What cards are in Dominaria United Commander (DMC)?

DMC contains 240 cards across two preconstructed Commander decks — Painbow and Legends' Legacy — plus new cards exclusive to Set and Collector Boosters. Each deck includes 10 cards not found in the main DMU set, and both decks share the 20 Legends Retold cards (numbered 29–48 in the DMC set).

What formats are DMC cards legal in?

DMC cards numbered 1–48 (and alternate versions 49–96) are legal in Commander, Legacy, and Vintage. Cards numbered 97 and above are reprints, legal in any format where that card's name is already permitted — so a reprinted Modern-legal card stays Modern-legal.

Who are the commanders in the Dominaria United Commander decks?

Painbow is led by Jared Carthalion and has a five-colour (WUBRG) identity built around the Domain mechanic. Legends' Legacy is led by Dihada, Binder of Wills and has a Mardu (white-black-red) identity focused on legendary permanents.

Are there DMC cards that aren't in the precon decks?

Yes — eight cards with the DMC code (numbered 21/48 through 28/48) are only available in Set and Collector Boosters. These are Activated Sleeper, Baru Wurmspeaker, Emperor Mihail II, Greensleeves Maro-Sorcerer, Historian's Boon, Robaran Mercenaries, Rosnakht Heir of Rohgahh, and The Mana Rig.

Do the Dominaria United Commander precons come with foil cards?

Yes. Each precon includes 1 foil Commander card, 2 additional foil Legendary cards, and a Display Commander card. You also get a 2-card Collector Booster Sample Pack, which may contain foils.

Which cards in DMC have new artwork?

Four cards in DMC appear with new art not seen in their previous printings: Urza's Ruinous Blast, Primevals' Glorious Rebirth, Bad River, and Nomad Outpost.

Dominaria United Commander (DMC): Set Guide

When Dominaria United launched in September 2022, it brought two Commander preconstructed decks along for the ride - collected under the set code DMC. That's become the standard model for major Magic releases, and DMC is a solid example of how Wizards uses these companion products to extend a set's themes into the format where most people actually play. Whether you picked up a precon to sleeve up and play, or you're hunting specific cards from the set, here's what DMC is and what's in it.

What is Dominaria United Commander?

Dominaria United Commander is the pair of preconstructed Commander decks released alongside Dominaria United (DMU) in 2022. The full set contains 240 cards, spanning the two deck lists plus a collection of new-to-Magic cards and reprints.

The DMC expansion code covers a range of cards with different legality depending on where they fall in the numbering:

Cards numbered 1-48 (and their alternate-art versions at 49-96) are new cards legal in Commander, Legacy, and Vintage.
Cards numbered 97 and above are reprints, legal in any format where that card's name is already permitted.

It's worth knowing that eight cards with the DMC code - numbered 21/48 through 28/48 - aren't actually in the precon decks at all. You can only find them in Set and Collector Boosters from the DMU product line. More on those below.

The two Commander decks

DMC contains two decks, each built around a different slice of Dominaria's identity.

Painbow - Five-colour legends

| Detail | Info | |---|---| | Commander | Jared Carthalion | | Colour Identity | White, Blue, Black, Red, Green |

Painbow is the five-colour option, leaning into Dominaria United's Domain mechanic - the set-wide theme that rewards you for having all five basic land types on the battlefield. Jared Carthalion is a returning Dominaria character stepping into the commander seat for the first time, making the deck a nice nod to long-time fans of the lore.

Legends' Legacy - Historic and legendary matters

| Detail | Info | |---|---| | Commander | Dihada, Binder of Wills | | Colour Identity | White, Black, Red |

Legends' Legacy zooms in on Dominaria's most iconic mechanical identity: legendary matters. Dihada, Binder of Wills is a villain with deep roots in Dominarian lore, and she leads a Mardu (white-black-red) strategy built around legendary permanents - creatures, artifacts, the works.

What's inside each package?

Each Dominaria United Commander precon comes with:

1 Display Commander card
1 foil Commander
2 additional foil Legendary cards
97 regular cards
10 double-sided tokens
1 deck box
1 life wheel
1 Collector Booster Sample Pack (2 cards)

The foil legendary cards are a nice touch - you're getting three foil legends in the box before you even crack the sample pack.

New cards and the Legends Retold

Each deck contains 10 cards not found in the DMU main set, making those cards DMC exclusives (for the precon product, at least). Beyond those 20 new cards across both decks, DMC also includes the 20 Legends Retold cards - numbered 29-48 in the DMC set - which are reimaginings of classic Dominarian legendary creatures with modern card design.

Lore aside: The Legends Retold series is a love letter to Magic's earliest sets. Characters from Legends (1994) and other early Dominaria-set releases get updated treatments, giving them rules text that actually functions in the modern game rather than the famously confusing original wording.

The eight booster-exclusive cards

This is the part that catches people off guard. Eight DMC-coded cards are only available in Set and Collector Boosters - they're not in either precon deck. If you want these, you need to open packs or buy singles:

Activated Sleeper
Baru, Wurmspeaker
Emperor Mihail II
Greensleeves, Maro-Sorcerer
Historian's Boon
Robaran Mercenaries
Rosnakht, Heir of Rohgahh
The Mana Rig

These cards were clearly designed to complement the DMC themes while giving booster products something exclusive to offer. Several of them - particularly the legendary creatures - fit naturally into Commander decks built around Dominarian flavour.

Notable cards with new art

A handful of reprints in DMC arrive with fresh artwork, which is always a welcome reason to upgrade your copies:

Urza's Ruinous Blast
Primevals' Glorious Rebirth
Bad River
Nomad Outpost

If you've been waiting for an excuse to swap out older versions of any of these, the DMC printings are worth a look.

Themes and mechanics

DMC's mechanical identity flows directly from DMU's design pillars.

Domain is the headlining mechanic in Painbow - abilities that scale based on how many different basic land types you control. In a five-colour deck with a proper mana base, domain is almost always at its maximum, which makes the cards feel consistently powerful rather than conditional.

Legendary matters is the throughline for Legends' Legacy, tying into Dominaria's long tradition as a plane defined by its legendary characters. Dihada and her supporting cast reward you for playing with historic permanents, leaning on a mechanic Dominaria (2018) first brought to the forefront.

Both decks also lean on Kicker - another returning DMU mechanic with deep Dominarian history - though it shows up more as flavour reinforcement than a central engine in the precons.

Lore and setting

Dominaria is Magic's original plane and the setting for some of the game's most important story moments. The DMU release - and by extension DMC - takes place during the Phyrexian invasion arc, making it a pivotal chapter in Magic's ongoing story.

Dihada, Binder of Wills has a particularly rich history. She's a villain connected to the original Dominarian legends, and her appearance as a commander gives the Legends' Legacy deck genuine narrative weight beyond just being a value engine.

Jared Carthalion, leading Painbow, is a character with roots in Mirage (1996) - his appearance ties the deck to Magic's broader multiverse history while grounding it in Dominaria's five-colour domain identity.

Set legacy

DMC sits comfortably in the line of Commander precon releases that have become increasingly ambitious since 2020. The inclusion of booster-exclusive cards was a deliberate product decision to give Set and Collector Boosters additional appeal - a model that has divided opinion among players, since it means the "Commander set" isn't entirely self-contained.

The Legends Retold cycle is probably the most talked-about creative choice in DMC. Giving classic characters functional, modern card designs is the kind of thing that rewards players who've been around since the early years, without alienating newer players who are just discovering Dominaria's rich cast for the first time.

In terms of Commander play, both decks offer solid starting points - Painbow for players who want a five-colour stompy experience, Legends' Legacy for anyone who loves building around legendary synergies. Neither is considered a powerhouse out of the box, but both have clear upgrade paths that follow naturally from their themes.