Domain

Domain
Ability Word
Introduced	Invasion
Last used	Dominaria United
Typical Text	Domain — ... for each basic land type among lands you control.
Storm Scale	6
Statistics	53 cards 9.4% 11.3% 13.2% 9.4% 30.2% 1.9% 5.7% 1.9% 1.9% 1.9% 13.2%
Scryfall Search
keyword:"Domain"

This page is about the ability word. For theme deck, see Domain (deck). For Dominarian archipelago, see The Domains.

Domain is an ability word used on cards that rely on and count the number of different basic land types (zero to five) a player controls. Domain cards were introduced in Invasion.

Description

Domain cards encourage you to play five-color decks containing at least one of each basic land type. It highlights abilities that improve the more basic land types there are among lands you control.

History

Domain was concepted by Barry Reich for a never-released set called Spectral Chaos.

In the Invasion block, there were a total of 20 Domain cards: 11 from Invasion, 7 from Planeshift, and 2 from Apocalypse. Later, Conflux featured a total of 10 Domain cards. In that set, Domain became an ability word. All Invasion block Domain cards received errata to have Domain as an ability word.

As a throwback to the past, there was a card with Domain in Time Spiral (Tromp the Domains), and similarly Territorial Kavu appeared in Modern Horizons 2.

In 2021, Hiveheart Shaman from Crimson Vow was the first Domain-text card for Standard sets in many years, but was left without the keyword. A year later, Domain was featured as a returning mechanic in Dominaria United. Heavily inspired by Invasion block, Dominaria United took a new-age approach to multicolor drafting; 22 new cards have Domain, and unlike Invasion, the mana fixing in the set used basic-typed taplands, which supported an average deck incidentally getting to three- or four-stage Domain without a compromised land base. Domain card power now were on rate with two types and significant at three, with four and five being specific Domain payoffs.

Rulings

• Each domain ability has a different effect. Read each card carefully.
• To determine the number of basic land types among lands you control, look at the lands you have in play and ask yourself whether the subtypes Plains, Island, Swamp, Mountain, and Forest appear within that group. The number of times you say yes (topping out at five) tells you how powerful your domain abilities will be.
• How many lands you control of a particular basic land type is irrelevant to a domain ability, as long as that number is greater than zero. As far as domain is concerned, ten Forests is the same as one Forest.
• A number of nonbasic lands have basic land types. These include five Shadowmoor nonbasic lands, the Revised Edition "dual lands", and the Ravnica block "shock lands", among others. Domain abilities don't count the number of lands you control—they count the number of basic land types among lands you control, even if that means checking the same land twice. For example, if you control a Tundra, an Overgrown Tomb, and a Madblind Mountain, you'll have a Plains, Island, Swamp, Mountain, and Forest among the lands you control. Your domain abilities will be maxed out.
• A domain ability that appears on an instant, sorcery, or activated ability checks the number of basic land types among lands you control just once, as that part of its effect is applied. This value won't change even if which lands you control changes later in the turn. For example, if you control a Swamp and two Forests at the time Drag Down resolves, the targeted creature will get -2/-2 for the rest of the turn. If you play an Island later in the turn, Drag Down's effect won't change.
• A domain ability that appears on a static ability continually checks the number of basic land types among lands you control. If that number changes, the effect of the static ability will change accordingly. For example, if you control a Swamp and two Forests when Matca Rioters comes into play, Matca Rioters will be 2/2. If you play an Island later, Matca Rioters will become 3/3.

Pre-ability word example

Example

Strength of Unity
Enchant Creature
Enchanted creature gets +1/+1 for each basic land type among lands you control.

In the above example, if you have all 5 basic land types then the enchanted creature gets +5/+5.

Ability word example

Example

Aven Trailblazer
Creature — Bird Soldier
2/*
Flying
Domain — Aven Trailblazer's toughness is equal to the number of basic land types among lands you control.

Anti-domain cards

Two cards are designed to be effective against domain decks:

• Mask of Intolerance from Apocalypse
• Planar Overlay from Planeshift

Trivia

• In design, R&D called Domain “the Barry mechanic” after its creator. Barry's Land, using cloud as the new land type, would pay homage to this.
• Domain was featured as rules card 2 of 4 in the Conflux set.
• The Sunburst keyword from Fifth Dawn, which likewise encourages five-color deck building, can be seen as a cousin to the Domain mechanic.

External links

• A Planeswalkers Primer for Conflux: Domain (Video). YouTube.