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Sunburst and the first scry
What this set is
Fifth Dawn closes the Mirrodin block, named for the fifth sun that rises over the plane. Its answer to an artifact block's color problem is sunburst: 16 cards that get a counter for each color of mana spent to cast them.
It also introduced scry, on nine cards. Scry lets you look at the top cards of your library and put any of them on the bottom, and it is now one of Magic's most common keyword actions. Serum Visions is the scry card players know best.
For Commander it is a strong small set: Eternal Witness, Wayfarer's Bauble, Night's Whisper, Crucible of Worlds and Mana Geyser are all here. Modern bans Krark-Clan Ironworks, and Pauper bans Cranial Plating.
Themes
Every mechanic in Fifth Dawn
Sunburst
This permanent enters with a +1/+1 counter (or a charge counter, if it isn't a creature) for each color of mana spent to cast it. Up to five, if you can pay with all five colors.
Scry
Look at the top N cards of your library, then put any number on the bottom and the rest back on top in any order. Fifth Dawn printed the first cards with the keyword.
Where You Can Play It
Format legality
Fifth Dawn is a single code with one Modern ban.
Not Standard-legal, and never Pioneer-legal: Pioneer starts at Return to Ravnica (October 2012). Everything here is legal in Modern, Legacy, Vintage and Commander unless a ban list says otherwise. Modern bans Krark-Clan Ironworks. Nothing is banned in Legacy, Vintage or Commander; Pauper bans Cranial Plating. Commons from any set are Pauper-legal; that isn't listed per set here.
Commanders
The most played commanders from Fifth Dawn
The legends this set is best known for. Tap one for its printings and what it costs.
Boosters, precons and singles from Fifth Dawn are on TCGplayer.
FAQ
Common questions
Where can I play Fifth Dawn cards?
In Modern, Legacy, Vintage and Commander, minus the cards each format bans. Fifth Dawn left Standard long ago and was never in Pioneer, which starts in 2012. Modern bans Krark-Clan Ironworks.
Did scry start in Fifth Dawn?
Yes. Fifth Dawn printed the first cards with the scry keyword, Serum Visions among them.
Is Eternal Witness from Fifth Dawn?
Yes, it was first printed there and is legal in every format the set is.
All card names, art, and mechanics belong to Wizards of the Coast. Fifth Dawn released on Jun 4, 2004; details reflect the set as published. Sources: Wizards of the Coast set pages and release notes, Draftsim, Untapped.gg.
Playing Fifth Dawn in Commander?
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