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What Is the Bracket System?

The Commander Bracket system is a Beta concept created after Wizards of the Coast took the reins of the Commander format from the Commander Rules Committee. It’s an attempt to ease the communication of gameplay expectations in Commander by providing a common language.

There are five Brackets, each with different parameters and descriptors.

The five Brackets are: Exhibition (1), Core (2), Upgraded (3), Optimized (4), and cEDH (5).

• The difference between Exhibition and Core is the extent to which the deck is based on theme.
• The difference between Core and Upgraded is the amount of staples, including Game Changers.
• The difference between Upgraded and Optimized is speed, with Optimized loosening deckbuilding restrictions.
• And the difference between Optimized and cEDH proper is designing based on an expected metagame.

For more on the Bracket System, you can check out our Guide here.

How Has the Bracket System Changed With the Latest Announcement?

One of the key adjustments to the Bracket system is the addition of the arrows of intent, the Blind Eternities between the Brackets. These help create the terminology with which the Brackets are discussed, as well as offering some interesting context and nuance for discussing typal decks.

What Do the Changes Mean for Typal Decks?

But where do typal decks fit? If you’ve been following this column, you know that I’ve written about a range of creature types, from tiny Halfings to mighty Dragons. I’ve also recorded 70+ episodes of a creature-type-based podcast, Quote of Arms, so I’ve seen a huge array of creature type decks.

So how do we interpret the Bracket system for such a wide range of power and speed?

The tricky part of answering where typal decks tend to live is this: Typal decks bridge Brackets. They use a set framework to ease design and the individual cards tend to be better together, so they can play up or down to different competition.

Generally speaking, typal decks have simple and linear play patterns, making them relatively easy to pick up and take to a new table in the abstract. Unsupported and colorshifted strategies go into the lower levels, but they'd get absolutely wrecked by more powerful and supported strategies.

How Can Typal Decks Bridge Exhibition and Core?

Many typal decks live in the Exhibition or Core Brackets. The focus on theme over staples, including exceptions to deckbuilding restrictions for thematic cards, means that less-supported creature types with more creative license can live at these levels.

The more you have to stretch to find playable members of the creature type, and the less support or even common ground between members, the more the type leans into Exhibition. An example of this would be my Hamza, Guardian of ArashinHamza, Guardian of Arashin Elephant typal deck.

Not all creature types have received the same amount of power and support over the years. For example, Elves appear on many different planes, exist in largely the same colors, and, as a result, get stronger and stronger as more sets come out.

Specters have a similarly historic pedigree, but rarely have new members printed and have never truly been featured on a plane the way Elves were in Dominaria and Lorwyn.

Theme is an intriguing separation between Exhibition and Core. Exhibition typal decks are ones where the player does more work to supply the theme, such as including forced combat and goad effects in a Siren typal deck.

Core typal decks, on the other hand, will often have multiple key pieces or commanders that specifically reference the creature type or provide a direction.

But what about taking popular creature types in new directions? Elves and Wizards are fairly well supported creature types, but there are enough members to shift those strategies away from their typical colors. Adding extra restrictions is a fun way to reinforce the theme and lean into Exhibition instead of Core.

Examples of this include mono-black Elves with Ayara, First of LocthwainAyara, First of Locthwain and mono-white Wizards with Preston, the VanisherPreston, the Vanisher.

How Can Typal Decks Bridge Core and Upgraded?

Elfball decks and other powerful creature types, like Dragons, have limited deck slots because there are so many cards that fill major roles. Since these decks have staple cards and commanders, like TiamatTiamat and Ezuri, Renegade LeaderEzuri, Renegade Leader, they tend to lean more into Core or Upgraded.

Staples separate Core from Upgraded decks, and it’s important to note that this isn’t limited to Game Changers. Core typal decks will likely have some amount of cards that act like signpost uncommons in Limited formats.

Upgraded typal decks, however, will have a high degree of synergy with each other and multiple powerful signpost commanders, like Dragons with Miirym, Sentinel WyrmMiirym, Sentinel Wyrm and The Ur-DragonThe Ur-Dragon.

How Can Typal Decks Bridge Upgraded and Optimized?

Speed is what separates Upgraded typal decks from Optimized ones. While Miirym or The Ur-DragonThe Ur-Dragon are busy ramping to a board of giant flyers, an Optimized Muxus, Goblin GrandeeMuxus, Goblin Grandee deck is setting up the top of its library to combo off with Conspicuous SnoopConspicuous Snoop and a Goblin-flavored ham sandwich.

Muxus is not part of the established cEDH metagame, however. It’s a six-mana creature, and its combos are permanent-based and able to be disrupted. Players expecting decks that are on a particular list know what types of threats and interaction to expect and build their decks around that known information.

They also use that known information to evaluate their decks and decisions, and playing off-meta decks can disrupt their data collection and make it so that they don’t get what they want out of those games.

How Can Typal Decks Bridge Optimized and cEDH?

According to the cEDH Deck Database, Inalla Wizards and Magda Dwarves have pierced the metagame, while Conspicuous SnoopConspicuous Snoop Goblin combo decks have been experimented with. These tend to be some of the easier entry points into Optimized and cEDH play. Typal decks tend to do this regardless of Bracket.

This is why I love writing about typal decks: they’re great at bridging Brackets.

Conclusion

Typal decks can occupy a range of Brackets, and the changes to the Bracket system have made it easier to figure out where a typal deck fits, even if those differences are subtle and a bit different than placing the average deck. Typal decks also help bridge Brackets, making them great ways to introduce players to different Brackets!

But where would you place different typal decks? And what Brackets are your typal decks in?

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