Starfield ShepherdStarfield Shepherd | Art by Marta Nael

Hello everyone! I'm Jonathan, and today, just like my last article, I'm looking at things in retrospective. This time, though, I won't go as far as taking into consideration the last 25 years. Rather, I'll only talk about this year and, specifically, about the new keywords and mechanics printed on Magic cards this year.

We're going through all the sets published in 2025 to see which card is the best for each new ability.

To form a proper judgment about a card, a lot of time is required to see how it performs and adapts to multiple different scenarios. For this reason, consider these picks as nothing more than a very early grading that's destined to change multiple times in the future!

Aetherdrift - Exhaust

Best card: Loot, the PathfinderLoot, the Pathfinder
Runner-up: Redshift, Rocketeer ChiefRedshift, Rocketeer Chief

The first mechanic discussed today is exhaust, which refers to activated abilities that can only be used once during a game.

In this department, Loot, the PathfinderLoot, the Pathfinder shines the most. While it isn't the most innovative creature design-wise, it sure is powerful. Each of its three activated abilities is good enough to not feel bad using them, with the red one being the weakest of the bunch.

All of this is stapled onto a pretty good template: a very aggressive double strike-vigilance-haste combination that allows it to attack as well as being activated as soon as it hits the battlefield.

Nonetheless, the fact that it's at its best when inside of Agatha's Soul CauldronAgatha's Soul Cauldron tells you a lot about the limits of this mechanic.

Aetherdrift - Start Your Engines // Max Speed

Best card: Mendicant Core, GuidelightMendicant Core, Guidelight
Runner-up: Samut, the Driving ForceSamut, the Driving Force

"Start your engines" grants the player its first point of speed, which will increase by one during said player's turn if an opponent loses life, but it will do so only once. Once the player reaches speed four, the "Max speed" abilities will be active.

Now, considering it's only possible to trigger this ability once during each of your turns, it's easy to see why it hasn't translated all that well in a multiplayer setting. In an ideal scenario, you're able to start your engine and immediately reach speed two by attacking a player. Even if this is the case, you'll need two more turns to get your abilities online.

This would be bad enough if they were your first four turns of the game, but just imagine how much worse it can be if you're only able to start your engine on the third or fourth turn; by the time you reach max speed, the game'd be well into its middle part, if not the final one.

Nonetheless, we still got something good out of this clunky mechanic. Mendicant Core, GuidelightMendicant Core, Guidelight is a perfect example; its aggressively low mana cost makes sure your speed starts increasing as soon as possible. Pairing this ability with a very good max speed is the icing on the cake for a very interesting Azorius commander revolving around artifacts and crazy amounts of value generated by doubling them.

Tarkir: Dragonstorm - Endure

Best card: Warden of the GroveWarden of the Grove
Runner-up: Anafenza, Unyielding LineageAnafenza, Unyielding Lineage

To endure X, a creature either puts X +1/+1 counters on itself or you create an X/X white Spirit creature token. Did you remember this mechanic? Because I sure didn't. This starts a trend that affects basically all of the Tarkir: Dragonstorm new abilities: they were printed only on a handful of cards, which makes them artificially niche and obscure.

While many of them would be interesting spaces to explore and delve into from a design perspective, they're still only filled with untapped potential (at least, at the time of writing).

But I digress.

Warden of the GroveWarden of the Grove is the clear best card among all of the enduring ones: it's cheap and easy to cast and it snowballs out of control very quickly. There's not much more to add, and it isn't even a very innovative take on a Hydra, but again, there simply wasn't a lot of competition.

Tarkir: Dragonstorm - Flurry

Winner: Cori-Steel CutterCori-Steel Cutter
Runner-up: Shiko and Narset, UnifiedShiko and Narset, Unified

At the very opposite end of the spectrum, flurry is a very difficult to forget keyword: It grants a benefit whenever the player casts their second spell during each turn. On paper, it seems pretty balanced and self-restricting, for sure there won't be any oppressive card with this ability...

Enter: Cori-Steel CutterCori-Steel Cutter, aka, one of the latest banes of Standard! Jokes aside, its absurd aggressive potential ends up being quenched by the sheer nature of a multiplayer format like Commander. Still, it gets out of hand very quickly, and I think it deserves recognition for its power.

Tarkir: Dragonstorm - Harmonize

Winner: Nature's RhythmNature's Rhythm
Runner-up: Zenith FestivalZenith Festival

Harmonize is a strict upgrade over flashback: both mechanics allow the player to re-cast a spell from their graveyard (and then exile it) by paying a certain cost, but only the latest version also allows them to tap a creature to discount the spell by an amount of generic mana equal to the tapped creature's power.

My top pick for this category pairs this ability with a core action in any Commander game: tutoring.

It's Nature's RhythmNature's Rhythm that takes the crown; rather than digging for the card you want, it gets straight to the point and gets it, although with the creature-only limitation. It's also hindered by the X in its casting cost, which may make it hard to cast... why did I pick this card again? Oh yes, tutors are extremely good in a 100-card singleton format, even when they present multiple clauses.

And what's better than a tutor, if not a double tutor?

P.S.: I wanted to include Songcrafter MageSongcrafter Mage either as winner or runner-up, but it only grants harmonize to another card and doesn't have it itself, so it was not eligible. Still, I wanted to shout it out.

Tarkir: Dragonstorm - Mobilize

Winner: Voice of VictoryVoice of Victory
Runner-up: Zurgo StormrenderZurgo Stormrender

Whenever a creature with mobilize X attacks, the attacking player creates X 1/1 red Warrior creature tokens that are tapped and attacking. So, this is a pretty aggressive ability to build around, right? Who would create a very strong defensive tool with this mechanic attached?

Voice of VictoryVoice of Victory is by far the best mobilize card: It's cheap to cast, fairly resilient, it gives you the counterspell-pass for your turns, and it also prepares you coffee (it doesn't, but it may as well do).

Oh, and it also happens to mobilize 2. While this card doesn't really make use of this ability, it would have been illogical to put any other card above it. This may be a slight nod to cEDH on my part, but I also think that being a staple of the highest-powered Commander variant should count when evaluating a card.

Tarkir: Dragonstorm - Renew

Winner: Kheru GoldkeeperKheru Goldkeeper
Runner-up: Naga FleshcrafterNaga Fleshcrafter

This is one I definitely didn't remember existing before starting researching for this article. A creature with renew allows the player to exile it from the graveyard at sorcery speed to put some kind of counter (usually a +1/+1, but not always) on another creature. It also usually grants some other kind of benefit, which leads to some interesting designs that pair the counters with the front side of the cards.

And yet, in this case too the best card has hardly anything to do with the mechanic itself. Kheru GoldkeeperKheru Goldkeeper is an insane card, able to generate absurd amounts of Treasures taking a game action that several decks are actively looking to do regardless of this benefit. Still, it counts for this list because it has renew sprinkled on it, but trust me, you'll be much happier recurring it from the graveyard rather than exiling it for some mere counters.

Final Fantasy - Job Select

Winner: Machinist's ArsenalMachinist's Arsenal
Runner-up: Summoner's GrimoireSummoner's Grimoire

This mechanic is one I'm truly happy about. I was already thrilled about For Mirrodin! on cards like Bladehold War-WhipBladehold War-Whip when Phyrexia: All Will Be One dropped, so a reskin of the same concept surely makes me happy. In fact, just like the aforementioned For Mirrodin!, job select creates a creature token, although a 1/1 colorless Hero one, when the Equipment enters and it attaches said equipment to the newly created body.

Additionally, the Final Fantasy Equipment with this keyword truly hit the mark, as several of them are more than worth running in a dedicated Voltron deck. I wouldn't be sincere if I said it was easy to make my pick. Black Mage's RodBlack Mage's Rod, Dancer's ChakramsDancer's Chakrams, and Summoner's GrimoireSummoner's Grimoire were all contending for the same spot and it was hard to discard them.

Nonetheless, I was almost immediately sold on the winner for this category: Machinist's ArsenalMachinist's Arsenal. It's more expensive and harder to move around than the other options mentioned, but boy does it hit like a truck. Considering you're already running a bunch more artifacts between ramp purposes and other Equipment you obviously want to include in your Equipment-themed deck, and you've got yourself a pretty heavy-hitting creature.

Final Fantasy - Tiered

Winner: Restoration MagicRestoration Magic
Runner-up: Fire MagicFire Magic

On the completely opposite side of the spectrum, tiered is a mechanic that leaves something to be desired. It's another non-in-universe take on an in-universe mechanic, considering its similarity to spree, the mechanic on cards like Three Steps AheadThree Steps Ahead from Outlaws of Thunder Junction. The main problem with tiered though isn't the ability per se, but the lack of cards using it. There are only seven instants with it, which makes it difficult to evaluate and appreciate.

The one that truly shines is Restoration MagicRestoration Magic. It's an excellent protection spell that makes great use of its flexibility to adapt on the fly to the state of the game. While the second mode is rarely worth using, for three life is hardly worth one additional mana, it's still nice to have the possibility for it to become a board-wide protection spell if you needed it.

Edge of Eternities - Station

Winner: Evendo, Waking HavenEvendo, Waking Haven
Runner-up: The Eternity ElevatorThe Eternity Elevator

Station is a weird mechanic I'm not totally sold on just yet. It allows the player to tap creatures to put a number of charge counters equal to those creatures' power onto the permanent with station. These, in exchange, have certain thresholds that, when met, grant a certain benefit or ability. This is nice in theory, but I didn't mention the most limiting factor: it's only possible to activate at sorcery speed. This means you're either giving up on the combat step or on stationing your permanent; and I know you can do it with newly-entered creatures, but then you're still missing out on blockers.

So, even though the mechanic comes with a certain quantity of complexity to its name due to the decisions that it forces the player to take, I still think Evendo, Waking HavenEvendo, Waking Haven is so clearly powerful and synergistic with itself that it deserves the title. It's a strictly worse version of Gaea's CradleGaea's Cradle (although this one taps for mana even without creatures, so maybe...), but this can be said for the vast majority of lands in the game. What we get from it is a balanced version of CradleCradle that wants you to play creatures and rewards you for doing so in a big way.

Edge of Eternities - Void

Winner: Elegy AcolyteElegy Acolyte
Runner-up: Tragic TrajectoryTragic Trajectory

Void is an ability that checks if a nonland permanent has left the battlefield or a spell has been warped this turn to grant a benefit. It usually triggers at the end of the turn but, ironically, both of my top two cards don't do so. I don't really have much to say about it; it's an ok ability I guess.

Elegy AcolyteElegy Acolyte is an interesting card, mostly because its static ability is a somewhat nice impression of Tymna the WeaverTymna the Weaver. Its void ability helps you create bodies that can fuel its aggressive game style, which is nice.

Edge of Eternities - Warp

Winner: Starfield ShepherdStarfield Shepherd
Runner-up: Weftstalker ArdentWeftstalker Ardent

Some months ago I wrote an article about warp right around the time Edge of Eternities was published. I tried to guess which cards with this ability would be the best in Commander, but my reasoning was somewhat flawed. I was extremely focused on these cards' interaction with spells like EphemerateEphemerate, which lead me to misjudge some of them.

Just as a reminder, warp allows you to cast a creature for a reduced cost, but it then gets exiled at the end of the turn; you can recast it from exile during a later turn for its full cost. It's a very nice mechanic, as it grants these creatures a lot of flexibility. For example, Quantum RiddlerQuantum Riddler is a five-mana creature, but it can also be a two-mana one if you need to dig one card deeper or you meet the condition to refill your hand.

With this being said, Starfield ShepherdStarfield Shepherd is the best warp card, although I ranked it 10^th in my original article, and it's all because of the flexibility I ill-judged the first time. It's so much more than an overpriced tutor, because a turn-two Starfield ShepherdStarfield Shepherd can grant you either the land drop you need or a nice one-drop that can impact the board right away, like Esper SentinelEsper Sentinel or MockingbirdMockingbird.

Marvel's Spider-Man - Mayhem

Winner: Chameleon, Master of DisguiseChameleon, Master of Disguise
Runner-up: Carnage, Crimson ChaosCarnage, Crimson Chaos

Hey, I wrote an article about this mechanic too!

Mayhem is pretty similar to madness, only that it forces to player to follow timing restrictions. This means it's not possible to cheat creatures into play out of nowhere (which madness can do), but it also means you're granted more flexibility, because you can cast a spell for its mayhem cost at any point during the turn in which it was discarded (rather than having to choose immediately as per madness rules).

In the end, it's a nice ability, which presents an interesting trade-off between flexibility and surprise effect. Chameleon, Master of Disguise is also an interesting and powerful card, which uses the perfect template for clones: retaining its original name. In this way, it can truly copy everything without having to worry about the legend rule.

Oh, if only all of this came from a well-thought set all around...

Marvel's Spider-Man - Web-Slinging

Winner: Silk, Web WeaverSilk, Web Weaver
Runner-up: Spider-SenseSpider-Sense

Web-slinging grants an alternative casting cost to a card so that you can cast it for this (usually) reduced amount of mana in addition to returning a tapped creature to your hand. This is a pretty nice idea that resembles the ninjutsu of old and could open up a very intriguing design space revolving around bouncing and re-casting creatures. But again, sadly, it was the gimmick of a half-baked set that truly could have used some more love and attention.

Nonetheless, Silk, Web WeaverSilk, Web Weaver makes good use of it: It almost ensures you're going to get the bodies needed to recast it and it can also count on a nice board-pumping ability that synergizes very well with its threatening static ability. You just need a bit of ramp and you're off to the races with an army of Citizens.

Avatar: The Last Airbender - Airbending

Winner: Monk GyatsoMonk Gyatso
Runner-up: Airbender AscensionAirbender Ascension

And we're on to the last set of the year, the newly released Avatar: The Last Airbender. It comes with four new abilities, with airbend referring to the possibility to exile a permanent with the ability to cast it later for .

Again, it's way too early to give any judgment on any of these cards, but there's still one that stands out to me that people don't seem to be talking about a lot: Monk GyatsoMonk Gyatso. Having an unlimited airbending effect is just screaming "combos" from miles away, and this makes for a unique mono-white design space.

This may be another wink at the cEDH community, but I'm also rewarding the originality of this design and how it entangles with the set's mechanic.

Avatar: The Last Airbender - Earthbending

Winner: Badgermole CubBadgermole Cub
Runner-up: Toph, the First MetalbenderToph, the First Metalbender

Out of all the Avatar abilities, this is the one that seems most powerful right out of the gate. To earthbend X you put X +1/+1 counters on a land you control and it becomes a creature with haste. Additionally, when it dies or is exiled, you return the land to the battlefield tapped.

This extra layer of protection is what makes the ability shine. Through the years, there have been countless ways to turn lands into creatures, but this always came at the risk of losing your mana sources. In this case, you don't have to worry about a thing, because they're also protected from exile removals like Swords to PlowsharesSwords to Plowshares.

While many cards seem good and worth playing both in the 99 and as commanders, Badgermole CubBadgermole Cub takes the crown: It's cheap and straight to the point. It makes good use of earthbend thanks to its static ability and it's good at any point of the game.

Avatar: The Last Airbender - Firebending

Winner: Firebender AscensionFirebender Ascension
Runner-up: Sozin's CometSozin's Comet

To firebend X, the creature adds X to its controller's mana pool when it attacks, and this mana lasts until end of combat. This is a very aggressive ability that wants the player to attack as much as possible and to cast spells/activate abilities during combat.

Precisely for this reason, Firebender AscensionFirebender Ascension is a homerun of a card. It produces the creature needed to trigger itself, clearly propelling its own strategy, and later becomes a deadly threat. Additionally, it synergizes extremely well with the deck you want to build around it, full of creatures that trigger on attack.

Just imagine the value produced by doubling those triggers.

Avatar: The Last Airbender - Waterbending

Winner: Spirit Water RevivalSpirit Water Revival
Runner-up: Katara, Water Tribe's HopeKatara, Water Tribe's Hope

Perhaps the least flashy of the four bendings, to waterbend X you have to pay X mana, but you can also tap untapped creatures and/or artifacts you control to help pay for X, with each of them counting as . This is the most "control"-oriented of the four abilities, as it's usually tied to drawing additional cards or bouncing creatures to their controllers' hands. While this may not put this ability under the spotlight, it doesn't mean it can't do work!

Just look at Spirit Water RevivalSpirit Water Revival: It's a great tool, especially during longer and grindier matches, to refill your hand using the resources you've accumulated during the game. And, at the very least, it's a DivinationDivination, which isn't very good, but it also means it'll never rot in your hand.

Conclusion

This has been a very strange year for Magic, filled with very high highs and very low lows. Honestly, I can't tell if it has been this way for a few years and I'm only now noticing this trend, but I certainly feel this has been the year that showcased this duality most of all.

And the last two sets released truly are the epitome of this, with a clearly unpolished and perhaps straight-up bad set (Spider-Man) leading to a vibrant and exciting product filled with new and interesting mechanics (Avatar).

This same dynamic can be seen throughout the year: Aetherdrift's lack of identity leading to Tarkir: Dragonstorm being somewhat all over the place with half-baked mechanics. And then Final Fantasy and its incredible translation of a beloved video game series into the universe of Magic, followed by Edge of Eternities, a set that felt being squashed in between two other products, leading to its identity and mechanics almost being forgotten even before being born.

In the end, it was a long year of ups and downs, with some remarkable design peaks and some more questionable decisions. Nonetheless, finishing the product lineup with a homerun surely helps the morale entering 2026, especially with the return to the beloved plane of Lorwyn on the horizon.

Let me know what you think in the comments down below!