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<p style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><em><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="The Endstone" href="#" target="_blank">The Endstone</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://scryfall.com/search?q=a%3A%E2%80%9CRyan+Pancoast%E2%80%9D&amp;unique=art" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ryan Pancoast</a> | <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Herd Heirloom" href="#" target="_blank">Herd Heirloom</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://www.allenmorrisart.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Allen Morris</a></em></span></p>
<p>As 2025 comes to a close, let's go over the facts. The artifacts. Many cards of many different types have been printed this year, and it's hard to pick out "the best."</p>
<p>From card advantage to cheating of mana costs, to strong enough that they needed to get banned, artifacts have taken all different shapes and sizes this year. I dug through the files and scoured the player base to find the standouts brought to the game straight from WOTC. Join me as we take a look at what might be the "Best" new artifacts of 2025.</p>
<h2>Honorable Mentions</h2>
<p>First up is one honorable mention. I have no doubt that had this card come out at any other time before the final set of the year, it would be on the list and not waiting outside for someone to let it in.</p>
<h3><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Planetarium of Wan Shi Tong" href="#" target="_blank">Planetarium of Wan Shi Tong</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Planetarium of Wan Shi Tong"></div></div>
<p>Coming from the very last set of the year, <em>Avatar: The Last Airbender,</em> the Planetarium allows the cheating of mana costs by casting spells for free. Any time a card allows an effect like this to transpire, it's worth taking a look at.</p>
<p>I imagine this card will see decent play; the only thing holding it back is the <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-6" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> mv of the spell. Any deck that can find a way to mitigate the high mana cost of this card will love to add it to their 99.</p>
<h2>Best Artifacts of 2025</h2>
<h3><a href="https://scryfall.com/search?q=crystal+set%3Afin+t%3Aartifact+t%3Alegendary+-t%3Acreature&amp;unique=cards&amp;as=grid&amp;order=name" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Crystal Cycle</a></h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="The Water Crystal"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="The Fire Crystal"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="The Wind Crystal"></div></div>
<p>The entire cycle of Crystals from <em>Final Fantasy</em> is worth discussion, but I've decided to focus on Water, Fire, and Wind as the standouts.</p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="The Water Crystal" href="#" target="_blank">The Water Crystal</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> was the most hyped of the cycle during spoiler season and is a win condition in Mill decks. Powering up mill effects so that the minor instances turn into bigger payoffs is what makes this card shine. Taking a card such as <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Glimpse the Unthinkable" href="#" target="_blank">Glimpse the Unthinkable</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> from 10 cards to 14 cards milled is all well and good. But having your <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Persistent Petitioners" href="#" target="_blank">Persistent Petitioners</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> mill five cards per tap instead of a single card is massive.</p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="The Fire Crystal" href="#" target="_blank">The Fire Crystal</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is my favorite because it gives your creatures haste and has a way to make token copies for significant attack steps. Haste and token making are two things that red decks often look for, and having it all on one card that costs reduces red spells is icing on the cake. Doubling up on ETB effects or good attack triggers makes the options for The Fire Crystal greater than the other, more straightforward options.</p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="The Wind Crystal" href="#" target="_blank">The Wind Crystal</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> might not be flashy, but life gain decks occasionally want a boost in the amount of life gained with each effect. Similar to how the Water Crystal increased each occurrence of mill, increasing every <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Soul Warden" href="#" target="_blank">Soul Warden</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> effect can have a real impact. Pairing up this Crystal's ability to give the team flying to close out the game with a card often found in decks focused on lifegain, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Archangel of Thune" href="#" target="_blank">Archangel of Thune</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and now you have a game-ending threat.</p>
<h3><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cryogen Relic" href="#" target="_blank">Cryogen Relic</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Cryogen Relic"></div></div>
<p>What does it take for a common to make a best of the year list? Everything printed on Cryogen Relic. A cheap card that replaces itself on ETB in one of the best colors for artifact decks would be list-worthy if it ended there. Tack on the fact that it can be used to lock down an opponent's creature for a turn, and you have an above-average rate for a common card. If you can blink or recur it, the value never stops.</p>
<p>The Relic is an all-star in the the Pauper format, and it deserves to see even<a href="https://edhrec.com/cards/cryogen-relic" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> more play</a> than it already does in Commander.</p>
<h3><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Insight Engine" href="#" target="_blank">Insight Engine</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Insight Engine"></div></div>
<p><span style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">One of the more archetype-specific cards on the list, but a powerful one, is Insight Engine from the standout set <em>Edge of Eternities.</em> If you're playing a deck built around charge counters, this might be the best card made for the deck ever. If you're playing a more put-together strategy and care about proliferation, then Insight Engine is also a great card. </span></p>
<p><span style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Untapping this artifact is what makes it go from a five to about an eight on the power level scale, and combining it with something like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Clock of Omens" href="#" target="_blank">Clock of Omens</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> means it never stop. </span></p>
<p><span style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Certain commanders like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tekuthal, Inquiry Dominus" href="#" target="_blank">Tekuthal, Inquiry Dominus</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can increase the card draw even more. This card isn't close to the power of, say <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="The One Ring" href="#" target="_blank">The One Ring</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, but being mentioned in the same breath should count for something in its favor.</span></p>
<h3><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Repurposing Bay" href="#" target="_blank">Repurposing Bay</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Repurposing Bay"></div></div>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Birthing Pod" href="#" target="_blank">Birthing Pod</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, but for artifacts, is a strong way to start when designing a card. <span style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Another fun card from <em>Aetherdrift,</em> Repurposing Bay doesn't see a ton of play currently, but it's too strong not to be included.</span></p>
<p>Getting cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Corridor Monitor" href="#" target="_blank">Corridor Monitor</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to go up the chain of mana costs means this is ripe for combo potential. Though even using it for value while not building the entire artifact list around climbing the ladder can lead to some fun deck inclusions. I always love a card like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Su-Chi" href="#" target="_blank">Su-Chi</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> for moments such as this.</p>
<h3><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cori-Steel Cutter" href="#" target="_blank">Cori-Steel Cutter</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Cori-Steel Cutter"></div></div>
<p>The return to a fan favorite plane with <em>Tarkir: Dragonstorm</em> brings with it the only card on the list that has received a ban this year. One of the strongest cards in a variety of 60-card formats, Cori-Steel Cutter is also one of the most fun. If you love casting spells and making tokens, then this card is built for you and pushed to the max by giving trample and haste.</p>
<p><em>Flurry</em> allows it not only to make a token but also to auto-equip to that token. The power level of Cutter is a bit tamped down in Commander due to more opponents and usually gummed-up boards. However, that doesn't diminish its raw power or its impact in 2025.</p>
<h3><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Monument to Endurance" href="#" target="_blank">Monument to Endurance</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Monument to Endurance"></div></div>
<p>When there's cross synergy between sets in <em>Magic,</em> good cards can become great cards. Not that Monument to Endurance is a great card yet, but when a card from the first set of the year gets better with the release of cards months later, you start to see the good-to-great line. One of the most interesting cards with the word monument in its name, giving the owner a bonus for discarding cards.</p>
<p>That makes playing this card feel much better than punishing the opponents for discarding their cards. Plenty of good things can happen when you put your own cards in the yard. Adding on card draw, Treasures, or life loss to something like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Faithless Looting" href="#" target="_blank">Faithless Looting</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> lets you turbo through a deck with ease.</p>
<h3><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="The Aetherspark" href="#" target="_blank">The Aetherspark</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="The Aetherspark"></div></div>
<p>I was incredibly wrong about this card, and I would guess some of you out there were wrong, too. To me, this card was just ok until I was beaten down by it from a <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-u" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-w" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> blink deck. The Aetherspark is just a ridiculous card. Removing it from the battlefield is so much more complicated than you would think, and using single-target artifact removal on it feels so bad.</p>
<p>Adding ten mana off this card is honestly trivial to accomplish, and it offers nothing but value at every stage of the game.</p>
<p>If the Aetherspark is your only Equipment in a deck or one of the very few, it might be all you need. If you can pair it with a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Stoneforge Mystic" href="#" target="_blank">Stoneforge Mystic</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or put it inside a deck with a powerful commander like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Gilgamesh, Master-at-Arms" href="#" target="_blank">Gilgamesh, Master-at-Arms</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, then you're going to fall in love with this spark.</p>
<h3><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="The Endstone" href="#" target="_blank">The Endstone</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="The Endstone"></div></div>
<p>The last card on this list is also my favorite. Coming once again from <em>Edge of Eternities</em>, a set filled with artifacts, The Endstone allows you to do one of the best things in the game: draw cards. Yes, you'll lose half your life because of it. What you get for giving up half of your life is card draw with every spell you play and every land you drop.</p>
<p>The more powerful the format you play in, the better this card gets. Now, <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-7" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> mana is expensive, but if it were any cheaper, it might be truly broken. Combine all of this with some <a href="https://scryfall.com/search?as=grid&amp;order=released&amp;q=%21%22The+Endstone%22+oracleid%3A57ee0730-3ac5-4f17-ac82-bd4a6673c2bb+include%3Aextras&amp;unique=prints" target="_blank" rel="noopener">fantastic art</a>, no matter the version, and you have the best card to round out this list.</p>
<h2>Wrap Up</h2>
<p>Two sets dominated the 2025 artifacts list: <em>Aetherdrift </em>and <em>Edge of Eternities. </em>The first was one of the worst-received sets, not only of the year, but in <em>Magic</em> in quite a while. The second was many players' favorite set in years. This list didn't have any <span style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">anti-<em>Universes</em></span><em> Beyond</em> set bias, but the facts of the artifacts are that most of the good ones came from in-universe sets in 2025.</p>
<p>UB vs. in-universe conversation aside, what's your favorite artifact release in 2025? Why is it the same choice as mine with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="The Endstone" href="#" target="_blank">The Endstone</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>? Is there a card or cards that you think I missed on the list? Let me know.</p>
<p>Either way, have a great end of 2025, and I hope to sling some spells with you in 2026.</p>
<p>See you next year.</p>
<h3>More 2025:</h3>
<p>https://edhrec.com/articles/the-best-new-commanders-of-2025</p>
<p>https://edhrec.com/articles/the-best-enchantments-of-2025-for-commander</p>
<p>https://edhrec.com/articles/the-best-nonlegendary-creatures-of-2025-for-commander</p>
<p>https://edhrec.com/articles/the-best-mtg-sorceries-of-2025-for-commander</p>


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