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
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