Commander Brackets Beta Update – October 21, 2025

Hello, everyone! This is Gavin Verhey on behalf of the Commander Format Panel. If you do not know what that’s, you possibly can learn this text.

Today, I’m coming to you all to share what we have been speaking about just lately and share some updates to the Commander Brackets system and Game Changers checklist primarily based on listening to your suggestions and watching the way it’s performed out over the previous 12 months.

In September, we had a brand new occasion that was like nothing finished earlier than: the Commander Summit. We invited all the Commander Format Panel to the Renton workplace for 3 days of discussions, conferences, and in-person talks about our ongoing work. Here are many people from throughout that point:

It was an incredible alternative to debate loads of what we had been seeing in particular person and actually hash out loads of the small print of what we would love to do going ahead with Commander Brackets and extra. We additionally mentioned a number of different subjects. I need to get to the bracket modifications first; after that, I’ll inform you about some issues we have been discussing and would love to listen to your opinions on, so please learn via and tell us.

Let’s kick issues off with brackets. (And if you would like a recap of the bracket system, please click on right here.)

Reviewing Brackets

After three MagicCons and 9 months of use, I might name Commander Brackets successful. They’re not with out failings, however we have seen the info from MagicCon surveys that exhibits they’ve been extremely useful at discovering video games. Anecdotally, we see individuals speaking about them when searching for video games on a regular basis. Whether gamers are speaking in regards to the Game Changers they’re enjoying, describing decks with the 5 brackets, or extra, it has created extra pregame conversations than we have ever seen, which is the actual objective right here.

That stated, there are issues to wash up and enhance.

The first, and we have talked about this earlier than, is the dearth of give attention to intent. So a lot in regards to the brackets is about what you are aspiring to do. I can simply construct a deck which technically matches the restrictions of Bracket 2 however can play at a really excessive energy degree. We’re going to proceed to emphasise that right now with expectations of what you will discover in every bracket as a North Star.

We have additionally had some guidelines and heuristics that weren’t as clear as they need to have been. Things like “no early-game combos” or “few” tutors. While not the whole lot generally is a hard-and-fast rule, we will definitely do higher.

The third is that, whereas our objective is definitely to not have an equal variety of individuals in every bracket, a few of how we directed individuals squished too many individuals into Upgraded, or Bracket 3. Today, we will replace some terminology that we predict will assist and assist individuals discover a bracket for them. We nonetheless anticipate Brackets 2, 3, and 4 to be the preferred, however this can hopefully assist distinguish them some extra.

And lastly, we have finished some tweaking of the Game Changers checklist and up to date a few of our philosophy. We began with in all probability too few playing cards, then did an replace including a ton of playing cards, and we went slightly overboard—we would have liked to circle again on our objectives. Today, we’ll have some up to date ideas round that and alter some playing cards on the Game Changers checklist.

Let’s undergo how we would prefer to replace every of those. Nothing right here is a big change from what you already know. Think of this as an inventory of patch notes fairly than a sweeping change to the system.

Setting Bracket Expectations and Turns Played

Something we have heard from the group is that they’d love higher pointers of what we anticipate from every bracket. So right now, we needed to stroll you thru our common framework and expectations of what we intend for every bracket.

This is not one thing the place in case your deck violates these expectations one time it is instantly out of the bracket. Part of the enjoyable of Commander includes uncommon playing cards and the combos of playing cards that may occur. But, usually, that is what it is best to anticipate from the totally different brackets.

There are two items to this. The first includes expectations across the sport, primarily centered on deck contents, kinds of win situations, and gameplay. This is extra descriptive and delicate whereas nonetheless portray a pleasant image of what to anticipate.

The second is slightly tougher line, and that is what number of turns you possibly can usually anticipate to play earlier than you possibly can win or lose. That’s to not say the sport all the time ends for you on these turns, however that if the sport ended then, you’d be happy with that have. We heard from lots of people that size of sport is a crucial issue for them. So, for instance, when Bracket 3 says “you should expect to be able to play at least six turns before you win or lose,” that implies that somebody’s seventh flip is whenever you can be happy if the sport ended.

Our hope is that this additionally makes issues lots clearer when it comes to massive game-ending playing cards and combos, explaining the place they need to present up. For instance, as an alternative of questioning what “no early-game combos” means, saying “you don’t expect to win or lose before turn six” provides you a reasonably clear indicator of what sort of combos may very well be allowed: not ones that are inclined to occur within the first six turns. That does not imply it is best to simply wait and maintain your two-card infinite till later both. If a combo may regularly come up, it isn’t the most effective match for that bracket.

We’ve heard from a few of you that you’ve got hassle determining what bracket to play in. Here are our common ideas:

Bracket 1: Exhibition

Players anticipate:

• Decks to prioritize a objective, theme, or concept over energy 
• Rules round card legality or viable commanders to have some flexibility relying on the pod 
• Win situations to be extremely thematic or substandard 
• Gameplay to be a chance to point out off your creations 

Generally, it is best to anticipate to have the ability to play at the least 9 turns earlier than you win or lose. Most importantly, given this bracket’s emphasis on theme, gamers ought to really feel like they’ve the time to showcase their decks.

Bracket 2: Core

Players anticipate:

• Decks to be unoptimized and easy, with some playing cards chosen to maximise creativity and/or leisure 
• Win situations to be incremental, telegraphed on the board, and disruptable 
• Gameplay to be low stress with an emphasis on social interplay 
• Gameplay to be proactive and thoughtful, letting every deck showcase its plan 

Generally, it is best to anticipate to have the ability to play at the least eight turns earlier than you win or lose.

Bracket 3: Upgraded

Players anticipate:

• Decks to be powered up with robust synergy and excessive card high quality; they’ll successfully disrupt opponents 
• Game Changers which might be prone to be worth engines and game-ending spells 
• Win situations that may be deployed in a single massive flip from hand, normally due to steadily accrued assets 
• Gameplay to characteristic many proactive and reactive performs 

Generally, it is best to anticipate to have the ability to play at the least six turns earlier than you win or lose.

Bracket 4: Optimized

Players anticipate:

• Decks to not adhere to the cEDH metagame reserved for Bracket 5 
• Decks to be deadly, constant, and quick, designed to take individuals down as quick as attainable 
• Game Changers which might be prone to be quick mana, snowballing useful resource engines, free disruption, and tutors 
• Win situations to fluctuate however be environment friendly and instantaneous 
• Gameplay to be explosive and highly effective, that includes large threats and environment friendly disruption to match 

Generally, it is best to anticipate to have the ability to play at the least 4 turns earlier than you win or lose.

Bracket 5: cEDH

Players anticipate:

• Decks which might be meticulously designed to battle within the cEDH metagame, with the flexibility to win rapidly or generate overwhelming assets; usually constructed utilizing present cEDH data, instruments, and/or decklists 
• Win situations to be optimized for effectivity and consistency 
• Gameplay to be intricate and superior, with razor-thin margins for error; gamers prioritize victory over all else 

These video games may finish on any flip. 

We are hopeful that by rolling this into what individuals can anticipate in every bracket, it is going to assist set expectations at every degree.

Exhibition (Bracket 1) Update: Focus on Theme

Hand in hand with this, and also you noticed slightly of this above, we actually need to double down on Exhibition’s intent being all about theme over operate.

While rule zero—the flexibility to permit issues with a pregame dialogue—is all the time lively for individuals in any respect bracket ranges (apart from cEDH), we need to loudly emphasize that right here.

Do you could have a extremely uncommon theme that wants an atypical commander, like a playtest card or card from an Un– set? Do you need to use some Game Changers which might be extremely thematic to your deck, for instance, Bolas’s Citadel in a Bolas-themed deck? This ought to all be on the desk and anticipated throughout Exhibition pregame dialogue. An Exhibition deck ought to usually have pretty constrained and distinctive deck constructing.

These sorts of extremely themed decks are a blast to play and are what make Commander enjoyable for therefore many individuals.

A deck just isn’t Bracket 1 primarily based on energy degree alone. It’s actually in regards to the gameplay expertise and attempting to engender extremely thematic gameplay. We encourage you to offer it a attempt to construct your personal thematic and distinctive deck!

Core (Bracket 2) Update: No Longer Tied to Precons

When we introduced brackets, we stated Core was about what you would anticipate from a mean preconstructed Commander deck.

While the objective of tying a bracket degree to one thing that folks acknowledged was noble, it got here with two challenges.

First, preconstructed Commander decks have a spread of energy ranges. A Modern Horizons 3 Commander deck or Secret Lair Commander deck is not the identical as a Starter Commander Deck product. There had been loads of holes on this description the place some precons, as they stand, did not essentially comply with the mannequin set forth, which simply elevated confusion.

The second is that folks’s expectations round precons and what’s in them is so diversified. Decks from 5 years in the past are so totally different to right now.

Core continues to be an incredible touchdown level for individuals, however that does not need to be tied to precons. So, we need to take away this going ahead now that now we have higher language to speak the type of expertise we would like at Core.

Removing Tutor Restrictions

Tutors improve consistency and threat homogeneity by making video games play out the identical. When we had been constructing the unique bracket system, we put in guiderails round tutors on the first three brackets—citing “few” tutors.

That unique benchmark wasn’t clear sufficient, and never all Tutors are created equal. Sure, Demonic Tutor may be very environment friendly, however for those who’re spending 4 mana on Diabolic Tutor, is that actually an enormous drawback? And what counts as a tutor anyway? Is Expedition Map a tutor? Is Tezzeret, Artifice Master a tutor? There was confusion round this as effectively.

So, after a lot dialogue, the avenue we would prefer to take is to take away the tutor restrictions from Commander Brackets fully and depend on Game Changers to catch probably the most environment friendly tutors. If you need to play tons of inefficient tutors, it could not make for probably the most replayable deck, however we do not want a safeguard for that. One of the most important dangers with tutors is enabling combos, however with no game-ending combos on the decrease brackets and switch restrictions listed in every bracket’s intent, it helps curb these points.

Game Changers List Philosophy

When we final talked, we added a bunch of Game Changers primarily based on group suggestions. While lots of these had been good additions, we swung the pendulum slightly too far within the path of too many Game Changers. Every further Game Changer is yet another factor individuals have to trace. And one factor it actually made clear is that we would have liked some higher philosophy round what makes a Game Changer.

Game Changers ought to usually be playing cards that simply and dramatically warp Commander video games, permitting gamers to run away with assets, shift video games in ways in which many gamers discover disagreeable, block individuals from enjoying, effectively seek for any of their strongest playing cards with out draw back, or have commanders which might be extremely unfun in informal video games. Here are two issues we usually need to get away from for Game Changers:

• High-mana worth playing cards. If you are spending tons of mana on one thing in Commander, it’ll be robust. We need to hold the give attention to playing cards that may change the sport within the earlier turns, the place it may be most irritating to have any individual run away with the sport earlier than individuals have been capable of develop. 
• Legends which might be simply highly effective commanders. The best factor to choose out of is somebody’s commander. If somebody says, “I need to play Yuriko,” you recognize precisely what which means and it is simple to immediate a dialog. If one thing can be wildly highly effective within the 99, or just unfun throughout, we’re effective leaving it on the checklist, however energy alone is not a cause to checklist it as a Game Changer. 

Removals

With all of that in thoughts, listed here are some playing cards we need to take away right now:

High Mana Value

• Expropriate 
• Jin-Gitaxias, Core Augur
• Sway of the Stars
• Vorinclex, Voice of Hunger

Legends That Are Strongest within the Command Zone

• Kinnan, Bonder Prodigy 
• Urza, Lord High Artificer 
• Winota, Joiner of Forces 
• Yuriko, the Tiger’s Shadow 

Finally, whereas they do not actually match into any of those classes, we want to take away Deflecting Swat and Food Chain, famous under.

• Deflecting Swat 
• Food Chain 

For Deflecting Swat, whereas free spells are highly effective, it is a notch under the free countermagic like Force of Will and Fierce Guardianship. It solely hits particular sorts of playing cards, and it did not fairly match the outline of a Game Changer.

Food Chain is an extremely highly effective combo card. However, as a result of it is a combo card, it does not threat inflicting hassle within the decrease brackets anyplace. Adding it was wise due to its pedigree, however because the group famous, the brackets already do a superb job of proscribing combos. Today, we’re taking it off the checklist.

We additionally need to acknowledge that we’re eradicating loads of playing cards from the checklist unexpectedly, and that main shifts to those lists can vastly affect your decks. We’re correcting for some modifications in our philosophy right here, but it surely’s our hope that sooner or later, modifications to the Game Changers checklist might be within the order of some playing cards fairly than ten. It’s essential to us which you can start to really feel steady in studying what’s on the checklist.

Cards That Stayed

Here are some playing cards that remained on the checklist and are value mentioning:

Consecrated Sphinx: In the discussions round eradicating the high-mana worth Game Changers, Consecrated Sphinx was proper on the bubble. There’s a world of distinction between six and 7. It can actually dominate a sport if not eliminated inside a few triggers, and the unusual clone interplay the place two gamers can collude is not the best. We may see it coming off in a future replace pending how this replace goes.

Coalition Victory: While costly, it does nonetheless actually finish the sport for those who management your five-color commander, which is probably the most highly effective attainable end result. This is recent off the ban checklist and, not like Sway of the Stars, is simple to fit in to any five-color deck and have be efficient. It may possibly come off some day, however we’re leaving it right now.

Panoptic Mirror: We mentioned eradicating this, however we needed to offer it slightly extra time as a Game Changer earlier than seeing if we will pull it off fully. Like Food Chain, the combo safety at decrease brackets does lots to shore it up as a priority, but it surely’s solely been unbanned for a brief period of time, so we will proceed to observe.

Updated Game Changers

Putting this all collectively, this is the up to date Game Changers checklist:

Drannith Magistrate
Humility
Serra’s Sanctum
Smothering Tithe
Enlightened Tutor
Teferi’s Protection
Consecrated Sphinx
Cyclonic Rift
Force of Will
Fierce Guardianship
Gifts Ungiven
Intuition
Mystical Tutor
Narset, Parter of Veils
Rhystic Study
Thassa’s Oracle
Ad Nauseam
Bolas’s Citadel
Braids, Cabal Minion
Demonic Tutor
Imperial Seal
Necropotence
Opposition Agent
Orcish Bowmasters
Tergrid, God of Fright
Vampiric Tutor
Gamble
Jeska’s Will
Underworld Breach
Crop Rotation
Gaea’s Cradle
Natural Order
Seedborn Muse
Survival of the Fittest
Worldly Tutor
Aura Shards
Coalition Victory
Grand Arbiter Augustin IV
Notion Thief
Ancient Tomb
Chrome Mox
Field of the Dead
Glacial Chasm
Grim Monolith
Lion’s Eye Diamond
Mana Vault
Mishra’s Workshop
Mox Diamond
Panoptic Mirror
The One Ring
The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale

Additionally, Commander Format Panel member Rachel Weeks has created a useful graphic for example the modifications to the Commander Brackets system. You can see it here.

There’s one different factor to name out. We’ve heard from a number of individuals it might be nice to have a spot the place this data lives that’s not hidden in a protracted article like this one. While we’re nonetheless ready to drop the beta tag, you will discover this data simply utilizing the next hyperlinks, noting these pages could not mirror the newest modifications described right here however will quickly:

Commander Summit Discussion Topics

During the Commander Summit, we mentioned a number of issues we may have a look at altering in regards to the format sooner or later. Today, I need to point out a few of them to you to solicit suggestions. There are 4 foremost issues right now.

The first is Rhystic Study.

This is a really iconic Commander card. “Do you pay the one?” is baked into so many references across the format. It’s one of the snowbally card-advantage engines in all of Commander. Many informal video games the place it is performed let the Rhystic participant run away with the sport as individuals simply solid spells into it. At larger bracket play, like cEDH, it causes large points.

However, so far as we will inform, it is liked by many. It’s not fairly as iconic to the format as Sol Ring, but it surely’s not that far off both.

Is Commander extra enjoyable with Rhystic Study in it? Is there a world the place it strikes from being a Game Changer to being banned? To be clear, our present considering round this leans towards no, because it’s simply so iconic for informal Commander, however when you’ve got ideas, we would love to listen to from you.

The second is Thassa’s Oracle.

This card is pervasive within the highest brackets of Commander as a option to instantaneously win the sport alongside one thing like Demonic Consultation or Tainted Pact. From what we will inform, and from aggressive Commander gamers, it is combined as to if individuals like this or not.

But one factor we do not have nice visibility into is how usually it is displaying up at extra informal tables. In your Bracket 3 or unbracketed informal video games, are loads of them ending with Thassa’s Oracle? We would like to know. Right now, we do not assume there’s sufficient proof to take any motion right here.

We’d usually prefer to keep away from banning playing cards and let the Game Changers checklist be the device in our toolbelt. But these are frequent sufficient dialogue subjects and impactful sufficient that we might love to listen to from you on them.

The third factor we mentioned lots is that if there ought to be one other bracket.

We considerably mentioned the thought of putting a bracket between Brackets 2 and three or Brackets 3 and 4 as they at present sit to create for slightly extra granularity.

We finally needed to see how right now’s modifications impacted brackets earlier than including a further one. The value additionally is not zero, as individuals need to study new nomenclature. This is one thing we would love to listen to from you. Would you employ a further bracket? Let us know!

The fourth and ultimate factor we would love suggestions on is one thing fully totally different: hybrid mana prices.

In Magic, hybrid playing cards are made to be playable by both coloration. That’s how they work in all of Magic: if I’ve a Kitchen Finks, I can put it in my mono-white deck or my mono-green deck. Commander is a spot the place it is the alternative: you possibly can’t put it in both a mono-white or mono-green deck!

Allowing hybrid would give decks with fewer colours higher instruments and choices to play. It permits for extra playable choices.

From a design standpoint, the best way we design hybrid playing cards right now is that it might must be a card we would print in one other coloration. They should obey the foundations of a white card and a inexperienced card independently, and they’re usually weaker than a monocolor card in both coloration.

The proposal can be that, strictly for the needs of deck constructing, you possibly can deal with a hybrid image as both of its two colours. So, Rhys the Redeemed may go right into a white deck, a inexperienced deck, or be the commander for a inexperienced and white deck. It nonetheless appears at the remainder of the mana symbols on the cardboard as regular, so a card like Deathrite Shaman would stay ineligible for a mono-black deck as a result of it has a inexperienced image within the textual content field.

When it involves twobrid mana prices like that of Beseech the Queen, our inclination would possible be to let these work the identical manner so any deck may play it in the event that they needed to, although that might have extra dialogue.

We know that hybrid mana prices have been a long-discussed factor in Commander. What do you all assume?

We’ll be studying all of the discourse locally round these 4 questions on social media—and we’ll particularly be gathering issues on the official Magic Discord, so go test that out.

Commanding Into 2026

We’ll be again early subsequent 12 months, by the top of February, with one other check-in. We’ll see about any additional bracket updates, and maybe the place we landed on a number of the above questions, then. We stated there might be no bans or unbans for the rest of this 12 months, however we might be evaluating the whole lot heading into subsequent 12 months.

You may even hear from us earlier, as we come as much as the yearly panel rotation. This is the primary time this can have occurred, however as I stated final 12 months once I introduced the panel, some individuals will rotate off the panel as some new of us rotate on, and the general group will develop into smaller. We needed to ensure to have as many eyes as attainable and hold consistency throughout this transition. Originally, I stated that may be up by early November. It will possible be slightly later now, however you possibly can nonetheless anticipate to listen to about it within the subsequent couple months.

In common: Commander is nice. We do not need to make tons of modifications. The Commander Bracket system is usually working effectively, and persons are having enjoyable. Thanks to all of you for all of the hours you place into this excellent format!

We’ll speak with you all once more quickly.

On behalf of the entire Commander Format Panel,

Attack on Cardboard
Bandit
Ben Wheeler
Charlotte Sable
DeQuan Watson
Deco
Greg Sablan
Ittetu
Josh Lee Kwai
Kristen Gregory
Lua Stardust
Olivia Gobert-Hicks
Rachel Weeks
Rebell Lily
Scott Larabee
Tim Willoughby
Toby Elliott