When the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles set came out, I was aware there were a lot of legendary creatures, but it took me until this column to fully realize how many potential new commanders we got from this set.

Doing a few Scryfall searches, I saw what should have been apparent to me long before now. The Fortnite-ification of Commander is real, it's here, and it's going to be hard to avoid.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles has 72 legendary creatures, which is the card type we build around in Commander. Looking at other recent Universes Beyond (UB) sets, Avatar, the Last Airbender had 69 potential commanders, Spider-Man had 79, and Final Fantasy had a whopping 99.

This makes sense, as card designers can just lift characters willy-nilly with little restraint when designing new cards for an external IP.

When looking at the last four Magic sets that are not UB, we've got Lorwyn Eclipsed, Edge of Eternities, Tarkir: Dragon Storm, and Aetherdrift. Those sets respectively have 16, 15, 16, and 29 legendary creatures for us to build around in Commander.

Even if only half of the UB legends were good enough to build around, that still paints a very clear picture. The future of Commander and the future of Universes Beyond are inextricably entwined. If you don't like Universes Beyond, you can always skip a set, but you'll be losing out on a ton of options for cards to build your decks around.

I went on this tangent because I was looking for a card to build around for this week's column and I found myself just swimming in options. I've been avoiding the Turtles so far.

I also enjoy writing about oddballs and less popular commanders; I love a good pun or a particularly goofy character. That's why when I came across this little Mutant, I couldn't resist him.

In my heart of hearts, I do wish Genghis Frog was named in a way that rhymed with Genghis Khan. I guess back in the 1980s Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird didn't think to make him Genghis Prawn, but that's okay. This Frog Mutant Rogue was still one of the coolest and most interesting legendary creatures I could find on MythicSpoiler.

Genghis Frog has Trample and whenever he or another Mutant I control enters the battlefield I'll create a Mutagen token. Mutagen isn't a term specific to the TMNT franchise. That's great, as Wizards of the Coast has decided to use it for what feels like an "evergreen" purpose.

Mutagen tokens are artifacts that you can pay 1 mana and tap to put a +1/+1 counter on target creature. You can only crack your Mutagen tokens at sorcery speed, so they won't be very useful as combat tricks. I expect we'll see Mutagen tokens again after TMT is well behind us.

This commander's triggered ability is very clearly pointing us in the direction of running Mutants and playing with +1/+1 counters. The Trample keyword is an invitation to build a voltron deck designed to win via combat damage, but the Mutant creature type makes things interesting.

The Mutant Menace

This deck is going to lean on Mutants to try to build up a hefty pile of Mutagen tokens. I'm not doing that because it's the best way to build a +1/+1 counters deck, because it isn't.

I'm doing that because it's what Genghis Frog wants me to do, and if that positions this deck firmly in Bracket 2, that's fine by me. Not every deck has to be a banger.

There have been creatures with the Mutant creature type starting with Warped Researher in Legions. Goblin Mutant in Ice Age was printed as a Goblin, but Mistform Mutant was the first time Mutant appeared in a type line. That was in Onslaught, and Goblin Mutant was updated later to be an official Mutant.

The first notable Mutant being Sliver Overlord in Scourge. In my search for interesting Mutants, I saw a couple of keywords that are heavily associated with this type of creature when building this list - Graft and Evolve.

Graft is an ability that has a permanent enter play with +1/+1 counters. Whenever another creature enters play you may move a +1/+1 counter from the card with Graft onto the creature that just entered play. There are lots of Mutants that both have Graft and have other interesting abilities.

Helium Squirter is a Beast Mutant with Graft 3 and a one-mana ability that lets you give target creature with a +1/+1 counter flying until end of turn. Sporeback Troll is a green Troll Mutant with Graft 2 and the ability to regenerate target creature with a +1/+1 counter on it for one and a green. Aquastrand Spider is a Spider Mutant with Graft 2 and the ability to give reach to target creature with a +1/+1 counter for .

Genghis Frog can even have a little Frog Mutant buddy in Plaxcaster Frogling. It has Graft 3 and a two-mana ability to give target creature with a +1/+1 counter shroud until end of turn. There's even a land, Llanowar Reborn, with the graft ability, but there are a few Mutants with abilities that are worth really shining a spotlight on.

Cytoplast Root-Kin has Graft 4 and a pretty great enter the battlefield ability. When it enters play, I'll put a +1/+1 counter on each other creature I control with a +1/+1 counter on it. This Elemental Mutant also has an activated ability. For I can move a +1/+1 counter from target creature I control onto my Root-Kin.

That's not a bad option if I've got a creature about to die or get exiled as I might be able to save one or more of its +1/+1 counters.

Card draw is incredibly important in Magic, so Novijen Sages is worth running. It's a Human Advisor Mutant with Graft 4 and it lets me pay remove two +1/+1 counters from among creatures I control to draw a card.

Cytoplast Manipulator might be one of the best cards in this list. It's a four-mana blue Human Wizard Mutant with Graft 2 and the ability to tap and steal a creature for just one blue mana. The caveat is that you can gain control of target creature with a +1/+1 counter on it for as long as Cytoplast Manipulator remains on the battlefield.

Keep in mind that Graft can be used to put a +1/+1 counter on an opponent's creature when it enters play. Mutagen tokens can also target other players' creatures, so there's lots of room for this guy to steal creatures.

The second keyword I built around in this list is Evolve. A creature with Evolve will get a +1/+1 counter put on it whenever a creature enters play under my control as long as that creature has greater power or toughness than it. These creatures make for great early game plays as they'll grow over time if things go well.

Cloudfin Raptor is an 0/1 Bird Mutant with Flying and Evolve, and Elusive Krasis is an 0/4 unblockable Fish Mutant with Evolve. They may not seem like much, but with evasion and enough +1/+1 counters they could matter in the mid or late game.

Renegade Krasis is a 3/2 Beast Mutant with Evolve and a solid triggered ability. Whenever it evolves, I'll put a +1/+1 counter on each other creature I control with a +1/+1 counter on it.

If Renegade Krasis is a kindred spirit to Cytoplast Root-Kin, then Simic Manipulator is a kindred spirit to Cytoplast Manipulator. This Mutant Wizard has Evolve and a tap ability that lets me remove one or more +1/+1 counters from it to gain control of target creature with power less than or equal to the number of +1/+1 counters removed this way.

Fallout was a Universes Beyond set that had a lot of Mutants, so I had to grab a few of them for this list. Watchful Radstag costs and is a Elk Mutant with Evolve that will have me create a token copy of it whenever it evolves.

It's unlikely to spread as quickly as a Scute Swarm, but I might still end up making a nice little herd of Radstags with it on the battlefield. I've just got to hope I pull into creatures bigger than its 2/2 stat line so I can trigger that ability.

Odds and Ends

This is a deck full of Mutants but it's worth making sure there is some attention paid to our +1/+1 counters subtheme. That means running a lot of cards that create Mutagen tokens.

The Ooze is a legendary artifact that will have me create a Mutagen token when a creature I control with a +1/+1 counter on it leaves the battlefield. I'll get a Mutagen token for each +1/+1 counter that was on the creature, and I can also tap it and exile a card from a graveyard to create a Mutagen token.

Mona Lisa, Ever Adaptable is a Lizard Mutant that will have me create a Mutagen token whenever a player casts a creature spell. I love permanents that bring value as the game goes on just from players playing the game, and this lady does just that.

Paying to crack a Mutagen token is going to get old real fast, so Mutagen Man, Living Ooze is a great addition to this list. This Ooze Mutant has Trample and will make the activated abilities of artifact tokens I control cost one less to activate. He costs to cast, and when he enters, I'll create X Mutagen tokens.

Those can only be cracked at sorcery speed, so I can't respond to a removal spell by tapping all of my Mutagen tokens, but it's still some pretty sweet synergy for this list.

I'm not running any combos, but Herd Baloth was born to combo with Ivy Lane Denizen. In this list it's just a fantastic place to put +1/+1 counters, as I'll make a 4/4 green Beast creature token whenever one or more +1/+1 counters are put on it.

Evolution Witness is another great target for my Mutagen tokens. Whenever one or more +1/+1 counters are put on it, I can return target permanent card from my graveyard to my hand. It's a repeatable Eternal Witness effect that works perfectly with what this deck is trying to do.

It's worth noting that the best creature in this list might be my only Evolve card that isn't a Mutant. Fathom Mage is a Human Wizard with Evolve that will simply have me draw a card whenever a +1/+1 counter is put on it. This Simic powerhouse is an all-star in my Elrond, Master of Healing deck, and easily pulls its weight in any deck that deals in +1/+1 counters.

How We Win

It's always worth thinking about how a deck is going to win games, unless that doesn't matter to you at all. Most of us want to at least occasionally win games, and just playing creatures and swinging with them isn't always enough to give you a good shot.

Making a single creature with Evasion big enough to matter might win a game or two, but what if we could make all our creatures able to swing through without being blocked? Herald of Secret Streams does that for us quite nicely.

This four-mana blue Merfolk Warrior keeps things simple. Creatures I control with +1/+1 counters on them can't be blocked when Herald is on the battlefield under my control.

Making a creature big enough to matter can also work nicely with Pathbreaker Ibex on the field. When Ibex attacks, creatures I control will get +X/+X and Trample where X is the greatest power among creatures I control. If you don't like to telegraph your play that much, you could just run Overwhelming Stampede, but as a sorcery, it isn't easily repeatable.

Simic Ascendancy is an enchantment that will get growth counters as I put +1/+1 counters on my creatures. At the beginning of my upkeep if Simic Ascendancy has 20 or more growth counters, I'll win the game. This is the sort of card that you can play early, have it forgotten about, and in the mid- or late-game have a big turn, and suddenly it can steal you a win.

Incremental advantage with cards like The Ozolith, Hardened Scales, Kami of Whispered Hopes, and Ozolith, the Shattered Spire, can go a long way towards building up your board and getting you to where you can threaten a win through combat. They all work beautifully with Simic Ascendancy as well, but if you find alternate win conditions to be less fulfilling you could drop that card out in favor of any of several other support cards.

A Mutant Renaissance

It's worth noting that there are actually some great Mutants, beyond the Sliver Overlord. Experiment Kraj has long been an interesting +1/+1 counter combo card, and I would have included it if more of my creatures had interesting activated abilities. Kraj has all activated abilities of all creatures with +1/+1 counters on them. Building with Kraj would have led me to build around it and I wanted to build a Genghis Frog deck, not a hidden Kraj deck.

My focus on Mutants saw me leaving out a lot of decent creatures that deal in +1/+1 counters, but I like to lean into a theme. I might have run Fertilid as a way to get more lands into play, and Steelbane Hydra to blow up artifacts and enchantments.

If I had bought a box of TMT when building this list I probably would have run a few of the Turtles and a handful of other cards from this set.

Any list I share here should always be seen as a starting point. If you like what's going on with this brew, by all means: take it, tweak it, bend it to your will and make it your own. Play your pet cards and your favorite staples and have fun with it.

Genghis Frog | Commander | Stephen Johnson

• Commander (1)
• 1 Genghis Frog

• Creatures (33)
• 1 Aeromunculus
• 1 Aquastrand Spider
• 1 Cloudfin Raptor
• 1 Cytoplast Manipulator
• 1 Cytoplast Root-Kin
• 1 Elusive Krasis
• 1 Evolution Witness
• 1 Faerie Mastermind
• 1 Fathom Mage
• 1 Foe-liage
• 1 Helium Squirter
• 1 Herald of Secret Streams
• 1 Herd Baloth
• 1 Kami of Whispered Hopes
• 1 Lumbering Megasloth
• 1 Master Biomancer
• 1 Merfolk Skydiver
• 1 Mona Lisa, Ever Adaptable
• 1 Mona Lisa, Science Geek
• 1 Mutagen Man, Living Ooze
• 1 Novijen Sages
• 1 Pathbreaker Ibex
• 1 Plaxcaster Frogling
• 1 Rampaging Yao Guai
• 1 Ray Fillet, Man Ray
• 1 Renegade Krasis
• 1 Simic Basilisk
• 1 Simic Manipulator
• 1 Skatewing Spy
• 1 Sporeback Troll
• 1 Venus, Torn Between Worlds
• 1 Vigean Graftmage
• 1 Watchful Radstag

• Instants (13)
• 1 Aetherize
• 1 Aetherspouts
• 1 Arcane Denial
• 1 Beast Within
• 1 Counterspell
• 1 Heroic Intervention
• 1 Inspiring Call
• 1 Ooze Spill
• 1 Pongify
• 1 Rapid Hybridization
• 1 Return to the Sewers
• 1 Snakeskin Veil
• 1 Swan Song

• Sorceries (9)
• 1 Cultivate
• 1 Farseek
• 1 Golden Ratio
• 1 Kodama's Reach
• 1 Mutant Chain Reaction
• 1 Nature's Lore
• 1 Rampant Growth
• 1 Three Visits
• 1 Wave Goodbye

• Enchantments (3)
• 1 Bred for the Hunt
• 1 Hardened Scales
• 1 Simic Ascendancy

• Artifacts (4)
• 1 Ozolith, the Shattered Spire
• 1 Swiftfoot Boots
• 1 The Ooze
• 1 The Ozolith

• Lands (37)
• 13 Forest
• 13 Island
• 1 Breeding Pool
• 1 Command Tower
• 1 Dreamroot Cascade
• 1 Exotic Orchard
• 1 Flooded Grove
• 1 Hinterland Harbor
• 1 Llanowar Reborn
• 1 Misty Rainforest
• 1 Rejuvenating Springs
• 1 Vineglimmer Snarl
• 1 Yavimaya Coast

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If you wanted to tune this list down, I think you could start by dropping Simic Ascendancy, as low-powered tables usually want games to end through combat. Alternate win-cons are fine and I wouldn't even be tutoring for it, but it's a place to start.

This list is pretty budget friendly, but dropping out Faerie Mastermind, The Ozolith, and Misty Rainforest for more budget friendly cards could also help a bit, but this is already a low powered list.

If you wanted to move this list up in power without radically changing the theme, I think you'd probably want to add a few tutors along with Ivy Lane Denizen and Scurry Oak to go with Herd Baloth as a potential win-con.

Experiment Kraj and a few combo pieces that go with it might make a lot of sense. Kraj is good at making infinite mana, so adding ways to spend that mana would make sense, but if you go too far, you'll be asking yourself why you aren't just running an Experiment Kraj deck.

Mutants are fun, but Mutant kindred isn't likely to be pushing up into Bracket 4 any time soon.

Final Thoughts

I was able to play this list in a game on Tabletop Simulator in our Thursday night group. A one game sample size isn't enough to come away with a firm takeaway, but it did a good job at creating Mutagen tokens and creating something of a board presence.

Evolution Witness was an all-star and Mutagen Man, Living Ooze was also fantastic. My own fate was sealed by drawing into a Rampaging Yao Guai and using it to knock another player back from being the problem by destroying their hefty pile of Powerstone tokens. That resulted in me taking 22 damage over two turns from a Kappa Cannoneer.

In turn that led to me doing what I could to knock them down far enough so that at least they would have a very hard time winning.

A newer player on a Final Fantasy Y'shtola, Night's Blessed precon deck ended up taking the game, largely by sitting on the sidelines and not going to combat at all until the very last turn. A budget Winota, Joiner of Forces possibly could have taken the game much earlier, but the table was able to answer that deck repeatedly with counterspells and removal.

Winota also took it easy on us after a while, as the pilot didn't realize the budget list they had found online was going to be such a threat.

Genghis Frog played out as I expected, as a Bracket 2 Mutants deck with some ability to mount a threat, but also lacking the kind of powerful abilities you might see that could push it up into Bracket 3 or higher.

My sample game entrenched my natural suspicion of many budget decks - that many of them are just exercises in seeing how degenerate you can be with very, very cheap cards. When I'm playing Bracket 2 I'm not trying to be degenerate, but mismatches happen and a second or third game with this list might have played out very differently.

If I were going to buy into TMT, I could see building this list in paper. Mutants are fun, it brings together cards from a wide range of sets and playing with the Evolve and Graft keywords feels like a natural fit with Mutagen tokens.

That's all I've got for today. Thanks for reading and I'll see you next week!