Dauntless ScrapbotDauntless Scrapbot | Art by Alix Branwyn

Hello, fellow jank bin divers! I'm Brian, your usual host of Brew For Your Buck (BFYB), and I've got a good one for you today. As we approach the end of the year, it's often time for reflection on your goals and accomplishments of the previous 12 months. Magic is no exception, and with the help of EDHREC's seemingly endless data about Commander, we're going to take a look at the top underplayed cards for the year.

What makes a card underplayed? For the purposes of this article it's a card that:

• Was released in 2025 (minus anything from Avatar: the Last Airbender since it just released)
• Shows up in a very small percentage of decks according to our data
• Should see more play because of its potential to be great

For the data savvy people out there, that makes this a pretty subjective list, so I expect a lot of engagement in the comment section to tell me what I missed or why I'm wrong! Underplayed cards also tend to be suited for budget lists, a topic near and dear to my heart, so check these out for budget lists as well.

For the sake of organization, we're going to go set-by-set, so let's get started!

Top Underplayed Cards from Aetherdrift

Pactdoll TerrorPactdoll Terror, 0.4% included

I wrote about Pactdoll Terror all the way back in my Aetherdrift set review. Everything I wrote still remains true. This is the first time a Reckless FireweaverReckless Fireweaver effect has been printed in another color, opening up a bunch of new combos. The most popular one according to Commander Spellbook is this one:

...but I also pointed out that this can be used as a stand-in for Aetherflux ReservoirAetherflux Reservoir in the famous combo with Bolas's CitadelBolas's Citadel and Sensei's Divining TopSensei's Divining Top.

The fact that it can be used in two different infinite combos in mono-black in addition to its normal drain-and-gain applications makes Pactdoll TerrorPactdoll Terror the epitome of an underplayed card. I'm tempted to say it's the top one for the year, but that's probably my own playstyle bias coming through.

Dredger's InsightDredger's Insight, 0.5% included

I'm sure self-mill players rejoiced when this card was released. It might not seem like much, so let's break down why this card is so useful.

1. "Leave your graveyard" effects have been getting more popular. This counts both creatures and artifacts in order for it to trigger, so it has a wider range than many similar cards.
2. It self-fuels when it enters, and can also get a land which helps in the early game.
3. Incidental life gain is useful, especially since most decks that are interested in this card are probably planning to play a long game.
4. Many of these effects are on instants and sorceries. This being a permanent makes it more easily recurrable, especially in green.

It's especially good in Teval, Arbiter of VirtueTeval, Arbiter of Virtue, or decks with a lot of delve cards since each card exiled with delve is one instance of a card leaving your graveyard. Otherwise I'd consider Dredger's Insight in decks like Muldrotha, the GravetideMuldrotha, the Gravetide or Anikthea, Hand of ErebosAnikthea, Hand of Erebos.

SkycrashSkycrash, 0.2% included

Skycrash isn't flashy, but it needs to be included in more decks. Sure, it's fine in discard decks, cycling decks, or decks that want instants and sorceries in the graveyard, but it's actually much simpler than that. ShatterShatter is still being played in a nonzero number of decks, and at this point it should be zero.

The problem with Shatter is that it's not very flexible. It's a bad draw later in the game when there isn't an artifact worth spending mana and a card on. Skycrash solves the problem, since it can be cycled away for only .

I'd even play Skycrash over SmeltSmelt, which is another reason why Shatter should be at zero inclusions. The only reason to play Shatter is for the sweet piratey art by Jonas De Ro.

Top Underplayed Cards from Tarkir: Dragonstorm

The Sibsig CeremonyThe Sibsig Ceremony, 0.3% included

Heartless SummoningHeartless Summoning is one of my favorite cards. I'll admit that in general, this is worse. Higher mana value, harder to cast, and you aren't getting to keep the creature you cast on the cheap. However, in Aristocrats decks this reads pretty close to a sacrifice outlet that makes a 2/2 and also ramps you. Creatures that get cast go straight to the bin, but you still get their enters and dies triggers, plus the token.

This is a ridiculous amount of extra sacrifice fodder, and if you're playing a bunch of reanimation spells, the creatures dying aren't that big of a deal.

The best home for The Sibsig Ceremony is Orzhov () Aristocrats decks that can use it to spew out a bunch of creatures, make a bunch of Zombie Druid tokens, and then mass reanimate the cheap creatures with cards like Raise the PastRaise the Past and Return to the RanksReturn to the Ranks.

Or you can go really deep and couple this with Gilt-Leaf ArchdruidGilt-Leaf Archdruid. Did I just find my next deck to build?

Unending WhisperUnending Whisper, 0.4% included, Roamer's RoutineRoamer's Routine, 0.6% included

I'm lumping both of these together to stress my feelings about harmonize as a mechanic. There have been variations on flashback before, and I like this one with a sprinkling of convoke. Reducing the mana cost for cards is always powerful, and since you always have access to your commander to help pay for the harmonize cost, these spells will always be worth it.

They're obviously good in decks that want to cast a lot of spells, but any deck that's playing high-powered creatures will like having access to these. Self-mill decks want as many cards that they can cast from the graveyard, and adding a whole new mechanic opens up a lot more options for cards to consider.

These two are the best since they provide card velocity and mana acceleration, but check out all the other harmonize cards to see if they fit into your lists. I'd expect to see this mechanic again, so that list will only get bigger.

Top Underplayed Cards from Final Fantasy

G'raha TiaG'raha Tia, 0.3% included

Uhh, did they print a mono-white Morbid OpportunistMorbid Opportunist? They did indeed. It definitely is white, in that its card draw ability is worse in basically every way, except that it counts artifacts too. I really like this in mono-white (ex: Oswald FiddlebenderOswald Fiddlebender) or Boros () decks (Osgir, the ReconstructorOsgir, the Reconstructor) that that are sacrificing their trinkety artifacts turn after turn.

This will trigger on opponents' turns so long as an artifact or creature of yours dies, so there's a lot of card draw potential here, which is great on a mono-white card and in color combinations that are always looking for sources of card advantage.

Rejoin the FightRejoin the Fight, 0.5% included

Cards like this are what makes Commander so fun. Six mana to reanimate any three creatures is an insane rate, but your opponents get agency over which creatures are returned from the grave. There is so much politicking that can be done with this, from getting back a Ravenous ChupacabraRavenous Chupacabra to kill a mutual threat, or convincing your opponents that you need your best stuff if you want any hope of fighting an archenemy at the table.

Of course, you can also try to manipulate your graveyard a bit so there isn't any choice, which can be easily done with cards like Ghost VacuumGhost Vacuum. Sorry Ever AfterEver After, you are not exactly named properly.

Top Underplayed Cards from Edge of Eternities

Faller's FaithfulFaller's Faithful, 0.2% included

Faller's Faithful is such a weird card. I like the modularity; it's either card advantage or removal depending on what you need at the moment. It also gets bonus points for being political. "Look buddy, your creature is a problem but I'll give you two cards back."

When you throw in a PanharmoniconPanharmonicon effect, then you're really cooking. Three mana to kill two things or draw four cards is an incredible rate. I see you InallaInalla players.

Biotech SpecialistBiotech Specialist, 1.1% included

This is the most played card, by percentage, on today's list, but I have to bring it up because I don't expect it to be underplayed for long. It's only $0.49 but that's because evidently no combos exist with it. Krark-Clan IronworksKrark-Clan Ironworks? Pitiless PlundererPitiless Plunderer? Something must exist now, and I don't have any faith that Wizards won't print something eventually that will break this.

Even without the combos, this should be in any deck that's making artifact tokens. With all the Treasures running around, especially in these colors, I'm shocked this doesn't see more play.

Scrounge for EternityScrounge for Eternity, 0.2% included

Typical ZombifyZombify effects are four mana, so I'm intrigued by this card simply for the mana discount. Yes, it's capped, so you're not reanimating ValgavothValgavoth with it, but there are a lot of impactful creatures at five mana or less that this works with. GaryGary or SheoldredSheoldred are the first two that come to mind, but there are many more. Young NecromancerYoung Necromancer or Phyrexian DelverPhyrexian Delver will get you around the mana value restriction.

On top of that, you get the Lander token, which is a nice bonus in nongreen decks that want any ramp they can get. A turn one or two self-mill creature like Stitcher's SupplierStitcher's Supplier into this on turn three seems pretty strong to me. Heck, I might go find a copy of this for my personal reanimator deck.

Dauntless ScrapbotDauntless Scrapbot, 0.5% included

Like we did with Dredger's InsightDredger's Insight, let's break down everything this card does.

1. Is graveyard hate for all of your opponents (but leaves yours alone)
2. Makes a Lander token to ramp
3. Can be put in any deck, since it's colorless
4. Puts two artifacts on the battlefield for artifact decks
5. Has two types for Delirium decks
6. Continuous ramping in Blink decks

That's a lot for a three mana card, and I wouldn't be surprised if this starts creeping up in popularity as well. Lander tokens are such a big asset for nongreen decks to get access to some mana acceleration, and paying in installments is something I'm willing to do if I get all of these other features as well.

Dauntless Scrapbot is my pick for the most underplayed card from 2025.

UnravelUnravel, 0.2% included, Seedship ImpactSeedship Impact, 0.6% included

These two are on the list for the same reason as SkycrashSkycrash. CancelCancel (1.67%) and NaturalizeNaturalize (1.68%) are still being included in decks when strictly better options like these exist. Unravel works great in any of the aforementioned archtypes that Skycrash does, and Seedship ImpactSeedship Impact can be spent to kill someone else's early ramp (like a Sol RingSol Ring) and ramp you instead.

Top Underplayed Cards from Spider-Man

Unstable ExperimentUnstable Experiment, 0.5% included

If you follow Magic news at all, you're probably aware that Spider-Man is considered lackluster at best. Looking through the cards on our site, I really have to agree. Unstable Experiment is the only underplayed card that jumped off the page at me, and only because it's a two mana CatalogCatalog if you squint hard enough.

To be clear, I would not play this over cards like PreordainPreordain or ConsiderConsider, but if you have a high enough creature density or care about the +1/+1 counter, I suppose you could do worse.

And that's the list! I appreciate everyone that made it down this far. What did you think of the list? I'd love to hear thoughts and suggestions from you about anything I might have missed. Let me know down in the comments! Here's a quick top 3 for the cards on the list:

1. Dauntless ScrapbotDauntless Scrapbot
2. Pactdoll TerrorPactdoll Terror
3. Biotech SpecialistBiotech Specialist

I hope 2025 was a great year for you. I know it was for me, both inside and outside of Magic. I'll be back with another article just before the holiday break, but just in case, have a lovely end to your year, and as always, happy brewing.