Brash TaunterBrash Taunter | Art by Svetlin Velinov

The Commander Format Panel (CFP) has built the Bracket System to be a tool for players to use in order to create a more enjoyable gaming experience. From Game Changers to sub categories like mass land denial/destruction, the Brackets aim to give players a foundation from which to build their preferred Commander experience.

What many players are apt to point out, however, is that the Brackets can and have been used as a way to improperly gatekeep certain playstyles and experiences from a pod's game night. Players who wish to avoid Blood MoonBlood Moon experiences ought to be given the space to do so, but games with certain "unfun" or harsh strategies are experiences worth engaging with, even if just to solidify one's original stance against such experiences.

Becoming a better Magic player is a shared goal among Commander players. There's no better evidence of that than EDHREC's popularity among deck brewers. However, becoming better at anything requires failure and shortcomings, meaning "feel-bad" moments are reasonably expected. Where the Brackets intend to limit most extreme feel-bad cases, it ought not be used as the one-size-fits-all solution to preventing all feel-bads.

Brackets as a Tool

Most times, the Bracket system is used among players seeking to play Commander with others that aren't considered an established group. This includes everything from a random Commander pod at your local game store's Commander night to playing with established players at an official Magic event.

In these situations, the Rule Zero conversation (the conversation you have before the game starts to discuss what kind of game you're looking to have) is strongly recommended in order for players to discuss their intentions and expectations from a game.

Does a player seek to try out their new jank Toofer, Keeper of the Full GripToofer, Keeper of the Full Grip deck? Maybe Atraxa, Praetors' VoiceAtraxa, Praetors' Voice poison counters should wait this game out. Is someone hoping to fire off their Winota, Joiner of ForcesWinota, Joiner of Forces deck in between events at MagicCon? Perhaps the Kynaios and Tiro of MeletisKynaios and Tiro of Meletis pillow fort should be swapped for something a bit faster.

The Brackets are intended to be used in this Rule Zero discussion as a way to communicate more effectively. It's very difficult to quantify a deck's objective power on its own, but the Brackets try to rank decks relative to one another and determine whether or not these decks can produce a Commander game the pod will enjoy.

Like any tool, Brackets require the appropriate input for the desired output to be produced. A hammer cannot join a nail to a block of wood unless the required input is provided. Similarly, the Brackets cannot produce an engaging or enjoyable Commander experience unless the players actively work towards this goal.

Players hoping for a productive Commander game will use the Brackets in good faith and will learn how better to engage with the Brackets, just as anyone who uses a hammer will become more proficient in, say, carpentry the more they use the hammer. Sometimes though, mistakes are made and the carpenter smashes their finger instead of the nail just as some Commander games will leave players with sore feelings.

These mistakes are vital to learning how to more effectively use these tools and should be appropriately embraced instead of vilified. Yes, maybe that Najeela, the Blade-BlossomNajeela, the Blade-Blossom player ought to know of Najeela's raw strength and should've played a slower deck or that Yarok, the DesecratedYarok, the Desecrated deck should be piloted by someone who doesn't take an hour to resolve their turn before discarding to hand size (from personal experience, if your turn takes an hour and doesn't end the game, please reevaluate the deck you're playing).

What players shouldn't do is use these experiences as barriers. This is to say the uniquely bad experience I had with Yarok shouldn't justify me arguing that the deck was misrepresented somehow or that the Brackets allowed this to happen. A tool can be faulty, but ultimately we players created the experience.

Brackets as a Shield

A common criticism of Brackets I've heard argues that the Brackets prevent players, especially newer players, from learning Magic in its entirety. Some players are being overprotected by other, more experienced (or more vocal) players demanding everyone to be shielded from evils like Drannith MagistrateDrannith Magistrate or Seedborn MuseSeedborn Muse.

It's as though the Brackets are a helicopter parent guarding their kids from every crack in the street and suspicious looking cartoon shows.

It's not like these arguments come from nowhere; these criticisms are rooted in legitimate concerns and feel-bad experiences. Players have and will continue to justify why they'll never play with or against stax pieces or combo pieces or mass land denial for a multitude of reasons, using the Brackets as a means of gatekeeping such undesirable decks away from their games.

But I'd argue that players that use the Brackets as a shield for new players against every player is a misuse of the tool. In some shape or form, at one point or another, players ought to experience losing against stax pieces or combo pieces or mass land denial.

In the simplest terms, Magic is a game where one person wins and at least one person loses. There's skill to playing Magic, and such skill can only be cultivated through trial and error (You know you've misplayed one of the latter and are now better for it).

Using the Brackets to broadly police these trials and errors out of Commander is a misuse of the tool and not the outcome it was intended to produce. A safe space must be ensured for players seeking refuge from cards and strategies they don't desire, yes, but this shouldn't be done at the expense of fostering better Magic players.

In fact, such a space should only be used for those who are either so new that they must learn Magic's basics before engaging with stronger settings or those who have experienced such settings and are seeking a relaxed experience.

This safe space loses its merit the moment it's forced upon players who have no desire to engage with it. Someone who exploits the Brackets by claiming the system demands players to conform to their expectations is misusing the tool for their own benefit. Rule Zero has never forced players to do anything other than open the door to talk about expectations, and the Bracket system is simply a tool that starts this conversation.

Our Upkeep on Turn Zero

Until an officially sanctioned Commander tournament forces players to abide by the Brackets regulations, there will never be a time when a player will be forced to go out of their comfort zone when a pod uses the tools at their disposal appropriately. In fact, those who would engage in a tournament regulated by the Brackets make the choice to agree to Bracket expectations, arguably dismissing the "I was forced to play against X" claim.

The issue of being forced into or out of one's comfort command zone doesn't stem from the Brackets imposing the CFP's or WotC's will upon players—it's always been and continue to be the players'. There are plenty of genuine complaints to lodge against WotC, the CFP, and the Brackets, but players misusing the Rule Zero discussion isn't one of them.

The safe space the Brackets intend to create cannot be used as the policing force to "ban" cards or decks. Do you not want to play against StasisStasis because you've hated your past experiences with it? Understandable, have a nice day playing against a more suitable deck. Do you not want to play against Stasis because of its reputation? Well... you absolutely have that choice, but you should really be concluding that on your own.

Understand why Statis is so hated, or why talks of Rhystic StudyRhystic Study being banned are taking place, or why Glacial ChasmGlacial Chasm is so ubiquitously strong. Take the time to learn why these things are on your own terms instead of exploiting the Rule Zero discussion into preemptively dictating what kind of game the pod should expect to play as opposed to wants to play.

Similarly, try playing with these cards in your decks. See how much of a difference Aura ShardsAura Shards makes in your Rin and Seri, InseparableRin and Seri, Inseparable token deck, or how Smothering TitheSmothering Tithe alters your Mr. House, President and CEOMr. House, President and CEO's experience. If it's unfamiliar, get familiar. Play around with them until you find out what your final verdict is.

In essence, we ought to learn how to better use the Rule Zero discussion and the Brackets to build a better Commander experience instead of insisting the tool do the hard work for us. A better Magic player cannot be built through waiting for WotC to analyze which rules are the most popular or which cards are the most hated. It's up to us to determine what Commander, a player-built format, means to us and how we engage with it.

The majority of Magic is The Gathering, after all. It only makes sense that The Gathering is what makes something Magic.