Hello and welcome back! Earlier this week (maybe an extra day or three when this article releases) Gavin Verhey of Wizards of the Coast unveiled the new Bracket System for the Commander format. First previewed on WeeklyMTG and expanded upon in articles, posts on social media and videos afterward, it aims to help define what kind of experience you’re looking for in a commander game by helping set expectations.
Many opinions have already been discussed after the release of the Brackets, which are said to be in a testing phase to see how they pan out. Some opinions and questions have been addressed via the aforementioned articles and posts, but to reach a larger audience I feel a lot of the information, and the expansion of that information to make it clearer, bears repeating.
So today you and I are going to take a deep dive into the new beta Bracket system for Commander.
MORE LIKE GUIDELINES
I want to start this off by saying everything in and of the bracket system are guidelines, and Rule 0 still plays a role in helping you get the experience out of Commander that you want. This is not a strict strata, hierarchy or meta. In the spirit of Commander, like always, this isn’t a hard and fast system where everything is broken down into minute parts to scour over.
Some have already, as some usually do, want a much more structured system with definite dos, don’ts, and direction. Commander hasn’t ever been that way, and some players will find the brackets lacking.
However, for the majority of players who play the Commander format, this should just help games be more balanced and entertaining. Like the title of this section says, these are more like guidelines and there’s nothing within these brackets that say you must follow them if you and your group(s) already have a nice flow to your games going on.
THE GAME CHANGERS
With the brackets comes a new list of cards. These cards aren’t banned from the format, but are more restricted in lower brackets. The deciding factor for each has been covered by Gavin Verhey, but mostly these cards help games become stale through repetitive play, restricted land use too harshly, or gave the user an advantage that tended to be outsized or oppressive.
I should note that these cards can still be used in decks, as again they are not banned, but specifically in brackets 1-2 shouldn’t be used, and in bracket 3 are limited to up to three. Brackets 4 and 5 have unlimited use of these cards. I’ll get to describing the brackets in a minute, but let’s take a look at the list of game changer cards below.
Drannith Magistrate
Enlightened Tutor
Serra’s Sanctum
Smothering Tithe
Trouble in Pairs
Cyclonic Rift
Expropriate
Force of Will
Fierce Guardianship
Rhystic Study
Thassa’s Oracle
Urza, Lord High Artificer
Mystical Tutor
Jin-Gitaxias, Core Augur
Bolas’s Citadel
Demonic Tutor
Imperial Seal
Opposition Agent
Tergrid, God of Fright
Vampiric Tutor
Ad Nauseam
Jeska’s Will
Underworld Breach
Survival of the Fittest
Vorinclex, Voice of Hunger
Gaea’s Cradle
Kinnan, Bonder Prodigy
Yuriko, The Tiger’s Shadow
Winota, Joiner of Forces
Grand Arbiter Augustine IV
Ancient Tomb
Chrome Mox
The One Ring
The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale
Trinisphere
Grim Monolith
Lion’s Eye Diamond
Mox Diamond
Mana Vault
Glacial Chasm
An important thing to keep in mind for the future is that the Game Changers list also serves as a half step to banning or unbanning a card. So while I doubt any of the cards above are going to be banned anytime soon, if the Command Format Panel does decide to move to ban cards, it’s likely going to be off this list. An exception to this would be a design “mistake” like Nadu, where they might go straight to the ban list. Likewise, a card coming off the ban list would likely end up here to keep an eye on, and control in what games it might show up.
This system does two important things; first it lets players know what cards are being watched for potential bannings so there won’t be many surprises like Dockside Extortionist and Jeweled Lotus. Second is that it helps regulate the experience with terminology. Banned cards are largely agreed upon to not be played, but in the more casual games Rule 0 could allow a player to use them. They were always suggestions rather than full bans, but for Commander to work out with random players it had to be treated like bans. The Game Changers list not only reinforces that cards are now actually banned rather than assumed, but also provides a spot where cards you might prefer not to play against but can be discussed can have some wiggle room that might not have been as nuanced before.
BRACKET ONE: EXHIBITION (SOCIAL)
Bevy of Beebles - Jeff Miracola
Ladies Looking Left. Chair Typal. All One-Drops. Nothing but (artist’s name) cards. Guild Allegiance. Ashling and 99 Mountains.
This is the bracket for themed decks where you showcase silly things or try out ideas for decks where they are basically less powerful by nature of the design itself, or you want to show off a deck you managed to put together under a more restrictive building idea.
By that nature, they will be less powerful than the Preconstructed Commander decks sold off the shelves and contain no Game Changer cards. These decks will often not even be trying to win a game outright as the first objective, but instead just want to show off the themes within.
There are other exclusions to be considered as well. There is no mass land denial (destruction, restriction on mana production, removal or other interference with land cards*), no extra turn cards, no two card combos that lock out players, end the game or infinite outcomes, and only a few tutors can be used (land tutors, like Three Visits or Cultivate, are unlimited).
To cover it a bit more specifically, you can still use Beast Within or Generous Gift to blow up a land. You just can’t somehow copy that spell and blow up a bunch of lands. Second, a few tutors can be interpreted as a low number like 1-2, depending on the strength and efficiency of them. In bracket one, you already can’t use tutors like Enlightened or Vampiric. Diabolic Tutor or something specific like Trinket Mage might be fine. Of course, how you use them will determine how they are judged. Getting a Clue typed artifact so you can equip your commander will be a lot less scary than Skullclamp.
BRACKET TWO: CORE (SOCIAL)
Valgavoth, Harrower of Souls - Chris Cold
A decent shorthand for this is the modern functionality and card inclusions in the modern Preconstructed deck you can buy, but there are some caveats here. First is that sometimes cards from the Game Changers lists will be included in those decks, but no Game Changers cards are suggested for bracket 2. Second is that this really talks about set decks and not premium decks like we got with Modern Horizons 3 and Warhammer. Those decks are generally more powerful than your average precon. So like I said it’s a decent shorthand, but with some implied meaning there.
These decks, unlike the decks in bracket one, are also designed to win but not too quickly and you’ll see it coming, being able to pick apart the win condition with removal or have a prevent damage spell ready.
Much like bracket one, the same restrictions for the bracket apply. No Game Changers, no mass land denial, no chaining together extra turn spells (one or two in deck is fine), no two card combos and few tutors.
BRACKET THREE: UPGRADED (SOCIAL)
Maelstrom Wanderer - Victor Adame Minguez
Here is where I think most decks I’ve played against lay. These decks are the ones that generally include more powerful cards with those cards supporting the strategy overall and other cards in the deck.
In this bracket, you CAN expect to see some two card combos end the game, a few of the cards off the Game Changers list, more and stronger tutoring effects, and generally more efficient value happening.
Now there are two caveats here as well. First is that the game ending combo shouldn’t necessarily happen before turn 5-7. Sometimes it happens faster but shouldn’t be consistent. Second, the Game Changer cards are finally included. The suggestion right now are using only 0-3, but you can always talk about that with your playgroup(s). Remember, these brackets are to help conversations happen and align expectations not hard and fast rules. The brackets and Game Changers are still in a testing phase.
Like bracket two, and going forward, the goal of the game is to win it. That said, bracket three is still a social experience first. Have a good time laughing at jokes, discussing cool cards, and poking fun at your missed triggers.
BRACKET FOUR: OPTIMIZED (SOCIAL / COMPETITIVE)
Tergrid, God of Fright - Yongjae Choi
Welcome to the high end bracket of power for casual games. These decks are built to win with more powerful cards, synergies, combos, and general good stuffs with large blocks of text like some of the Game Changers.
Not much to say here except this bracket encompasses everything with one exclusion: considering a meta. Unlike the next bracket, this one still allows you to create and bring whatever commander deck you want, no restrictions other than the banned list itself. You are playing to win as the primary goal, social goal being second (but still important). Maybe there is a casual tournament with a cool prize on the line, or maybe it’s a throwdown with friends for bragging rights and who pays for the food. Whatever the reason, winning is why you bring these decks out first and foremost with laughs along the way.
BRACKET FIVE: cEDH (COMPETITIVE)
Urza, Lord High Artificer - Grzegorz Rutkowski
The inclusion of cEDH as a bracket unto itself has confused some people, but I think it is a natural extension for the top end of power of the format. While arguments could be made about the spirit of Commander here, the fact remains that except for the absolute emphasis on winning, enjoying the game with friends and/or bringing your A game is the core of the experience, even for most casual players.
Here, much like bracket four, anything goes excluding banned cards. All tutors, mass land denial, all the Game Changers. Whatever. The difference here is the consideration of other decks you might be facing. There is a metagame, with top decks and strategies more akin to Standard or Modern. You have to prepare for competing with these decks and your plays have to be at the best you can manage. Every mana matters, and knowing the finer rules of the game is a must (or have a judge around).
FRAMEWORK FOR THE FUTURE
Again, I want to stress the brackets for Commander are a guide to help people have games where everyone gets to play, has a good shot at winning when considering their deck, and aren’t a hard and fast system to judge everything in all circumstances.
There is also some wiggle room to move brackets as well. A bracket 3 deck might be able to play a game with bracket 4 simply by strategy or card selection besides Game Changer cards. A bracket 2 deck could play with a pod of 3 bracket decks. My Feather deck does it all the time. The games might be a little lopsided, but the players involved will be the judges of that and decide whether or not to repeat the experience.
The bracket system and the Game Changers list are also still being hammered out and forged into something. The people behind the system are looking for feedback and a large real time test will be happening at MagicCon Chicago. So, try the brackets out yourself and see if they help or hinder your games.
COMMANDER ETERNAL
I think the bracket system is a good step to help players find games they can all play together without having anyone being a nonplayer in a game. Granted, these guidelines can’t stop bad actors and some people might misjudge their decks in the system. I’m still working on where my Coram deck will land within it. I have faith however that this is a large net good for the format.
I also really like the Game Changers list. It will allow bans and unbans in a controlled manner that should partition some cards to the higher powered pods and leave the more casual games alone. It also will warn of potential bans so people will be less upset when the cards get banned.
Overall, I’m for this. I think the Commander Format Panel did a good job on the initial system (though their name doesn’t roll off the tongue).
Opinions abound though, so let me know what you think about this beta bracket system in the comments below. Until next time!
