Magic: The Gathering - How To Work Out Which Bracket Your Commander Deck Is

Magic: The Gathering's Commander format is renowned for its social and diverse gameplay. Unlike competitive formats, Commander prioritizes fun and balanced matchups over cutthroat competition. This is achieved through a Commander Bracket system, offering a more objective way to gauge deck power levels than the previous one-to-ten scale. However, determining your deck's bracket requires more than simply meeting the criteria.

Establishing a Baseline

The Commander Bracket system comprises five levels, each with specific inclusion and exclusion rules. For instance, Bracket 1 decks prohibit two-card infinite combos, while Bracket 3 decks cannot include mass land destruction. A deck including cards like Armageddon automatically falls into Bracket 4. Conversely, a deck adhering to all Bracket 1 guidelines starts its evaluation there.

Fine-tuning Bracket Placement

Once the base bracket is determined, refining its placement becomes easier. Lower brackets emphasize thematic deckbuilding over winning. A deck built around a niche theme (e.g., cards featuring hats) might naturally belong in Bracket 1, even if inherently weak.

However, a thematically-built deck can still be too powerful for its assigned bracket. A strong Elfball deck, for example, would likely overpower most Bracket 1 decks. A key indicator of a deck's power level is its speed in establishing a board presence. If victory is consistently achieved within a few turns, higher brackets are more appropriate.

Understanding Bracket Characteristics

Each bracket possesses defining characteristics. While adhering to the criteria is important, it's crucial to consider the overall spirit of the bracket. The brackets serve as guidelines, not rigid classifications.

Bracket Number	Traits
1: Exhibition	Highly casual, theme-focused, prioritizing fun over winning.
2: Core	Comparable to preconstructed decks; weaker than average but with a defined strategy.
3: Upgraded	The most common bracket; decks possess synergy and a clear goal but aren't hyper-optimized.
4: Optimized	Powerful, fast, and consistent decks; strong but not tournament-ready.
5: cEDH	Tournament-level decks, highly optimized for rapid victory.

Many decks fall into Bracket 3. Preconstructed decks are generally considered Bracket 2.

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