WELCOME COMMANDER PLAYERS!

Bit of History

The format known as Commander originally began as a competitive challenge among judges and tournament staff. The goal was to build decks around the original Elder Dragons from the Legends set and determine not only the strongest Elder Dragon but also the best deck builder and player. In a free-for-all, four-player pod, only one winner would emerge—hence the reference to the movie Highlander, with its iconic motto: "There can be only one!" This gave birth to Elder Dragon Highlander (EDH).

Over time, this highly competitive and unique deck-building style caught the attention of more judges and players. The format evolved as additional legendary creatures, and eventually planeswalkers, took to the hallowed EDH battlefields around the world.

Sheldon Menery, a Level 5 judge, became the pioneering force behind transforming EDH into a widely accepted format called Commander. Leveraging his many contacts at Wizards of the Coast (WOTC), the publisher of Magic: The Gathering, Menery unified the necessary elements to convince WOTC to officially recognize Commander as a legitimate format. Once WOTC embraced Commander, the popularity of EDH/Commander exploded.

By 2018, Commander had surpassed traditional formats like Standard and Modern in terms of play frequency. Despite its competitive origins, Commander took on the role of a beginner-friendly, casual format. Wizards of the Coast quickly realized that Commander was the future of Magic: The Gathering, and by the end of 2020, amid the global pandemic, one thing had become undeniably clear: Commander was here to stay.

Growing Pains

In the early days of Commander, there wasn’t much data available for multiplayer formats. Magic: The Gathering (MTG) tournaments had traditionally been 1v1, so determining which cards were too powerful for multiplayer play was difficult. Sheldon Menery and his friends had experience with ban lists from other formats and a good understanding of which cards could cause problems in the game.

Commander had a few key restrictions: no more than one copy of any given card in a deck, and each card had to match the color identity of the commander. Beyond that, any card from the entire history of the game was legal. To create a foundation, they borrowed from the ban lists of other formats and used internal discussions to develop an initial ban list based on their experiences. For the most part, this worked, with only a few questionable card choices, but it went off without major issues. They could always revisit the list and adjust it later, adding or removing cards as needed.

The challenge, however, was that there wasn’t—and still isn’t—a clear, objective way to determine which cards should be banned. Decisions often came down to gut feelings. Because of this, they adopted a cautious approach to banning cards, resisting bans unless it was absolutely clear a card was problematic. They also introduced the “Spirit of the Format” policy, which included the concept of Rule 0.

Rule 0 both solved and created a problem. It stated that, due to the casual nature of Commander, players and their playgroups would ultimately decide the rules of their games, with the official rulings being more of a guideline to help everyone enjoy the format. While well-intentioned, this raised concerns for competitive play—how could players compete if everything was just a suggestion? The widely accepted solution was to follow the official ban list to avoid confusion. For a time, this approach worked smoothly.

The Darkest of Day(s)

On September 7th, 2023, the "Godfather of Commander," Sheldon Menery, passed away peacefully after a battle with a terminal illness. His passing marked the beginning of a new era for Commander as the torch of the format was passed into new hands. Sheldon had long anticipated this moment, and I like to think he still keeps an eye on the rules updates, spoilers, and ban list changes, wherever he may be.

With his passing, the new leadership steered Commander more firmly toward its casual roots. In September 2024, this shift was made abundantly clear when three of Commander's most competitive, powerful, and beloved staples—Jeweled Lotus, Dockside Extortionist, and the 30-year veteran Mana Crypt—were banned. Another card, though less tenured and cherished, was also removed from the format.

To many players, these bannings sent a strong message: Commander was being solidified as a casual format first. For those who preferred competitive play, it became clear that they would need to develop their own ban list and rule set to keep the competitive spirit of EDH alive.

New Beginnings

The future of competitive EDH is now in your hands. I’ve drafted the concept of "Unbound Commander" to mark the moment when control of CEDH shifted from Wizards of the Coast (WOTC) and the Rules Committee (RC) back into the hands of the broader community. The term "Unbound" represents a commitment to maintaining the spirit of the game we love while taking a more grassroots approach to ban list policies.

We will begin with a minimal ban list, reflecting the expectations of tournament play. This includes:

• An initial ban of the Power 9, significantly lowering the barrier to entry for all competitive players.
• The banning of culturally sensitive cards, to ensure inclusivity and move away from subject matter rooted in racism, which should never have been part of the game.
• A ban on cards like Shahrazad, which create a chaotic tournament environment.
• A ban on dexterity cards, which require physical challenges that could exclude some players from participating.
• The banning of Ante cards, as gambling with game pieces detracts from the integrity of the format and should never have been part of it.
• The ban of acorn, silver-bordered, and "joke" cards, as these cards were designed for casual, humorous play and can undermine the competitive nature and seriousness of the tournament environment. While fun in casual settings, they disrupt the balanced gameplay expected in competitive EDH.

Beyond these bans, all cards will be considered legal, with reviews conducted quarterly, semi-annually, or annually. This will be based on community polls or votes, with card candidates chosen from tournament results submitted to dedicated forums. Community members, selected to analyze this data, will present their findings for public review.

As our community grows, we aim to develop a more structured voting process, perhaps electing a panel of delegates from various micro-communities. Ultimately, Unbound Commander will require a unified set of rules and regulations that Rule 0 cannot address effectively—thus, UEDH (Unbound Elder Dragon Highlander) is born.