The 5 Most Underrated Magic: The Gathering Cards of 2025

Dauntless Scrapbot

Released during the summer, right after the massive Final Fantasy hangover and only given a little over a month to shine before Spider-Man, Edge of Eternities was criminally robbed of the attention it deserved.

But hiding in the uncommon slot is Dauntless Scrapbot, a card I like to call the Solemn Simulacrum for the modern era.  

For three mana, you get a 3/1 body that exiles each opponent’s graveyard upon entering. In a year defined by graveyard recursion, looking at you Sephiroth decks, asymmetrical hate is invaluable.

But the real kicker is the Lander token it creates. Being able to fetch a basic land at instant speed later in the game, triggering Revolt or sacrifice synergies, makes this a glue card that holds artifact decks together.

Captain Howler, Sea Scourge

Aetherdrift had a polarizing aesthetic. Not everyone wanted their wizards driving race cars. Because of that, some mechanical powerhouses like Captain Howler, Sea Scourge were ignored.

This Shark Pirate is an absolute engine for Izzet decks.  

The Captain rewards you for doing what Izzet already loves, discarding cards. For every card you discard, you can pump a creature +2/+0.

If that creature connects, you draw a card. It turns your loot effects into massive damage and card advantage. Plus, he has Ward {2} and 2 life, making him annoying to remove. If you play aggressive spellslinger decks in Commander, this is your new best friend.  

Hollowmurk Siege

When we went back to Tarkir in April, everyone was looking at the Dragons. The Siege enchantments were largely an afterthought.

Hollowmurk Siege is a two-mana enchantment that offers insane value for Golgari players.

It’s a modal spell, meaning you choose between two effects. The Sultai mode draws you a card whenever you put a counter on a creature (once per turn), while the Abzan mode puts a counter on an attacker and gives it Menace.

Compare this to Phyrexian Arena. For one less mana and no life loss, you get a card draw engine that can trigger on your opponent’s turn if you have instant-speed ways to place counters.

It’s efficient, it’s cheap, and it’s underplayed.  

Secret Identity

The Spider-Man set had a rough landing. It felt a bit rushed to many of us, and the Web-slinging mechanic didn’t quite stick.

However, dismissing the set entirely means missing out on Secret Identity, arguably the best blue protection spell of the year.  

For one blue mana, you can turn a creature into a 1/1 Hexproof Citizen to save it from removal. Or, in a pinch, you can switch modes to make a creature a 3/4 Flyer with Vigilance.

Blue rarely gets this kind of hard protection that keeps the creature on the battlefield (unlike Phasing).

If you run a Voltron style Commander that needs to stay sticky, this is a 10-cent common that does the work of a $5 rare.  

Unlucky Cabbage Merchant

We all laughed at the “My Cabbages!” meme when this card was spoiled in November from the Avatar: Last Airbender release. Flavor wins are great, but Unlucky Cabbage Merchant is actually a serious ramp spell in disguise.  

For two mana, you get a 2/2 and a Food token. But the text says whenever you sacrifice a Food, you can search for a basic land and put it into play tapped, shuffling the Merchant back into your deck.

It’s essentially a reusable Rampant Growth that gains you life. In Food-centric decks like Samwise Gamgee or Ygra, this card is an absolute house.