An enormous amount of content was spoiled in last night’s Dominaria United stream! We briefly covered it in a recent article, outlining the more exciting topics of Hidden Treasure-like promotions returning to Dominaria United. Each of these topics has some depth that we haven’t explored yet. Here, we will go more in-depth into the new MTG 30th-anniversary promotion you can find at your Dominaria United Prereleases!
The first Three
The cards spoiled for the Dominaria United stream are just the start of the MTG 30th-anniversary promotion! We don’t know a whole bunch about the other cards, but what we do know is more exciting than what’s on the surface:
Each of these promos will feature the foil old art border treatment. Since these cards are printed in MTG’s history, they will list the year they were printed in the bottom left corner of the picture. Wizards have noted that these cards will have different rarities, meaning that some cards will be much harder to get than others. This also means that some cards will be much more expensive than others.
In addition to some cards being rarer than others, seven of the 30th-anniversary promos will only be available in alternate (not English) languages. This, according to Wizards, is an attempt to celebrate all of the languages in which Wizards of the Coast prints. As of the language changes announced at the beginning of this week, there are only eight languages that MTG is currently being published in. It’s safe to assume that these seven non-English cards are celebrating those languages. The Fyndhorn Elves above, for example, will only be available in German.
All of these cards have some historical significance throughout MTG. Serra’s Angel, in particular, was initially printed in Alpha and was a potent card for a while. Either way, these will be worth something, judging from past Prerelease promotions.
Ugin’s Fate
Ugin’s Fate was a promotional set that players could open when attending a Fate Reforged prerelease. The only expensive cards are Rare or Mythic, but when you consider these just an add-on to the normal prerelease experience, it becomes much more valuable. I still remember back in the day when someone managed to crack open an Ugin’s Fate Ugin, and the whole LGS went nuts. Having everyone get pumped about a fantastic event is what “The Gathering” and players have missed and is what Wizards of the Coast aim to revive. Hopefully, some of the 30th-anniversary promos will have the same hype behind them.
Jumpstart
In addition to traditional Sealed prereleases for new Standard-legal sets, Dominaria United will have the option for players to participate in Jumpstart games! These are much more friendly to newer players, as the cards are generally much easier to understand, and the most skill-intensive portion of the release is skipped: deckbuilding. Assuming that each player will only get two packs to open, Jumpstart prereleases can also be an incredibly cheap option to access some of the 30th-anniversary promotions. The only downside here is that you don’t experience the new set as much, which is what prereleases are all about. Fortunately, for those who prefer Sealed, there should be many LGSs who will host the traditional prerelease structure.
We Need to See More
Ultimately, the cards that have not been revealed will determine how effective this promotion is. The good news is that this can only be a good thing for those planning to attend the Dominaria United prereleases. Wizards are stepping up their game for their 30th anniversary! Hopefully, there is more to come.
