MAGIC: COMMANDER
Hey, MAGIC players! By popular request, we believe the time has come to make a few changes to our COMMANDER events – so beginning with our October 10th game, here’s what’s happening. We’ll try to keep it short and concise here, please give us a shout if you have any additional questions!
ONE - PRIZE STRUCTURE UPGRADE
Our entry fees for the COMMANDER game will now be $15. We’ll also be upgrading the prize payout for the Champions Table and The Runner-Up Tables…..
CHAMPIONS TABLE
1st place - $40 in store credit
2nd place - $25 in store credit
3rd place - $15 in store credit
4th place - $10 in store credit
ALL RUNNER-UP TABLES ARE PLAYING FOR:
1st place- $25 in store credit
2nd place - $15 in store credit
3rd and/or 4th place - $10 in store credit
TWO - NO MORE FIVE-PLAYER TABLES
Now, bear in mind this will often mean there’s going to be more three-player games….but we’re going to remove those long waits between turns by eliminating five-player games from here on in.
THREE - WE'RE GOING TO THE BRACKET SYSTEM
After a lot of in-store discussion and listening to the requests of our players, we have decided it’s best to begin using the BRACKET system as introduced by Wizards. The Commander Game at Screaming Monkey has always been intended to be a casual, fun and inclusive game – not a place to destroy beginner players in turn 2 with a CEDH deck. So we are asking players to build decks that would qualify for BRACKET 3 or lower.
Many of you know what this means – but for those of you who are still new to Commander, this means that you deck must be built with these rules in mind:
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NO MASS LAND DENIAL CARDS
A card is mass land denial if its primary function is to destroy, exile, keep tapped or otherwise prevent four or more lands (per player) from producing mana, without a replacement effect. Examples include spells like Armageddon, Winter Orb, Ruination and Blood Moon. Pinpoint land destruction, like Strip Mine, does not count since it targets only one land at a time.
• NO CHAINING EXTRA TURNS
If you have a card that gives you an extra turn, and then gets exiled after use----you’re probably good. If it goes to the graveyard AND you have a card that can bring it back to give you another extra turn….you have a combo that chains extra turns. This isn’t allowed in Bracket 3 or lower.
• 2-CARD INFINITE COMBOS can’t be used until late in the game.
Oh, the Infinite Combo loops -- you know the type. The cards that create a loop that allows you as much life or damage to win the game automatically. Bracket Three strives to avoid that by only allowing late game combos. There are many websites that can tell you if you have a 2-Card Infinite Combo loop that’s not allowed in Bracket 3, but for the most part - if it’s a combo you can pull off before turn six, it MAY be an early combo that’s not permitted.
• ONLY THREE OR LESS GAME CHANGERS MAY BE USED IN YOUR DECK
In COMMANDER, a “Game Changer” is a powerful card identified by Wizards of the Coast that significantly alters a game’s power level and can shift a deck into a higher play bracket. These cards are not banned, but are limited to a maximum of three per deck in Bracket 3.
Game Changers often provide rapid resource generation, efficient card searching, create unfun play experiences through powerful effects like resource denial, or enable game-ending combos.
Decks with ANY of the GAME CHANGER cards are automatically considered at least Bracket 3. But having more than three cards on this list makes it too competitive for Bracket 3.
Mana Ramps (Mana Vault, Ancient Tomb, Gaea’s Cradle), Tutors (Vampiric Tutor, Demonic Tutor, Force of Will) Resource Stax spells (Rhystic Study, Drannith Magistrate, Opposition Agent), Combo Enablers (Thassa’s Oracle, Underworld Breach) and Powerful Board Wipes (Cyclonic Rift) are some examples of the Game Changers.
This list is subject to change, so build your deck accordingly by keeping on top of new updates.
• NO PROXIES ARE ALLOWED
Okay, this isn’t really a Bracket 3 rule – it’s always been a store rule that some players have admitted recently they weren’t aware of. PROXY cards have never been permitted at our games in the past, even though we never explicitly put it in writing. It’s discouraged from any events where prizes are on the line, and if it’s an event sponsored by Wizards of the Coast. Adding this game to the Magic Companion App automatically makes these games official sanctioned events --- so no proxies, with the exception of your own hand-crafted Token cards.
WHAT IF MY DECK TURNS OUT TO BE A BRACKET 4 OR HIGHER?
We’ll handle each infraction on a case by case basis. A deck that is very obviously a high bracket probably wasn’t built accidentally, and it could be grounds for disqualification. But we’ll deal with problems as they arrive. Hey, the accidental inclusion of just an extra Game Changer or an early Infinite Combo card set can be forgiven if it’s an isolated event. Depending on the circumstances, you may be given the option of replacing the rule-breaking card with a basic land card, putting it back into the deck, reshuffling, and drawing again. We’re not actively trying to kick people out of the game, we’re trying to keep as fair and moderately competitive game as we can.
So that’s it! If there’s any questions, please reach out to us before the next Commander game and we’ll try to answer your questions. We hope these changes makes it a fun experience for everyone……now let’s get our game on!