As I've been moving into writing about a few of the actual Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in Magic's new TMT set, I'm struck by how pushed these cards are. Don't get me wrong. The top end of our format, cEDH, isn't about to get overrun by Turtles and Turtle-adjacent cards, but these cards feel strong.

Last week I covered an Izzet () TMT Commander in Don & Raph, Hard Science, and was impressed by how much value you could get with the cost reduction they can bring to your game. This week I decided to look at the other side of the color pie and brew up a list for the Selesnya () hybrid mana Turtles Commander from this new set.

The first thing that jumped out at me about this Legendary Mutant Ninja Turtle was the most important phrase in Magic: The Gathering - "draw a card."

Mikey & Leo, Chaos & Order will have me draw a card whenever I put a counter on a Creature I control. That powerful ability can only be triggered once per turn, but it still represents the kind of ability that just begs to be built around.

It's worth noting that these cards have hybrid mana in their casting costs. For Mikey & Leo that means you can pay either Green or White for each of the colored pips in the card's casting cost.

In theory we could build a mono-Green or mono-White deck around them, but I'll be dipping into both colors for today's brew.

The puzzle we're solving today is a simple one. In Green and White, how can I set myself up to be drawing an extra card not just on my own turn but on each opponent's turn? If I'm drawing anywhere from two to five cards (if not more) each turn cycle it should be an easy task to be hitting my Land drops, drawing into answers, building a board, and pulling into ways to try to win the game.

Counters on My Turn

The easiest part of this build will be finding ways to put counters on my Creatures on my turns.

An aura like Forced Adaptation, which enchants a Creature and has me put a +1/+1 counter on it at the beginning of my upkeep solves that problem for just one Green mana. Green and White are colors that play on their own turn more often than not, and any Creature that enters play and gets +1/+1 counters will draw me a card.

I don't play Fertilid much these days, but this Elemental three-drop is a reliable way to get extra basic Lands into play in lower powered Commander matchups.

It enters as a 0/0 with two +1/+1 counters and you can pay to remove a +1/+1 counter and tutor a basic Land into play tapped. You could have an opponent get a Land, as the ability targets a player, but I've never used Fertilid in a hug deck and, in this build, I'd probably always target myself.

Loyal Guardian is a 4/4 Rhino for , and he's a Lieutenant with Trample. The lieutenant ability varies from card to card but always gives you a benefit if you have your Commander in play.

If Loyal Guardian and my Commander are both on the board, at the beginning of combat on my turn I'll put a +1/+1 counter on each Creature I control.

Destroying Artifacts and Enchantments is the sort of thing everyone needs to do every now and then. I'm running a few Instant speed staples, but Steelbane Hydra is a Turtle Hydra that is just perfect for this list.

It's a 0/0 that enters with X +1/+1 counters where X is the amount of extra mana I paid when casting this spell. For I can remove a +1/+1 counter from this creature to destroy target Artifact or Enchantment. There's a version in the TMT set that has been reskinned under the name Slash Clone but it's still a Steelbane Hydra.

My ramp package has a bunch of mana dorks alongside Kami of Whispered Hopes, a Spirit that will add an extra +1/+1 counter whenever I put +1/+1 counters on a Creature. It taps for X mana of any one color where X is its power, but the mana dork that can actually draw me a card is Gyre Sage.

This Elf Druid taps to produce a Green mana for each +1/+1 counter on it, and it has Evolve. The Evolve ability will have it get a +1/+1 counter whenever a Creature I control enters play with greater power or toughness. Gyre Sage has 1/2 body, so it's likely to get a few counters over the course of the game.

For recursion I'm running Eternal Witness, but what Mikey & Leo really want me to have in play is its adaptable cousin, Evolution Witness. The former can enter the battlefield and have me return target card from my graveyard to my hand. The latter has a trigger that will have me return target permanent card from my graveyard to my hand whenever one or more +1/+1 counters are put on it.

Evolution Witness also has Adapt , so if it has no +1/+1 counters on it, I can pay to give it two +1/+1 counters. In doing so, I'll get something back from the bin and if my Commander is in play, I might just draw a card if their card draw ability hasn't been triggered yet that turn.

One of the best Green cards in any creature-heavy deck might be Champion of Lambholt. This Human Warrior is a 1/1 that will get a +1/+1 counter whenever another creature enters the battlefield under my control.

That might draw me a card with Mikey & Leo, but it also serves another purpose. Creatures with power less than Champion of Lambholt's power can't block Creatures I control. That can be a very big deal if I've got a big board and I'm just looking to get enough damage through my opponents' defenses to try to win the game.

I've got additional +1/+1 counter support in Hardened Scales, and I'm running Cathars' Crusade as a way to get +1/+1 counters when Creatures enter play under my control, but my bigger focus when building this deck was being able to draw cards on other players' turns.

Counters on My Opponents' Turns

The reason I'm focused on putting +1/+1 counters on my Creatures on my opponents' turns is simple. Nearly everything that fits in this category will also fit in with the previous category. Most activated abilities and some triggered abilities won't care whose turn it is, so the more flexible my +1/+1 counter strategy is, the better.

What? Have I led you astray? I've been talking about +1/+1 counters because that is the most common way to build up a board of Creatures and become a threat in a game of Magic but think a little deeper about Mikey & Leo, Chaos & Order.

They don't care about what kind of counter goes on a creature. Their card draw trigger will happen for any kind of counter. I could be running a Fungus themed deck chock full of ways to put spore counters on my Creatures, and I'd be drawing cards.

What I really care about is ways to put counters on Creatures on other players' turns and the three cards shown above do that quite nicely. Devoted Druid can tap for a Green mana and will let me put a -1/-1 counter on it to untap it. There are combos one can use with the Druid but in this list I'll be using it as a flexible source of card draw.

Rustvine Cultivator is a 1 mana Phyrexan Elf Druid that can tap to get an oil counter. I can tap and remove an oil counter to untap target Land, but it's likely I'll be happy just using it once a turn cycle to draw an extra card.

Wall of Roots is a 2 mana 0/5 Plant Wall that has an ability that lets me put a 0/-1 counter on it to draw a card. I can only do that once each turn, but that's all I need.

If I'm able to combine these Creatures with ways to put +1/+1 counters on them, they represent an even more robust source of counters, but if Devoted Druid and Wall of Roots just die when their toughness gets down to 0, that's fine too.

Predatory Hunger is another perfect 1 mana fit for what this deck is trying to do. This aura will enchant a creature and then whenever an opponent successfully casts a creature spell, I'll put a +1/+1 counter on it. Devoted Druid would love to have that kind of help. It will be tempting to put it on my Commander, but it might be wise to not give my tablemates another reason to remove the most powerful card draw engine in my deck.

Protecting Mikey & Leo is going to be important, and there's no better way to do that than with an Instant that puts a +1/+1 counter on the creature it's protecting. Snakeskin Veil is a 1 mana Green Instant that will do that and give target Creature Hexproof until end of turn.

I'm also running Swiftfoot Boots, Lightning Greaves, Heroic Intervention, Inspiring Call, Flawless Maneuver, and Unbreakable Formation in this list. That last one makes my Creatures Indestructible and will put a +1/+1 counter on each of my Creatures and give them Vigilance until end of turn if I play it during my main phase.

Permanents that get counters when my opponents cast spells are perfect for this list, so Managorger Hydra and Sunscorch Regent were auto-includes for Mikey & Leo. The former is a 3 mana 1/1 Green Hydra with Trample that will get a +1/+1 counter when a player (myself included) casts a spell. The latter is a 5 mana 4/3 White Dragon with Flying that will have me gain 1 life and put a +1/+1 counter on it whenever an opponent casts a spell.

Mikaeus, the Lunarch is worth a mention because of his flexibility. This Legendary Human Cleric has a casting cost of and will enter with X +1/+1 counters. He's got two tap abilities. He can tap to put a +1/+1 counter on himself and he can tap to remove a +1/+1 counter from himself and then put a +1/+1 counter on each other Creature I control.

If I've gone wide with mana dorks and assorted other Creatures, that could come in handy, but if it's in the early game or after a boardwipe I might just use that first ability to make him bigger.

While tap abilities can generally be used once per turn cycle on anyone's turn, Vigor is likely to only help me out on my opponents' turns. This 6/6 Elemental Incarnation has Trample and a pretty great ability.

If damage would be dealt to another Creature I control, I'll prevent that damage and will put a +1/+1 counter on that Creature for each damage prevented this way. If Vigor would get put into my graveyard from anywhere, I'll shuffle it into my library.

Pentavus might be another card that is perfect for this list. It's got a hefty 7 mana casting cost, and enters with 5 +1/+1 counters. For 1 mana I can remove a +1/+1 counter and create a 1/1 colorless Pentavite Artifact Creature token with Flying.

For another mana I can sacrifice a Pentavite and put a +1/+1 counter back. In the mid-to-late game, if I've got a lot of mana, my Commander can turn this into a reliable source of card draw on every turn. Paying to draw a card is a pretty good deal.

How We Win

A deck with this much focus on card draw could probably go in a number of different directions to try to win the game. You could run Ivy Lane Denizen / Cathars' Crusade combos with Herd Baloth and Scurry Oak provided you had a way to stop the combo and not just have the game end in a draw.

A life gain themed build could use Archangel of Thune to get +1/+1 counters, and could combo off with Spike Feeder, Walking Ballista, or Triskelion to gain an arbitrary amount of life and threaten a win.

In this list, I'll be aiming for a more conventional win with cards like Craterhoof Behemoth, Moonshaker Cavalry, and Akroma's Will as potential game enders.

Avenger of Zendikar is in the mix along with Scythecat Cub and Bristly Bill, Spine Sower as ways to turn landfall into +1/+1 counters.

I'm not running tutors or even Tooth and Nail to tutor up a combination of these finishers as I've found games are more interesting and wins are more fulfilling when you have to draw into the cards you need.

In recent years, I've been running fewer tutors and Game Ghangers in my lists, even when a deck might fit in nicely in Bracket 3.

Let's take a look how my full list turned out.

Mikey & Leo, Chaos & Order | Commander | Stephen Johnson

• Commander (1)
• 1 Mikey & Leo, Chaos & Order

• Creatures (35)
• 1 Armorcraft Judge
• 1 Avacyn's Pilgrim
• 1 Avenger of Zendikar
• 1 Beast Whisperer
• 1 Benevolent Hydra
• 1 Bristly Bill, Spine Sower
• 1 Champion of Lambholt
• 1 Craterhoof Behemoth
• 1 Devoted Druid
• 1 Elvish Mystic
• 1 Eternal Witness
• 1 Evolution Witness
• 1 Fertilid
• 1 Forgotten Ancient
• 1 Fyndhorn Elves
• 1 Gyre Sage
• 1 Hangarback Walker
• 1 Kami of Whispered Hopes
• 1 Llanowar Elves
• 1 Loyal Guardian
• 1 Managorger Hydra
• 1 Mentor of the Meek
• 1 Mikaeus, the Lunarch
• 1 Mindless Automaton
• 1 Moonshaker Cavalry
• 1 Pentavus
• 1 Rustvine Cultivator
• 1 Sakura-Tribe Elder
• 1 Scavenging Ooze
• 1 Scythecat Cub
• 1 Solemn Simulacrum
• 1 Steelbane Hydra
• 1 Sunscorch Regent
• 1 Vigor
• 1 Wall of Roots

• Instants (12)
• 1 Akroma's Will
• 1 Ancient Animus
• 1 Beast Within
• 1 Flawless Maneuver
• 1 Generous Gift
• 1 Heroic Intervention
• 1 Inspiring Call
• 1 Path to Exile
• 1 Return to Nature
• 1 Snakeskin Veil
• 1 Swords to Plowshares
• 1 Unbreakable Formation

• Sorceries (4)
• 1 Farseek
• 1 Nature's Lore
• 1 Rampant Growth
• 1 Three Visits

• Enchantments (7)
• 1 Cathars' Crusade
• 1 Felidar Retreat
• 1 Forced Adaptation
• 1 Guardian Project
• 1 Hardened Scales
• 1 Predatory Hunger
• 1 Tocasia's Welcome

• Artifacts (5)
• 1 Arcane Signet
• 1 Lightning Greaves
• 1 Ozolith, the Shattered Spire
• 1 Skullclamp
• 1 Swiftfoot Boots

• Lands (36)
• 13 Forest
• 13 Plains
• 1 Bountiful Promenade
• 1 Canopy Vista
• 1 Command Tower
• 1 Exotic Orchard
• 1 Krosan Verge
• 1 Oran-Rief, the Vastwood
• 1 Overgrown Farmland
• 1 Rogue's Passage
• 1 Sunpetal Grove
• 1 Temple Garden

Buy This Deck Export text

If you wanted to tune this list down for truly lower-powered tables, you might drop out Akroma, Craterhoof and Moonshaker. Those cards can turn a decent board into a win in very short order, but you could replace them with Overrun, Overwhelming Encounter, and Overwhelming Stampede.

Bristly Bill and Scythecat Cub are also a bit expensive if you're trying to put together a budget deck so you might replace them with Mossborn Hydra, Oran-Rief Hydra, or even Territorial Scythecat.

A Hydra themed deck built around Mikey & Leo might be a fun budget build that could play fair games at lower powered tables.

To move up in power, you'd surely want to lean on tutors to reliably hit your wincons. Game Changers like Teferi's Protection, Aura Shards, and Survival of the Fittest would be good selections. You'd definitely want to look at adding a few combos to the list.

Herd Baloth and Scurry Oak both play well with a +1/+1 counters theme, and the Archangel of Thune can do wonders with the right pieces around it.

Walking Ballista would be a reliable finisher, and you could use Devoted Druid with Vizier of Remedies to make infinite mana to kill the table.

There's nothing at all wrong with combos and if you're looking for more efficient wincons than just slamming Creatures together until a winner is determined, combo wincons are worth considering. I've played and won enough games over the years that I'm leaning away from them but I could always return.

The trick is really to figure out what you enjoy and what kind of experience your playgroup is looking for when playing Commander.

In lower bracket play, the focus is generally more on the experience than on winning and if the experience of playing combo leads to wins that are more deflating than exciting, they may not be right for you and your group's playstyle.

Early Results

I was able to get this list into a game in my Thursday night Tabletop Simulator group. The deck did well, and at one point I had a Mossborn Hydra and Mikaeus, the Lunarch in play, so I could use one to put counters on the other and vice versa.

I also had a Benevolent Hydra and Hardened Scales out so I was putting 3 +1/+1 counters on Creatures with each activation.

The deck did what it was supposed to do. I drew into Avenger of Zendikar, Vigor, and Craterhoof Behemoth, poised to go for the win with a Flawless Maneuver in hand. I ended up being able to swing lethal on the table, but there was a fly in the ointment.

Some of our players build their own decks and sometimes folks don't have time and just grab lists from online. One of my opponents was on a Lord of Tresserhorn deck and had their 10/4 Commander out with a Surestrike Trident equipped. That meant they'd be able to tap their Commander to dome someone for ten damage.

I played Felidar Retreat, played a Land, cast Vigor and then Craterhoof Behemoth, and went for my alpha strike to try to win the game. I hadn't won on Thursday night in quite a while. With all my Creatures gaining +17/+17, Trample, and Vigilance from the Felidar Landfall trigger, I had the game won.

The Lord of Tresserhorn player then used Tainted Strike to give their Commander Infect, and before damage they tapped him and killed me.

It's not the kind of card we usually play, but it was a deck he got from online so he hadn't exactly built it for our meta. It wasn't particularly appreciated by me, but the rest of the table was obviously happy to be spared.

Whether it was appropriate for Bracket 2 is certainly a question, but it was late game and was a perfectly legal play.

I was trying to play the fairest of Magic, had a good game and got killed by what many feel is one of the unfairest of mechanics, but it's all good. I'll just need to keep at it. I have been playing under the group's power level for a while, so it was frustrating to finally have a win in hand and get stopped.

The deck did much of what it was supposed to do, and I died for the sin of not being able to stop a spell on the stack. That's not exactly unheard of when playing Selensya, so I wasn't too surprised.

I was more taken aback by the player who chose to play the spell, as he's known in our group for playing hug decks and he and I are often playing the weaker decks at the table.

It wasn't the ending I had hoped for, but I'm happy to report that the deck did play well and it did its thing. Ten poison counters is ten poison counters, and in the end I came up short, but this deck should win its share of games if you were to build it and play it in Bracket 2 and 3 games.

Final Thoughts

I enjoy brewing up lists and sharing them with you every week, but I've been skipping this set. I don't love the feel of slotting a TMT card into a normal Commander deck and the more these Universes Beyond sets feel like they don't fit into the world of Magic, the less likely I am to buy them.

I had been planning on mixing my Spider-Man cards in with the upcoming Marvel set, but TMT is something else entirely. I also didn't grow up on Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, so there's just nothing drawing me to the set and a lot pushing me away.

I hadn't planned on buying any Spider-Man cards either, but one Saturday I was in an LGS and overheard the owner bemoaning the fact that they were going to have a lot of surplus. I care very much about supporting the stores I play at, so I ended up buying a box, brewing up a deck out of those booster packs, and writing a column about it.

That could happen again with TMT, but it's just as likely that I'll stick to my guns and have a turtle-free Magic collection.

I don't mean to yuck anyone's yum.

If you are a player who cares more about mechanics than theme, or just doesn't mind mixing together cards that might not fit well together thematically, by all means have fun crewing the Weatherlight with Donatello, Rad Scientist, equipping it with a Sonic Screwdriver, and then tapping The One Ring in your second main phase to draw into Aang, Excalibur, and Rick from The Walking Dead.

If it brings you joy, I'm happy for you and maybe even a little jealous. For me, though, it's a "yuck."

One of the best things about Commander is that you can build what you want to build and play what you want to play. Vote with your wallet. Buy the sets you want to buy. Play with your friends. Jam as many games as you can because the more you play, the better the chance that you'll get a few that remind you of why you play Commander in the first place.

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