Magic: The Gathering seems stuck in a loop: A new Universes Beyond set comes out and becomes a lightning rod for criticism and dissatisfaction from a section of the fandom, then an “in-universe” set follows, bringing some respite and unity to the community, and letting players focus on the actual game. With Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles around the corner, MTG head designer Mark Rosewater took a chance to comment on the set mechanics. His opinion on what the set hopes to achieve, however, left me more puzzled than a turtle flipped on its back.
Addressing the new Mutagen mechanic, which creates tokens you can sacrifice to add a +1/+1 counter to a creature, Rosewater explained that the design team decided not to bring back the Mutate mechanic from the Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths set because it was deemed too complicated. “Magic: The Gathering Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles has a lot of potential to bring in new players,” Rosewater wrote, “so we felt that using a mechanic as complex as mutate was a poor fit.”
Leaving the frankly unexciting Mutagen mechanic aside (Mutate was much more interesting, allowing players to “stack” creatures on top of each other, stockpiling their abilities), I’m surprised that Wizards of the Coast sees this new set as a collaboration tailored to attract new players. If TMNT is meant to serve as an on-ramp for new Magic players, Wizards may be misreading its audience: TMNT is a nostalgia powerhouse, not a youth movement.
While TMNT has received countless reboots, remakes, sequels, and spinoffs over the past 40 years, it reached the peak of its popularity in the ’90s. I’m not sure how many younger fans were brought in by the commercially successful and critically acclaimed 2023 movie Mutant Mayhem and its (now canceled) follow-up series, Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. The IDW comics series is also critically acclaimed, but it’s been ongoing for 15 years now, and I doubt it appeals to a particularly young audience.
Like so many other pop culture items nowadays, the Turtles franchise feeds on Millennial nostalgia. As someone who had a full Technodrome as a kid, I can hardly criticize the approach. But as a Magic player who has to spend a lot of time online for work, I also wonder how successful this new set will be, considering the reactions I’ve seen. Unlike Final Fantasy and Avatar: The Last Airbender, where criticism was focused on the Universes Beyond concept as a whole, TNMT seems to follow in Marvel’s Spider-Man’s unfortunate footsteps, with fans criticizing the art and the cards themselves.
This is where Rosewater’s words strike me as potentially inaccurate. The TNMT set should appeal mostly to nostalgic fans: the Millennial kids like myself who sat in front of their TVs to watch the Turtles jump out of their van to fight the Foot Clan. But we are the same kids who also played Magic from its early days, and feel more attached to its original aesthetic and vibes. I own a ton of Turtles toys, but I won’t be buying any Magic: The Gathering Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles products; like many others, I’m turned off by the setting and the art. And I’m also Italian, so seeing guacamole and marshmallow on pizza feels particularly offensive.
We are now at a stage where Universes Beyond sets can be separated into categories. The Lord of the Rings and Final Fantasy were so successful because the franchises are known and beloved across countries, ages, and cultures. They can also fit well into Magic’s established aesthetic. Avatar: The Last Airbender isn’t as well-known globally, but its fantasy setting is also a good fit for Magic, and the mechanics and design were also excellent. Marvel’s Spider-Man had none of this going on, except an extremely recognizable main character. For TMNT, I’m afraid that the niche shrinks even more. It’s another small, forgettable set, with mechanics that are either reused (Food tokens, Alliance, classes) or feel recycled (Sneak, Disappear). The art feels so uninspired and artificial (for a Magic set) that people are calling it AI-generated; the fact that it’s not is perhaps even more telling of a widespread feeling of dissatisfaction with the visual tone of this set.
I’m not sure where Rosewater and Wizards of the Coast are getting the idea that TNMT has the potential to bring new players into Magic. The “teenage” in the name may apply to the characters, but probably not to the majority of their fans. Will the power of Millennial nostalgia be enough to overcome the taint of Universes Beyond? Maybe. After all, there are people in this world who like pineapple on pizza. Heathens.
