Commander Philosophy - Is Sephiroth the Next Game Changer?

<p style="text-align: right;"><em><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Craterhoof Behemoth|avr|172" href="#" target="_blank">Craterhoof Behemoth</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://www.rahnart.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Chris Rhan</a></em></p>
<p>The last "few" additions to the <a href="https://edhrec.com/top/game-changers" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Game Changers list</a> back in April continues to drive players to question the strength of cards that they play with and against.</p>
<p>The first 40 Game Changers left many feeling more was necessary, especially with some cards being extremely similar in power and playstyles, and yet only some were Game Changers and others weren't. With today's 61 Game Changers, many players approve of this current list and are eager to use it, at least until next year when the earliest possibility for a Bracket System update is promised.</p>
<p>At the same time, many others feel that current Game Changers aren't enough and that the Commander Format Panel (CFP) should've been stricter with what's considered a Game Changer, particularly with cards that outright win the game on the spot or the moment they're engaged with.</p>
<p>For this discussion, I'll call these cards "Game Winners," as that's what they've been introduced to me as.</p>
<p>This isn't something the CFP has designed or some official list, rather a loose catch-all term for some cards, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Craterhoof Behemoth" href="#" target="_blank">Craterhoof Behemoth</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, that are associated with winning games the moment they're resolved.</p>
<p>I agree that these "Game Winners" are an important aspect that the CFP should review, however I also believe that a card does not require Game Changing status for its Game Winning tendencies alone.</p>
<h2>Game Winner? I Hardly Know Her</h2>
<p>As mentioned before, Game Winners is a loose term used to describe cards that, well, win games. It describes strong cards that only are present to end games, with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Craterhoof Behemoth" href="#" target="_blank">Craterhoof Behemoth</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> being a prominent example. Craterhoof is the premier example of a single card being resolved and winning the game that turn, sometimes even the same phase or step.</p>
<p>Craterhoof is very rarely played just for value and is instead played explicitly to end games. The CFP, as Gavin Verhey explains, has considered Craterhoof as a possible Game Changer due to its innate playstyle and some of the <em>Magic</em> community pushing for Game Changing status. This is due to Craterhoof prematurely ending games when paired with certain cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Natural Order" href="#" target="_blank">Natural Order</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> that provide early, easy access to a Game Winner.</p>
<p>However, this is the fault of cards like Natural Order that enable Craterhoof to be exploited prematurely, not the fault of Craterhoof.</p>
<p>Verhey explains that "it is certainly true that this card can end games. However, for an eight-mana green creature, it is acceptable to end the game this way. While cheating it out early by way of something like <span class="css-iQC2X" data-auto-card-v="1.9.2">Natural Order</span> is a problem, a long-game <span class="css-iQC2X" data-auto-card-v="1.9.2">Craterhoof</span> is something we believe is acceptable."</p>
<p>Without cards that actively seek to exploit these Game Winners, then cards like Craterhoof aren't problematic and therefore not worth categorizing as Game Changers.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Aetherflux Reservoir"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Blightsteel Colossus"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Torment of Hailfire"></div></div>
<p>Now, it <em>is</em> possible for a card that wins games to be a Game Changer. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Expropriate" href="#" target="_blank">Expropriate</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ad Nauseam" href="#" target="_blank">Ad Nauseam</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Thassa&#039;s Oracle" href="#" target="_blank">Thassa&#039;s Oracle</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Underworld Breach" href="#" target="_blank">Underworld Breach</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and other Game Changers are considered Game Changers due partially to their tendency to win the game on the spot, but that's only a piece to the Game Changer puzzle.</p>
<p>Not one Game Changer is called such due to its ability to end a game. I hope that explaining why Craterhoof ought not to be a Game Changer will reveal that there are multiple factors contributing to a card earning Game Changer status, not just its ability to win a game.</p>
<h2>Kill On Sight ≠ Game Changer</h2>
<p>So, what are some things that separate Game Winners from Game Changers? How are cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Craterhoof Behemoth" href="#" target="_blank">Craterhoof Behemoth</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> so different from things like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Bolas&#039;s Citadel" href="#" target="_blank">Bolas&#039;s Citadel</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>?</p>
<p>Firstly, the CFP has to draw a line at some point between how strong a card is and how many hoops players must jump through to exploit the card beyond Brackets' 1-2 intentions.</p>
<p>In other words, the CFP tries to define when a card is too easily broken. In cases like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Expropriate" href="#" target="_blank">Expropriate</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, the card is simply too oppressive to be cohesive for Brackets 1-2. As Verhey explains in his article introducing Brackets Beta, "While it is expensive, the combination of take a turn alongside taking three permanents (provided none of them give you extra turns) is strong enough to end some games on the spot."</p>
<p>Expropriate is a prime example of a Game Winner being too strong on its own and thus requiring Game Changing status.</p>
<p>This is different from Game Changers like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tergrid, God of Fright" href="#" target="_blank">Tergrid, God of Fright</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. On her own, Tergrid is a powerful card that can occasionally steal someone's <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Evolving Wilds" href="#" target="_blank">Evolving Wilds</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or hinder an opponent's <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Gravecrawler" href="#" target="_blank">Gravecrawler</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> shenanigans, but it's <em>how</em> Tergrid is played that earns her Game Changing status.</p>
<p>Nobody's incidentally running Tergrid for the occasional anti-wheel tech. Just review which cards are some of the most synergetic with Tergrid.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Oppression"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Rankle, Master of Pranks"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Smallpox"></div></div>
<p>Tergrid is intentionally commanding a deck that insists on running mass sacrifice, mass discard synergies. As if these playstyles weren't unfun enough, Tergrid then turns every opponent's deck against themselves and ends the game swiftly, often sooner than their opponents could have ever dreamed of achieving themselves.</p>
<p>How Tergrid is played is a significant reason for her to remain a Game Changer.</p>
<p>While Craterhoof may be powerful, it's only because its owner has built a sufficiently large board that enables Craterhoof to become lethal. Craterhoof on its own is fairly underwhelming, which is starkly different from cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Bolas&#039;s Citadel" href="#" target="_blank">Bolas&#039;s Citadel</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. The Citadel does not ask much in order to warp a game.</p>
<p>As Verhey explains, it provides "overwhelming resource advantage for [its] mana value and tends to cause a player to snowball with the game." Similar to players seeking to exploit Tergrid, its effect on games only grows when its owner can run simple top-deck manipulation effects, whether through scrying, surveilling, or the Citadel's best friend <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sensei&#039;s Divining Top" href="#" target="_blank">Sensei&#039;s Divining Top</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<p>Bolas's Citadel is arguably doing more than Craterhoof to a game, as well as for a cheaper investment.</p>
<h2>How Many Craterhoofs Does It Take to Win a Commander Game?</h2>
<p>What does it realistically take to win with Craterhoof? It seems Bolas's Citadel and Tergrid require very little to win a game, so where does Craterhoof stand? We should start by looking at Craterhoof in a vacuum. To wipe everyone out simultaneously, Craterhoof requires 10 creatures to be present before it enters (ETBs for us oldies), amassing 136 power in total.</p>
<p>Accruing 10 creatures before Craterhoof is already an undertaking, which is further hindered when accounting for the opponents' boards.</p>
<p>Even if the opponents' life totals are under 40, their boards will include a wide variety of blockers and combat tricks that will inevitably slow down Craterhoof to some extent. Where Bolas's Citadel and Tergrid are heavily focused on what their owners are capable of, Craterhoof is fairly dependent on what its opposition possesses.</p>
<p>Now, it's important to recognize that Game Winners like Craterhoof are often not played on their own, just as I have described Tergrid as being heavily exploited. Players running Craterhoof are definitely seeking to quickly amass (<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dreadhorde Invasion" href="#" target="_blank">not that kind</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>) a board presence that often also ramps into Craterhoof.</p>
<p>Some of Craterhoof's most common commanders are linked with go-wide creature strategies to get Craterhoof online as soon as possible</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Chatterfang, Squirrel General"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Lathril, Blade of the Elves"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Raggadragga, Goreguts Boss"></div></div>
<p>However, as Verhey explains with cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Natural Order" href="#" target="_blank">Natural Order</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, Craterhoof's ability to end games prematurely is a result of other cards and playstyles. Craterhoof does not enable any of these strategies until the final turn of the game, which is the intent behind Craterhoof's design anyways.</p>
<p>A single eight-mana creature <em>should</em> be able to win the game <em>if</em> its owner plays it right.</p>
<p>Craterhoof is no <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Expropriate" href="#" target="_blank">Expropriate</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> that only asks its owner to resolve it in order to effectively end a game, nor is it like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tergrid, God of Fright" href="#" target="_blank">Tergrid</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Bolas&#039;s Citadel" href="#" target="_blank">Bolas&#039;s Citadel</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, which are exploitable at the slightest touch. Craterhoof enables its owner to win the game <em>only</em> when its owner has taken the necessary steps to do so.</p>
<p>A player needs to recognize when it's most appropriate to build their board and threaten a lethal combat step when facing three opponents actively preventing such an outcome. If a player tries to win with Craterhoof too soon, their board will be wiped.</p>
<p>Without all of the creatures that enabled Craterhoof, the player cannot recover soon enough to threaten Craterhoof again, sometimes knocking their win out of reach entirely.</p>
<h2>When Game Winners Don't Win the Game</h2>
<p>Craterhoof is a popular talking point for Game Winners, but is far from the only example. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Aetherflux Reservoir" href="#" target="_blank">Aetherflux Reservoir</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> requires a player to storm off in a single turn, meaning that their game has been spent leading up to Reservoir resolving and being lethal.</p>
<p>Just like Craterhoof requires a substantial board presence, Reservoir players are most likely running cost-reduction effects or other ways of increasing the limit of spells they can cast in a single turn.</p>
<p>If just one of these pieces were to be interacted with, Reservoir is not longer lethal, thus meaning the other three players are able to deal with an emerging archenemy situation. Same with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Enter the Infinite" href="#" target="_blank">Enter the Infinite</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Torment of Hailfire" href="#" target="_blank">Torment of Hailfire</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and many other "Game Winning" cards. It doesn't take too much interaction to prevent these cards from winning the game.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Anzrag&#039;s Rampage"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Damnation"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Silence"></div></div>
<p>In the end, cards like Craterhoof require a player to funnel most, if not all of their resources into it in order to be threatening. If this wasn't enough of a reason to bar these cards from Game Changing status, these cards are able to be interacted with fairly easily. One board-wipe, one <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Vandalblast" href="#" target="_blank">Vandalblast</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, one <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Counterspell" href="#" target="_blank">Counterspell</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is all that's required to ultimately stop a Game Winner from winning the game.</p>
<p>I will admit that this touches upon the often overused/misrepresented argument "X dies to removal," but there's a clear distinction between claiming a Craterhoof's board dying to a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Supreme Verdict" href="#" target="_blank">Supreme Verdict</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is enough bar Game Changing status and a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Urza, Lord High Artificer" href="#" target="_blank">Urza, Lord High Artificer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> being susceptible to every <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Murder" href="#" target="_blank">Murder</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> under the sun not being enough to remove its Game Changing status. Another distinction for another time.</p>
<p>I ultimately believe that once a single spell starts costing around 8+ mana, then winning the game becomes a possibility for its effects. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Coalition Victory" href="#" target="_blank">Coalition Victory</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is my go-to example, and I have every expectation that it will eventually be delisted from a Game Changer.</p>
<p>But what do you think? Are there some cards that I overlooked? Are most, if not all "Game Winners" ultimately Game Changers? There's plenty left on the table and I have every intention of discussing these nuances further.</p>
<p>Tune in next time to continue this deep dive in the Bracket system and more Commander Philosophy!</p>


Commander Philosophy - Game Winners vs. Game Changers

Matoya, Archon Elder - Final Fantasy Bracket 2 Commander Deck

Commander Philosophy - When Does Tutoring Go Too Far?

Commander Philosophy - The Difference Between Synergy and Exploiting

<h6 style="text-align: right;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Vampiric Tutor" href="#" target="_blank">Vampiric Tutor</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>| art by <a href="https://raymondswanland.com/">Raymond Swanland</a></h6>
<h6></h6>
<h2 style="text-align: left;">Game Changing Cards</h2>
<h6 style="text-align: right;"><a href="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/This_one.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-149401" src="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/This_one.png" alt="" width="1580" height="784" srcset="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/This_one.png 1580w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/This_one-300x149.png 300w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/This_one-1024x508.png 1024w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/This_one-768x381.png 768w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/This_one-1536x762.png 1536w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1580px) 100vw, 1580px" /></a></h6>
<p><a href="https://magic.wizards.com/en/news/announcements/introducing-commander-brackets-beta">Officially</a>, they are defined by Gavin Verhey as "allowing players to run away with resources, shift games in ways that many players dislike, block people from play, efficiently search for their strongest cards, or have commanders that tend to take away from more casual games."</p>
<p>Players can self-regulate and find what works best for them when searching for a game that best suits them through this open-ended definition, but how can the average player determine what is game-changing on their own?</p>
<p>Two-Card Infinite Combos, Extra Turns, Mass Land Denial, and Tutors (for things other than lands... there's plenty to discuss about this later) are considered their own categories for a few reasons, with the most prominent being that the Game Changers List is meant to be easily accessible to new players and not a chore to complete when deckbuilding.</p>
<p>Instead of listing hundreds if not thousands of cards that are considered too warping, these subcategories are left open-ended with the same intent of allowing players to self-regulate.</p>
<p>But this abundance of interpretation challenges what it takes for something to undoubtedly be labeled a Game Changer and thus be limited to Brackets 3-5.</p>
<p>There is no question that the current 61 Game Changers are worthy of their status, but why not more? Verhey has been clear that the original 40 were identified out of convenience and that <a href="https://magic.wizards.com/en/news/announcements/commander-brackets-beta-update-april-22-2025">the most recent additions</a> reflect what the community believes to be Game Changers, but these 61 set the tone for what is to be expected of a Game Changer.</p>
<p>What these cards share in common that sets them apart from the rest of the game is the heart of this problem, as the ability to identify this mysterious variable would help players understand why their Bracket 2 deck probably should not run <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Glacial Chasm" href="#" target="_blank">Glacial Chasm</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Gonti&#039;s Aether Heart"></div></div>
<h2>If You Hear Hooves, Think Horses, Not Zebras</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Emrakul, the Aeons Torn"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Griselbrand"></div></div>
<p>The easiest way to understand what distinguishes Game Changers from the majority of <em>Magic</em> cards is to first understand the distinction between Game Changers and cards on the <a href="https://magic.wizards.com/en/banned-restricted-list">Commander Ban List</a>. Cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Griselbrand" href="#" target="_blank">Griselbrand</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Emrakul, the Aeons Torn" href="#" target="_blank">Emrakul, the Aeons Torn</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are banned due to at least one of the following: their raw power or their potential to be exploited.</p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Emrakul, the Aeons Torn" href="#" target="_blank">Emrakul</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is the <em>only</em> legendary creature in existence that grants an immediate (and uncounterable) extra turn in the command zone, with next closest option being <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Medomai the Ageless" href="#" target="_blank">Medomai the Ageless</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>... not quite a far comparison.</p>
<p>This is insanely powerful on its own, and it does not require a player to expend much effort to exploit it. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Emrakul, the Aeons Torn" href="#" target="_blank">Emrakul</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> could not reside in the 99 even as a Game Changer as its presence would ultimately define how a deck operates: a player running <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Emrakul, the Aeons Torn" href="#" target="_blank">Emrakul</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> resolves and immediately neuters, if not eliminates, their biggest threat and assumes the role of archenemy. Verhey states that it <em>may</em> be possible for <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Emrakul, the Aeons Torn" href="#" target="_blank">Emrakul</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to be unbanned and made a Game Changer as the Brackets mature, but now is not the time to make such a decision.</p>
<p>Similarly, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Griselbrand" href="#" target="_blank">Griselbrand</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is insanely valuable in a format where your starting life total is double that of the 60-card formats this card was originally designed for. If spending dozens of life points for dozens of cards wasn't warping enough, a player seeking to artificially draw value from an effect like "Pay 7 life: Draw seven cards" only needs to play cards worthy of being drawn; again, not exactly a hard choice to make. The closest legal comparison to <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Griselbrand" href="#" target="_blank">Griselbrand</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> would be <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Necropotence" href="#" target="_blank">Necropotence</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, which is already a Game Changer, but the steps necessary for exploiting <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Griselbrand" href="#" target="_blank">Griselbrand</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are far less demanding than the hoops required to jump through to break <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Necropotence" href="#" target="_blank">Necropotence</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<p>For every effort a player makes at exploiting these cards, they are compounding the already "game changing" effects these cards possess on their own.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Intuition"></div></div>
<p>What's important to understand is the difference between a card's raw power and how readily exploitable it is. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Emrakul, the Aeons Torn" href="#" target="_blank">Emrakul</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> does not require any additional help to be too much for Commander, but what about cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Thassa&#039;s Oracle" href="#" target="_blank">Thassa&#039;s Oracle</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>?</p>
<p>In a vacuum, the card is most valuable as a Merfolk or for its progress in building one's devotion in blue, since this is a vacuum without consideration for players that intend to win primarily through <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Thassa&#039;s Oracle" href="#" target="_blank">The Oracle&#039;s</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> triggered ability, but clearly the card reserves its Game Changing status due to <em>how</em> it is played.</p>
<p>The vast majority of the time, players that run "<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Thassa&#039;s Oracle" href="#" target="_blank">Thoracle</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>" do so to exploit its triggered ability upon entering the battlefield. So many players have done so that decks that run <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Thassa&#039;s Oracle" href="#" target="_blank">The Oracle</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are mainly higher power lists. One only needs to see the <a href="https://edhrec.com/cards/thassas-oracle">top commanders</a> to understand that <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Thassa&#039;s Oracle" href="#" target="_blank">The Oracle&#039;s</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> meta is evidence enough for its spot as a Game Changer.</p>
<p><a href="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Screenshot-2025-04-04-192603.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-147899" src="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Screenshot-2025-04-04-192603.png" alt="A list of Thassa's Oracle's top Commanders provided by EDHREC" width="1029" height="624" /></a></p>
<h2>The Changed, The Banned, And The Staples</h2>
<p>Okay, so the ban list consists of cards that are both too powerful on their own and/or too exploitative, or in other words too easily broken. The difference between these cards and Game Changers is that Game Changers, while strong, are labeled Game Changers with Commander's social setting in mind.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Jeweled Lotus"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Dockside Extortionist"></div></div>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Rhystic Study"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Orcish Bowmasters"></div></div>
<p>Game Changers instead experience a "soft ban", so to speak. In an attempt to allow social games of Commander remain social, Game Changers and the four subcategories are "banned" from Brackets 1-2, with Bracket 3 only allowing 3 Game Changers as well as excluding Mass Land Denial and Extra Turns.</p>
<p>Those that wish to be more social can do so without having "feel-bads" against less social decks, and vice versa. This metric works well as a blanket, but it's still difficult to take a given card in a typical Commander night and distinguish between a really good synergy and a Game Changer.</p>
<p>Perhaps it is necessary to adopt a similar approach to the problem just as the Bracket system has attempted: what is the intent behind the card?</p>
<p>The Bracket system is a tool to be used in good faith, meaning that a player and their playstyle are to be categorized based on what they intend to experience. Want to play a Commander deck where all of the cards' arts contain horses? Bracket 1.</p>
<p>Want to push colorless artifacts to the limit? Bracket 4. Similarly, how is a player playing a given card? Is the Bracket 2 player's <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mirkwood Bats" href="#" target="_blank">Mirkwood Bats</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> just pure value or a serious threat? Honestly, just how powerful can <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Arena" href="#" target="_blank">Arena</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> be in Bracket 5?</p>
<p>Examples like these highlight that a card's warping effects rely on both its inherent power alongside how it's being used. Sure, you could exploit <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fasting" href="#" target="_blank">Fasting</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> as much as your heart desires, but... why would you? <em>How</em> could you? No matter how hard you try, it will absolutely never be as valuable as, say, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dryad Arbor" href="#" target="_blank">Dryad Arbor</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Grief"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Anguished Unmaking"></div></div>
<p>Intent plays an important role in deciding whether a card or an effect is too warping. A player that intends to exploit <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Norin the Wary" href="#" target="_blank">Norin the Wary</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and his frequent enters-/leaves-the-battlefield shenanigans can be found in Brackets 1-4, depending on how exploitative the player intends to play.</p>
<p>Is the player planning on winning the game by infinitely looping <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Norin the Wary" href="#" target="_blank">Norin</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> somehow? Probably a higher Bracket deck as <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Norin the Wary" href="#" target="_blank">Norin</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is intended to be used as though it were a Game Changer. Is the player running a Warrior- and Coward-themed deck?</p>
<p>Probably a lower Bracket deck since <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Norin the Wary" href="#" target="_blank">Norin</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. A <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Norin the Wary" href="#" target="_blank">Norin</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> that is running a chaotic theme with cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Scrambleverse" href="#" target="_blank">Scrambleverse</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is not necessarily as warping as a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Norin the Wary" href="#" target="_blank">Norin</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> that runs effects like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Purphoros, God of the Forge" href="#" target="_blank">Purphoros, God of the Forge</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fiery Emancipation" href="#" target="_blank">Fiery Emancipation</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<h2>Follow The Yellow-Bracket Road</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sol Ring"></div></div>
<p>Exploring the Bracket System and its Game Changers is an important journey many players should engage with. Players who take the time to look at cards in the moment and appreciate how much of an effect they had on a game's course may learn that it is crucial to determine how strong a card is naturally and the potential to exploit it beyond what it could achieve on its own, both when playing against threats and building their own.</p>
<p>A player that understands what makes a card a Game Changer will be better equipped in their threat assessment and their ability to more strategically play their bombs, not only making them more likely to win but allowing for a more enjoyable Commander experience for the whole table.</p>
<p>But there's so much more to learn than just that! Should more cards be unbanned next year? Are the four subcategories effective in providing a desired play space? Will <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sol Ring" href="#" target="_blank">Sol Ring</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> ever not be treated as the exception? This series will continue to dive into the nuances and minutiae that the new Bracket System presents, and in doing so explore the larger discussion surrounding Commander and how to be a better player both on and off the battlefield.</p>
<p>But what do you think? Found something important that was left out? Do you think that this approach fails in some way? Please, do tell! Commander is a social format after all, and its no fun practicing philosophy by yourself. Tune in next time to continue this deep dive in the Bracket system and more Commander Philosophy!</p>


Alex Wicker

Alex Wicker

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