Standard Domain Deck Primer & Sideboard Guide

In every format, there’s always a deck that looks to control the game and go over the top of all the others. The current standard meta has one deck that plays with this strategy, Domain. This deck looks to use the cheap card draw engine, Up The Beanstalk, as well as efficient removal, and flexible big creatures to slowly destroy your opponent’s creatures, and play your own bombs.

This is the current list I’m playing :

Let’s break this down.

Creatures :

2 Zur, Eternal Schemer

1 Atraxa, Grand Unifier

4 Overlord of the Hauntwoods

4 Overlord of the Mistmoors

To start this off, I’ll concede that I have been thinking about this decklist day in and day out, testing constantly; and still I struggle to fall on a consistent 75. So just know this is an analysis of the cards I happened to choose, but that there are winning lists with small changes.

Anyways, Zur has been a fairly recent addition to Domain that people have played to protect Overlords and turn Leyline Bindings into creatures that can attack and win the race. While I have (obviously) found this to be very potent, Zur can also be very awkward when drawn in multiples or as a topdeck without much of a board, or when removed easily, as it dies to Cut Down, Anoint with Affliction, and Go for the Throat. As such, I’ve chosen to play 2, as a finisher that you can play on five or seven mana and then quickly animate a Binding or Overlord to negate the effects of removal. This way, seeing multiples is unlikely, and the pressure that Zur exudes on well-developed boards can still be felt.

Atraxa, Grand Unifier is a one-of to grab off of Analyze the Pollen, a card we’ll talk about later, and an insane late game topdeck, or a “I win the game” card in midrange or control stalemates. Seven mana can be a little strenuous in some cases though, so I’m playing one to have that avenue without seeing it every game.

Overlord of the Hauntwoods is one of the only non-negotiable cards that requires a playset, as the ramp and full domain it provides instantly are crucial to the deck. The curve of Up the Beanstalk into Overlord into Sunfall is such a potent curve that sets you up for the rest of the game perfectly. This card is probably the reason this deck is one of the best in the format and cannot be played without it. Don’t make the cuts here.

Overlord of the Mistmoors is another card that I’ve found to be very crucial to the deck’s success, a card I wouldn’t suggest playing less than 3 of. It can be one of the many ways to win the game once you’ve stabilized, and its impending ability can stave off aggressive decks that would normally only have to worry about board wipes. Against control decks, Mistmoors can create two annoying creatures that have to be dealt with eventually (I’ve had games where they deal 8-12 damage before being answered), while also presenting a looming threat that puts pressure on the opponent.

While I have seen people play Overlord of the Floodpits, the slots in the deck are very tight. As I find turn three to be one of the most important of the game, and I haven’t found Floodpits to do enough in my testing to warrant a slot over the other cards I’m playing. In a more overlord-heavy version with more copies of Zur though, I can understand the inclusion.

I’d recommend these creatures in Domain :

4 Overlord of the Hauntwoods

3-4 Overlord of the Mistmoors

0-4 Zur, Eternal Schemer

0-3 Overlord of the Floodpits

0-2 Atraxa, Grand Unifier

0-1 Beza, the Bounding Spring

Spells :

1 Analyze the Pollen

3 Elspeth’s Smite

4 Get Lost

1 Day of Judgement

3 Sunfall

1 Herd Migration

Analyze the Pollen is a card I’ve seen pick up in popularity recently, and is a recent inclusion I can get behind. Most of the time, this will just be the upgraded Lay of the Land card that most standard formats get, although Analyze the Pollen negates the usual horrible late game nature of these kind of cards by allowing to search for an Atraxa to rebuild the hand or a Zur to animate enchantments depending on the situation. The late game flexibility does enough to push it into the deck for me.

“Elspeth’s Smite main board?? This guy has no idea what he’s talking about!” While it may seem a little crazy, I’m trying to tailor my deck specifically to beat Dimir Midrange and Mono Red, as those are the two most popular decks in the format right now. While usually a sideboard card, Elspeth’s Smite kills almost everything in both matchups, and exiles Enduring Curiosity and Heartfire Hero. Although it isn’t great against Screaming Nemesis, the cheap and efficient interaction it provides to propel you to the late game is one that I’ve found priceless. All in all, 3 damage for 1 mana has always been a great rate, and stabilizing from the early game pressure that normally puts Domain on the back foot has always been something I’m looking to do.

Get Lost is another core card of the Domain deck, functioning as the flexible removal spell that can deal with most threats on the other side of the table. While I have seen lists play less than 4, the prevalence of Kaito and Zur makes any less than a playset crazy to me, as it’s one of the few cards that can kill the planeswalker on your turn, or take out an Overlord before your opponent gives them hexproof, deathtouch and lifelink. Get Lost is also the only answer to Restless Reef without blocking, as Leyline Binding only hits non-lands. There are just too many decks with different win conditions to not play 4 of the best removal spell white has to offer.

Day of Judgment is essentially just a cheaper and worse copy of Sunfall in this deck, but one I’ve found necessary. While a total of 6 board wipes total in the deck may seem excessive, Domain can often fall behind in the beginning stages of the game, and 5 mana for a Sunfall will occasionally be barely too much. While it is a flex slot, I’ve found it to be effective in tandem with removal spells, as it's easier to hold a Get Lost or Leyline Binding when your opponent tries to rebuild.

Sunfall is another card I’ve found to be fairly required, as the primary stabilizer of this control deck, in addition to making a conditional blocker. It draws a card off Up the Beanstalk, it permanently removes all Enduring creatures, can make a high powered attacker to win control mirrors, and gets rid of everything before the Overlords come onto the battlefield from their Impending ability. As the best card to make it to the favorable end game, Sunfall is an absolute necessity.

Herd Migration is probably the card I’m closest to taking out of the deck, as Analyze the Pollen has filled the slot very well. While it may not be incredible, it can gain life early against aggressive decks in addition to functioning as a 7 mana win-the-game card against opponents without sweepers. Occasionally, 2 mana can be awkward for something as meaningless as searching for a basic land, but it provides consistency early and can instantly win late.

I’d recommend these spells in Domain :

0-3 Analyze the Pollen

0-4 Elspeth’s Smite

3-4 Get Lost

0-2 Split Up

0-3 Scrollshift

0-2 Day of Judgment

2-4 Sunfall

0-4 Herd Migration

Others and Lands :

4 Up The Beanstalk

2 Temporary Lockdown

4 Leyline Binding

3 Cavern of Souls

3 Floodfarm Verge

2 Forest

2 Hedge Maze

4 Hushwood Verge

1 Island

4 Lush Portico

2 Meticulous Archive

2 Plains

2 Shadowy Backstreet

1 Swamp

Up the Beanstalk is an Overlord of the Hauntwoods type card that feels insane to have on curve and one that you want to see every game and skyrockets your chances to win. While also triggering on spells you pay 5 or more mana for, it also draws a card for using an Overlord’s Impending ability, as well as casting a Leyline Binding for less than 5 mana. Similar to Enduring Curiosity in Dimir Midrange and Caretaker’s Talent in Mono White Control, Up The Beanstalk is a one-card engine that keeps the stream of cards flowing, ensuring that expensive bombs played in the late game stay consistent. In fact, this card is so effective in this deck, that casting two or three of these during the game can often cause trouble with milling yourself out due to drawing cards faster than you can win the game. While it’s possible, keeping this next card in your hand and keeping this card on board will often set you up to keep fighting deep into the late game.

Temporary Lockdown is a very weird card in Domain. Sometimes it’s a 3 mana one sided planar cleansing that immediately wins the game and sometimes it exiles your own Up The Beanstalk and one creature that would kill you otherwise. Due to the prevalence of Mono Red, as well as the nuclear warhead it represents versus Convoke, I believe it serves its purpose. While I have seen lists that play Split Up instead, there are often problem noncreature permanents that I would find myself having trouble with if not for Lockdown. Be warned though, as the enchantment is a permanent and not a spell, it can often be destroyed to unleash a flurry of enter the battlefield effects again, especially on your end step. In many cases as well, I find Temporary Lockdown very tricky and interesting, as you can use it to “hide” Up The Beanstalks if you’re drawing too much, or sequence it directly after a Get Lost to erase the map tokens as well. While the combative relationship with Beanstalk is a cause of concern, I believe Lockdown is a one of a kind card that you’ll find yourself liking more often than not.

Leyline Binding might be the best card in the deck? Not sure; and if not, assuredly top 3. This card is often a 1 mana unconditional removal spell that draws a card and can be cast at any time. Richard Garfield be damned. There’s really nothing to be said about this card that hasn’t been said yet, it plays so well with the rest of the deck and is so incredibly crucial to removing key threats at key times. My only gripe with Binding is that if removed before resolving its ability, the permanent stays and keeps counters and is still attacking and such, which can hurt sometimes. Just like with Temporary Lockdown, remember that this removal spell can be destroyed, so try to limit the amount of enter the battlefield effects you put underneath it.

Just a few things to note about the landbase in this deck, one of which is the prevalence of surveil lands. While 10 surveil lands seems like a lot, they both set up Domain more effectively, as the Verge lands have no land type, and give you card selection by putting extra lands or unnecessary cards into the graveyard. Although these extra selection smooths out the draws for this deck, the slow starts that multiple surveil lands usually lead to must be kept in mind, so make sure to keep an eye on the types of land you keep in an opening hand. The only land of note individually is Cavern of Souls, which mostly serves to glue together opening hands with Zur and Overlord of the Hauntwoods. As the deck is majority Green/White, splashing Blue and Black for Zur, there’s a small amount of wiggle room with the landbase, which allows for the Cavern of Souls inclusion, especially important as an untapped land that can permit surveil lands to be played on earlier turns without worrying about playing turn three or four creatures on curve.

I’d recommend these enchantments in Domain:

4 Up the Beanstalk

0-3 Temporary Lockdown

4 Leyline Binding

Sideboard Guide :

4 Authority of the Consuls

1 Elspeth’s Smite

1 Essence Scatter

1 Negate

1 Not on my Watch

2 Pawpatch Formation

1 Tear Asunder

2 Temporary Lockdown

1 Archangel of Tithes

1 Nissa, Ascended Animist

VS Dimir Midrange

Matchup Rating : 5 / 10

In :

+1 Elspeth’s Smite

+2 Not on My Watch

+1 Tear Asunder

+1 Pawpatch Formation

+1 Archangel of Tithes

Out :

-1 Herd Migration

-1 Analyze the Pollen

-1 Shadowy Backstreet

-2 Temporary Lockdown

-1 Atraxa, Grand Unifier

This is about as close to a 50/50 matchup between any two decks in any format. What I’ve found to be the most important thing to keep in mind in this matchup is which removal you use and when. After sideboarding, you have so many options to remove creatures that you’ll inevitably find yourself needing to choose between multiple options for the same threat. For example, if you Get Lost a Faerie Mastermind you might not have an answer for a Restless Reef in the late game or a Kaito on a future turn. There are often times that a turn one or two creature needs to be removed in a situation where it sucks because a Kaito puts you so far behind. While it’s hard to have a blanket statement of threat assessment against such a varied deck, there are two main things that lose you the game almost immediately against Dimir : End Step Enduring Curiosity when the Dimir player has creatures and you can’t immediately answer it, and Turn 3 Kaito when you don’t have an answer on your turn. Enduring Curiosity has been the card that wins Dimir the game most immediately, as drawing 3-5 cards without any extra work will mostly put them too far ahead to lose; whereas Kaito comes down earlier, doesn’t need a developed board, and will slowly gain value incrementally, as well as tapping big creatures down to attack through. Elspeth’s Smite is a card that has been priceless against Dimir, as a cheap removal spell that kills most of their creatures and exiles Enduring Curiosity permanently. Also, Overlord of the Mistmoors is a great card in this matchup, as the 2/1 fliers are great blockers and the Overlord itself demands an answer right away, or it will run away with the game.

VS Mono Red / Gruul / Boros

Matchup Rating : 3.8 / 10

In :

+4 Authority of the Consuls

+1 Elspeth’s Smite

+2 Not on My Watch

+2 Temporary Lockdown

Out :

-1 Atraxa, Grand Unifier

-1 Overlord of the Mistmoors

-1 Shadowy Backstreet

-1 Analyze the Pollen

-1 Sunfall

-2 Leyline Binding

-2 Up the Beanstalk

This matchup feels very difficult, although all the early interaction Domain has is crucial to winning. I’ve found Authority of the Consuls to (obviously) be the best card versus this deck, and is often good enough to win you the game without a strong hand. I would recommend mulliganing weak or middling hands to find this card, as it completely shifts the matchup in your favor, negating the haste of Emberheart Challenger and Screaming Nemesis, two problematic cards they have access to. Elspeth’s Smite is also crucial in this matchup to exile Heartfire Hero and generally remove any problematic creatures in the early game.

VS Golgari Midrange

Matchup Rating : 9.5 / 10

In :

+1 Essence Scatter

+1 Negate

+2 Not on my Watch

+1 Pawpatch Formation

+1 Tear Asunder

+1 Nissa, Ascended Animist

Out :

-2 Elspeth’s Smite

-2 Zur, Eternal Schemer

-2 Temporary Lockdown

-1 Get Lost

This is about as close to a bye as you can get playing Domain. Most midrange decks can’t go low enough to put on pressure that can threaten this deck enough to cause losses while also not being able to go big enough to compete with Domain’s endgame. Golgari plays a midrange game like Dimir, except the creatures aren’t as evasive or impactful for the most part, and Domain has a ton of removal and board wipes. Watch out for Glissa Sunslayer, as it's a nearly unblockable creature that destroys enchantments and can run away with the game if left unchecked. In addition, Unholy Annex // Ritual Chamber is another dangerous card for Domain, as it can draw extra cards, battling into the late game and eventually making a 6/6 flying threat. Try to remove these particular threats before they can make a huge impact on the game and you should be pretty set to win.

VS Jeskai Convoke

Matchup Rating : 7 / 10

In :

+2 Temporary Lockdown

+1 Essence Scatter

+1 Archangel of Tithes

+3 Authority of the Consuls

Out :

-1 Atraxa, Grand Unifier

-1 Analyze the Pollen

-2 Get Lost

-2 Elspeth’s Smite

-1 Up The Beanstalk

This matchup is very reliant on drawing one of Temporary Lockdown, Day of Judgement or Sunfall, so don’t be afraid to mulligan to find those. Be aware though, Convoke sideboards in counterspells to beat board wipes before they resolve, so don’t blindly play wipes expecting to immediately win. Essence Scatter helps greatly against Imodane’s Recruiter and Knight Errant, which can stop their initial onslaught, slowing them down enough to take control of the game.

VS Mono-White Tokens

Matchup Rating : 9 / 10

In :

+1 Negate

+1 Pawpatch Formation

+1 Tear Asunder

+1 Nissa, Ascended Animist

Out :

-1 Herd Migration

-3 Elspeth’s Smite

Similar to the Golgari Midrange deck, Mono White looks to play a midrange / control game plan that wins eventually through levelling up Caretaker’s Talent, as well as having lots of tokens in combination with Enduring Innocence and Fountainport to gain incremental advantage. Unfortunately for them, it's uncommon to stop everything going on in Domain, as the Overlords and Atraxa and Zur and drawing cards off of Beanstalk provides too much of a multifaceted attack for Mono White to beat; most of the time. Occasionally, opponents can run away with drawing cards off of Caretaker’s Talent and Fountainport, as there’s no land interaction, and the game can become a miserable slog. However, most of the time Domain can go over the top and win through sheer force, although they play multiple copies of Sunfall, which you need to not overcommit to or it’ll be hard to win the game afterwards.

VS Domain

Matchup Rating : 5 / 10

In :

+1 Essence Scatter

+1 Negate

+1 Not on my Watch

+1 Pawpatch Formation

+1 Tear Asunder

+1 Nissa, Ascended Animist

Out :

-3 Elspeth’s Smite

-2 Temporary Lockdown

-1 Day of Judgment

Most matchup mirrors, like Dimir and Mono Red, are very play/draw dependent, as the tempo of going first gives you a real bonus in the matchup. However, in the Domain mirror, the real dependency is on who draws Up the Beanstalk and Overlord of the Hauntwoods on curve. As the core engine of the deck, Beanstalk lets you churn through more cards by simply playing expensive spells, which puts you way ahead against a Domain opponent without one. Similarly, the green Overlord puts you way ahead, not only as an extra land drop, but also on basic land types, making Leyline Binding cost less and making casting Zur easier. Also, Nissa, Ascended Animist is the best card in the mirror as it makes big creatures and destroys opponent’s Bindings, Beanstalks, and Overlords. Watch again for the opponent’s Sunfall, as overcommitting to the board can open you up to a blowout.


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