Leyline Binding – Dominaria United
Date Reviewed: September 6, 2022
Ratings:
Constructed: 4.00
Casual: 4.25
Limited: 4.00
Multiplayer: 3.25
Commander [EDH]: 3.63
Ratings are based on a 1 to 5 scale. 1 is bad. 3 is average. 5 is great.
Reviews Below:
I’ll admit to being a little surprised at the number of effects like this in Dominaria United – usually a set doesn’t have more than one. But each one serves a slightly different function, and Leyline Binding is perhaps the peak removal spell for domain decks. Such decks don’t get the full discount until they’ve invested in some setup, and/or later in the game, but when they do, the tempo plays they can make will more than compensate. I’d be on alert for its prospects in two-color decks, as well, because two basic land types brings it well within the range of cards considered playable in at least one setting (cf. Cast Out).
Constructed: 4
Casual: 4.5
Limited: 4
Multiplayer: 3.5
Commander [EDH]: 3.5
Banishing Light with flash is an interesting enough starting point, and Leyline Binding gets to that point without too much effort. Despite costing 6 mana, you’re almost never going to need to pay that much, and pulling this down to three or fewer mana is not a tall order for many decks in deeper formats. The high mana cost is sometimes actually a boon, ducking around a lot of effects that care about low mana values in formats (like Inquisition of Kozilek and Abrupt Decay). It definitely plays a lot better than it looks at first, and while this is definitely not a card for mono-white decks unless you’re desperate, even a slight overpay with two basic land types on the usual three-mana threshold is acceptable enough in a pinch. Leyline Binding is a potent piece fo removal that will see a lot of Standard play, and I think it might have legs in deeper formats.
Constructed: 4
Casual: 4
Limited: 4 (Dominaria United is friendly to multicolor, and this is premium removal)
Multiplayer: 3
Commander [EDH]: 3.75
We would love more volunteers to help us with our Magic the Gathering Card of the Day reviews. If you want to share your ideas on cards with other fans, feel free to drop us an email. We would be happy to link back to your blog / YouTube Channel / etc. 😉
