Pauper Set Review: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

I never imagined we'd reach a point where we're evaluating the competitive potential of a slice of pizza. But here we are.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is the first Universes Beyond expansion for Magic: The Gathering this year—the first of four in 2026—and it brings all the story and iconic moments of Donatello, Leonardo, Michelangelo, and Raphael to the card game.

Whether by irony or chance, this set is the first since Edge of Eternities to bring cards with real competitive potential to Pauper. From the new creature with Affinity, Utrom Monitor, to the potential new staple for White Weenie, Leonardo, Big Brother, it's possible this new set will have much more relevance in tournaments than its predecessors.

While I'm torn between considering "Channel 6" an excellent mechanical representation or a little too "on the nose" , Action News Crew basically puts +1/+1 counters on all creatures and provides a draw for six mana.

That's a lot. It probably won't see play. But it's worth mentioning.

If the news crew doesn't have much potential, Leonardo, Big Brother is one of the best cards in the set for the format. He creates a direct power creep over Spider-Man, Web-Slinger while being able, when he trades with any attacking creature, to push through a considerable amount of damage with a full board—an easy task for White Weenie.

Add in the bounce from Kor Skyfisher, and not even a blocker will be enough to avoid the repetitive potential for lethal damage.

Sewer-veillance Cam with Retraction Helix and any mana dork that generates mana of any color creates infinite ETBs with artifacts that can deal lethal damage with Pactdoll Terror and Black Mage's Rod.

There might be something along those lines worth exploring. However, the most interesting home for the new artifact still seems to be alongside Glint Hawk and Kor Skyfisher in some version of Azorius or Jeskai Affinity/Metalcraft that benefits from removing creatures from the way on ETB, while the artifact fuels Thoughtcast and turns into card advantage in the late game with consistency.

Speaking of artifacts, Utrom Monitor is an upgrade to Somber Hoverguard, with more toughness and the essential artifact type. A 3/3 with Flying could still find a home in some Affinity shells like Dimir — whether in the variants with Etherium Spinner and/or Pactdoll Terror, or in the more traditional ones with Frogmite and Myr Enforcer — and Azorius.

Potential staple. Perhaps the best card in the set for Pauper. It's worth noting that Utrom Monitor will only be available in the Turtle Team-Up product, which could lead to acquisition difficulties if it becomes a staple.

Yes. We're evaluating a pizza. The cost of Anchovy & Banana Pizza is quite restrictive, but having unconditional and repeatable removal with Ghostly Flicker and Mnemonic Wall could bring utility to less established decks.

Oroku Saki, Shredder Rising is a black Ninja of the Deep Hours that trades one power for one toughness and dodges Cast Down. It definitely deserves some testing in Dimir Faeries and has one of the most interesting designs in the set for Pauper, since its restriction forces players to deliberately avoid running four copies, even though its casting cost is lower than Deep Hours.

Sacrificing Mouser Foundry or bouncing it to get a 1/1 on the board is significantly worse than drawing a card. It deserves an honorable mention only because we have several Bounce/Sacrifice effects with artifacts in Pauper.

It's a pizza. It has flash, provides a pump, and works as a combat trick while amplifying the clock with Bounce. Could find a home or motivate other Glint Hawk variants in Naya colors.

The combination of Reach and Trample with an ETB that helps hold off red decks on a decent body for four mana makes Primordial Pachyderm a viable option in Ramp lists.

The biggest issue I see with Mouser Foundry is that it isn't a creature. Mechanized Ninja Cavalry doesn't have the LTB trigger, but it puts two artifacts on the board and two power for two mana.

It seems far from ideal, but these two bodies at this cost could come from a Burning-Tree Emissary while boosting the consistency of Goblin Tomb Raider, Galvanic Blast, and a dozen cards with Metalcraft. Additionally, they also fuel Affinity. I wouldn't dismiss it so easily in Pauper today.

Most Life Lands barely see play in Pauper, and the TMNT land cycle essentially being Life Lands with different names is a tremendous waste of design.

That's all for today!

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

Thanks for reading!