A brand-new action keyword, Sneak, is coming to Magic: The Gathering as part of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles set, and it looks to fix some of the main issues with the Ninjitsu action that has been in the game since 2005.
Sneak is a highly-specific action, which can only be activated during the combat phase of play, specifically during blocking, and it offers a way to introduce high-cost creatures as a surprise, or activate devastating spells much sooner than if you were to pay their traditional casting cost.
What Is Sneak?
Sneak is an action that allows you to cast creatures or spells for an alternative cost, typically lower than the standard casting cost listed in the top right of the card, but sometimes higher.
Sneak is an action that can only be activated when you have an unblocked attacking creature confirmed and ready to do damage to an opponent. If your opponent chooses to block an attacker, the Sneak action cannot be activated.
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How To Use Sneak
Unlike Ninjitsu, Sneak is printed on creature and spell cards, but it can only be activated during the blocking phase of combat.
This rather curiously makes Sneak both a more flexible alternative to Ninjitsu due to the options available, but limiting in the sense that it can only be activated during a small window, and it could leave you trading a creature for an instant spell, which impacts your overall board presence if you can’t recast the card you recall in the same turn.
If you cast a creature using its sneak cost, which may be higher than its usual casting cost, then it replaces the unblocked attacker and enters attacking instead, leaving your opponent having to use removal to prevent the attack.
Will Sneak Feature In Future Sets?
As a new action, it’s hard to know for certain whether Sneak will be featured in future sets, but given that this appears to be a broader and more flexible version of Ninjitsu, there is every chance that the mechanic will return in future sets, albeit in a limited capacity, as the cards it is printed on need to make thematic sense.
For now, cards with Sneak can be found in all TMNT MTG products across cards legal in both Standard and Commander.
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