Here Are The Best MTG TMNT Archetypes To Draft

One of the best ways to play Magic: The Gathering is via a draft, and if you’re planning to draft the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles set via a prerelease at a local game store or private event, Wizards of the Coast has revealed the top archetypes you need to look out for.

Now that we’ve got a rundown of the cards in this set, it’s safe to say that most of these archetypes don’t come as too much of a surprise, but we’re keen to see which ones come out on top.

Orzhov Ninjas

This shadowy archetype makes use of agile ninja-type creatures and the new sneak mechanic, which, while being prevalent across all mana pools, is arguably easiest to work into a full deck when building using white and black mana.

Front and center of this build is Karai, Future of the Foot, who comes with a sneak cost that is more expensive than the hard casting cost, but for good reason. When she deals combat damage to another player, you can return a creature card from your graveyard to the battlefield.

This is only the case when her sneak cost is paid; otherwise, you return the card to your hand. Given how powerful this ability is, it’s no surprise that the sneak cost is one mana higher than her base cost, but if you manage to get her on the battlefield using the sneak cost, you are guaranteed to do combat damage that turn, so it’s a free creature returned to the battlefield.

Great Synergy Cards

• The Last Ronin’s Technique
• Turncoat Kunoichi
• Ninja Teen
• Oroku Saki, Shredder Rising
• Foot Mystic
• Super Shredder
• Foot Ninjas
• Foot Elite
• Splinter, Radical Rat
• Karai’s Technique

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Izzet Machines

Izzet is naturally always in the conversation for the best MTG decks at any given time, but this particular iteration moves away from the Izzet Lessons archetype that saw a short spell of domination, and now the machines are ready to run the gauntlet.

We pointed this archetype out as a possibility in both our best TMNT red card and best TMNT blue card guides, as there was just so much rules text that seemed to lean into generating artifact tokens, powering up creatures via equipment, and creatures with an affinity for artifacts.

The lead legendary creature for a deck like this is Baxter Stockman, who creates a colorless 1/1 robot token when entering play, and at the beginning of your combat, gives a target artifact creature you control +3/0, first strike, and vigilance until the end of your turn.

Great Synergy Cards

• Don & Raph, Hard Science
• Donatello, Mutant Mechanic
• Donatello, Gadget Master
• Krang, Master Mind
• Improvised Arsenal
• Ravenous Robots
• Casey Jones, Jury-Rig Justicar
• Brilliance Unleashed
• Mouser Mark III
• Mouser Foundry

Golgari Disappear

Up next is this black and green deck based around the disappear mechanic, a reworked version of revolt that is themed to the sneakiness of the ninja-heavy set. This keyword activates if a permanent that you control left the battlefield by the end of your turn. This could be a creature, artifact, or anything classified as a non-token permanent.

The result of disappear triggering depends on the rules text on each card, but the lead card for this archetype is Pizza Face, Gastromancer, which puts three +1/+1 counters on one target artifact creature you control. However, if the target isn’t a creature, it becomes a 0/0 mutant creature in addition to its other types prior to the counters resolving.

Most instances of disappear include counters, card draw, or token generation, so pairing these cards with the same mechanics from the selection of black and green cards is the best way to go.

Great Synergy Cards

• Foot Mystic
• Insectoid Exterminator
• Lord Dregg, Insect Invader
• Rat King, Verminister
• Michelangelo, Game Master
• West Wind Avatar
• Putrid Pals

Boros Alliance

Very similar to how the Golgari archetype is based around one mechanic, making the most of this Boros deck is going to require you to lean on alliance, a keyword that triggers whenever another creature you control enters.

This archetype is led by The Neutrinos, a flying legendary creature that gains +1/0 until the end of the turn each time a creature you control enters play. Then, when The Neutrinos attack, you may exile a target creature you control, then have it return to the battlefield tapped and attacking.

Performing this action guarantees another +1/0 activation for The Neutrinos but also will reactivate any abilities the target creature possesses, should they have one that triggers when it enters play or attacks.

Great Synergy Cards

• East Wind Avatar
• Lita, Little Orphan Amphibian
• Mighty Mutanimals
• EPF Point Squad
• Mutant Town Musicians
• Raphael, Most Attitude
• Raphael, Tough Turtle
• Slash, Reptile Rampager
• Wingnut, Bat on the Belfry

Simic Mutagen

Finally, we have a Simic deck that will look to generate and use up as many mutagen tokens as possible, another new mechanic joining Magic: The Gathering in this set.

Mutagen tokens are a redeemable token that let you place a +1/+1 counter on a target creature you control. It costs one mana plus sacrificing the token to activate, and sits well within the wheelhouse of the green and blue mana pools.

This mechanic is pretty well supported in the set, and you can best pair it with other cards that generate +1/+1 counters. We expect this mechanic to be huge in Commander, given the number of Commander-specific cards that support it across all mana colors. In Standard, however, it’s best left for Simic decks.

Great Synergy Cards

• Crustacean Commando
• Ooze Spill
• Ray Fillet, Man Ray
• Return to the Sewers
• Michelangelo, Butant BFF
• Michelangelo, Weirdness to 11
• Mutagen Man, Living Ooze
• Mutant Chain Reaction
• Zoo Escapees

Next

Magic: The Gathering – Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: 5 Best Multicolor Cards

We’re rounding out our best picks for the MTG TMNT set be checking out the multicolor cards on offer.