Glimpse the Core | Art by Susumu Kuroi

In late October 2025, an update was announced to the Commander Brackets Beta which incorporated changes suggested during the Commander Format Panel's meeting the month before. In addition to the linked article, the helpful graphic was updated to reflect the clarifications.

I've been a big fan of the Brackets system since its introduction. I really like how it sets early expectations for game experiences before the necessary pre-game conversation and helps sort players into groups that more closely align with the sort of game they're looking for.

The new update better clarifies the Brackets, but I do feel like Core (2) and Upgraded (3) Brackets are still not quite right, and today I wanted to dig into what the Core Bracket currently is, and what I think it should be.

Let's take a look at what they say about the Core Bracket in the article:

Bracket 2: Core
Players expect:

Decks to be unoptimized and straightforward, with some cards chosen to maximize creativity and/or entertainment
Win conditions to be incremental, telegraphed on the board, and disruptable
Gameplay to be low pressure with an emphasis on social interaction
Gameplay to be proactive and considerate, letting each deck showcase its plan

Generally, you should expect to be able to play at least eight turns before you win or lose.

I support nearly all of this, with the exception of players expecting "decks to be unoptimized." While this might be true for some of the card choices, there are still plenty of "optimized" card choices that you should be able to put in your deck without pushing it to Upgraded. I mean, it's hard to get more optimized than Sol Ring, right?

Notably, "unoptimized" is nowhere to be found in the graphic's more detailed description of the Core Bracket:

Players expect...

... decks to be mechanically focused with some cards chosen to maximize creativity and/or entertainment.

... win conditions to be incremental, telegraphed on the board, and disruptible. 

... gameplay to be low pressure, proactive, and considerate, letting each deck showcase its plan.

... to play at least 8 turns before anyone wins or loses.

NO Game Changers

NO Mass Land Denial

NO Chaining Extra Turns

NO 2-Card Combos (game-enders, lockouts, or infinites)

Perhaps the idea is that "some cards chosen to maximize creativity and/or entertainment" is equivalent to "unoptimized" but I think the graphic wording is much more on point for what deckbuilders should be aiming for when building Core decks.

I've been playing Commander/EDH since Sheldon first brought the format outside of the Pro Tour Judge circuit and introduced it to the masses, and writing about it nearly as long. The format as it was originally conceived, and how it was generally played for most of the early days, involved chill and laid back gameplay that lasted many, many turns and where big, splashy, expensive spells could shine.

I've always loved that vibe, and have done my best to play those sorts of games for over 18 years now. But as Commander grew in popularity, and as Wizards of the Coast (WotC) started focusing on designing specifically for Commander and inadvertently creating a lot of overpowered and hyper-efficient cards, a lot of players started bringing decks to the table that played a lot more like tournament decks than the pile of big spells from the format's early days.

It got more difficult to find three other players who wanted to play with that original vibe that has always the core appeal of Commander. I think that, with a little tweaking, Core bracket can be the home for that classic, early EDH gameplay that many of us still really enjoy.

Differences Between the Commander Brackets

Let's take a look at the helpful "The difference is X" arrows along the top of the graphic.

Brackets 2 to 3

Between Brackets 2 and 3, instead of the difference being STAPLES, I think it should be GAME CHANGERS. To my mind, Core Bracket is where you get to play free from all the obnoxious and game-warping Game Changers.

While you could build Upgraded decks without any Game Changers, your opponents are going to be jamming up to three of them so you have incentive to include them yourself during deckbuilding.

Many of the cards on the Game Changers list are, well, game changers that warp game play and often accelerate the advantage of one player ahead of the others. Not having them in your Core decks means that games have more time to breathe, and players can expect a longer and more relaxed game.

Which is exactly that sort of old-school EDH vibe.

Brackets 3 to 4

Between Brackets 3 and 4, instead of the difference being SPEED, it should be something else. The suggested turns before a player can win or lose a game goes from six turns to four turns, which honestly doesn't feel like all that much faster. It seems to me pretty clearly the big difference is illustrated in the bottom of the two boxes: NO RESTRICTIONS.

I also think it would be a good idea to consider another name for Bracket 3. "Upgraded" made sense when Core was tied to the idea of precon deck strength, but now that precons are no longer a measuring stick for Core, "upgraded precon" doesn't make much sense as the inspiration for Bracket 3.

Perhaps the name is baked in now, but considering the system is still in Beta, now is certainly the time for considering a different nomenclature. How about "Enhanced" by Game Changers and faster kills?

What do you think?

Core or Upgraded/Enhanced? A Deck Case Study

To illustrate the sort of deck that clearly embodies that old-school EDH style, I'd like to share my signature deck built around Grothama, All-DevouringGrothama, All-Devouring!

Now, according to Archidekt's calculations, my Grothama deck is Core (Bracket 2).

I've received some criticism about that, with some people feeling that the "power level" of the deck clearly makes it Upgraded (Bracket 3), despite not running any Game Changers. I do have plenty of high quality cards in the deck.

Collective ResistanceCollective Resistance, Augur of AutumnAugur of Autumn and Keen-Eyed CuratorKeen-Eyed Curator are powerful staples of the format, particularly for mono-green decks.

I'm also running high quality ramp cards, with CultivateCultivate and Kodama's ReachKodama's Reach being excellent staples in that regard, and Fanatic of RhonasFanatic of Rhonas doing a lot of heavy lifting in a deck that has a ton of creatures with power four or greater.

ShadowspearShadowspear, Sylvan LibrarySylvan Library, and Herd HeirloomHerd Heirloom are incredibly powerful and efficient cards. Should these cards be considered too powerful for Core?

I recently added The Dominion BraceletThe Dominion Bracelet to the deck since my commander has such a high power it's actually reasonable to play it, equip it, and activate it all in the same turn. Is a one-shot MindslaverMindslaver too powerful for Core?

As a mono-green deck, I do have some holes in what the deck can do against certain strategies, so to my mind it's a potential out to what otherwise might just leave me helpless.

Then there's Case of the Locked HothouseCase of the Locked Hothouse and Season of GatheringSeason of Gathering which can generate incredible resource advantage in a long game. Which is what we're looking to do in Core, right?

In the descriptions for the Brackets, interaction isn't mentioned until the Upgraded section, but I don't think that means you shouldn't run a good amount of interaction in your Core decks.

Cards like Haywire MiteHaywire Mite, Insidious FungusInsidious Fungus, and CankerbloomCankerbloom provide answers to problematic enchantments or artifacts, but can also just be a body that can attack, block, or pick up Equipment. I don't use these to take away mana rocks to kick a player while they're having mana issues; these are here to help extend games and keep myself - or others - from losing too early.

I also consider Tamiyo's SafekeepingTamiyo's Safekeeping and Strength of WillStrength of Will as interaction, to help keep a permanent on the battlefield in the face of removal. I don't generally play permanent-based ways to inhibit opponents' interaction with my cards, but I do like to have a couple instants in the deck for crucial turns.

I also really like Spinner of SoulsSpinner of Souls to assist recovery from battlefield sweepers.

The Core Experience

The beating heart of Core deck play experience is this:

Win conditions to be incremental, telegraphed on the board, and disruptable; gameplay to be low pressure with an emphasis on social interaction; gameplay to be proactive and considerate, letting each deck showcase its plan. Generally, you should expect to be able to play at least eight turns before you win or lose.

Despite high quality cards and interaction, my Grothama deck aligns with these goals. Win conditions are inherently incremental, telegraphed, and disruptible, because I'm trying to win with combat damage. This deck plays low pressure, despite having a ten-power commander - Grothama has a built-in mini-game, and opponents instantly start thinking of ways to deal damage and remove Grothama from the battlefield to draw cards.

Otherwise, it is immensely vulnerable to all sorts of creature removal, and needs another card in order to not just be chump blocked forever. It takes time for this deck to assemble enough of a resource advantage to gradually win through combat damage, and by the time that happens everyone should have had time to see their own deck in action.

In my experience, games with Grothama or other Core decks can often extend beyond ten turns, having a blast with friends the whole time.

To recap my suggested updates to the Core description to better align with that old-school EDH experience:

1. Remove "unoptimized" from the description of what players expect from Core decks.
2. The difference between Brackets 2 and 3 should be GAME CHANGERS, not STAPLES.

Core should be a haven for chill, relaxed games, free from Game Changers and quick combos. Everyone should have time to let their decks breathe, for creature combat to matter, and for big splashy spells to shine. What do you think?

Read More:

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