Icetill ExplorerIcetill Explorer | Art by Raimaru

It's been quite a year for Magic! Wizards of the Coast has cranked out six Standard sets, four Commander sets, and tons of Secret Lair drops. That's a lot of product! Some hits, some misses, but overall, I'm impressed with a lot of the creativity on display.

With year-in-review best-of articles hitting EDHREC, you know I had to cover the graveyard cards from 2025. If you know me in the Magic space whether from article series Am I the Bolas? or its spin-off podcast, then you know I have an addiction to graveyard strategies. Whether it's Aristocrats or Reanimator, I'm extremely drawn to making work of Magic's rubbish pile.

Here's a bunch of graveyard cards from 2025 that make the gears in my head turn.

Sephiroth, Fabled SOLDIERSephiroth, Fabled SOLDIER

I think it's safe to begin with a card that made every Aristocrat player's heart skip a beat during previews. A juiced-up Blood ArtistBlood Artist that lets you sacrifice a creature on ETB and attack to draw a card would be enough to turn some heads, but with Sephiroth being one of the most recognizable characters in all of Final Fantasy and maybe even gaming overall, the designers pushed this card to the absolute limit.

By triggering the death trigger on Sephiroth, Fabled SOLDIERSephiroth, Fabled SOLDIER four times, you get to flip him into the One-Winged Angel that gives you a freaking emblem of Blood ArtistBlood Artist's textbox. Sure, there's more to Sephi's backside, but in a dedicated Aristocrats list, four creatures dying is trivial.

Let's also not forget that emblems stack, so if you flip Sephiroth back to his frontside or reanimate him, you'll be able to probably get yourself a few emblems over, turning each creature death into a machine gun pointed right at your opponents. I mention flipping Sephiroth or reanimating him, but obviously, as a legend, you can also easily recast him from the command zone as well, if you choose to go that route.

This is an absolute banger of a card that will inspire groans at the table, that's for sure. Easily my pick for top Aristocrats card of the year.

Umbral Collar ZealotUmbral Collar Zealot

We very rarely get free sacrifice outlets these days. Sack outlets are often gated behind mana costs, tap requirements, or once-per-turn limitations, but every now and then we get a real deal banger. Much like Bartolomé del PresidioBartolomé del Presidio, Umbral Collar ZealotUmbral Collar Zealot allows you to sacrifice creatures and artifacts, but unlike Señor Bart, the Zealot has a stronger payoff and can go into more decks thanks to it being only one color.

Surveil is a graveyard player's best friend and the Zealot turns your incidental artifacts and disposable creatures into some top-deck filtering / graveyard fueling. Whether it's just in an Artisocrats deck as a powered-up Viscera SeerViscera Seer or it's a role player in a Reanimator list, Umbral Collar ZealotUmbral Collar Zealot has cemented itself as part of the sacrifice package I plug into my deck lists from now on.

Icetill ExplorerIcetill Explorer

Edge of Eternities got more to give the graveyard lovers out there. What else can be said about this card that isn't already on the tin? It's ExplorationExploration and Crucible of WorldsCrucible of Worlds on one card that mills you for each of your land drops. You get to fill your graveyard and mill yourself for your reanimation shenanigans.

I play this in my The Master, TranscendentThe Master, Transcendent deck and it's smooth as butter thanks to the space bug. Teval, the Balanced ScaleTeval, the Balanced Scale, Meren of Clan Nel TothMeren of Clan Nel Toth, and Slimefoot and SqueeSlimefoot and Squee - many reanimator commanders with a cozy home for the Explorer in their 99.

Don't even get me started on land decks like The NecrobloomThe Necrobloom or The Gitrog MonsterThe Gitrog Monster. Very solid self-mill piece that buys you out of the issue of milling lands when you need them.

Susur Secundi, Void AltarSusur Secundi, Void Altar

When I started this, I didn't realize how many Edge of Eternities cards would make my list. I love the Planets from EOE, but this being about graveyards and sacrifice, it's no surprise the black Planet Susur Secundi, Void AltarSusur Secundi, Void Altar gives me big ol' heart eyes.

It's a land, so the buy-in on its inclusion in your lists is basically trimming a basic land for the most part. The drawbacks are that it enters tapped, requires 12 counters, and activates only at sorcery speed. But did my land just sacrifice a creature, triggering all my Aristocrats payoffs, and draw me a few more cards? That's what I'm freaking talking about.

I guarantee if you run this in a Sacrifice or Reanimator list, you'll be happy to see it when you do. Also, from experience, if you don't already run this in your Jenova, Ancient CalamityJenova, Ancient Calamity or Rakdos, the MuscleRakdos, the Muscle decks, you'll want to pick up a copy now.

Rhet-Tomb MysticRhet-Tomb Mystic

This card is neat. It's one got one of those abilities that feels simple enough that it's innocuous, but I can assure you, it deserves your attention. This Zombie Bird Wizard is grease in the gears and smoothes your deck like crazy.

If I'm playing a Reanimator list now, I put a copy of this birb in there and it makes it so much better. You chuck a reanimation target to draw into your Animate DeadAnimate Deads! You can dump many at once and sculpt your yard accordingly. This also ensures that you don't have to go the wheel route with blue reanimator decks - no more giving your opponents more cards and no more having to discard your reanimation spells just to get your creatures in there.

You might be thinking "Just play Looters," to which I say, "Of course, but a lot of Looters need to tap!" The Mystic requires mana, but no tapping, so you can cycle as long as you have mana and a creature to discard, which can be huge in the late game.

This guy often flies under radar and, by the time your opponents realize that it's doing more work than it seems, it's already done its job.

Hardened TacticianHardened Tactician

This is a really clean design. For a single mana and the sacrifice of a token, you draw a card. What's not to like?

Tokens are easy to come by. There are so many cards that incidentally make expendable tokens and you can pay one mana to trade those for a card. That's a solid deal.

This reminds me of a slightly worse but more flexible SkullclampSkullclamp. If the tokens I had were all x/1 creatures, then popping the clamp on those makes more sense than paying that same single mana to the Tactician. But what if you don't have a sacrifice outlet and all your tokens are 2/2s or even artifact tokens like Food or Junk? That's where Hardened TacticianHardened Tactician gets the edge.

I'm a big fan of this one and wish it weren't two colors - I'd play it even more.

Teval's JudgmentTeval's Judgment

This is icing on the cake if you've got creatures dancing in and out of the graveyard. When I play this, I very often get at least a trigger a turn and when the late game comes, you can really pull ahead by just doing your thing with TJ on the battlefield.

The modality gives you the flexibility to suit the moment. It's such a solid card.

My Favorite Commanders

Golbez, Crystal CollectorGolbez, Crystal Collector

Of the new decks I've built this year, Golbez, Crystal CollectorGolbez, Crystal Collector is my favorite. Golbez costs two mana and lets you selectively fill your graveyard with reanimation targets. Of course, with Golbez's requirement easily met, you're probably also getting a Raise DeadRaise Dead every turn. Then that ability turns into a game-ending trigger when you've got the requisite eight artifacts, becoming a great excuse to run Death's ShadowDeath's Shadow.

Golbez is a great support piece in my Lazav, Wearer of FacesLazav, Wearer of Faces deck as well, and that's because surveil is a beautiful gift from WotC to graveyard players. In a world where so many cards create trinkets like Treasure, Food, Blood, and Clue tokens, you can dump anything you don't want for now, then pick it up when you need it.

Put the squeeze on your opponents by doubling Golbez's trigger to pick up Master of EtheriumMaster of Etherium and Consuming AberrationConsuming Aberration when you've got eight artifacts and really lock the game up. While this is game plan number one, a well-timed Metamorphosis FanaticMetamorphosis Fanatic/Phyrexian DelverPhyrexian Delver will bring beaters into play after you've Unshakable TailUnshakable Tail looped as many creatures to the yard will keep the pressure up.

Another upside to the deck is, because it's somewhat of a self-mill deck, you get to see so much of your deck so you've got lots of reason to pack the list with pretty printings that make you smile.

Zurgo StormrenderZurgo Stormrender

I've been a fan of Garna, Bloodfist of KeldGarna, Bloodfist of Keld in my decks, so when I saw Zurgo StormrenderZurgo Stormrender, I knew I had to give this guy a brew. Garna triggered off of any creatures you control, but Zurgo only triggers off creature tokens. Zurgo having Mobilize allows him to be an all-in-one inevitability as long as he can swing. Making a whole slew of creature tokens and having your sacrifice outlets ready lets you have a ton of flexibility with Zurgo out. Either ping down your opponents or fill your hand.

Is this a perfect Tombstone StairwellTombstone Stairwell deck? Yes, yes it is. A really great offering from WotC to the Artistocrats players out there who needed something fast and fun.

I built Zurgo for my secret partners deck with Three Dog, Galaxy News DJThree Dog, Galaxy News DJ and Eriette of the Charmed AppleEriette of the Charmed Apple and it's a really strong finisher in that. If you haven't given an aggro tokens list a go, pop sacrifice outlets in your list and show your table you're ready to zoom with Zurgo StormrenderZurgo Stormrender at the helm.

Betor, Ancestor's VoiceBetor, Ancestor's Voice

Betor is another precon commander, but unlike the other two mentioned, I don't have this deck built. Yet!

Betor, Ancestor's VoiceBetor, Ancestor's Voice is such a fun reward for using your life as a resource. With lifelink on it and many ways in the colors to gain life, you've got a nice cushion, but also Betor's built-in +1/+1 pressure nozzle for when you want to end the game.

However, that's not the most interesting part of this for me. It's the perfect home for Bolas's CitadelBolas's Citadel, The One RingThe One Ring, Valgavoth, Terror EaterValgavoth, Terror Eater, and Vilis, Broker of BloodVilis, Broker of Blood. It feels like the reanimation text on Betor is opening up cool design space and this isn't the last we see variations on this ability. We've seen a little of it in Celestine, the Living SaintCelestine, the Living Saint and Aerith, Last AncientAerith, Last Ancient, both excellent inclusions in the deck.

Betor's a more interesting puzzle than Meren of Clan Nel TothMeren of Clan Nel Toth that keeps you engaged in variance. Meren was one of the first decks I really tuned up back in the day, but I took the deck apart. Seeing the Abzan Dragon for the first time, I made the realization that I have a Meren-shaped hole in my deck arsenal.

I think Betor gives the necromancer in me a new twist on what I felt the first time I really understood that I am a graveyard player. Betor, Ancestor's VoiceBetor, Ancestor's Voice is an attractive commander option and it's open-ended enough to give it longevity. It's a commander we'll see crop up in waves over time.

Honorable Mentions

Commanders

Felothar the SteadfastFelothar the Steadfast - Another Tarkir precon commander. Felothar gives us a defender-typal sacrifice deck like we haven't seen before. It's really fun!

Hashaton, Scarab's FistHashaton, Scarab's Fist - A two-mana, three-color commander with an ability to cheat creatures for cheap that go to your graveyard - not exile - ready to be reanimated? If someone had tried to explain this card to me before I'd seen it, I'd have had a ton of questions. So cool, so powerful!

Joshua, Phoenix's DominantJoshua, Phoenix's Dominant - Nice to see a nonblack reanimator! Joshua is impressive. So much flexibility in that pseudo-rummage ETB! Then a slow burn Saga that ends with a big reanimation? Very cool.

In the 99

The Soul StoneThe Soul Stone - It's annoyingly expensive, but it's real good. Two-mana indestructible rock that turns into a free ZombifyZombify each turn, there's not much more I could ask for and still sound reasonable. There's a lot packed into this card, it almost feels like cheating. That's why it's an honorable mention.

Sothera, the SupervoidSothera, the Supervoid - A new Grave PactGrave Pact effect that goes the extra mile. Exiling your opponents' cards and eventually getting one of them for yourself is real nasty, especially for an already annoying effect. It's really powerful!

Colossal Grave-ReaverColossal Grave-Reaver - My Timmiest pick of the whole bunch. Super duper win-more card that is just so cool and splashy. I got to play with it once and I had a really cool turn before a board wipe.

Happy new year, everybody! May our cups and graveyards be full in 2026!