The 20 Most Overrated and Overplayed Cards in Commander Ranked

Last updated on May 17, 2025

Timeless Lotus | Illustration by Lindsey Look

Hey folks! Today I’m calling Magic: The Gathering cards that people know and love overrated on the internet. If you never hear from me again, tell my family I love them, and that I spoke the truth. Well, I spoke some pretty controversial opinions, rather.

Look, who doesn’t love a good Commander hot take? Let’s have some fun as I slander the cards you’ve been playing in EDH for the last 10 years or so. I’ll give thorough explanations as to why I think the cards listed here are overrated, but I’m ready for some debate. Take a gander and meet me in the comments!

What Are Overrated Commander Cards in MTG?

Leyline of the Guildpact | Illustration by Daarken

Overrated Commander cards are ones that are either played too often, frequently misevaluated, or treated/talked about as though they’re better than they actually are.

This is an opinion piece based solely on my experience as a Commander player. Everyone’s experiences differ, so my entries may not be overrated in your estimation. That’s grounds for some good conversation, so hear me out on my arguments, and let’s [respectfully] discuss them.

First note: I’m a casual player, so I’m not addressing anything from the perspective of cEDH. That would be a different list entirely.

Second, and I cannot stress this enough, “overrated” does not mean “bad.” Most of these cards are actually quite good; I just think people praise them too highly. When I say something’s overrated, I’m suggesting we should bump it down a notch, or a letter grade, or what have you. People might think a card is an 8 out of 10. “Overrated” means I’m probably evaluating it as a 6 or 7 out of 10, not a 1.

Finally, I’ve employed the help of EDHREC to give me some numbers, just like I did with my underrated cards list. To qualify for this list, a card has to appear in at least 3% of eligible decks listed on EDHREC to indicate that it’s actually heavily played to some degree.

#20. Burnished Hart

Funnily enough, people were outspoken about Burnished Hart being pretty mediocre 10 years ago, so consider me late to the party when I say Burnished Hart just isn’t up to snuff now. People are setting their plans in motion as early as turns 2 or 3 these days; using the entirety of your turns 3 and 4 to keep setting up is just asking to get left behind.

This artifact creature takes up two turns’ worth of mana to ramp you ahead. So you run this out on turn 3 while other players drop Rhystic Study and Black Market Connections, hope and pray it’s allowed to live, then crack it the following turn while opponents are deploying 4- and 5-drops. “Slow” is an easy word to fall back on for many of today’s cards, but it really applies to this poor elk.

#19. Thrill of Possibility

This is mostly a PSA that Thrill of Possibility has strictly better versions now that people might’ve missed. Sazacap's Brew and Demand Answers are both strict upgrades with additional functionality, so there’s little reason to play Thrill unless you’re going for maximum redundancy.

This could also be attributed to the fact that Thrill has been printed more times and has been around for longer. The two upgrades are both from 2024, so players might still be adjusting or haven’t discovered the newer commons yet, and Thrill just has residual numbers that’ll decline in years to come. Nothing particularly wrong with Thrill, just wanted to remind people that we got some minor upgrades last year.

#18. Mentor of the Meek

Mentor of the Meek is a card advantage engine that’s lingering from the early days. Back when white wasn’t allowed to have card draw, you’d resort to something like Mentor for card advantage, but white card draw isn’t much of an issue anymore. Tocasia's Welcome, Welcoming Vampire, and Enduring Innocence cover this space quite well.

Mentor has a higher ceiling since you can draw multiple cards per turn, but the frail body and mana payment hurt this. I’m fine with a “once per turn” rider on my card draw if it’s not charging me any additional mana. The cards keep flowing and I get to actually spend my mana deploying those cards instead of playing off-curve the whole game.

#17. Diabolic Tutor

Diabolic Tutor is the only card on this list that I find truly terrible. Not everyone needs Demonic Tutor in every deck, but Diabolic Tutor is a steep drop-off. You’re using an entire turn’s worth of mana in the midgame to find a single card. We can do better without breaking the bank.

Sidisi, Undead Vizier is relatively affordable, Rune-Scarred Demon can fit into reanimator decks and costs less than $1, and I’d happily pay the extra mana for Final Parting and get the extra entomb effect before I ever spend my turn on Diabolic Tutor. If we’re going to play an expensive tutor, might as well play something with an added benefit.

#16. Tempt with Discovery

I loathe Tempt with Discovery. Four mana for potentially four lands is absurd, so the power level’s definitely there. My issue is the way it stacks up against different types of players.

It either preys on newer/less skilled players, or it flounders against experienced players. Savvy players just know not to take the tempting offer, and a pod full of them will turn this into an overpriced ramp spell. Against newbies, you’ll usually get a ton of lands and run away with the game. But how much of an advantage do you really need against new players to begin with? I really dislike the gameplay dynamics here, as it’s at its best against worse players and at its worst against good players.

#15. Wrath of God

If you’re playing Wrath of God and you like it, keep doing that. But I’ve always trended towards “bigger” white sweepers in Commander. In Constructed, you need your wraths to be cheap enough to catch up against a fast opponent, but that’s not necessarily true in Commander. There’s more wiggle room, and I’d rather have a more expensive wrath with added utility than a cheaper one with no upside (unless regeneration matters in your meta).

I’d bias towards Fumigate, or Cleansing Nova, or Hour of Revelation, and get more bang for my buck. That’s without even mentioning the almost objectively better wraths like Sunfall and Farewell. And of course, you can lean on synergy sweepers for certain archetypes, like Hour of Reckoning in token decks or Damning Verdict in +1/+1 counter decks. Basically, I want my wraths to do more than just wrath the board.

#14. Harmonize

Harmonize is a remnant of a time when this is what green had to play for card draw. You always had some bigger Greater Good style draw engines, but they usually required a certain type of deck or strategy to make sense. Harmonize was just a clean plug-and-play card you could dump into any green deck. But now, people are playing The One Ring on the same turn you’re casting your Harmonize. And green has so many options for card advantage these days.

Aim for long term card advantage over burst card draw like this. Sticky permanents like Guardian Project and Elven Chorus keep cards flowing and often exceed the raw card advantage of Harmonize. They still have the “tap out on 4 and pass the turn” issue, but they set you up better for a longer game, and permanents are better suited to green decks than sorceries. Harmonize isn’t atrocious, but it’s a slot I’d be looking to upgrade in any deck still playing it.

#13. Bounce Lands

“Bounce land” refers to the lands from the Karoo cycle, and more importantly the Ravnica: City of Guilds 2-color lands like Izzet Boilerworks and friends. I used to love these, but increased access to excellent fixing and land cycles means they’re just not necessary. They’re still totally functional, and they actually provide card advantage in the long run, but they lead to clunky opening hands and they’re colossal liabilities against land destruction.

“But people don’t play land destruction, you dope,” you might say, rudely. But I think the masses are catching on that they should play some amount of targeted land destruction, just not mass land destruction. I see way more Demolition Fields and Strip Mines than ever, plus there are people still on Acidic Slime from 10 years ago. I don’t want any reason to draw those players’ attention to my mana base when my other mana fixing options are already pretty good.

#12. Dark Ritual

Dark Ritual is less overrated and more misplayed. This is not a card to just throw in any black deck because you can. Casting Syr Konrad, the Grim two turns early is fine, but rarely worth the cost of an entire card to do so. If Konrad bites a Swords to Plowshares, you’re just down an extra card now.

That said, Dark Ritual can be an incredible tool if you have a specific plan for it. For example, a commander like Braids, Arisen Nightmare can recoup card advantage so easily that I’d happily blow a card on a ritual to power it out early. Braids will make up for that lost card very quickly. Just putting Dark Ritual in your deck because you’re playing black and “Dark Ritual is a good black card” isn’t justification enough to take on the card disadvantage it incurs.

#11. Burgeoning

I originally typed up an entry for Craterhoof Behemoth here, not to downplay how good the card is, but to give people a look at some other awesome overrun effects we've picked up over the years. At the end of the day though, ‘Hoof remains one of green's best wincons in the format despite competition, so it feels very properly rated. Picking up its spot is Burgeoning a card that can be quite strong in decks that make it strong.

The problem with Burgeoning is the same problem with many cards on this list: Simply assuming it's a staple of its color because it gets played a lot. I'm of the opinion that Burgeoning only really belongs in decks that draw a ton of cards by design. It's excellent in any wheel-style deck that touches green because you'll always have lands in hand for the trigger. But too often I see it run out on turn 1, it triggers a few times around the table, and then the person who played it is sitting on two cards in hand with nothing much left to do. And it doesn't exactly get better if you happen to draw it beyond turn 1.

By all means play your Burgeoning, but make sure it's supported with card advantage. Dumping your hand of lands into play doesn't matter if you can't capitalize on it. And if you are a fan, check out Archeomancer's Map, a similar card I formerly called underrated that's now peaked above the 3% play rate.

#10. Faithless Looting

Faithless Looting is another Dark Ritual situation. I think many people see this card’s pedigree in Constructed and just assume it goes into every red deck. And sure, you can just slot it in for some card filtering, but it’s really not maximized unless you have a specific plan for it.

The issue is that casting Faithless Looting is card disadvantage. You’re down three cards but only up two (plus a flashback spell in the yard). Unless you’re exploiting that for some substantial gain, there’s just better ways to go about card selection.

The good news is that Faithless Looting can be an excellent enabler if you’re using it with purpose. Filling the graveyard for reanimation effects, enabling madness and discard payoffs, or just spellslinging for a storm win are all viable reasons to want this card. That’s the key: You have to want this before you run this.

#9. Leyline of the Guildpact

I need the reader’s help on this one. While searching EDHREC, I was shocked to find out Leyline of the Guildpact was listed in 16% of possible decks. Over 1-in-10 5-color decks are packing this Leyline? That’s wild.

I most closely associate Leyline with Scion of Draco combos in Modern, or devotion decks in Pioneer. Neither of those translate to Commander all that well, so I’m chalking this up to people using it as mana fixing in 5-color decks. In which case I have to ask: Why? This is abysmal if it’s not in your opening hand, and it’s pretty negligible even if you get to do the leyline thing.

So MTG players, what’s up with Leyline of the Guildpact? Do we enjoy the Coalition Victory unbanning? Are we jamming Happily Ever After? Help me understand this one.

#8. OG Dual Lands

Have you ever witnessed a turn-1 Tundra and everyone starts moaning and groaning about a dual land in casual Commander? Original duals are optimal lands, but they’re not that advantageous in EDH. The difference between Underground Sea and Morphic Pool isn’t that enormous. Yes, the duals are fetchable, and that makes fetch-dual mana bases more consistent, but mana’s just kind of good in general these days.

If you’ve got Alpha–Beta duals, flaunt them all you want! They’re status symbols to some people, and others equate their expensive Reserved List aura and dominance in Vintage/Legacy as a display of power, but they’re really not that much better than the next best thing.

#7. Commander’s Sphere

I’ve been a champion of Commander's Sphere for far too long. I don’t buy into the “3-mana rocks are unplayable” hyperbole, but they do need to provide value beyond just tapping for a single mana each turn.

The thing is, Commander’s Sphere only does something if it’s about to die or you’re desperate. It might as well be Manalith while it’s in play. Or worse, Chromatic Lantern (joke). You can cash it in like a Mind Stone, but I never really want to go down on mana, so that’s just a last resort. And it’s nice that you get a card back if it’s about to get Vandalblasted, but that’s all secondary to its function on the battlefield.

I’ve just felt the slowness of pricey mana rocks lately. As much as I want to live in a world where 3-mana rocks are “still fine, don’t worry,” you always feel behind if this is your first piece of acceleration. If you insist on playing a Manalith variant, I highly suggest finding ones that give you additional advantages while they’re in play, like Coalition Relic.

#6. Solemn Simulacrum

Much like Commander's Sphere, having to admit Solemn Simulacrum isn’t a Commander staple anymore hurts on a fundamental level. This was the card you’d slot into any deck after Command Tower, Sol Ring, and later Arcane Signet. Now it needs synergy to justify itself or it’s not even a consideration.

This goes back to speed of the format. Can I really afford for Sad Robot to be my 4-mana play when opponents are dumping Caesar, Legion's Emperor or Bello, Bard of the Brambles on turns 3-4? You just get run over playing 2015 Magic in 2025. So I need the word artifact to pull a lot of weight before Solemn earns its place, and even then it still feels behind the times.

#5. Phyrexian Arena

Phyrexian Arena’s a fine budget alternative to Black Market Connections, but let’s acknowledge that Arena isn’t that good of a card draw engine. It’s not reprehensible, but it’s a relic of early Commander more than a staple of modern EDH.

If your average game of Commander lasts 10-15 turns, sure, this will pay dividends. But if games are ending between turns 6-9, this slow drip card advantage just isn’t all that impressive. For comparison, Ancient Craving does exactly what Phyrexian Arena would do by the end of turn 6, and that’s if you always have Arena on turn 3. And Ancient Cravings isn't on my happy list either. Plus, what happens when you draw Arena later in the game? Often times you can’t even deploy it because you can’t afford to wait a few turns for a slow Sign in Blood.

I prefer the cheap efficiency of something like Night's Whisper, or even a synergy piece like Deadly Dispute. You get exactly what you would’ve gleaned from Phyrexian Arena right away without fiddling with a time-sensitive enchantment.

#4. Timeless Lotus

If Timeless Lotus were just named “Colorful Ficus” I don’t think people would care all that much. You can really pop off the turn after untapping with this, but I’d rather just have a Gilded Lotus and get to use some amount of my mana right away. Timeless Lotus goes pretty big, but it also just paints a target on your back and says “please don’t blow up my super slow, super powerful artifact.” And then someone blows it up and you’re sad.

Also, why is this card still above $10? Prismatic Geoscope is right there. It has a domain requirement, but it can make different combinations of mana, and it’s not locked to 5-color decks due to color identity. Plus, it’s about $1 in comparison!

#3. Doubling Season

Doubling Season can do what few other cards can, so clearly there’s power packed into the card. And it excels in games against people who don’t run any sort of enchantment removal, which I don’t give cards extra credit for. But how often are people just tapping out for Doubling Season, passing the turn, and hoping for the best? My guess: Way too often, considering this is in 10% of eligible decks on EDHREC.

Look, if you’re trying to do some planeswalker combo thing or you’re in a Timmy meta where people just constantly go over the top battlecruiser-style, have your fun with Doubling Season. But if you’re trying to streamline or face off against tighter, well-rounded players, you could gain a lot by cutting clunky “do-nothing” cards that eat up an entire turn. It’s the same problem I have with Inexorable Tide, Assemble the Legion, and other 5+ mana enchantments. They’re just asking to get popped by removal without affecting the game, even if the upside’s high when you untap.

Of course, Doubling Season is incredibly fun, so if you just enjoy the card, by all means play it. Just know that it’s not exactly optimal to run big clunkers like this, and the card's mystique has mostly been held up by history, not recent results.

#2. Reliquary Tower

Reliquary Tower is a stand-in for most cards with the infinite hand size text, which is overvalued in general. It’s fine when it’s incidental on a card like Thought Vessel, a 2-mana rock that helps with early-game acceleration, but people are too quick to dismiss the downside of adding colorless lands to their decks when the upsides aren’t that high.

I want to answer a few questions before I add Reliquary Tower to my deck: Is my deck designed to draw lots of cards, and can my mana base afford a colorless land? If the answer to either question is no, then it’s an easy skip for me. Sure, it’ll feel good to have when someone Cyclonic Rifts you, but in most cases it doesn’t do anything meaningful. And I know this hurts to hear, but it’s okay to discard to hand size! You weren’t casting all those cards anyway, so just keep your best cards in hand and let the rest go.

All that said, I think cards like Reliquary Tower, Spellbook, and Decanter of Endless Water have real homes, specifically in decks that are built around mass card draw engines. It’s just not an auto-include by any stretch.

#1. Chromatic Lantern

There’s an enormous gap between how Chromatic Lantern makes you feel while it’s in play versus what it’s actually doing. In almost every case, a Chromatic Lantern is going to have the same net outcome as Darksteel Ingot.

Since the Lantern taps for any color itself, it already solves the issue of missing a color, which most 3-cost mana rocks could already do. But how often are you missing two or more colors by turn 3? If that’s happening consistently enough that Chromatic Lantern is actually digging you out of a rut, you need to shape up your mana base.

Next time you play this, ask yourself sincerely: Did Chromatic Lantern do anything special for you that Manalith wouldn’t have also done? Did specifically Lantern let you make a play you couldn’t have made if it were just Commander's Sphere instead? The answer’s almost always no.

There’s the argument that Chromatic Lantern eases the stress of having to tap lands correctly, but I’m not giving a card credit for rewarding players for playing worse. Just tap your lands correctly anyway, it’s good practice. If you’re playing color-intensive spells like Ultimatums and 2-color Gearhulks in the same deck, then sure, Lantern can assist you there, but even then I have to assume Coalition Relic or Darksteel Ingot would be enough to help you out while having tangible upsides.

Commanding Conclusion

Chromatic Lantern | Illustration by Jung Park

Now that I’ve royally irritated every Commander player in some way or another, I’d like to remind everyone that this whole piece is personal opinion based on my own experiences. Mileage varies between players and playgroups, so my experiences may not line up with everyone else’s, and that’s okay. Let’s chat about it!

I’d also like to hear what you think is over or underrated in Commander. What are the hidden gems of the format, and the ones that need to be brought out to pasture? Let me know in the comments below or over in the Draftsim Discord.

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