Dominaria Release Notes Leaked

If you do not want spoilers for Magic's next set, Dominaria, please do not read further!

Ah. Now that we've gotten that out of the way, onto the spoilers.

Magic: The Gathering creator Wizards of the Coast announced yesterday that they'd inadvertently released a Chinese version of their upcoming set's release notes. The name of that set is Dominaria, and it marks the game's first return to its original plane in over a decade. Since the document had already spread through the MTG community like wildfire, Wizards decided to release the entire document to the public.

Though no actual card images will be released until the official spoiler season begins, the Release Notes contain text from over 100 new and returning cards.

For starters, every Dominaria booster pack will contain at least one legendary creature. They'll be accommodated by a special slot in each pack, similar to the way double-faced cards appeared in every pack of Shadows Over Innistrad. Some confirmed returning legendary creatures include Jhoira (now captain of the Weatherlight), Darigaaz, Multani, and Squee.

To compliment these legendary creatures, players will have an oft-requested wish granted: legendary sorceries! Legendary sorceries are extremely powerful spells which can only be cast if you control a legendary creature or planeswalker. (Remember, all planeswalker received errata to be legendary with the release of Ixalan.)

The set's splashiest new mechanic has to be Saga Cards, a new subtype of enchantments. When they enter the battlefield and each turn thereafter, players add Lore counters to their Sagas, then activate abilities based on the number of counters on the Saga. The templating appears similar to Rise of the Eldrazi's Level up mechanic, though it's hard to tell conclusively without the actual card images.

As far as returns, there are plenty. First off, the beloved kicker mechanic is back. It's been a mainstay of the game for quite a while and fits into almost any set. Also, we'll be seeing the entire cycle of enemy-colored check lands, last printed in Innistrad. These should bolster mana bases for many Standard decks. Finally, Dominaria contains a number of exciting reprints, including Icy Manipulator, Verdant Force, Siege-Gang Commander, Goblin Warchief, and Llanowar Elves.

One final note on the release notes: Some rules terminology is being refined with the release of Dominaria. When cards refer to players, they'll now use the pronoun "they" rather than "he or she." Damage is no longer redirected to planeswalkers. Rather, cards will now specifically target planeswalkers. Cards that targeted players with damage in the past will receive errata to accommodate this change. And finally, the term "mana pool" will no longer appear on cards. Instead, they'll simply follow the convention "Add [MANA SYMBOL]."

From what we've seen in the spoiler so far, Dominaria appears to be an amazing set. I recommend getting your booster boxes now.

Kyle Massa is a writer and avid Magic player living in upstate New York with his fiancée and their two cats. When he's not writing, you'll find him down at the East Greenbush Flipside store jamming booster drafts. For more of Kyle's work, visit www.kyleamassa.com or follow him on Twitter @mindofkyleam.