<h6 style="text-align: right;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fire // Ice|CMD|198" href="#" target="_blank">Fire // Ice</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | art by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_L._Martin">David Martin</a> &amp; <a href="https://www.franz-vohwinkel.com/">Franz Vohwinkel</a></h6>
<p>Hello, and welcome back to <em><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fire // Ice" href="#" target="_blank">Fire // Ice</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></em>, a data-driven series where we'll go over some cards that are gaining and losing popularity in various Commander decks. I'm Julia, EDHREC's Duchess of Data.</p>
<p>Of course, EDHREC has a ton of data. Using this data, we'll draw some conclusions about how certain commander's decks are changing over time, give some insight into how players are thinking about new cards, and maybe even give you some cool tech for your favorite commander's list. Now, let's jump right into it!</p>
<p><a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/introducing-the-math-behind-edhrecs-fire-and-ice-series"><strong><em>For information on how we calculate the </em>Fire and Ice<em> Scores used in this article, check out this writeup.</em></strong></a></p>
<h1><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Breya, Etherium Shaper" href="#" target="_blank">Breya, Etherium Shaper</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h1>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Breya, Etherium Shaper"></div></div>
<p>Breya has long been one of the format's most popular commanders, and currently sits at the #46 spot on our top commander list.</p>
<p>This 4-color deck wants us to fill our deck with synergistic artifacts, and rewards us with a powerful sacrifice outlet in the command zone. This deck can get quite powerful, and <a href="https://commanderspellbook.com/search/?q=card%3A%22Breya%2C+Etherium+Shaper%22+ci%3Ayoretiller">Breya herself is part of over a dozen infinite combos</a>.</p>
<p>Breya decks have diverse game plans, but some popular cards include <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sai, Master Thopterist" href="#" target="_blank">Sai, Master Thopterist</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (in 60% of decks), <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Skullclamp" href="#" target="_blank">Skullclamp</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (in 54% of decks), and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Etherium Sculptor" href="#" target="_blank">Etherium Sculptor</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (in 56% of decks).</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sai, Master Thopterist"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Skullclamp"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Etherium Sculptor"></div></div>
<p>Now that we know what Breya does, let's see what cards are hot and cold for her deckbuilders!</p>
<h2>What's Fiery for Breya Decks?</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Stridehangar Automaton"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Daretti, Scrap Savant"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Voyage Home"></div></div>
<p>Artifact decks have gotten a lot of love recently, especially from <em>Aetherdrift</em>. First, and most popular, is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Stridehangar Automaton" href="#" target="_blank">Stridehangar Automaton</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> with a super high Fire Score of 6.73, the highest we've seen so far in this series.</p>
<p>Looking closely at the card, it's not hard to see why this card is being put in so many Breya lists. It's an anthem for the most common artifact creature token that these decks have access to, it's functionally a token-doubler in most scenarios, and <a href="https://commanderspellbook.com/search/?q=card%3A%22Stridehangar+Automaton%22+ci%3Ayoretiller">it's part of even more combos than Breya herself is</a>. This card is a slam dunk include here.</p>
<p>Next up is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Daretti, Scrap Savant" href="#" target="_blank">Daretti, Scrap Savant</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, who has a Fire Score of 2.81 despite being released over a decade ago. This card is a great include in Breya decks, providing valuable card selection and artifact recursion. I'm surprised that this card's inclusion rate has risen so much recently, given its age. But, it's a powerful card that works well in the deck.</p>
<p>Finally, there's <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Voyage Home" href="#" target="_blank">Voyage Home</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> with a Fire Score of 3.19. In decks that easily create huge boards full of artifacts, this card is essentially <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Healing Salve" href="#" target="_blank">Healing Salve</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ancestral Recall" href="#" target="_blank">Ancestral Recall</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> stapled together.</p>
<p>This is one such artifact-heavy deck, so it tracks that this card has been slotted into a ton of Breya decks since it was released earlier this year.</p>
<h2>What's Icy for Breya Decks?</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Counterspell"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Rhystic Study"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Crime Novelist"></div></div>
<p>There's a few cards that have been taken out of Breya decks recently, but none seem to have left as many decks as <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Counterspell" href="#" target="_blank">Counterspell</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. With an Ice Score of -3.98, deckbuilders are shying away from this OG piece of counteraction.</p>
<p>I'd hazard a guess that Breya's deckbuilders are more focused on mana-efficient or easier-to-cast interaction, and would rather run countermagic that is free or closer to it. <em>Magic</em>, in general, is printing more and more exciting cards that Breya pilots may want to try out in place of old staples.</p>
<p>We also see big drops in deck inclusion rate for noted <a href="https://edhrec.com/top/game-changers">Game Changer</a> <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rhystic Study" href="#" target="_blank">Rhystic Study</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Reshape" href="#" target="_blank">Reshape</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, two very powerful cards. Rhystic Study has an Ice Score of -2.93 and Reshape has an Ice Score of -2.82.</p>
<p>Given <a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/wotc-introduces-new-bracket-system-for-edh">the implementation of the bracket system</a>, and these cards' status as a Game Changer and a tutor respectively, players who'd rather play in Bracket 3 pods may be slotting these cards out so that they can comfortably sit at those tables.</p>
<p>These cards are about as good as it gets for card advantage and tutors in high-powered casual decks, so I'm guessing that these cards' changes in inclusion rate indicate that some players are moving their decks down the bracket system.</p>
<p>Notably, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Crime Novelist" href="#" target="_blank">Crime Novelist</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> has also fallen out of Breya lists, with an Ice Score of -2.11. This card is really cool, and I expected it to be quite popular following its release in <em>Murders at Karlov Manor</em>. But, it's included in just 2.33% of eligible decks, and appears to be leaving a significant number of Breya decks recently.</p>
<p>This card is powerful, but requires a specifically crafted board state to unlock its full potential. Breya players may be leaning towards easier-to-activate value engines, like some of the cards we talked about in the Fiery section for this commander.</p>
<div id="attachment_159477" style="width: 2570px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Screenshot-2025-07-17-at-12.36.33-PM-scaled.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-159477" class="wp-image-159477 size-full" src="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Screenshot-2025-07-17-at-12.36.33-PM-scaled.png" alt="" width="2560" height="851" srcset="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Screenshot-2025-07-17-at-12.36.33-PM-scaled.png 2560w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Screenshot-2025-07-17-at-12.36.33-PM-300x100.png 300w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Screenshot-2025-07-17-at-12.36.33-PM-1024x340.png 1024w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Screenshot-2025-07-17-at-12.36.33-PM-768x255.png 768w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Screenshot-2025-07-17-at-12.36.33-PM-1536x511.png 1536w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Screenshot-2025-07-17-at-12.36.33-PM-2048x681.png 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-159477" class="wp-caption-text">Recent trend data for Breya, Etherium Shaper</p></div>
<h1><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Marneus Calgar" href="#" target="_blank">Marneus Calgar</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h1>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Marneus Calgar"></div></div>
<p>Marneus looks to make a lot of tokens, a <em>lot</em> of the time. To be more specific, this deck wants to have a ton of tokens that enter the battlefield at different times so that our commander can provide huge amounts of card advantage.</p>
<p>This commander was also the leader of a preconstructed deck from the <em>Warhammer 40K</em> series, so a lot of its pilots have upgraded copies of that deck to make it their own.</p>
<p>All that said, some of the most popular cards in Marneus decks include <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Nadir Kraken" href="#" target="_blank">Nadir Kraken</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (in 57% of decks), <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ashnod&#039;s Altar" href="#" target="_blank">Ashnod&#039;s Altar</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (<a href="https://commanderspellbook.com/combo/245-1722-2034/">which combos with Nadir Kraken</a> and is in 45% of decks), and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kambal, Profiteering Mayor" href="#" target="_blank">Kambal, Profiteering Mayor</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (in 48% of decks).</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Nadir Kraken"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ashnod&#039;s Altar"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Kambal, Profiteering Mayor"></div></div>
<h2>What's Fiery for Marneus Decks?</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Voice of Victory"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Warren Soultrader"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Amphibian Downpour"></div></div>
<p>By far the highest rising card in Marneus Calgar decks is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Voice of Victory" href="#" target="_blank">Voice of Victory</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, with a Fire Score of 5.98. This <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Grand Abolisher" href="#" target="_blank">Grand Abolisher</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> variant works perfectly in this deck, as its Mobilize trigger makes some creature tokens that its commander turns into card advantage. And, it's got the most important parts of Grand Abolisher on an easier-to-cast body, making it invaluable for some higher power versions of this deck.</p>
<p>Now, let's talk about <a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/fire-and-ice-what-cards-are-hot-and-cold-for-july-2025">a card we also talked about last week</a>: <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Warren Soultrader" href="#" target="_blank">Warren Soultrader</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. This card has a Fire Score of 2.93 in Marneus decks, and its easy to see why. It's a (virtually) free sacrifice outlet that draws us a card every time we activate it with our commander on the battlefield.</p>
<p>It's pretty difficult to think of a sac outlet that's more efficient than this for token decks, so it makes a lot of sense that its growing in popularity for Marneus players.</p>
<p>Next up is a card that might seem somewhat strange at first glance, but actually works perfectly in the deck. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Amphibian Downpour" href="#" target="_blank">Amphibian Downpour</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> costs twice as much as a typical <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Frogify" href="#" target="_blank">Frogify</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> effect, <em>but...</em> it has Storm.</p>
<p>Because copies of this card on the stack will enter the battlefield at separate times as tokens, each copy of this card on the stack represents a piece of removal <strong>and</strong> a card drawn. That's extremely powerful, and Marenus pilots are taking notice.</p>
<h2>What's Icy for Marneus Decks?</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Space Marine Devastator"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ultramarines Honour Guard"></div></div>
<p>There's actually only two cards that are leaving a significant number of Marenus Calgar decks: <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Space Marine Devastator" href="#" target="_blank">Space Marine Devastator</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ultramarines Honour Guard" href="#" target="_blank">Ultramarines Honour Guard</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<p>Both of these cards are good, and both of them can make token copies of themselves, and both of them were included in the original precon from 2022. They've got Ice Scores of -2.04 and -2.09 respectively.</p>
<p>But, as more players upgrade their decks with new cards from <em>Tarkir: Dragonstorm</em> and <em>Final Fantasy</em>, these less powerful Squad cards are likely being taken out for the new hotness.</p>
<div class="mceTemp">
<p><a style="font-size: 16px;" href="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Screenshot-2025-07-17-at-12.36.17-PM-scaled.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-159478" src="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Screenshot-2025-07-17-at-12.36.17-PM-scaled.png" alt="" width="2560" height="871" srcset="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Screenshot-2025-07-17-at-12.36.17-PM-scaled.png 2560w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Screenshot-2025-07-17-at-12.36.17-PM-300x102.png 300w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Screenshot-2025-07-17-at-12.36.17-PM-1024x348.png 1024w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Screenshot-2025-07-17-at-12.36.17-PM-768x261.png 768w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Screenshot-2025-07-17-at-12.36.17-PM-1536x523.png 1536w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Screenshot-2025-07-17-at-12.36.17-PM-2048x697.png 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></a></p>
<h1>Conclusion</h1>
<p>So that's what's Hot, and what's not, for July 18th, 2025. Did any of the cards surprise you? Have you added any of the cards I've talked about to your decks? Let me know in the comments below. For now, I'll see you all soon for another edition of Fire and Ice!</p>
</div>


Fire and Ice: What Cards are Hot and Cold for July 18, 2025?

<h6 style="text-align: right;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sword of Fire and Ice" href="#" target="_blank">Sword of Fire and Ice</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | art by <a href="https://www.rahnart.com/">Chris Rahn</a></h6>
<p>Hello, data enthusiasts, and welcome to this overview of the math behind the new <em>Fire and Ice</em> data articles. In this series, we'll we dive into the recent card-playing trends within a given commander and identify the biggest movers as defined as:</p>
<p><strong><em>Cards that are either significantly increasing or decreasing in usage with a given commander relative to other cards played with that commander over the most recent six months.</em></strong></p>
<p>This article will provide an overview of the math behind identifying these "fiery" (trending up) and "icy" (trending down) cards.</p>
<p><strong><em>Why</em> </strong>a given card might be fiery or icy, however, is up to interpretation, and we look forward to speculating wildly in our <em>Fire and Ice</em> series!</p>
<h2>Overview of the Math</h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">We start by looking at all cards that are played with each commander aside from those that are very rare (&lt;2.5% of decks) or very ubiquitous (&gt; 97.5% of decks). </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">We calculate the weekly usage of these cards as a percentage of all decks for each given commander for the past six months. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Then, we determine the average change from week to week and summarize the data with a single "extremeness" score (also known as a z-score) as follows:</span></p>
<p><a href="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/latex_z_score-2.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-158164" src="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/latex_z_score-2-300x41.png" alt="" width="300" height="41" srcset="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/latex_z_score-2-300x41.png 300w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/latex_z_score-2-768x105.png 768w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/latex_z_score-2.png 990w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /></a></p>
<p><em>where x = average weekly change in card usage (% of decks for this commander)</em></p>
<p>We currently identify those cards with extremeness &gt; 2 as "fiery", or having a high Fire Score, and those with extremeness &lt; -2 as "icy", or having a low Ice Score.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="The Ur-Dragon"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Omnath, Locus of Rage"></div></div>
<p>Using these extremeness scores allows us to control for the unique deck-building behavior of each commander rather than using a fixed threshold of average change to identify big movers.</p>
<p>For example, a commander that has been around for a while that has fairly predictable deck-building (e.g. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="The Ur-Dragon" href="#" target="_blank">The Ur-Dragon</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>) will see very little movement in the usage of each card over time compared to a commander that has more flexibility in its play (e.g. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Omnath, Locus of Rage" href="#" target="_blank">Omnath, Locus of Rage</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>).</p>
<p>This might mean a relatively small uptick for a card played with The Ur-Dragon will have the same Fire score as a card with a large uptick with Omnath.</p>
<h2>An Example</h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Let's take a look at card usage in <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Urza, Lord High Artificer" href="#" target="_blank">Urza, Lord High Artificer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> decks over the six month period from December 24, 2024 to June 24, 2025.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"> This plot shows a time series of the weekly usage of all 378 qualifying cards across this commander's decks. </span></p>
<p><a href="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Screenshot-2025-07-07-at-12.41.24 PM.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone wp-image-158181" src="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Screenshot-2025-07-07-at-12.41.24 PM-1024x574.png" alt="" width="767" height="430" srcset="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Screenshot-2025-07-07-at-12.41.24 PM-1024x574.png 1024w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Screenshot-2025-07-07-at-12.41.24 PM-300x168.png 300w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Screenshot-2025-07-07-at-12.41.24 PM-768x430.png 768w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Screenshot-2025-07-07-at-12.41.24 PM-1536x861.png 1536w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Screenshot-2025-07-07-at-12.41.24 PM.png 2016w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 767px) 100vw, 767px" /></a></p>
<p>Another way we can look at the data is relative to the start of the time period.</p>
<p>Here, we see certain cards emerge more clearly as "big movers".</p>
<p><a href="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Screenshot-2025-07-07-at-12.41.12 PM.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone wp-image-158182" src="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Screenshot-2025-07-07-at-12.41.12 PM-1024x561.png" alt="" width="761" height="417" srcset="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Screenshot-2025-07-07-at-12.41.12 PM-1024x561.png 1024w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Screenshot-2025-07-07-at-12.41.12 PM-300x164.png 300w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Screenshot-2025-07-07-at-12.41.12 PM-768x421.png 768w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Screenshot-2025-07-07-at-12.41.12 PM-1536x842.png 1536w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Screenshot-2025-07-07-at-12.41.12 PM.png 2026w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 761px) 100vw, 761px" /></a></p>
<p>If we calculate the average weekly change for each card and look at the distribution across all qualifying Urza cards, we see roughly a bell curve with some extreme values that get flagged as being fiery or icy:</p>
<p><a href="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Screenshot-2025-07-10-at-12.54.42 PM.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone wp-image-158713" src="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Screenshot-2025-07-10-at-12.54.42 PM.png" alt="" width="729" height="381" srcset="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Screenshot-2025-07-10-at-12.54.42 PM.png 848w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Screenshot-2025-07-10-at-12.54.42 PM-300x157.png 300w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Screenshot-2025-07-10-at-12.54.42 PM-768x401.png 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 729px) 100vw, 729px" /></a></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Let's once again plot the relative time series graph, this time highlighting the identified fiery and icy cards. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">We can see that these cards clearly have exhibited more extreme changes over the time period than the cards identified as stable:</span></p>
<p><a href="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Screenshot-2025-07-07-at-1.02.44 PM.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone wp-image-158187" src="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Screenshot-2025-07-07-at-1.02.44 PM.png" alt="" width="891" height="411" srcset="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Screenshot-2025-07-07-at-1.02.44 PM.png 2284w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Screenshot-2025-07-07-at-1.02.44 PM-300x138.png 300w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Screenshot-2025-07-07-at-1.02.44 PM-1024x473.png 1024w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Screenshot-2025-07-07-at-1.02.44 PM-768x354.png 768w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Screenshot-2025-07-07-at-1.02.44 PM-1536x709.png 1536w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Screenshot-2025-07-07-at-1.02.44 PM-2048x945.png 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 891px) 100vw, 891px" /></a></p>
<p>The following table shows which cards were identified as fiery and icy, along with their average weekly changes, extremeness score, and the number of decks they were played in over the six month time period.</p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Repurposing Bay" href="#" target="_blank">Repurposing Bay</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> takes the cake for fieriest card, with a Fire score of 5.85, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Etherium Sculptor" href="#" target="_blank">Etherium Sculptor</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> as the iciest card, with an Ice score of -3.54.</p>
<p>The top four fieriest cards (<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Repurposing Bay" href="#" target="_blank">Repurposing Bay</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mistrise Village" href="#" target="_blank">Mistrise Village</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Unstoppable Plan" href="#" target="_blank">Unstoppable Plan</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ugin, Eye of the Storms" href="#" target="_blank">Ugin, Eye of the Storms</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>) were released in the examined six-month period and were able to achieve high Fire Scores largely due to starting at 0% usage.</p>
<p>Not all newly released cards will show up as fiery if they aren't an obviously good fit for the given commander, but it is a good thing to be aware of.</p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Icy cards are often less explicable as we often see Commander staples showing up icy; this may be due to potential replacements coming on the scene or any of a number of other reasons. </span></p>
<p><a href="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Screenshot-2025-07-10-at-1.45.05 PM.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone wp-image-158717" src="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Screenshot-2025-07-10-at-1.45.05 PM.png" alt="" width="1041" height="316" srcset="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Screenshot-2025-07-10-at-1.45.05 PM.png 1226w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Screenshot-2025-07-10-at-1.45.05 PM-300x91.png 300w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Screenshot-2025-07-10-at-1.45.05 PM-1024x311.png 1024w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Screenshot-2025-07-10-at-1.45.05 PM-768x233.png 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1041px) 100vw, 1041px" /></a></p>
<h2>What to Expect in the <em>Fire and Ice</em> Series</h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In <em>Fire and Ice</em>, we'll highlight commanders with intriguing fiery and icy cards </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">and comment on why we believe each card is trending up or down. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">We will also provide the Fire and Ice score of each card discussed along with graphs of the relative weekly usage of each card over the specified time period.</span></p>
<p><strong>Starting today, you'll find brand new <em>Fire and Ice</em> articles out every Friday on EDHREC!</strong></p>


Introducing the Math Behind EDHREC's Fire and Ice Series

<h6 style="text-align: right;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fire / / Ice|MH2|290" href="#" target="_blank">Fire / / Ice</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | art by Dan Scott</h6>
<p>Hello, and welcome to <em><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fire // Ice" href="#" target="_blank">Fire // Ice</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></em>, a brand new data-driven series where we'll go over some cards that are gaining and losing popularity in various Commander decks. I'm Julia, EDHREC's Duchess of Data.</p>
<p>Of course, EDHREC has a ton of data. Using that data, we'll draw some conclusions about how certain commander's decks are changing over time, give some insight into how the format's players are thinking about new cards, and maybe even give you some cool tech for your favorite commander's list.</p>
<p>With all that said, let's jump right into it.</p>
<p><a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/introducing-the-math-behind-edhrecs-fire-and-ice-series"><strong><em>For information on how we calculate the </em>Fire and Ice<em> Scores used in this article, check out this writeup.</em></strong></a></p>
<h1><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Nekusar, the Mindrazer" href="#" target="_blank">Nekusar, the Mindrazer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h1>
<p>Nekusar is an absolute menace for EDH players. This deck churns out damage using its commander's abilities and can make short work of any tables that don't have a way to deal with him quickly.</p>
<p>Nekusar is all in on punishing its opponents for playing the game and is feared for good reason. Looking quickly at its most popular cards, we see that 61% of Nekusar decks are running <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Razorkin Needlehead" href="#" target="_blank">Razorkin Needlehead</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, 61% have <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dark Deal" href="#" target="_blank">Dark Deal</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and 61% contain <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Psychosis Crawler" href="#" target="_blank">Psychosis Crawler</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Razorkin Needlehead"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Dark Deal"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Psychosis Crawler"></div></div>
<h2>What's Fiery for Nekusar Decks?</h2>
<p>Now that we've got a grasp on what Nekusar does, let's see what cards are trending up for these decks since January of this year.</p>
<p>Some new cards, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mistrise Village" href="#" target="_blank">Mistrise Village</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, slot really nicely into this deck. From <em>Tarkir: Dragonstorm</em>, it's actually the highest riser among all Nekusar decks, with a Fire Score of 5.77. After all, no one wants their spells countered when they're trying to group slug their way through a game.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Mistrise Village"></div></div>
<p>But, beyond the new cards, there's some really interesting rising stars:</p>
<ul>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Reforge the Soul" href="#" target="_blank">Reforge the Soul</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, 2.44 Fire Score</li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Wheel of Misfortune" href="#" target="_blank">Wheel of Misfortune</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, 2.25 Fire Score</li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Molten Psyche" href="#" target="_blank">Molten Psyche</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, 2.09 Fire Score</li>
</ul>
<p>These wheels all fit nicely into the deck's general group slug gameplan, so it's interesting to see that so many decks didn't have them included before.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Reforge the Soul"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Wheel of Misfortune"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Molten Psyche"></div></div>
<p>Now, onto some more niche inclusions. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Liliana&#039;s Caress" href="#" target="_blank">Liliana&#039;s Caress</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> has a high Fire Score of 2.54 This card pairs nicely with the wheels often included in Nekusar lists, and players have taken notice.</p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sigil of Sleep" href="#" target="_blank">Sigil of Sleep</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> has been a big riser too, seeing a Fire Score of 2.13. This card comes to us all the way from 1999's <em>Urza's Destiny</em>, and can turn our commander's already-bothersome pings into game-ending removal, too.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Liliana&#039;s Caress"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sigil of Sleep"></div></div>
<h2>What's Icy for Nekusar Decks?</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Seizan, Perverter of Truth"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Phyrexian Tyranny"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Fevered Visions"></div></div>
<p>And, if cards are finding their way into Nekusar lists, other cards have got to come out. While the cuts from these decks are varied, three cards lead the pack with big changes in deck inclusion rate.</p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Seizan, Perverter of Truth" href="#" target="_blank">Seizan, Perverter of Truth</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> has a Ice Score of -3.58, the lowest score we'll see for this deck. This may be because of its mana cost: this card sits at the same slot in the curve as our commander.</p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Phyrexian Tyranny" href="#" target="_blank">Phyrexian Tyranny</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> has seen a big drop, too, with a slightly more extreme Ice Score of -3.45.While this card is good, its restrictive mana cost may be too much for deckbuilders to justify.</p>
<p>And, lastly, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fevered Visions" href="#" target="_blank">Fevered Visions</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> has a -3.38 Ice Score.</p>
<p>Nekusar pilots may be looking for ways to deal more damage than just two-per-turn, possibly justifying this card's large percent change.</p>
<div class="mceTemp">
<p><a href="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Screenshot-2025-07-10-at-2.05.44 PM.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-158720 aligncenter" src="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Screenshot-2025-07-10-at-2.05.44 PM.png" alt="" width="1375" height="435" srcset="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Screenshot-2025-07-10-at-2.05.44 PM.png 1758w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Screenshot-2025-07-10-at-2.05.44 PM-300x95.png 300w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Screenshot-2025-07-10-at-2.05.44 PM-1024x324.png 1024w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Screenshot-2025-07-10-at-2.05.44 PM-768x243.png 768w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Screenshot-2025-07-10-at-2.05.44 PM-1536x486.png 1536w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1375px) 100vw, 1375px" /></a></p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Chatterfang, Squirrel General" href="#" target="_blank">Chatterfang, Squirrel General</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Chatterfang, Squirrel General"></div></div>
<p>Chatterfang is another super popular commander, leading nearly 20,000 decks and finding himself as the 23rd most popular commander as of the time of writing.</p>
<p>We'll see some notoriously powerful cards gaining popularity here, as some cute on-theme cards fall out of favor. That said, let's see what we can find <em>squirrelled</em> away in Chatterfang's data.</p>
<p>For those of you who haven't had the chance to play against Chatterfang, the deck generally aims to fill the board with tokens and drain out its opponents with Aristocrats-themed win conditions.</p>
<p>Some popular cards for the deck include <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Skullclamp" href="#" target="_blank">Skullclamp</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (73% of decks), <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Zulaport Cutthroat" href="#" target="_blank">Zulaport Cutthroat</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (68% of decks), and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tireless Provisioner" href="#" target="_blank">Tireless Provisioner</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (64% of decks).</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Skullclamp"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Zulaport Cutthroat"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Tireless Provisioner"></div></div>
<h2>What's Fiery for Chatterfang Decks?</h2>
<p>There's a few cards that have seen big rises in popularity, including eight cards that have seen big jumps in inclusion this year. Let's take a peek at some of the most interesting risers.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Warren Soultrader"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Diabolic Intent"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Nature&#039;s Rhythm"></div></div>
<p>First up is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Warren Soultrader" href="#" target="_blank">Warren Soultrader</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, carrying a Fire Score of 3.64. This card fits right in with the deck's aristocrat and token themes, making it a great inclusion.</p>
<p>It's also got <a href="https://commanderspellbook.com/search/?q=card%3A%22Warren+Soultrader%22+ci%3Agolgari+legal%3Acommander">a huge number of combos that make use of it</a> within Chatterfang's black-green color identity.</p>
<p>Another popular addition is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Diabolic Intent" href="#" target="_blank">Diabolic Intent</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. This card got a Fire Score of 2.64, and it does a pretty good impression of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Diabolic Tutor" href="#" target="_blank">Diabolic Tutor</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> in a deck with so many disposable creatures.</p>
<p>Last but not least is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Nature&#039;s Rhythm" href="#" target="_blank">Nature&#039;s Rhythm</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, another card from <em>Tarkir: Dragonstorm</em> that's found a home in one of the format's most popular decks. This card works great with the creature-heavy, graveyard-centric gameplan of the deck, so it's no surprise that it tops our list here with a Fire Score of 4.78.</p>
<h2>What's Icy for Chatterfang Decks?</h2>
<p>Quite a few cards have seen big drops in popularity, too, with nine cards seeing their inclusion rate drop by precipitously.</p>
<p>The card that left the most decks, by far, is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Squirrel Mob" href="#" target="_blank">Squirrel Mob</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> with a Ice Score of -4.39 (the lowest we'll see today). While this card is cool and thematic for players who'd like a Squirrel-centric build, paying for a large creature with no built-in evasion is much less appealing now than it has been in the past.</p>
<p>The same holds true for <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Drey Keeper" href="#" target="_blank">Drey Keeper</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, a card that's got a Ice Score of -3.84. While this card is certainly flavorful, a higher casting cost and an expensive activated ability have likely taken this card out of contention for a slot in Chatterfang's army.</p>
<p>The last card that we'll touch on today is one that I wouldn't have expected to be on this list.</p>
<p>While <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Squirrel Sovereign" href="#" target="_blank">Squirrel Sovereign</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> has a Ice Score of -3.74, I view it as a key role-player for <a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/wotc-introduces-new-bracket-system-for-edh">lower bracket</a> Chatterfang lists. However, it's possible that it's being replaced by the popular (and consequently more expensive) Treasure-maker <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Warren Soultrader" href="#" target="_blank">Warren Soultrader</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, as demonstrated in the mirrored pattern of usage in the line graph below for these two cards.</p>
<p><a href="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Screenshot-2025-07-10-at-2.06.35 PM.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-158719" src="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Screenshot-2025-07-10-at-2.06.35 PM.png" alt="" width="1772" height="588" srcset="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Screenshot-2025-07-10-at-2.06.35 PM.png 1772w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Screenshot-2025-07-10-at-2.06.35 PM-300x100.png 300w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Screenshot-2025-07-10-at-2.06.35 PM-1024x340.png 1024w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Screenshot-2025-07-10-at-2.06.35 PM-768x255.png 768w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Screenshot-2025-07-10-at-2.06.35 PM-1536x510.png 1536w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1772px) 100vw, 1772px" /></a></p>
<h1>Until next time, Stay Cool (or Hot)!</h1>
<p>That's all we have for this week, but we'll be back soon with another edition of <em><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fire // Ice" href="#" target="_blank">Fire // Ice</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></em>. For now, I'd love to hear from you. Let me know what commander's you'd like a data deep dive on in the comments below. I'll take a few of the most interesting picks and include them in the next installment in this series. Until then, happy brewing!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Nekusar, the Mindrazer"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Chatterfang, Squirrel General"></div></div>
</div>


Julia Maddalena

Fire and Ice: What Cards are Hot and Cold for July 18, 2025?

Introducing the Math Behind EDHREC's Fire and Ice Series

Fire and Ice: What Cards are Hot and Cold for July 2025?