Shell Yeah, ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’ Is the Next ‘Magic: The Gathering’ Crossover

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

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 in March 2026.

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.