Love it or hate it, 2025 was one of Magic: The Gathering’s busiest and most experimental years in recent memory. Not every release stuck the landing, but nearly every set brought something interesting to the table, whether that was bold mechanical swings, strong worldbuilding, or exciting Commander options. Looking back, 2025 felt like a year defined by risk-taking, and the payoff leaves us mostly optimistic for what 2026 has in store.
Below is every MTG set of 2025 ranked from Worst to Best, based on gameplay, design cohesion, long-term playability, limited experience, and overall fun factor.
Universes Beyond: Marvel’s Spider-Man
The only set this year that genuinely missed the mark for me—and even then, it wasn’t without its silver linings. The Spider-Man set delivered a handful of cool commanders and several solid role-players for existing archetypes, but the overall execution felt uneven. The set-exclusive mechanics, especially “Web-Slinging,” were flavorful but rarely impactful. That lack of mechanical punch made the pacing feel off, creating a disconnect between theme and gameplay that other Universes Beyond sets handled far better.
It’s not a great set compared to other Universes Beyond sets, and it’s easily the weakest of 2025.
Aetherdrift
Aetherdrift was one of the most unfairly criticized sets of the year. Despite the early online negativity, it introduced refreshing mechanics, shook up color archetypes in Limited, and delivered some extremely fun legendaries—Captain Howler, Sea Scourge being a standout favorite of ours.
If you skipped Aetherdrift because of the discourse, do yourself a favor and try drafting it or slotting a few cards into your Commander decks. The gameplay is much more entertaining and inventive than the early reception suggested. It’s a set that deserved better than it got.
Innistrad Remastered
Remastered sets always walk a tightrope between nostalgia and necessity, and Innistrad Remastered landed right in the middle. For many longtime players, revisiting Innistrad was a welcome trip home—especially with the return of fan-favorite commanders like Edgar Markov. The value of the reprints was strong, and the draft format held up surprisingly well.
While I personally have a soft spot for anything horror-themed, this set played things relatively safe from a mechanical standpoint. It didn’t push boundaries the way newer releases did, which keeps it lower on the list—not because it’s weak, but because everything above it was simply bolder.
Avatar: The Last Airbender
It’s hard not to let recency bias take over here, because Avatar was an incredible experience from a Limited and design perspective. The mechanics—particularly the elemental bending systems—felt cohesive, fresh, and intuitive. The Limited environment might genuinely be one of the best of the year. The integration of lore bites flow incredibly well and even show character development from card to card. It’s just thematic and flavorful overall.
As for Commander, several legends will absolutely see table time, though many cards shine brightest within the context of the set rather than across broader formats. Firebending, however, is the exception. Expect Jeskai and Izzet spell-sling lists to adopt Firebending with open arms—it’s a mechanic with serious legs.
Avatar is a triumph, but the top slots this year were extremely competitive.
Final Fantasy
From the moment I tried the set at Summer Game Fest, it was obvious how much care and detail went into this crossover. It’s the most Magic-adjacent Universes Beyond set since Lord of the Rings, blending Final Fantasy flavor with traditional MTG mechanics in a way that feels effortless.
The legendary lineup is fantastic, the mechanics beautifully mirror the source material, and many of the designs feel like they were crafted by people who truly love both franchises. The only downsides were a few notable balance issues (Vivi Cauldron, I’m looking at you), and a staggering amount of price volatility that made the set harder to access for many players.
Those issues keep it out of the top two, but make no mistake—this was a home run for both Magic fans and JRPG lovers.
Tarkir: Dragonstorm
Going into 2025, I was convinced this would be my Set of the Year. Tarkir’s return brought five incredibly solid precons representing five three-color clans, each offering players the option between a Clan leader commander or a Dragon commander, both viable and flavorful.
Tarkir remains one of Magic’s richest planes, and these decks reminded everyone why players have been begging for a return. The only thing holding this set back from first place is how safe the precons felt. They were almost all fantastic right out of the box, but most leaned heavily into traditional color identities without surprising mechanical twists.
Still, as a love letter to Tarkir and Dragon fans. It’s nearly perfect.
Edge of Eternities
No set shocked me more than Edge of Eternities. What started as a curiosity quickly became my runaway favorite of 2025. The worldbuilding, the mechanics, the Limited environment—everything clicked into place. It even delivered my new favorite full-art lands of recent years.
Commander players were spoiled with creative legends, including the Lobster Chef, who instantly inspired one of the funniest meme decks I’ve ever built. The set feels like a soft runway for next year’s Star Trek crossover, but honestly, I don’t mind at all. Edge of Eternities stands firmly on its own as one of the most fun, cohesive, and surprising Magic sets in recent years. And it comes full of rich lore that feels written from the ground up as a full new and fresh Magic story.
If you have the chance to draft it—do not skip it. It’s an absolute blast.
Final Thoughts
Reflecting on 2025, it’s clear that Magic: The Gathering had a year full of experimentation, some hits, some misses, and plenty of discussion. While the Universes Beyond lineup produced standout successes like Avatar: The Last Airbender and Final Fantasy, it also showed how uneven these crossovers can feel when the mechanics or themes don’t fully gel. Heading into 2026, I’m cautiously optimistic: if future UB sets follow the level of care, cohesion, and gameplay depth we saw in Avatar and Final Fantasy, they could be genuinely great additions. If not, we may see more of the inconsistency that made this year divisive.
That said, the in-universe sets on the horizon are where my excitement really starts to build. Lorwyn returning feels like a breath of fresh air—its atmosphere, creature tribes, and fairytale darkness offer so much potential for both Limited and Commander. Pair that with another visit to Strixhaven, a plane that’s become synonymous with expressive mechanics and strong identity, and 2026’s core lineup looks incredibly promising.
Before you go, make sure to check out our Avatar: The Last Airbender Limited Guide—a full breakdown of the format, top archetypes, and strategies to give you an edge at your next draft.
