When the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Magic: The Gathering Commander deck was announced, it was strange to see just one deck revealed as opposed to one for each of the turtles. As it turns out, this is because the Partner keyword is returning to the set, allowing for two commanders to be used, instead of one.
Following its introduction in Commander 2016, Partner has since returned as a keyword in multiple MTG sets, including Doctor Who, Commander Legends, Assassin’s Creed, and now on five cards as part of the TMNT set.
What Is Partner?
Partner is a keyword that allows for a legendary creature to be used alongside another legendary creature, allowing a player to use two commanders rather than one, but both cards must feature the partner keyword.
In some cases, only specific cards may be partnered together (this will be written on the card), or the cards must feature the same exact ability. In this case, the TMNT gang has the “character select” ability.
Unlike Sneak, a brand new keyword arriving in the TMNT set, Partner is a returning keyword, having featured in the Commander format for a decade.
Magic: The Gathering – Sneak, Explained
While technically a brand new action keyword arriving in the TMNT MTG set, the origins of Sneak are very much born from Kamigawa and Ninjitsu.
How To Use Partner
At its core, Partner is a simple keyword. In terms of its implementation, you just need to pick two Commander-eligible cards that feature the partner keyword, which allows you to have two commanders instead of one.
Your total deck size must still be 100 cards, so if you are using Partner to play with two commanders, the rest of your deck must contain 98 cards.
You will still need to pay the individual casting cost for each Commander, and Commander damage done to other players is tracked per card, not as a total.
This is the same for Commander Tax, meaning its casting cost will increase by two for each card every time it is recast from the command zone.
Will Partner Feature In Future Sets?
Given that Partner has featured in quite a few sets since it was introduced in 2016, we believe there is every chance that it returns in future sets, especially if it fits the theme of the set, as it does across the Assassin’s Creed and TMNT MTG products.
Partner is typically reserved for Commander-specific or Universes Beyond sets in recent years, but the keyword can show up on Commander-specific cards from regular sets, too, and even in Secret Lair drops.
Magic: The Gathering – Complete Breakdown Of All Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Products
The TMNT gang are on their way in this Universes Beyond set, and there’s even some cool new themed products we’ve never seen before.
