At New York Comic Con on Friday, the upcoming Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles set was officially previewed. This first look gave us a glimpse at a new mechanic, some exciting new products, and a bunch of spoilers, many of which seem quite strong.
Given the set’s natural emphasis on Turtle and Ninja synergies, it’s not surprising that other Turtle or Ninja cards from Magic’s past are rising in demand. In fact, one particular Foundations Jumpstart legend that shares both creature types has already experienced a significant price spike. This is likely the first of many price shifts on the way.
Taeko, the Patient Avalanche
Taeko, the Patient Avalanche is one of only two Turtle Ninjas in the history of Magic prior to the release of the TMNT set.
Taeko has a ton of synergies with a variety of different spoilers already. First and foremost, Heroes in a Half Shell is an exciting new five-color Commander option that rewards you for connecting in combat with Turtles and Ninjas. Taeko is a worthy inclusion just based on creature type and power level alone.
Once you factor in its ability to make an attacker of your choice unblockable and thus reliably set up a Heroes in a Half Shell trigger, Taeko becomes super appealing. Throw in some Ninjas that utilize the Ninjutsu ability, and you can get even more value from Taeko’s first triggered ability.
Similarly, this legend also works to enable the new Sneak mechanic. Giving evasion to one of your creatures with a strong enters-the-battlefield trigger, then casting a new spell via Sneak is a great way to pull ahead on resources.
So far, Leonardo, Sewer Samurai and Raphael’s Technique are the only Sneak cards to be revealed. Nonetheless, there are bound to be more Sneak cards as well as Turtle payoffs revealed as we get closer to the set’s release.
The Spike
Interestingly, while our initial glimpse at the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles set took place on October 10th, Taeko’s price began to rise a couple of days prior.
This surge in demand correlates to a Twitter post showcasing an MTG X TMNT vehicle sighting that all but confirmed this crossover. Even before any cards were officially revealed, this Turtle Ninja made for a great speculative pickup. Taeko held a market price of $4.54 in near mint form a month ago and didn’t cross the $5 mark until October 8th.
Now, the market price has risen to $11.51 at the time of writing this article. Multiple copies of Taeko were sold for $16 or more today, representing a 252% spike over the last month. The lowest current listing, including shipping, is $17.08 as things currently stand.
The Future
There’s a good chance that Taeko, the Patient Avalanche maintains a rather hefty price tag for a while. It’s impossible to know exactly what will happen to Taeko’s value in the coming months, but considering how much the card synergizes with some TMNT spoilers and how few Turtle cards in Magic’s history make for strong EDH inclusions up to this point, it’s hard to imagine the card’s price plummeting any time soon.
Plus, the release of the TMNT set isn’t until March of 2026. So, even if Turtle hype dies down as we get closer to Avatar: The Last Airbender and Lorwyn Eclipsed, it should pick back up during TMNT spoiler season.
Taeko has only been printed in a Jumpstart product, meaning supply isn’t super high. Assuming demand doesn’t fall off hard, its price shouldn’t drop considerably. Expect some other synergistic cards to spike in the coming weeks.
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