Commander Staples Q4 2025 Price Trends
Commander has become the heart of Magic: The Gathering’s secondary market.
With more than 25 million players worldwide and a constantly expanding card pool, the format drives sustained demand for powerful, flexible cards that appear across multiple decks and archetypes.
In today’s Price Trends report, we’ll look at how the Commander market performed in Q4 2025, which staples led the movement, and what collectors and investors should watch heading into 2026.
The Commander Economy
Commander (also known as EDH) remains the most popular way to play Magic casually and competitively.
Because decks rely on a single legendary creature and 99 singleton cards, the format rewards variety — but a small core of staples continues to dominate demand.
Cards that provide ramp, card draw, or efficient removal often act as the “index funds” of the Commander economy. Their prices move less on tournament results and more on overall player participation and reprint timing.
Market Overview – Q4 2025
- Overall liquidity: Stable to slightly higher. Buylist prices rose 3–4% compared to Q3.
- High-end staples: Continued strength, especially in premium foils and etched variants.
- Mid-tier cards: Flattened or softened where reprints loomed.
- Sealed product: Commander Masters boxes declined another 10%, showing money is flowing back into singles.
The overall Commander index, tracked across 200 staples by MTGGoldfish, was up roughly 2.1% quarter-over-quarter – modest growth after two years of cooling.
Top Gainers This Quarter
| Card | Set | Q4 Price Change | Driver |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dockside Extortionist | Commander 2020 | +22% | Reprint fears faded; EDHRec usage remains top-10. |
| Smothering Tithe | Ravnica Allegiance | +18% | Demand surged with new white-based treasure decks. |
| Jeweled Lotus | Commander Legends | +15% | Commander’s “fast mana” equivalent to Black Lotus; steady premium growth. |
| Deflecting Swat | Commander 2020 | +13% | Still under-reprinted; red decks rely on free protection. |
| Fierce Guardianship | Commander 2020 | +12% | Supply thinning as collectors slab first-run foils. |
These five cards account for nearly 30% of total market gains among tracked staples. Each has avoided a major reprint in over two years — the single biggest factor behind their appreciation.
Cards Losing Momentum
| Card | Set | Q4 Price Change | Reason |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cyclonic Rift | Return to Ravnica | −9% | Heavy reprint exposure; cooling demand. |
| Rhystic Study | Commander Masters | −8% | Reprint effect; foil multiplier compressed. |
| Esper Sentinel | Modern Horizons 2 | −7% | Still highly played, but large supply from reissues. |
Reprint waves remain the single greatest headwind for staples. The Commander Masters release temporarily diluted prices across blue staples and artifact ramp pieces.
Collector and Investor Insights
- Premium versions lead performance. Serialized and extended-art foils from Commander Legends continue to outperform base versions by 20–30%.
- Liquidity favors playability. Cards with cross-format use in Legacy or Vintage (e.g., Dockside Extortionist) retain stronger bids.
- Commander decks as a driver. Each new pre-constructed deck introduces 5–10 cards that later become staples; early identification remains key.
- Seasonality. Historically, Q1 and Q2 show mild slowdowns as new set releases absorb liquidity before it returns mid-year.
Outlook for 2026
Expect continued consolidation in staple pricing with isolated spikes tied to Commander-focused releases.
Wizards of the Coast’s reprint cadence now heavily influences short-term swings; however, long-term fundamentals – consistent player growth and entrenched card utility – remain bullish.
High-grade foil versions and early printings of proven staples are likely to appreciate 5–10% annually barring surprise reprints.
Related Reading
- Black Lotus (Alpha, 1993) Rare Card Spotlight
- Modern Horizons 3 Set Review (MTG)
- Collector Tips & Storage Guides
