The Best Cheap Commander Cards of 2025
Welcome back for another History, Restapled, a Commander-focused column that attempts to validate a newer card’s status as a staple by looking at how cards that are similar, synergistic, or competing have fared in the past financially.
The year 2025 marked the first time Wizards of the Coast mixed Universes Beyond sets in with the regular Standard rotation, releasing a record number of sets ranging from the world of Spider-Man to deep Dominaria-adjacent space. While it wasn’t a great year for our attention spans—what with all the spoilers flung at our collective faces—it certainly produced many excellent cards for Commander.
Here are my top 10 cards from 2025 that are not only cheap (less than $10) but incredibly powerful and more than worthy of picking up.
10) Qarsi Revenant - $1.50
This creature isn’t going to end games all that often, but just as
It boasts three very relevant keyword abilities and offers the ability to gift those abilities to another creature after it dies—which it does in the form of ability counters, which can be moved between your creatures, as well.
Qarsi does a bunch of things pretty well and deserves a spot as a second-tier staple across multiple strategies.
| Qarsi Revenant | ||
| Qarsi Revenant (Borderless) | ||
| Qarsi Revenant (Extended Art) |
9) Origin of Metalbending - $0.25
I dislike
Meanwhile, though Origin of Metalbending doesn’t offer as much protection as Intervention, it can save a key creature from almost any removal spell and board wipe except
Best of all, it can destroy an artifact or enchantment instead, which is likely never going to be a waste of time. This is a most excellent staple disguised as a bulk common.
| Origin of Metalbending |
8) Magmatic Hellkite - $0.50
Mass land destruction is a major faux pas in Commander, but while targeted removal is mostly fair game, it doesn’t often set opponents back because either you wind up down a resource (
Magmatic Hellkite also provides a land but slides a stun counter on the one your opponent fetches up. It won’t stall that opponent for too long, but the effect of one fewer land for a turn will ripple throughout the game. Not to mention you score a 4/5 flying Dragon for four mana on top of it all.
This is easily one of the best ETB land destruction cards in the format.
| Magmatic Hellkite | ||
| Magmatic Hellkite (Borderless) | ||
| Magmatic Hellkite (Showcase) |
7) Horizon Explorer - $2.50
Horizon Explorer is the best option outside of the first two by a mile for its ability to not only provide massive amounts of ramp but to produce permanents that can be easily sacrificed—if your deck cares about that thing, which it often does.
I can’t imagine this card will remain this cheap for long.
| Horizon Explorer | ||
| Horizon Explorer (Extended Art) |
6) Colossal Grave-Reaver - $4.50
It’s not often you’ll be casting this spell for its full mana value. In any reanimation-type strategy, Colossal Grave-Reaver provides mammoth amounts of value from its ETB as well as every single mill effect you’re already running.
This represents an excellent top end for Golgari and beyond.
| Colossal Grave-Reaver | ||
| Colossal Grave-Reaver (Extended Art) |
5) Tataru Taru - $6
The two mana you’ll spend on Tataru Taru will pay itself back pretty quickly, likely in a single round at the table. Plus, the card primes itself upon entering the battlefield and offers you an opportunity for some of those sweet politics Commander is known for.
Any white weenie deck wants Tataru, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it hits $20 in the near future.
| Tataru Taru | ||
| Tataru Taru (Extended Art) | ||
| Tataru Taru (Borderless) (Chocobo Track Foil) |
4) Daily Bugle Building - $0.25
Nothing too flashy to see here. Just an untapped land that can give your commander menace, allowing it to slip by a few opponents without being blocked.
In any deck with two or fewer colors (maybe even three), Daily Bugle can slide into the slot currently occupied by Rogue’s Passage, which is often inferior despite offering full unblockability. Its opportunity cost is close to zero.
Almost every budget deck with an intimidating commander will want this in the 99.
| Daily Bugle Building |
3) Uthros Research Craft - $2
Three mana gets you a card draw engine and an evasive finisher for artifact decks. Not bad for a blue card, which is already the color of card draw and artifact synergies.
This card operates well at any phase of the game, and it’s already become one I’m psyched to draw every time.
| Uthros Research Craft | ||
| Uthros Research Craft (Extended Art) |
2) Spider-Sense - $3
Considering this aspect of the card is part of its cost, it cannot be responded to by opponents and, thus, offers supreme protection on top of being a killer card in its own right.
| Spider-Sense | ||
| Spider-Sense (Extended Art) | ||
| Spider-Sense (Extended Art) |
1) Dauntless Scrapbot - $0.25
Good lord, I love this card. It’s like a
Plus, its three power isn’t anything to sneeze at. I’ve begun running it in every non-green deck I own, and it overperforms every time.
| Dauntless Scrapbot |
Annual Review
Which were your favorite Commander cards from 2025? Are there any on my list that you think I wildly overestimated? Let me know!
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Steve Heisler
Steve Heisler is a writer and pop culture journalist covering comedy, games, television, film and the tech industry. His work has been published in Rolling Stone, GQ, Variety, The AV Club, Fast Company and the Chicago Sun-Times. He began collecting Magic cards during Fourth Edition and plays Commander and Modern primarily. He also enjoys tennis, the Dark Souls family of video games and supporting live comedy. He lives in Chicago with his cat, Rosie.