I don't represent or claim to represent the format to anyone. I'm just some guy who thinks it's neat. Please do let me know if there are any errors in this list.

My main deck was Marwyn elfball, and I will try to reconstruct the decklist as best I can from memory (plus cards that are legal in uEDH but not Commander).

I'm autistic, aëgosexual, and aromantic, plus have ADHD, depression, and anxiety. Yay.

Hello, and welcome to the Unbound Commander forums!

We’re thrilled to have you here as one of the first pioneers of this brand-new community, where Commander and Competitive EDH (CEDH) players can come together to share ideas, discuss strategies, and help shape the future of Unbound Commander.

What is Unbound Commander?

Unbound Commander is more than just a community—it's a movement! We believe that the competitive side of Commander should be driven by the community itself, free from external limitations. Our aim is to create an environment where passionate players, deck builders, and strategists can engage in meaningful discussions and contribute to the development of a unified competitive ruleset. Whether you’re here to discuss tournament results, share your latest deck techs, or just enjoy a good debate about game mechanics, this is the place for you!

Why Join the Discussion?

We want you to feel at home here. The Unbound Commander forums are a space where every member’s voice matters. It’s a place for theorycrafting, community-driven rule updates, and exploring new ways to experience Commander. You can connect with like-minded players, ask for deck-building advice, talk about tournament experiences, or simply hang out and discuss your favorite aspects of the game.

Getting Started

• Introduce Yourself: Head over to the Introductions section to let us know a little bit about yourself. Share your favorite decks, your playstyle, or what you hope to see from this community.
• Explore the Forums: Check out our various sub-forums to find topics that interest you, from deck discussions and strategy advice to event announcements and banlist debates.
• Share Your Thoughts: We’re still growing and refining the forums, so your input is invaluable. Use the Feedback and Suggestions thread to let us know how we can make this community even better.

How Can You Contribute?

We’re not just looking for members; we’re looking for community builders! If you’d like to be more involved, consider:

• Becoming a Forum Volunteer: Help us moderate discussions, curate content, or organize community events.
• Sharing Your Expertise: Write guides, share deck strategies, or help newer members get up to speed with the competitive scene.
• Spreading the Word: Invite your friends or share the link on social media—every new member helps grow our community!

Our Mission

We’re here to support competitive EDH and elevate it to new heights, all while maintaining an inclusive and welcoming atmosphere for all players. Let’s shape the future of Unbound Commander together!

If you have any questions or need help getting started, don’t hesitate to reach out to our moderators or post in the Help and Support section. We’re here to help!

Welcome aboard! 🛡️💥

Happy gaming,
The Unbound Commander Team

1. Introduction

Welcome to the Unbound Commander community! Our forums are dedicated to creating a supportive, inclusive, and engaging environment for everyone interested in discussing Commander and Competitive EDH (CEDH). Please take a moment to read and understand our community guidelines to ensure the best possible experience for all members.

2. General Posting Guidelines

1. Respectful Conduct: All members are expected to treat each other with respect and civility. Personal attacks, harassment, or hate speech of any kind will not be tolerated.

2. Stay On-Topic: Make sure your posts and comments are relevant to the topic at hand. Off-topic posts can disrupt discussions and will be moved or removed by moderators.

3. Avoid Spam: Do not post multiple threads on the same topic or flood the forum with unnecessary or repetitive posts. This includes promoting unrelated content or websites.

4. Quality Contributions: Strive to add value to discussions. Share insights, ask questions, and provide thoughtful responses that contribute to a meaningful dialogue.

3. Content and Posting Guidelines

1. Deck Lists and Strategy: When posting deck lists or discussing strategies, provide as much context as possible to foster better discussions. Include explanations for card choices and overall strategy.

2. Proxies and Custom Cards: Discussions about proxies are welcomed! When sharing or discussing custom proxies, please ensure that they are appropriate for the forum (i.e., no offensive or culturally insensitive content).

3. Constructive Criticism: When giving feedback, be constructive and courteous. Provide actionable advice and avoid making negative or discouraging comments.

4. Event and Tournament Discussions: Announcements about events or tournaments should include relevant details, such as date, time, location, and rules. Please refrain from excessive promotion or bumping of your threads.

5. Banned and Restricted List: When discussing banned or restricted cards, keep in mind that this is a community-driven space. Respect different opinions and engage in civil debates.

4. Unbound Commander Community Policies

1. Rule 0 and Gameplay Discussions: Discussions around Rule 0 and in-game agreements should focus on maintaining a spirit of fairness and inclusivity. Be mindful that different playgroups may have different interpretations of the rules.

2. Acorn/Silver-Bordered Cards: Posts or discussions about acorn, silver-bordered, or other joke cards should be kept in designated areas. These cards are not considered legal in competitive Unbound Commander formats.

3. Inclusive Play: Unbound Commander is committed to creating an inclusive environment. Posts or discussions that are discriminatory or offensive based on race, gender, sexuality, or religion are strictly prohibited.

4. Proxy Policy: Proxies are allowed and welcomed for discussion within the community. Feel free to share custom designs, but ensure that they are appropriate and align with our community standards.

5. Moderation and Enforcement

1. Warning System: The first infraction will result in a warning, where a moderator will inform you of the issue and guide you on how to avoid it in the future.

2. Temporary Suspension: Multiple infractions or severe misconduct may result in a temporary suspension ranging from 24 hours to 7 days, depending on the severity.

3. Permanent Ban: Serious breaches of conduct (such as hate speech, harassment, or threatening behavior) will result in a permanent ban from the forums.

4. Appeals Process: If you believe a moderation action was taken in error, you may appeal by contacting the moderators through private message or email. All appeals will be reviewed, and a decision will be communicated within 7 business days.

6. Community Engagement and Volunteer Opportunities

1. Volunteer Moderators: We welcome dedicated community members to join our team as volunteer moderators. Please reach out to us if you’re interested in helping maintain the quality and integrity of our forums.

2. Event Organizers and Content Creators: If you’re passionate about organizing events or creating content for the community, we’d love to hear from you! We encourage members to collaborate and contribute to our shared growth.

3. Feedback and Suggestions: We value your input! Use the designated feedback thread to share suggestions for improving the forums or making rule updates. This is a community-driven platform, and your voice matters.

7. Dispute Resolution

If you encounter an issue with another member, please refrain from escalating it publicly. Use the “Report” function to notify moderators, and they will handle the situation. For unresolved disputes, reach out to a moderator via private message for mediation.

8. Final Note

By participating in the Unbound Commander forums, you agree to abide by these rules and guidelines. The goal is to create a welcoming and engaging space where all members feel comfortable sharing their love for Commander. Let’s build this community together and make it a space where every voice is heard!

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.