Greetings and salutations fellow brewers, number crunchers, and otherwise cardboard lovers. I'm Arnaud, and I'm here for something quite different from the usual.

When not writing for EDHREC, I'm spending my time as a media reputation consultant. This means a lot of scrounging massive figures in Excel spreadsheets and translating those into (hopefully) useful and/or interesting insights.

This is exactly what I'd like to do in the short amount of space I have here: explore which decks were the most popular in 2025, which cards saw a significant influx in play and where they were mostly played, and how quickly some of these decks rose in popularity. All assorted with colorful graphics to support it all.

Before going any further though, I need to bow down and express my utmost gratitude to Julia Maddalena, our Duchess of Data here at EDHREC. Without her invaluable support and her magic in getting whatever data I requested, I could never have worked any of this out. So thank you Julia, you're one in a million.

Let's see what lessons we can derive from all of this intel.

2025, A True Commandersplosion

Let's begin with a couple points regarding methodology. EDHREC keeps track of data going back two years. This means that, sadly, some figures don't reflect what popularity one commander could have gotten back when it was first revealed.

To somewhat stifle this bias, I focused on each and every commander which was brewed in 2025, no matter when it was initially revealed. While the most recent legendary creatures will logically have the upper hand due to the novelty effect, this will nonetheless allow us to see which of the celebrities of the past managed to stay on board.

Ideally, I would love to make one such analysis each year, so that we can eventually compare data. Let me know in the comments if this would be of interest to you.

I may also evoke a "Popularity Score" here and there. I tried to find a way to mitigate the difference in availability some commanders have had since they were revealed. In other words, if a commander has been out for six months, and the other one for a week, but both boast a similar number of decks, one could assume that the latter will be more popular eventually.

In a nutshell, the "Popularity Score" is basically the number of decks divided by how many days elapsed since the commander was made public.

With all this cleared out, let's have a look.

The Most Popular Commanders Built in 2025

First and foremost, let's take a look at the top 10 most popular commanders for 2025 alone.

There are already a couple interesting insights that can be devised from these figures.

First, the number of Universes Beyond commanders. Wizards of the Coast's new policy in this matter has certainly helped boost the numbers, especially since several of them seem rather pushed, in terms of power level. However, I'm rather surprised that this trend seems to dwindle as you go deeper in the rabbit hole.

Among the top 50 most brewed commanders, only 14 are actually Universes Beyond, and 39 among the top 150. This shows an interesting trend, with a few top-notch commanders gathering most of the spotlight while the rest sink to the bottom of the pile.

Second, the precon effect. Of the 100 most built commanders this year, 47 are from a precon. and in the top 10, half of them are. Sure, It's rather unlikely players of The Ur-DragonThe Ur-Dragon and Edgar MarkovEdgar Markov pulled them back in 2018 only to build them this year (at least not the majority), but still, there's solid trend.

One could also note that, despite having been out for close to 200 days, Vivi OrnitierVivi Ornitier's Popularity score reached second place, with 104.6.

Third, the numbers for what are still – but for how long? – the top commanders on the website. Edgar MarkovEdgar Markov remains in line with 2024, with roughly 20,000 decks built in 2025 insofar vs a total of 39,581 in the past two years.

The same cannot be said for other commanders. The Ur-DragonThe Ur-Dragon for instance sees roughly 17,300 decks to date in 2025, vs 40,771 total in the past two years. This means that 57% of the Ur-Dragon decks were built in 2024. The same trend can be observed for Krenko, Mob BossKrenko, Mob Boss (14,682 in 2025 vs 33,368 total, 44%) and even more so for Atraxa, Praetors' VoiceAtraxa, Praetors' Voice (14,463 vs 38,049, 38%).

Of course, these pillars of the format have been here forever. But, the presence of several Final Fantasy all-stars in the top 10 could imply a potential shift on the throne in the months to come. I wouldn't be surprised if Y'shtola, Night's BlessedY'shtola, Night's Blessed and Vivi OrnitierVivi Ornitier made their way in the top 10 by the end of the year. The current tenth rank is held by Kenrith, the Returned KingKenrith, the Returned King, with 27,072 decks. That's not too high of a gap to fill, especially for Y'shtola.

The Universes Beyond presence can also be highlighted through another metric.

This graph tallies the total number of decks built in 2025 for the top 20 sets.

First, let's acknowledge the total and utter domination of the Final Fantasy avalanche. With more than 200k decks for the regular set and more than 103K for the ones out of the commander precons, these two alone account for more than 9% of the total decks brewed in 2025. Even more impressive, Final Fantasy boasts eight legendary creatures close to or above the 10,000 decks mark, and three for the commander precons.

Second, I'm actually surprised at seeing that Universes Within sets largely outweigh Universes Beyond. I'm also rather impressed that Commander Legends holds the third spot, despite not sporting any commander above the 7,500 mark. The same could be said also for Baldur's Gate: Miirym, Sentinel WyrmMiirym, Sentinel Wyrm accounts for almost 9,700 decks, while the first follower, Jon Irenicus, Shattered OneJon Irenicus, Shattered One, lags far behind, slightly above 4,000.

On a more general note, this can be analyzed in two ways: a strong resilience from already popular commanders, and a will to continue to explore uncanny brews. Take Bloomburrow for example. The top seven commanders make for about half of the decks brewed in the set this year, with Ms. BumbleflowerMs. Bumbleflower and Baylen, the HaymakerBaylen, the Haymaker accounting for over 22,000 decks alone. Yet the other 50,000 decks or so come from commanders that tally generally less than 4,000 decks, and eight of these are below the 2,000 mark.

This trend is not isolated. While strong commanders will always attract more brewers, 2025 proves once more that there is a broad creative space even for the most incongruous strategies and puny abilities. And that fills me with hope for the format.

I'm also rather surprised at the figures achieved by the Spiderman set. Despite hearing a general dislike vibe felt here and there on the Internet, it still managed to achieve a most respectable sixth place, with almost 76,000 decks built. This is all the more remarkable if you take into account its Popularity Score, at 810.4.

Also note that the recent Avatar: The Last Airbender set is not lagging far behind, with already close to 30,000 decks brewed around the various legends, and a Popularity Score of 890.4, which is much higher than what Spiderman earned since its release. Not bad for a set which started getting spoilers back in August.

Since it's still very young, it might be a bit early to draw conclusions. Nevertheless, this highlights a major hype for a beloved animated series.

A Closer Look

Now that we've got the big picture, let's see which cards fared best in 2025. I've selected the ones that seemed to carry the most meaning. Please be indulgent if your favorite card is not here, and don't hesitate to share your top picks in the comments!

In order to avoid the precon-effect bias, we decided not to include any deck lists that had at least 50% cards in common with the original preconstructed deck. Again, my utmost thanks to Julia for her work here. I'll leave it to her to explain the method used to determine how the cards were evaluated.

"I identified cards that received a significant bump in usage due to 2025 commanders by calculating their average global usage (as a percent of all decks that could contain that card, based on color) in the six months before the commander was spoiled and the six months after. I take the difference between the average global usage after and before and refer to this as the “bump” metric." [...] The following graphs show the weekly deck breakdown of commanders for each card, only showing commanders that have >3% average presence for that card. The black line shows the time series of overall global usage for that card (so is unrelated to the percentages shown by the bar chart), but it helps to see when the global usage spikes relative to each commander’s contribution to the card’s usage."

I then took it upon myself to determine which to include in this paper, based on a "it-feels-right" bias and arbitrary selection.

So, let's begin with...

Korvold, Fae-Cursed KingKorvold, Fae-Cursed King

Commander breakdown as weekly percentage of all decks containing Korvold, Fae-Cursed King

Let's get Hearthhull, the WorldseedHearthhull, the Worldseed and Szarel, Genesis ShepherdSzarel, Genesis Shepherd immediately out of the way. Korvold was part of their Edge of Eternities precon, and it's such a good card that it's normal to see it included in such decks even when strongly modified.

Eddie BrockEddie Brock is an interesting one. Korvold is included in 28% of these decks, which makes sense, since the transformed version cares about sacrificing stuff during combat. Korvold therefore acts both as a value engine and a valid plan B should the commander be removed one time too many.

Ellie, Brick Master and Joel, Resolute Survivor are another interesting addition. Ellie will provide up to three 1/1 tokens per attack, which makes for excellent sacrifice fodder, provided you have an outlet to get rid of them. Korvold then does its Korvold thing, gobbling up tokens and creating massive value from there. And that's just considering the commander's ability, as the deck leans strongly towards a token-heavy and Aristocrats strategy.

Aside from these two though, Korvold remains mostly tied to established commanders from the past, from 2023 and before.

Annie Joins UpAnnie Joins Up

Commander breakdown as weekly percentage of all decks containing Annie Joins Up

I'm pleasantly surprised to see this neat outlet's usage grow over time. I'm also a bit puzzled as to why it isn't more broadly played in Ramos, Dragon EngineRamos, Dragon Engine – only 15% of decks play it, and it feels... underwhelming? With Annie out, each spell that's three colors or more basically allows you to activate Ramos on the spot.

At any rate, there has been a plethora of new commanders this year that extensively benefit from this doubling ability (yes, it's also a removal spell, but let's be real, no one plays it for that reason).

Tifa, Martial ArtistTifa, Martial Artist gains two extra combat steps instead of one, though non-vigilant creatures will be tapped on the second occurrence. Don't underestimate melee either. That small keyword is easily overlooked, but it is also affected by the enchantment. This means – assuming you're attacking three players – she gets +6/+6 on the first attack, then again on the second and on the third (provided she's not tapped by then). This is lethal commander damage territory.

The card has also been widely adopted in Toph, the First MetalbenderToph, the First Metalbender brews. Getting to earthbend twice looks like a fun way of turning your trinkets into either an army or recursive blockers.

I'm not surprised either to see it in conjunction with Miles MoralesMiles Morales. I happened to play against such a deck a few weeks ago, and despite being piloted by a new player, it mopped the floor with us. Doubling counters twice on each Spider you have is no joke, even if the only one you have is your commander.

Finally, it does indeed look like an auto-include for the Infinite Guideline StationInfinite Guideline Station. Some may argue that it's already powerful as is. It's true, but with Annie in play it also means you only need another multicolored permanent to have enough bodies to Station your commander on the next turn. And don't tell me you wouldn't draw double the number of cards if offered the chance.

I'll not comment on Jodah, the UnifierJodah, the Unifier or on Voja, Jaws of the ConclaveVoja, Jaws of the Conclave. Suffice it to say they're even more disgusting than the aforementioned Spacecraft.

It's also a bit early to comment on Hei Bai, Forest GuardianHei Bai, Forest Guardian, but I'm foreseeing a great adoption rate eventually. Getting two Shrines for free is no joke, not to mention the effect is an ETB, so potentially repeatable with a few well-placed Blink effects.

Speaking of which...

Go-Shintai of Life's OriginGo-Shintai of Life's Origin

Commander breakdown as weekly percentage of all decks containing Go-Shintai of Life's Origin

This one is going to be rather straightforward. Shrines have a sort of history. First came Sisay, Weatherlight CaptainSisay, Weatherlight Captain. But with only the five original enchantments, the deck felt more like a meme.

Then came (and went) Golos, Tireless PilgrimGolos, Tireless Pilgrim. He dabbled in basically everything, and Shrines were no stranger.

And then Go-Shintai of Life's OriginGo-Shintai of Life's Origin and its clique of new toys were bestowed upon the community. Suddenly the deck was viable. And just as suddenly, there was an obvious go-to when you wanted to build such a deck. Until Hei Bai, Forest GuardianHei Bai, Forest Guardian, and yet another round of fun outlets.

I'm not saying the newcomer is going to unseat Go-Shintai - not quite yet. But it's going to be popular, if only for the fact that Wizards finally gave us an alternative to play with these nifty enchantments. Therefore it's no surprise to see an absolutely massive adoption rate since he was revealed. If Hei Bai is as powerful as it looks, I'm ready to bet that, in a year's time, both commanders will show close results.

Aside from a Shrines-focused strategy, Tom BombadilTom Bombadil, Marina VendrellMarina Vendrell, and Terra, Magical AdeptTerra, Magical Adept all take advantage from Go-Shintai's innate recursion engine. It's funny in a way; while most Shrines players will focus mostly on the additional Shrines generation, the other commanders will focus on the recursion side, providing a costly yet effective way to make sure your most relevant enchantments constantly return to the battlefield. Just like how Ghen, Arcanum WeaverGhen, Arcanum Weaver constantly juggles between the board and the graveyard.

Saw in HalfSaw in Half

Commander breakdown as weekly percentage of all decks containing Saw in Half

This one's rather interesting.

The reprint in the Bloomburrow commander precons certainly helped democratize this fun outlet, which basically gives you two creatures for the price of one. Granted, it doesn't circumvent the "legend rule," but it's a neat way to renew enter-the-battlefield effects for a puny mana cost.

I rather like the idea of playing it in Hashaton, Scarab's FistHashaton, Scarab's Fist as well. There is great combo potential (93 registered on Commander's Spellbook), but it's also fun to just get repeated ETB effects for a fraction of the cost. Think Archon of CrueltyArchon of Cruelty, Gray Merchant of AsphodelGray Merchant of Asphodel, Hullbreaker HorrorHullbreaker Horror, or even the more modest Solemn SimulacrumSolemn Simulacrum.

Kefka, Court MageKefka, Court Mage also plays right up this alley. Getting all players to discard a card and for you to draw four is already annoying, but getting two triggers off this at once, netting you up to six cards for three little mana, is another story altogether.

Finally, let's address the elephant in the room. Deadpool, Trading CardDeadpool, Trading Card features the spell in 93% of the decks on EDHREC, and with good reason. Getting two other triggers to mess with the board is no joke. This is somehow quite similar to what Xantcha, Sleeper AgentXantcha, Sleeper Agent does, except Deadpool plays it "fair" by giving players a chance to get rid of the annoying life-loss outlet for a steep price. Incidentally, The Master, MultipliedThe Master, Multiplied follows a very similar trend:

Commander breakdown as weekly percentage of all decks containing The Master, Multiplied

The creature by itself is already a monster, but giving myriad to Deadpool and making more and more of it looks as fun as terrifying. Worse case scenario, voiding the "legend rule" paves the way to silly shenanigans. It's also a nightmare in terms of layers, but I'm not going to delve into that. Just note that the card's price skyrocketed when Deadpool was revealed, before settling back to a more reasonable $5 average. It's still the third most played card in Deadpool decks, with a 71% inclusion.

Psychic FrogPsychic Frog

Commander breakdown as weekly percentage of all decks containing Psychic Frog

Psychic Frog is an excellent Swiss-Army knife for any deck caring even a little about their graveyard. The card reminds me PsychatogPsychatog, which used to terrorize Standard back in the day in conjunction with UpheavalUpheaval (yes I'm probably older than most of you).

The Frog is an upgrade on basically every front. It gets +1/+1 counters, draw you cards, and can even hop high in the sky to make sure it connects. Oh, and it provides a free discard outlet.

Logically, this is widely loved by most Hashaton, Scarab's FistHashaton, Scarab's Fist players, with 69% of the decks currently include the Salientia in their ranks. Given that the commander cares about discarding stuff to reanimate them for cheap, it's no surprise.

I won't dwell too much on Glarb, Calamity's AugurGlarb, Calamity's Augur. Both are Frogs, and both want to do basically everything at once.

More interesting is the wide adoption in Norman OsbornNorman Osborn decks, by far the most popular commander in the Spiderman set. The Green Goblin likes nothing more than mayhem, and the Frog is all too happy to give it the fodder it needs. Seriously, if you see that deck in any command zone, be wary, it can hit hard. Real hard.

Ashling, Flame DancerAshling, Flame Dancer

Commander breakdown as weekly percentage of all decks containing Ashling, Flame Dancer

Let's end this review with a card that saw renewed interest with the new firebending ability from the Avatar set.

It's no real surprise that Iroh, Grand LotusIroh, Grand Lotus, Fire Lord AzulaFire Lord Azula, Ozai, the Phoenix KingOzai, the Phoenix King, and Fire Lord ZukoFire Lord Zuko all saw significant interest in this creature, alongside Leyline TyrantLeyline Tyrant. Despite not appearing on the graph, Avatar Roku, FirebenderAvatar Roku, Firebender is also a keen user of this effect. And for good reason.

While making a bunch of red mana during combat is often useful for sneaky tricks, it's even better when you can store it for the subsequent main phase. And while Fire Lord AzulaFire Lord Azula mostly cares about casting spells during combat – an all-star in terms of flavor given the princess' sheer insanity and her propension to set the world ablaze – making sure you can use the mana however you like is a massive advantage.

Ozai has somewhat the same ability, but getting multiple ways to keep the flame alive never hurts.

Let's also give a hand to this year's most infamous commander, Vivi OrnitierVivi Ornitier. This one is rather straightforward. Keeping the insane mana it provides from turn to turn is a one-way ticket to storm-town.

Conclusion

It's been a fun one. I hope these few insights have been of some help to you, or at least piqued your curiosity.

I'd like to hear from you now.

• Did you like this format, and should it become a yearly thing?
• Do you have any cards that you've seen unexpectedly spike in interest in the past year?
• Which commanders soared in popularity in your meta?

As always, thanks for your attention, be kind, don't stop brewing, and keep that mad spark alive!