Brawl

Brawl
DCI Sanctioned
Paper
Magic Online
Magic Arena
Rules
Type	Constructed
Multiplayer
Add. rules	Commander 25-30 life points Singleton deck: Exactly 60 cards

Brawl is a Commander variant that uses only Standard-legal cards. It was designed and introduced by Wizards of the Coast staff Gerritt Turner, and subsequently became a Magic Online sanctioned format.

Rules

Since its rule set is derived from Commander, the Comprehensive Rules consider Brawl to be an option of how to play Commander, even though in practice, it's a very different format.

From the Comprehensive Rules (June 7, 2024—Modern Horizons 3)

• 903.11. If a player is allowed to bring a card from outside the game into a Commander game, that player can’t bring a card into the game this way if it has the same name as a card that player had in their starting deck, if it has the same name as a card that the player owns in the current game, or if any color in its color identity isn’t in the color identity of the player’s commander.

From the glossary of the Comprehensive Rules (June 7, 2024—Modern Horizons 3)

Brawl

An option for the Commander casual variant. See rule 903.12, “Brawl Option.”

Brawl Decks

Four special Brawl Decks were designed for Throne of Eldraine. These 60-card decks use cards from throughout Standard, from Guilds of Ravnica all the way through Throne of Eldraine. There are 20 unique cards in these decks that aren't found in Draft Boosters (but they can still be found in Collector Boosters.) Each deck has seven of them — four cards unique to that deck, one card shared with one other Brawl Deck, and two cards shared with each other Brawl Deck. These cards are all legal in Standard, Brawl, and all other formats that allow the latest sets. (Or at least ones where cards in new sets are legal. They contain 7 new, mechanically unique, cards per deck. A life wheel is included in the packaging.

Differences from Commander

Brawl is very similar to Commander, with the following exceptions:

• Players in multiplayer games start at 30 life, not 40.
• Players in one-on-one start at 25 life, not 40.
• Players in one-on-one get one free Mulligan like in Multiplayer games.
• Decks consist of 60 cards, not 100.
• Any Planeswalker can be a commander regardless of whether they have the ability to become a commander or not.
• Only cards from Standard-legal sets can be used; consequently, Brawl uses its own banned and restricted list.
• Commander damage rules (from Commander) do not apply.
• You can use multiple copies of any one basic land in decks with a colorless commander.

Banned list

On May 10, 2018 the banned list for Brawl was separated from the Standard banned list. Aetherworks Marvel, Attune with Aether, Felidar Guardian, Rampaging Ferocidon, Ramunap Ruins, and Rogue Refiner were all unbanned. Smuggler's Copter stayed banned. Baral, Chief of Compliance and Sorcerous Spyglass were banned.

Variants

Some players choose to play Brawl using different card pools.

• Commander Brawl — Uses the Commander card pool and ban-list.
• Oathbreaker — It's Commander but with planeswalkers instead of legendary creatures. There is a signature spell in the command zone and uses the Commander card pool with 60 card decks instead of 100 cards.
• Post-Modern Commander — Uses any card printed in the post-Magic 2015 cardframe.
• Frontier — Uses cards from Magic 2015 onward.
• Origins — Uses cards from Magic Origins onward.
• Historic — Uses Ixalan and onward. Based on MTG Arena.
• Kerfuffle — Includes silver-bordered cards.
• Eternal — Decks are made from historical Standard formats; currently legal decks become Eternal Brawl decks after Standard rotates.
• Ravnican Guild Blitz — Uses only guild-affiliated cards.