For the players trying to predict what Dominaria United cards would make the cut in the 1v1 scene, two unexpected cards seem to be breaking the ice in multiple formats. If you had these on your bingo card, congrats, you’re probably going to make out like a bandit financially! These two Dominaria United cards are so powerful, in fact, that they are threatening to warp the formats that are being impacted by them. There are some obvious candidates making waves as well, and we will be sure to discuss those.
Breakout: Leyline Binding
This card was a bit slept on during prerelease season for Dominaria United. Lucky players could start buying in on Leyline Binding at $4. Copies nowadays are going for between $10-13, which is a massive increase for anyone who speculated on the card.
Obvious: Liliana of the Veil
Liliana of the Veil remains the most expensive card in all of Dominaria United. This Planeswalker is a reprint that has warped the Modern format for quite a long time. As a result, absolutely no one is surprised how effective Liliana is in Standard and Pioneer now.
For those unaware, Standard is now dominated by Black midrange decks. Liliana is a massive part of why this archetype is crushing the competition, but the metagame is slowly showing signs of adjustment. Regardless of Liliana’s effectiveness, she will definitely be a part of the format.
Liliana is actually having a more significant impact on Pioneer than Standard right now. While she has given Greasefang the upgrade that we thought she would, Liliana has created a situation where Rakdos Midrange no longer has a bad matchup with Mono Green Devotion. Since Rakdos has a stronger way to attack Mono Green’s hand, it’s much easier to control the rate at which Mono Green can start to snowball into combo pieces.
Breakout: Sheoldred, the Apocalypse
Wait… why is this surprising? Sheoldred is another black Dominaria United Mythic with a very expensive price tag. I have bad news for those waiting for prerelease prices to drop down on this Praetor… she’s actually going up in price now. In fact, sales suggest that this card will skyrocket past $40 soon. Most MTG players, especially Arena fans, know how powerful this card is in a Midrange Standard format. We also that, for the most part, Standard does not have a relevant impact on the secondary market because it is primarily played online. Sheoldred also happens to be a breakout card in Pioneer right now.
Rakdos Midrange in Pioneer
There are a lot of creature decks in Pioneer, making your board state matter a lot more than older formats. Sheoldred is a mono-colored Siege Rhino in that format that continuously worsens as the game continues. Like Liliana, this card also shows up mainly in Rakdos Midrange decks. Sheoldred plays double duty as combo prevention (since all the combo decks in Pioneer really want card draw) and is really powerful against Phoenix decks that cannot Lightning Axe it on entry. Pioneer decks are still figuring out how many Sheoldreds are the correct number since four mana is on the more expensive side of things for that format. However, at this rate, many Pioneer players are predicting that she will become a homestay in the format.
With the combination of Sheoldred and Liliana in Pioneer, Rakdos Midrange may rise to a sort of tier zero status. Rakdos was undeniably one of the best decks before Dominaria United was released, and it may also be the deck that benefited the most from its release.
Obvious: Lord Cycle
Unlike the last three cards, this cycle of Lords is not totally upheaving a format right now. They all, however, have found their place in tier two decks, which are seeing decent improvements as a result. Vodalian Hexcatcher is making Merfolks in Modern see a slight resurgence, but Leyline Binding outshines its success. This is ironic, considering it was the only card heavily speculated on by a peculiar MTG buyer who bought thousands of cards.
Goblins have recently been putting up some strong wins with four Rundvelt Helmaster in the main deck. Elf decks have also been very happy to pick up Leaf-Crowned Visionary. This card is making its most significant impacts in Legacy and Commander (which are not huge), but it also sees a little play in Pioneer and Modern.
Commander: Timeless Lotus
While Timeless Lotus may start to rise up in Standard, it is primarily only seeing Commander play right now. This card is selling like hotcakes, but it seems like the prerelease pricing on this card is still coming off its market price. Timeless Lotus is currently selling for between $19-20ish but was selling for more even just a few days ago. Keep an eye on this one if you’re not in dire need of it, as it may continue to decrease. While this is not among the Dominaria United best cards in 1v1, a lot of people have their eye on it.
Dominaria United Best Cards are Making a Huge Impact
Honestly, writing this set off during prerelease season felt pretty easy. Obviously, some of the player base was caught off guard by some of these cards. Sheoldred, in particular, was expected to see play but not to potentially warp entire formats. Considering that Dominaria United sold worse than average, this may become a surprisingly strong investment set. Wait a little bit to see if these price hold, but if they do, find the sweet spot before sealed product starts to spike, and keep some on that dusty shelf in your basement for a rainy day.
