Goblin EngineerGoblin Engineer | Art by Jehan Choo

Magic is a very complex game. Commander is an even more complicated means of playing Magic, partly due to Commander being a multiplayer format AND an Eternal format.

Because of this, mistakes are bound to occur. There have arguably been very few Commander games that have concluded without error. However, due to Commander's social aspect, such mistakes are easily remedied and fixed simply by players continuing play as though a fault never occurred or backing the game up to the point of fault and continuing from there.

Not all mistakes are equal, though, and some "fixes" aren't as feasible as they seem. Let's look into a few different common mistakes that can occur in a Commander game and discuss why some mistakes aren't worth fixing in-game.

What Mistakes We're Talking About

If I control my commander, Lightning, Army of OneLightning, Army of One, that's equipped with Lightning GreavesLightning Greaves and I try to target Lightning with, say, Duelist's HeritageDuelist's Heritage, a common fix may be to simply say I choose not to target any creature due to the enchantment's "may" option. Depending on the timing of the mistake and my opponents' approval, I may even be allowed to target another creature instead.

A simple mistake with an easy fix. The game continues. Later on, maybe I try to resolve Mother of RunesMother of Runes' activated ability targeting Lightning who still wears the boots, hoping to making my commander unblockable for a turn. Now the fix, while relatively simple, may not be as clear as before. Should the table conclude that I can undo Mother's activation entirely or does Mother's ability end up targeting another creature if possible?

My vote for a player making a mistake like this is to say Mother was never activated, as the original target could never have been targeted anyways, but that's not guaranteed to happen. Players who may have had "feels bad" moments in previous games regarding misplaying instants and sorceries may conclude that because something was put onto the stack, we shouldn't/can't walk the game back that far.

A similar problem can occur if I were to cast an EmbercleaveEmbercleave intending to target Lighting who's still shrouded by Lightning Greaves. Does the table allow Embercleave to resolve but not auto-equip? Can I walk back my casting of Embercleave and try something else instead?

The honest answer to all of these questions is to say "it depends" (shocker). Many factors will determine whether the table can/ought to choose a certain fix for problems like these.

How These Mistakes Are Made

One easy factor to consider is whether the player making the mistake is new to Magic or playing with a new deck/new cards. Often times, newer players will make a simple mistake such as tapping their lands in the wrong order or misunderstanding the wording of some cards (especially some of the lengthier oneslengthier ones).

Sure, new information has been given to the table unintentionally and now everyone knows that player is holding up some board wipe, piece of removal, some fashion of a game-winning spell, etc., but the boon of Commander being socially motivated is that this information doesn't have to negatively influence the game, especially for new players.

The game can continue as is up until the player ought to have resolved their intended effect, or if amicable the table can agree to let the effect resolve at that moment despite the mistake. For new players and players using newer cards, often times the fix is as easy as pretending it never happened.

And this isn't limited to just new players. If a more enfranchised player accidentally taps the wrong lands for one spell and tries to cast another with the wrong colored mana, an easy fix is to just allow the spells to resolve normally, given the player legally could've cast both spells with the right mana.

Or maybe someone announces they're going to resolve one spell but realizes for one reason or another that they would rather not and start undoing their payments for the spell. Maybe their BrainstormBrainstorm is better held up until the next turn and, before resolving anything, decide to take back tapping their IslandIsland for and return Brainstorm to their hand. No harm, no foul.

However, a good point of contention worth discussing is how an experienced player's mistakes ought to be remedied. For those of us who have played our fair share of Magic and have handcrafted decks with intent and care, how should our mistakes be dealt with?

Mistakes as a Learning Device

Again, it depends, but the solution I'd like to highlight for this discussion is allowing the mistake to happen and play with their consequences. When appropriate, letting players play with the consequences of their mistakes allows them to learn how to be a better Magic player and thus create a more compelling Commander experience.

If I still control my Lightning with the boots and try to flash in Mithril CoatMithril Coat, as an experienced player, I shouldn't necessarily be allowed to take back the spell's casting. After all, it's the enters ability that I screwed up, not the spell's casting itself. Same with Embercleave. Both Equipment are legally allowed to be cast and enter, but their intended targets weren't legal and thus either fail to resolve or must find a new, legal target depending on the situation and the table's consensus.

Mistakes like these would provide me the opportunity to learn about shroud's nuances and whether or not such effects are ultimately worthwhile instead of a source of hexproof or a form of protection from X.

Similarly, some popular cards, like Rhystic StudyRhystic Study, require that I, the controller, pay constant attention to every spell that's resolved in order to ensure I'm actually drawing cards. As an experienced player, it's not enough for me to simply cast Rhystic, miss every spell a player has resolved during their turn, and ask "Hey, did you pay the for any of that?" Same for Wandering ArchaicWandering Archaic. These are "may" triggers that, because I've missed utilizing them properly, I've been assumed to opt out of their "may" abilities.

This is different from Smothering TitheSmothering Tithe which specifies that you must create a Treasure token if the tax isn't paid. It can feel bad when someone forgets Smothering Tithe exists and, after realizing on a later turn what actually should've happened, they then create a game-winning amount of mana seemingly out of the blue. Sure, they technically have the Treasures no matter what, but they really should've played Smothering Tithe more responsibly.

Self-Policing Mistakes To Becoming a Better Player

Some mistakes are easier to fix than others, but just because their solution is simple shouldn't mean we ought to enact that solution every time. Mistakes are necessary tools for learning, so we ought to allow ourselves the grace to make them and understand how we got there and how to prevent such mistakes in the future.

Ultimately, the table should decide what the best solution is regardless of whether it's the "legal" remedy recommended by tournament standards, but we should individually take a step back whenever we make a mistake and learn how this mistake was made and not be afraid of owning said mistake.

To advocate for misplays to remain misplays doesn't have to look like demanding a perfect game nor shaming others into playing with the same mentality. The better player we can become, the better our pods will in turn become, both as a Magic player and opponents.

But what do you think? How do you feel about allowing misplays to remain misplays? What are your thoughts on advocating for others to be selective with their remedies? Do you think the social aspect of Commander fosters or inhibits such an ideal?

I hope this article is helpful in discussing how misplays can be used to better the Commander experience. Find me on BlueSky at @ajwicker4.bsky.social, I'd love to hear from you and what your thoughts are.

Tune in next time to continue this deep dive in the Bracket system and more Commander Philosophy!