Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMT) Limited Set Review: Black

This is a very nostalgic crossover, and a close second (to Final Fantasy) for favorite crossover so far. TMT is a smaller set, with 190 cards, compared to 273 cards in ECL. I think it’s safe to assume that it will create a much less diverse experience, with drafts/games feeling repetitive at a much quicker rate. The mechanics of the set are pretty surface level (sewer pun), and the set looks a lot closer to a core set in terms of limited play.

5.0: Disgustingly powerful and basically unbeatable. Either answer it the turn it comes down or just pack up your cards. (Gruff Triplets, Virtue of Persistence, The Eternal Wanderer)

4.5: Incredible bomb that still gives your opponent a slim chance. (Virtue of Loyalty, Imodane's Recruiter, Realm-Scorcher Hellkite)

4.0: Great rare or the absolute best uncommons and removal. (Faunsbane Troll, Gumdrop Poisoner, Talion’s Messenger)

3.5: Great role filler or removal that you never cut. (Candy Grapple, Hearth Elemental, Torch the Tower)

3.0: Good playable that I’m basically never cutting. (Shrouded Shepherd, Spellscorn Coven, Sharae of Numbing Depths)

2.5: Decent playable and the bar I hope nearly every card in my deck to reach. (Evolving Wilds, Archon's Glory, Flick a Coin)

2.0: Mediocre filler that normally is your 20-23rd card(s). (Mintstrosity, Ice Out, Grabby Giant)

1.5: Replaceable, overall bad filler. Could also be decent sideboard cards. (Titanic Growth, Scarecrow Guide, Territorial Witchstalker)

1.0: Bad filler. Gets cut most of the time. (Dark Tutelage, Kindled Heroism, Impact Tremors)

0.5: Very unhappy to main deck this, but maybe it has fringe sideboard applications. Cards that “could” be situationally decent, but bad in most situations. (Smothering Tithe, Rhystic Study, Mana Flare)

0.0: Unplayable in every possible situation. They rarely print cards this bad these days. (Hew the Entwood, One with Nothing)

Anchovy & Banana Pizza

Rating: 2.5 // 5.0

This is effectively a sorcery speed Baked into a Pie. Sorcery speed does nerf this quite a bit, but it’s still great value on removal.

Armaggon, Future Shark

Rating: 3.5 // 5.0

This thing should win most games you get to play it. 8 mana is pretty rough, but when the effect is this powerful, you just put it in your deck and hope the game goes long enough to play it.

Bebop, Warthog Warrior

Rating: 1.5 // 5.0

This is a pretty weak landcycler. It’s playable if you need the fixing, but I’d exclude it from your average black deck. The “combo” should be noted with Rocksteady, Crash Courser, which is some nice flavor.

The Cloning of Shredder

Rating: 3.5 // 5.0

This is pretty powerful, even if the best creature in your graveyard is a 3-4 drop, the value is potent.

Death in the Family

Rating: 2.5 // 5.0

This is nice removal for your opponents early game creatures.

Dream Beavers

Rating: 2.5 // 5.0

This isn’t for every black deck, but is a dream for aggressive and sneak decks both.

Foot Mystic

Rating: 1.5 // 5.0

I’m not sold on this guy at all. It may end up that having this as a blocker is better than I’m assuming, though.

Insectoid Exterminator

Rating: 1.5 // 5.0

I have a feeling this will be underwhelming. It can’t block well, and you don’t want to use it for sneak. It does pair up nicely with Mutagen tokens however.

Lord Dregg, Insect Invader

Rating: 2.0 // 5.0

This looks like a slower flyer as well. It does have a pretty nice, repeatable disappear trigger. It can fuel itself in Golgari, but it is a pretty expensive activation cost.

Madame Null, Power Broker

Rating: 3.5 // 5.0

This is nicely balanced with a low opportunity cost if you happen to be on defense, it’s still a 1/3 deathtoucher. If you’re on the attack, this can snowball pretty quick.

Ninja Teen

Rating: 1.0 // 5.0

This card is pretty slow to do anything, and requires that you can attack at all.

Oroku Saki, Shredder Rising

Rating: 2.5 // 5.0

This is going to be a groan test card for sure. If you have a 1 drop (like Dream Beavers, and follow up with this on turn 2, you’re likely to see the “Nice!” emote.

Pain 101

Rating: 1.5 // 5.0

This is the Black trick to enable sneak attackers get through. I’m not a huge fan of this card, but it can do well with good ETB creatures.

Paramecia Coloniex

Rating: 2.5 // 5.0

This is a really solid 2 drop, and gets better the longer the game goes.

Rat King, Verminister

Rating: 3.0 // 5.0

This is mostly a passive threat, thats efficacy can vary game to game. Most games, he’ll die on the spot, but if he sits around until the late game, or you have a good amount of sacrifice effects, you’ll gain a ton of value.

Savanti Romero, Time’s Exile

Rating: 3.5 // 5.0

This guy will most definitely be a liability some games, but think of all the cards you’ll have drawn!

Shark Shredder, Killer Clone

Rating: 3.5 // 5.0

Having first strike is pretty sick, as it enables the returned creature to do normal combat damage as well. It’s an offensive card, but 4/4 first strike for 4 should always be good.

Shredder, Unrelenting

Rating: 2.5 // 5.0

This can be a huge beating if you manage to sneak him in. It’s also not awful to just play him main phase to enable an attack you normally couldn’t make.

Shredder’s Armor

Rating: 2.0 // 5.0

I like this well enough, but I have a feeling there isn’t enough sacrifice fodder to play this outside of a very specific deck.

Shredder’s Revenge

Rating: 2.0 // 5.0

I can get behind this a bit more. It’s a bit lackluster in general, but having the option is huge.

Shredder’s Technique

Rating: 3.0 // 5.0

Despite sorcery speed, this is a clean, versatile kill spell.

South Wind Avatar

Rating: 3.0 // 5.0

This doesn’t do anything incredibly powerful, but it has a nice stat-line for a deathtoucher, and can drain opponents if it sticks around.

Splinter, Hamato Yoshi

Rating: 2.5 // 5.0

This gets better with the higher number of ninjas in your deck. It’s still fine if you don’t have a ton of ninjas, and you’d prefer not to play it with no ninjas.

Splinter’s Technique

Rating: 1.0 // 5.0

is typically unplayable in limited, but you can make a case for it if your deck has specific cards with huge impact.

Squirrelanoids

Rating: 2.0 // 5.0

These are typically decent in limited, but look a bit better as a cheap sneak target here.

Stomped by the Foot

Rating: 2.5 // 5.0

Solid piece of conditional removal.

Super Shredder

Rating: 3.5 // 5.0

As long as this comes down during the first half of the game, it will likely be gigantic by the end of the game.

Tunnel Rats

Rating: 1.5 // 5.0

The reanimate cost of this one is pretty steep, and there aren’t enough sacrifice outlets to make it appealing.

Top 3 Black Commons:

Stomped by the Foot Anchovy & Banana Pizza Oroku Saki, Shredder Rising

Black looks fairly aggressive here. It has some really nice sneak creatures, as well as sneak enablers. The removal looks to be on the slower side of things, but all of the pieces are potent. I’ll be breaking down Red next, stay tuned!

Lose and Learn, Learn and Win!