While the entire MTG community focuses on the new 30th Anniversary product, a shocking move from MTG Arena seems to have gone undetected. MTG Arena is now hosting a cash tournament starting on November Fifth for a format that hasn’t seen competitive relevance for four years! It was an easy oversight considering that Dominaria United just released, but it turns out that the upcoming Arena Open is not Dominaria United Sealed, but the original Dominaria set!
Original Dominaria Sealed
While there was some confusion behind the initial ambiguity of the announcement, MTG personality Fireshoes on Twitter recently confirmed directly with Wizards of the Coast staff that the upcoming Arena Open in November is not for the recent Dominaria United set but instead for the initial Dominaria set released four years ago.
Many MTG players herald Dominaria as one of the best Limited formats in the entire game’s history. This is primarily due to how slow the format is compared to the average Limited format. Curving out means a lot less, which allows players to make more meaningful decisions. To help keep this claim accurate, there are many common Limited pitfalls that Dominaria did not fall into. Here are some of those:
- Commons can deal with bombs. This allows Dominaria to avoid a situation where single cards are too impactful, like they were in Crimson Vow.
- Two drops are not overpowered, allowing slower strategies to have more precedence. Overpowered small creatures were the pitfall that New Capenna fell into.
- The best cards in the set are difficult to evaluate. We did not have MTG Arena or any of its draft tracking sites like 17 Lands in the past. This particular trend may change with time as a result.
- Sideboarding matters more than average. This adds another dimension to Bo3 Limited that running Premier events will not prepare you for.
- Dominaria rewards good deck builders. Streamlined two-color strategies can lose to a deck brave enough to splash a few bombs. This rewards seasoned drafters with strong deckbuilding abilities.
Players are Thrilled
While some players are terrified of some of the old Dominaria strategies that proved dominant, most are excited for the return of the fan-favorite format! This will be a welcome break from focusing on newer MTG formats on Arena, like Alchemy and Dominaria United Sealed.
How do I Practice?
Unfortunately, preparing for your chance to win $2500 playing this prestigious format may be difficult. MTG Arena will begin hosting Dominaria Sealed events on October 28, but until then, there are not any easily accessible ways to practice.
As a unique note, unlike past Arena Opens, BOTH days for this specific event will be Sealed. Much like Draft on day two of Arena Open events, you will have to open two pools throughout the day, with a maximum of three wins available for each pool. To open the second pool, you must go 3-0 with the first one.
October 22 Arena Open – Alchemy
Before November’s Arena Open even begins, October has yet another Arena Open coming our way! Right after October first’s Dominaria United Limited event, the weekend of October 22 will be hosting Alchemy. The Arena Championship just passed, and Sam Rolph‘s Rakdos Sacrifice deck beat the competition on multiple levels, winning the tournament and dominating the Arena weekend qualifier play-in event available the weekend of the tournament. Expect this strategy to show up in a big way.
Will You Enter?
There are many competitive MTG events going on in the coming month, and it’s giving MTG Arena a great look! With the upcoming Arena qualifier weekend being Standard, the following three competitive events showcase a ton of diversity, allowing MTG players to take their shot in the format they choose! Not a fan of Standard? Wait it out and get ready for the Alchemy open! While we expect a bigger turnout for the Dominaria Sealed event, players looking for a challenge should get ready to sling some spells! If you would like more details regarding the upcoming Arena Opens, Wizards of the Coast’s most recent MTG Arena updates can be found here.
