Magic: The Gathering’s TMNT Turtle Team-Up is co-op with a twist & tons of value

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The new Magic: The Gathering set featuring the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles includes ‘Turtle Team-Up,’ a unique way to play the game cooperatively. We’ve tried it and believe it’s perfect for people just starting out with trading card games, but also offers a lot of fun and strategic depth for experienced players.

Just as expected, a new Magic: The Gathering set is releasing! Following the previous set, this time the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are arriving in card shops worldwide on March 6, 2026.

You can find the standard Magic: The Gathering products like booster packs and Commander Decks, and they even have a bundle that includes a pizza box! But the real highlight is the Turtle Team-Up set. It’s the latest attempt at a cooperative game where up to four players team up as turtles to battle well-known and powerful bosses.

We had a chance to try out the cooperative mode thanks to an early playtest from Wizards of the Coast. While very experienced players might find it easy, and a few boss battles felt repetitive, it’s a fantastic way for newcomers to learn the trading card game. Longtime players will also find plenty to enjoy.

What is the Turtle Team-Up box in MTG?

Most Magic: The Gathering games are player-versus-player battles. But this game is different – you’ll play with your friends! You and up to three other players will work together to defeat a series of challenging bosses that get harder and harder.

The game’s bosses are managed using cards, meaning all their moves are predetermined. However, each game feels different because you won’t know which boss is coming up or how it will change the game.

Most games should take between 45 and 60 minutes to play. However, we found that our first time playing took a bit longer as we learned the rules.

This is designed to be a lighthearted addition to everything else Magic: The Gathering offers with each new release, and it’s also a fantastic way for people completely new to the game to get started. It’s a relaxed and enjoyable method to learn the basics of this popular card game – how to play your cards and how to change your strategy to beat your opponent.

How to play MTG’s Turtle Team-Up mode

First, choose your turtle! Will you play as the laid-back Michelangelo, the tough Raphael, the smart Donatello, or the leader, Leonardo? Each of the four brothers has their own unique 60-card deck built specifically for this team-based game. These decks work well together, offering a good mix of strategies and keeping the gameplay balanced from beginning to end.

Now that you’ve chosen your heroes, it’s time to set up the villains! Mix up the Boss cards and Event cards and put them where everyone can reach them. Then, reveal the first Boss card by flipping it over.

The difficulty of each boss depends on how many players are in your team. While it’s possible to fight them solo, we suggest playing with others. The game is best experienced with 2 to 4 players, and the challenge can be adjusted to be easier or harder depending on your team’s needs.

Set your team health and boss health as follows:

  • 2 players = Team health: 20 | Boss health: 20
  • 3 players = Team health: 30 | Boss health: 20
  • 4 players = Team health: 40 | Boss health: 30

After drawing your initial hand of seven cards – just like in a standard Magic game – the game begins! You’ll play using the usual Magic: The Gathering rules: draw a card each turn, use lands to play creatures and spells, and then see what your opponent does.

Players take their turns first, and then the boss gets a turn. One player controls their own actions, as usual. Each boss turn starts by untapping, then playing two Event cards (unless the cards say otherwise). The turn ends with a Combat phase where the boss attacks the Turtles with any Foot Soldiers that are currently in play.

The fight has three stages. You’ll start with one boss, then two will join the battle, and finally, you’ll face all three at the same time. It can be pretty hectic!

Even when facing several bosses at the same time, the game remains manageable. The bosses’ abilities are generally easy to understand – they usually involve things like adding an extra event or strengthening their creatures, so it’s not overly complicated.

The game creates some really funny team-ups, like Bebop and Rocksteady with Baxter or Krang, and naturally, Shredder is included as well. It’s a fantastic experience for anyone who loves the Ninja Turtles.

Honestly, this game has amazing replay value. I love that I can just swap out characters by changing the decks, or even mess with the game itself by adding custom rules. The rulebook even suggests speeding up all the boss summons, and that sounds like exactly the kind of wild, fun challenge I’m looking for!

After playing a few games, you can easily add new cards to the existing decks without spending any extra money. The Turtle Team-Up box includes four special boosters, providing one for each player in a full team.

Sometimes, if I’m playing my Raph deck, I get really lucky and find awesome upgrades that just fit perfectly. Or, I’ll snag a Token that’s exactly what Mikey needs to power up – seriously, giving him that Guac and Marshmello pizza in my first game was a game-changer!

As a fan, I think this set is a fantastic deal! You get a ton of cards for some really fun co-op nights with friends, and even better, a lot of the cards are actually useful to add to the decks I already play in Commander or Constructed formats. It’s a win-win!

Contents

A box priced at $49.99 USD | $70 AUD | £44.99 | contains the following items:

  • 4 60-card Magic decks
  • 1 Enemy Deck with 11 bosses
  • 17 Event Cards
  • 4 Magic: The Gathering | Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Play Boosters
    • Each Play Booster contains 14 Magic: The Gathering cards

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2026-03-04 07:20