Raph & Mikey, TroublemakersRaph & Mikey, Troublemakers | Art by Aaron J. Riley

Recently, we've had a major leak in the form of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cards being prerelease promos for Lorwyn Eclipsed. Since then, all the rares and mythics from the former have been officially previewed via the set's image gallery.

With this, I can go ahead with this deck tech for Raph & Mikey, TroublemakersRaph & Mikey, Troublemakers.

What Does Raph & Mikey, TroublemakersRaph & Mikey, Troublemakers Do?

Raph & Mikey is a 7/7 with trample and haste for , and when it attacks, we reveal cards from our library until we hit a creature card. We then put that creature onto the battlefield tapped and attacking.

Here we have what could be called a quintessential Gruul () commander. We cheat out big monsters with this card, and start smacking opponents around like a bunch of rag dolls. I'm already going to say it, the deck's ace is Xenagos, God of RevelsXenagos, God of Revels. Today's deck is essentially the average Xenagos deck, with a slightly different shell (Are you still with me after that shell-shocking pun? Good. Moving on).

Whereas the average Xenagos deck needs us to ramp into oblivion to drop him, then the beef, Raph and Mikey give us the liberty to have all of our creatures be a bunch of fatties. Not only does this let us lean harder into the other card types for housekeeping, but it also lets us pack all of our favorite fatties into one, tidy package.

Key Cards for Raph & Mikey, TroublemakersRaph & Mikey, Troublemakers

Beefy Creatures

I mentioned above that we have complete liberty to have every creature be a threat, but what exactly are we putting in there (Besides Xenagos)?

Firstly, we run creatures that do something outside of simply being a hunk of beef. Giant AdephageGiant Adephage and Quartzwood CrasherQuartzwood Crasher let us create tokens when they hit an opponent, which is made easier because of trample. Meanwhile, we have the likes of Ancient Copper DragonAncient Copper Dragon (and its legendary predecessor, Old GnawboneOld Gnawbone) that can potentially make us a lot of Treasure.

Both Terror of the PeaksTerror of the Peaks and Gruul RagebeastGruul Ragebeast pick off opposing threats. In doing so, this softens our opponents up for a major strike.

Having some utility attached to said hunks of beef is always good, too. Balefire DragonBalefire Dragon wipes the board on connecting. Evercoat UrsineEvercoat Ursine lets us cast the cards we hide away when it connects. It's especially potent with double strike, so you can cast both in one turn.

On the other hand, both Twinflame TyrantTwinflame Tyrant and Angrath's MaraudersAngrath's Marauders double the damage we deal. They work into an underlying theme I'll cover later in the article.

Housekeeping!

Our noncreature spells should be focused on keeping the deck together.

It's also worth noting that we're working with a really high curve, plus our commander costs a whopping seven mana. To that end, I've dedicated nearly a fifth of the deck to ramping.

Alongside our usual suspects, Open the WayOpen the Way will help dig for three lands. Both HarrowHarrow and Entish RestorationEntish Restoration make us lose a land to really pull ahead. In addition, Domri, Anarch of BolasDomri, Anarch of Bolas provides a good collection of utility. A small buff that ramps us (and makes our threats uncounterable), and has our creatures remove blockers is always good.

Meanwhile, we have a suite of cards that protect our threats, including our commander, like Bolt BendBolt Bend. Both Sensei's Divining TopSensei's Divining Top and Scroll RackScroll Rack ensures that we always have something on top for Raph and Mikey to hit. We can also pull off something similar with Sylvan LibrarySylvan Library.

Lastly, Garruk's UprisingGarruk's Uprising not only draws us cards, but it gives trample, an essential keyword for this deck. As such, I tried to add some cards that give our creatures that and/or haste. Double strike is good, too, which Terror of Mount VelusTerror of Mount Velus is more than happy to provide.

Raph & Mikey, Troublemakers Commander Deck List

Absolute Overkill

Do you know the saying "breaking the ice?" Well, here, we're taking a Colossus HammerColossus Hammer and smashing the ice. This is a Gruul deck, after all. Overkill is its nickname, and there are a few ways to do this.

Firstly, and the most obvious, is to take more combat steps. Cards like Full ThrottleFull Throttle and BloodthirsterBloodthirster ensure that we have tons of extra combat phases. More Xenagos triggers, more Raph & Mikey shenanigans, and we're just scratching the surface! Not only that, they help us win the game.

Secondly, we need to double the power of our threats. One of my pet cards for a deck like this is OverblazeOverblaze, which acts as a second BerserkBerserk, but we don't lose the creature we target. Additionally, don't sleep on Fatal FrenzyFatal Frenzy, which does the job just as well.

Four green pips is a lot to ask, but here, Unnatural GrowthUnnatural Growth will be brutal, especially with multiple combat steps.

The game plan is as simple as that, but that's also a good thing. That means someone new to Commander (or Magic, for that matter) can pick this up and have a good time. It's as simple a deck to pilot as our average Xenagos deck.

Winding Down

As we sunset this deck tech, it makes for a nice transition into something more aligned with in-universe sets. Now, I turn to you, the readers: What cards from TMNT are you excited about? Are you hoping the precon will be good out of the box like I am? Or maybe you're not so keen on it (I'm going to be upfront about this: I'd take Turtles over Marvel any day of the week, and it's more because of Marvel itself than Turtles).

Let me know your thoughts in the comments, and be seeing you next time.