<a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Starfield Vocalist" href="#" target="_blank">Starfield Vocalist</a> | Art by <a href="https://www.artstation.com/ninesicks" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Nathaniel Himawan</a>
I had a blast this year with Magic mechanics. When I saw that EDHREC was looking for an article like this, I pounced. Even though I think the amount of sets released this year is exhausting, there are some that floated to the top, far beyond the rest. There are more than 15 new mechanics. I really wracked my brain on my top five.
The way I decided on these are strictly on their versatility and power in their respective strategies. They're all mechanics that were introduced for the first time this year. Some mechanics have roughly existed before, but hadn't been named, like mobilize, void, or job select. They're not exactly one-to-one compared to what existed before, but were close. I won't be including those in this list, not because they're not relevant, but because I ended up finding a reason other mechanics were better.
Lastly, there were a lot of really cool mechanics this year that I couldn't give time to. Here are some honorable mentions that were good, but not top 5:
<ul>
<li>Lander tokens</li>
<li>Harmonize</li>
<li>Exhaust</li>
<li>Saga creatures</li>
<li>Endure</li>
</ul>
All of these mechanics are worth taking a look at and running in strategies that need them. I just had to pick the best, and these didn't make the cut. Now that the housekeeping is done, lets get into the top five best new Magic mechanics of 2025.
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<h2>5. Mayhem - Marvel's Spider-Man</h2>
Mayhem reads: "You may cast this card from your graveyard for its mayhem cost if you discarded it this turn. Timing rules still apply." I know what you're thinking: "You said you weren't covering mechanics that are close to existing mechanics." Isn't this exactly like madness? Hear me out! It's the timing restriction. I was spooking around the comprehensive rules and the timing rules on madness.
702.35a states "Madness is a keyword that represents two abilities. The first is a static ability that functions while the card with madness is in a player’s hand. The second is a triggered ability that functions when the first ability is applied. 'Madness [cost]' means 'If a player would discard this card, that player discards it, but exiles it instead of putting it into their graveyard” and “When this card is exiled this way, its owner may cast it by paying [cost] rather than paying its mana cost. If that player doesn’t, they put this card into their graveyard.'"
This is a triggered ability that ignores timing restrictions. Some cards that allow you to discard a card have a timing restriction though. You may have to discard at your upkeep, on cast, or on enter. With madness, a mechanic that I rather like a lot, you have the pay the cost to cast it right then for its alternate casting cost. Sometimes that makes things a little tricky. You might not be able to sequence the way you'd like. Maybe you want to play a land or Wrath the board before resolving your trigger.
<div class="edhrecp__cards side-by-side"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Norman Osborn"></div></div>
With mayhem, you only have to consider that it has been discarded this turn, and often times it gives you a great reduction in its cost. In some ways, it's an improvement on madness. In one respect madness is something you can do at instant speed, because of the trigger. I've only found two cards that could make mayhem work at instant speed: <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Norman Osborn" href="#" target="_blank">Norman Osborn</a> and <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Swarm, Being of Bees" href="#" target="_blank">Swarm, Being of Bees</a>. Green Goblin giving nonland cards in your graveyard mayhem (meaning they would still need to be discarded that turn, but still) can allow instants to be cast, and Swarm having flash.
Compared to most mechanics this year, I find it so interesting. Discard strategies could use it a ton. There aren't that many cards that have the ability, but <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Norman Osborn" href="#" target="_blank">Norman Osborn</a> is very playable. He's even cEDH viable because of how insane he is. It's also the sort of mechanic I think they'll use again. It doesn't seem too tied to the Spider-Man IP. It's cool and powerful, and worthy of a spot in the top 5.
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Swarm, Being of Bees"></div></div>
<h2>4. Station - Edge of Eternities</h2>
Station reads: "Station is an activated ability. 'Station' means 'Tap another untapped creature you control: Put a number of charge counters on this permanent equal to the tapped creature’s power. Activate only as a sorcery.'" Again?! I'm doing it to you all again? Well, crew is a very popular mechanic with its strengths and weaknesses.
Station usually gives you effects when it's fully or partially stationed. For example, <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Evendo, Waking Haven" href="#" target="_blank">Evendo, Waking Haven</a> at 12+ charge counters gains the ability: ", : Add for each creature you control" Which is crazy! Station is permanent, unlike crew - though I don't think the effect is necessarily better than crew, just different - which means you only have to be shields down for a little while.
What I love about station is that, similar to crew, your creatures can station the turn they come out. It's the ability of the Planet or the Spacecraft tapping, versus the creature tapping itself. If you have value creatures you won't be blocking with, it's a great opportunity to station. It's at sorcery speed, which means you can't be tricky and elusive with it, but honestly the only thing balancing this mechanic is the fact that it's only at sorcery speed. It would be so pushed otherwise.
And most of the effects of station are worth the investment. Certain Spacecrafts benefit from not being a creature too; they become harder to remove. I think <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hearthhull, the Worldseed" href="#" target="_blank">Hearthhull, the Worldseed</a> utilizes this ability a lot.
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Some weakness to this strategy is that it's very shields down. You invite Aggro strategies to come in for damage. Once you station you can't block if you suddenly need to. Also usually the amount you need to invest over turns to station something is very slow. Producing 12 power over the course of a few turns is tough in a lot of strategies. And again you have to put your big tough creatures sideways to station it faster.
Ideally it's the sort of thing you either go all in on a turn or not. It can be strategic, but I do think it's a bit slow. It's very strong if you can manage it.
<h2>3. Airbend - Avatar: The Last Airbender</h2>
Airbend reads: "A keyword action that exiles one or more permanents and/or spells. The owner of each card exiled with airbend may cast it from exile by paying rather than paying its mana cost."
Before I get into all the things I love about this mechanic, I really need to stress how sad it makes me that this ability is likely locked to the Avatar: The Last Airbender IP. It's a such a cool mechanic that could never be evergreen in Magic. It's a little salty of me, but I wished they kept all of their crazy good ideas for in-universe sets so we could see them again, but I know that's not sustainable or even the point. We want all sets the be fun and cool, but again, I'm devastated that this effect is locked to Avatar.
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Avatar&#039;s Wrath"></div></div>
I was sort of asleep on airbending until I saw <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Avatar&#039;s Wrath" href="#" target="_blank">Avatar&#039;s Wrath</a>. That card reads: "Choose up to one target creature, then airbend all other creatures. (Exile them. While each one is exiled, its owner may cast it for rather than its mana cost.). Until your next turn, your opponents can’t cast spells from anywhere other than their hand. Exile Avatar’s Wrath."
You know a card is cracked when they make you exile the card as it resolves. I'd thought airbend might be good for Blink strategies until I understood it as disruption. With <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Avatar&#039;s Wrath" href="#" target="_blank">Avatar&#039;s Wrath</a> you can lock people out of recasting the spells that were airbended, but they can't recast their commander, or play from the top of their library, graveyard, or exile. It's insane.
You can use <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Monk Gyatso" href="#" target="_blank">Monk Gyatso</a> too as protection and re-enters and re-cast triggers with airbend. It's so versatile. I feel like it would have been a staple for this archetype. <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Appa, Steadfast Guardian" href="#" target="_blank">Appa, Steadfast Guardian</a> is a must-include in decks running Blink. So many of the cards with this mechanic feel so playable beyond the meta of Avatar and into many different strategies. This fact is not common in all Magic mechanics.
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<h2>2. Earthbend - Avatar: The Last Airbender</h2>
Earthbend reads: "A keyword action that causes a land to become a 0/0 creature with haste in addition to its other types and puts a number of +1/+1 counters on it. When that land dies or is put into exile, return it to the battlefield tapped under your control."
Let me tell you, if I thought I was devastated that airbend was likely to never return, I was downright on the brink of collapse when I found about earthbending. Landfall decks have always eaten good, but this is eating great. Good protection for land creatures for once in Magic history? Sign me up. Multiple landfall triggers when earthbended lands die? Oh My God!
Cards like <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ashaya, Soul of the Wild" href="#" target="_blank">Ashaya, Soul of the Wild</a> and <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Moraug, Fury of Akoum" href="#" target="_blank">Moraug, Fury of Akoum</a> go infinite with a ham sandwich and earthbending. I've been watching a lot of Magic content for Avatar: The Last Airbender and players are stumbling into infinite combos in Landfall decks. So many things make this mechanic insane.
You saddle this up with <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Toph, the First Metalbender" href="#" target="_blank">Toph, the First Metalbender</a> and soon artifact and land synergy become insane. Sacrificing artifacts over and over and landfall triggers over and over? I'm telling you it would be so insane to keep this mechanic in the game. It's so powerful. I wish it would make an appearance in another set.
While this isn't number one on this list, it was really close. It's ceiling for power is so high.
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ashaya, Soul of the Wild"></div></div>
<h2>1. Warp - Edge of Eternities</h2>
Warp reads: "Warp represents two static abilities that function while the card with warp is on the stack, one of which may create a delayed triggered ability. 'Warp [cost]' means 'You may cast this card from your hand by paying [cost] rather than its mana cost' and 'If this spell’s warp cost was paid, exile the permanent this spell becomes at the beginning of the next end step. Its owner may cast this card after the current turn has ended for as long as it remains exiled.'"
I am obsessed with this mechanic. It is so versatile.
Being able to warp in a <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Exalted Sunborn" href="#" target="_blank">Exalted Sunborn</a> for for a turn and making tokens with <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Anim Pakal, Thousandth Moon" href="#" target="_blank">Anim Pakal, Thousandth Moon</a> or <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Myrel, Shield of Argive" href="#" target="_blank">Myrel, Shield of Argive</a> is insane. It could be game changing for the less mana.
So many of the cards that use warp, abuse it in a such a cool synergistic way. It's useful in so many strategies. Warping in <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Starfield Vocalist" href="#" target="_blank">Starfield Vocalist</a> alongside an <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Impact Tremors" href="#" target="_blank">Impact Tremors</a> or <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Warstorm Surge" href="#" target="_blank">Warstorm Surge</a> is crazy work. These cards are far more readily available than the other cards in my list as they have a lot more cards with the ability.
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Lastly, I find that there might be more opportunities for Magic to return to using this mechanic in other sets. It might if we ever return to the Edge, but perhaps they'll bring it back for Star Trek in 2026. A girl can hope.
<h2>Conclusion</h2>
I had a lot of fun going over all the cool mechanics of the year. Just because it didn't make the list doesn't mean it isn't a cool and cracked mechanic in certain strategies. I'm looking for power and versatility across the whole game.
And again, those are just my thoughts. I want to hear yours! I'm <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/strixhavendropout.bsky.social" target="_blank" rel="noopener">@strixhavendropout on Bluesky</a>.

best mtg 2025

The Top 5 MTG Mechanics of 2025