Time WalkTime Walk | Art by Chris Rahn

The recent update to the Commander Brackets has everyone once again reevaluating the Brackets' qualities and what areas work best and which need the most attention. I mentioned in my last article that I would continue discussing the most recent updates to the Game Changers list and how its philosophy has been clarified/redefined, but that's a bigger discussion I'd like to let stew for a moment.

Today, we'll be exploring the sub-category of Chaining Extra Turns and what it aims to achieve. Most importantly, we'll look at what chaining extra turns can look like and how/where doing so is most appropriate.

Why Chaining Extra Turns Isn't Desired

Chaining extra turns isn't allowed in Brackets 1-3, as doing so is deemed exceptionally warping. It's additionally cumbersome when a player must play out each extra turn if their win isn't already guaranteed.

This traditionally includes decks that seek to play extra turn spells like ExpropriateExpropriate and Time StretchTime Stretch, often times copying these spells or recurring them in some fashion with ArchaeomancerArchaeomancer effects.

These effects and playstyles are what's being restricted to the higher Brackets. It's considered unreasonable for a Bracket 2 playgroup to be expected to sit through the mono-blue deck playing solitaire for ~30 minutes of extra turns. Sometimes they may not even win, ending their extensive turn with "I discard to hand size and pass."

Players' experiences are especially valued in lower Bracket games, and so allowing one player to spend a large portion of a game night taking excessive game actions or "spinning their wheels" is something the Brackets wish to avoid.

This is somewhat similar to Yorion, Sky NomadYorion, Sky Nomad being banned in Modern for creating too many game actions while "factoring in the physical dexterity requirements" Yorion demanded. In both instances, the players' experience was valued over a card's/playstyle's representation in a format.

However, as is often the case with the Brackets and Magic as a whole, chaining extra turns isn't so cut and dry. While there are obvious examples of players exploiting cards like Ugin's NexusUgin's Nexus to gain literal extra turns, there's already precedent from the Commander Format Panel that not all extra turns are so obvious.

Extra Turns, Proper and Functional

Seedborn MuseSeedborn Muse was one of the first cards to be added to the Game Changers list after the CFP's original 40 Game Changers. They cited that "This card causes you to take what is essentially, when built properly, three additional turns worth of effects each turn cycle. It also causes one player to take a disproportionate amount of time in the game."

Technically speaking, you're not chaining extra turns together, but you're functionally taking a turn during each of your opponents' turns, much like how Lighthouse ChronologistLighthouse Chronologist gives you an actual extra turn in-between each of your opponents' turns.

Both cards allow your opponents the opportunity to play their turns relatively unimpeded, unlike a Time SieveTime Sieve loop that limits your opponents to instant-speed resources. They take their turn and then you take an extra turn.

Unwinding ClockUnwinding Clock is very similar as anyone who is able to untap all of their mana rocks and utility artifacts every untap step is likely to gain a significant advantage over players who simply cannot keep up with such an enormous acquisition of value.

Despite not literally taking extra turns, these examples are clearly something that the Extra Turns category is intending to describe. The CFP has made it clear that, after the Brackets have had enough time to affect WoTC development, effects like Seedborn wouldn't be promoted in Commander precons as precons were then universally considered Bracket 2.

Bracket 2 actively seeks to limit players to one turn per round amidst the occasional Gonti's Aether HeartGonti's Aether Heart or Dramatic ReversalDramatic Reversal moments. You can certainly run your Magistrate's ScepterMagistrate's Scepter and engage with some charge counter shenanigans, just don't actively try to make its utility any more comparable to Seedborn or Clock.

How Commander Engages With Extra Turns

Surprisingly, despite the CFP disavowing Seedborn Muse and similar cards from Standard Commander precon sets, one effect WoTC seemingly can't stop promoting is extra combats.

Just as Seedborn can act as an extra three turns in the right setting, there are plenty of extra combat effects that accomplish the exact same goal and take about as much time to resolve as mainstream extra turn chains. Such effects are common inclusions in combat oriented Commander precons.

Let's look at Moraug, Fury of AkoumMoraug, Fury of Akoum. As if Landfall decks needed another bomb, Moraug effectively reads "Landfall - Take an extra turn after this one" with how influential extra combats are, especially nowadays. It's very easy to drop two, sometimes three fetch lands in a single phase, granting you an additional six combats, requiring you to track which creatures have which scaled buff.

Or perhaps you're taking a more traditional approach to extra combats and are sufficiently exploiting an Aggravated AssaultAggravated Assault or Breath of FuryBreath of Fury to the same effect as Moraug. In each case, each combat is an additional series of game actions that drastically furthers the divide between you and your opponents.

Now, functionally, is it likely the player gaining multiple combats as previously described simply tells their opponents "I'm going to take X additional combats" just to be told "I concede"? Probably. It's very likely players will shortcut the overwhelming value extra combats generate and start a new game quickly.

But isn't this the same as someone proclaiming "I will now take an arbitrary amount of extra turns" and their opponents scooping instead of sitting patiently for an arbitrary amount of time resolving each turn? Isn't this the exact thing the Chaining Extra Turns sub-category seeks to restrict in lower Brackets?

Why is it that Chaining Extra Turns seems to harshly limit the literal act of taking an extra turn again and again while having to bend over backwards in order to include Seedborn Muse and similar effects when extra turns are demonstrably similar to extra steps and phases?

The sub-category ought to lay out its intentions plainly; players engaging in lower Bracket experiences should limit their ability to gain extra steps and phases, not just extra turns. Such a change wouldn't be as vague as the previous "few tutors" stipulation and is much clearer than arbitrarily barring literal extra turn chains but not extra combats, upkeeps, end steps, etc.

Updating Commander Where It Matters

The last Brackets update touched a lot of bases and dealt with a lot of different criticisms. So far, it seems that the most controversial takeaways from this update have been the theoretical color identity change regarding hybrid mana symbols and, to a lesser extent, Rhystic StudyRhystic Study possibly being banned.

While worthy discussions to have, I believe that the current Brackets system must first be better suited for today's Commander climate before we can begin considering what would ultimately be fundamental changes to the format.

Before we can discuss whether every deck ought to be able to run Beseech the QueenBeseech the Queen or if the format can ban/unban cards beyond whether they're "fun/unfun," we must set the foundation on which such decisions can be appropriately made. We can't start changing the format unless we know how healthy the format operates, as intended.

Is chaining extra turns currently an endemic issue permeating each Bracket? I'd say no, and I'd go as far as to say it won't become a massive problem as long as new cards don't push the bar too far regarding granting players additional steps, phases, or turns. But more clarity is required if we're to expect players to continue healthily engaging with extra steps/phases/turns.

There are currently ~40 cards that allow players in some capacity additional combats, with tens more granting additional upkeeps, untap steps, pre/post-combat main phases, and end steps. I believe that such a large volume needs to be appropriately accounted for within the Bracket system, and the Chaining Extra Turns sub-category is the prime candidate for doing so.

But what do you think? How do you feel about chaining extra turns? What are your thoughts on additional steps and phases being included? Do you think accounting for chaining extra steps and phases is worthwhile?

I hope that this article is helpful in exploring what chaining extra turns can look like, and I'd love to hear from you and what your thoughts are. Tune in next time to continue this deep dive in the Bracket system and more Commander Philosophy!

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