Fixed as in finally having official sanctioned in-person events for the format? My LGS tried doing that once with two 4 player pods where one player managed to win on turn 5/6 so we had to wait a couple hours for the other 4 player pod to finish before we could proceed to the next round. Each player was given a sheet of paper listing all the game achievements they've unlocked and for the player with the most unlocked received some kind of prize support from the store. I couldn't remember what it was but we only held the event once and that was it. This was before the pandemic btw. Even though it wasn't a competitive event it was a good way to get more Paper Magic players into EDH / Commander. The entry fee for the event was only $5 as well.
Maybe If Wizards of the Coast were able to add more swag for prize support like sleeves, playmats, or even promo cards that would've been nice. They're probably looking at what happened with FNM a few years ago and were like, "Yeah...we're not allowing LGS Owners / Employees to fake FNM events just to sell promo cards on the Secondary Market that we give them." You sure about that cause they're selling Secret Lair drops because you thought direct-to-consumer was a good idea but really wasn't when you thought it was a good idea to make it hard for players to play Paper Magic at Local Game Stores. Wizards of the Coast, If you really put the LGS first we would've gotten those Secret Lair Fetches by now but you decided to make them less accessible.
Though the OP made clear he was talking about changing the number of cards in the deck from 100 to 85, I can see why you'd ask for sanctioned EDH. My issue from experience at my own LGS is that as soon as there's prize support, the disparity in decks gets emphasized. My LGS for a long time would have a $5 entry fee event on Sundays, and everyone that showed up could play pods all day long with random groupings, and if you won a pod, you got a prize, and you couldn't get more than 3 prizes in a day. But once you incentivize winning, it brings out the ultra competitive decks and/or players. I vastly prefer a more casual game, but if there's an ultra competitive Zur the Enchanter deck at the table pubstomping a group of casual decks, it gets pretty disheartening.
As to the OP's topic - no, I don't think EDH would be better if it went down to 85 cards. I think Dirk discussed a lot of the relevant considerations.
Though the OP made clear he was talking about changing the number of cards in the deck from 100 to 85, I can see why you'd ask for sanctioned EDH. My issue from experience at my own LGS is that as soon as there's prize support, the disparity in decks gets emphasized. My LGS for a long time would have a $5 entry fee event on Sundays, and everyone that showed up could play pods all day long with random groupings, and if you won a pod, you got a prize, and you couldn't get more than 3 prizes in a day. But once you incentivize winning, it brings out the ultra competitive decks and/or players. I vastly prefer a more casual game, but if there's an ultra competitive Zur the Enchanter deck at the table pubstomping a group of casual decks, it gets pretty disheartening.
As to the OP's topic - no, I don't think EDH would be better if it went down to 85 cards. I think Dirk discussed a lot of the relevant considerations.
Currently Playing:
Multiplayer EDH Lists (click italics for a link to the thread!)
[Primer] Lord of Tresserhorn - Don't Tell Me What I Can't Do[Primer] Roon of the Hidden Realm - Rhino Blink
5 Color Tribal Guide (Slivers, Atogs, Allies, Spirits)
Also Playing (most decklists can be found on my profile)
MarathGeistKamahlGrenzoBolasThassaGitrog
PiratesZurVial Smasher&ThrasiosYennettJhoira(cEDH)Strix(Pauper)
Legacy: Maverick
Modern:
Melira PodRIP 1/19/15GWHatebears