Brawl’s matchmaking has become so consistently unpleasant that I am struggling to continue playing a format I once genuinely enjoyed.

The recurring experience is predictable:

I build a casual, thematic, or experimental deck.
I initially receive a few reasonably balanced matches.
The deck wins several games.
Matchmaking begins placing it against heavily optimized decks using top-tier commanders, efficient tutors, free spells, fast ramp, and repetitive value engines.
The deck is no longer matched according to its actual construction or power level, and the games stop being remotely competitive or enjoyable.

This creates the impression that recent win rate or player MMR is being weighted far more heavily than the cards in the deck. Even when my deck contains no tutors and deliberately avoids the strongest staples, it can still be matched against decks constructed for maximum consistency and efficiency.

A thematic deck winning several games does not suddenly make it equivalent to an optimized deck. It may have benefited from favorable matchups, weaker opponents, good draws, or simple variance. Treating those wins as proof that the deck belongs in a substantially higher-power matchmaking pool punishes players for succeeding and gradually makes the queue worse the longer they play.

This is especially damaging in Brawl because the format increasingly contains cards that dramatically reduce meaningful variance:

Tutors that allow decks to access the same powerful cards repeatedly
Free spells that create huge tempo swings without requiring meaningful resource commitments
Commanders that generate immediate or unavoidable value
Extremely efficient ramp and interaction
Optimized “good-stuff” shells that use a commander mainly for its colors or passive advantage

These cards and strategies should carry substantial matchmaking weight. A deck containing multiple tutors, free spells, premium interaction, fast mana, and established competitive staples should not be evaluated similarly to a thematic deck merely because both decks happen to have comparable recent win rates.

The current system creates a destructive cycle:

Build a fun deck → enjoy a few games → win several matches → receive increasingly optimized opponents → become frustrated → stop playing → return later because Brawl used to be enjoyable.

This is not a healthy matchmaking experience. It discourages experimentation, creativity, and long-term engagement. It also makes players feel that the only choices are to accept consistently lopsided games, deliberately lose, or optimize their own decks and contribute further to the problem.

Please reconsider how Brawl matchmaking evaluates deck strength. At minimum, the system should place greater weight on:

Tutors and tutor density
Free spells
Fast mana and highly efficient ramp
High-impact format staples
Commander strength
Removal and interaction density
Infinite or deterministic combinations
Cards with unusually high inclusion and win rates
Overall synergy and consistency, rather than only individual card strength
The difference between a deliberately thematic deck and an optimized good-stuff list

Player MMR and recent win percentage may have a role, but they should not override meaningful differences in deck construction. Players should not be punished for winning a few games with a weaker deck.

Brawl is trying to serve as Arena’s casual, Commander-like format, but its matchmaking often produces the opposite experience. Casual formats depend on reasonably similar expectations and power levels. Since Arena does not allow players to discuss power levels before a match, the matchmaking system must perform that function effectively.

Right now, it does not.

Please treat Brawl matchmaking as a core gameplay issue rather than an unavoidable feature of the queue. The format can still be fun, but the current system repeatedly drives players away from it.