The Commander format continues to evolve, and Wizards of the Coast has just released their most comprehensive update yet to the Commander Bracket system. On October 21, 2025, Gavin Verhey, representing the Commander Format Panel, announced significant changes that will impact how players approach deck building and pregame conversations. Let's dive into what these updates mean for your local game store and the broader Magic community.
The Commander Summit: A New Era of Collaboration
In September 2025, Wizards of the Coast hosted an unprecedented Commander Summit, bringing the entire Commander Format Panel to their Renton office for three days of in-person discussions. This collaborative approach brought together longtime Magic content creators and professionals to provide perspective on the format's direction—a significant step toward ensuring the community's voice is heard in these critical decisions.
Bracket System Revisions: Clearer Expectations
One of the most significant improvements addresses a common complaint: vague language around bracket expectations. Previously, terms like "no early-game combos" or "few tutors" left players confused about where their decks belonged.
Turn-Based Guidelines
The updated system now includes specific turn expectations for each bracket, providing a clearer framework for deck building and pregame discussions:
Bracket 1 (Exhibition): At least 9 turns before winning or losing
- Focus: Theme over function
- Emphasis on showcasing creative, highly thematic decks
- Rule Zero conversations encouraged for unusual commanders (Un-sets, playtest cards)
Bracket 2 (Core): At least 8 turns before winning or losing
- Major Change: No longer tied to preconstructed decks
- Precons vary too widely in power level to serve as a consistent benchmark
- Provides a solid landing point for casual players without the confusion
Bracket 3 (Upgraded): At least 6 turns before winning or losing
- Optimized card choices with clear synergies
- Interaction expected and encouraged
- Most popular bracket alongside Brackets 2 and 4
Bracket 4 (Optimized): At least 4 turns before winning or losing
- High-power gameplay with efficient combos
- Game Changers become more prevalent
- Fast, decisive games expected
Bracket 5 (cEDH): Games can end on any turn
- No restrictions on speed or power
- "cEDH?" is all that needs to be asked
According to the official announcement, these turn expectations help clarify where big game-ending cards and combos should appear, eliminating confusion about what constitutes an "early-game combo."
The Tutor Debate: Resolved
The Commander Format Panel made a bold decision to completely remove tutor restrictions from the bracket system. Previously, brackets included vague guidance about "few" tutors, which led to endless debates: Is Expedition Map a tutor? What about Tezzeret, Artifice Master?
The new philosophy relies on the Game Changers list to catch the most efficient tutors (like Demonic Tutor), while allowing players to run less efficient options without penalty. As Verhey explained in the announcement, "One of the biggest risks with tutors is enabling combos, but with no game-ending combos at the lower brackets and turn restrictions listed in each bracket's intent, it helps curb those issues."
Game Changers List: A Philosophy Shift
The Game Changers list underwent significant revision, with the Panel acknowledging they had "swung the pendulum a little too far" in previous updates by adding too many cards.
Cards Removed from Game Changers
High Mana Value Cards:
- Expropriate
- Jin-Gitaxias, Core Augur
- Sway of the Stars
- Vorinclex, Voice of Hunger
The reasoning? If you're spending seven or more mana on a spell, it should have a dramatic impact. The focus shifts to cards that warp games in earlier turns, where it's most frustrating to have someone run away before others can develop their boards.
Legendary Creatures (Strongest in Command Zone):
- Urza, Lord High Artificer
- Yuriko, the Tiger's Shadow
- Kinnan, Bonder Prodigy
- Winota, Joiner of Forces
This change recognizes that commanders are visible before the game starts, allowing for pregame conversations. Players can opt out or adjust expectations when they see these powerful commanders across the table.
Other Removals:
- Deflecting Swat (not quite as powerful as Force of Will or Fierce Guardianship)
- Food Chain (combo restrictions at lower brackets already handle this)
Notable Cards That Stayed
- Consecrated Sphinx: Right on the bubble at six mana, with potential for future removal
- Coalition Victory: Literally ends the game with a five-color commander; staying for now
- Panoptic Mirror: Recently unbanned; being monitored before potential removal
The updated Game Changers list now focuses on cards that "easily and dramatically warp Commander games, allowing players to run away with resources, shift games in ways that many players find unpleasant, block people from playing, efficiently search for any of their strongest cards without downside, or have commanders that are highly unfun in casual games."
The Hybrid Mana Conversation
Perhaps the most controversial discussion involves a potential fundamental change to Commander's color identity rules regarding hybrid mana.
Currently, a card with hybrid mana (like Kitchen Finks with white/green hybrid mana) requires both colors in your commander's identity. The proposal would change this to allow hybrid cards in decks with either color.
The Case For Change
From a design perspective, hybrid cards are created to be playable in either color. As Verhey notes, "They must obey the rules of a white card and a green card independently, and they are often weaker than a monocolor card in either color."
This change would:
- Give mono-colored decks more options
- Align Commander with how hybrid works in all other Magic formats
- Allow cards like Rhys the Redeemed to command mono-white OR mono-green decks
The Concerns
This would represent one of the largest format changes since the tuck rule was eliminated years ago. Critics worry about:
- Potential color pie breaks (e.g., Shu Yun, the Silent Tempest in mono-white)
- Reducing the creative restrictions that define Commander deck building
- Cards like Waves of Aggression suddenly appearing in mono-white
The Commander Format Panel is actively soliciting community feedback on this potential change through social media and the official Magic Discord.
Cards on the Watch List
Two iconic cards were discussed but received no action—yet:
Rhystic Study: The "Do you pay the one?" card is incredibly iconic but also one of the most snowbally card-advantage engines in Commander. The Panel acknowledges it causes issues but leans toward keeping it due to its cultural significance to the format.
Thassa's Oracle: Pervasive in high-bracket play as an instant win with Demonic Consultation or Tainted Pact. The Panel wants more data on how often it appears at casual tables before taking action.
Looking Ahead: Potential Sixth Bracket?
The Panel discussed adding another bracket between the current levels to create more granularity, particularly between Brackets 2-3 or 3-4. However, they're waiting to see how the current changes impact player distribution before adding complexity.
The next update is scheduled for early 2026 (by the end of February), which will include the first panel rotation—some members will rotate off as new voices join.
What This Means for Your Store
For game stores like Keystone Games, these updates provide clearer language for facilitating Commander events and helping players find appropriate pods. The turn-based expectations give you concrete talking points when players ask "What power level is this?"
Consider:
- Updating your event descriptions with bracket expectations
- Creating quick-reference cards for the updated Game Changers list
- Hosting "Bracket Night" events where players can test decks at specific brackets
- Encouraging pregame conversations using the new turn-based framework
The Bottom Line
After nine months of implementation, the Commander Bracket system is proving successful at facilitating pregame conversations and helping players find appropriate games. MagicCon survey data shows the system has been "incredibly helpful at finding games," according to Verhey.
These updates refine the system without overhauling it—think patch notes rather than a complete redesign. The focus remains on intent, communication, and creating enjoyable experiences for all players, regardless of power level preference.
The format continues to evolve with community input at its core, and that's something worth celebrating.
Join the Conversation
These updates represent some of the most significant changes to Commander since the format's inception, and Wizards of the Coast is actively listening to community feedback—especially on the hybrid mana proposal and cards like Rhystic Study and Thassa's Oracle.
We want to hear from YOU:
-
What do you think about the hybrid mana change? Should Kitchen Finks be playable in mono-green or mono-white decks, or does that break the spirit of Commander's color identity rules?
-
Are the turn expectations realistic? Do your Bracket 3 games really end by turn six, or does interaction slow things down more than the guidelines suggest?
-
Which Game Changer removal surprises you most? Are you excited to play Jin-Gitaxias or Expropriate without the stigma, or do you think these cards will cause problems at casual tables?
-
Should Rhystic Study or Thassa's Oracle face restrictions? Is "Do you pay the one?" too iconic to touch, or does Rhystic Study warp too many casual games? Does Thassa's Oracle show up at your lower-bracket tables, or is it purely a high-power problem?
Share your thoughts with us! Drop a comment on our Facebook page, join the discussion on our Discord server. Whether you're a Exhibition thematic brewer or a cEDH grinder, your perspective matters.
What's your hot take? Let us know!
Sources:
- Commander Brackets Beta Update – October 21, 2025 (Official Wizards of the Coast Announcement)
- Wizards of the Coast Commander Brackets Update for October 2025 (EDHREC Analysis)