The release notes for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles have been published and as a result, we now have more information about all the new and returning mechanics being utilized by the set. The release notes had an exhaustive look at individual card rules. The new and returning mechanics are:

• Sneak
• Disappear
• Mutagen Tokens
• Food 
• Class Enchantments

Sneak

Appearing first in the Betrayers of Kamigawa block, Ninjutsu is a mechanic that swaps an unblocked attacker with a creature in hand by paying its ninjutsu cost. Sneak is a new-to-Magic mechanic that has a lot of that same flavor without being limited to creatures.

The sneak mechanic is a keyword ability that taps into the ninja theme. Because ninjas are so prominent even in non-turtle creatures, Sneak is found on more than just the turtles themselves. Sneak has a cost associated with it and reads (You may cast this spell for [insert this card’s sneak cost] if you also return an unblocked attacker you control to hand during the declare blockers step.) 

More specifics, like creatures entering as attacking creatures, may be listed as well. For instance, Donatello, Gadget Master enters tapped and attacking if the sneak cost is paid. Leonardo’s Technique on the other hand is a sorcery and it returns 1 or 2 target creatures with mana value 3 or less from your graveyard to your battlefield. Its cost is 3W but the sneak cost of 1W lowers the casting cost without adding additional attackers. 

Disappear

Also utilizing the flavor of ninjas in this set is a triggered ability called Disappear. Disappear triggers after checking if a permanent left the battlefield. Different cards will check at different times before triggering. For instance, Foot Mystic checks to see if a permanent left the battlefield this turn when it enters. Pizza Face, Gastromancer checks at the end step. Krang & Shredder checks both when it enters and when it attacks. The resulting trigger could be anything from adding tokens to the battlefield to adding counters to existing creatures, or even casting cards from exile. 

Mutagen Tokens

The origins of the Ninja Turtles is that turtles were exposed to radioactive slime that mutated them into anthropomorphic turtles capable of learning martial arts. That slime is called Mutagen and was incorporated into Magic: The Gathering in the form of a new token type. There are creatures, sorceries, and instants that all create Mutagen tokens. These tokens read: [/mana]1[/mana], Tap, Sacrifice this token: Put a +1/+1 counter on target creature. Activate only as a sorcery.

Food

Food is an artifact type that’s returning to Magic: The Gathering. Most players will recognize the standard food token that reads: 2, Tap, Sacrifice this token: gain 3 life. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles will highlight the insatiable appetite of its titular heroes by including a wide variety of artifacts that include the food artifact type. Cards like Anchovy & Banana Pizza are food artifacts that have a specific action listed — in this case, destroy target creature. It still has the standard food ability listed as well. Other cards in the set create food tokens like Courier of Comestibles.

Class Enchantments

Class is a subtype of enchantments, first introduced in 2021 as part of the Dungeons & Dragons: Adventures in the Forgotten Realms set. These saga-like enchantments are returning in TMNT. Where a Saga moves to its next step during upkeep, a Class will move to its next level when its controller decides to pay the mana cost associated with it. For example, when Does Machines enters, its controller mills two, draws two, then discards two. Its level 2 ability returns a target artifact from its controller’s graveyard to their hand but will not automatically go there. Rather its controller will have to pay 1U. Further, if they want to take it to level 3, it will cost 4U. In this case, level 3 directs its controller to put three +1/+1 counters on a target artifact at the beginning of combat on their turn. That artifact becomes a 0/0 artifact creature if it’s not already a creature. That kind of ability will continue to trigger every turn so the Class will remain on the battlefield unlike sagas that get sacrificed at the end of their run. 

The full release notes for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are available at Daily MTG. The Ninja Turtles are making their way into Magic: The Gathering on March 6th.