MTG Players Demand Controversial Free Spells Become Game Changers

Across all of their many iterations, free spells in Magic have been a constant source of controversy. These cards have warped constructed formats, emptied bank accounts, and left a trail of cardboard carnage. They’re just as effective in Commander, too, to the point where some MTG players are suggesting that Deadly Rollick Deadly Rollick If you control a commander, you may cast this spell without paying its mana cost.
Exile target creature. , and all free spells like it, should be added to the Game Changers list.

Should All Free Spells in MTG Be Game Changers?

MTG players resumed this age-old argument in a post on the Facebook group Magic: the Gathering MTG, earlier today. While it should be noted that two key free spells already are Game Changers, specifically Force of Will Force of Will You may pay 1 life and exile a blue card from your hand rather than pay this spell's mana cost.
Counter target spell. and Fierce Guardianship Fierce Guardianship If you control a commander, you may cast this spell without paying its mana cost.
Counter target noncreature spell. , the core argument of this post is that things should be taken far further. In fact, it argues that every free spell in MTG, including Deadly Rollick Deadly Rollick If you control a commander, you may cast this spell without paying its mana cost.
Exile target creature. , Solitude Solitude Flash
Lifelink
When this creature enters, exile up to one other target creature. That creature's controller gains life equal to its power.
Evoke—Exile a white card from your hand. , and lesser-seen cards like Pyrokinesis Pyrokinesis You may exile a red card from your hand rather than pay this spell's mana cost.
Pyrokinesis deals 4 damage divided as you choose among any number of target creatures. , should also be on the list.

Though this sounds like a fairly extreme position, it has merit, as reflected in the post’s comments. One notable concern was that free spells introduce a potentially unfair knowledge check for new players. Unless you have all the free spells memorized, which new players won’t, there’s no way to reasonably play around all of them.

Even if you do know your free spells inside and out, their presence adds a significant cognitive overhead to bracket 2 games. With these spells in the mix, players could have tricks even with no untapped mana, creating more friction during turns. For those playing bracket two for a more relaxed, powered-down Commander experience, free spells change that entire dynamic, which many in the comments weren’t thrilled about.

There’s also a monetary aspect to this discussion, as, financially, free spells present a significant barrier to entry for new players. If your bracket 2 pod is running these cards, then you’ll likely need to pick some up yourself to stay competitive. With cards like Deflecting Swat Deflecting Swat If you control a commander, you may cast this spell without paying its mana cost.
You may choose new targets for target spell or ability. sitting around $71, and plenty of other free spells priced similarly, this can create awkward dynamics in certain playgroups.

A Defense of Free Spells

While many players supported the core point here, plenty of others in the comments took the opposite view. For many, the crux of the discussion was that, since they don’t determine the outcome of a game single-handedly, most free spells simply don’t qualify as Game Changers under the current definition. Though they’re infinitely efficient, free spells are almost exclusively interaction pieces, which means they shouldn’t lead to anticlimactic wins out of nowhere.

On the subject of interaction, the fact that free spells make running it more attractive is a huge net positive for low-bracket Commander. One of the most common deckbuilding mistakes players at this level make is not running enough interaction, often because it seems boring or inefficient compared to running proactive pieces. Free spells are appealing in a way most interaction isn’t, and can therefore serve as a great bridge to get newer players used to running it.

Some players agreed with the overall argument here, but disagreed with the severity of the proposed sentence, noting that many free spells aren’t really powerful enough to warrant Game Changer status. Spells like Pyrokinesis Pyrokinesis You may exile a red card from your hand rather than pay this spell's mana cost.
Pyrokinesis deals 4 damage divided as you choose among any number of target creatures. and Reverent Silence Reverent Silence If you control a Forest, rather than pay this spell's mana cost, you may have each other player gain 6 life.
Destroy all enchantments. are hardly broken, but they would be affected by this change regardless. Of course, rule zero conversations could handle cases like this in bracket 2 pods, but that’s also true now. As long as you clarify that you’re running free spells like this and not Pact of Negation Pact of Negation Counter target spell.
At the beginning of your next upkeep, pay {3}{U}{U}. If you don't, you lose the game. , most pods are unlikely to object.

Overall, while it’s definitely a contentious issue, I don’t expect Wizards to send free spells to the Game Changers list en masse any time soon. The downsides of the card type are more annoying than game-breaking, and the upsides are considerable, especially for developing new players. As far as we’re concerned, most of Magic’s free spells should remain free from the Game Changers list going forward.

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