The Strongest MTG Commander Cards Released In 2025

There have been some great Magic: The Gathering cards to be released in 2024, with Commander benefitting with some incredible additions to the format. More than 2000 cards entered the format, which is a huge influx of cards to keep track of.

If you’re looking to upgrade your deck with some of the best cards of the year, we scoured all of them to find the absolute best cards that 2024 had to offer. That’s not to say there aren’t plenty that had to be left out, because there were a ton, but these cards find themselves among the best.

10

Surveil Lands

Basic Land Types Are Pretty Good

Who would have thought that in a format with tons of fetch lands, a new cycle of lands with basic land types would be an amazing addition? Practically everyone, which is why the Surveil lands from Murders at Karlov Manor easily make the list.

The Sultai colors are among the most played since they have tons of synergies to mess around with, but any of them are worth finding a spot in your deck. Sure, you need to be playing at least two colors in your deck, but that’s not a problem for tons of Commanders.

9

Shifting Woodland

It Can Be Anything You Need

Modern Horizons 3 had some incredible cards from it, and it even had its own uncommon cycle of spells that can be lands that almost made the list. But one land takes the cake, and that’s Shifting Woodland.

Hitting delirium with this land lets you transform it into any permanent card in your graveyard for a turn, letting it shift into anything from an artifact to an enchantment, or even a creature to close out a game.

Just remember that if you transform it into a planeswalker, it dies immediately, so don’t do that.

8

Overlord Of The Hauntwoods

Even More Lands

The Overlord might not be a land like the first two entries here, but it makes one, so is it really that different? As it turns out, yes, since that land is super special.

When this Overlord enters the battlefield, you get to make a tapped Everywhere land that has each basic land type. This will do everything from giving you access to practically all colors right away, while also turning on effects like domain with a single land. Even better, you get to make another of these tokens every time the Overlord attacks, ramping you up over and over again.

7

Split Up

Someone Is Getting Blown Up

A cheap and fascinating board wipe, Split Up gives you some choices when you need to blow up a bunch of creatures. When you cast this spell, you get to pick between all untapped creatures, and all tapped ones, destroying all of what you choose.

You can use this to clear the board after a huge swing from an opponent or to clear the board of blockers before swooping in. And at just three mana it is super easy to cast at practically any point of the game, or to even splash in a deck if you’re in a pinch.

6

Trouble In Pairs

Whoops Too Good

This card might have gotten its artist in trouble thanks to a healthy dose of plagiarism, but that doesn’t mean that it loses its very powerful effects. It can shut down any of your opponent’s spells that let them take bonus turns, locking them out of any sort of combo shenanigans they might have up their sleeves.

At the same time, it is all but guaranteed to net you some bonus card draw. Anytime an opponent does practically anything twice, from attacking with two creatures to drawing a second card, you get to draw a card as well.

5

Caretaker’s Talent

A Class Of Its Own

Speaking of sustained value, Caretaker’s Talent slots into practically every token-based deck that can play it. Making a token draws you a card, and since it can trigger each turn, you have the potential to draw a ton of cards thanks to instant-speed token generation.

While making a duplicate token might not do much in the grand scheme of things, giving them all +2/+2 can help push them over your opponent’s creatures. Combine it with all sorts of other token-pump spells, and you’ll be taking the game in no time.

4

Withering Torment

A Rare Removal Spell

Enchantment removal in black is a rare find, so much so that there are only five other black cards that deal with enchantments, and only one other one is actually playable. Withering Torment fills in this sorely needed gap with a three-mana instant spell that destroys either a creature or an enchantment.

Sure, you lose life in exchange, but being able to take a problematic enchantment the second it becomes a problem is a huge boost to black decks. If you’re running a mono-black deck, you practically have to include this card.

3

Warren Soultrader

C-C-C-Combo

A nifty little combo piece, Warren Soultrader looks and feels a lot like a few other Commander cards, and has much of the same potential to fuel some ridiculous plays. All you have to do is sacrifice another creature and pay one life to get yourself a Treasure Token.

Toss in a few other effects like Blood Artist, Reckless Fireweaver, Ingenious Artillerist to deal damage with your sacrificing, and a Gravecrawler to give you an infinite combo loop, and you’ll have yourself a closed-out game in no time.

2

Warleader’s Call

Get Some Bonus Value

Warleader’s Call is one of those cards that just generates extra value over the course of the game without really doing that much. Sure, giving your creatures +1/+1 is good, and can certainly help push some bonus damage, but it might not be enough to overcome an established board.

But since the enchantment also deals one damage to each opponent every time you have a creature come into play under your control, it can quickly rack up some serious damage. Even making just three tokens in a turn lets you dish out nine points of damage exceptionally quickly.

1

Patchwork Banner

Kindred Decks Have Never Been Better

This little mana rock pulls double duty in a way that few other three-mana mana rocks have been able to over the years. While the Patchwork Banner’s mechanics are simple and repeated a few times on this list, it still puts in so much work.

Patchwork Banner is an anthem effect for a creature type of your choice, all but ensuring that it will find a home in practically every kindred deck ever to be built again. Given its almost universal playability, it takes the top slot.