A few weeks ago, Wizards of the Coast unveiled its grand plans for Magic: The Gathering‘s next year, and they were certainly grand. With seven sets due out in 2026, there’s going to be more Magic than ever before, including four new crossover sets as part of “Universes Beyond.” Except one of those sets was being kept secret for a few more weeks… and it turns out it was because Wizards was waiting for a suitable place to announce some local boys.
Today at New York Comic Con, Wizards confirmed that the final addition to Magic‘s 2026 lineup is none other than the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Raph, Leo, Donnie, Mikey, and friends will be the second major collaboration between Wizards of the Coast and Nickelodeon, in the wake of next month’s Avatar: The Last Airbender set.
TMNT will now be the fourth Universes Beyond set releasing in 2026 alongside Marvel Super Heroes, The Hobbit, and Star Trek—and marks the tipping point that will see the first year that Wizards releases more product dedicated to other universes than Magic‘s own original multiverse.
Here are some sneaks shared on Wizards of the Coast’s social media:
Combining individual strengths to create a dream team is a core part of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Each Partner card in the #MTGxTMNT Commander Deck highlights those strengths and adds a different flair to your path to victory. pic.twitter.com/1xgoYKfo5H
— Magic: The Gathering (@wizards_magic) October 10, 2025
The #MTGxTMNT set has four borderless headliner cards that feature art by Kevin Eastman, the original illustrator of TMNT. Take a look at that shiny signature stamp! So rad. pic.twitter.com/jDjE8HpM5k
— Magic: The Gathering (@wizards_magic) October 10, 2025
The new #MTGxTMNT mechanic Sneak might feel familiar – it's another great way to deliver a surprise punch to your opponent for an alternate casting cost. pic.twitter.com/ZOpynBy2eY
— Magic: The Gathering (@wizards_magic) October 10, 2025
Prepare to clash against your favorite TMNT villains! Here are a few you'll come across in #MTGxTMNT. pic.twitter.com/QGl9vbnt8T
— Magic: The Gathering (@wizards_magic) October 10, 2025
PIZZA BUNDLE? Pizza bundle.
The #MTGxTMNT Pizza Bundle has everyone's favorite slice of the set, like booster packs and pizza lands. The most delicious part is that you'll find 2 (of 6 total) cards from Magic's past in each bundle, each with pizza-themed artwork. pic.twitter.com/KkmEb0Tqdb
— Magic: The Gathering (@wizards_magic) October 10, 2025
Our heroes in a half shell can't fight on an empty stomach! These flavorful full-art pizza basic lands will give you the fuel to cast some #MTGxTMNT spells. pic.twitter.com/2Fi6V1cYLF
— Magic: The Gathering (@wizards_magic) October 10, 2025
A Wizards of the Coast press release notes that the release aims to tempt players and Turtles fans of all ages: “Whether a die-hard fan of Kevin Eastman’s art or a Turtles superfan who adores their recent animated incarnations, there’s a card in this set for everyone. This upcoming set draws from the entire history of TMNT media and offers a wide range of ways to play.”
The panel reveals (it’s up on YouTube if you missed the livestream) were as follows, from the Wizards release:
- An exclusive look at the Villains in the set including Shredder and the Foot Clan, Krang, Bebop, and Rocksteady
- The first look at Turtle friends and allies, including April O’Neil, Casey Jones, and Splinter
- Showcase Scene cards, which combine to form a stunning scene that looks like it came straight out of the comic book or the animated series
- Join forces with the Turtles with the interchangeable Turtle Power! Commander decks
- An exclusive Pizza Bundle to grab a slice from! Wizards of the Coast is cooking up six cards from Magic‘s past, topping them with pizza-themed artwork, and serving them as part of the Pizza Bundle
- Borderless Headliner Cards with Art by Kevin Eastman, the original illustrator of TMNT. These cards feature original borderless artwork complete with a shiny stamp of Kevin’s signature
- Borderless Source Material Cards take cards from Magic‘s history and trick them out with turtle-tastic artwork. Source material cards from Magic: The Gathering | TMNT feature artwork from throughout the TMNT franchise
- Turtle Team Up: Form your own team of heroes in a half shell with this brand new two-to-four player co-op experience
- Borderless Pixel Cards that reimagine cards from the Turtle Power! Commander deck in the pixel card treatment. Each card features a video game-themed font and pixel art by Kirokaze
- New mechanics and ways to play, such as Pick-Two Draft
- Full-Art Pizza Basic Lands: The Turtles’ love of pizza is so strong that we’re bringing it to the set’s basic lands. These full-art pizza basic lands feature a hearty helping of pizza toppings across all five basic lands
It’s a risky move, even if one seemingly driven by the huge success of this year’s Final Fantasy crossover (which will get a second wind later this year with a series of new gift bundles and card releases). Even putting aside the divisive nature of what Universes Beyond has become to players who play Magic for its own spin on fantasy tropes, TMNT potentially faces a similar issue to the most recent Universes Beyond release, Spider-Man.
A limited pool of heroes who largely do similar things to one another and a largely real-world setting (bagels and hot dog carts do not exciting Magic cards make), were two of the sticking points of controversy with Spider-Man, which also struggled with being buffed out to a standard Magic set, creating a lot of cards that both stretched the themeing thin while also not adding anything particularly new or mechanically interesting to Magic‘s meta.
Hopefully even beyond the cast of the turtles themselves and their close allies, there’s enough mutant-animal goodness for Magic to really latch on to something with (and, of course, plenty of ninjas thanks to the Foot Clan—and Magic loves a ninja!) and create a set that can defy some of the trepidations fans will have in the wake of Spider-Man‘s middling reception.
No doubt we’ll find out the closer we get to TMNT‘s release on March 6, 2026.
Update, Fri/10, 12:12 p.m.: Updated with additional details from the press release.
Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
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