<p style="text-align: right;"><em><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> | Art by <a href="https://xabigaztelua.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Xabi Gaztelua</a></em></p>
<p>2025 was an eventful time for Standard. The year started off with aggressive decks based around Mouse synergies from <em>Bloomburrow</em>, alongside explosive midrange decks like Domain Overlords. Unbeknownst to Standard players at the time, the first quarter of the year was merely a prelude to Izzet's reign of terror.</p>
<p>From the release of <em>Tarkir: Dragonstorm</em> all the way to the <em>Magic</em> World Championship 31 at the end of the year, various Izzet decks would rule the format.</p>
<p>In this article, we're looking back at that reign of terror and rolling it up into a single Commander deck. I wouldn't consider this an installment of <em>60 to 100</em> as much as I would the inaugural edition of <em>180 to 100</em>.</p>
<h2>The Standard Decks</h2>
<h3>Izzet Cutter</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Izzet Cutter by Darthkid" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Instants]
*1 Bounce Off
*4 Burst Lightning
*4 Monstrous Rage
*4 Opt
*2 Spell Pierce
[/Instants]
[Artifacts]
*4 Cori-Steel Cutter
[/Artifacts]
[Creatures]
*4 Monastery Swiftspear
*4 Slickshot Show-Off
[/Creatures]
[Sorceries]
*4 Sleight of Hand
*4 Stock Up
[/Sorceries]
[Enchantments]
*4 Stormchaser&#039;s Talent
[/Enchantments]
[Lands]
*5 Island
*4 Mountain
*4 Riverpyre Verge
*4 Shivan Reef
*4 Spirebluff Canal
[/Lands]"></span></div>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Cori-Steel Cutter"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Stock Up"></div></div>
<p>The first chapter in Izzet's reign of terror was Izzet Cutter, a prowess deck centered around <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>. The strength of this deck lied in its versatility. Izzet Cutter was able to play a traditional aggro game, while also being able to sit back, resolve a couple copies of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Stock Up" href="#" target="_blank">Stock Up</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and sculpt a hand that could pull off a one-turn kill against decks with a lot of interaction.</p>
<p>I played a heinous amount of this deck, and it was easily my favorite of 2025. Cori-Steel Cutter's stranglehold on the Standard format was put to an end when the card was banned on June 30th, 2025.</p>
<h3>Vivi Cauldron</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Vivi Cauldron by RezerDeDog" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Artifacts]
*3 Agatha&#039;s Soul Cauldron
[/Artifacts]
[Creatures]
*4 Duelist of the Mind
*4 Fear of Missing Out
*2 Quantum Riddler
*4 Vivi Ornitier
[/Creatures]
[Enchantments]
*2 Artist&#039;s Talent
*1 Frostcliff Siege
*4 Proft&#039;s Eidetic Memory
*4 Stormchaser&#039;s Talent
[/Enchantments]
[Instants]
*4 Into the Flood Maw
*3 Torch the Tower
[/Instants]
[Sorceries]
*4 Winternight Stories
[/Sorceries]
[Lands]
*7 Island
*5 Mountain
*4 Riverpyre Verge
*4 Spirebluff Canal
*1 Thundering Falls
[/Lands]"></span></div>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Vivi Ornitier"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Agatha&#039;s Soul Cauldron"></div></div>
<p>Vivi Cauldron was the most dominant deck of the year, and an appropriate amount of controversy surrounded it as a result. This was the year that Wizards of the Coast transitioned to a rigid ban announcement schedule with months long gaps between ban cycles. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Vivi Ornitier" href="#" target="_blank">Vivi Ornitier</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> showed up, as if on cue, to exploit this new system, taking over the Standard format and dodging a ban for 150 days!</p>
<p>The <em>Final Fantasy</em> Wizard finally recieved a ban in Standard on November 10th, 2025.</p>
<p>What made this deck so dominant? Vivi Ornitier has one of the most powerful activated abilities ever printed on a creature, and in this deck Vivi generously donates his ability to make mana to creatures with +1/+1 counters on them using <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Agatha&#039;s Soul Cauldron" href="#" target="_blank">Agatha&#039;s Soul Cauldron</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<p>Also, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fear of Missing Out" href="#" target="_blank">Fear of Missing Out</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Frostcliff Siege" href="#" target="_blank">Frostcliff Siege</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> provide the deck with an incredibly fast method of closing out a game in one or two combat steps.</p>
<p>This was the deck that had it all.</p>
<h3>Izzet Lessons</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Izzet Lessons by Reid Duke" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Creatures]
*4 Gran-Gran
[/Creatures]
[Enchantments]
*4 Artist&#039;s Talent
*4 Stormchaser&#039;s Talent
[/Enchantments]
[Sorceries]
*4 Boomerang Basics
*3 Iroh&#039;s Demonstration
[/Sorceries]
[Instants]
*3 Abandon Attachments
*4 Accumulate Wisdom
*4 Combustion Technique
*4 Firebending Lesson
[/Instants]
[Artifacts]
*4 Monument to Endurance
[/Artifacts]
[Lands]
*1 Agna Qel&#039;a
*6 Island
*3 Mountain
*4 Multiversal Passage
*4 Riverpyre Verge
*4 Spirebluff Canal
[/Lands]"></span></div>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Gran-Gran"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Artist&#039;s Talent"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Monument to Endurance"></div></div>
<p>The final Izzet deck of 2025 is a fascinating one. Izzet Lessons is built almost entirely out of cards from <em>Avatar: The Last Airbender</em>. Utilizing Lesson synergies from <em>Avatar</em> in combination with <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> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Artist&#039;s Talent" href="#" target="_blank">Artist&#039;s Talent</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, this deck is capable of pulling off insane turns. It isn't uncommon to see the Lessons deck nearly run out of cards while stringing together a win.</p>
<p>Izzet Lessons won the 2025 World Championships and is continuing to see play online and at RCQs. Also, Izzet Lessons is the only deck of the three I've looked at today that can still legally be played in Standard. Time will tell if the ban hammer will eventually hit a piece from this deck.</p>
<h2>Choosing a Commander to Represent 2025</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Vivi Ornitier"></div></div>
<p>This was the easiest choice I've ever made. Vivi's 150 day long reign over Standard makes it the clear choice to lead my 2025 Standard Commander deck. The hidden perk of using Vivi is that he guarantees the deck will be playable no matter the contents of the 99. The only downside is that it becomes much harder to effectively use Agatha's Soul Cauldron with Vivi in the command zone, as exiling it with Soul Cauldron will lock the deck's only copy of Vivi away in exile for the rest of the game.</p>
<p>This hangup certainly won't stop me from going ahead with it, but it is a potential drawback.</p>
<p>Finally, I'm adding a stipulation to mix things up a little: I'm only allowing myself to use cards that are in Standard-legal sets. The introduction of the three-year Standard rotation cycle will certainly simplify this job, but I'm still cutting myself off from Commander staples like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Command Tower" href="#" target="_blank">Command Tower</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sol Ring" href="#" target="_blank">Sol Ring</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Arcane Signet" href="#" target="_blank">Arcane Signet</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<p>This choice also cuts Vivi off from <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Curiosity" href="#" target="_blank">Curiosity</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ophidian Eye" href="#" target="_blank">Ophidian Eye</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, which is a little sad. I'm trusting Vivi to be so powerful that he'll be able to get by without those critical pieces.</p>
<h2>The Packages that Make Up 2025 Standard</h2>
<h3>Prowess</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Cori-Steel Cutter"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Monstrous Rage"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Astrologian&#039;s Planisphere"></div></div>
<p>The prowess package fits very well with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Vivi Ornitier" href="#" target="_blank">Vivi Ornitier</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Vivi himself basically has "super prowess" as he gets a +1/+1 counter each time his controller casts a noncreature spell. Where the Standard prowess deck was looking to end games with a large <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> token or a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Monastery Swiftspear" href="#" target="_blank">Monastery Swiftspear</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, this deck can actually get the job done by attacking just with Vivi Ornitier.</p>
<p>Pump spells like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Bulk Up" href="#" target="_blank">Bulk Up</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Monstrous Rage" href="#" target="_blank">Monstrous Rage</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, alongside incremental pump effects like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Astrologian&#039;s Planisphere" href="#" target="_blank">Astrologian&#039;s Planisphere</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can turn Vivi into a game ending commander damage threat.</p>
<h3>Cauldron</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Agatha&#039;s Soul Cauldron"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Proft&#039;s Eidetic Memory"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Fear of Missing Out"></div></div>
<p>The Cauldron package enables this deck to create a whole board of creatures with Vivi's activated ability after Vivi dies. The drawback of course is permanently losing access to Vivi, but what fun is Commander without a little risk?</p>
<p>I'm not sure how often this scenario will come up, but all of the cards that go with this package synergize with the rest of the deck very well. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Proft&#039;s Eidetic Memory" href="#" target="_blank">Proft&#039;s Eidetic Memory</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> distributes counters for <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Agatha&#039;s Soul Cauldron" href="#" target="_blank">Agatha&#039;s Soul Cauldron</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, but it can also be used to grow Vivi and get in the red zone.</p>
<h3>Lessons</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Gran-Gran"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Monument to Endurance"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Accumulate Wisdom"></div></div>
<p>The Lessons package provides a lot of card draw and selection and several excellent removal spells. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Artist&#039;s Talent" href="#" target="_blank">Artist&#039;s Talent</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> provides an additional win condition with its third level turning every noncreature spell into a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Boltwave" href="#" target="_blank">Boltwave</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<p>My favorite part about the Lessons package is that there are a lot of "functional" cards that happen to be Lessons that can be slotted into the deck. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Redirect Lightning" href="#" target="_blank">Redirect Lightning</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Iroh&#039;s Demonstration" href="#" target="_blank">Iroh&#039;s Demonstration</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Octopus Form" href="#" target="_blank">Octopus Form</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Boomerang Basics" href="#" target="_blank">Boomerang Basics</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are all perfectly reasonable pieces of interaction for any deck, and it just so happens that this deck can take advantage of the fact that the cards are Lessons.</p>
<h2>Honorable Mentions</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Stock Up"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ojer Axonil, Deepest Might"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Abhorrent Oculus"></div></div>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Stock Up" href="#" target="_blank">Stock Up</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is my nominee for the best card printed in 2025. This sorcery has seen play in every format from Vintage to Standard, and deservedly so. In essence, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Stock Up" href="#" target="_blank">Stock Up</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a three-mana <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dig Through Time" href="#" target="_blank">Dig Through Time</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, a card that is banned in Modern and Legacy and restricted in Vintage. This card should be a consideration in every blue deck in Commander, and it's going to be fantastic in this deck.</p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ojer Axonil, Deepest Might" href="#" target="_blank">Ojer Axonil, Deepest Might</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a fantastic damage amplifier in a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Vivi Ornitier" href="#" target="_blank">Vivi Ornitier</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> deck, giving Vivi the ability to shoot the opponents for four damage with each noncreature spell cast. As an added bonus, this God is unlikely to be permanently removed because of his flip ability.</p>
<p>Lastly, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Abhorrent Oculus" href="#" target="_blank">Abhorrent Oculus</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a creature that's seen play across multiple formats this year. In Standard, it saw play in an Azorius (<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>) tempo deck and most notably in Jeskai (<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 class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-r" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span>) Oculous. Abhorrent Oculus provides even more value in Commander than it does in 1v1 formats, as it gets three upkeep triggers each turn cycle rather than one.</p>
<h2>Standard 2025 Commander Deck List</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="2025 Standard Wrapped" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Vivi Ornitier
[/Commander]
[Artifacts]
*1 Agatha&#039;s Soul Cauldron
*1 Astrologian&#039;s Planisphere
*1 Basilisk Collar
*1 Cori-Steel Cutter
*1 Monument to Endurance
*1 Swiftfoot Boots
[/Artifacts]
[Creatures]
*1 Abhorrent Oculus
*1 Archmage of Runes
*1 Captain Howler, Sea Scourge
*1 Dragonfly Swarm
*1 Drake Hatcher
*1 Fear of Missing Out
*1 Gran-Gran
*1 Kiora, the Rising Tide
*1 Marauding Mako
*1 Ojer Axonil, Deepest Might // Temple of Power
*1 Professor Zei, Anthropologist
*1 Quantum Riddler
*1 Slickshot Show-Off
*1 Tersa Lightshatter
*1 Tishana&#039;s Tidebinder
*1 Wan Shi Tong, Librarian
[/Creatures]
[Sorceries]
*1 Boomerang Basics
*1 Chart a Course
*1 Crash Through
*1 Glacial Dragonhunt
*1 Heroes&#039; Hangout
*1 Ill-Timed Explosion
*1 Iroh&#039;s Demonstration
*1 Sleight of Hand
*1 Stock Up
*1 Wild Ride
*1 Winternight Stories
[/Sorceries]
[Instants]
*1 Abandon Attachments
*1 Abrade
*1 Accumulate Wisdom
*1 Bolt Bend
*1 Bulk Up
*1 Combustion Technique
*1 Consult the Star Charts
*1 Fire Magic
*1 Firebending Lesson
*1 Focus the Mind
*1 Into the Flood Maw
*1 It&#039;ll Quench Ya!
*1 Monstrous Rage
*1 Octopus Form
*1 Opera Love Song
*1 Opt
*1 Redirect Lightning
*1 Scour for Scrap
*1 Slick Sequence
*1 Spider-Sense
*1 This Town Ain&#039;t Big Enough
*1 Three Steps Ahead
*1 Thrill of Possibility
*1 Turn Inside Out
[/Instants]
[Enchantments]
*1 Artist&#039;s Talent
*1 Frostcliff Siege
*1 Proft&#039;s Eidetic Memory
*1 Stormchaser&#039;s Talent
*1 Unable to Scream
*1 Witness Protection
[/Enchantments]
[Planeswalkers]
*1 Ral, Crackling Wit
[/Planeswalkers]
[Lands]
*1 Agna Qel&#039;a
*1 Cavern of Souls
*1 Cori Mountain Monastery
*1 Fabled Passage
*1 Fire Nation Palace
*1 Fountainport
*12 Island
*1 Lindblum, Industrial Regency // Mage Siege
*1 Mistrise Village
*8 Mountain
*1 Multiversal Passage
*1 Riverpyre Verge
*1 Spirebluff Canal
*1 Starting Town
*1 Sunken Citadel
*1 Temple of Epiphany
*1 Thundering Falls
[/Lands]"></span></div>
<h2>Conclusion</h2>
<p>This project is more of a thought experiment than a deck I'd advise anyone to go build. However, I'm in love with this concept as a way to memorialize a year of Constructed <em>Magic</em>. Even though I wouldn't recommend it to anyone, I have found this deck to be surprisingly functional.</p>
<p>The astute readers in the audience may have noticed there isn't a dedicated win conditions section in this write up, and it's very intentional. Piloting this deck involves a lot of fiddling around and stumbling upon ways to win the game. Thankfully, it isn't very difficult to find ways to win when there's a Vivi in play generating a billion mana per turn.</p>


mtg standard

Wrapping 2025 Standard Into One Commander Deck