Pauper: 6 Decks with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles to Try Out!

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles season is approaching! The new Magic: The Gathering collaboration arrives on digital platforms this Tuesday, bringing the famous universe of Donatello, Leonardo, Michelangelo, and Raphael to the card game!

Pauper will definitely be one of the formats affected. TMNT brings a dozen cards that can enter established strategies and boost their consistency or power level. Unfortunately, the same can't be said about enabling new decks—there are few enablers and payoffs for emerging concepts.

In this article, we focus on the main additions from the new set to the commons Metagame, with six decklists ranging from Mono Red to Boros Affinity using the key interactions and synergies the set's cards provide!

Raphael Red

Raphael, Tough Turtle was an addition I left out of my review because we already have Impact Tremors variants and they haven't done enough, but I decided to revisit the card and even consider one of several possibilities for lists with him because of another card: Mechanized Ninja Cavalry.

It seems minor, but the new Boros two-drop (which can be paid with just red mana) puts two bodies on the board for two mana, coming directly off a Burning-Tree Emissary and almost always enabling Metalcraft if we run Great Furnace or a one-drop.

With Goblin Tomb Raider to benefit from Cavalry and Rally at the Hornburg for Raphael's triggers, there might be some version of Red Aggro that leverages the new two-drop with Raphael for extra reach, plus the bonus of Raphael also attacking and having a decent body in the mirror. It might not be the best Red Rally version, but it's worth some testing.

Leonardo Weenie

Leonardo, Big Brother was the best addition White Weenie has received in a long time and is a direct power creep over Spider-Man, Web-Slinger. Two copies seem like the right place to start testing with a card that will sometimes be able to win games out of nowhere, but it wouldn't be surprising if we end up running three copies on average.

Dimir Faeries

Oroku Saki, Shredder Rising was another important addition for established archetypes. He might seem like just a black Ninja of the Deep Hours, but he dodges Cast Down and Snuff Out while applying a bit more pressure in a deck like Faeries.

Even though he's the only addition to the archetype, three copies seem like the starting point: there are enough games where dodging the main black removal spells matters, and he trades in the mirror with cards like Augur of Bolas. Additionally, we could also consider a list much less focused on attrition and more on Ninjutsu and Sneak, running four copies of each to capitalize even more on ETBs.

Dimir Affinity

Utrom Monitor could be a glorified Somber Hoverguard or the motivator we needed to try new Affinity variants more focused on mechanics and less on just "artifact interactions."

Another blue payoff lets us explore two-color variants, and Dimir takes advantage of the various "Draw 2" effects and recent additions like Grim Bauble to control the board while increasing the artifact count, culminating in explosive turns with Frogmite / Utrom Monitor / Myr Enforcer, plus other possible lines with Etherium Spinner and Kenku Artificer.

Azorius Affinity

On the Azorius side, Sewer-veillance Cam joins Glint Hawk and Kor Skyfisher to remove blockers from the way while other cheap, high-power drops establish board pressure, blending Metalcraft mechanics with Affinity cards, plus we have our own version of "8-Cast" mixing Thoughtcast with Of One Mind.

Boros Affinity

A Boros version allows a similar approach blending Metalcraft and Affinity, and the addition of Mechanized Ninja Cavalry is a major upgrade to enable both mechanics: Galvanic Blast gains more consistency, Ardent Recruit attacks more easily on turn two, Frogmite can come down for free off a combination of two artifact lands and Cavalry, and that can sequentially lead to more explosive turns with multiple Myr Enforcer on the following cycle.

That's all for today!

If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment!

Thanks for reading!