Universes Beyond Makes Up 20% of EDH’s Most Popular Commanders

Last updated on August 29, 2025

Ghyrson Starn, Kelermorph | Illustration by Aaron J. Riley

When was the last time you sat down in a Commander pod and no one was playing a commander from a Universes Beyond property? That's becoming more and more of an oddity these days, as UB commanders–that is, Universes Beyond, not Dimir (UB)–now make up 20% of the most popular commanders in the game, according to EDHREC.

A Whole New World

Ezio Auditore da Firenze | Illustration by Fajareka Setiawan

Bad news for Universes Beyond haters, neutral news for all the rest: 20% of EDHREC's Top Commanders (of the last two years) is comprised of commanders from Universes Beyond crossover sets. To be more accurate, this includes all commanders that aren't from a Magic: The Gathering original world or IP; Dungeons & Dragons sets aren't technically labeled as Universes Beyond, but they fit the bill of being an outside source that Magic's invoked for a couple sets.

Final Fantasy alone has put three commanders in the top 100, and that set's still basically in its infancy, and Sauron, the Dark Lord from Lord of the Rings has even cracked the top 10. For the genuinely and/or morbidly curious, here's the list of UB (and D&D) commanders in the top 100 as of August 2025:

• Sauron, the Dark Lord — Lord of the Rings — #7
• Miirym, Sentinel Wyrm — Baldur's Gate — #11
• The Wise Mothman — Fallout — #16
• Aragorn, the Uniter — Lord of the Rings — #22
• Frodo, Adventurous Hobbit + Sam, Loyal Attendant — Lord of the Rings Commander — #25
• Y'shtola, Night's Blessed — Final Fantasy Commander — #34
• Ghyrson Starn, Kelermorph — Warhammer 40,000 — #38
• Mr. House, President and CEO — Fallout — #39
• Tom Bombadil — Lord of the Rings — #42
• Caesar, Legion's Emperor — Fallout — #47
• Vivi Ornitier — Final Fantasy — #51
• Ezio Auditore da Firenze — Assassin's Creed — #71
• Captain N'ghathrod — Baldur's Gate — #72
• Galadriel, Light of Valinor — Lord of the Rings Commander — #79
• Marneus Calgar — Warhammer 40,000 — #81
• Prosper, Tome-Bound — Adventures in the Forgotten Realms — #84
• Be'lakor, the Dark Master — Warhammer 40,000 — #88
• Magus Lucea Kane — Warhammer 40,000 — #89
• Shelob, Child of Ungoliant — Lord of the Rings — #96
• Sephiroth, Fabled SOLDIER — Final Fantasy — #99

And in case you're wondering, here's the breakdown by properties that are contributing top commanders:

• Lord of the Rings: 6
• Warhammer 40,000: 4
• Dungeons & Dragons: 3
• Fallout: 3
• Final Fantasy: 3
• Assassin's Creed: 1

Interesting to see the staying power of commanders from properties like Warhammer 40,000, which is nearly three years old now, as well as the explosiveness of Final Fantasy, which is less than three months old, while relative duds like Doctor Who haven't managed to put a single commander on the list.

20% and Growing

Frodo, Adventurous Hobbit | Illustration by Axel Sauerwald

Chances are, this trend is going to continue, and the 1-in-5 is slowly going to approach 1-in-4 in due time. There are many reasons for this, from the increased number of Universes Beyond sets in Magic's regular release schedule, to the sheer number of legendary creatures being printed in those sets. As a by-product, MTG is intentionally decreasing the number of legends within in-universe sets, so there are just fewer chances for an original MTG character to crack the top 100 than there are for UB legends to make the list.

Universes Beyond also has familiarity behind it. When Final Fantasy released, people just wanted to play with Y'shtola, Night's Blessed and Vivi Ornitier, some of their favorite characters from their favorite Final Fantasy titles. Obviously, those are backed up by being really powerful cards, but if they weren't such recognizable characters, they probably wouldn't be as high on the list, if at all. Sephiroth, Fabled SOLDIER just entered to Top 100 within the last week, owing to the fact that the card is powerful and the character is well-loved, the perfect recipe for a successful UB commander.

This is only a “problem” if you think Universes Beyond as a whole is a problem. Some might argue UB commanders crowding out original, in-universe commanders is heresy, but that's all up to personal opinion. The fact of the matter is, people are building and playing these decks, at least according to EDHREC's numbers, which tend to be a good reflection of the casual Commander player base. And with Spider-Man, Avatar: The Last Airbender, and at least three new Universes Beyond sets hitting in 2026, the numbers are just going up from here.