11 Practical Swaps to Upgrade the TMNT Turtle Power Commander Precon
Wargamer’s Matt Bassil recommends 11 surgical swaps, lean into Leonardo’s five-color keywords, add token-makers and card draw, and cut 11 of the Turtle Power precon’s messiest inclusions from its 43 new TMNT cards.
Wargamer’s Matt Bassil updated his Turtle Power precon upgrade guide (Updated: Feb 20, 2026) and lays out a simple goal: “If you're wanting to work out how to make this powerful but ungainly monster of a Commander precon deck dance for you at the table, we're your friend.” The deck is “full of valuable reprints” and “comes with lots of exciting new TMNT cards,” but it’s also “undeniably messy,” so here are 11 practical swaps, each one a cut and an add, to make the Universes Beyond product play cleaner and more consistent.
1. Cut: flavor-only TMNT filler → Add: token-makers
Swap out cards that exist mainly for theme and board clutter in favor of engines that produce bodies. As Bassil says, he’s “making packing in token-makers the priority.” With Leonardo’s ability rewarding keyword-bearing creatures and token synergies, replacing one-offs with reliable token producers immediately smooths game flow and gives you targets for anthem effects.
2. Cut: awkward five-color behemoths that gum up your mana → Add: Leonardo, the Balance (or shift build to Leo)
If you’re unsure which commander route to take, Bassil’s conclusion is blunt: “Overall, I think Leonardo is the better option for a strong, consistent deck.” Leonardo is “so much easier to cast, and gives us an extra guaranteed creature to boot,” which means swapping some of the clunkier, high-cost five-color cards for a Leo-focused curve improves castability and early interaction. If you still want the riskier, high-upside route, remember the five-color constraint: “If we go for the second option, we have to play Leonardo, the Balance alongside one of the others, to ensure we meet the five-color requirement.”
3. Cut: slow, low-impact top-end draws → Add: reliable card-draw engines
Bassil flags a clear trade-off: “with Leo we'll need to think carefully about whether we have enough card draw.” Replace singleton value cards that don’t refill your hand with steady draw engines that keep the Leo plan fueled. More consistent draw smooths out clunky opening hands and makes Leonardo’s keyword-granting ability actually worth casting late in games.
4. Cut: narrow color-locked ramp pieces → Add: flexible five-color ramp
Turtle Power’s unusually large new-card count (it contains 43 new TMNT cards rather than the “usual 10” for Universes Beyond decks) contributes to color chaos. Swap out ramp that only hits one or two colors and replace it with broadly colored or five-color solutions so you can reliably activate Leonardo’s full toolkit and “hand out useful keywords to everyone, if you've got the mana for it.”
5. Cut: quirky reprints that don’t pull their weight → Add: efficient removal suite
The precon is “a tricky beast” because it’s “packed with card inclusions that make you scratch your head.” Part of taming that beast is swapping theme-only reprints for practical interaction, cheap removal and a couple of board wipes, so the deck can survive common Commander shenanigans. That’s a simple, table-facing improvement that makes your 11-add list actually perform.
6. Cut: singleton synergies that clash with token plans → Add: anthem effects and keyword payoffs
Since Leonardo’s five-color ability can grant keywords en masse, replace one-off combos with anthem-style effects and cards that turn tokens and keyworded creatures into value engines. Bassil points out the upside of keyword distribution, so matching that ability with payoffs increases the deck’s synergy and reduces the “ungainly” feeling of scattered inclusions.
7. Cut: expensive, narrow late-game creatures → Add: cheap creatures that build presence
Leo “gives us an extra guaranteed creature to boot,” so take advantage by swapping in low-cost creatures that hold the early battlefield. Cheap creatures smooth your curve, provide bodies for token synergies, and let you capitalize on keyword grants earlier, trading a slow top-end for a fuller, more interactive early game.
8. Cut: cards that actively undermine tokens (overly-exiling or self-synergy blockers) → Add: token payoffs that scale
If you’re pivoting to tokens as Bassil recommends, remove cards that torpedo that plan and add cards that reward token creation, things that trigger on tokens entering or dying, or that amplify token value. This aligns directly with the author’s “pack in token-makers” priority and turns transient tokens into consistent advantage.
9. Cut: collector-oriented micro-inclusions → Add: tutors/consistency tools
Turtle Power’s 43 new cards are a double-edged sword for theme collectors and table players alike. Swap a handful of novelty pieces for consistency tools that find your token-makers, anthems, or interaction pieces. Bassil’s overall aim is “to craft a more consistent deck,” and tutors or search effects are one of the fastest ways to reduce variance in a large, theme-heavy list.
10. Cut: single-purpose tech cards that break tempo → Add: protection and redundancy
Some of the precon’s inclusions feel cute until they cost you a turn. Cut fragile, single-use tech that slows you down and add protection pieces or redundant answers so the deck can actually execute its plan against hate. That’s simple, effective, and keeps the “powerful but ungainly monster” from stalling out when opponents apply pressure.
11. Cut: one-off partner/commander clutter → Add: Raphael, Michelangelo, or April O’Neil as teammates/targets
Bassil asks, “So who will Leonardo be giving balance to? To my mind, the three best options are Raphael, Michelangelo, or April O'Neil.” If you’re restructuring commanders or partner choices, replace scattershot secondary options with one of those three to create coherent synergies with Leonardo’s keyword boosts. Choosing one clear teammate reduces indecision mid-game and helps you design the 11-add set around a focused gameplan.
Conclusion This is surgery, not a repaint: Bassil warns, “If so, look away now, because we're going to be slicing and dicing, in an effort to craft a more consistent deck.” The core facts matter, Turtle Power ships with 43 new TMNT cards, it’s “full of valuable reprints,” and the author’s recommended route favors Leonardo for consistency, and these 11 swaps turn that thematic mass into a functional, fun table deck. Test the swaps with proxies, prioritize card draw and token payoffs under Leo’s five-color gifts, and you’ll have a Turtle Power list that actually dances at the table.
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