You know the multicolor sets in the form of dual colored faction sets, Ravnica, Strixhaven. You know the multicolor sets in the form of tri colored faction sets, Alara, Tarkir, New Capenna (this one ain’t it in Limitied admittedly). But did you know there’s a third kind of multicolor sets, one that instead asks first how many colors do you play, then do you actually pick your color combination. That is exactly what Dominaria United is, because it’s actually inspired by a block called Invasion back in 2000, which is frankly the root of all of these multicolored sets. So it better be faithful, especially to a more based time in Magic.
It’s pretty cool. There’s a whole video about it I think. One thing I’ll have to warn you about however, is the fact that 2 of the 3 sets in block are all dedicated to allied pairs and shards, and only the last set had enemy pairs and wedges, so really this is more of a warning to myself, not to be too happy about it. But damn well it would be a very fun review the day I would come around to do it.
Invasion has two main mechanics going for it. One is Kicker, which lays the groundwork for according to the memes half the mechanics of Magic. Actually, Invasion’s take of Kicker is still unique in the way some cards actually ask for a different color in the kicker cost, which will be revisited in DMU. The other is Domain, which is a genuine commitment in a Draft but due to the current realities of Triomes and rampant dual lands with basic types, is frankly really easily to fully achieve for whatever cards needing it (foreshadowing). This discussion is kinda important knowing the really recent unbanning of Coalition Victory in Commander.
Well there’re also the split cards in Invasion, but since nowadays it’s more Ravnica’s thing we won’t talk about them. And there’s also color matters back in these ancient days, like one of half of one of those split card literally just do that, but well currently the most recent try at colors matter is in the LCI’s design lore, which really says something about how much we really care about that.
The story is also something to be mentioned, it’s also a war against the Phyrexians. Just the old one, the ones that looks really scary and are ultra concentrated on mono black. Which in turns mean the heroes to band together to have the power to take the villain down, hence the use of multicolor.
But well, you probably look at this and be like that’s a sequel to 2018’s Dominaria. With the guaranteed commander slot in the booster and a lot of the same characters really, and I would agree. That set surely was really fond of, personally my favorite card is Academy Journeymage for the artwork alone and that art really shows something about that set as a whole. And well you’ve seen that aspect about DOM really translates well into DMU and makes for a really faithful sequel we would need to wait until Tarkir to see next (I guess Eldraine is a second but it got rid of the monocolor factions, and basically this is a jab at Ixalan and Karlov Manor and Aetherdrift really).
From that Dominaria set, the two returning things are Kicker and Sagas. You may notice Historic is absent despite a lot of the enablers are still very much here. Well, the argument is that “Original Dominaria (I know it isn’t, but well given it’s the first set literally named Dominaria and designed that way, I want to nickname it as such from now on) have already done its job teaching yall about history, now we gotta return to the present and get on fighting”, actually it’s just so that all the artifacts in BRO won’t have to worry about the payoffs in DMU, that didn’t pan out so well really.
Kicker here serves a very important purpose, as it should be. It’s there to increase the importance of multicolor in a set you probably won’t want to cram an insane amount of gold cards in. The nature of letting people choose the number of colors mean you have to make the multicolor cards very flexible to any combination of main colors and splash colors people will play. So suddenly off color can’t be the garbage afterthought it tends to be in typical multicolor sets, it has to matter in volume. I guess hybrid mana is the other solution, but well we can wait until Shadowmoor.
Sagas were a very genius design in original Dominaria. It gave a very unique canvas for the many ways people in universe can tell their stories, and a very unique canvas for gameplay with the different chapters asking your patience for a payoff of better value than usual. This time the question is what if you don’t have the patience? Now you can read ahead. Not like the Magic card is a book you can actually turn, you just put the dice on a bigger number on the card. It really puts a perspective on how a Saga’s chapters are like time counters on a suspend card, what value is that time for you? Thing is, this option would really restrict what kind of effects later chapter could have, like imagine your 3 mana saga having the first 2 chapters worth about 1 mana each, then the suspend of 3 chapters is about 3 mana (let’s say), then what you’re left is with 4 mana. You certainly can’t have the player just crack that out immediately.
The two new things to these modern Dominarias are Domain and Enlist, both serving very different roles but both are for the heroes fighting the Phyrexians.
Domain counts the number of allied basic land types, as in if a land have multiple of those, well then the domain can tick up multiples off just one land. Compare that to the legend of the Barry’s Land, where the question is what if you can get domain to six, the question nowadays is how consistent can you get your domain up? The answer turns out to be too consistent, just 2 lands. A triome and a dual land with two types. Or hell, just one and a Leyline of the Guildpact. Domain’s flavor definitely implies some kind of proper commitment, but in this context of rampant dual lands and Triomes, doesn’t seem so much, it just is.
And lastly, Enlist, what a silly thing to exist. Allegedly a new take on Banding, you know that mechanic that is funnier to laugh at than to actually play, what you probably see it is how it taps an allied creature therefore it’s a variant of convoke. Or saddling. Actually unlike those two, you can’t tap a creature without haste that just arrived, as if you can’t otherwise just attack with it. Here’s the sole reason why Enlist is so lame: How dare you reduce a creature to just its power to add in? I guess outside of a really parasitic set of cards that triggers of being enlisted, I guess the other thing about the creature you’re adding in is that “I don’t want to attack with this thing, it has too low toughness and it will die”. To which I say well, math is for blockers, let the game progress. And then you think deeper, do this set actually has the incentives to go tall with enlist like Kamigawa had its exalted triggers (terribly admittedly)? No, and not like the big multicolor beaters to beat is as much of a thing here as it would be in Tarkir. I guess after this paragraph you kinda see one of the reasons why original Dominaria was great, it doesn’t have stuff as redundant as this (wait did I forgot about legendary sorceries).
This 20 cards set is divided into 9 monocolored cards, 5 trio colored cards and 6 cards of various amount of colors, mostly colorless but also two or five colors.
Each color gets two cards except mono white gets just one. It may looks nice on the Scryfall search because Karn takes the first place.
Among these cards, there’s vaguely one cycle of big creatures, actually they aren’t so big, ranging from 4 to 5 mana with the dragon letting you name your own price higher than 1. Yes the odd one out is Sheoldred since you actually see her in formats people actually play. Who I would certainly dub “Siege Rhino with boobs” with the statline and drain after all, it’s certainly strange for her to hold the title of the “Apocalypse” with such a practical statline. Like the only praetor cheaper than her is from the way past (we’ll talk about him next set). What can I say about the rest three? (the dragon is what it is) In green there’s a 3 devotion value engine for creatures, how surprising, and it’s the only one without flying, and it and Sheoldred are the only ones not to bear their respective colors’ “iconic creature type” for probably obvious reasons, actually the red dragon is the hydra. White has an Angel that wish finality counters already exist a year earlier and the blue Sphinx plays Domain’s Fact or Fiction.