Released · Set Guide

Dominaria United

Where the Phyrexian arc properly began, and where read ahead fixed Sagas.

ReleasedSep 9, 2022
PrereleaseSep 2–8, 2022
Set CodesDMU · DMC
Mechanics4
Release dateSeptember 9, 2022
PrereleaseSeptember 2–8, 2022
Set codesDMU · DMC
Left StandardJuly 2025

The 30th anniversary set

What this set is

Dominaria United opened Magic's 30th-anniversary year and started the four-set Phyrexian arc that ran through to March of the Machine. Its mechanics lean deliberately on Dominaria's own history rather than introducing a new plane's vocabulary.

Read ahead is the piece worth knowing. Sagas normally start at chapter one and advance one step a turn; read ahead lets you choose which chapter it enters on and skip straight there. A Saga you can cash in immediately is a very different card from one you have to protect for three turns.

Themes

Every mechanic in Dominaria United

New

Read ahead

On Sagas. As it enters you choose a chapter, and it starts there rather than at chapter one, skipping the earlier ones. It turns a slow build-up into something you can point at the moment you need it.

New

Enlist

As a creature with enlist attacks, tap another untapped creature you control that isn't attacking and add its power to the attacker. The tapped creature never enters combat, so it cannot be blocked or killed for its trouble.

Returning

Domain

Counts how many basic land types you control across all your lands. Back from Invasion, and the reason the set's dual lands with basic types matter more than their rate suggests.

Returning

Kicker

Pay an extra cost as you cast for an extra effect. Dominaria's signature mechanic, including a cycle of cards with two different colored kicker costs that stack.

Where You Can Play It

Format legality

Dominaria United has left Standard, but that is the only format it left. Here's where each code is legal now.

Dominaria United left Standard at the July 2025 rotation, the one Edge of Eternities triggered, alongside the rest of its rotation year. A rotation only ever removes cards from Standard, so everything here is still playable in Pioneer, Modern, Legacy, Vintage and Commander. Commons from any set are Pauper-legal; that isn't listed per set here.

Limited

Ten draft archetypes

A full ten-pair format with an unusual amount of five-color pull, because domain rewards spreading your basic land types further than a two-color deck normally would.

All ten two-color pairs

Full ten-pair format

Kicker sits across the format as a mana sink, enlist concentrates in the aggressive pairs, and domain quietly pushes several decks into a third color they would not otherwise play.

Commander

The two Commander decks

Each carries ten new cards on top of its reprints.

Legends' Legacy

Dominaria United Commander

Legendary creatures matter, fitting for an anniversary set.

Painbow

Dominaria United Commander

Five-color, built on painlands and domain.

Building one of these into something of your own? The precon buying guide covers how to judge a deck, and the Commander deck template is the shape to build toward.

FAQ

Common questions

Is Dominaria United still Standard legal?

No. It left Standard at the July 2025 rotation, the one Edge of Eternities triggered, along with The Brothers' War and the three 2023 sets. DMU cards are still legal in Pioneer, Modern, Legacy, Vintage and Commander.

How does read ahead work?

It appears on Sagas. As the Saga enters you choose a chapter, and it starts there rather than at chapter one, skipping the earlier chapters entirely. It turns a slow three-turn build-up into something you can cash in the moment you need it.

What does enlist do?

As a creature with enlist attacks, you may tap another untapped creature you control that is not attacking and does not have summoning sickness. The attacker gets that creature's power. The tapped creature never enters combat, so it cannot be blocked or killed for helping.

What is domain?

A returning ability word that counts how many of the five basic land types you control across all your lands. It is why the set's dual lands with basic land types matter more than their rate suggests.

Why is Dominaria United a 30th-anniversary set?

It opened Magic's 30th-anniversary year in 2022 and returns to Dominaria, the plane most of Magic's early history took place on. It also began the four-set Phyrexian arc that ran through to March of the Machine.

How many Commander decks did Dominaria United have?

Two: Legends' Legacy and Painbow, each with ten new cards not found in the main set.

Playing Dominaria United in Commander?

TurnZero HQ keeps deck records, MMR, and moments for every Commander night, so you can see which new cards are actually earning their slot.

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