<p style="text-align: right;"><em>Image courtesy of Luminarch and Wizards of the Coast</em></p>
<p>It's the most salty-ful time of the year. So hang the chicken noodle soup cans above the fireplace, and leave out some salt water and bacon for your favorite Phyrexian Praetors. That's right kids, it's time for Salt Voting!</p>
<p>Our annual salt voting poll for 2025 is now LIVE, and goes through October 3rd. Make sure to get your votes in and show those mean old cards how you really feel about them.</p>
<p><a href="https://edhrec.com/salt" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Head here to vote.</a></p>
<h2>Salt Voting</h2>
<p>Our annual Salt Voting poll is a chance for the Commander community to express how they feel about popular <em>Magic</em> cards.</p>
<p>Does <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Thassa&#039;s Oracle" href="#" target="_blank">Thassa&#039;s Oracle</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> make you angry? Are you annoyed when someone drops a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Winter Orb" href="#" target="_blank">Winter Orb</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>? Do you have feelings about <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tempest Hawk" href="#" target="_blank">Tempest Hawk</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> that you just can't put into words?</p>
<p>Now's your chance to tell the Commander community how you feel.</p>
<h3>Read More:</h3>
<blockquote class="wp-embedded-content" data-secret="iEUiEIM2BJ"><p><a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/why-do-we-salt-out-in-commander/">Why Do We Salt Out in Commander?</a></p></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="wp-embedded-content" data-secret="hdGSXRr7NN"><p><a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/am-i-the-bolas-rubbing-off-on-each-other/">Am I the Bolas? - Rubbing off on Each Other</a></p></blockquote>
<p><iframe loading="lazy" class="wp-embedded-content" sandbox="allow-scripts" security="restricted" style="position: absolute; visibility: hidden;" title="&#8220;Am I the Bolas? - Rubbing off on Each Other&#8221; &#8212; EDHREC" src="https://edhrec.com/articles/am-i-the-bolas-rubbing-off-on-each-other/embed/#?secret=cQUv4QyBnP#?secret=hdGSXRr7NN" data-secret="hdGSXRr7NN" width="500" height="282" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no"></iframe></p>
<blockquote class="wp-embedded-content" data-secret="ttMnWuphUc"><p><a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/am-i-the-bolas-salty-for-your-losses/">Am I The Bolas? - Salty for Your Losses</a></p></blockquote>
<p><iframe loading="lazy" class="wp-embedded-content" sandbox="allow-scripts" security="restricted" style="position: absolute; visibility: hidden;" title="&#8220;Am I The Bolas? - Salty for Your Losses&#8221; &#8212; EDHREC" src="https://edhrec.com/articles/am-i-the-bolas-salty-for-your-losses/embed/#?secret=eoCEHr61P5#?secret=ttMnWuphUc" data-secret="ttMnWuphUc" width="500" height="282" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no"></iframe></p>


EDHREC 2025 Salt Voting is LIVE

<p style="text-align: right;"><em><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Treasure Nabber|C18|27" href="#" target="_blank">Treasure Nabber</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://www.alexkonstad.com/">Alex Konstad</a></em></p>
<p>The generically ideal turn-one play is, undoubtedly, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sol Ring|V10|12" href="#" target="_blank">Sol Ring</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Who doesn't want to start a game with a permanent boost to their mana production?</p>
<p>There's no need to explain why Sol Ring is good, but there's still plenty to talk about the ring's (<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="The One Ring" href="#" target="_blank">not that one</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>) potential and influence surrounding Commander.</p>
<p>Last Monday, Cas Hind's article "<a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/powerful-magic-cards-we-take-for-granted-in-commander">Powerful Magic Cards We Take For Granted</a>" 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."</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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 <em>Magic</em> as a whole.</p>
<h2>A Commander Deck is Not 100-Card Singleton</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Pongify"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Rapid Hybridization"></div></div>
<p>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 <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rograkh, Son of Rohgahh" href="#" target="_blank">commanders</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>).</p>
<p>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 <em>really</em> pick only the cards they want.</p>
<p>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?</p>
<p><em>WoTC</em> certainly agrees that Commander players should have easy access to their splashy spells, which is why <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sol Ring|SLD|2093" href="#" target="_blank">Sol Ring</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is found in almost every precon to date.</p>
<p>Sol Ring being promoted to be played this way leads to the infamous rock being played in <em>so</em> many decks that players often have to search for a reason <em>not</em> 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.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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 <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kozilek, the Great Distortion" href="#" target="_blank">Kozilek, the Great Distortion</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> deck two different ways, but both decks "automatically" choose to run Sol Ring. And <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dreamstone Hedron|ROE|216" href="#" target="_blank">Dreamstone Hedron</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Thought Vessel|C15|55" href="#" target="_blank">Thought Vessel</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Urza&#039;s Saga" href="#" target="_blank">Urza&#039;s Saga</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>...</p>
<h2>Staples and Auto-Includes</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Dark Ritual"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Delighted Halfling"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Esper Sentinel"></div></div>
<p>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."</p>
<p>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."</p>
<p>Playing more than one color? What's there to lose with an <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Arcane Signet|ELD|331" href="#" target="_blank">Arcane Signet</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Command Tower|CMD|269" href="#" target="_blank">Command Tower</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>? Need interaction in your mono-red deck? <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Chaos Warp|CMD|114" href="#" target="_blank">Chaos Warp</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Blasphemous Act|ISD|130" href="#" target="_blank">Blasphemous Act</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are only natural.</p>
<p>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 "<em>Magic</em>'s Greatest Hits" you have found everyone else playing.</p>
<p>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 <em>Magic</em>'s history to find the best 100 cards. There's nothing wrong with netdecking a Bracket 5 list to play with.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>For example, if I were to run only the best cards possible for a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Lathril, Blade of the Elves" href="#" target="_blank">Lathril, Blade of the Elves</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> deck in a Bracket 2 setting, odds are my opponents would not have an enjoyable experience.</p>
<p>Playing in lower Brackets necessitates Commander decks to run weaker cards and synergies in order to generate a healthy and fun experience.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Black Market"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Birds of Paradise"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Wedding Ring"></div></div>
<h2>Sol Ring Goes Beyond Turn 1</h2>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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 <em>WoTC</em> designers.</p>
<p>Every new mana rock and dork is actively being designed <em>just</em> under Sol Ring as to avoid raising this arbitrary power-level that Sol Ring sits on top of but <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mana Crypt|G11|5" href="#" target="_blank">Mana Crypt</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> exceeds.</p>
<p>In fact, I'm willing to bet that the <a href="https://magic.wizards.com/en/news/announcements/introducing-the-commander-format-panel">Commander Format Panel</a>'s discussions surrounding <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Jeweled Lotus|CMR|319" href="#" target="_blank">Jeweled Lotus</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> depends on whether or not they believe the Lotus is a more ubiquitous auto-include than Sol Ring.</p>
<p>This is where Sol Ring's biggest negative influence is found. Commander is actively being designed around a single card that <em>WoTC</em> knows and expects to be played in the vast majority of decks.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>All because Sol Ring ended up as Commander's favorite artifact.</p>
<h2>Staple-Status isn't the Problem. It's Just Sol Ring</h2>
<p>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 <em>WoTC</em> treated Sol Ring with the same scrutiny as every other card? Absolutely. Would this treatment result in its banning? Maybe in another lifetime.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Gaea&#039;s Cradle"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Rhystic Study"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="The One Ring"></div></div>
<p>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.</p>
<p>That's what EDHREC is for! Start learning what's popular/powerful and <em>then</em> start making the deck your own. Earnestly justify through deckbuilding why your <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kaalia of the Vast" href="#" target="_blank">Kaalia of the Vast</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> deck is actually a fun Bracket 2 experience.</p>
<p>Your deck can certainly run every <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Swords to Plowshares" href="#" target="_blank">Swords to Plowshares</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Path to Exile" href="#" target="_blank">Path to Exile</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Generous Gift" href="#" target="_blank">Generous Gift</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Beast Within" href="#" target="_blank">Beast Within</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Arcane Denial" href="#" target="_blank">Arcane Denial</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, 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.</p>
<p data-slot-rendered-content="true">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?</p>
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<div class="mv-rail-frame-350" data-slotid="content_3_btf">
<div class="mv-rail-slide-350 mv-inview-sticky" data-slotid="content_3_btf">
<div class="mv-rail-sticky-350 mv-inview-sticky" data-slotid="content_3_btf">I hope that this article is helpful in discussing everyone's favorite mana rock, but I'd love to hear from you and what your thoughts may be. Tune in next time to continue this deep dive in the Bracket system and more Commander Philosophy!</div>
</div>
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</div>


Commander Philosophy - Sol Ring Isn't Good For Commander

<p style="text-align: right;"><em><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rhystic Study|wot|71" href="#" target="_blank">Rhystic Study</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://scryfall.com/search?q=a%3A%E2%80%9CFuzichoco%E2%80%9D&amp;unique=art" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Fuzichoco</a> </em></p>
<p>Finals that last eleven hours; games that are decided by word of mouth - not cards in play; and format-warping staples with no chance of being banned. cEDH has it all. Why? Because cEDH is <em>not</em> a format, no matter how much we pretend it is.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Rhystic Study|j22|114"></div></div>
<p style="text-align: center;"><em>No sane multiplayer tournament-format would keep this card.</em></p>
<h2>Commander Is the Format</h2>
<p>Taking a step back, what defines a format? Is it the spirit of the players? How about the metagame - the pool of decks that players expect to see when they show up to play? These two things are often cited as the defining characteristics of cEDH: the competitive nature of games and the rich, standardized set of decks that routinely dominate tables.</p>
<p>The cold truth of the matter, however, is that neither of these qualities constitute a format. Rather, formats are defined entirely by the deckbuilding restrictions in place, from which all other qualities emerge.</p>
<p>Looking at cEDH this way, the truth of its existence is readily laid bare: cEDH isn't a format, but Commander certainly is.</p>
<p>Commander has rules for deck construction and a regulated banlist. Competitive Commander, meanwhile, doesn't have any strict augmentations to distinguish it from the rest of Commander. Certainly, some cards are powercrept out of the metagame and others take on new lives as auto-includes, but that doesn't mean there's actually any rules enforcing that difference.</p>
<p>Looking to the newly-developed bracket system for Commander, we can see that <em>Wizards of the Coast</em> has actually doubled down on this Commander-cEDH linkage in recent time; there is no difference to the <a href="https://edhrec.com/top/game-changers" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Game Changer</a> inclusion number, nor any other distinguishing guidance, between Bracket 4 - colloquially called "High Power" - and Bracket 5, cEDH.</p>
<p>Speaking of brackets, Commander is certainly an odd format with divisions within it, make no mistake about that. However, a play-pattern division is fundamentally different from a format-cleaving structural division, the likes of which comprise the separation between formats such as Legacy and Modern.</p>
<p>Commander's bracket system is advisory, flexible, and designed to ease in communication across play environments all the while maintaining the overall spirit of Commander, that is, a multiplayer experience full of politicking and player self-expression.</p>
<h2>cEDH and Commander's Baggage</h2>
<p>So, now that we've established that cEDH and Commander are one and the same, what does that mean in terms of format execution? To start, let's go back to Commander's earliest days and trace the format through to the modern day.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Nicol Bolas"></div></div>
<p style="text-align: center;"><em>Putting the "Elder Dragon" in "Elder Dragon Highlander" since Day 1.</em></p>
<p>By and large, Commander has been a casual format since its very beginning. Initially dreamed up by a group of judges as a way to play <em>Magic</em> as a group in between competitive events, Commander was the format where garbage rares and fan-favorites could mix and mingle, with inordinately broken cards primarily being permitted thanks to the randomness inherent in a 100-card, singleton format.</p>
<p>The goal of Commander wasn't to win fast or decisively - it was to serve as a social exercise.</p>
<p>This mindset - prioritizing fun above competitive reasonableness - also serves as the guiding philosophy for the Commander banlist. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Shahrazad" href="#" target="_blank">Shahrazad</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> isn't a powerful card, but it is miserable to play against. The Moxen, meanwhile, might not be miserable in and of themselves, but they would be so ubiquitous that they'd encroach upon the individuality that Commander seeks to spearhead.</p>
<p>One <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Arcane Signet" href="#" target="_blank">Arcane Signet</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> has already been decried as a design mistake by <em>Wizards</em>, so it's easy to see how some of the game's most devoted players would have felt similarly about <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mox Pearl" href="#" target="_blank">Mox Pearl</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and the like all those years ago.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sol Ring"></div></div>
<p style="text-align: center;"><em>At least Sol Ring is accessible...right?</em></p>
<p>Looking at the contemporary banlist for Commander, we can see that this focus on fun continues to dominate. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Grand Arbiter Augustin IV" href="#" target="_blank">Grand Arbiter Augustin IV</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, for example, isn't a particularly powerful card; believe me, I spent years trying to make it work in cEDH. However, it is an <em>incredibly</em> unfun card.</p>
<p>Resolving good ol' GAAIV means that you get to play more <em>Magic</em> and your opponents get to play less. The result? It may not have been banned, but by putting GAAIV on the Game Changers list it has effectively been locked behind the gates of probable playability: not powerful enough for the upper brackets, and too miserable for the lower.</p>
<p>By prioritizing casual fun over competitive reasonableness, Commander enshrined in its construction a clear trade off, one which continues to plague competitive circles: in exchange for players having maximal freedom to play as they like, players are required to police themselves.</p>
<p>In the case of cEDH - the constituency of Commander which tosses self-regulation to the wind and hyper-fixates on emulating the competitive experience - this means that players are forced into the awkward situation of playing cards which undoubtedly increase their win-rate while simultaneously enshrining a miserable play experience.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Nadu, Winged Wisdom"></div></div>
<p style="text-align: center;"><em>Remember me?</em></p>
<p>In truly competitive formats - Standard, Modern, Legacy, etc. - <em>Wizards of the Coast</em> takes an active role in maintaining format health through the proactive banning of cards. Rarely, if ever, does such a thing happen in Commander; cards often have to be both oppressive and miserable in order for any sort of supervision to be effectuated.</p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tymna the Weaver" href="#" target="_blank">Tymna the Weaver</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, for example, perfectly displays this issue. In casual Commander, this card is an uninspiring creature which occasionally serves as a Commander for go-wide multicolor strategies. The partner mechanic was certainly problematic, but there's nothing oppressive or miserable about this card which would cause <em>Wizards</em> to care about its role across the majority of Commander.</p>
<p>In cEDH, however, Tymna is everywhere. The card has served as one of the premier commanders since it was printed, cementing the role of Orzhov+ strategies as among cEDH's best. It's simply too easy, too ubiquitous, and too consuming.</p>
<p>A competitive banlist would have at least been skeptical of keeping Tymna around for as long as cEDH has, but Commander - at its very foundations - doesn't run a competitive banlist.</p>
<h2>Politics and Competition</h2>
<p>Moving away from the banlist, Commander also brought with it something no other format contains - politics. By structuring games as a everyone-vs-everyone else, rather than the two-vs-two structure of Two-Headed Giant, Commander further randomized the outcomes of its games by allowing for persuasion, coordination, lying, and punting.</p>
<p>Ask any cEDH veteran - there will be plenty of games you lose not because you couldn't win, but because the table couldn't sufficiently coordinate a response to some other threat.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Telepathy"></div></div>
<p style="text-align: center;"><em>I've lost count of the number of times showing my hand has actually won me a game.</em></p>
<p>This social experience is the hallmark of Commander - even more so than its deckbuilding restrictions - but it's also terribly difficult to regulate in any sort of constructive manner.</p>
<p>There's no rules against a salty player making a spite play, and the best a tournament organizer can do to try and reign in heated debate is throw a warning at a player should they become vulgar or abusive. Nowhere else in <em>Magic</em> is the outcome of a game so closely tied to sportsmanship. When not appreciated properly - be it through a Multiplayer Rules Addendum or proper tournament organizer supervision - this hallmark can quickly become a stain.</p>
<p>As cEDH tournaments become more and more popular, so too do the number of incidents of strained politicking. Players have gotten ejected from tournaments because their debate turns into bullying mid-match. Even worse, sometimes players <em>aren't</em> given punitive measures for such behavior, and buffaloing fellow players becomes a rewarded strategy.</p>
<p>Commander has always been known for its long games, but that legacy is no justification for matches lasting eleven hours because players can't stop arguing over how to take a game action.</p>
<h2>Wrapping Up and Moving Forward</h2>
<p>If cEDH players really want to play a healthy, invigorating, and safe tournament format, then we need to be honest with ourselves about how the structural linkage to the umbrella format of Commander is doing more harm than good. Alternatively, if players prefer the current anarchic structure of cEDH which Commander bestows upon it, then we need to recognize that not all of our tournament wishes can be fully realized.</p>
<p>I enjoy playing broken cards as much as the next person; the explosivity of a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sol Ring" href="#" target="_blank">Sol Ring</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rhystic Study" href="#" target="_blank">Rhystic Study</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> in the same turn truly is unmatched. At the same time, however, you don't have to be a format expert to recognize that Rhystic Study is probably doing more harm than good.</p>
<p>Similarly, table talk is a wonderful part of Commander that I don't want to lose, but we absolutely need better regulations put into place about how players can interact with each other.</p>
<p>Commander is a wonderful format, and cEDH is full of enjoyable opportunities and exciting moments. There's a reason it's so many players' favorite way to play not just Commander, but <em>Magic</em> as a whole.</p>
<p>However, by cleaving cEDH from Commander, working towards more proactive banlist management, and instituting greater tournament regulation, then cEDH can truly flourish not just as a Commander-offshoot, but as its own fully-fledged format.</p>


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