They say that things come in threes. Boy, was that true for me on September 23rd, 2024. Early in the morning, I received an email informing me that TCGplayer was making changes in their content volume from external creators - meaning that despite editorial staff’s herculean efforts over the last year, this is my resulting final article on this platform. About 45 minutes after I received that email, the September 2024 Quarterly Update for Commander was sent live, notifying the Magic playing world of monumental changes that have since shaken the format to its very core. About two hours later, I logged into Google Meet for what was a normally scheduled work meeting - jokes on me, I was laid off from the job I’d held for the last three years, a job I was passionate about, loved my coworkers at, and that helped my wife & I buy a house. Don’t worry, we’re abstractly fine, she’s employed, etc. But, it was still a massive system shock, one I’m still trying to figure out. It’s funny how these things always work - not just one thing pulled out from under me, but three massive things, all in the span of just four or so hours. What my future looks like is very uncertain - and so does the future of Commander. I know it looks and feels weird to say that, comparing the direction of EDH to suddenly losing my job, but it’s where my thoughts have been going in this time - mainly because Commander has been so important for getting me to where I am today. Plus, its future is the one that’s purely out of my control & therefore the most fun to think about. So, that's what I chose to write my last article, for the time being at least, about. (1/2)