During yesterday’s Magic the Gathering livestream, MTG designer Gavin Verhey revealed a new Commander bracket beta in rather large detail. The goal behind the bracket system is to give players an idea of where they’re Commander decks fall in terms of power level so they can keep pods as balanced as possible. Things like land destruction and tutors help define each bracket tier.
Likely the most intriguing aspect of the announcement, however, was the introduction of the Game Changers list. This is a list of 40 cards that can completely warp Commander games. Gavin mentioned that this can be viewed as a sort of watch list, and any future bans are likely to come directly from the game changers list to begin with.
As is to be expected, this group of cards is far from perfect, and there are a lot of controversial decisions associated with the list. Most notably, there are a handful of extremely impactful and efficient cards that somehow did not make the cut. Today, we’re going to go over the omissions we feel to be most egregious. The game changers list simply isn’t complete without these cards.
Efficient Card Draw
The first category of cards that are worth discussing are the hyper-efficient card advantage engines that are especially powerful in a multiplayer setting. When players think of card advantage in EDH, it’s natural for your mind to immediately jump to Rhystic Study. Rhystic Study is a very controversial card that, unsurprisingly, is on the first iteration of the game changers list.
However, there are a handful of cards that can have a similar impact on the game for even less mana. Esper Sentinel is a great example. Sure, Esper Sentinel only cares about noncreature spells and only triggers once each turn.
Still, the fact that this creature comes down turn one means that all your opponent’s mana rocks, tutors, and Counterspells will be taxed, or you’ll get to draw cards. In either case, you’re happy. The main reason to include Esper Sentinel as a game changer is that once the card is cast, the game now revolves around Esper Sentinel. You’re free to cast all of your noncreature spells without consequences, while all of your opponents are in a bind.
A similar feeling lies with Mystic Remora. Mystic Remora is like a supercharged Esper Sentinel with cumulative upkeep. That does mean that the enchantment is unlikely to stick around forever, but that doesn’t make it any less frustrating to play against.
Whether your opponents choose to stall and not play noncreature spells until Mystic Remora is gone or bite the bullet and let your draw a bunch of cards, you’re pleased with the exchange. It seems a bit odd that someone’s ultra-casual deck can feature both of these cards according to the original Commander bracket tier list.
Free Spells
Next up, we have a group of free spells that, while don’t necessarily warp games around them, provide too much agency at no mana investment. The game changers list already has a multitude of free spells on it, from Force of Will to Mox Diamond. However, we feel it falls short in addressing a slew of potent options.
At the top of that list, we have cards like Deflecting Swat. Deflecting Swat is an elite way to protect your Commander from removal, fight Counterspell wars, and manipulate games in your favor. Getting all of that for free as long as you play your Commander is incredible. Considering that Fierce Guardianship is on the game changers list, it feels strange to leave Deflecting Swat off.
Similarly, featuring Chrome Mox as a game changer but letting Mox Opal roam free seems unusual to me. Mox Opal is undoubtedly narrower, but it also has the highest upside in an artifact deck. All things considered, a great Mox Opal start from an opponent is extremely threatening, but the game changers list nor the bracket tiers reflect this.
The Eternal Debate
This segues nicely into a major area of controversy within the game changers list: the omission of Sol Ring. Sol Ring is without question one of the strongest MTG cards ever printed. Yet, because the card is cheap, accessible, and has been reprinted in so many EDH Precons, the card gets a pass when it comes to power level.
Considering what else is on the game changers list, this has caused some players to call out the situation at hand. For example, one player pointed out how crazy it is to deem Mana Vault a game changer but not Sol Ring.
Mana Vault provides a big burst of mana and definitely deserves to be on the game changers list. That being said, unlike Mana Vault, Sol Ring continues to tap for mana over the course of the game without needing a huge mana investment to untap it. Sol Ring is of similar power level to Mana Crypt, which is banned.
It’s understandable to not include Sol Ring on the game changers list for the reason of letting casual Commander players continue to play the card in their casual EDH decks. Gavin Verhey mentions in Wizards of the Coast’s official article that Sol Ring is not added because it is the most iconic card in Commander, and it has essentially become tradition at this point to let everyone include it.
But, on the flip side, leaving Sol Ring off the list of cards that are deemed format-warping when a turn one Sol Ring is one of the strongest plays possible even in a casual setting is a bit misleading. From a gameplay perspective, Sol Ring should make an appearance on the game changers list, and it’s understandable why this decision is controversial.
Miscellaneous Complaints
Lastly, we wanted to touch on the fact that the game changers list is a bit inconsistent. Many inclusions, like the free spells and incredible tutors, feel like slam dunks both from a casual and a competitive perspective. However, there are also some cards like Vorinclex, Voice of Hunger that feel out of place.
Vorinclex is certainly annoying, but it’s not in the same conversation when it comes to power level as the other cards we’ve mentioned thus far. Frankly, if the level of frustration a card causes in a casual setting was a metric used in determining the game changers list, then actual game enders like Craterhoof Behemoth and company might as well be on the list, too.
There’s no doubt Vorinclex is a salt-inducing creature, but if we’re going down that route, there are A LOT of cards that fit the bill that could be added to the game changers list.
All in all, it’s nice to see an early attempt to categorize Commander’s best and most polarizing cards. There’s bound to be controversy in these decisions, especially right away. Our hope is that Gavin Verhey and the rest of the gang continue to tweak the game changers list as necessary and make the list a bit more consistent over time.