You ever look at your binder, look at the release calendar, and realize Magic wants you to build fourteen new Commander decks before dinner?
Yeah. Same.
TLDR
- 2025 gave us roughly “too many” new Commander options, so here are ten that genuinely play great at real tables.
- If you like decision-heavy, interactive, “I did the thing but didn’t solitaire for 20 minutes” decks, start here.
- My #1 pick is Teval, the Balanced Scale because it’s fun and it feels good even when it’s mostly stock.
If you want deckbuilding fundamentals before you start sleeving cardboard at 1:00 a.m., check out How to Build a Commander Deck. If your playgroup’s “fun” is actually “let’s race to turn three,” you probably want Commander Tier List (cEDH) instead.
What I mean by “fun” (so this list isn’t just vibes)
“Fun” commanders tend to do at least a couple of these things:
- They create decisions. Not just “cast commander, do the obvious thing.”
- They invite table interaction. You’re playing Commander with people, not goldfishing in public.
- They scale. They’re enjoyable at mid-power, but they don’t collapse if the table is a little faster or a little slower.
- They reward theme. You can stay on-flavor without needing a pile of staples to make the deck function.
Also, this list is intentionally biased: these are commanders I’ve played with or against. If your favorite 2025 legend isn’t here, it’s not a diss. I probably just didn’t see it in the wild (yet).
The 10 Most Fun Commanders of 2025
#10: Hope Estheim
I first ran into Hope Estheim in a heavily Final Fantasy-themed build, and it completely flipped my opinion on the card.
At the beginning of your end step, each opponent mills X cards, where X is the amount of life you gained this turn.
On paper, “lifegain + mill” sounds like a weird mashup, and the cynical part of my brain assumed it would either be busted or boring. In practice, it plays like slow, inevitable pressure that still asks you to keep making choices. Because Hope cares about the life you gained this turn, you’re not just passively coasting off a Soul Warden and calling it a day. You’re planning turns.
Why it’s fun: incremental pressure, lots of small decisions, and it wins without feeling like you got hit by a single surprise truck.
Quick build notes
Lean into lifegain triggers you control, then pick mill that feels “fair” for your pod.
Theme builds are shockingly satisfying here, because the deck naturally plays like “death by a thousand cuts.”
#9: Garnet, Princess of Alexandria
I have wanted a Saga commander forever, and Garnet finally made it click.
Whenever Garnet attacks, you may remove a lore counter from each of any number of Sagas you control. Put a +1/+1 counter on Garnet for each lore counter removed this way.
The play pattern is exactly my kind of nonsense: you’re messing with lore counters, replaying your favorite chapters, and turning “value enchantments” into an actual engine. The only downside is the real one: if your brain gets tired of tracking triggers and counters, this deck will politely hand you a bucket of dice and say “good luck.”
Why it’s fun: Sagas feel like a story, and Garnet turns that story into a loop you get to pilot, not just watch.
Quick build notes
You can build it cheap with “Sagas I already own,” and it still plays great.
If you already have a dice-heavy deck in your rotation, consider whether you want a second one.
#8: Peter Parker
I was skeptical going into Spider-Man. Big IP sets can be hit-or-miss for Commander, and I expected more “cute” than “cohesive.”
: Transform Peter Parker. Activate only as a sorcery.Peter Parker surprised me. The deck I played against felt like a real build-around that rewards timing and clever card choices, not just “play the on-theme cards and hope.” Shoutout to Moonmist specifically, which does way more work than it has any right to when you care about Humans transforming.
Why it’s fun: it plays like a puzzle, and the transformation angle creates interesting turn planning without drowning the table in triggers.
Quick build notes
This is a great commander if you like toolbox-y, “I have a trick for that” gameplay.
Even if you’re not a Spider-Man fan, the play pattern is worth trying once.
#7: Cloud, Ex-SOLDIER
I’ve always had a love-hate relationship with Equipment decks. The fantasy is incredible. The reality is often “one creature gets answered, and you sit there holding three swords like a fool.”
When Cloud enters, attach up to one target Equipment you control to it.
Whenever Cloud attacks, draw a card for each equipped attacking creature you control. Then if Cloud has power 7 or greater, create two Treasure tokens.
Cloud, Ex-SOLDIER fixes that by rewarding you for spreading Equipment across multiple attackers. You still get the thrill of suiting up, but you’re encouraged to go wide and keep your resources diversified. It feels less like “all-in Voltron” and more like “squad tactics.”
Why it’s fun: you get the Equipment dopamine without the single-point-of-failure sadness.
Quick build notes
The “mostly stock precon + a few swaps” approach already plays well.
If your pod packs a lot of removal, Cloud’s go-wide plan is a quiet glow-up.
#6: Captain Howler, Sea Scourge
Shark. Pirate. Commander. That’s already a win.
, Pay 2 life.Whenever you discard one or more cards, target creature gets +2/+0 until end of turn for each card discarded this way. Whenever that creature deals combat damage to a player this turn, you draw a card.
But Captain Howler is also legitimately fun because of how it rewards you for setting up sequences. When the deck is humming, you get to stack triggers, choose lines, and pick your spots. It feels powerful without feeling automatic.
Also, the fact that you can set up plays at instant speed makes your turns feel like you’re actually playing Magic, not just advancing your board and passing.
Why it’s fun: strong, consistent, and it creates big “okay, I see it” moments for the whole table.
Quick build notes
If you like discard and wheel-adjacent gameplay, this one is a blast.
The best versions feel proactive, not miserable.
#5: Gogo, Master of Mimicry
I only got one game against Gogo, and it still walked into my top five like it paid rent.
, 
: Copy target activated or triggered ability you control X times. You may choose new targets for the copies. This ability can't be copied and X can't be 0. (Mana abilities can't be targeted.)Copying abilities sounds like it could turn into either degeneracy or nothing-burger value. What I saw was the sweet spot: a newer player brewed a budget list that copied Evolving Wilds triggers to ramp, then closed with goofy-but-effective stuff like Mechanized Production.
At the beginning of your upkeep, create a token that's a copy of enchanted artifact. Then if you control eight or more artifacts with the same name as one another, you win the game.
—Dovin Baan
That’s the secret sauce: Gogo can be built strong, but it also rewards creativity in a way that screams “binder chaff challenge accepted.”
Why it’s fun: it turns weird little game actions into a win plan, and it rewards cleverness more than raw card quality.
Quick build notes
Start with “copy small things until they’re big things.”
If your group likes jank that still works, Gogo is a gift.
#4: Shiko and Narset, Unified
Precons have gotten better, and Shiko and Narset is one of those commanders that feels like it was designed to play well right out of the box.
Flurry — Whenever you cast your second spell each turn, copy that spell if it targets a permanent or player, and you may choose new targets for the copy. If you don't copy a spell this way, draw a card.
I borrowed a friend’s Aura-leaning build, and it absolutely slapped. Copying things like Combat Research or piling on buffs like All That Glitters creates fast, tense games where combat math actually matters. The deck has complexity, but it’s the good kind, the kind where you feel clever, not exhausted.
Enchanted creature gets +1/+1 for each artifact and/or enchantment you control.
Why it’s fun: it’s approachable, but it still rewards clean sequencing and smart targeting.
Quick build notes
You’ll want dice (you’ll always want dice).
Great for players who like “spellslinger, but with permanents.”
#3: Kilo, Apogee Mind
I was hyped for Kilo the moment it got previewed, and it mostly delivered.
Whenever Kilo becomes tapped, proliferate. (Choose any number of permanents and/or players, then give each another counter of each kind already there.)
Kilo is one of those commanders that can get very silly if you jam the obvious combo staples, but you don’t have to. Even with a more restrained build, it’s still fun because the commander creates constant micro-decisions: how you tap, what you’re growing, when you’re pushing, when you’re holding up interaction.
I’ve even been tempted to build it as a weird Voltron-ish proliferate deck, just because it’s the kind of commander that encourages experimentation.
Why it’s fun: lots of choices, lots of lines, and it scales from casual to “uh oh” depending on what you add.
#2: Inspirit, Flagship Vessel
Yes, this is the same precon “family” as Kilo. No, I don’t care. It’s my list.
1+ | At the beginning of combat on your turn, put your choice of a +1/+1 counter or two charge counters on up to one other target artifact.
8+ | Flying
Other artifacts you control have hexproof and indestructible.
Inspirit plays like a commander designed by someone who loves decision points. The Station gameplay creates turns where you’re constantly weighing: commit more to grow the Spacecraft, or play it safe and keep resources back?
The only reason it’s not #1 is practical: this deck can get dice-heavy fast, and I like my early-night games to move at a reasonable clip. (Your mileage may vary. Some people enjoy the soothing clack of twenty counters like it’s ASMR.)
Why it’s fun: meaningful choices every turn, and the deck feels like it has a “pilot skill” ceiling.
#1: Teval, the Balanced Scale
I have been tuning a Kamahl, Heart of Krosa // Tormod, the Desecrator deck for years. Then Teval showed up and basically said, “Nice project. I brought a dragon.”
Whenever Teval attacks, mill three cards. Then you may return a land card from your graveyard to the battlefield tapped.
Whenever one or more cards leave your graveyard, create a 2/2 black Zombie Druid creature token.
: Until end of turn, target land you control becomes a 1/1 Elemental creature with vigilance, indestructible, and haste. It's still a land.Partner (You can have two commanders if both have partner.)
Teval is the rare commander that feels great even when you don’t overhaul it. I bought the precon expecting to gut it, played one “stock” game to be responsible, and then just… didn’t change it. It plays smoothly, it does the thing, it recovers well, and it has that satisfying feeling of always having a next step.
If I upgrade anything, it’s mostly boring mana base stuff and one or two synergy cards. The core experience is already there.
Why it’s fun: it’s consistent, it rewards normal gameplay, and it still feels powerful without needing to be obnoxious.
Wrap Up
2025 was a ridiculous year for Commander options, in the best and worst way. The upside is that “fun” came in a lot of flavors: Sagas, Equipment spread, transform gameplay, copy engines, counter math, precon commanders that actually feel tuned, and at least one Shark Pirate that deserves to be on a playmat.
If you remember one thing, make it this: the most fun commanders create choices, not just triggers. Pick the one that makes you excited to play your turn, not just excited to win it.
What was your most fun commander of 2025?
FAQs
Are these the “best” commanders of 2025?
No, they’re the most fun, by my tastes and the games I actually played. “Best” usually turns into power-level arguments, and I’m trying to keep this article under the length of a Commander game that went to turns.
Are any of these viable in cEDH?
Some can be pushed hard depending on the build and your meta (Kilo is the obvious “build me mean” candidate). If you want the competitive angle, start with our cEDH tier content and work outward.
Do I need the precons to build these?
Not always, but precons are still the easiest on-ramp for a cohesive list. For the precon commanders, “stock plus a few upgrades” is often the most fun-per-dollar route.
Why are there so many Universes Beyond commanders on this list?
Because UB had a big presence in 2025, and some of those commanders were legitimately designed with Commander play patterns in mind.
Can I proxy these commanders if they’re expensive?
In casual Commander, lots of groups are proxy-friendly, but always do the quick Rule 0 check. Be transparent, keep your proxies readable, and don’t be weird about it.