The List That Isn't a Ban List
MTG Game Changers are a list of 53 Commander cards (as of September 2026) that Wizards of the Coast says "easily and dramatically warp Commander games". They aren't banned. Instead, the number you play decides your Commander bracket: none in Brackets 1 and 2, up to three in Bracket 3, and any number in Brackets 4 and 5.
The problem the list solves is old: four players sit down, one of them is playing a precon, one of them is playing a deck with Mana Vault and Demonic Tutor, and nobody finds out until turn three.
The brackets give the table a shared vocabulary, and the Game Changers list gives that vocabulary something concrete to count. This page has the full current list, what each bracket allows, and every change since the list launched in February 2025.
The rule: count your Game Changers. Zero keeps you in Brackets 1 and 2. One to three is Bracket 3. Four or more is Bracket 4 or 5.
The Full MTG Game Changers List (September 2026)
53 cards, from Scryfall's is:gamechanger search on 24 September 2026, grouped by colour identity. The list has been unchanged since 9 February 2026.
| Colour | Game Changers |
|---|---|
| White (7) | Drannith Magistrate, Enlightened Tutor, Farewell, Humility, Serra's Sanctum, Smothering Tithe, Teferi's Protection |
| Blue (10) | Consecrated Sphinx, Cyclonic Rift, Fierce Guardianship, Force of Will, Gifts Ungiven, Intuition, Mystical Tutor, Narset, Parter of Veils, Rhystic Study, Thassa's Oracle |
| Black (10) | Ad Nauseam, Bolas's Citadel, Braids, Cabal Minion, Demonic Tutor, Imperial Seal, Necropotence, Opposition Agent, Orcish Bowmasters, Tergrid, God of Fright, Vampiric Tutor |
| Red (3) | Gamble, Jeska's Will, Underworld Breach |
| Green (7) | Biorhythm, Crop Rotation, Gaea's Cradle, Natural Order, Seedborn Muse, Survival of the Fittest, Worldly Tutor |
| Multicolour (4) | Aura Shards, Coalition Victory, Grand Arbiter Augustin IV, Notion Thief |
| Colourless (12) | Ancient Tomb, Chrome Mox, Field of the Dead, Glacial Chasm, Grim Monolith, Lion's Eye Diamond, Mana Vault, Mishra's Workshop, Mox Diamond, Panoptic Mirror, The One Ring, The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale |
Seven of the 53 are lands: Serra's Sanctum, Gaea's Cradle, Ancient Tomb, Field of the Dead, Glacial Chasm, Mishra's Workshop and The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale. Lands count toward your limit like any other card.
The Five Commander Brackets (EDH Brackets)
1
- Name
- Exhibition
- Game Changers
- None
- Wizards' description
- Prioritize a goal, theme, or idea over power
- Expected game length
- At least nine turns
2
- Name
- Core
- Game Changers
- None
- Wizards' description
- Unoptimized and straightforward
- Expected game length
- At least eight turns
3
- Name
- Upgraded
- Game Changers
- Up to three
- Wizards' description
- Powered up with strong synergy and high card quality
- Expected game length
- At least six turns
4
- Name
- Optimized
- Game Changers
- Unlimited
- Wizards' description
- Lethal, consistent, and fast
- Expected game length
- At least four turns
5
- Name
- cEDH
- Game Changers
- Unlimited
- Wizards' description
- Meticulously designed to battle in the cEDH metagame
- Expected game length
- Any turn
Game Changers aren't the only thing the brackets measure. Wizards' Commander page lists three more: two-card infinite combos, extra turns and mass land denial. The original bracket guidance, published in February 2025, set these out:
- Bracket 1: no intentional two-card infinite combos, mass land denial or extra-turn cards.
- Bracket 2: no intentional two-card infinite combos or mass land denial. Extra-turn cards only in low quantities, not chained or looped.
- Bracket 3: no intentional early-game two-card infinite combos, no mass land denial, and extra turns in low quantities only. Since October 2025 this is framed by game length: you shouldn't expect to win or lose before turn six, and you shouldn't just hold your two-card combo until later either.
- Brackets 4 and 5: no restrictions other than the banned list.
In October 2025, Wizards removed the old "tutors should be sparse" guidance entirely and now relies on the Game Changers list to catch the efficient tutors.
The Game Changers list is a number you can count. The brackets are a promise about how long the game will last.
How to Work Out Your Deck's Bracket
- Count your Game Changers. Four or more puts you in Bracket 4 at least. One to three means Bracket 3 at least. Zero leaves you in Bracket 1 or 2.
- Check the other three measures. A deck with no Game Changers but an early two-card infinite combo or mass land denial isn't a Bracket 2 deck.
- Ask how fast it wins. If your deck usually wins by turn five, it's Bracket 4, even with no Game Changers. The turn expectations are the real test, and the list is a shortcut.
- Say it out loud before the game. The brackets only work if everyone at the table uses them.
Most unmodified Commander precons are Bracket 2. Add a couple of Game Changers from your binder, and you're in Bracket 3.
Every Change to the Game Changers List
| Date | What changed |
|---|---|
| 11 Feb 2025 | Commander Brackets Beta launched, with 40 Game Changers |
| 22 Apr 2025 | Five unbanned cards added straight to the list (Braids, Cabal Minion; Coalition Victory; Gifts Ungiven; Panoptic Mirror; Sway of the Stars). 18 more added, including Teferi's Protection, Humility, Necropotence, Orcish Bowmasters, Natural Order and Mishra's Workshop. Trouble in Pairs and Trinisphere removed |
| 21 Oct 2025 | Ten removed: Expropriate, Jin-Gitaxias, Core Augur, Sway of the Stars, Vorinclex, Voice of Hunger, Kinnan, Bonder Prodigy, Urza, Lord High Artificer, Winota, Joiner of Forces, Yuriko, the Tiger's Shadow, Deflecting Swat, Food Chain. Tutor limits dropped from the brackets; turn expectations added |
| 9 Feb 2026 | Farewell added. Biorhythm unbanned and added. Lutri, the Spellchaser unbanned but not added (it's now banned only as a companion). List reaches 53 |
| Mar–Aug 2026 | No changes |
Two patterns are worth knowing:
Unbanned cards go straight onto the list. Every card unbanned in Commander since 2025 has become a Game Changer, except Lutri, which was only banned because of the companion mechanic.
Wizards is moving away from expensive cards and powerful commanders. The October 2025 removals were mostly high-mana-value cards and legends that are strong only as commanders, like Urza and Yuriko. Wizards said those are better handled by the table's bracket conversation than by a list.
Game Changers vs the Commander Banned List
Game Changers aren't banned. They're legal in every Commander deck and simply push that deck into a higher bracket. The banned list is separate, and its most recent additions were in September 2024, when Dockside Extortionist, Jeweled Lotus, Mana Crypt and Nadu, Winged Wisdom were banned to cut down on explosive early turns. None of the four has been unbanned.
Later that month the Commander Rules Committee handed the format over to Wizards of the Coast, which now manages it with a rotating advisory group, the Commander Format Panel. Both the banned list and the Game Changers list are announced through Wizards' regular banned and restricted updates. The next one is scheduled for 12 October 2026.
Common Misconceptions
"Game Changers are banned in casual Commander." They're legal everywhere. They move your deck up a bracket.
"Bracket 3 means three Game Changers." It means up to three. A Bracket 3 deck with none is fine.
"No Game Changers means Bracket 2." Only if the deck also plays like one. An early infinite combo or mass land denial breaks Bracket 2 with or without Game Changers. The Goblin Storm Secret Lair deck, for example, has no Game Changers but does include a two-card infinite (Storm-Kiln Artist plus Haze of Rage).
"Sol Ring is a Game Changer." It isn't, and it's in nearly every precon.
"Tutors are limited by bracket." Not since October 2025. The efficient ones are Game Changers; the rest are unrestricted.
Conclusion: Count, Then Talk
The Game Changers list works because it's short and concrete. Fifty-three cards, a number you can count in thirty seconds, and a clear line at zero and three.
But the list is the start of the bracket conversation, not the end of it. The turn expectations are what Wizards actually cares about: a Bracket 2 deck that wins on turn five is not a Bracket 2 deck.
Check this page after each banned and restricted announcement. We update the list and the change history as soon as Wizards does.
Citations & Resources
- Scryfall: The current Game Changers list
- Wizards of the Coast: Commander format page and brackets
- Wizards of the Coast: Introducing Commander Brackets Beta (February 2025)
- Wizards of the Coast: Commander Brackets Beta Update, 21 October 2025
- Wizards of the Coast: Commander Brackets Beta Update, 9 February 2026
- Wizards of the Coast: Commander banned list update, 23 September 2024
Related Guides
- Best MTG Commander Decks — the precons, most of which are Bracket 2
- MTG Formats Explained — Commander alongside every other format
- MTG Monarch and the Initiative — the multiplayer mechanics that got banned elsewhere
- MTG Dual, Fetch and Shock Lands — the mana base that separates Bracket 3 from Bracket 4