Brawl was introduced into Magic: The Gathering back in Dominaria Standard as a new format. It was meant to let Commander players build lower-power decks with only Standard cards, centered around their favorite legendary creature or Planeswalker. However, the format encountered many issues. The lower power level, decks constantly rotating, and poor mana fixing all discouraged players from picking up the format. The format has been considered dead by many, assumed to have gone the way of Tiny Leaders or Rainbow Staircase. However, Wizards of the Coast is attempting to revive the format, using new pre-cons, an online update, and more to lure players in.
Pre-cons
With Throne of Eldraine releasing soon, new Brawl preconstructed decks will be releasing alongside the set. These decks will be similar to the Commander decks we’ve received in the past, with a twist: All cards in the decks will be Standard-legal. Not only will these cards be powerful build-arounds for both Brawl and Standard, but they will also be viable in Commander as well. These cards are not supposed to be aimed at competitive Standard.
A good example of the needle Wizards is trying to thread is the brand new legendary creature, Chulane, Teller of Tales. For 5 mana in bant, Chulane is a vigilant 2/4 human druid that lets you draw cards and ramp whenever you cast a creature spell. This is incredibly powerful in the right shell. For Brawl, it’s obviously a good stuff creature commander. For EDH, it’s a combo piece in the command zone. Play tons of 0 mana or 1 mana creatures and you might be able to draw your entire deck with ease. This card is meant to appeal to Commander players in an attempt to get them to play Brawl, or to get Brawl players (however few there may be) to play Commander.
A new Commander staple
Everyone plays signets in Commander. They fix your mana, they’re cheap, and they ramp you early. They’re the perfect card in almost any EDH deck. In an attempt to promote the Brawl format, a new card will be included in the pre-cons that power creeps the signets entirely.
Arcane Signet comes down for 2 mana and adds any mana color in your commander’s colors. It’s like a Commander’s Sphere, but without the draw upside and one mana cheaper. It’s an instant-include in any 3-color-plus deck. This will most likely increase demand for the Brawl decks, so expect this to be a pricey card if not many of them are opened.
Will this new push for Brawl save the format? Or is it just another attempt for Wizards to cash in on Commander players by getting them into Standard? Let us know in the comments, and check out the official announcement for more details.
