Dominaria

Lore & Background

Dominaria's history is defined by the Brothers' War, a cataclysmic conflict between two powerful mages named Urza and Mishra. Their struggle utilized the plane's mana so intensely that it nearly drained the world dry, forcing the creation of time rifts to seek power from other eras. This event fundamentally altered the flow of time on the plane and scattered its history across different ages. Following this war, the plane became a target for external forces, most notably Phyrexia. The dark realm sought to corrupt Dominaria's life force multiple times, leading to global invasions that nearly extinguished all sentient life. Despite these horrors, the people of Dominaria rebuilt their civilizations, blending ancient magic with recovered technology from Urza's legacy. Today, Dominaria remains a focal point for Planeswalkers seeking to understand the origins of magic and the nature of the Multiverse itself. It is a place where the past constantly bleeds into the present, reminding all who visit that power comes at a terrible cost.

In Their Own Story

The wind howled across the ruins of Terisiare, carrying the scent of ozone and old stone. A lone traveler stood before a crumbling tower, its peak lost to the clouds. Below, the grass swayed in rhythm with the hum of residual mana trapped in the earth. This was not merely ground; it was memory made solid. The traveler placed a hand on the cold masonry, feeling the ghost of a spell cast centuries ago. Somewhere in the distance, a dragon roared, a sound that echoed through time as clearly as if it happened yesterday.

Reader's Guide

Dominaria serves as the primary setting for much of Magic's earliest history. It is a vast world composed of several continents, including the war-torn Terisiare and the mystical Argoth. This plane matters because it was the birthplace of Planeswalkers like Urza and Mishra. Their conflict reshaped reality itself, creating time rifts that spanned eras. Many major multiversal threats originated here or targeted this world first. The landscape shifts between high fantasy kingdoms and industrial ruins from past eras. Current inhabitants deal with the aftermath of global invasions while rebuilding their societies. Understanding Dominaria is key to understanding the entire franchise. Its history connects disparate storylines, linking the ancient past to modern conflicts involving the Phyrexians. It is a living archive of the multiverse's greatest struggles.

Did You Know?

• It was the first plane depicted in Magic fiction and card art upon the game's release.
• The Brothers' War nearly destroyed this specific world through mana exhaustion.
• Time rifts allowed Planeswalkers to travel between different eras of its history.
• It played a central role as the primary battleground during the New Phyrexian invasion.