If you look at the Commander Bracket guidelines, it might seem that Bracket 4 and Bracket 5 are rather close together. After all, neither has any deck restrictions, games can end suddenly, and decks are designed to win and win fast. However, there is still notable differences between Bracket 4 and Bracket 5.
Decks in both Brackets are very different, and the same commander in Bracket 4 can be drastically different when brought into Bracket 5. In this guide, we’ll be looking at transitioning an Izzet Bracket 4 to 5 to help show off how to upgrade decks and what to expect.
Want to take a deep dive into cEDH Izzet to see if it’s right for you? Then check out our guide to cEDH Izzet right here.
What is the Difference Between Bracket 4 and 5?
So, before we get into some Izzet specifics, we’ll be getting into the differences between Bracket 4 and 5. After all, you should know what you’re upgrading your deck into before you upgrade it!
To start, Bracket 5 is cEDH, meaning decks are as optimized as they can possibly be. These are lists meant to win tournaments. They are also meant to be as consistent as possible, capable of winning as early as the first turn of the game. It is a very heavy Combo format, and practically every game is going to end with an infinite of some kind. It is for those who want the most competitive format possible, and it has its own metagame like more traditional Constructed formats. There are major tournaments that happen throughout the year that determine what the meta is and what the best commanders are. If you’re not playing these, you’re not surviving Bracket 5.
Meanwhile, Bracket 4 is about optimization. Decks can do their “thing,” but it’s not always about winning as quickly as possible. A good way to look at it is as an unrestricted Bracket 3. It’s closer to Bracket 3 without Game Changer restrictions than it is to Bracket 5. Decks aren’t necessarily built to win as soon as possible. Games can still last a long time in Bracket 4. Combo finishers are still very much there, but Bracket 4 is a bit better at setting up its game plan. Bracket 4 also has a lot more viable commanders, and most commanders can be played in Bracket 4, something that can not be said about Bracket 5.
Izzet Bracket 5 Staples
One thing you should know about upgrading from Izzet Bracket 4 to 5 is the new staples you need to play. These take the form of lands, mana rocks, and just about any kind of spell. You can get around having to put these in your deck in Bracket 4, but not Bracket 5. If you aren’t playing these, you’re making your deck worse. And if you’re making your deck worse, you’re going to struggle in Bracket 5.
Staple Lands
Let’s start with what every deck needs: lands. The most played land in the format is Gemstone Caverns. It’s one of the only cards you can play on turn zero, and it gives you mana you can use right away. This is important as some decks can win on turn one, and Gemstone Caverns allows you to play counterspells that aren’t free. You never know when you’ll need to stop someone in their tracks. Ancient Tomb is another heavily played land, as making two mana for the price of one is never going to be bad.
Some other lands you’ll have to get put into your deck are City of Brass, Mana Confluence, and the suite of fetchlands like Misty Rainforest. In Bracket 5, you play every fetchland you can. This helps to shuffle your deck, as well as thin your deck and guarantee you can get to your duals. They’re also helpful for getting utility lands like Mystic Sanctuary. You’ll also have to bite the bullet for a Volcanic Island.
You can live without these lands in Bracket 4. After all, games tend to be slower, and you can afford sacrificing speed. However, in cEDH, you need your mana base as optimized as possible. Otherwise, you’re losing before the game even begins.
Staple Mana Rocks
The biggest difference between a Bracket 4 and Bracket 5 deck is the mana base. In particular, fast mana. Fast mana is king in cEDH, and if you’re not playing as much fast mana as possible, you’re coming in with a losing advantage. You can live without them in Bracket 4, but with how fast cEDH games are, you need these in order to achieve the quick wins that the format requires for you to be successful.
I don’t need to tell you how good Sol Ring is, it’s played in every Bracket level for a reason, 5 included. On top of that, even one-time-use mana like Lotus Petal is useful in Bracket 5, and almost all your decks will want it. It’s the second most played artifact for a reason. Not every deck runs it, but some will utilize Fellwar Stone.
The best mana rocks are the ones that cost zero mana, as you can play these, play a land, and be able to cast whatever spells are left in your deck. This is how you’re often achieving wins as early as turn one. The cards you should be playing in your Bracket 5 Izzet decks include Chrome Mox, Mana Vault, Mox Diamond, and Mox Opal. Lion's Eye Diamond is also a staple game-ender with a few combos (we’ll get to that later).
Staple Counterspells and Disruption
In Bracket 4, realistically, you can live without playing counterspells. The same cannot be said about Bracket 5. Someone can swipe a game out of nowhere; that’s one of the main draws of the format. It’s very interaction-heavy, so if you don’t have interaction, you’ll stumble and be helpless as someone combos into their win conditions.
Free counterspells reign supreme in Bracket 5. This lets you hold mana up for other purposes and can bring your opponents into a false sense of security. Counter wars are common, especially when you’re trying to push for your own win. These include Force of Will, Fierce Guardianship, Pact of Negation, Force of Negation, and occasionally Mindbreak Trap.
Another set of cards you’ll want is cheap counterspells, as well as redirection spells. Cheap counterspells include Flusterstorm, Mental Misstep, Swan Song, and An Offer You Can't Refuse. You also have Deflecting Swat and Redirect Lightning as ways to redirect spells away from your own. With how popular Blue is, Red Elemental Blast and Pyroblast are staples too, as cheap interaction to fight in counter wars and stop various Blue staples is very useful. These last two are ones you wouldn’t generally bring into Bracket 4, but with Bracket 5 having a proper metagame, Blue stands tall as the best color.
Bracket 5 Izzet Win Cons
In Bracket 4, your win cons can be varying game plans. However, in Bracket 5, practically every win con is some kind of infinite combo. You don’t have the luxury of stalling the game out. Instead, you’re working your way to victory through looping infinites.
For example, one of the main win cons of mana Izzet decks in Bracket 5 use Underworld Breach, Brain Freeze, and any zero mana artifact that can be sacrificed to add mana to your pool. We’ll use Lotus Petal in this example. Essentially, you use Lotus Petal to make Blue mana, then use Brain Freeze to mill cards so you can keep escaping Lotus Petal. Eventually, you do this so many times that your storm count is high enough to use Brain Freeze to mill everyone else’s library from the game to make them lose by being unable to draw a card.
The other most common win condition you want in your cEDH Izzet decks use Hullbreaker Horror with any two mana positive mana rocks (such as Sol Ring and Mana Vault). Have Hullbreaker Horror and one of these on the battlefield (we’ll use Sol Ring). Tap to add mana with Sol Ring, then use that to cast Mana Vault. When Hullbreaker Horror triggers, bounce Sol Ring. Then, use Mana Vault to add mana, then cast Sol Ring. Bounce Mana Vault with Hullbreaker Horror, and just loop this to make infinite mana, make an infinite storm count, and, in some cases, infinite burn with certain permanents on the battlefield.
Izzet Bracket 4 to 5 In Action With Vivi
Vivi Ornitier is a very strong commander, and is a strong cEDH commander (one of the best when it comes to Izzet). It’s also great in Bracket 4. They have similar game plans, both being Spellslinger decks; however, as you’ll see, both decks are rather different ones you get down to individual card choices.
Bracket 4 Vivi
Commander
Creatures (16)
Instants (23)
Sorceries (14)
Artifacts (8)
Enchantments (5)
Lands (34)
100 Cards
$797.56
Bracket 4 isn’t necessarily a bracket for only combos for your win conditions. It goes slow enough that you can take advantage of ping effects on cards like Guttersnipe and Firebrand Archer. These aren’t ones you can play in Bracket 5, as you usually would rather play permanents that help you win the game immediately. Even cards like Birgi, God of Storytelling and Electro, Assaulting Battery aren’t going to be in Bracket 5 despite their strength. However, in Bracket 4, you can play these and gain the advantage of their effects since you’re less focused on combos.
Some cEDH staples are still present, such as Mystic Remora and Rhystic Study. These are still very strong cards, so you want to play them, even if you’re not planning to push it into Bracket 4. However, unlike Bracket 4, they aren’t required. A big difference is that Bracket 4 still allows pet cards to be put in. Prismari, the Inspiration isn’t a card you’d play in Bracket 5. However, you can play it in Bracket 4, and it can still even perform well!
You’ll also notice the mana base isn’t overly crazy. It’s playing cheap dual lands, such as Turbulent Springs and Sulfur Falls because the Bracket speed doesn’t require the most optimal lands. It can skip out on playing the expensive mana staples, and the deck won’t suffer for it in the same way that it would in Bracket 5.
Bracket 5 Vivi
Commander
Creatures (11)
Instants (34)
Sorceries (15)
Artifacts (14)
Enchantments (6)
Lands (20)
100 Cards
$6689.61
Looking at a Bracket 5 Vivi deck, you can see a lot of the fat got trimmed. Many of the creatures changed or got cut for cards that make for a more consistent or faster game plan. Simian Spirit Guide gives you more fast mana, along with a plethora of cheap and free mana rocks. You also have more tutors with cards like Imperial Recruiter and Gamble that aren’t in the Bracket 4 version to add as much consistency as possible.
Just because we jump Bracket level doesn’t mean we abandoned every card. A lot of cards have crossover, like Jeska's Will, Strike It Rich, and Tandem Lookout, to name a few. These are good cards for a reason, and they do a lot for the strategy. Brackets 4 and 5 do have a lot of overlap, especially when they share the same commander.
When upgrading from Bracket 4 to 5, you want to get rid of cards that aren’t going to push you to a win quickly. Bracket 5 is fast, so you can’t be slacking in terms of speed. If a card isn’t going to win you the game by playing it, or push you closer to winning in just a few turns, you shouldn’t be playing those cards. You can in Bracket 4, and that’s the main difference.
In Conclusion
When transitioning from Izzet Bracket 4 to 5, there are a lot of factors to expect. The speed of the formats is the biggest difference. When transitioning, expect the competition to be cutthroat; you don’t have the luxury of taking things slow like Bracket 4.
For those who want a more tournament-style format, Bracket 5 is where you want to be. You should expect people to be playing to win. There isn’t room for playing anything that isn’t super optimal. Meanwhile, Bracket 4 is a lot more free-flowing and a more casual high-power format compared to the tournament level Bracket 5.
Want to know what to expect in your journey into Bracket 5? Check out our latest cEDH Metagame Review here.
