It's always Magic season these days, and Dominaria United - the newest MTG release - is now on shelves. Because it's just the latest set of many to launch this year, you might be wondering if it's worth starting your collection here.
To give you a hand, we've listed everything you need to know about MTG Dominaria United here. That includes its unique mechanics, the biggest hitters in its roster, and why this setting is such a big deal for one of the best card games.
Because our bargain-hunting team is always on the lookout for the lowest prices, you'll also find the best deals on MTG Dominaria United below - not to mention advice on which packs are best value for money.
- Walmart: Get started with $10 Jumpstart Boosters
- Amazon: Save 6% on Painbow Commander deck
- eBay: Discounts of up to 25% on individual cards
- TCGPlayer: The best place to buy individual cards
- Best Buy: Pick up full booster boxes
What is MTG Dominaria United?
At its core, Dominaria United is a standard Magic The Gathering set, a collection of 434 cards with characters and storylines from the Magic multiverse that sits as a canon entry into the mainline MTG range. That means its cards can be used for many different game-types. You'll find the main ones to be aware of listed below, including what you should buy to play.
Commander
Dominaria United cards are compatible with the 'Commander' multiplayer game type that's ideal for beginners, and you can buy ready-made decks (Painbow or Legends' Legacy, both of which are available from Amazon for around $40) that are playable out of the box. While you can create a Commander deck of your own from booster packs, it's a complicated process - you're better off sticking with premade decks instead like the two featured here:
Jumpstart
This newer format allows you to get into the action as quickly and cheaply as possible. Just shuffle two Dominaria United Jumpstart Booster packs (which are $9.99 at Walmart) together and you're ready to start playing. And because these packs are Standard-legal, you can use the cards inside them in Standard games as well.
Standard
Dominaria United cards can be used in Standard one-on-one matches. This game-type utilises cards from other standard sets released within the past year, and you're able to combine them into a deck so long as there's a minimum of 60 cards with no more than four of the same card in it (with the exception of Lands that power your abilities). While it's possible to make a Standard deck using Dominaria United Jumpstart Booster packs, Draft Booster packs, or Collector Booster packs, you'll need quite a few to construct a decent deck. To avoid breaking the bank, it's more advisable to take Dominaria United cards you like and swap them into the Arena Starter Kit (with bonus codes to use those decks online, available for roughly $20 at Amazon), the normal 2022 Starter Kit that's you can buy for around $15 at Amazon, or an existing deck you already own.
Booster Draft
If you'd prefer something a little more spontaneous, you can use Dominaria United Draft Booster packs for a game where players draw up to a 40 card deck from a shared pool. These packs are specifically designed for the drafting process.
Dominaria United release date
Following its launch on September 9, 2022, you can pick up packs of Dominaria United cards online or at your local game store. Just don't expect it to be available forever. While it'll hang around for a decent amount of time, it will eventually be phased out like all other standard MTG sets (each Fall, the four oldest sets are rotated out of the game).
Why should you start with Dominaria United?
Because this set celebrates Magic: The Gathering's 30th anniversary, it returns to MTG's original setting - the world of Dominaria. Established piecemeal during the early 1990s, it's a classic fantasy kingdom and Magic's 'default' world inhabited by the multiverse-hopping Planeswalkers.
The worldbuilding resources that we’ve brought to bear on Dominaria United exceeds any previous efforts
Ethan Fleischer, senior game designer
According to senior game designer Ethan Fleischer, that makes it an ideal place to start if you're new to MTG.
"Dominaria's identity is rooted in classic fantasy tropes, making it a very accessible first Magic set for anyone familiar with the fantasy genre," Fleischer said when we caught up over email. "In addition, Dominaria United is the start of an epic story arc that will play out over the next year's worth of Magic sets; it's the perfect place to get started."
What does Dominaria United do differently to other MTG sets?
Along with being billed as a return to Magic: The Gathering's most well-known world, Dominaria United throws new mechanics into the mix via fresh Legendary Creatures, a spin on Saga cards (which usually task you with meeting certain criteria before getting an affect) that let you skip ahead, an 'enlist' system where creatures combine their powers, and off-color kicker abilities that allow you to upgrade your spells.
In addition, Dominaria United sees the introduction of Standard-legal Jumpstart Boosters. These packs are designed to let players skip deckbuilding and get playing straight away with randomized cards, but you can also add them to your Standard decks.
If you're the type of person that likes to collect shiny things, you'll also be pleased to know that it includes unique Land cards that renders each of the iconic symbols as if it was a stained glass window.
This set is big on lore, too. Fleischer points out that "the worldbuilding resources that we’ve brought to bear on Dominaria United exceeds any previous efforts for that plane, or indeed any other. We've added the factions of New Argive and Sheoldred's Phyrexian Sleeper Agents to the ten factions from the previous Dominaria set [released in 2018], which already incorporated twice as much worldbuilding as any other Magic setting".
We particularly wanted to lean into the themes of Magic's current storyline, drawing connections between present-day Dominaria and the ancient Dominaria that we'll see in The Brothers' War
Ethan Fleischer, senior game designer
That emphasis on storytelling allowed Dominaria United to clean up a few loose ends while setting up others (according to Fleischer, it's "drawing connections between present-day Dominaria and the ancient Dominaria that we'll see in The Brothers' War, the next premier Magic set"). A good example would be the Soul of Windgrace card, a powerful Legendary Creature that allows players to regain three life points, draw an extra card, or make the Soul of Windgrace itself temporarily indestructible.
"It's the latest view of a character that was introduced in the mid-90's and gradually built up from a sentence or two of description into a fully-realized character," Fleischer reveals. "[This] card ties up a fifteen year-old plot thread in a way that feels very organic to Lord Windgrace's history and personality."
Dominaria United deals
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