Y'shtola, Night's BlessedY'shtola, Night's Blessed | Art by Magali Villeneuve

Magic sets have been introducing new legendary creatures since Legends was released in 1994, and the volume of new legends has only accelerated as Wizards of the Coast (WotC) recognized EDH/Commander as an official format and began designing cards and products supporting what has become the most popular way to play Magic.

So it takes something special for a new card to break into the EDHREC Top 100 Commanders - some rare combination of power, flavor, and fresh new design space that get players excited to brew new decks around it.

Today, we're looking at the new faces from 2025 that made the jump, why they captured our imagination, and why I think they will or won't continue in popularity in the near future.

Editor's note: Between the time of writing and publishing, Ureni of the UnwrittenUreni of the Unwritten has also entered the top 100.

Kotis, the FangkeeperKotis, the Fangkeeper

Decks: 13,196 | Rank: 98

It's easy to see the appeal of Kotis; Villainous WealthVillainous Wealth is a genuine hoot of a card to play in Commander, so having that effect tied to your commander seems incredibly fun to build around. Since Kotis is indestructible, it makes a very durable candidate to load up on Equipment and Auras that will increase its power and make its triggered ability all the more powerful.

Does this have longevity? Probably not. Kotis's indestructible ability makes it incredibly annoying to play against, especially when backed with blue countermagic and green protection spells. The play patterns this encourages - a deck full of power-pumping effects and protection, and just play the win conditions from your opponents' decks for free - get old with playgroups real fast.

Zurgo StormrenderZurgo Stormrender

Decks: 13,636 | Rank: 95

One of the latest iterations of Zurgo has "draw a card" in its text box, and the condition around that card draw is both fairly easy to build around and not limited to triggering once a turn like many such effects, so you can see how it's become popular with the Commander crowd.

The design is so open-ended you can take your deckbuilding choices in any sort direction you want, so long as you're making token creatures that will die during your attack step.

Does this have longevity? Yes. The three top archetypes for a Zurgo deck are Tokens, Aristocrats, and Aggro, and when looking at the other Mardu options for these you don't see many that have "draw a card" in the text box and are also relatively cheap to cast.

Zurgo StormrenderZurgo Stormrender isn't flashy, but it's a work horse of a card-draw engine, and that's enough for a lot of players.

Toph, the First MetalbenderToph, the First Metalbender

Decks: 15,325 | Rank: 80

It's easy to see how this broke into the Top 100 list, even with so little time passed since the release of Avatar: The Last Airbender. Toph is a beloved character from the animated series, and this version of her has a static ability that is unique and cool: nontoken artifacts you control are lands in addition to their other types. The reminder text points out that just being lands doesn't grant the artifacts the ability to tap for mana, but that's just another interesting twist to a fun deckbuilding puzzle that takes you down card database rabbit-holes.

Does this have longevity? Maybe. While the odds of more earthbend cards being made in future Magic sets are slim, Avatar: The Last Airbender has enough quality earthbend cards that that shouldn't really matter. Toph's ability is so novel and unique that I expect players to experiment with various artifacts and synergies for some time to come, especially when a new one pops up in a future set that sacrifices or exiles for a powerful effect.

Hearthhull, the WorldseedHearthhull, the Worldseed

Decks: 15,816 | Rank: 77

The release of Edge of Eternities brought the change to legal commanders to include legendary Vehicles and Spacecraft, which opened the door for Hearthhull to make a run at the Top 100.

This is another commander that draws cards, but at the cost of a very precious resource: lands. Thankfully in this color combination, particularly green, there are countless ways to bring lands back from the graveyard, and drawing extra cards helps you dig that much faster to finding them.

Does this have longevity? Yes. There are other commander options if you want to build a Jund Lands Matters deck; Lord WindgraceLord Windgrace remains a very popular choice, as does Korvold, Fae-Cursed KingKorvold, Fae-Cursed King. Both of them also draw cards. But what gives Hearthhull long-lasting potential is that it can also be part of a game-winning combo, and it can dodge creature removal until you're ready to fully station it and go for victory.

Fire Lord AzulaFire Lord Azula

Decks: 17,329 | Rank: 63

Similar to Toph, the First MetalbenderToph, the First Metalbender, this card takes a popular character from the animated series and attaches powerful abilities you want to build around. Copying spells for no extra mana cost is very powerful, and the design limits it somewhat by requiring that Azula must be attacking, which means you can only copy instant spells and spells with flash.

As someone who loves creature combat in Commander, I appreciate this being a powerful option for Spellslinger-style decks outside of just trying to storm off.

Does this have longevity? Maybe. There are a ton of commander options for players who want to build a Spellslinger deck, and even a fair number in Grixis specifically. But there is no doubt that Fire Lord AzulaFire Lord Azula is very cool and fun to build around, whether you want a cut-throat, high-powered deck or something more fun and laid back.

A lot will depend on future designs that support spell-heavy attacking strategies over combo/storm strategies.

Cloud, Ex-SOLDIERCloud, Ex-SOLDIER

Decks: 17,380 | Rank: 61

Here we see another commander with "draw a card" in the text box, and the condition is easy to meet in an Equipment-heavy deck. Cloud gets to attach an Equipment upon entering, which circumvents high equip costs, and since Cloud also has haste you can potentially get that card draw trigger right away.

If Cloud also has power seven or greater when attacking, you also create two Treasure tokens, which can help cast Cloud again when your opponents justifiably take him down. And let's not forget that Cloud is one of the most beloved characters from the very popular Final Fantasy video game series.

Does this have longevity? Yes. While there are lots of commander options for Equipment decks, there aren't that many in Naya specifically. Dogmeat, Ever LoyalDogmeat, Ever Loyal remains #1 there, but I imagine Cloud will surpass in time due to the raw power of this card.

Sephiroth, Fabled SOLDIERSephiroth, Fabled SOLDIER

Decks: 17,806 | Rank: 55

Sephiroth is a seriously pushed Magic card! Obviously designed to make an impact in Standard, that power translates quite easily into Commander, where Aristocrats-style decks are incredibly popular. Sephiroth has the "draw a card" phrase that immediately jumps a commander into the top tiers, and it's also a sacrifice engine too.

Does this have longevity? Definitely. While there are lots of color combinations for Aristocrats decks, if you want to go mono-black Sephiroth will end up being the most popular choice. Not only does it draw cards, but it also has a potent mini-quest built in that's going to be pretty easy to satisfy in this type of deck.

When Sephiroth transforms you get a powerful emblem, which is wild to see outside of planeswalkers.

Kefka, Court MageKefka, Court Mage

Decks: 18,031| Rank: 52

This is one of those disappointing designs that gives you powerful rewards for just playing Magic. Are you casting your commander? Profit! Are you attacking with your commander? Profit! Black and red give you big mana options that make its activated ability relatively easy to pull off, and the transformed side is even more bluntly rewarding you for playing Magic.

Does this have longevity? No. Even players addicted to raw power in Commander will either grow bored with how easy this card generates overwhelming advantage, or they'll find a dwindling number of opponents willing to play against it. Forcing all your opponents to discard while you draw more cards is just not the game experience most pods are looking for.

Hashaton, Scarab's FistHashaton, Scarab's Fist

Decks: 19,683 | Rank: 42

Commander players love creatures with value attached to them, and Hashaton has a cool ability that's fun to build around that leverages those type of creatures quite well. Pepper in discarding for profit and reanimation for huge monsters, and you've got a recipe for a fun Commander deck.

Does this have longevity? Maybe. Costing just two mana makes this very attractive, but maximizing the commander's ability requires a lot of fiddly game actions while having available to profit. The fact that Hashaton is so open-ended, allowing each player to build in their own favorite cards and synergies, gives this a shot for staying popular.

Teval, the Balanced ScaleTeval, the Balanced Scale

Decks: 23,111 | Rank: 21

Color me a little surprised at the popularity of Teval. "Draw a card" isn't printed on it. You have to wait until you can attack to get that first trigger, and the second trigger is solid but not backbreaking. But players do love using their graveyard as a resource, and once Teval gets going, graveyard synergies get popping.

Does this have longevity? Yes. What really stands out when looking at the deck archetypes that Teval helms is the sheer volume of different approaches: there are Reanimator, Lands Matter, Mill, Tokens, Self-Mill, Graveyard, Ramp, Dredge, Combo, Landfall, and Zombie decks, among others.

A deck that is immensely customizable and the coolness factor of being a Dragon means that Teval will be flying high for a long time.

Vivi OrnitierVivi Ornitier

Decks: 23,680 | Rank: 20

Vivi OrnitierVivi Ornitier was so pushed for Standard it warped the format and needed to be banned, and its raw power translates quite well for multiplayer Commander. Players are drawn to Vivi's ability to generate a bunch of mana during your turn, and the Izzet color combination has plenty of ways to turn raw mana into extra cards.

Vivi's triggered ability can even become a win condition if you can get your opponents low enough in life, or have ways to increase damage from pings.

Does this have longevity? Probably. There's enough hangover from Vivi's terrifying time in Standard that people still have a visceral negative reaction to the card and feel like it's better to destroy it than be sorry about it later. It's also still quite expensive to buy, but some people are going to keep running it thanks to that huge mana boost potential. Plus, the character art is super-cute.

Y'shtola, Night's BlessedY'shtola, Night's Blessed

Decks: 28,906 | Rank: 10

It's wild to think about the fact that Final Fantasy just released six months ago, and Y'shtola has already cracked the Top 10 commanders list on EDHREC  with well over 28,000 decks made with her at the helm. She holds a commanding numbers lead over any other Esper commanders.

Not only is she a popular character from the Final Fantasy video game series, but the card is inherently powerful, with "draw a card" in the text box. Black in the color identity gives you plenty of ways to lose life for profit to get that trigger, and note that it can even trigger on opponents' turns if they deal damage or cause life loss to a player. The Esper color combination is a popular one for players who like a more controlling build, so it's easy to see how this is so popular.

Does this have longevity? Yes. So long as WotC doesn't make a more efficient card-drawing commander in Esper, I expect Y'shtola to remain very popular. In addition to Control decks, people are building outside of that; it looks like people are building Spellslinger, Lifegain, Burn, Combo, Lifedrain, even Pillow Fort and Group Slug decks with Y'shtola leading the way.

Conclusion

Twelve new commanders from 2025 broken into the Top 100 list, which feels like a really good showing. Some of these designs are really unique and fun to build around. Of the twelve I think six very clearly will stick around in popularity, with four as maybe/probably and two a clear no or probably not.

Which of these are your favorite commanders from 2025, or has your favorite not cracked the Top 100?

Read More:

More Excellent Cards for Commander You May Have Missed in 2025

10 Overlooked Commanders from 2025