Hashaton, Scarab's FistHashaton, Scarab's Fist | Art by Wisnu Tan

Happy New Year, everyone! Last week I brought you the most played nonlegendary cards released in 2025. Today's article is for the true stars of the format: the legends!

Here are the sets that came out this year:

• Avatar: The Last Airbender + Eternal
• Marvel's Spider-Man + Eternal
• Edge of Eternities and its Commander set
• Final Fantasy + Commander
• Tarkir: Dragonstorm + Commander
• Aetherdrift + Commander

Who will reign supreme in 2025? Let's find out!

10. Cloud, Midgar MercenaryCloud, Midgar Mercenary - 40,539 decks, 4,549 as commander

Cloud is similar to Tannuk in the sense that he isn't the most popular commander in his theme, but he still provides a lot of value and support to more colorful Equipment commanders like Cloud, Ex-SOLDIERCloud, Ex-SOLDIER, Lightning, Army of OneLightning, Army of One, and Captain America, First AvengerCaptain America, First Avenger.

He's incredibly valuable as a setup card and a redundancy piece to complement Stoneforge MysticStoneforge Mystic, Steelshaper's GiftSteelshaper's Gift, and Stonehewer GiantStonehewer Giant. He also carries Equipment well, helping you extract significant value out of weapons like Buster SwordBuster Sword, Sword of Feast and FamineSword of Feast and Famine and the rest of cycle, and Sword of the AnimistSword of the Animist.

Note that he even works with cards that grant Cloud abilities instead of triggering themselves, like The Reaver CleaverThe Reaver Cleaver. Two mana is a steal!

9. Ugin, Eye of the StormsUgin, Eye of the Storms - 46,426 decks

Expensive colorless mythics, especially planeswalkers, are always going to attract attention and scrutiny over playability, because you can run them in any deck. This iteration of Ugin even provides you with a signing bonus of sorts, exiling a permanent without you having to do any additional work beyond casting him. Once he's in play, his high loyalty and card advantage ability lets you protect him effectively.

And, in the decks where you'd want to play him anyway as a colorless card to, for example, trigger Zhulodok, Void GorgerZhulodok, Void Gorger, or to take advantage of Darksteel MonolithDarksteel Monolith's discount, he even turns into a game-winning threat that mows down problematic permanents.

Run Ugin in a deck that both powers him out early and triggers his removel effect easily and reap the benefits.

8. The Soul StoneThe Soul Stone - 47,847 decks

Mike Carrozza named this Marvel Universe plant (actually, it's a gem) in his honorable mentions for the best graveyard cards in 2025. An indestructible mana source that also turns into a Virtue of PersistenceVirtue of Persistence is a doozy of a card, because it's both really powerful and relevant in both the early and late phases of the game.

Sure, Nim DeathmantleNim Deathmantle gives you combo potential and Whip of ErebosWhip of Erebos gives you lifelink, but among Zombify artifacts, the Stone stands alone.

7. The AethersparkThe Aetherspark - 47,968 decks

Who'd have thought that the cross between Umezawa's JitteUmezawa's Jitte and a cheap planeswalker would make a splash in the format? The AethersparkThe Aetherspark is a weird but undoubtedly powerful card that has worked its way into many Equipment and Voltron decks since releasing in February.

One of the most important facets to it is how you can't remove it easily without using an actual removal spell on it, because it gets around being attacked by attaching to a creature. Even just one attack is going to be enough for it to threaten to draw two cards while remaining in play, and your opponents are going to have take action before you get a whopping ten-mana bump.

6. Tataru TaruTataru Taru - 49,226 decks, 687 as commander

Don't fall for her cute face and the free card draw she offers! Tataru TaruTataru Taru is a worthy member of the clan of group-hugging hate bears that only truly benefit the person who casts her. It doesn't really even cost them anything, because she replaces herself for free!

Of course, opponents will know she's in play and thus adjust the timing of their spells, but that belies two facts. First, even triggering her once or twice already repays the investment handsomely, and the deck she's in probably has ways to help her trigger more often.

There's really no way to go wrong for just two mana, making Tataru Taru one of the best competitive cards from this year.

5. Tezzeret, Cruel CaptainTezzeret, Cruel Captain - 50,245 decks

Another top cEDH card and most played card from Edge of Eternities, Tezzeret pretty easily gives you back the mana you spent to cast him, either by untapping the rock you used to put him into play or by searching up a Sol RingSol Ring or Mana VaultMana Vault. That's already powerful.

And, even though you can't give him more loyalty counters the traditional way, you're probably playing him in a deck that will allow him to activate his -3 ability more than once, giving you card advantage on top of the mana rebate.

Finally, in classic Tezzeret fashion, he turns whatever you have lying around into threats in combat. The whole package synergizes well with a bunch of commanders, including 2025 debutantes Kilo, Apogee MindKilo, Apogee Mind and Ragost, Deft GastronautRagost, Deft Gastronaut.

I just want to use him to untap The One RingThe One Ring.

4. Sephiroth, Fabled SOLDIERSephiroth, Fabled SOLDIER - 40,349 decks, 17,082 as commander

Sacrifice is one of my favorite themes to build around across various formats, so Sephiroth, Fabled SOLDIERSephiroth, Fabled SOLDIER is probably my favorite card to come out this year, and that's in spite of the fact that I've never played a Final Fantasy game!

Crucially, he is both an enabler and a payoff — Blood ArtistBlood Artist and Viscera SeerViscera Seer stapled together!

To be fair, though, he isn't a free sacrifice outlet. But jump through a small hoop and he transforms into a monstrous and evasive threat that not only makes it easier to churn through all the fodder on your board, but also makes the drainage permanent. This is especially relevant in decks with a lot of recursion, which is many if not most black decks, because you can stack emblems and turn any sacrifice into a ShockShock or better.

Sephiroth is incredible and will only see more and more play as time goes by.

3. Vivi OrnitierVivi Ornitier - 38,392 decks, 22,770 as commander

The Wizard banned in Standard is also pulling up trees in Commander, currently sitting pretty as the 20th most popular headliner in the format. Vivi is one of those cards that rewards you just for playing Magic normally. Just cast a bunch of spells and he grows and becomes a potent mana engine.

It's incredible to me that you can use this mana on anything rather than just instants or sorceries, for example. Vivi just makes it so easy to turn a board of some combination of GuttersnipeGuttersnipe, Harmonic ProdigyHarmonic Prodigy, Storm-Kiln ArtistStorm-Kiln Artist, and/or similar cards, plus a deck full of cheap spells, into an easy victory.

You could also just go infinite with Quicksilver ElementalQuicksilver Elemental:

2. Elspeth, Storm SlayerElspeth, Storm Slayer - 91,787 decks

This combo doesn't appear in too many decks, but I love it when planeswalkers can go infinite. Plus, any time I can spell out the name The Jolly Balloon ManThe Jolly Balloon Man is a bonus. Just remember that you need something that produces mana:

Elspeth is a serious threat that doesn't need much to go off. Like Sephiroth, she's both an enabler, putting tokens into play, and a payoff, doubling them. She's even a win condition on her own with a big enough board, buffing your team and sending them to the sky.

All these things would make her a powerhouse, and she even offers value when you're behind by destroying a big creature. If she stays in play for more than a turn cycle, it's difficult for you to fumble winning that game.

Pair her with other doublers like Doubling SeasonDoubling Season and Mondrak, Glory DominusMondrak, Glory Dominus, and present another angle of attack like Impact TremorsImpact Tremors? It's got to be over.

1. The Crystals from Final Fantasy

They're not mana rocks, but they do generate virtual mana through discounting spells. They're not Stones, but they do have pretty powerful late-game abilities. And they're not enchantments, but they also feature static abilities that offer certain archetypes valuable redundancy and consistency.

While not equally powerful, these Crystals are all excellent, with the only conceivable downside being that they cost four mana.

Each legendary artifact has at least one potential home, from The Earth CrystalThe Earth Crystal being the most ubiquitous in counters decks to The Fire CrystalThe Fire Crystal powering up a whole host of red aggressive lists.

You're going to be seeing these at many tables in the years to come and I think they thoroughly deserve their place as (collectively) the most played legendary cards printed this year.

Racers! Start! Your! Engiiiiiines!Racers! Start! Your! Engiiiiiines!

That's a wrap for 2025! There sure were a lot of cards printed this year, which isn't necessarily the best thing, but we've gotten bangers aplenty and a slew of solid role players, 10 of which I featured in last week's list. I'm excited to see what 2026 has in store!