Commander Brackets

The Commander Brackets are a system created by Wizards of the Coast and the Commander Format Panel that allows Commander players to communicate their deck's level of power in friendly matchups, tournaments, websites, apps, and other matchmaking tools. The system was introduced in February 2025.

Description

Commander decks are voluntarily graded on a scale of 1 to 5 bracket tiers, each tier higher indicating that a deck is more powerful.

Intent of play

Intent is the most important part of the bracket system. It is emphasized that the philosophy/description of each bracket is very important. It's not just about running your deck through Archidekt or Moxfield, seeing a number, and calling that matter settled. Magic has thousands of cards and no site can (nor should) perfectly know your deck's goals and where it sits. The system is helpful for communication between players and is not an exact science.

The five brackets

The revised infographic released in April 2025.

Bracket 1: Exhibition

Designed for just-for-fun or casual decks.

Decks prioritize theme over function, and are intended to showcase a unique deck or experience more than be about winning.

• No cards from the Game Changer list.
• No intentional two-card infinite combos.
• No mass land destruction.
• No extra turn cards.
• Tutors should be sparse.

Bracket 2: Core

Established decks with a theme, similar in power to preconstructed Commander deck products.

Decks are focused, even if every card choice isn't the highest power. Intended to be comparable to an average current precon. Wins are often telegraphed or incremental.

• No cards from the Game Changer list.
• No intentional two-card infinite combos.
• No mass land destruction.
• Extra turn cards should only appear in low quantities and should not be chained in succession or looped.
• Tutors should be sparse.

Bracket 3: Upgraded

Decks that have been improved beyond the power of preconstructed decks, but not unbounded.

Decks are thoughtfully designed, full of synergistic or strong cards. Games could end out of nowhere with powerful spells and late-game combos.

• Up to three (3) cards from the Game Changer list.
• No intentional early game two-card infinite combos.
• No mass land destruction.
• Extra turn cards should only appear in low quantities and should not be chained in succession or looped.

Bracket 4: Optimized

No restrictions other than the banned list. Decks can have any legal Commander card and any winning strategy.

Decks are turbocharged with the most powerful cards in the format. Everybody intends to win and is ready to play against anything.

• All legal cards allowed.
• Allows any number of cards from the Game Changer list.

Bracket 5: cEDH

cEDH, or "competitive Commander" and similar names, is where winning matters more than self-expression. This bracket has no restrictions other than the banned list, like bracket 4. It indicates that the deck someone is piloting is designed to win competitive events and prizes and be reactive to the current metagame. The deck may not even include a commander or theme the player enjoys, but rather what they think will win the most matchups.

Decks are built to win in the competitive metagame. Players tend to use only the most powerful strategies.

• All legal cards allowed.
• Allows any number of cards from the Game Changer list.

History

After its takeover of the Commander format in 2024, Wizards of the Coast announced that it would contemplate a bracket system to meet the needs of both casual and competitive Commander players.The idea was that there would be four power brackets, and every Commander deck could be placed in one of those brackets by examining the cards and combinations in the deck and comparing them to lists that the community will help to create. Bracket one would be the baseline of an average preconstructed deck or below and bracket four would be high power. For the lower tiers, Wizards considered leaning on a mixture of cards and a description of how the deck functions, while the higher tiers were likely to be defined by more explicit lists of cards.

In this system, a deck would be defined by its highest-bracket card or cards. This would make it clear what cards go where and what kinds of cards you could expect people to be playing.

On February 11, 2025, the Commander Format Panel formally introduced Commander Brackets and the Game Changers list in a substantially different form, where Commander decks are voluntarily graded on a scale of 1 to 5 bracket tiers, each tier higher indicating that a deck is more powerful. As of that moment, Wizards of the Coast and the Commander Format Panel began testing the system, and are planned to regularly revise it based on player feedback.

The first update came in April 2025. Gavin noted a mostly favorable reaction and an icreasing adoption of the system. As they were still in the beta stage infancy, the Commander Brackets as such did not receive any changes. The Game Changer list however was significantly adjusted.

Gallery

• 
  The initial version of the brackets released by Wizards of the Coast.
• 
  A reworked version by Rachel Weeks. It adds a focus on player experiences.

External links

• Gavin Verhey (February 11, 2025). "Introducing Commander Brackets Beta". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
• Blake Rasmussen and Gavin Verhey (February 11, 2025). "Commander Brackets (Video)". Magic: The Gathering. YouTube.
• Gavin Verhey (February 11, 2025). "What Are Commander Brackets?? System Rundown and Q&A! (Video)". Good Morning Magic. YouTube.