Dominaria was Magic: The Gathering’s first setting, and remained central to its early storylines—just like the epic saga coping with an invasion of mutant abominations of steel and flesh referred to as Phyrexians, who have been repulsed when Dominaria’s numerous peoples got here collectively because the Coalition and defeated Yawgmoth, the man-turned-god answerable for creating the Phyrexians.
The upcoming Dominaria United (opens in new tab) set returns to the airplane, discovering it in want of heroes once more. The Phyrexians are coming again, and their sleeper brokers are already hidden among the many factions of Dominaria. It is the start of a storyline that may proceed over a number of future units: The Brothers’ Battle in November, and subsequent 12 months’s Phyrexia: All Will Be One and March of the Machine.
We beforehand had a take a look at Dominaria United’s mechanics, together with the return of Kicker (which helps you to spend extra mana to power-up spells) and Area (which modifies results primarily based on what number of totally different fundamental land sorts you management, guaranteeing multi-color decks repay). New mechanics embody Learn Forward, for skipping chapters in multi-stage Saga playing cards, and Enlist, which helps you to enhance the ability of 1 creature by tapping one other that is not attacking (and is not affected by summoning illness).
Enlist is actually an up to date and simplified model of Banding, an outdated key phrase that hasn’t been used for years. It is acceptable that it returns in Dominaria United, which is all about bringing again outdated Magic, together with playing cards from 1994 in some Collector’s booster packs. Banding was attention-grabbing however needlessly advanced (I bear in mind being confused by the way it labored within the videogame Shandalar), and Enlist looks as if a way more easy software of it.
Enlist seems on the Dominaria United card we have been given by Wizards of the Coast to share: Coalition Skyknight. A 2/2 white creature with Flying, its paintings depicts a lance-wielding human on the again of a falcon-like large hen referred to as an aesthir. It is harking back to the Kjeldoran Skyknight and Kjeldoran Skycaptain from the Ice Age growth again in 1995—each of which had banding, would you take a look at that.
One other card with Enlist we have seen from Dominaria United, the Guardian of New Benalia, can also be a reference to outdated playing cards with Banding—Benalish Hero and Benalish Infantry. Different throwbacks within the set embody Territorial Maro, a variation on the character spirit Maro who first appeared in 1996’s Mirage growth, and a few returning iconic planeswalkers, just like the necromancer Liliana of the Veil and burly lion-man Ajani Goldmane. Not all of them stay the identical, nevertheless. Although Liliana is a reprint that may deliver her again into commonplace, Ajani returns in modified type as one of many Phyrexian sleeper brokers, as seen within the teaser video (opens in new tab).
Dominaria United will arrive in Magic: The Gathering Enviornment on September 1, and bodily playing cards will probably be accessible from September 9, with prerelease occasions starting September 2. For extra info, try the Dominaria United webpage (opens in new tab). One thing a bit additional off to sit up for is the Lord of the Rings crossover scheduled for 2023, which will probably be coming to Magic Enviornment in addition to its paper incarnation.
