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I've spent a lot of time talking with all of you about the Commander Format Panel's (CFP) Brackets and what their intention was, their goals for Commander going forward, and how it affects our day-to-day games. The majority of what I've written, and probably will continue to write about, focuses on where we like to separate typical, casual Commander experiences from more competitively focused playstyles.

But I believe there's another distinction worth mentioning: Commander in public and Commander at home. Essentially, there's a difference between games that are played with four random strangers at any given event versus a game played between four players who know each other and influence each others' playstyles.

Because of this, I believe that the Brackets ought to be used differently to accommodate for these scenarios. Let me explain.

Brackets as Intended

Commander Brackets Update October 2025

The first thing players ought to do when engaging with a random pod, or any pod for that matter, is to engage with Rule Zero. Everyone's shared upkeep of explaining their expectations for a game and what their intentions are. This way, players can craft the pod to everyone's shared liking.

The Brackets are meant to be a tool for this discussion, not a replacement. The Brackets give a common language for players to share when determining whether one's Sliver deck is appropriate for another's Ayula, Queen Among BearsAyula, Queen Among Bears Typal deck.

Ultimately, the Brackets are a tool to be used properly by players in order to maximize the possibility of a productive Commander experience. It's not a perfect tool that does everything on its own—the system requires players to use it in good faith.

That said, the tool itself doesn't present itself this way. The Brackets have been advertised to players as a way of creating a universal power scale as opposed to a universal translator, so to speak. Game Changers, Tutors, Mass Land Denial, and even the ban list have all led to some players assuming objective standards that may not apply when facing random opponents.

In fact, it's pretty clear that such assumptions are so prevalent that even the CFP has made these assumptions, evident by their early "few tutors" rule being an acceptable stipulation as though it were as clear a rule as "no Game Changers."

What is a tutor to you may not be to me. What I may consider "chaining extra turns" may not be the same to you. The same can go for Mass Land Denial and what is meant by something being a Game Changer.

This is all to say that the Brackets are meant to be flexible to an extent with random pods. Players can discuss what their intentions are through common vocabulary provided by the Brackets and work with their opponents to build the experience they desire.

This is where playing at home starts to differ. This part of the discussion—stating expectations, intentions, and goals for a game—has already been established many times over. That's just a natural consequence of playing with the same people multiple times.

When your friend whips out their Elesh Norn, Mother of MachinesElesh Norn, Mother of Machines list, you know that they plan on slowing things WAY down and slowly but consistently outvaluing the table through exploiting various enters (ETB) effects. They don't have to tell you that there's various Deafening SilenceDeafening Silence effects and that you should expect their interaction to take the form of pseudo-Stax pieces.

Because of this, the discussion can progress farther beyond what a random pod could use the Brackets to achieve.

Brackets at Home

The Brackets can and ought to still be used by established groups. If you've played with someone long enough, you'll be able to intuit their intentions when they say "I'm building a B3 Y'shtola, Night's BlessedY'shtola, Night's Blessed enchantment deck" versus meeting them for the first time and having to learn that their idea of enchantments focuses on pillow forting their way into victory lane.

This shortcut of laying the foundation can move the conversation towards playing with what, say, a Bracket 3 game looks like. Where with random pods time is more limited and room for a Rule Zero discussion isn't meant to get in the way of game night, Brackets with friends can look very different.

There have been plenty of times where I've found myself playing a Bracket 2 deck against a typically legal Bracket 2 pod when, say, the Urza, Chief ArtificerUrza, Chief Artificer player drops a Smothering TitheSmothering Tithe.

With a random pod, it would've taken more consideration and convincing for the opponents to agree to play their Bracket 2 decks against a Bracket 2* deck plus Smothering Tithe, but with at-home Commander this can easily be a Bracket 2 deck because the Brackets are what the players make of it.

Aside from homebrew games not being required to play in the spirit of Brackets, familiar pods can create their own, personal interpretation of what the Brackets mean to them and thus make a better experience.

Is someone playing their new Toph, the First MetalbenderToph, the First Metalbender artifact/landfall deck and runs WorldfireWorldfire, a traditionally Mass Land Denying card? Call it a Bracket 2, because we know what the deck's like, how the friend likes to play Commander, and how long of a game it's been for Worldfire to be a reasonable ending.

Is that friend playing Blood MoonBlood Moon, Ancient TombAncient Tomb, Mana VaultMana Vault, GambleGamble, and Jeska's WillJeska's Will in their Laelia, the Blade ReforgedLaelia, the Blade Reforged deck? Call it a Bracket 3 because we know this deck is: 1) only threating Commander damage at most once a turn, and 2) how unlikely the deck is to sustain itself beyond its first three turns.

I'd like to make my opinion explicitly clear: The Brackets are to remain as is when engaging with random pods. Only when the pod agrees to an amendment or a familiar pod deems it worthwhile should the Brackets be toyed with.

It's not ok to go into your local game store with your Grand Arbiter Augustin IVGrand Arbiter Augustin IV Persistent PetitionersPersistent Petitioners list and expect to be welcomed into anything lower than a Bracket 3 game. The Brackets can be used however the pod wishes to use them, so long as the pod agrees to using the Brackets in such a way.

Addressing Last Week's Take

In my last article, I wrote about introducing more powerful cards and Game Changers into lower Brackets as a way of exploring one's prowess as a Magic player. What I believe I failed to properly mention was that you should do so only if you and your pod is comfortable doing so.

This isn't an argument to beat down lower-powered decks just as an excuse to misuse the Brackets, nor is it a claim that you should introduce such circumstances into a familiar setting where doing so would diminish the collective enjoyment players find during Commander night.

Should you experiment what cards you play with/against? Absolutely. Doesn't matter if you intend to become a better Magic player or not. Exposing yourself to unfamiliar situations can reveal a multitude of variables that reflect your playstyle, your deck's strengths and weaknesses, and your skills at piloting Commander decks.

Doing so, however, isn't being advocated at the expense of your opponents. Who knows? Maybe the 15 minutes you took engaging with Rule Zero was too much for someone and left them looking for others to play with instead.

What's important is that you were upfront with your intentions instead of surprising them with, say, a stray Crop RotationCrop Rotation they weren't comfortable playing against. In fact, if you aren't interested in seeing where a weakness is or where your strengths lie, then who cares! Play how you want to play. Just ensure your opponents have similar intentions.

But what do you think? How do you feel about viewing Brackets more as a tool and less as the law? What are your thoughts on building decks that experiment with Bracket expectations? Do you think using the Brackets as an aid to the Rule Zero discussion is worthwhile?

I hope this article is helpful in exploring what the Rule Zero discussion can look like and how to use the Brackets more effectively. 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!