The Magic: The Gathering Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles set is a TMNT fan’s dream. There are hundreds of cards paying homage to all aspects of the franchise. I’m going to focus on the video games for now. I’m ignoring the obvious “this card is literally pixel art” flexes. Those are dope, but they are the easy tells. I’m hunting the sly stuff, the references that only hit if you grew up with the cabinet glow in your eyes and a death grip on co-op muscle memory.
Wizards is still in preview season, with the set releasing March 6, 2026, and Prerelease kicking off February 27. So with about a week until the general public can get their hands on the MtG TMNT cards, these are my favorite from what we know so far.
My Favorite TMNT Video Game Odes and Obscure References I’ve Found
- “Turtles in Time”
This is the loudest love letter to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles IV: Turtles in Time, the arcade classic that defined co-op beat ’em ups for a generation. The art reads like a level-hopper scrapbook, and the hoverboards instantly make me think of “Neon Night Riders,” which is literally the hoverboard stage in the game.
- “Here Comes a New Hero!”
This is the quarter drop moment in card form. The instant dopamine hit when a new player joins mid-run, and suddenly the whole cabinet feels invincible.
- “Bebop, Skull & Crossbones” + “Rocksteady, Mutant Marauder”
I love that these two are partnered, because the reference isn’t just “they’re a duo.” It’s the specific duo context. “Skull and Crossbones” is a named stage in Turtles in Time, and in the SNES version, Bebop and Rocksteady are the bosses for that level. The level-accurate pirate fit is the cherry on top.
- “Manhole Missile”
The most righteous kind of cheap. If you played enough TMNT games, you remember how a manhole cover can feel like a personal insult. Turning that into a card feels like Wizards validating trauma.
- “Shellshock”
This is a perfect “if you know, you know” homage to Turtles in Time’s electric gag. The skeleton flash is the memory. The word “Shellshock” is the sound effect in my brain.
- “Leatherhead, Iron Gator”
This one is too on the nose for me to ignore. Leatherhead on an old west train screams “Bury My Shell at Wounded Knee,” the train stage in Turtles in Time.
- “Slash Clone”
Slash in the dinosaur era is the kind of reference that only exists to make people like me point at the screen. He’s boss in the dinosaur stage of Turtles in Time on SNES, and this card winks at that without needing to explain itself.
- “Prehistoric Turtlesaurus”
It is literally the stage name. Turtles in Time fans know “Prehistoric Turtlesaurus,” and the imagery of turtles riding a dinosaur is basically the entire childhood fantasy in one frame.
- “Baxter, Fly in the Ointment”
This one made me grin, because Baxter as a fly mutant is the first boss energy of Turtles in Time distilled into cardboard. I also love that the vibe matches his “annoying aerial menace” role, and yes, my brain still remembers his weird blaster-arm energy.
- “Electric Seaweed”
This is the evil one. This is Wizards looking directly at the community and saying, “We know what that level did to you.” It’s a clear nod to the infamous dam stage from the NES Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the level that turned childhood into a stress test.
Why These References Hit Harder Than the Pixel Art Cards
The pixel-art cards are a celebration. These deeper nods are a confession.
They prove Wizards didn’t just license a brand. They lived the franchise, studied the rituals, the cheap hits, the stage names that became shared language, and the bosses that lived in our heads rent-free. The only thing I haven’t found was “Big Apple, 3 AM” but that just might be a me thing.
But that’s why “Electric Seaweed” is such a flex. It’s not there to look pretty (even though it does). It’s there because the dam level became folklore, and Wizards chose violence with a smile.
Honorable Mentions: The Arcade Shrine Cards
- “High Score”
A pure arcade altar piece, and the name hits instantly. - “Arcade Cabinet”
Love the concept, but I’m still a four-player cabinet purist at heart when it comes to TMNT. - “Coin of Mastery”
This is the only one that truly feels like it understands the sacred economics of co-op. The coin is the ritual. Plus, 4-player-cabinet.
I’m not mad at the other two. I’m just disappointed they didn’t go harder on the four-player energy, because TMNT Arcade Games belong to four bodies on one cabinet.
But the MtG x TMNT set is set to release in just two weeks on March 6, and prerelease is only 1 week away! Have you ordered yours yet?
What other deep cuts have you spotted in Magic: The Gathering | Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles so far? Which Turtles in Time stage would you still recognize with your eyes closed? What other “trauma level” deserves a card like “Electric Seaweed”? Let me know in the comments or @me your favorite or traumatic memories of the games.
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