The Bracket 1 Problem | EDHREC'd

All right, so context part one, and I know a lot of people will know this already, but let's just make sure we're all on the same page here.

The bracket system has five distinct categories of deck that serve as a very broad way for players to begin to identify a pod of like-minded players to better align with what's going to bring that group the best time in a game.

Bracket five, for instance, is the highest power of decks that you can imagine, and you wouldn't want to bring a bracket three deck, which is much more measured in its power, to a pod with all fives, or vice versa, because that type of mismatch wouldn't make for the most dynamic or satisfying game.

Bracket one is, in many ways, the meme tier.

Uh, decks like this prioritize shiggles.

They prioritize creative expression at the expense of being good.

I saw someone on Reddit make a really good comparison, actually, that this is a lot like the Archidekt deck-building challenges that happen every month, which, linked below for anyone interested.

But yeah, in those, it's not that you're trying to win a game.

Imagine it more like you're trying to win over a judges panel based off of how well you committed to the bit or leaned into the gimmick.

Think of, like, a Socrates all philosophy deck where you're playing, like, stoic rebuttal, or linked below I have a reading the card explains the card deck, where all of the cards are textless or confusing or lying to you.

Or another one that I've been working on is everything reminds me of him, a deck that contains a bunch of cards like Deep Wood and Colossal Plow and Portable Hole, things that make you think, [clicks tongue] "I should really call him." It will also be linked in the description.

Merry Christmas, you filthy animals.