2025 was a phenomenal year to be a Commander player.

Between Universes Beyond, a long-awaited return to a great plane, and bold new design spaces, Commander players were eating well almost every quarter.

That said, not every major release had the same impact on the format. Some sets offered a handful of role-players while others reshaped deck-building and gave us commanders that people are still sleeving up today.

This list looks strictly at the main MTG sets released throughout 2025, ranking them from least Commander-friendly to the most packed with EDH bangers. This means no Secret Lairs, no bonus drops, and no supplemental releases. Just the big tentpole sets, judged by how much they actually mattered in your Commander tables.

7. Marvel's Spider-Man

The Spider-Man set ended up being one of the most underpowered Commander releases of the year.

A big part of the issue was scope. The New York City setting felt extremely narrow, and there are only so many spider-adjacent characters that translate well into interesting legendary designs. As a result, the set leaned more on flavor than on long-term EDH playability.

There were still a few cards that found homes, but most decks didn't gain much from this release.

SPM Standout Cards

• The Soul Stone - Flexible utility piece that slots into multiple archetypes. Sets up hype for the rest of the Infinity Stones in upcoming sets.
• Impostor Syndrome - A flavorful card that is fun to trigger but can get tedious and can eat up table space fast.
• Electro, Assaulting Battery - Red mana storage that ramps you and damages your opponents when he leaves the battlefield

Overall, this was a fun set based on a cool IP, it just didn't move the Commander needle very far.

6. Aetherdrift

Aetherdrift was bold, weird, and... divisive.

Racing across the multiverse in carts was a little too silly for many players, and that tonal disconnect hurt its reception in many circles. For instance, the Start Your Engines! Mechanic was already oddly named and not well-executed. The theme didn't resonate broadly, and very few commanders from the set inspired long-term brewing.

That said, the mana base upgrades alone ensured this set wouldn't be forgettable.

DFT Standout Cards

• Monument to Endurance - A solid discard-engine card that rewards longer games.
• Verge lands - This set included Willowrush Verge, Bleachbone Verge, Sunbillow Verge, Riverpyre Verge, and [card[Wastewood Verge[/card]. Great dual lands that will see play for years.
• Stock Up - Simple and efficient card advantage spell that spellslinger and control decks will utilize for sure.

Aetherdrift wasn't beloved, but it still delivered some important and innovative pieces.

5. Innistrad Remastered

Innistrad Remastered sits in an odd spot. It wasn't a brand-new design space, but it was still a major 2025 release, and its impact on Commander was very real.

The biggest win here was accessibility. Reprinting iconic cEDH staples lowered barriers for players who had been priced out of certain archetypes for years.

INR Standout Cards

• Edgar Markov - One of the most important reprints of the year, finally bringing the price down to more acceptable levels.
• Hullbreaker Horror - Still a terrifying control and combo finisher.
• Avacyn, Angel of Hope - A classic bomb that newer players can get their hands on.

It wasn't flashy, but extremely healthy for the format.

4. Avatar: The Last Airbender

Avatar was a cool Universes Beyond release that leaned heavily into faithful adaptation.

Most of the art was pulled directly from the series, which fans loved, but it also meant the designs played it a bit safe mechanically. The set didn't shake up the format of Commander, but it gave us several cards that felt playable and resonant from the get-go.

TLA Standout Cards

• Fire Lord Azula - A genuinely strong and flavorful Commander option that is already considered kill-on-sight.
• Bender's Waterskin - Excellent utility with wide deck applicability giving you open mana every turn.
• The Walls of Ba Sing Se - A unique defensive piece that fits pillowfort and control shells giving more junk in the trunk.

Avatar is a solid middle-of-the-pack Commander set that respected its source material.

3. Tarkir: Dragonstorm

Tarkir: Dragonstorm was widely celebrated as a return to Magic's signature identity.

After a run of unusual or experimental sets, Dragonstorm felt familiar in the best way. It was packed with Dragons, Clans, powerful legends, and cards that are playable in every level of the Commander bracket.

TDM Standout Cards

• Mistrise Village - An amazing utility land that Blue players can use to push out their critical spells.
• Elspeth, Storm Slayer - Token doubling, army making, alpha strike enabling, and big creature destroying... this Elspeth does it all.
• Nature's Rhythm - A worse Chord of Calling... or is it? The ability to be cast from the graveyard again makes it worth running.

This was the comfort food set of 2025, and Commander players were happy to have it.

2. Edge of Eternities

Edge of Eternities pushed Magic into full space opera territory, and it worked.

The set expanded the idea of Planeswalking beyond familiar worlds and introduced designs that felt fresh without being alienating, like the new Station mechanic. From legends to role-players, Commander decks picked up a surprising number of staples here.

EOE Standout Cards

• Icetill Explorer - A value engine that is a definite include in all graveyard and landfall decks.
• Terrasymbiosis - A powerful +1/+1 counters engine.
• Umbral Collar Zealot - A sacrifice outlet that will be in every Aristocrats-style deck.

Edge of Eternities was a success despite not being a strictly fantasy-themed set.

1. Magic: The Gathering - Final Fantasy

Final Fantasy was Magic's crown jewel of 2025.

It became one of the best-selling sets in the game's history, and more importantly, the success felt earned. The execution of the entire franchise was respectful, and mechanically excellent. Nearly every color and archetype picked up something that was exciting to put into any player's 99.

FF Standout Cards

• Vivi Ornitier - One of the most exciting (a.k.a broken) spellslinger commanders printed in years.
• Genji Glove - Enabling extra combat steps for non-Red decks.
• Sphere Grid - A low-cost enchantment that boosts +1/+1 decks even further.

The Final Fantasy set delivered commanders, staples, and identity all at once. For 2025, it's an easy number one.

Setting the Tone for 2026

If last year's bar was high, 2026's first month is already clearing it.

Lorwyn Eclipsed kicked the year off strong, and with upcoming Magic: The Gathering releases like Secrets of Strixhaven and Reality Fracture on the horizon, Commander players have a lot to look forward to.

If you want to dive deeper into how 2026's first set fit in decks, check out some of my recent EDH breakdowns for Lorwyn Eclipsed:

• The Best Cards for the 99 from Lorwyn Eclipsed for Commander
• The Best Legends from Lorwyn Eclipsed for Commander

If this is the direction Magic keeps heading, 2026 might be even harder to rank.