Beginning in early March, the theme song to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles will likely run through my head over and over again while playing Magic. Admit it, you know the words too!

The set will tickle the nostalgic fancy of many thirty-somethings and forty-somethings, as we reminisce about our childhood. To this day I fondly recall the TNMT Halloween costume my grandmother made for me when I was seven years old. As long as the set stays true to its roots, it will be a raging success.

One unsurprising characteristic about this set is the inclusion of numerous turtle creature. We're talking a lot of turtles. According to Scryfall, there are currently 75 turtle creatures in Magic; 27 of them are in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and its corresponding Commander set. That's 36% of turtles (most being Mutant Ninja Turtles) ever printed in one release!

Other writers will provide a deeper dive into these newly printed turtle cards, especially as the set's release approaches. What I want to do this week is explore some of Magic's most powerful turtles released before TMNT. After release, casual players will have enough tools to build an all-turtles Commander deck, and I'll highlight some of the best turtles to include in that deck, in Top 10 fashion!

10. Snapping Voidcraw (Modern Horizons 3)

Oftentimes, Wizards of the Coast won't simply print "Creature - Turtle." Snapping Voidcraw is one such instance. It's a turtle and an Eldrazi. While this may be my top 10 list's least powerful creature in an absolute sense, I acknowledge it's versatility and utility in both the early and late game. Early one, having a ramping creature to help you cast the more expensive turtles will certainly come in handy. Late game, you can use Snapping Voidcraw to draw more cards.

9. Kappa Cannoneer (Neon Dynasty Commander)

In terms of absolute power, Kappa Cannoneer may deserve the number one spot. It's the only creature on this list that frequents Vintage Cube, after all. In the right deck that generates clues, treasures, blood tokens, thopters, etc., Kappa Cannoneer grows rapidly and can kill your opponent in just a few unblockable attacks. Awkwardly, however, Kappa Cannoneer doesn't play all that effectively with other turtles despite being a turtle warrior itself. In the context of a turtle deck, I believe Kappa Cannoneer ranks somewhat low. Still, with artifact mana for ramping, it would have been a miss on my part if I left this creature off my top 10 list for its absolute power level.

8. Blossoming Tortoise (Wilds of Eldraine)

Many of the flashier turtles cost a hefty amount of mana, so Blossoming Tortoise will also help you from a ramping standpoint. Additionally, this creature helps make your utility lands more cost-effective. In this deck, creature lands of the appropriate colors should be considered, as they synergize well with Blossoming Tortoise and help you fix your mana. There's just enough here to get this turtle onto my top 10 list.

7. Colossal Skyturtle (Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty)

Even at uncommon, Colossal Skyturtle is one of the most versatile turtle creatures printed. At face value, you have a formidable 6/5 flying creature with which to attack - that ward ability is a nice little add-on to make your opponent's lives slightly more difficult when interacting with it. The real power, however, comes from the two channel abilities. For , you can return any card from your graveyard to your hand. For , you can return a creature to its owner's hand. Both abilities can be lifesaving. My advice is to play Regrowth effects that have the ability to bring multiple cards from the graveyard back to your hand (e.g., Season of Renewal). Discard Colossal Skyturtle to return Season of Renewal to your hand, cast Season of Renewal to bring Colossal Skyturtle and another card back to your hand, then channel Colossal Skyturtle to bring Season of Renewal back to your hand again... rinse and repeat.

6. Kogla and Yidaro (March of the Machine)

Many of Magic's most powerful turtles are Green and/or Blue, but you may want to include Red in your deck to take advantage of Kogla and Yidaro. This odd coupl, one Ape Dinosaur, one Turtle, are walking around terrorizing opponents and their creatures. A 7/7 for six mana is a decent rate, plus this can hit the ground attacking or immediately destroy an opponent's creature in a fight. In a pinch, this creature can effectively cycle (you shuffle the creature back in, rather than discard it) to destroy an artifact or enchantment, a handy ability to have in Commander.

5. Bedrock Tortoise (The Lost Caverns of Ixalan)

I basically sat out of The Lost Caverns of Ixalan, so stumbling upon this nifty turtle creature surprised me a bit. I love that this difficult-to-kill, four mana creature helps protect all your other creatures (on your turn). It makes your opponent's instant-speed spot removal that much clunkier. The second ability is highly relevant in a deck filled with turtles, known to have larger toughness than power. Suddenly, Aegis Turtle becomes a one-mana 5/5 creature! If you're building a deck with most of Magic's turtles, Bedrock Tortoise can turn some of the less exciting ones into a formidable attacker.

4. Fecund Greenshell (Bloomburrow)

Bloomburrow brings us a 4/6 Elemental Turtle creature with Reach for just . By itself, this isn't impressive enough. However, once you control ten or more lands, all of your creatures suddenly get +2/+2! Additionally, in a turtles deck, you're likely to play creatures with higher toughness than power, meaning you'll be flipping additional lands onto the battlefield here and there. You'll get to ten lands in no time!

3. Ancient Adamantoise (Final Fantasy)

Next on the list is Ancient Adamantoise from Final Fantasy, recognized for its incredible stat line, defensive prowess, and versatile back-up plan. Eight mana is a steep cost, but slamming an 8/20 creature with vigilance and ward 3 gives me that warm and fuzzy feeling. Mind you, damage not being removed during cleanup means this giant turtle will fall... eventually. When it does, you get a return on your mana investment in the form of ten Treasure tokens! Hopefully you've managed to draw some extra cards with your other turtles, allowing you to put those treasures to good use and repopulate your board.

2. Ambling Stormshell (Tarkir Dragonstorm)

Speaking of creatures with higher toughness than power, Ambling Stormshell is a 5/9 creature with ward 2 for just 5 mana - that's a very attractive rate. What I particularly like about it, though, is its ability to draw you cards. In a heavy creature deck, it may feel difficult at times to generate card advantage and keep up with your opponents. Ambling Stormshell can help refill your hand. When I played this card in Limited, I had to wait patiently for the three stun counters to come off Ambling Stormshell before I could consider attacking again. In a turtle-based Commander deck, that won't be a drawback at all, because nearly every creature you cast will untap Ambling Stormshell!

1. The Pride of Hull Clade (Murders at Karlov Manor)

Sometimes, I think Wizards likes to make whacky turtle creatures so they can come up with a novel stat line. The only thing odder than the 2/15 power and toughness is The Pride of Hull Clade's type line: Legendary Creature - Crocodile Elk Turtle. I swear, this could have been a silver-bordered card!

Don't let that mana cost intimidate you - in a dedicated turtles deck, this creature will cost a single Green mana more often than not, and that's a fantastic rate for a 2/15 creature, even if it has defender. Then for , you can enable one of your turtles (including this one) to attack and, if it gets through, draw you a ton of cards. This is another path to solve the card advantage challenge, while also defending you effectively in the meantime.

Wrapping it Up

While I didn't struggle to identify which turtles belonged in my top 10, I did have some self-doubt about the order in which I placed them. I'm sure I overlooked an interaction or card that demands a reordering of the list. That being said, I hope people find enjoyment in exploring the powerful turtles in Magic and overlook differences of opinion. The goal here is to celebrate the future release of a deck filled with turtles in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and inspire players to build a creature-themed Commander deck that was once impossible.

In fact, for many years, there were very few turtles in Magic. The first (and arguably worst) came out in Legends: Giant Turtle.

That was the only one for years. It wasn't until 2000, six years later, when Wizards printed Vintara Snapper as the second turtle in Prophecy. Perhaps Wizards of the Coast didn't view turtles as "fantasy enough" to merit including as a mainstay creature type.

Whatever the reason, they're a mainstay now thanks to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. I am personally excited both for the nostalgia and the opportunity for an oft-forgotten creature type to have time to shine!