Treasure NabberTreasure Nabber | Art by Alex Konstad

The generically ideal turn-one play is, undoubtedly, Sol RingSol Ring. Who doesn't want to start a game with a permanent boost to their mana production?

There's no need to explain why Sol Ring is good, but there's still plenty to talk about the ring's (not that onenot that one) potential and influence surrounding Commander.

Last Monday, Cas Hind's article "Powerful Magic Cards We Take For Granted" discussed some of Commander's popular go-to spells and why, as she states, they're "ubiquitous and so powerful that you'd be crazy not to play them."

As you may have guessed, Sol Ring was included. I suppose it was the final straw for me to decide and talk about Sol Ring. Cas is absolutely right that Sol Ring is one of the many cards Commander players can take for granted.

But I believe the problem runs much deeper than just at the table. Sol Ring and other cards like it are a net negative for Commander, if not Magic as a whole.

A Commander Deck is Not 100-Card Singleton

Categorically, Commander is 100-card singleton as a Commander deck requires no duplicates of any cards in a deck aside from basic lands. Taking the lands out of consideration for a moment, this leaves you with ~60-75 slots for different cards to sit near your commander (or commanderscommanders).

In a vacuum, these ~60-75 cards can be anything we want them to be as long as they're cohesive with our commander(s). However, the Commander we play is no vacuum. Players don't really pick only the cards they want.

Sure, Commander may be a social format, but players still want to win. People want their deck to "do the thing" fairly reliably. What better way than to run (arguably) the best artifact in the format?

WoTC certainly agrees that Commander players should have easy access to their splashy spells, which is why Sol RingSol Ring is found in almost every precon to date.

Sol Ring being promoted to be played this way leads to the infamous rock being played in so many decks that players often have to search for a reason not to play it. You're often only hurting yourself when you cut Sol Ring unless you're playing the few decks that can legitimately justify a better card to replace it.

Sol Ring adopts the ambiguous title "auto-include" because of this. Every Commander deck can and often should run Sol Ring lest they face three opponents who run Sol Ring and perform better because of it.

Auto-includes are a natural result of Commander players experimenting with building decks until they discover the "best" cards for their deck. Two players may build a Kozilek, the Great DistortionKozilek, the Great Distortion deck two different ways, but both decks "automatically" choose to run Sol Ring. And Dreamstone HedronDreamstone Hedron, and Thought VesselThought Vessel, and Urza's SagaUrza's Saga...

Staples and Auto-Includes

All of a sudden, Commander players who were trying to power up their decks find that their decks start building themselves. In the search for singularly powerful cards, some find that their deck is filled with cards that "should automatically be included."

The original ~60-75 slots starts dwindling with each color of the commander's identity as every new color adds even more Commander auto-includes and "staples."

Playing more than one color? What's there to lose with an Arcane SignetArcane Signet and a Command TowerCommand Tower? Need interaction in your mono-red deck? Chaos WarpChaos Warp and Blasphemous ActBlasphemous Act are only natural.

The ultimate end game of building a deck completely out of these must-have spells results in building a Bracket 5 deck. At some point, the deck loses its uniqueness and becomes a list of "Magic's Greatest Hits" you have found everyone else playing.

Now, this isn't inherently a bad thing. Bracket 5 decks are built this way intentionally. In order to be the best deck possible, players aren't expected to scour all of Magic's history to find the best 100 cards. There's nothing wrong with netdecking a Bracket 5 list to play with.

The problem with running all of the best cards becomes apparent when you leave Brackets 4-5, where players expect a more social experience. This trade-off is where Commander has found itself most comfortable.

For example, if I were to run only the best cards possible for a Lathril, Blade of the ElvesLathril, Blade of the Elves deck in a Bracket 2 setting, odds are my opponents would not have an enjoyable experience.

Playing in lower Brackets necessitates Commander decks to run weaker cards and synergies in order to generate a healthy and fun experience.

Sol Ring Goes Beyond Turn 1

There's so much more to discuss regarding the differences between each Bracket, but I should remain on topic: Sol Ring actively warps Commander games before, during, and after every game both on and off the tabletop.

It's clear that Sol Ring and it's auto-include friends blur the line for players seeking to build a deck that's powerful yet fair, but what's worse is that it sets the standard for WoTC designers.

Every new mana rock and dork is actively being designed just under Sol Ring as to avoid raising this arbitrary power-level that Sol Ring sits on top of but Mana CryptMana Crypt exceeds.

In fact, I'm willing to bet that the Commander Format Panel's discussions surrounding Jeweled LotusJeweled Lotus depends on whether or not they believe the Lotus is a more ubiquitous auto-include than Sol Ring.

This is where Sol Ring's biggest negative influence is found. Commander is actively being designed around a single card that WoTC knows and expects to be played in the vast majority of decks.

As if that wasn't a problem enough, every new card seeks to inch closer and closer to standing alongside Sol Ring's status as one of the format's strongest cards. This inevitably leads to players being urged to upgrade their decks more thoroughly and thus leading Commander decks towards stagnation.

All because Sol Ring ended up as Commander's favorite artifact.

Staple-Status isn't the Problem. It's Just Sol Ring

No, this is not an argument to ban Sol Ring or all auto-includes, like Arcane Signet or Commander Tower. Yes, they take away from the format's social intent and a deck's personality, but banning is not the way to go. Would it be cool if WoTC treated Sol Ring with the same scrutiny as every other card? Absolutely. Would this treatment result in its banning? Maybe in another lifetime.

The reality is that Sol Ring and other generically powerful cards that are comfortable in the vast majority of Commander decks will always be around in some form or another.

Even if Sol Ring fell of the face of the earth tomorrow, a new card would take its place and we'd be having the same discussion until enough people agreed on what ought to be the strongest a single card can be.

What we can takeaway from this, however, is that we should consider more thoroughly what we auto-include in our decks. It's more than possible to power-up any deck without dancing around the Brackets' borders or netdecking some generically popular cards into our decks.

That's what EDHREC is for! Start learning what's popular/powerful and then start making the deck your own. Earnestly justify through deckbuilding why your Kaalia of the VastKaalia of the Vast deck is actually a fun Bracket 2 experience.

Your deck can certainly run every Swords to PlowsharesSwords to Plowshares or Path to ExilePath to Exile, Generous GiftGenerous Gift or Beast WithinBeast Within, Arcane DenialArcane Denial, or Sol Ring-like under the sun no matter the Bracket. Just make sure that it's the experience you want to share with your opponents.

How do you feel about Sol Ring? What are your thoughts on staples and auto-includes? Do you think more or less cards like Sol Ring should be designed?