The Future of Game Changers
In case you somehow haven’t seen it by now, Wizards of the Coast and the Commander Format Panel (CFP) dropped a huge update back in February when they introduced the Commander Brackets System. This opt-in system included a list of powerful cards that can warp games and create oppressive play experiences. The cards on this list are known as Game Changers. You can find the most up-to-date list of Game Changers here, as the list was updated back in April as part of the ongoing beta test of the Brackets system.
Playing with powerful cards—Game Changers or otherwise—can be a lot of fun, and I definitely don’t think that there’s anything wrong with wanting to play higher powered decks in cEDH or even in casual EDH, as long as everyone is on the same page about what to expect during the game. While the Game Changers list can also be seen as a sort of watch list for cards that might be banned in the future, Gavin Verhey and the CFP have stated that their goal is to be very cautious about banning cards on this list.
Magic: The Gathering is a live game. We’re a little over halfway through 2025 and over 1,000 new cards have already been printed this year. This means that it’s highly likely that new cards will come out in the future that will end up on the Game Changers list. When looking at all of the new cards from 2025 so far, I found two new cards that I think could reasonably qualify: Deadpool, Trading Card and Vivi Orinitier. In this article, I’m going to discuss these two cards and my views on the likely future of Game Changers.
Disclaimer: Personally, I don’t think that the Brackets System or the Game Changers list is perfect. I’m also not sure how sustainable they will be in the future, given the massive amount of cards that come out every year. Is the Brackets system going to catch on and become the de facto way to play Commander? How big are they willing to make the list? I suppose we’ll find out the answers to these questions eventually.
There are two main types of cards on the Game Changers list: cards that have a tendency to be completely game-warping and cards that tend to create oppressive or frustrating play experiences. When looking for cards that could conceivably earn a spot on the Game Changers list, I only evaluated cards based on the most common use case. I think that evaluating cards on how they most often tend to be played—as opposed to looking at niche situations that are less likely—is the best method.
Deadpool, Trading Card
Deadpool is a card that I think tends to fall on the side of likely creating a frustrating play experience. If you’ve ever read a Deadpool comic, you’ll likely agree that it’s very much in character for him to annoy his enemies with his nonsense and breaking the fourth wall. On his Magic card, we see him doing both of these things by cutting out his text box so that he can trade it with another creature. This is actually pretty funny. Now let’s talk about what that usually looks like in a game of Commander.
Let’s set the scene. You sleeved up a new Arcades, the Strategist deck and you’re really excited to play a game of Commander with your friends. You cast Arcades for the first time and then you pass your turn. The player next in turn order is playing Deadpool and they immediately cast him and exchange his text box with Arcades. Most of the creatures in your deck have defender, so you were relying on him. Oh well, I’m sure that it won’t be that bad. You can always sacrifice Arcades and cast him again.
A couple turns later, you get Arcades out again and you’re feeling pretty good about your chances when you pass the turn. Your friend has other ideas. He casts Dalek Squadron and then he casts Saw in Half on Deadpool, having the copies exchange text boxes with your commander and Dalek Squadron. He’ll only be able to keep one of them because of the legend rule, but this means that he can keep the version of Deadpool that now has menace and myriad and continue to steal the best text boxes every turn.
Let’s talk about this. Your friend is having a great time. He’s getting to do exactly what his deck wants to do and keep making more copies of Deadpool to do Deadpool things. Even if you wipe the board, he still has plenty more cards that are designed to do do the same things. Your friend isn’t really doing anything wrong, but the way that he built his deck is making it impossible for his opponents to reliably field their commanders and other important creatures and have them work as intended.
If you look at the EDHREC page for Deadpool, a significant amount of the most played cards in decks where he is the commander are focused on having him enter the battlefield multiple times, make copies of himself, and generally cause havoc. It’s extremely on brand for the character. Basically every Deadpool deck that you can find online is chock full of cards like Conjurer’s Closet and Helm of the Host. I’m pretty sure that this is exactly how Wizards of the Coast assumed that people would play him.
It’s important to remember that none of this means that Deadpool is a card that shouldn’t have been printed. While I’m not a fan of mechanically unique cards in Secret Lairs, I’ve played against Deadpool several times and I’ve enjoyed the challenge of the experience. That said, I tend to play synergistic, resilient decks that can find their way out of a lot of problems even if something happens to my commander. The average lower power casual deck in Brackets 2 or 3 may not have the same luck.
Vivi Ornitier
Vivi is interesting because of his unique mana ability and the consistent ability to ping opponents any time you cast a noncreature spell, which means that you’ll be able to convert cantrips, splashy spells, and even mana rocks into damage. He does everything that you want out of an Izzet commander, except draw you more cards. I find that Vivi is on the opposite end of the spectrum from Deadpool, being a card that is purely powerful but unlikely to suppress and negate your opponents’ decks.
Remember when I said Vivi doesn’t draw cards for you? One of the first things that you’ll want to do is find Curiosity or one of its redundant effects so that you can change that. Every time that you cast a spell, you’ll be able to draw as many cards as you have opponents. This means that you can easily churn through your deck while pinging down opponents and always having plenty more cards to play! That sounds great, and Vivi’s EDHREC page indicates that most Vivi players agree.
Okay, so you typically play your commander because you like their abilities, right? Vivi gets even better when you play cards like Harmonic Prodigy to get even more pings when you cast noncreature spells. Once you’ve got that Curiosity effect on Vivi, you’re able to draw even more cards and you’ll probably never whiff, but you might run out of mana eventually. Fortunately for you, Quicksilver Elemental can just keep copying Vivi’s ability so that will never be a problem either. You’re going to have so much fun!
There comes a point where maybe you should look inward and see if playing solitaire from the moment your commander hits the board is the type of game that your opponents are interested in playing. There’s definitely a place for gameplay like this, but a lot of people will be left feeling like they sat down and watched you play all of the Magic at the table. It might be a lot of fun for you, but the person who sat down with their upgraded precon probably won’t be left with a fulfilling experience.
Does Vivi create another Nadu, Winged Wisdom situation? Personally, I would argue that he doesn’t. While both commanders are engines that have the potential to create longer turns using a play pattern that resembles solitaire, Vivi actually offers you a definitive way to end the game right on the card by pinging down your opponents. This makes him feel a lot less nondeterministic than Nadu. He also doesn’t come with the annoyance of giving the player cards when trying to interact with their board state.
I like Vivi’s design as a card and I’ve enjoyed playing against him in higher power and cEDH tables. One of the main reasons why I think that Vivi is a great candidate for a Game Changer is because he doesn’t need to use other Game Changers in order to create the type of play pattern that turns a multiplayer Commander game into solitaire while you dig through your deck and ping down your opponents. I’ve seen calls for him to be banned, but I personally think the Game Changers list is more appropriate.
What’s next for Game Changers?
Realistically, we can expect that more cards that could reasonably wind up on the Game Changers list will be printed in the future. We also have direct statements from the CFP about discussions that have been taking place regarding future unbans, although we won’t hear anything more about that until at least 2026. It’s entirely possible that cards such as Iona Shield of Emeria or even the more recently banned Jeweled Lotus could return to the format in the future and be placed on the Game Changers list.
It’s important to remember that just because a card is legal in Commander, that doesn’t mean that you must enjoy playing against it. This is true for Game Changers and other powerful or game-warping cards out there. If you’re using the Bracket system and having a great time with it, I would still encourage you to use Rule 0 as a means to collaborate with the table and cultivate an experience that everyone can enjoy. After all, they’ll probably never ban Farewell or put it on the Game Changers list. 😂
What do you think? Are there any other cards that have come out lately that you think should be Game Changers? Are you expecting certain cards to be unbanned? Let me know on Bluesky! I would love to hear from you.
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