EDH Optimizer
Leonardo, the Balance
Legendary Creature — Mutant Ninja Turtle · 3W
Color identity: Black · Green · Red · Blue · White
Leonardo, the Balance is black, green, red, blue and white: its deck can only run cards of those colors plus colorless ones.
Rules text:
Whenever a token you control enters, you may put a +1/+1 counter on each creature you control. Do this only once each turn.
{W}{U}{B}{R}{G}: Creatures you control gain menace, trample, and lifelink until end of turn.
Partner—Character select (You can have two commanders if both have this ability.)
Reference price of the card: €0.33
Comes in the precon Turtle Power!
Average lands in decks for Leonardo, the Balance: 36
+1/+1 CountersTokensPopulateMutantsLegendsNinjasArtifactsTurtles
Build your Leonardo, the Balance deck step by step, with in-depth analysis and AI optimization of your list.
🛠️ Build a deck for Leonardo, the Balance 📥 Analyze my deck🎲 How the average Leonardo, the Balance deck starts over 4,000 games
The list people actually play (the 99 most-included cards, with its average land count), simulated with the EDH Optimizer engine: hands, mulligans, lands, curve and commander. It does not model opponents; it measures whether the plan gets going.
Deck health of the average list: C (56/100)
- Consistency83
- Speed58
- Interaction44
- Resilience68
- Closing37
See the cards of the average deck · 99 cards, 36 lands (26 nonbasic, 1 Plains, 2 Island, 2 Swamp, 1 Mountain, 4 Forest)
Sol Ring · Arcane Signet · Chromatic Lantern · Michelangelo, the Heart · Raphael, the Muscle · Donatello, the Brains · Cultivate · High Score · Assassin's Trophy · Heroes in a Half Shell · Ninja Pizza · Continue? · Wave Goodbye · Arcade Cabinet · Level Up · Baxter, Fly in the Ointment · Coin of Mastery · Irma, Part-Time Mutant · Mona Lisa, Science Geek · Splinter, the Mentor · April O'Neil, Live on the Scene · Ray Fillet, Wave Warrior · Blasphemous Act · Casey Jones, Back Alley Brute · Lessons from Life · Vigor · Big Mother Mouser · Corpsejack Menace · Super Combo · Shredder, Shadow Master · Together Forever · Bebop, Skull & Crossbones · Lita, Little Orphan Amphibian · Rocksteady, Mutant Marauder · Special Move · Endless Foot Assault · Shellshock · Double Jump // Flying Kick · Here Comes a New Hero! · Steelbane Hydra · Swift Demise · Vanquish the Horde · Game Over · Michelangelo, Weirdness to 11 · Leatherhead, Iron Gator · Dimension X Pizzasaur · Exploding Barrel · Mikey & Leo, Chaos & Order · Tokka & Rahzar, Unsupervised · Fast Forward · The Ooze · Doubling Season · Everything Pizza · Voracious Hydra · Roadkill Rodney · Tempestra, Dame of Games · Mutagen Man, Living Ooze · Foot Chopper · Hardened Scales · Harmonize · Michelangelo, Mutant BFF · Path to Exile · Mikey & Don, Party Planners · Command Tower · Exotic Orchard · Path of Ancestry · City of Brass · Fabled Passage · Turtle Lair · Hidden Hideout · Spire Garden · Undergrowth Stadium · Hinterland Harbor · Cinder Glade · Rootbound Crag · Sodden Verdure · Smoldering Marsh · Sunken Hollow · Vernal Fen · Dragonskull Summit · Big Apple, 3 a.m. · Evolving Wilds · Grand Coliseum · Escape Tunnel · Rain-Slicked Copse · Vibrant Cityscape · Ash Barrens · Thriving Grove · Thriving Isle
🃏 Recommended cards for Leonardo, the Balance
The highest-synergy cards in decks for Leonardo, the Balance, with their inclusion rate.
| Card | Inclusion | Synergy |
|---|---|---|
| Michelangelo, the Heart | 73% | +71% |
| Raphael, the Muscle | 73% | +70% |
| Donatello, the Brains | 72% | +69% |
| Turtle Lair | 71% | +67% |
| Heroes in a Half Shell | 67% | +65% |
| High Score | 68% | +64% |
| Hidden Hideout | 69% | +63% |
| Wave Goodbye | 64% | +62% |
| Ninja Pizza | 66% | +62% |
| Arcade Cabinet | 63% | +60% |
| Fabled Passage | 71% | +60% |
| Continue? | 64% | +60% |
| Undergrowth Stadium | 67% | +60% |
| Spire Garden | 67% | +59% |
| Level Up | 63% | +59% |
| Rootbound Crag | 63% | +58% |
| Hinterland Harbor | 64% | +58% |
| Splinter, the Mentor | 60% | +57% |
| Vernal Fen | 61% | +57% |
| Coin of Mastery | 60% | +57% |
| April O'Neil, Live on the Scene | 59% | +56% |
| Baxter, Fly in the Ointment | 60% | +56% |
| Irma, Part-Time Mutant | 60% | +56% |
| Mona Lisa, Science Geek | 60% | +56% |
💰 The best cards for your Leonardo, the Balance deck, by budget
Three tiers based on the maximum price PER CARD you are willing to pay. Paste your list and hit Optimize: you pick that cap and the AI only suggests swaps that fit under it.
Tier 1 · Budget up to €2/card
The most value for almost nothing. Coming from a precon? Start here.
- Michelangelo, the Heart
- Raphael, the Muscle
- Donatello, the Brains
- Turtle Lair
- Heroes in a Half Shell
- High Score
Tier 2 · Balanced up to €10/card
The real step up: pieces that are no longer cheap but still sensible.
- Hidden Hideout
- Ninja Pizza
- Continue?
- Undergrowth Stadium
- Spire Garden
- Irma, Part-Time Mutant
Tier 3 · No cap no cap
The cards your price cap was hiding from you.
- Doubling Season
- All Will Be One
- Super Shredder
Reference prices (cheapest English printing). They change daily.
♾️ Known combos with Leonardo, the Balance
- Demonic Consultation + Thassa's Oracle → Exile your library, Win the game
- Tainted Pact + Thassa's Oracle → Win the game
- Underworld Breach + Lotus Petal + Brain Freeze → Infinite self-mill, Near-infinite magecraft triggers, Near-infinite mill
- Underworld Breach + Lion's Eye Diamond + Brain Freeze → Infinite self-mill, Near-infinite colored mana, Near-infinite magecraft triggers, Near-infinite mill, Near-infinite storm count
- Chatterfang, Squirrel General + Pitiless Plunderer → Infinite artifact ETB, Infinite artifact LTB, Infinite artifact sacrifice triggers, Infinite artifact tokens, Infinite colored mana, Infinite death triggers, Infinite creature ETB, Infinite creature LTB, Infinite creature sacrifice triggers, Infinite Treasure tokens, Reduce the toughness of creatures opponents control to 0
- Peregrin Took + Nuka-Cola Vending Machine → Infinite card draw, Infinite draw triggers, Near-infinite tapped Treasure tokens
👥 Community decks with Leonardo, the Balance
Full decklists published by players on EDH Optimizer, with their analysis, bracket and health. Clone them to your account and optimize them for free.
Other commanders
Frequently asked questions
What is Leonardo, the Balance's color identity?
Leonardo, the Balance is black, green, red, blue and white: its deck can only run cards of those colors plus colorless ones. Color identity comes from every mana symbol on the card, including those in the rules text, not just the casting cost.
What turn does Leonardo, the Balance come down, and how often does the deck get stuck?
In the average Leonardo, the Balance deck (the 99 cards most played with it, with 36 lands), simulated 4,000 times, the commander comes down on turn 4.5 on average and is on the battlefield before turn 7 in 93 % of games. It misses at least one land drop in the first six turns 33 % of the time and floods 10 %. Deck health: C (56/100).
How many lands should a Leonardo, the Balance deck run?
Real Leonardo, the Balance decks run 36 lands on average. That is a starting point, not a rule: a lower curve can shave one or two, big-mana builds want more. The EDH Optimizer simulator tells you, over 10,000 games, how often you get mana screwed or flooded with your exact count.
What are the best cards for Leonardo, the Balance?
The three highest-synergy cards are Michelangelo, the Heart, Raphael, the Muscle, Donatello, the Brains. This page lists the top 24 with their real inclusion rate in Leonardo, the Balance decks.
What combos does Leonardo, the Balance have?
Leonardo, the Balance has 6 known combos. The most popular one is Demonic Consultation + Thassa's Oracle. Note that two-card combos raise your deck's bracket, so it is worth knowing which ones you are running before you sit down.
How much does a Leonardo, the Balance deck cost?
You can start cheap: Michelangelo, the Heart, Raphael, the Muscle, Donatello, the Brains are under €2 each. The "Level up" section on this page splits the best cards into three price caps PER CARD (up to €2, up to €10 and no cap), and the optimizer only suggests swaps that fit the cap you pick.