Recently, in this subreddit and in other outlets, there’s been talk of a breaking away from the Rules Committee. r/CompetitiveEDH is, despite the long discussions in light of the recent bans, not going to endorse the discussed separate rulesets nor banlists.

As to why, it is time for a reminder:

The community here has, from the beginning, existed as a safe haven for people looking to explore the Commander format, as-is, to its extremes. Consequently, it also exists to explore what Commander can offer to ones with a mindset of (within the rules of the game) aiming to achieve victory as a primary objective.

The social contract of cEDH players is predicated first and foremost on the above: the mutual fun of the pod is emergent from the thrill of chasing that objective in both tight technical gameplay and ingenuity in deck construction. Secondly, it is built on upholding and adhering to the first and foremost of our rules: being excellent to each other. This community still exists today as the balance and harmony between these two philosophies.

We are not looking to create new formats or banlists. We are Commander players at heart, and what we’ve been aiming to achieve is not different than the many others that play at other power levels. We’re seeking to express ourselves through deckbuilding (with rigor and power as the driving entities rather than other goals) and create compelling, social gameplay that embodies how we enjoy Magic. The mindset and purpose of the current community was created with these gameplay- and socially-oriented goals in mind. The vastness of the card pool coupled with the dynamisms of multiplayer create an unexplored space in which the more curious deckbuilders, brewers and fine-tuners can (and eventually always will) explore. Commander in all its power levels provides players with nearly infinite possibilities in deckbuilding and self-expression; the possibilities for cEDH, while more finite, are vast and still have space for exploration. Even now. Especially now.

Remember, if the format was solved, none of us would be here asking questions, giving or taking criticism, writing posts or primers, and creating content pretty much every day with this very format in mind. We love Commander for what it is, and we will continue to keep playing the format that we set out to.

For every Magic format, be it a casual or a competitive one, there is the Timmy, there is the Johnny, and there is the Spike. And even if a new format were to split into a separate banlist, this community is and will be that Spike that plays Commander.

-The Competitive EDH Mod Team