Since the recent ban announcement that eliminated four extremely powerful cards from the Commander format, there has been an alarming amount of outcry from the player base. Many players were extremely upset that this change was made so suddenly, especially considering how valuable cards like Mana Crypt and Dockside Extortionist were prior to the announcement. Unfortunately, some people took things too far. Following harassment, the Commander Rules Committee disbanded, and Wizards of the Coast will now oversee the Commander format moving forward.
Today, in a livestream on Twitch, Wizards of the Coast employees Gavin Verhey and Aaron Forsythe answered a bunch of questions about how the Commander format would be run. There’s a boatload of new information available that has already garnered a lot of discussion. So, without further holdup, let’s dive in and talk about the future of the Commander format as we know it.
A New Committee
Based on the discussion from Gavin and Aaron, it’s very clear that Wizards of the Coast still wants to keep Commander as a community-driven format. That being said, it makes sense from a rules standpoint to have a group that can keep an eye on the Commander format, its health, and any concerns among the players. With the Rules Committee and Commander Advisory Group gone, Gavin announced that a new committee is in the works.
As far as how the overall details of this committee are concerned, we don’t have a ton of information yet. According to Gavin, the goal is to assemble a committee similar to the Pauper Format Panel that can pay close attention to Commander specifically. He recognizes that Commander is a much bigger format than Pauper, so things are bound to be different. Nonetheless, that should help give a sense of what Wizards of the Coast is hoping for.
Gavin also mentioned that previous members of the Rules Committee and Commander Advisory Group may be contacted. As such, some of them may become involved in the new committee, though that awaits to be seen.
Beyond just the new committee, Gavin mentioned that there will be roughly 10 Commander designers working at Wizards of the Coast. Gavin himself is the “Principal Magic Designer at Wizards of the Coast,” for reference.
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Ban Discussion
Following the frustration from the player base regarding the recent bans, it sounds like the new panel may be making an “initial evaluation.” It’s not clear to what extent the banlist will change or when this will happen. Nonetheless, this is something to be on the lookout for when the panel is established.
Speaking of bans, Gavin clarified that there will be quarterly banlist updates that will not align with the announcements for other formats. The goal is to not make changes too often, though, following any initial bans.
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Brackets
This leads us to perhaps the most intriguing portion of the Q&A session: the new bracket system. The goal of implementing these brackets is to help players more closely sync up the power level of their decks for a fun play experience. Notably, this isn’t meant to replace Rule 0, but rather make it easier for the players to determine where their deck might lie.
This bracket system is broken up into four tiers. Tier 1 is made up of Commander staples that are perfectly reasonable for any deck to utilize. By contrast, tier 4 encompasses the best cards possible that, as Aaron states, will rarely show up in Precons. Gavin shared some examples, with Swords to Plowshares in tier 1 and Armageddon in tier 4. Interestingly, these sample tiers have already sparked debates.
Obviously, the power level of some of these cards can differ when talking about traditional EDH versus cEDH. Gavin and Aaron specified that at least one member of the panel will be part of the cEDH community. On top of that, there will not be separate brackets for EDH and cEDH. However, a fifth bracket may be created for cEDH if necessary.
Furthermore, different combos can earn their own slots in the brackets. For instance, the combination of Sanguine Bond and Exquisite Blood may be worthy of tier 3, even if each card individually wouldn’t be that high. The goal is to release the brackets ahead of MagicCon: Las Vegas, which takes place in a few weeks. It’s possible that some digital tools to help players determine the bracket level their deck belongs to will be created in the future. Of course, that is not definite at the moment.
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Player Reaction
By far the biggest gripe players seem to have with the news Gavin and Aaron provided lies with the examples of cards in each bracket. First of all, many players were quick to point out that the power level gap between Vampiric Tutor and Armageddon on tier 4 is big, especially in a competitive environment. Likewise, Drannith Magistrate being in tier 3 was another common area of disagreement among the players. Drannith Magistrate is banned in Brawl for its ability to prevent opponents from playing their Commanders, so this ranking is surprising.
Another area of controversy lies with the fact that, according to Gavin and Aaron, Sol Ring is essentially in bracket 0 and won’t be going anywhere. This certainly makes sense given how many Precons it’s been in, but not so much from a power level perspective. It’s also a bit awkward hearing this alongside the statement that Arcane Signet was a mistake. Gavin and Aaron want to lessen the ubiquitousness of cards in Commander in the future, yet Sol Rin is as ubiquitous as they come.
That being said, players seem generally pleased to hear that Wizards of the Coast is trying to minimize these homogenous, colorless cards. The reality is, that Wizards of the Coast has a lot on their plate in the coming months when it comes to making Commander-focused adjustments. Only time will tell how everything plays out.
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