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Dominaria at its grimmest
What this set is
The Dark is a 119-card expansion with a deliberately bleak tone, set on Dominaria in the years after the Brothers' War. It has no new keywords and no legendary creatures, so it is known for individual cards rather than a theme.
A few of those cards are still played everywhere. Blood Moon turns every nonbasic land into a Mountain, which is why it is a sideboard card in Modern and Legacy and a feared card in Commander. Maze of Ith stops one attacker each turn, Fellwar Stone is among the most played mana rocks in Commander, and Tormod's Crypt is a free answer to a graveyard.
Ball Lightning, a 6/1 with trample and haste that is sacrificed at the end of the turn, is the best known of red's one-turn attackers. 23 cards are on the Reserved List.
Where You Can Play It
Format legality
The Dark is a single code, and it is one of the few sets of its era with nothing on any ban list.
Not Standard-legal, and not Modern-legal as a set: Modern starts at Eighth Edition (July 2003). A card from here that was reprinted in a later Modern-legal set is Modern-legal in this printing too, because legality follows the card, not the printing. None of its cards is banned or restricted in Legacy, Vintage or Commander. Commons from any set are Pauper-legal; that isn't listed per set here.
Boosters, precons and singles from The Dark are on TCGplayer.
FAQ
Common questions
Where can I play The Dark cards?
In Legacy, Vintage and Commander, minus the cards each format bans. The Dark is too old for Standard, Pioneer or Modern as a set, though any card that was later reprinted in a Modern-legal set is Modern-legal in every printing. Blood Moon was later reprinted in Modern-legal sets, so it is a Modern card too.
Is Blood Moon from The Dark?
Yes. It was first printed in The Dark and turns every nonbasic land into a Mountain.
Are any The Dark cards banned?
No. Nothing from The Dark is banned or restricted in Legacy, Vintage or Commander.
All card names, art, and mechanics belong to Wizards of the Coast. The Dark released on Aug 1, 1994; details reflect the set as published. Sources: Wizards of the Coast set pages and release notes, Draftsim, Untapped.gg.
Playing The Dark 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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