Gate

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Gate
Land Type
(Subtype for land cards)
Statistics
21 cards
{C} 4.8% {B} 4.8% {W/U} 4.8% {U/B} 4.8% {B/R} 4.8% {R/G} 4.8% {G/W} 4.8% {W/B} 4.8% {U/R} 4.8% {B/G} 4.8% {R/W} 4.8% {G/U} 4.8% {M} 42.9%
as of Alchemy Horizons: Baldur's Gate
Scryfall Search
type:"Gate"

Gate is a nonbasic land type that was introduced in the Return to Ravnica block.

Description

Gates are lands which usually enter the battlefield tapped. They can tap for one mana, typically from a selection of two colors. The subtype "Gate" means nothing on its own, but many cards from Ravnica sets and the Commander Legends: Battle for Baldur's Gate set have cards that care about the player controlling Gates. The subtype only appears on 20 cards.

The original ten Gates are the Guildgates, representing each of the Ravnican guilds. Each of the ten Guildgates can tap for one of the two colors associated with its respective guild. The 11th Gate is the Gateway Plaza, which represents the plaza connecting the Guildgates. Unlike the Guildgates, it is sacrificed unless its controller pays {1} when it enters the battlefield, and taps for one mana of any color.

Role

According to Mark Rosewater the Gates weren't supposed to pull focus early, so there were just enough cards mentioning Gates to keep players from asking why the Gate subtype even existed.[1] Their purpose in lore became clear in Dragon's Maze and Maze's End, though gameplay-wise they remained as primarily mana fixing with minor benefits when certain commons or uncommons were drafted.

History

The Gates associated with the five guilds featured in Return to Ravnica were first printed in that set. The Gates of the other five guilds were first printed in Gatecrash. All ten of which got a new artwork in Dragon's Maze.[2][3]

Five of the original Gates were reprinted in Guilds of Ravnica, and the other five in Ravnica Allegiance.[4][5][6] Each is featured in two common slots, each with different art, much like Wastes in Oath of the Gatewatch, but unlike Wastes the Gates appear in the land slot of every pack.[7] Additionally, the Orzhov and Simic Guildgates were reprinted for the planeswalker decks in War of the Spark.

In addition to the reprinted Guildgates, Guilds of Ravnica introduced a new land with the Gate subtype; Gateway Plaza. It was reprinted in both following sets, Ravnica Allegiance and War of the Spark, featuring two new flavor texts and new art in the latter.

Commander Legends: Battle for Baldur's Gate added nine gates (seven common, one uncommon, and one rare).[8][9] Five common Gates are functional reprints of the Thriving lands but with the added subtype. They tap for one fixed color and another color of your choice. The rare gate is legendary, and represents the eponymous Baldur's Gate. The set also has a number of Gate rewards which you can draft around, of which two of them are the other common Gates.

Alchemy Horizons: Baldur's Gate introduced more Gates, though mono-colored with another ability.

Examples

Example 1

Golgari Guildgate
Land — Gate
Golgari Guildgate enters the battlefield tapped.
{T}: Add {B} or {G}.

Example 2

Gateway Plaza
Land — Gate
Gateway Plaza enters the battlefield tapped.
When Gateway Plaza enters the battlefield, sacrifice it unless you pay {1}.
{T}: Add one mana of any color.

Example 3

Gatecreeper Vine {1}{G}
Creature — Plant
Defender
When Gatecreeper Vine enters the battlefield, you may search your library for a basic land card or a Gate card, reveal it, put it into your hand, then shuffle your library.
0/2

List of Gate cards

Allied colored

Enemy colored

5 colored

Colorless

Thriving

_

Associated cards

The "Gate" subtype allow R&D to make these cards mechanically relevant. The following cards care about Gates:[10]

Return to Ravnica
Gatecrash
Dragon's Maze
Guilds of Ravnica
Ravnica Allegiance
Baldur's Gate

Gate message

Each gate of the Return to Ravnica block has several letters in the flavor text that are slightly elevated higher than the rest, revealing a message.[11]

Return to Ravnica

T I F I Azorius
H L R C Izzet
E D A A Rakdos
G S V Golgari
U O N Selesnya

"The guilds of Ravnica"

Gatecrash

W E Y O Orzhov
I S E T Dimir
L T A H Gruul
L R C E Boros
D O H R Simic

"Will destroy each other"

Dragon's Maze

Order of the Guilds as depicted in Tablet of the Guilds

U A D L R Azorius
N Z A D N Orzhov
L E N P Dimir
E I D A Izzet
S S T C Rakdos
S S H T Golgari
T O E R Gruul
H L G E Boros
E V U B Selesnya
M E I O Simic

"Unless the maze is solved and the Guildpact reborn"

References

  1. ↑ Mark Rosewater (October 8, 2012). "City Mail". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  2. ↑ Trick Jarrett (April 17, 2013). "Zoomed Guildgates". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  3. ↑ Luis Scott-Vargas (September 18, 2015). "Building a Better Battle". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  4. ↑ Andrew Brown (September 11, 2018). "Opening the Guildgates". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  5. ↑ Mark Rosewater (September 17, 2018). "Guild to Order, Part 2". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  6. ↑ Mark Rosewater (January 2, 2019). "Building Allegiances, Part 1". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  7. ↑ Chris Gleeson (September 26, 2018). "Ravnica Guildgate Art Descriptions". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  8. ↑ Mark Rosewater (May 17, 2022). "First Out of Baldur's Gate". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  9. ↑ Jess Dunks (May 18, 2022). "Commander Legends: Battle for Baldur's Gate Mechanics". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  10. ↑ Trick Jarrett (May 24, 2013). "Embedding Puzzle". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
Basic lands
Nonbasic lands
Unreleased lands
and test cards
Supertypes
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Nonpermanents
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