MTG head eases player concerns about Commander

Commander has taken MTG by storm in recent years, but Magic’s Lead Designer wants fans to know that other formats aren’t going ignored.

There’s little doubt among MTG players that Commander has been the face and focus of Wizards’ release strategies for some time now. Commander pre-con decks are released alongside each premium set – recently including valuable reprints to entice a greater number of MTG players.

Additionally, many cards are now designed with Commander in mind, taking what was once a niche fan-made format to the very pinnacle of MTG popularity.

MTG’s Lead Designer, Mark Rosewater, recently took to his personal blog to discuss player worries that Commander may be drawing too much focus from Magic’s other formats.

MTG’s Mark Rosewater responds to fan’s Commander worries

WOTC

Tumblr user doubleca5t told Rosewater:

“I’ve seen a certain amount of hand-wringing around the community about the fact that the newer products are increasingly centered around Commander. There’s a concern that the focus on Commander is coming at the expense of other formats.”

As well as doing their bit to alert Rosewater to Community concerns, doubleca5t wanted to know if these thoughts were shared by MTG staff behind the scenes:

“Is there any worry along these lines within R&D as well? I know the Commander products sell super well but I feel like from a design perspective sales can’t be the only concern.”

While Rosewater didn’t confirm or deny whether anyone on the MTG team thought that Commander was receiving too much focus, he did point to other Magic formats that had recently received a boost in attention from Wizards. Specifically, Rosewater focused on recent gains made in the performance of the Standard format.

While Standard still fares well in online spaces like MTG Arena, the format’s fortunes have significantly declined in person. What was once MTG’s premier (and initially only) format has been played less and less in recent years. Still, Wizards has committed to restoring Standard’s place as a valid paper MTG option and Rosewater was keen to explain that things could be turning around for this venerable format.

Love it or hate it, Commander is here to stay. Given its fun-first focus, MTG fans shouldn’t have many future grievances with Commander, provided other formats are given adequate attention and aren’t stuck forever in Commander’s shadow.

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