Cowabunga! Magic: The Gathering Reveals Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Universes Beyond Set at NYCC 2025

The convergence of pop culture and the world’s premier collectible card game has reached a new, totally tubular peak. At a packed New York Comic Con (NYCC) 2025 panel, Wizards of the Coast officially unveiled Magic: The Gathering | Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, a highly anticipated Universes Beyond set that promises to bring decades of Turtle Power to the multiverse. This is a monumental announcement for both TCG collectors and long-time fans of the Heroes in a Half Shell, signaling a significant investment in high-value, cross-IP collaborations.

Scheduled for a worldwide launch on March 6, 2026, the new set draws from the entire rich history of the TMNT franchise—from Kevin Eastman’s gritty original Mirage Comics art to the beloved Saturday morning cartoon and modern iterations. The initial reveal showcased not only the iconic heroes but also their infamous friends and foes, confirming this is a full-scale exploration of the sewer-dwelling legends, guaranteed to generate significant pre-order sales and buzz in the gaming news cycle.

First Look at the Legendary Turtle Cards

The highlight of the NYCC presentation was the reveal of the four main Turtles as Legendary Creature cards. Designed to lead the set’s new Turtle Power! Commander deck, each Turtle boasts the unique Partner-like ability dubbed Character Select. This innovative mechanic allows players to choose any two of the four Legendary Turtles as their Commanders, encouraging dynamic team-ups and highly flexible strategies in the Commander format.

The first cards revealed include:

• Leonardo, the Balance: Likely a Blue/White Commander, reflecting his disciplined leadership and tactical prowess. The art features him wielding his katanas with stoic focus.
• Donatello, the Brains: Expected to feature Blue/Red or Blue/Green mana, emphasizing his intelligence, gadgets, and scientific genius. His card showcases his bo staff and various inventions.
• Raphael, the Muscle: A quintessential Red/Black or Red/Green card, embodying his aggression, fierce combat style, and unpredictable nature. He is depicted in a powerful, ready-to-strike pose with his sais.
• Michelangelo, the Heart: The token fun-loving Turtle, likely a Red/Green card, focusing on quick, agile strikes and team morale. His artwork captures his joyful, nunchaku-swinging energy.

Villains and Allies: Completing the Sewer-Side Story

A host of other pivotal characters were unveiled, confirming the set’s commitment to the franchise’s deep lore. Fans will have the opportunity to deploy:

• Shredder and the Foot Clan: The primary antagonists, expected to be highly powerful Boss creatures or an entire archetype of enemy tokens.
• Krang, Master Mind: The Dimension X despot, likely an artifact or a powerful control-oriented Legendary Creature, potentially with a new ‘Boss’ card type for co-op play.
• Bebop & Rocksteady: The beloved mutant henchmen, featured together on a single card, embodying aggressive, high-power creature mechanics.
• April O’Neil, Hacktivist: The Turtles’ human ally, likely a utility creature focused on drawing cards or providing information.
• Casey Jones, Jury-Rig Justiciar: The hockey mask-wearing vigilante, expected to be a Red/White creature focused on equipment and combat-based removal.
• Splinter, the Mentor: The wise rat Sensei, a natural fit for a supportive Commander or a potent Green/White enchantment-based card.

New Products and Mechanics: A Feast of Pizza and Power

Wizards of the Coast is rolling out several unique product offerings and new ways to play, ensuring the MTG TMNT release is one of the most memorable Universes Beyond sets to date. These products are strategically designed to appeal to both the veteran Magic player base and the broader TMNT fan community.

• Turtle Team-Up: A brand-new co-op experience format. This product allows two to four players to team up with pre-built 60-card decks (one for each Turtle) and face off against an included Enemy deck featuring the villains. This is a crucial element for drawing in new players and promoting casual, family-friendly gaming.
• The Pizza Bundle: An exclusive product packaged in a TMNT-themed pizza box, featuring Play Boosters, a Collector Booster, an oversized Spindown die, and most notably, six cards from Magic’s past re-skinned with humorous, pizza-themed artwork. This is a masterstroke in collectible scarcity and brand synergy.
• Full-Art Pizza Basic Lands: The basic lands in the set are full-art illustrations of different slices of pizza, a lighthearted and highly collectible addition that has already become a major talking point for MTG finance enthusiasts.
• Borderless Headliner Cards: Featuring original, hand-drawn art by the legendary TMNT co-creator, Kevin Eastman, complete with his signature stamp. These are positioned as the ultimate chase cards for high-end collectors.
• New Mechanics: The set introduces Sneak, a new combat mechanic that shares similarities with Ninjutsu, allowing players to cast a spell for an alternate cost by returning an unblocked attacker to their hand during the declare blockers step. This is a powerful, combat-defining ability that will drastically impact the new set’s limited formats.

Investment Perspective: Universes Beyond and the Future of MTG

The reveal of Magic: The Gathering | Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles at NYCC 2025 underscores a clear strategic direction for Wizards of the Coast: leveraging massive intellectual properties to drive sales and expand the player base. The set’s broad range of products, from Commander decks to Play Boosters, and the inclusion of high-value chase cards like the Kevin Eastman Headliners and Source Material Reprints (such as Doubling Season with the original comic cover art), positions this as a major financial event for the TCG market. Expect immediate price spikes on confirmed reprint targets and a highly competitive pre-release period. For investors and collectors, this set is a high-potential asset that taps into nostalgia and competitive play simultaneously. Cowabunga indeed!