards to choose from here and multiple ways to strategize.

For example, there are fun and positive ways to lean into the Food tokens. Gilded Goose is an obvious example, providing a way to turn your tokens into mana every turn - a must in a five-color deck. You can also use cards like Camellia, the Seedmiser to make lots of tokens or Peregrin Took to make more Food tokens and then generate card advantage.

There are options for you to take a more harmful approach, too. Ragost, Deft Gastronaut will allow you to turn your Food into serious damage to each of your opponents. Better still, if you make a bunch of non-Food Artifact tokens, then he'll make them into Foods to generate more value.

If you want to use them to hurt other players, perhaps consider something like Asmoranomardicadaistinaculdacar. You will have to come up with a way to get her into play first, but then you're off to the races.

All these cards don't even consider the lifegain aspect of the Food tokens. There is no shortage of ways to take advantage of gaining life, but even something simple like a Sanguine Bond can go a long way.

If you end up in board stalls, it can be an excellent means of closing out the game a bit - provided you're not already dishing out the beats with Ragost, of course.

Upgrading for April O'Neil, Live on the Scene

The last of these Character Select options is April O'Neil, Live on the Scene. She does something a little different than the others. She doesn't care about +1/+1 counters in any way; she simply makes Clue tokens. More specifically, she Investigates, which is a mechanical term for making those Clues.

This is the one aspect that has the clearest way to build off. Numerous sets have featured the Investigate mechanic, so there are plenty of cards that not only Investigate, but care about what happens when you Investigate or do stuff with your Clue tokens.

This has made cards from these various sets into Commander staples. If you like to Investigate, playing cards like Ulvenwald Mysteries and Erdwal Illuminator will generate you extra value every time. You can also sacrifice them with cards like Alquist Proft, Master Sleuth or Tamiyo's Journal to draw tons of cards or find a specific one.

The two Lonis cards provide some fantastic additional value for your Clue tokens as well. Lonis, Cryptozoologist lets you steal cards from your opponents with ease - perfect if you have an abundance of Clues. Meanwhile Lonis, Genetics Expert allows you to not only generate tons of Clues but also fuel the deck's core +1/+1 counter strategy.

Of course, that's not even counting the cards that let you sacrifice artifacts for extra value or draw multiple cards in a single turn. The more you Investigate, the more you can enable this strategy and build into it. It might clash a little flavorfully, but I think just leaning into the Investigate side of things does a lot more than, say, the sacrifice cards for Splinter, the Mentor.

Conclusion

Ultimately, Turtle Power provides a really fun deck for newer players to pick up and jam with. There are some complicated aspects to it - namely when it comes to the Character Select cards - but the core strategy is simple and easy to understand.

Best of all, the theme is extremely on point. Longtime fans of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and especially the TMNT video games will find a ton to love about this.

Upgrading the deck can feel daunting. I know it was for me when I tried to simply find angles to approach to do so.

The real magic, however, is in the sheer versatility for how you can improve on it. It's so open-ended that you can take it anywhere you want, depending on how committed you are to the flavor.

My best recommendation for upgrades, is find the aspect of the deck you like, or your favorite character combo, and build out a deck from there. There are tons of options for every strategy here and ways for you to flesh them all out. Do it your way and have a blast at your next Commander night.

Just make sure you bring some pizza with you. It's the Turtles way.

Paige Smith

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