Considering it has been over 17 years since MTG players last went to Lorwyn, it’s safe to say hype for Lorwyn Eclipsed was incredibly high. Thankfully, this set doesn’t disappoint, as there are tons of powerful soon-to-be staples and nostalgic throwbacks. With these in mind, players couldn’t wait to get their hands on the set during prerelease events, which kicked off on Friday. Unfortunately, these much-anticipated events didn’t go entirely to plan.
Due to an unusual production mix-up, Lorwyn Eclipsed prerelease packs didn’t contain the usual promos. Instead, many MTG players opened up their prerelease kits to find cards from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles MTG set. Unsurprisingly, many MTG players quickly started showcasing these online, and they haven’t stopped coming. In barely two days, over 35 TMNT MTG cards have already been revealed, and they might not stop there.
A Boatload of Leaks
When the TMNT MTG leaks started appearing online, it didn’t take long for players to start concocting elaborate theories about what was happening. Some MTG players assumed this was a radical new spoiler season concept, letting players discover the cards themselves. Others, meanwhile, though this might have been due to Reality Fracture later this year, causing multiversal shenanigans.
For better or worse, neither of these possibilities is true, as Wizards of the Coast recently clarified the situation on Bluesky. Not only is the appearance of these TMNT cards accidental, but Wizards effectively confirmed their real, too. Potentially, this could leak to Wizards properly addressing the situation next week,as was done for Modern Horizons 3.
“We’re aware of reports of ECL prerelease kits containing foil promo cards from an incorrect set. This is not intentional and, if possible, stores should replace these promos with the appropriate ECL promos from other prerelease kits.”
Wizards of the Coast
Unfortunately for Wizards of the Coast, we haven’t just seen a handful of TMNT MTG cards early. Instead, over 35 cards have already been leaked, and there could easily be more in the coming days. Since prerelease promos can typically be any rare or mythic card from a set, there’s a chance every exciting TMNT card could be revealed this weekend.
Notably, while Wizards has effectively confirmed that real TMNT MTG cards are being revealed, authenticity isn’t 100% guaranteed. If anything, now is the perfect time for bad actors to sneak in a fake card to sow chaos. As such, it’s worth remaining somewhat skeptical while seeing all of these new cards, even if there’s a very good chance they’re all real.
North Wind Avatar
It’s been a little while since we’ve gotten a new design that lets you tutor cards from your sideboard, and North Wind Avatar does so in a pretty interesting manner. Nearly every tutor that grabs cards from “outside the game,” including Fae of Wishes and Karn, the Great Creator, has been restrictive in the types of cards you can search for. North Wind Avatar takes this norm and throws it out the window.
This makes North Wind Avatar a really flexible option for decks that can reliably cast it. In a ramp shell, for example, you have the luxury of grabbing a Counterspell, removal spell, or big finisher depending on the matchup and situation. It isn’t hard to imagine a scenario where you cast North Wind Avatar with mana to spare and can immediately use your sideboard options to interact.
Alternatively, you could use this card to grab any piece of a prominent combo. Perhaps North Wind Avatar could bolster Temur Otters in Standard as a means of searching for Valley Floodcaller, Enduring Vitality, or a win condition such as Song of Totentanz.
Unfortunately, the cast restriction on North Wind Avatar means you can’t cheat it into play and get the trigger. Notably, though, you will get the trigger when you cast it from exile after it’s been Airbent, which could lead to additional shenanigans.
Chrome Dome
While many Ninjas from the TMNT set are focused on maximizing the Sneak mechanic, Chrome Dome has a bit of a different vibe. Right away, Chrome Dome serves as a Lord for your artifact creatures, helping token makers, like Pinnacle Emissary, put extra pressure on the opponent. Where Chrome Dome gets most of its value, however, is from its activated ability.
Five mana is a steep cost to copy your other artifacts, so chances are you won’t be using it too much in Constructed. Luckily, in EDH, there are plenty of value-generating artifacts to copy, such as Solemn Simulacrum or Ichor Wellspring. You’ll even get to maximize any death triggers because the token you create gets sacrificed.
Beyond its general utility, Chrome Dome also combos nicely with any artifact like Chromatic Orrery or Composite Golem. Using either of these cards, you can make infinite artifact tokens to win the game with Hedron Detonator or Biotech Specialist.
Tokka & Rahzar, Terrible Twos
As an uncounterable three-power threat with Menace, Tokka and Rahzar, Terrible Twos is quite a strong creature on rate. The downside is that it only has two toughness, so it is vulnerable to cheap removal. Nonetheless, thanks to its final damage-dealing ability, there are some matchups where Tokka and Rahzar threaten to take over.
In a Standard setting, Tokka and Rahzar completely hoses Airbending Combo while it’s on the board. Meanwhile, versus Izzet Lessons, this legend can make Gran-Gran‘s cost reduction effect a major liability. Add on Tokka and Rahzar’s favorable interaction versus Warp creatures like Quantum Riddler, and you’ve got a powerhouse on your hands.
Meanwhile, being able to punish opponents for Evoking pitch Elementals or casting free Counterspells like Force of Will has applications in older formats. Tokka and Rahzar can even make for a unique EDH build-around, rewarding you for pairing it with cost reduction effects such as Helm of Awakening. You will need ways to ensure the Turtle Legend’s symmetrical trigger doesn’t come back to bite you, but as long as you don’t fall behind on board, this shouldn’t be too difficult to achieve. Tokka and Rahzar looks like one of the stronger cards revealed thus far, and we look forward to seeing what other potent tools come our way in the future.
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