Welcome back!
This week, I've got an exciting card to review: Raph & Leo, Sibling Rivals
Cost: {W/R}{W/R}(1)
Legendary Creature - Mutant Ninja Turtle
Whenever Raph & Leo attack, if it’s the first combat phase of the turn, untap one or two target attacking creatures. After this phase, there is an additional combat phase.
2/4
I have complicated feelings about TMNT; the stories and characters are pretty interesting and, in some ways, are very suited to Magic in the way that each turtle corresponds to a type of person, in the same way that the colors of Magic align with different kinds of people. I love how the weapons of each turtle are meant to help them grow: Leonardo has to learn responsibility through his blades, hothead Raphael has to use a weapon traditionally used to block to cleverly catch his opponents instead of just raging through fights, techie Donatello is given the simplest stick to remind him of simple solutions, and Michelangelo must tune his focus to make the most of his nunchaku (that’s right, we don’t just say nunchuks around here).
That said, I don’t like the UB treatment of giving characters multiple treatments to make more cards. I don’t like that when I first tried to find the card above, I searched “Leonardo” on Scryfall, and I was given eight examples, and none of them was the card I was looking for (one was Leonardo DaVinci).
But despite my gripes with Universes Beyond, this card is heat. Not only is Raph & Leo the cheapest legendary to provide extra combat steps, but it also does so in a way that is a) not confusing (looking at you, Moraug) and b) isn’t obnoxious (did you know Aurelia, the Warleader, is one of the few extra combats that let you untap ALL creatures you control? I think the other is Ole Mole Anzraag. There must be something in the water in Ravnica [It’s the Simic].)
Raph & Leo is the card that convinced me to give TMNT a try. I won’t be going to any prereleases, but I’ll be reviewing the cards for singles I want to play. There are bound to be some sleeper picks, as there were in other slept-on sets like Aetherdrift and Aftermath. Any that I find, I’ll bring to you, dear reader. Thanks for reading, and I’ll see you next time!