On September 9th we return to where it all began, the original plane of Magic: The Gathering - Dominaria. Our first return to the plane happened in 2018 with Dominaria, a set that focused on Legendary Creatures (44, with many of those at uncommon) and throwbacks to the Magic of old. Dominaria United hits some similar notes with deep cuts and a whopping 61 Legendary Creatures (41 main set, and 20 reimaginings of classics from Legends as box toppers).
As with other Top 10 lists we've published, we'll be excluding Legendary Creatures from the list unless they have some broader use. I don't want to overshadow these designs though, there are some very cool ones in this set that give new and unique hooks for deck building. You should definitely check them out. Without further ado, let's dive in and see what new toys are being introduced to Commander!
1.Serra Paragon
Crucible of Worlds and Lurrus of the Dream-Den are great cards in decks that can leverage the effects. Serra Paragon is an excellent addition for White. While this does have some Sun Titan vibes, being able to get the effect immediately as soon as you play it can be a big deal. You will have to pay costs for casting a permanent from the graveyard, and it may be short-lived, but it's still a solid card advantage.
2.Temporary Lockdown
Are your opponents getting you down with their early game plays? Slow them down, but just temporarily, with Temporary Lockdown. As a pseudo wrath with similar feeling to Out of Time, this Enchantment will clear away some problem permanents so you can either catch up or take advantage of your opponents needing to find an answer. Naturally, this will be more impactful at games with higher density of low mana value permanents, but it's also a blowout against token decks.
3.The Phasing of Zhalfir
Four mana to temporarily remove some problem permanents and then downgrade everyone's Creatures is fantastic. The Phasing of Zhalfir also offers some great modality as well. You can choose to phase out your best Creatures so they don't get hit by the wrath with chapter III or you can read ahead to the wrath itself if you need a more immediate answer. Having these effects on an Enchantment also means any decks that care about recurring permanents (like Muldrotha the Gravetide) have some new toys to play with.
4.Shadow Prophecy
Read The Bones has often been quoted to be one of the best black draw spells for Commander, Scry two draw two could get you four cards deep for three mana. One of the few drawbacks is that it is Sorcery speed. Well do I have a potential upgrade for you! In two-plus color decks, Shadow Prophecy will act as an Instant speed Read the Bones as long as you have the right basics in play. In some cases it may even be better netting three or four "scrys" (I say Scry in air quotes as these triggers are closer to Surveil - putting the unwanted cards in the graveyard). This can also fuel some graveyard synergies, so there is some added benefit there as well.
5.Twinferno
Raking Claws and Temur Battle Rage find their way into many Commander decks because sneakily giving your Commander double strike while unblocked can lead to a knockout. Reverberate and Doublecast find their ways into different decks, but often to get some added value out of big spells. Twinferno doesn't get you the full effect of a Reverberate, but the modality to also act as a Temur Battle Rage makes this a great option in Red decks. I particularly like how this card can play multiple roles and fit in different strategies.
6.Silverback Elder
Here it is, our super-pushed Green card… but wait, it's actually not an auto-include for every deck with Green in it? That's right, Silverback Elder has three Green pips, which makes it quite a bit harder to cast in multicolor decks. For a mana base to support this the deck needs to be heavily Green focused already or some effort needs to be put in to get those three Green producing sources in play. This Ape does some work, and I'm glad it won't be in every deck (we already have too many staples).
A note of caution here, the pseudo Aura Shards effect can be oppressive in more casual games, so while it is strong be mindful of the play dynamic it brings to the table.
7.Tear Asunder
Sometimes you just need a permanent gone, but often to get that exile effect the card color identity needs to include White. With Tear Asunder we get an Utter End that can go in GBx decks! As an added bonus, we get an upgraded Naturalize (exile instead of destroy) or a faster Fade Into Antiquity. The more modality we can get out of our single cards in Commander, the more space we’ll have for the fun things.
8.Relic of Legends
A few designers from Wizards of the Coast have mentioned that they’re exploring creative designs with mana rocks at three mana value and higher, and I for one, am here for it. Without that change in design philosophy, we may have never received Relic of Legends.
For those newer to Commander, many years ago Coalition Relic was a staple as there weren’t many options for multicolor fixing beyond signets, and you could stockpile mana for an explosive turn. The art and name of this particular mana rock call back quite clearly. Even though it isn’t a super deep cut, it’s one many will appreciate.
Onto the card itself, Relic of Legends acts as Cryptolith Rite for your Legendary creatures, meaning the floor is likely that you’ll net one extra mana with your Commander, but the ceiling could be higher if you’re running multiple Legendary creatures.
9.Weatherlight Compleated
This is a nice two mana Artifact. When you first play Weatherlight Compleated, you’ll scry each time a Creature you control dies, and if you trigger it a few times that scry upgrades into a draw. The only real downside is that this Vehicle will self animate at four triggers, meaning it becomes a 5/5 flier that is more susceptible to removal.
On the other hand, having a flying blocker or a sizable 5/5 to swing in with isn’t always a bad thing. I think this one is great and worth testing in a variety of builds. Of course it will fit best in aristocrat or Vehicle decks, but a color agnostic Dark Prophecy isn’t something to brush aside.
10.Common Land Cycle
Like the snow duals of Kaldheim, Dominaria United has a full ten card cycle of dual lands with basic land types that enter tapped. These are slower than some fetchable duals, but these are accessible which is an aspect that can’t be overlooked. With this second cycle, it’s reasonable to build a four or five color mana base on a budget.
These make great targets for Farseek, Nature’s Lore, Krosan Verge, and slow fetches (which are conveniently in the Painbow deck). These are also a boon for three color decks that include enemy color pairs, as there are now two affordable fetchable duals in these pairs (White/Black, Black/Green, Green/Blue, Blue/Red, Red/White).
There we have it, ten plus must-have cards you should pick up from Dominaria United. I’m really excited to try these out in my decks soon, and I can’t wait to build some budget multicolor decks. Since Dominaria United is a Legendary focused set, don’t glance over the potential Commanders for your next deck. Most of the effects of these Creatures are unique and interesting without being pushed too far on the power level. I’m particularly excited by some of the reimaginings of the Legends from the past.
Were there any cards you’re excited about that I missed? Let me know in the Chimera Discord, or you can reach me directly on Twitter. Happy shuffling, and hope to jam a game or two with you in the future!
