Casual Compliance

In late January 2025, we sat down to record an episode of this show. The wheel gave us Fastbond and we did a whole episode on it. Then, something went wrong with one of the cameras, and we had to scrap it. Cut to a couple months later and the wheel once more provided us with Fastbond. If you're worried that we just rehashed the same talking points as the first time around, think again. Neither of us remembered any of what we said, so check this video out for some hot, fresh takes on Fastbond and its status on the Commander banlist!

You can find a video version of this episode at https://youtu.be/oggPrNwNNMA

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It feels like we've talked a lot about board wipes recently, especially with the recent set of cards getting unbanned in Commander. Upheaval is one that has never seen play in Commander, and it seems like there might be good reason for that. We talk about what a card like Upheaval would do to a game of Commander, how it stacks up against similar (legal) board-clearing effects, and whether there's a way to fix it. Heave ho!

Gramps' Aminatou miracle decklist: https://moxfield.com/decks/aF9NIhhJNEWi9B7U4E0WGw

You can find a video version of this episode at https://youtu.be/-DMI8rSp0j4

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Nearly two weeks ago, the Commander Format Panel released the first update to the Brackets beta, as well as taking 5 cards off of the Commander banlist. Immediately, this means we've got a whole lot of new cards on the Game Changers list. These articles also included clearer guidance on what the goal or intent for Brackets is. We're here this time to quickly walk you through the changes and what we think it means for the near-term state of Commander.

Also, did anyone else notice anything weird about the order these unbanned cards were listed in the article?

Commander Banlist update: https://magic.wizards.com/en/news/announcements/commander-bans-and-restrictions-april-22-2025

Commander Brackets update: https://magic.wizards.com/en/news/announcements/commander-brackets-beta-update-april-22-2025

You can find a video version of this episode at https://youtu.be/V9ocZZKf4XE

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It feels like so long ago that Jeweled Lotus got banned, what with all the tumult and disruption that follow its ban and that of Mana Crypt, Nadu, and Dockside Extortionist. It's pretty fitting that this would be the first one to come up for us, seeing as this card was so emblematic of the Commander format as a whole. Could we really unban this card after everything that happened?

You can find a video version of this episode at https://youtu.be/MVQTF3vkOxo

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We're pleased to resume our regularly scheduled programming with a look at another card on the Commander banlist - and this time we brought the wheel back to choose it! This time, we're talking about Lutri, the Spellchaser. One little otter, a chill little guy, a fiesty wee companion. Lutri just wants to help you copy instants and sorceries. How much trouble could Lutri really cause?

You can find a video version of this episode at https://youtu.be/3iPg6856kKU

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Gramps is back in the interview host chair, this time chatting with Tomlin. We met Tomlin playing together on a live Commander game for Cozy Magic Fest 2024 and have been big fans of his energy ever since. One of the nicest guys around, he approaches Commander with the kind of social mindset we love. Additionally, he's a BIG anime and Final Fantasy fan, so it's an exciting time for both him and Gramps. Expect to hear a lot about all of the above in this episode!

Find Tomlin on the internet at:
https://www.instagram.com/tomlin_au/
https://bsky.app/profile/tomlinau.bsky.social

You can find an video version of this episode at https://youtu.be/ZlMhRAK_Yf0

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Get your tinfoil hats and Reddit logins ready, it's Conspiracy time! A special case on the Commander banlist, Conspiracy refers not to the card named Conspiracy, but to the entire card type of Conspiracy. This card type also shares its name with the Magic sets that included them, the first of which was Magic's first ever set designed for drafting into multiplayer games. Just to make this one extra special, we also got our hands on a sealed box of Conspiracy and did a draft for research purposes. This one was a lot of fun to finally put together and we hope you enjoy it too.

A big thank you to Sam of Rhystic Studies for sharing his thoughts with us on Conspiracy for this video!

A list of all Conspiracy cards: https://scryfall.com/search?q=t:conspiracy

chillybin's Conspiracy draft deck list:
https://moxfield.com/decks/YmP6icb6OkO9NQ0eDj4G2w

You can find a video version of this episode at https://youtu.be/Oi2xDeuZ-4c

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We liked interviewing people so much, we're doing more of it! Now in a dedicated format, we bring you Casual Chats: interviews with interesting folks with some relation to Magic: the Gathering.

In our first instalment, Gramps talks to RubeePlays of Cozy Magic Club fame. They discuss her journey of discovering Magic, rediscovering it after moving to a new city, and building the kind of community and content she wants to see in the world.

Check Rubee and Cozy Magic Club out at these links:
https://linktr.ee/RubeePlays
https://linktr.ee/cozymagicclub

You can find a video version of this episode at https://youtu.be/iQbuZvn4Who

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Oh boy, an emergency Casual Compliance release! Earlier today, we were treated to a major update from Gavin Verhey, on behalf of the Commander Format Panel. This update contained the release of the beta version of the Commander Brackets matchmaking system - a tool intended to improve your "rule 0" pre-game conversations.

We've got some first impressions and early opinions on Brackets. Find out if we agree with you in this episode!

Read the Brackets announcement for yourself here: https://magic.wizards.com/en/news/announcements/introducing-commander-brackets-beta

You can find a video version of this episode at https://youtu.be/aaXZBv2avfA

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(Editor note: due to a scheduling snafu at our new recording space, there was someone recording guitar in the next room while we recorded this one. We didn't realise until afterwards that the mics picked it up and we've guaranteed that this shouldn't happen again in future. Big oops!)

Boy oh boy, do we have an exciting new episode for you! Not only is this the first episode we shot in our new recording space, but we brought on a dear friend of ours to give us an extra pair of eyes on this episode's banned card. RubeePlays has been a big supporter of ours since the beginning and we are so pleased we could finally have her on our show, and it just so happened to coincide with us talking about a card Gramps loves: Paradox Engine.

Are you a cool enough guy to play Paradox Engine? Have you had a milky Commander experience recently? Find out more in this episode!

You can find a video version of this episode at https://youtu.be/m-oc4oISgU4

Be sure to check out RubeePlays and Cozy Magic Club on your favourite platforms:
https://linktr.ee/RubeePlays
https://linktr.ee/cozymagicclub

Social links:
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Bluesky
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Email us! [email protected]