Yesterday’s Commander Bracket updates turned out to be much more significant than expected. We saw a whopping 10 cards come off the Game Changers list, for a start, as well as a ton of tweaks to the philosophies of the brackets themselves. On top of this, towards the end of yesterday’s Weekly MTG stream, Gavin Verhey called for the community’s thoughts on a number of issues. These ranged from whether to ban certain iconic staples to whether the hybrid mana rules should be changed. Perhaps most significantly, they also included whether MTG Commander should have a 6th bracket or not.
A 6th Commander Bracket For MTG?
“We are very keen on looking into maybe one more bracket.”
Gavin Verhey, via Weekly MTG
Ever since the Commander Bracket system was introduced back in February, players have been bandying about the idea of adding extra brackets. This makes a lot of sense, since the vague community system in place before used a 1-10 scale, allowing for more flexibility. A 6th Commander Bracket wasn’t something Wizards gave any indication it was seriously pursuing, until yesterday, that is.
During yesterday’s bumper Weekly MTG stream, Gavin Verhey mentioned that a 6th bracket is definitely on Wizards’ radar. In fact, it was something the Commander Panel apparently discussed “a lot” during their recent summit. Verhey did clarify that one extra bracket would be as many as they’re likely to add. That one bracket is very much on the table, however, pending community feedback.
In terms of where said bracket would fit in the overall system, Verhey mentioned two possibilities. The first is a new bracket between brackets two and three. This bracket would either allow for Game Changers at bracket two-level pods, or bracket three-level gameplay with no Game Changers. The other option is a new bracket between three and four, which would serve as a place for players to run “all their favorite Game Changers” without the pressure of optimized play.
If you want to cast your own vote as to whether a new bracket should be added, and where it should go, Verhey notes that the official Magic Discord is the best place to do so. Whether you’re for or against the change, this is a great opportunity to weigh in on the future of the format.
+10 Points To Flexibility
The addition of a 6th MTG Commander bracket would undoubtedly be a significant change. It would also have a lot of potential upside, especially for those who enjoy more aggressive decks.
As many pointed out in the chat during yesterday’s stream, the new ‘minimum turns’ rule is particularly punishing to such strategies. If you’re playing Aggro or Voltron, ending the game quickly is a fundamental part of proceedings, even at lower brackets. The high turn minimums of nine and eight in brackets one and two seriously harm the viability of these decks. Adding a bracket between two and three, with a lower minimum turn count, could help combat this issue and give low-power aggressive decks a real home in the new format.
Adding another bracket would also allow for more flexibility and nuance in the format overall. Right now, going from bracket three to four takes you from a maximum of three Game Changers to however many you want, for example. A new bracket between the two could introduce a half-step, with six Game Changers allowed, for instance.
The same logic applies to other bracket restrictions, like the limit on two-card combos and extra turns. Currently, the leap from three to four is a massive one. You go from being pretty heavily restricted to not being restricted at all. Adding a step in between would help smooth the bracket progression out for players.
This would also allow a greater variety of decks to thrive. Currently, certain archetypes, such as Combo, are essentially locked to higher tiers. A bracket 3.5 would open up the door for mid-power versions of such archetypes. This would be a huge boon for those who enjoy playing them.
A Potential Misstep?
On the other hand, adding a 6th MTG Commander bracket could also introduce a whole host of issues. The big one here is definitely complexity. One of the major advantages of the bracket system, as it was on release, was its relative simplicity.
Compare the original bracket system to how it looks today, and you’ll see that things are much more in-depth now than they used to be. This is to be expected of an evolving system, of course. That said, it does inevitably make things trickier to take in, especially for new players. Adding another bracket would exacerbate this issue further, potentially making the system harder to use as a tool for matchmaking.
There’s also the issue of fragmenting the player base. Verhey alluded to this on yesterday’s stream, but essentially, each bracket is a micro-format. The more of those you have, the less likely it is for two given Commander players to be on the same page. This, in turn, makes it harder to get games going at game stores or events. Again, this is mainly a problem for newer players: those with a range of decks to choose from likely won’t be affected.
These are very real concerns, but the potential upsides here are hard to deny, too. Ultimately, whether Wizards implement the change will come down to how things play out with this new update. If you want to add your own two cents to the discussion, the best place to do so is in the official Magic Discord.
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