Duels of the Planeswalkers (DPA): Set Guide
The name "Duels of the Planeswalkers" turns up in a few different corners of Magic history, which can make things confusing fast. The set code DPA refers specifically to a paper card set - a collection of 113 cards tied to the Duels of the Planeswalkers digital game series. It's a companion product rather than a standalone expansion, which explains why you won't find it on a Standard-legal boosters list or in a draft pod at your local game store.
A quick note on sourcing: the available reference material for DPA is sparse, and I want to be upfront about that. What follows covers what we can say with confidence. For card-level specifics, Scryfall's DPA page is your best reference.
What is Duels of the Planeswalkers?
Duels of the Planeswalkers (DPA) is a Magic: The Gathering card set containing 113 cards, produced as a paper companion to the Duels of the Planeswalkers video game series. The digital series itself ran from the original Duels of the Planeswalkers release through several annual iterations - 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2015 - before transitioning into Magic Duels in 2015.
The DPA set is best understood as a promotional or supplemental product. Cards in sets like this are typically reprints of existing Magic cards, chosen to reflect the preconstructed decks and planeswalker themes featured in the corresponding game. This puts DPA in similar company to other game-adjacent products: not a draftable expansion, but a curated collection of cards with a specific tie-in purpose.
Format check: DPA cards are not Standard or Pioneer legal by virtue of this set printing. Legality in any format depends on whether a given card was also printed in a format-legal set. If you're unsure about a specific card, check its printing history on Scryfall.
The Duels of the Planeswalkers series - some context
It helps to know what the DPA set was attached to. The Duels of the Planeswalkers video game series was Wizards of the Coast's major push into accessible digital Magic, running from the late 2000s through the mid-2010s. Each game offered preconstructed decks built around iconic planeswalkers - Jace Beleren, Chandra Nalaar, Garruk Wildspeaker, and others - giving new and returning players a structured way to learn the game.
The series was notably more approachable than Magic Online, which mirrors the full paper game in all its complexity. Duels was console-friendly, relatively inexpensive, and introduced a lot of players to Magic for the first time. I think it's genuinely underrated as an onboarding tool for the game during that era.
The paper DPA set grew out of that ecosystem, bringing some of the game's featured cards into physical form.
Set legacy
DPA occupies a niche but genuine place in Magic history. It represents a moment when Wizards was actively building bridges between digital and physical play - something the game has continued to explore in different ways ever since, from Magic Online to MTG Arena.
For collectors, DPA cards may carry distinct set symbols or treatments that differentiate them from other printings of the same cards. For players, the set is mostly a curiosity: a snapshot of which cards defined the Duels experience at the time of its release.
I'd recommend treating DPA as historical context rather than a deck-building resource - unless you're specifically chasing that particular printing of a card for collection or nostalgia purposes. ✨
A word of honesty: the source material available for this article is limited, and much of what would make a truly comprehensive DPA guide - the specific cards included, the themes represented, any notable reprints - isn't something I can confirm without reliable documentation. Rather than fill that gap with guesswork, I'd point you to Scryfall's full DPA card list for the ground truth on what's actually in the set.
