<p>If you've played Commander for a while, odds are you've seen tons of YouTube videos, articles, and even Reddit threads about changes to make to a precon to bring it up to speed with better-constructed Commander decks. We've even got <a href="https://edhrec.com/precon" target="_blank" rel="noopener">some of those upgrade guides on our site</a>, showing you what to add and what to cut from any preconstructed deck you can think of.</p>
<p>Those guides are helpful because all readers are beginning from the same spot. All <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Bello, Bard of the Brambles" href="#" target="_blank">Bello, Bard of the Brambles</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>-led <a href="https://edhrec.com/precon/animated-army" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em>Animated Army</em></a> decks start out the same, meaning that articles, videos, and social media posts that talk about adds/cuts are working with the same base.</p>
<p>But what if you've built your own deck from scratch? This guide will give a general template for finding cards to add, cards to cut, and how to make any Commander deck a better version of itself.</p>
<p>Let's learn how to tune up your Commander deck!</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>


<p>Although every deck is different, most decks will have at least a few necessities in common. That's why we're calling this section "Eating Our Vegetables" - it's often more fun to include synergistic pieces in your deck, but you need a solid foundation to build a functional deck on.</p>
<p>Plus, with enough time, you can learn to love your vegetables for the strength they lend to your deck!</p>
<p>In order to compete at almost any bracket, we'll need ramp, removal, and card advantage. I'd argue that most decks also need board wipes and (to a lesser extent) graveyard hate. These groups, often referred to as the deck's "veggies," are key to any list's success.</p>
<p>I'll explain what each of those mean, and their importance to your deck, below.</p>
<h3>Ramp - Gives You Access to More Mana Than Simply Playing One Land per Turn</h3>
<p>Most decks need around 10 pieces of ramp. Big mana decks, like those running <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Gishath, Sun&#039;s Avatar" href="#" target="_blank">Gishath, Sun&#039;s Avatar</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Atraxa, Grand Unifier" href="#" target="_blank">Atraxa, Grand Unifier</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, may need more.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Gishath, Sun&#039;s Avatar"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Fynn, the Fangbearer"></div></div>
<p>It's reasonable to include up to 15 ramp spells in those decks, and I've even seen successful lists that go all-in on a few high mana value spells run as many as 20.</p>
<p>Decks that are generally lower-to-the-ground can get away with less ramp and more "gas." Decks led by <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fynn, the Fangbearer" href="#" target="_blank">Fynn, the Fangbearer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, for example, are full of one- and two-drop creatures that don't require much mana to be game-changing threats.</p>
<p>There's clearly a spectrum of acceptability here, but most decks are going to want at least a few ways to get ahead on mana. My personal bare minimum is seven, even in decks that don't care too much about ramp. That means that I have a ~40% chance to find one of these cards in my opening hand, which is a number I'm comfortable with.</p>
<p>Some classic ramp pieces include <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rampant Growth" href="#" target="_blank">Rampant Growth</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Llanowar Elves" href="#" target="_blank">Llanowar Elves</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <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>.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Rampant Growth"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Llanowar Elves"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sol Ring"></div></div>
<h3>Removal - Lets You Get Rid of Your Opponents' Scariest Things</h3>
<p>Most decks also require about 10 pieces of removal, with aggressive decks needing less and control decks needing more.</p>
<p>A deck that seeks to win quickly, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Krenko, Mob Boss" href="#" target="_blank">Krenko, Mob Boss</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, may only run 5-7 pieces of efficient interaction due to its game plan and color identity. But a pilot that wants a long, drawn-out victory with their <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Shorikai, Genesis Engine" href="#" target="_blank">Shorikai, Genesis Engine</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> list would likely include 15 or more interactive spells in their 99. Again, there's a range here.</p>
<p>This is also dependent on your commander's color identity. Some color combinations, like <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-u" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-w" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> have access to better removal than <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-g" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> decks do. It's important to know that running more removal can sometimes make up for having lower quality removal overall, but it's the combination of efficiency and frequency that makes a deck's interaction suite effective.</p>
<p>Some classic removal spells include <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Doom Blade" href="#" target="_blank">Doom Blade</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Crush Contraband" href="#" target="_blank">Crush Contraband</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Unsummon" href="#" target="_blank">Unsummon</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Doom Blade"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Crush Contraband"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Unsummon"></div></div>
<h3>Card Advantage - Gives You Access to More Cards Than Simply Drawing One Card per Turn</h3>
<p>Next up is card advantage, which most decks need 12+ pieces of.</p>
<p>If you're an aggressive deck, you need to make sure that you're refilling your hand with low-cost, high-impact spells to keep the game moving.</p>
<p>If you're a slower, more control-oriented deck, you need to make sure you're drawing into the answers you need to keep your opponents' threats at bay.</p>
<p>Point is, card advantage is important, whether it's impulse draw, milling cards, or straight up drawing cards the old-fashioned way. Most Commander players would benefit from including more card advantage in their decks, and it's the easiest way to make sure that your lists feel more consistent.</p>
<p>Plus, with the deluge of new cards we're seeing, there's bound to be some card advantage pieces that work perfectly with any strategy you choose to center your Commander deck on.</p>
<p>Some classic card advantage pieces include <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Divination" href="#" target="_blank">Divination</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Act on Impulse" href="#" target="_blank">Act on Impulse</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mentor of the Meek" href="#" target="_blank">Mentor of the Meek</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Divination"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Act on Impulse"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Mentor of the Meek"></div></div>


<h3>Board Wipes - Let You Get Everything off the Board in One Fell Swoop</h3>
<p>Let's talk about board wipes. I include at least two sweepers in all of my decks. That means that, without tutoring for one, there's about a 25% chance I'll see one of them within eight draws. I'm comfortable with that number, because I feel that I'll need a sweeper that early in roughly one in every four games.</p>
<p>Having access to a panic button is nice, but I don't require it every game. Decks that commit heavily to the battlefield, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Najeela, the Blade-Blossom" href="#" target="_blank">Najeela, the Blade-Blossom</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, would do well to include one-sided wipes like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Raise the Palisade" href="#" target="_blank">Raise the Palisade</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<p>Decks that have fewer on-board pieces, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Eluge, the Shoreless Sea" href="#" target="_blank">Eluge, the Shoreless Sea</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, are likely to include more than two board wipes to ensure that their life total isn't in danger.</p>
<p>As always, your mileage may vary, but I've found that two wipes is usually enough. Some classic board wipes include <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Damnation" href="#" target="_blank">Damnation</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Blasphemous Act" href="#" target="_blank">Blasphemous Act</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cyclonic Rift" href="#" target="_blank">Cyclonic Rift</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Damnation"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Blasphemous Act"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Cyclonic Rift"></div></div>
<h3>Graveyard Hate - Lets You Remove Opponents’ Access to Cards in Their Graveyards</h3>
<p>Next up, let's talk about the most neglected Commander staple: graveyard hate. Way too many Commander decks have something to do with the graveyard.</p>
<p>Whether it's a dedicated <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Meren of Clan Nel Toth" href="#" target="_blank">Meren of Clan Nel Toth</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> reanimator list or just an <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Oloro, Ageless Ascetic" href="#" target="_blank">Oloro, Ageless Ascetic</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> deck that happens to be running <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sevinne&#039;s Reclamation" href="#" target="_blank">Sevinne&#039;s Reclamation</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, you'll usually find that at least one player in your Commander pod will be messing with their 'yard in one fashion or another.</p>
<p>Wizards has given us a lot of low-deckbuilding-cost ways to hate out our opponents' graveyards, from MDFCs (like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Boggart Trawler" href="#" target="_blank">Boggart Trawler</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>), to modal spells like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rakdos Charm" href="#" target="_blank">Rakdos Charm</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, to hyper-efficient artifacts like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Soul-Guide Lantern" href="#" target="_blank">Soul-Guide Lantern</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, there's really no excuse for not including at least one of these pieces in your 99.</p>
<p>Some classic graveyard hate pieces include <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Scavenging Ooze" href="#" target="_blank">Scavenging Ooze</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dauthi Voidwalker" href="#" target="_blank">Dauthi Voidwalker</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Deathrite Shaman" href="#" target="_blank">Deathrite Shaman</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Boggart Trawler"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Rakdos Charm"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Soul-Guide Lantern"></div></div>


<p>Now, let's talk about the fun part of upgrading: going all-in on certain strategies that make a deck yours.</p>
<p>For this section I'll focus on a +1/+1 counters deck led by <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hamza, Guardian of Arashin" href="#" target="_blank">Hamza, Guardian of Arashin</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. I've taken his average decklist from EDHREC, and pasted it below so you can see what we're working with.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="HamzaV1" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Hamza, Guardian of Arashin
[/Commander]
[Creatures]
*1 Abzan Battle Priest
*1 Abzan Falconer
*1 Ainok Bond-Kin
*1 Armorcraft Judge
*1 Arwen, Weaver of Hope
*1 Avacyn&#039;s Pilgrim
*1 Beast Whisperer
*1 Botanical Brawler
*1 Champion of Lambholt
*1 Conclave Mentor
*1 Defiler of Vigor
*1 Duskshell Crawler
*1 Envoy of the Ancestors
*1 Evolution Sage
*1 Evolution Witness
*1 Fertilid
*1 Forgotten Ancient
*1 Good-Fortune Unicorn
*1 Gyre Sage
*1 Herd Baloth
*1 Incubation Druid
*1 Ivy Lane Denizen
*1 Juniper Order Ranger
*1 Kami of Whispered Hopes
*1 Kodama of the West Tree
*1 Kutzil, Malamet Exemplar
*1 Loyal Guardian
*1 Luminarch Aspirant
*1 Managorger Hydra
*1 Mikaeus, the Lunarch
*1 Renata, Called to the Hunt
*1 Rishkar, Peema Renegade
*1 Shalai, Voice of Plenty
*1 Stonecoil Serpent
*1 Tuskguard Captain
*1 Warden of the Grove
*1 Wildwood Scourge
[/Creatures]
[Planeswalkers]
*1 Ajani, the Greathearted
[/Planeswalkers]
[Artifacts]
*1 Arcane Signet
*1 Ozolith, the Shattered Spire
*1 Sol Ring
*1 The Great Henge
*1 The Ozolith
[/Artifacts]
[Sorceries]
*1 Basri&#039;s Solidarity
*1 Cultivate
*1 Damning Verdict
*1 Kodama&#039;s Reach
*1 Rampant Growth
*1 Requisition Raid
*1 Shamanic Revelation
[/Sorceries]
[Instants]
*1 Beast Within
*1 Generous Gift
*1 Heroic Intervention
*1 Inspiring Call
*1 Path to Exile
*1 Pledge of Unity
*1 Swords to Plowshares
*1 Unbreakable Formation
[/Instants]
[Enchantments]
*1 Branching Evolution
*1 Cathars&#039; Crusade
*1 Felidar Retreat
*1 Garruk&#039;s Uprising
*1 Hardened Scales
*1 Terrasymbiosis
*1 Tribute to the World Tree
[/Enchantments]
[Lands]
*1 Canopy Vista
*1 Command Tower
*10 Forest
*1 Fortified Village
*1 Gavony Township
*1 Karn&#039;s Bastion
*1 Krosan Verge
*1 Llanowar Reborn
*1 Oran-Rief, the Vastwood
*1 Overgrown Farmland
*10 Plains
*1 Selesnya Sanctuary
*1 Sungrass Prairie
*1 Sunpetal Grove
*1 Temple Garden
*1 Temple of Plenty
[/Lands]"></span></div>
<p>This list is by no means bad, but it certainly has room for improvement.</p>
<p>We'll tweak the amount of certain card categories that are here, and improve the overall card quality within the deck.</p>


<p><strong>Ramp:</strong> With access to ramp in the command zone, we just don't need 15 more pieces in our 99. I'll be cutting <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rampant Growth" href="#" target="_blank">Rampant Growth</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cultivate" href="#" target="_blank">Cultivate</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kodama&#039;s Reach" href="#" target="_blank">Kodama&#039;s Reach</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<p>We're focused quite heavily on creatures in this deck, so having these moderately effective ramp spells gumming up the two- and three-drop spot on our mana curve doesn't do much for us.</p>
<p>I'd rather use that mana to cast a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kami of Whispered Hopes" href="#" target="_blank">Kami of Whispered Hopes</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or an <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Incubation Druid" href="#" target="_blank">Incubation Druid</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Rampant Growth"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Cultivate"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Kodama&#039;s Reach"></div></div>
<p><strong>Removal: </strong>This deck doesn't have nearly enough removal. With just five pieces currently in the 99, we're leaving ourselves open to our opponents running away with the game before we can get our board state online.</p>
<p>We'll be adding five more awesome interactive spells:</p>
<ul>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cankerbloom" href="#" target="_blank">Cankerbloom</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> - a nice way to threaten opponents with on-demand removal, and can buff up our creatures if we don't need the interaction it provides.</li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Steelbane Hydra" href="#" target="_blank">Steelbane Hydra</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> - will work quite nicely with our commander's cost-reducing ability, letting it get huge for a smaller mana investment.</li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Inscription of Abundance" href="#" target="_blank">Inscription of Abundance</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Archdruid&#039;s Charm" href="#" target="_blank">Archdruid&#039;s Charm</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> - both provide some awesome flexibility, with each mode on these two spells having a purpose in our deck.</li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Titanic Brawl" href="#" target="_blank">Titanic Brawl</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is exactly what a fight spell should be: it costs just <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-g" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span>, and can be cast at instant speed.</li>
</ul>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Cankerbloom"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Steelbane Hydra"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Titanic Brawl"></div></div>
<p><strong>Card Advantage:</strong> This section is already quite solid. We've got 12 pieces of card advantage, but I'd like to add a few more, given how good this deck is at generating excess mana and dumping its hand onto the board.</p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Herd Heirloom" href="#" target="_blank">Herd Heirloom</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kutzil, Malamet Exemplar" href="#" target="_blank">Kutzil, Malamet Exemplar</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> will do the trick, with both providing some nice utility beyond just letting us see more cards.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Herd Heirloom"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Kutzil, Malamet Exemplar"></div></div>
<p><strong>Board Wipes and Graveyard Hate:</strong> There's just one sweeper in here right now, so I went ahead and added <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sunfall" href="#" target="_blank">Sunfall</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to bring us to an even two. This spell is awesome, leaving us with a big, +1/+1 counter-laden creature to make up for whatever we lost in the wipe.</p>
<p>I also added <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Scavenging Ooze" href="#" target="_blank">Scavenging Ooze</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> as our graveyard hate piece, a nice fit thanks to its +1/+1 counter growth.</p>


<p>For those of you who want to move beyond simple counts of basic deck necessities, let's talk a bit about other upgrades.</p>
<p>It's important to include cards that directly help your game plan, cards that support you when things aren't going right, and cards that help turn a good board state into a great one.</p>
<p>This list is relatively well-tuned already, but I've got my eye on a few cuts to make room for better cards.</p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Renata, Called to the Hunt" href="#" target="_blank">Renata, Called to the Hunt</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Good-Fortune Unicorn" href="#" target="_blank">Good-Fortune Unicorn</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ivy Lane Denizen" href="#" target="_blank">Ivy Lane Denizen</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, for example, are slower versions of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Arwen, Weaver of Hope" href="#" target="_blank">Arwen, Weaver of Hope</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. We don't need all of these effects, so Renata, the Unicorn, and the Elf are gone.</p>
<p>And, while <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Herd Baloth" href="#" target="_blank">Herd Baloth</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Juniper Order Ranger" href="#" target="_blank">Juniper Order Ranger</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are certainly cool mana-curve topping creatures, we're hoping to make some splashier plays at the five-mana spot.</p>
<p>As cool as they are, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Basri&#039;s Solidarity" href="#" target="_blank">Basri&#039;s Solidarity</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ajani, the Greathearted" href="#" target="_blank">Ajani, the Greathearted</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ainok Bond-Kin" href="#" target="_blank">Ainok Bond-Kin</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> have got to go. They'd have a home in a Bracket 2 version of this list, but we're aiming pretty firmly for Bracket 3 here.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ivy Lane Denizen"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Juniper Order Ranger"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ainok Bond-Kin"></div></div>
<p>We've got room for three more cards now, and I want to make sure they're high impact.</p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sovereign Okinec Ahau" href="#" target="_blank">Sovereign Okinec Ahau</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> certainly fits the bill. For just four mana, he can turn a middling board state into a game-ending one in no time.</p>
<p>We'll be throwing the recently released <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ouroboroid" href="#" target="_blank">Ouroboroid</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> in there too, for the exact same reason. This card's recent release date is likely the only reason it wasn't in the deck before.</p>
<p>Lastly, as a bit of protection from opponents' interaction, I've added <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Invasion of Gobakhan" href="#" target="_blank">Invasion of Gobakhan</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. This is a neat little mini-discard spell, a repeatable way to get +1/+1 counters on our creatures, and a way to protect them from errant removal if need be. All that for just <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-1" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-w" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span>!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sovereign Okinec Ahau"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ouroboroid"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Invasion of Gobakhan"></div></div>


<p>With all that said and done, here's our upgraded Hamza list:</p>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="HamzaV2" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Hamza, Guardian of Arashin
[/Commander]
[Creatures]
*1 Abzan Battle Priest
*1 Abzan Falconer
*1 Armorcraft Judge
*1 Arwen, Weaver of Hope
*1 Avacyn&#039;s Pilgrim
*1 Beast Whisperer
*1 Botanical Brawler
*1 Cankerbloom
*1 Champion of Lambholt
*1 Conclave Mentor
*1 Defiler of Vigor
*1 Duskshell Crawler
*1 Envoy of the Ancestors
*1 Evolution Sage
*1 Evolution Witness
*1 Fertilid
*1 Forgotten Ancient
*1 Gyre Sage
*1 Incubation Druid
*1 Ivy Lane Denizen
*1 Kami of Whispered Hopes
*1 Kodama of the West Tree
*1 Kutzil, Malamet Exemplar
*1 Loyal Guardian
*1 Luminarch Aspirant
*1 Managorger Hydra
*1 Mikaeus, the Lunarch
*1 Ouroboroid
*1 Rishkar, Peema Renegade
*1 Scavenging Ooze
*1 Shalai, Voice of Plenty
*1 Sovereign Okinec Ahau
*1 Steelbane Hydra
*1 Stonecoil Serpent
*1 Tuskguard Captain
*1 Warden of the Grove
*1 Wildwood Scourge
[/Creatures]
[Artifacts]
*1 Arcane Signet
*1 Herd Heirloom
*1 Ozolith, the Shattered Spire
*1 Sol Ring
*1 The Great Henge
*1 The Ozolith
[/Artifacts]
[Instants]
*1 Archdruid&#039;s Charm
*1 Beast Within
*1 Generous Gift
*1 Heroic Intervention
*1 Inscription of Abundance
*1 Inspiring Call
*1 Path to Exile
*1 Pledge of Unity
*1 Swords to Plowshares
*1 Titanic Brawl
*1 Unbreakable Formation
[/Instants]
[Enchantments]
*1 Branching Evolution
*1 Cathars&#039; Crusade
*1 Felidar Retreat
*1 Garruk&#039;s Uprising
*1 Hardened Scales
*1 Terrasymbiosis
*1 Tribute to the World Tree
[/Enchantments]
[Sorceries]
*1 Damning Verdict
*1 Requisition Raid
*1 Shamanic Revelation
[/Sorceries]
[Battles]
*1 Invasion of Gobakhan // Lightshield Array
[/Battles]
[Lands]
*1 Canopy Vista
*1 Command Tower
*10 Forest
*1 Fortified Village
*1 Gavony Township
*1 Karn&#039;s Bastion
*1 Krosan Verge
*1 Llanowar Reborn
*1 Oran-Rief, the Vastwood
*1 Overgrown Farmland
*10 Plains
*1 Selesnya Sanctuary
*1 Sungrass Prairie
*1 Sunpetal Grove
*1 Temple Garden
*1 Temple of Plenty
[/Lands]"></span></div>


EDHREC Guide to Upgrading Your Commander Deck

<p>Learn how to navigate the Commander Brackets system to maximize fun in your Commander games!</p>


<p>The Bracket system is a new(-ish) way for Commander players to ensure that they're sitting down for the kind of game that they want to play. It helps casual players, competitive players, and everyone in between find Commander pods that most closely match their desires.</p>
<p>When <em>Wizards of the Coast</em> took over the Commander format in 2024, they promised players a deck categorization system to allow for easier pre-game conversations. This system helps facilitate those conversations, and lets Commander players find like-minded people to play games with.</p>


<p>There are five different Commander Brackets. From most casual to most competitive, they are: Exhibition (1), Core (2), Upgraded (3), Optimized (4), and cEDH (5).</p>
<p>This can be a little difficult to understand, so let's take a look at a super helpful graphic created by <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@commandcast" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Rachel Weeks of The Command Zone</a>.</p>
<div id="attachment_164664" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/new-brackets-image-1024x683-1.jpg"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-164664" loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-164664" src="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/new-brackets-image-1024x683-1.jpg" alt="A graphic describing the different Commander brackets, from least to most competitive. Graphic by Rachel Weeks." width="1024" height="683" srcset="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/new-brackets-image-1024x683-1.jpg 1024w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/new-brackets-image-1024x683-1-300x200.jpg 300w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/new-brackets-image-1024x683-1-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-164664" class="wp-caption-text">A graphic describing the different Commander brackets, from least to most competitive. Graphic by Rachel Weeks.</p></div>
<p>This graphic shows some of the differences between the Brackets. The lower Brackets include less powerful cards, fewer combos, and are often simply not trying as hard to win the game as higher Brackets.</p>
<p>Lower bracket decks are often more closely associated with a theme, too. You're significantly more likely to find a deck based on <a href="https://scryfall.com/search?q=art%3Aarmored-horse&amp;unique=art&amp;utm_source=tagger" target="_blank" rel="noopener">art containing armored horses</a> in Bracket 1 than you are anywhere else, for example. And, you're much more likely to find meta-adherent, efficient wins with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Underworld Breach" href="#" target="_blank">Underworld Breach</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Lion&#039;s Eye Diamond" href="#" target="_blank">Lion&#039;s Eye Diamond</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Brain Freeze" href="#" target="_blank">Brain Freeze</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> in Bracket 5 than you are anywhere else.</p>
<p>Of course, there's a <em>significant</em> amount of space between art-themed decks and hardcore competitive decks, so let's explore the Bracket system a bit more.</p>


<p>We'll be building a deck centered around the same commander for all five brackets, so the differences between all of the deck lists are readily apparent. Let's focus on <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Lumra, Bellow of the Woods" href="#" target="_blank">Lumra, Bellow of the Woods</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, a super powerful six-mana commander from <em><a href="https://edhrec.com/sets/blb" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bloomburrow</a>.</em></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Lumra, Bellow of the Woods"></div></div>
<p>Lumra's an extremely powerful card, letting us do some land-based shenanigans and pull off some awesome combo wins. But, she's also a Bear, which should let us do some interesting things at the lower brackets.</p>


<p><em>Decks prioritize theme over function. They often have a goal outside of winning: anything from showcasing an under-supported mechanic to a favorite artist.</em></p>
<p><em>Rules:</em></p>
<ul>
<li><em>No Game Changers</em></li>
<li><em>No mass land denial</em></li>
<li><em>No extra turns</em></li>
<li><em>No two-card combos</em></li>
<li><em>Few tutors</em></li>
</ul>
<p>Our Bracket 1 Lumra deck is all-in on Bears. Every card in the deck either is a Bear, has a bear in its art, or mentions the word "bear" somewhere in its rules text.</p>
<p>There are a few individually strong cards in this deck, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ayula, Queen Among Bears" href="#" target="_blank">Ayula, Queen Among Bears</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Argoth, Sanctum of Nature" href="#" target="_blank">Argoth, Sanctum of Nature</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Surrak and Goreclaw" href="#" target="_blank">Surrak and Goreclaw</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. But, to be clear, those cards are here because of their Bear status. We've got no way to tutor for those strong game pieces, and very few ways to draw more cards for a higher chance of seeing them.</p>
<p>This Bracket 1 deck puts its theme above all else, and would only sneak away with a victory in a pod full of other Bracket 1 decks.</p>
<p>For our ramp, we've got cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Werebear" href="#" target="_blank">Werebear</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kolvori, God of Kinship" href="#" target="_blank">Kolvori, God of Kinship</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. For removal, we've got <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Predatory Urge" href="#" target="_blank">Predatory Urge</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Stormkeld Vanguard" href="#" target="_blank">Stormkeld Vanguard</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<p>Lastly, for card advantage, we've got... well we haven't really got much at all. This is, almost certainly, suboptimal. But we're focused on Bears, not winning games. This version of Lumra is focused on fun, above all else.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Werebear"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Predatory Urge"></div></div>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Bracket1" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Lumra, Bellow of the Woods
[/Commander]
[Creatures]
*1 Alpine Grizzly
*1 Ashcoat Bear
*1 Ayula, Queen Among Bears
*1 Balduvian Bears
*1 Bear Cub
*1 Caller of the Claw
*1 Casal, Lurkwood Pathfinder // Casal, Pathbreaker Owlbear
*1 Copper Host Crusher
*1 Drover Grizzly
*1 Evercoat Ursine
*1 Flaxen Intruder // Welcome Home
*1 Forest Bear
*1 Goreclaw, Terror of Qal Sisma
*1 Grizzly Bears
*1 Halsin, Emerald Archdruid
*1 Kolvori, God of Kinship // The Ringhart Crest
*1 Mother Bear
*1 Owlbear
*1 Owlbear Cub
*1 Professor of Zoomancy
*1 Quirion Beastcaller
*1 Rampaging Yao Guai
*1 Razorclaw Bear
*1 River Bear
*1 Runeclaw Bear
*1 Ruxa, Patient Professor
*1 Somberwald Sage
*1 Spider-Ham, Peter Porker
*1 Spirit of the Aldergard
*1 Stormkeld Vanguard // Bear Down
*1 Surrak and Goreclaw
*1 Surrak, Elusive Hunter
*1 Ursine Monstrosity
*1 Vivien&#039;s Grizzly
*1 Werebear
*1 Wilson, Refined Grizzly
*1 Yeva, Nature&#039;s Herald
[/Creatures]
[Sorceries]
*1 Blizzard Brawl
*1 Fade from History
*1 Grizzly Fate
*1 Kamahl&#039;s Summons
*1 Outmuscle
*1 Savage Punch
*1 Savage Swipe
*1 Titania&#039;s Command
[/Sorceries]
[Enchantments]
*1 Ayula&#039;s Influence
*1 Bearscape
*1 Predatory Urge
*1 Roaring Earth
*1 Words of Wilding
[/Enchantments]
[Instants]
*1 Beast Within
*1 Giant Growth
*1 Revealing Wind
[/Instants]
[Lands]
*1 Argoth, Sanctum of Nature
*1 Path of Ancestry
*44 Snow-Covered Forest
[/Lands]"></span></div>


<p><em>Decks are focused and functional, but contain sub-optimal cards and strategies. Comparable to an average modern precon. Wins are often telegraphed or incremental.</em></p>
<p><em>Rules:</em></p>
<ul>
<li><em>No Game Changers</em></li>
<li><em>No mass land denial</em></li>
<li><em>No extra turns</em></li>
<li><em>No two-card combos</em></li>
<li><em>Few tutors</em></li>
</ul>
<p>Our Bracket 2 version of Lumra isn't too different. We cut about 20 cards to make room for more efficient, and stronger, game pieces. We're still sticking with our Bear-typal theme, but we're embellishing it with higher quality creatures, graveyard synergies, and even a few tutors.</p>
<p>Most importantly, we've added a small package of cards that work well with our commander. It's still the same, durdly deck at its core, but it's been streamlined to let it actually get some momentum going once in a while.</p>
<p>The deck is now pulled in two different directions. While a real strategy is forming, efficient green spells paired with a monster of a commander to tie it all together, we're still a thematic deck centered on Bears.</p>
<p>But, only a few of our best Bears remain. Instead of including all available <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Grizzly Bears" href="#" target="_blank">Grizzly Bears</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> variants, we're down to just 15 Bears and a few changelings. And, most of the cards that were included simply for having a bear or two in their art have been removed.</p>
<p>In their place, we've got strong ways to dump our library into our graveyard (like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="World Shaper" href="#" target="_blank">World Shaper</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>), a few second-rate tutors (like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Vivien, Monsters&#039; Advocate" href="#" target="_blank">Vivien, Monsters&#039; Advocate</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>), and even a new piece of bear-themed removal (<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ulvenwald Tracker" href="#" target="_blank">Ulvenwald Tracker</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>).</p>
<p>While this version of Lumra is still trying to get a bunch of Bears onto the battlefield, it's not as committed to that low-power game plan as its Bracket 1 predecessor. We're actually trying to win some games here, we're just aiming to do it with a board full of our favorite creature type.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="World Shaper"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Vivien, Monsters&#039; Advocate"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ulvenwald Tracker"></div></div>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Bracket2" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Lumra, Bellow of the Woods
[/Commander]
[Creatures]
*1 Aftermath Analyst
*1 Ashcoat Bear
*1 Ayula, Queen Among Bears
*1 Bloodline Pretender
*1 Bramble Familiar // Fetch Quest
*1 Casal, Lurkwood Pathfinder // Casal, Pathbreaker Owlbear
*1 Copper Host Crusher
*1 Drover Grizzly
*1 Evercoat Ursine
*1 Flaxen Intruder // Welcome Home
*1 Goreclaw, Terror of Qal Sisma
*1 Grizzly Bears
*1 Icetill Explorer
*1 Masked Vandal
*1 Owlbear Cub
*1 Quirion Beastcaller
*1 Rampaging Yao Guai
*1 Realmwalker
*1 Six
*1 Somberwald Sage
*1 Spider-Ham, Peter Porker
*1 Spirit of the Aldergard
*1 Stormkeld Vanguard // Bear Down
*1 Surrak and Goreclaw
*1 Surrak, Elusive Hunter
*1 Tato Farmer
*1 Ulvenwald Tracker
*1 Universal Automaton
*1 Ursine Monstrosity
*1 Werebear
*1 Wilson, Refined Grizzly
*1 World Shaper
*1 Yeva, Nature&#039;s Herald
[/Creatures]
[Sorceries]
*1 Blizzard Brawl
*1 Esper Origins // Summon: Esper Maduin
*1 Fade from History
*1 Nature&#039;s Rhythm
*1 Savage Punch
*1 Savage Swipe
*1 Will of the Sultai
[/Sorceries]
[Enchantments]
*1 Ayula&#039;s Influence
*1 Bearscape
*1 Roaring Earth
*1 Words of Wilding
[/Enchantments]
[Instants]
*1 Beast Within
*1 Giant Growth
*1 Nature&#039;s Claim
*1 Ram Through
*1 Revealing Wind
*1 Smuggler&#039;s Surprise
[/Instants]
[Planeswalkers]
*1 Vivien, Monsters&#039; Advocate
*1 Wrenn and Seven
[/Planeswalkers]
[Artifacts]
*1 Hedge Shredder
[/Artifacts]
[Lands]
*1 Argoth, Sanctum of Nature
*1 Demolition Field
*1 Path of Ancestry
*43 Snow-Covered Forest
[/Lands]"></span></div>


<p><em>Decks are thoughfully designed, powered up by synergy and additional card quality. Players may expect the game to end out of nowhere with powerful spells and some combos.</em></p>
<p><em>Rules:</em></p>
<ul>
<li><em>Up to three Game Changers</em></li>
<li><em>No mass land denial</em></li>
<li><em>No chaining extra turns</em></li>
</ul>
<p>Here we'll abandon our focus on Bears pretty much entirely. It's sad, I know, but it needs to be done for the deck to improve. The core of our deck is now self-mill and land recursion, rather than Bears.</p>
<p>We'll double down on Lumra's strengths, and try to make this a relatively well-optimized lands deck. This is probably the most drastic change we'll see between any two adjacent brackets, and that's very much intentional. I view the jump from Bracket 2 to Bracket 3 as quite significant, as it represents a fundamental change in deckbuilding mindset.</p>
<p>We're willing to use some of the strongest cards available to push towards victory, but we won't necessarily be investing in free spells or busted one-off includes. Instead of holding on to vestiges of a theme that won't net us many victories, we're adhering to a tried-and-true Commander strategy.</p>
<p>First up, let's talk about our new and improved land suite. We've included a huge number of utility lands, including a few that can sacrifice themselves. This will let us loop them back to the battlefield with our commander, and other land recursion effects, for maximum value. Because we're playing a full 46 lands (27 basics) we likely won't need to worry about not having enough <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-g" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> pips on hand.</p>
<p>Among these nonbasic lands, my favorites are <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Wasteland" href="#" target="_blank">Wasteland</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Shifting Woodland" href="#" target="_blank">Shifting Woodland</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and (the best one of them all) <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Eden, Seat of the Sanctum" href="#" target="_blank">Eden, Seat of the Sanctum</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. These lands, in concert with the dozens of others we've got, should lend us a decent amount of board control and value for very little deckbuilding cost.</p>
<p>Decisions like this are what elevate a deck from Bracket 2 to Bracket 3!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Wasteland"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Shifting Woodland"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Eden, Seat of the Sanctum"></div></div>
<p>We've also got a lot of land-based ramp now. From <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Entish Restoration" href="#" target="_blank">Entish Restoration</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Azusa, Lost but Seeking" href="#" target="_blank">Azusa, Lost but Seeking</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, we're making sure to include some of the best ways to dump lands on the battlefield and into the graveyard.</p>
<p>We've also got better graveyard synergies, with cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ancient Greenwarden" href="#" target="_blank">Ancient Greenwarden</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Brawn" href="#" target="_blank">Brawn</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> here. I think the inclusion of Brawn is notable, and emblematic of what a Bracket 3 deck is trying to do. This Incarnation certainly isn't the best creature we could have included, but it's fun to mill over and can provide us with a moderate advantage as the game drags on.</p>
<p>Bracket 3 decks don't always need to play all of the best cards that are available, but a cohesive game plan should be apparent as large groups of cards are considered together.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Entish Restoration"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ancient Greenwarden"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Brawn"></div></div>
<p>Lastly, overall card quality has gone up. We get access to three <a href="https://edhrec.com/top/game-changers" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Game Changers</a> in this list, and I've chosen <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Worldly Tutor" href="#" target="_blank">Worldly Tutor</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Crop Rotation" href="#" target="_blank">Crop Rotation</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ancient Tomb" href="#" target="_blank">Ancient Tomb</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. For a mono-color list focused on lands, mana, and powerful creatures, these are solid choices.</p>
<p>Paired with additional tutors like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Archdruid&#039;s Charm" href="#" target="_blank">Archdruid&#039;s Charm</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and standalone threats like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mossborn Hydra" href="#" target="_blank">Mossborn Hydra</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, it's clear this deck has a defined path to victory.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Worldly Tutor"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Crop Rotation"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ancient Tomb"></div></div>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Bracket3" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Lumra, Bellow of the Woods
[/Commander]
[Instants]
*1 Archdruid&#039;s Charm
*1 Beast Within
*1 Collective Resistance
*1 Crop Rotation
*1 Entish Restoration
*1 Harrow
*1 Nature&#039;s Claim
*1 Overprotect
*1 Ram Through
*1 Roiling Regrowth
*1 Smuggler&#039;s Surprise
*1 Worldly Tutor
[/Instants]
[Creatures]
*1 Aftermath Analyst
*1 Ancient Greenwarden
*1 Ashaya, Soul of the Wild
*1 Augur of Autumn
*1 Azusa, Lost but Seeking
*1 Blossoming Tortoise
*1 Brawn
*1 Famished Worldsire
*1 Horizon Explorer
*1 Icetill Explorer
*1 Loot, Exuberant Explorer
*1 Lotus Cobra
*1 Mossborn Hydra
*1 Nissa, Resurgent Animist
*1 Rampaging Baloths
*1 Scute Swarm
*1 Six
*1 Sowing Mycospawn
*1 Surrak, Elusive Hunter
*1 Sylvan Safekeeper
*1 Tato Farmer
*1 Tireless Provisioner
*1 Tireless Tracker
*1 Titania, Voice of Gaea
*1 Ulvenwald Tracker
*1 Vorinclex // The Grand Evolution
*1 World Shaper
[/Creatures]
[Planeswalkers]
*1 Wrenn and Seven
[/Planeswalkers]
[Artifacts]
*1 Exploration Broodship
*1 Hedge Shredder
*1 The Great Henge
*1 Zuran Orb
[/Artifacts]
[Sorceries]
*1 Awaken the Woods
*1 Esper Origins // Summon: Esper Maduin
*1 Ezuri&#039;s Predation
*1 Nature&#039;s Rhythm
*1 Season of Gathering
*1 Will of the Sultai
[/Sorceries]
[Enchantments]
*1 Kenrith&#039;s Transformation
*1 Spelunking
*1 Virtue of Strength // Garenbrig Growth
[/Enchantments]
[Lands]
*1 Ancient Tomb
*1 Argoth, Sanctum of Nature
*1 Boseiju, Who Endures
*1 Cryptic Caves
*1 Crystal Vein
*1 Demolition Field
*1 Eden, Seat of the Sanctum
*1 Emergence Zone
*1 Geier Reach Sanitarium
*1 Ghost Quarter
*1 Hickory Woodlot
*1 Maze of Ith
*1 Mirrorpool
*1 Ominous Cemetery
*1 Sanctum of Eternity
*1 Shifting Woodland
*27 Snow-Covered Forest
*1 Strip Mine
*1 Tranquil Thicket
*1 Wasteland
[/Lands]"></span></div>


<p><em>Turbo-charged with the most powerful cards in the format, these decks seek to optimize any and all strategies with synergy and speed. Ready to play against anything!</em></p>
<p><em>No restrictions other than the banned list.</em></p>
<p>This is where we get to kick it up a notch. We'll be trimming some of the fat from our Bracket 3 deck, and ensuring that this deck can compete at the highest level casual EDH tables. We're not quite in cEDH territory yet, but we're certainly going to optimize our 99.</p>
<p>We're also going to account for our opponents' game plans here. That means playing around countermagic, including more tutors, and even a few of the game's most efficient cards. Sadly, this means that some of our pet cards (like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Brawn" href="#" target="_blank">Brawn</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>) have got to go. There's just no space for us to mess around much in Bracket 4!</p>
<p>This is fundamentally the same deck that we had in Bracket 3, just supercharged. We've got some of Commander's most powerful cards, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Gaea&#039;s Cradle" href="#" target="_blank">Gaea&#039;s Cradle</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Endurance" href="#" target="_blank">Endurance</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and even more ways to fetch them, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Elvish Reclaimer" href="#" target="_blank">Elvish Reclaimer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Chord of Calling" href="#" target="_blank">Chord of Calling</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<p>We now have more consistent access to more efficient effects. Instead of paying for our removal spells, we can just pitch a card with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Force of Vigor" href="#" target="_blank">Force of Vigor</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Instead of hoping to naturally draw into a combo piece, we can tutor it straight to the board with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Natural Order" href="#" target="_blank">Natural Order</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<p>We're still playing "fair <em>Magic</em>" in this Bracket, we're just pushing this deck as far as it can go within those bounds.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Gaea&#039;s Cradle"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Elvish Reclaimer"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Force of Vigor"></div></div>
<p>This deck will, for the most part, win in the same way that our Bracket 3 variant does. We'll swing in for lethal with a huge <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mossborn Hydra" href="#" target="_blank">Mossborn Hydra</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or make a creature massive with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Will of the Sultai" href="#" target="_blank">Will of the Sultai</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, turning a board full of lands into a win. But, now that we're in Bracket 4, we've got access to a few combos too.</p>
<p>By leveraging <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Springheart Nantuko" href="#" target="_blank">Springheart Nantuko</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Lotus Cobra" href="#" target="_blank">Lotus Cobra</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and a man-land, we can create infinite <em>landfall</em> triggers and infinite tapped land tokens. There's lots of other combos too, letting us gain infinite life, make infinite mana, and even make infinite creature tokens.</p>
<p>The combos are overlapping and contain very few dead cards. There's a full 21 combos available with this deck list, according to <a href="https://commanderspellbook.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Commander Spellbook</a>, so we'll often look to assemble a combo win with this list.</p>
<p>While there's a relatively high amount of shared cards between this deck and our previous list, there's certainly been a deckbuilding mentality shift. We've focused narrowly on the best standalone threats that this strategy has to offer, and will aim for victory with a combo frequently.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Bracket4" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Lumra, Bellow of the Woods
[/Commander]
[Artifacts]
*1 Exploration Broodship
*1 Mox Diamond
*1 Sol Ring
*1 The Great Henge
*1 Zuran Orb
[/Artifacts]
[Creatures]
*1 Aftermath Analyst
*1 Ancient Greenwarden
*1 Ashaya, Soul of the Wild
*1 Azusa, Lost but Seeking
*1 Birds of Paradise
*1 Blossoming Tortoise
*1 Delighted Halfling
*1 Dryad Arbor
*1 Elvish Reclaimer
*1 Elvish Spirit Guide
*1 Endurance
*1 Famished Worldsire
*1 Heartwood Storyteller
*1 Horizon Explorer
*1 Icetill Explorer
*1 Lotus Cobra
*1 Mossborn Hydra
*1 Nissa, Resurgent Animist
*1 Rootpath Purifier
*1 Scute Swarm
*1 Six
*1 Springheart Nantuko
*1 Surrak, Elusive Hunter
*1 Sylvan Safekeeper
*1 Tiller Engine
*1 Titania, Voice of Gaea
[/Creatures]
[Instants]
*1 Archdruid&#039;s Charm
*1 Chord of Calling
*1 Crop Rotation
*1 Eldrazi Confluence
*1 Force of Vigor
[/Instants]
[Enchantments]
*1 Burgeoning
*1 Exploration
*1 Food Chain
*1 Spelunking
*1 Sylvan Library
[/Enchantments]
[Sorceries]
*1 Eldritch Evolution
*1 Ezuri&#039;s Predation
*1 Finale of Devastation
*1 Green Sun&#039;s Zenith
*1 Natural Order
*1 Nature&#039;s Rhythm
*1 Will of the Sultai
[/Sorceries]
[Lands]
*1 Ancient Tomb
*1 Argoth, Sanctum of Nature
*1 Arid Archway
*1 Ash Barrens
*1 Boseiju, Who Endures
*1 Castle Garenbrig
*1 Cavern of Souls
*1 City of Traitors
*1 Command Beacon
*1 Conduit Pylons
*1 Crumbling Vestige
*1 Crystal Vein
*1 Deserted Temple
*1 Echoing Deeps
*1 Eden, Seat of the Sanctum
*1 Emergence Zone
*1 Fabled Passage
*3 Forest
*1 Gaea&#039;s Cradle
*1 Geier Reach Sanitarium
*1 Gemstone Caverns
*1 Ghost Quarter
*1 Havenwood Battleground
*1 Hickory Woodlot
*1 High Market
*1 Horizon of Progress
*1 Lazotep Quarry
*1 Lotus Field
*1 Mirrorpool
*1 Misty Rainforest
*1 Petrified Field
*1 Pit of Offerings
*1 Prismatic Vista
*1 Sanctum of Eternity
*1 Shifting Woodland
*3 Snow-Covered Forest
*1 Strip Mine
*1 Sunscorched Desert
*1 Talon Gates of Madara
*1 Urza&#039;s Cave
*1 Urza&#039;s Saga
*1 Verdant Catacombs
*1 Vesuva
*1 Wasteland
*1 Windswept Heath
*1 Wooded Foothills
*1 Yavimaya, Cradle of Growth
[/Lands]"></span></div>


<p><em>Decks are designed to battle in a specific competitive meta, using only the most powerful and efficient commanders, strategies, disruption and win conditions.</em></p>
<p><em>No restrictions other than the banned list.</em></p>
<p>Finally, we come to the apex of Commander gameplay: cEDH. While Lumra is a relative newcomer to the Bracket 5 landscape, she's certainly earned a spot in the meta.</p>
<p>In the interest of full transparency, I'll be borrowing my Bracket 5 deck from divinerage01 and knickknack's spot on the <a href="https://cedh-decklist-database.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">cEDH Decklist Database</a>. I give full credit to them, and the rest of the Lumra community, for crafting such a well-tuned list.</p>
<p>For the most part, we're not interacting with our opponents on the stack, which may be puzzling for players who typically play in lower brackets. Instead, we'll aim to either "turbo" (push through quickly) a win on turn two or three with some combos, or "stax out" (slow down using pieces like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Vexing Bauble" href="#" target="_blank">Vexing Bauble</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>) the table until we can secure a well-protected win on turn five or six.</p>
<p>The deck is a far cry from traditional meta staples like Blue Farm (which has <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> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kraum, Ludevic&#039;s Opus" href="#" target="_blank">Kraum, Ludevic&#039;s Opus</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> as its leaders), but it's a fun way to challenge the meta with some cards that most pilots would never dream of playing in cEDH (looking at you, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mouth of Ronom" href="#" target="_blank">Mouth of Ronom</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>).</p>
<p>This deck has a full 29 combos available in it, <a href="https://commanderspellbook.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">once again according to Commander Spellbook</a>, and many of these combos also include overlapping pieces. That means that the 15 tutors available in this list can provide a quick combo victory in several ways.</p>
<p>Many of these combos are also easily able to protect themselves with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sylvan Safekeeper" href="#" target="_blank">Sylvan Safekeeper</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or hate pieces like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Vexing Bauble" href="#" target="_blank">Vexing Bauble</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, shutting down opponents' interaction while leaving our combo untouched. There's so many cool tools available to pilots at this level of play, and so much room for skill expression.</p>
<p>How can you not love cEDH, where decks that can win with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mirrorpool" href="#" target="_blank">Mirrorpool</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can outrace <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> decks on a regular basis?</p>
<p>All that said, here's our final deck list for today.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Bracket5" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Lumra, Bellow of the Woods
[/Commander]
[Creatures]
*1 Aftermath Analyst
*1 Ashaya, Soul of the Wild
*1 Blossoming Tortoise
*1 Collector Ouphe
*1 Delighted Halfling
*1 Elvish Reclaimer
*1 Elvish Spirit Guide
*1 Endurance
*1 Famished Worldsire
*1 Horizon Explorer
*1 Icetill Explorer
*1 Krosan Restorer
*1 Lotus Cobra
*1 Magus of the Candelabra
*1 Nissa, Resurgent Animist
*1 Rootpath Purifier
*1 Six
*1 Sowing Mycospawn
*1 Springheart Nantuko
*1 Sylvan Safekeeper
*1 Tiller Engine
*1 Timeless Witness
*1 Tireless Provisioner
[/Creatures]
[Artifacts]
*1 Amulet of Vigor
*1 Lion&#039;s Eye Diamond
*1 Lotus Petal
*1 Mana Vault
*1 Mox Diamond
*1 Sol Ring
*1 Trinisphere
*1 Vexing Bauble
*1 Zuran Orb
[/Artifacts]
[Instants]
*1 Archdruid&#039;s Charm
*1 Chord of Calling
*1 Crop Rotation
*1 Eldrazi Confluence
[/Instants]
[Enchantments]
*1 Burgeoning
*1 Earthcraft
*1 Exploration
*1 Food Chain
*1 Root Maze
*1 Song of the Dryads
*1 Spelunking
*1 Sylvan Library
[/Enchantments]
[Sorceries]
*1 Eldritch Evolution
*1 Finale of Devastation
*1 Green Sun&#039;s Zenith
*1 Natural Order
*1 Nature&#039;s Rhythm
*1 Scapeshift
[/Sorceries]
[Battles]
*1 Invasion of Ikoria // Zilortha, Apex of Ikoria
[/Battles]
[Planeswalkers]
*1 Tezzeret, Cruel Captain
[/Planeswalkers]
[Lands]
*1 Ancient Tomb
*1 Arid Archway
*1 Blast Zone
*1 Boseiju, Who Endures
*1 Cavern of Souls
*1 City of Traitors
*1 Command Beacon
*1 Crumbling Vestige
*1 Crystal Vein
*1 Deserted Temple
*1 Echoing Deeps
*1 Eden, Seat of the Sanctum
*1 Emergence Zone
*1 Fabled Passage
*1 Field of the Dead
*2 Forest
*1 Gaea&#039;s Cradle
*1 Geier Reach Sanitarium
*1 Gemstone Caverns
*1 Ghost Quarter
*1 Havenwood Battleground
*1 Hickory Woodlot
*1 Horizon of Progress
*1 Lazotep Quarry
*1 Lotus Field
*1 Mirrorpool
*1 Misty Rainforest
*1 Mouth of Ronom
*1 Pit of Offerings
*1 Prismatic Vista
*1 Shifting Woodland
*4 Snow-Covered Forest
*1 Strip Mine
*1 Sunscorched Desert
*1 Talon Gates of Madara
*1 The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale
*1 Urza&#039;s Cave
*1 Urza&#039;s Saga
*1 Verdant Catacombs
*1 Vesuva
*1 Wasteland
*1 Windswept Heath
*1 Yavimaya, Cradle of Growth
[/Lands]"></span></div>


<p>After reading this article, you might be wondering what Commander Bracket you want to play in. While that's a question only you can answer, I'd point most players towards Bracket 2 or Bracket 3 to start. There's a lot of room for creative expression in deckbuilding and social fun here, without the pressure to always make the most optimal play.</p>
<p>Plus, it's easy to get started with just a store-bought precon, or some cards from your personal collection, and jump right into a pod at this level.</p>
<p>For those of you looking for a solid Bracket 2 deck with an upgrade path to Bracket 3, I'd recommend checking out the <a href="https://edhrec.com/precon/peace-offering" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em>Peace Offering</em> precon from <em>Bloomburrow</em></a>. That deck has the potential to be quite formidable, and we've got <a href="https://edhrec.com/precon/peace-offering" target="_blank" rel="noopener">an upgrade guide available for those of you interested in making it just a bit stronger</a>.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ms. Bumbleflower"></div></div>


<p>This is a common problem. The answer doesn't lie in any Commander infographic you'll find online, though. It lies in your heart. The difference between Brackets comes down to deckbuilding intent. If you've built a Bracket 1 deck that's themed around <a href="https://scryfall.com/search?q=art%3Ahand&amp;unique=art&amp;utm_source=tagger" target="_blank" rel="noopener">art with hands in it</a> and included <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mystical Tutor" href="#" target="_blank">Mystical Tutor</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (a Game Changer) in your 99, it's probably still ok for most Bracket 1 pods! Just make sure to discuss it with the other players first.</p>
<p>The Bracket System is meant to guide pre-game discussions, not act as the gospel. It's ok to deviate from the system, just make sure you're having honest discussions with your friends before you accidentally foul up a nice game of Commander!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Foul Play"></div></div>


edh brackets

EDHREC Guide to Upgrading Your Commander Deck

EDHREC Guide to Commander Brackets