MTG’s Most Popular Commander Has Been Officially Dethroned by a Final Fantasy Card
Y’shtola Rhul, a character from Final Fantasy 14, has become the most popular Commander card in Magic: The Gathering, dethroning The Ur-Dragon after more than a year at the top position. The shift was confirmed by EDHREC, which tracks the most popular cards in the Commander format using deck-building data from its community.
The crossover character reached this milestone on August 11, achieving 49,813 registered decks on EDHREC’s platform. Y’shtola has been available for approximately 15 months, with the Final Fantasy crossover set’s prerelease beginning on June 6, 2024. The climb to the top took her 425 days from that prerelease date.
The significance of Y’shtola’s ascension lies in a character from outside Magic’s universe reaching the format’s peak popularity. This underscores both the crossover set’s success and the character’s appeal within the Magic community. The previous champion, The Ur-Dragon—a creature deeply rooted in Magic’s lore—had maintained its top position through sustained popularity among Commander players. Other notable cards like Atraxa, Praetors’ Voice have also held prominent positions in the rankings. EDHREC’s data serves as a valuable benchmark for the Commander format’s competitive landscape.