Bar the Gate MTG Card


Bar the Gate - Adventures in the Forgotten Realms
Mana cost
Converted mana cost3
RarityCommon
TypeInstant
Abilities Venture into the dungeon
Released2021-07-23
Set symbol
Set nameAdventures in the Forgotten Realms
Set codeAFR
Number47
Frame2015
Layoutnormal
Borderblack
Illustred byJohannes Voss

Key Takeaways

  1. Bar the Gate boosts card advantage by preserving your hand while setting back opponents.
  2. Its instant speed allows for flexible, informed decisions during crucial game moments.
  3. Considering mana cost and deck compatibility is vital when integrating this card.

Text of card

Counter target creature or planeswalker spell. Venture into the dungeon. (Enter the first room or advance to the next room.)

"This path is closed to you!"


Card Pros

Card Advantage: While Bar the Gate may not directly draw you cards, its role in protecting your board and preserving your in-hand resources can lead to a relative advantage. By negating an opponent’s play, you effectively set them back, keeping your own card count effectively higher.

Resource Acceleration: One might not associate a counter spell like Bar the Gate with resource acceleration, but by thwarting your opponent’s crucial plays, you can tilt the availability of resources—like time and board state—in your favor. This can allow you to accelerate your game plan more effectively.

Instant Speed: The ability to cast Bar the Gate at instant speed provides flexibility, letting you wait to see if your opponent has a more threatening spell before deciding if you want to use it. This adaptable timing not only bluffs the presence of other reactive spells but also allows you to make the most informed decisions possible during a match.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While Bar the Gate doesn’t ask you to discard a card, it’s important to acknowledge this aspect in similar countermagic. Such an additional cost can be a significant setback, especially when your hand is already depleted, forcing you to make unfavorable trades.

Specific Mana Cost: Bar the Gate requires a precise mana set up to cast—two blue and one of any color. This requirement can create issues in multicolored decks that might struggle to produce the necessary blue mana consistently.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Sitting at three mana to cast, Bar the Gate may be considered costly for its effect—especially when lower-cost alternatives are available, which can counter target spells for less and offer more utility or flexibility within a deck.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Bar the Gate is a flexible countermeasure. It fits into various deck archetypes, particularly those requiring an efficient response to opponent’s spells at a critical moment.

Combo Potential: This card can effectively disrupt your opponent’s tempo, setting you up for powerful combos by ensuring your spells resolve while theirs are denied.

Meta-Relevance: In a meta where instant-speed interaction is crucial, Bar the Gate stands out. Its ability to counter creature or planeswalker spells is particularly relevant when these card types dominate competitive play.


How to beat

Bar the Gate is an intriguing defensive instant in Magic: The Gathering, known for its simplicity and utility. Stopping creatures and planeswalkers dead in their tracks, it forces opponents to rethink their strategies. Yet despite its effectiveness, overcoming Bar the Gate is achievable with proper planning. One straightforward tactic is baiting out the counter with less critical spells, clearing a path for your more valuable cards. Additionally, playing around an opponent’s mana availability is key; casting spells when they lack the needed blue mana to activate Bar the Gate can prove successful.

Another approach involves utilizing uncounterable spells. These spells, which cannot be countered by spells or abilities, can bypass Bar the Gate’s power completely. Creatures with the ability to be flashed in also offer a workaround; they can be played at the end of the opponent’s turn, potentially after they’ve used their mana. Lastly, spells that grant your spells protection against countering, or give you other cast advantages, are paramount in outmaneuvering Bar the Gate. By understanding the limitations and windows of opportunity present in playing against this card, you can tailor your strategy to maintain the upper hand.

Knowing your deck and anticipating counters are the keys to success, ensuring that Bar the Gate doesn’t bring your game plan to a halt. In essence, while the card poses a threat to any offensive move, strategic play and timing can render its power null.


BurnMana Recommendations

Deepening your MTG expertise hinges on understanding both the strengths and potential vulnerabilities of cards like Bar the Gate. As a savvy player looking to sharpen your defensive tactics and maintain control over the game, recognizing when to leverage this card can be game-changing. Our fingertips are brimming with strategies and insights that can amplify your gameplay, emphasizing timing and precision to turn the tide of battle in your favor. Delve deeper into the art of countermagic and refine your deck with us. Elevate your MTG prowess and outmaneuver your opponents with ease.


Cards like Bar the Gate

Bar the Gate stands as a notable option in Magic: The Gathering for those seeking to disrupt their opponent’s plans. Its essence lies in countering creature or planeswalker spells, akin to the classic Counterspell, yet it has its unique edge. Counterspell is more flexible as it can target any spell, not just creatures or planeswalkers. This makes Bar the Gate a more specialized tool in a player’s arsenal.

Another close comparative is Negate, which counters noncreature spells at a lower cost, tailoring to a strategy that specifically thwarts noncreature threats. Essence Scatter is a parallel of Bar the Gate, exclusively negating creature spells, suggesting that Bar the Gate offers a middle ground between these two, with the added versatility to affect planeswalkers as well. Lastly, Consider the Denuo Scenario, though less well-known, like Bar the Gate, can tackle creature and planeswalker spells, but it’s accompanied by an additional investigation mechanism to draw cards, that adds another layer of utility.

Bar the Gate may not be as universally encompassing as Counterspell or as niche-specific as Negate or Essence Scatter, yet its place in Magic: The Gathering holds merit for its balanced scope of influence over two critical spell types.

Counterspell - MTG Card versions
Negate - MTG Card versions
Essence Scatter - MTG Card versions
Counterspell - Limited Edition Alpha (LEA)
Negate - Morningtide (MOR)
Essence Scatter - Magic 2010 (M10)

Cards similar to Bar the Gate by color, type and mana cost

Mana Short - MTG Card versions
Psionic Blast - MTG Card versions
Capsize - MTG Card versions
Forbid - MTG Card versions
Frantic Search - MTG Card versions
Exclude - MTG Card versions
Hibernation - MTG Card versions
Circular Logic - MTG Card versions
Keep Watch - MTG Card versions
Archmage's Charm - MTG Card versions
Commander's Insight - MTG Card versions
Catalog - MTG Card versions
Thirst for Knowledge - MTG Card versions
Murmurs from Beyond - MTG Card versions
Dream Fracture - MTG Card versions
Oona's Grace - MTG Card versions
Cancel - MTG Card versions
Deluge - MTG Card versions
Stoic Rebuttal - MTG Card versions
Dissipate - MTG Card versions
Mana Short - Classic Sixth Edition (6ED)
Psionic Blast - Intl. Collectors' Edition (CEI)
Capsize - World Championship Decks 1998 (WC98)
Forbid - World Championship Decks 1998 (WC98)
Frantic Search - Wilds of Eldraine Commander (WOC)
Exclude - Invasion (INV)
Hibernation - Seventh Edition (7ED)
Circular Logic - World Championship Decks 2003 (WC03)
Keep Watch - Judgment (JUD)
Archmage's Charm - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Commander's Insight - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Catalog - Eighth Edition (8ED)
Thirst for Knowledge - World Championship Decks 2004 (WC04)
Murmurs from Beyond - Saviors of Kamigawa (SOK)
Dream Fracture - Eventide (EVE)
Oona's Grace - Eventide (EVE)
Cancel - Ixalan (XLN)
Deluge - Salvat 2011 (PS11)
Stoic Rebuttal - Modern Masters 2015 (MM2)
Dissipate - Innistrad (ISD)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Bar the Gate MTG card by a specific set like Adventures in the Forgotten Realms, there are several reliable options to consider. One of the primary sources is your local game store, where you can often find booster packs, individual cards, and preconstructed decks from current and some past sets. They often offer the added benefit of a community where you can trade with other players.

For a broader inventory, particularly of older sets, online marketplaces like TCGPlayer, Card Kingdom and Card Market offer extensive selections and allow you to search for cards from specific sets. Larger e-commerce platforms like eBay and Amazon also have listings from various sellers, which can be a good place to look for sealed product and rare finds.

Additionally, Magic’s official site often has a store locator and retailer lists for finding Wizards of the Coast licensed products. Remember to check for authenticity and the condition of the cards when purchasing, especially from individual sellers on larger marketplaces.

Below is a list of some store websites where you can buy the Bar the Gate and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Bar the Gate has restrictions

FormatLegality
HistoricbrawlLegal
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderLegal
OathbreakerLegal
GladiatorLegal
PioneerLegal
CommanderLegal
ModernLegal
PauperLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
ExplorerLegal
TimelessLegal

Rules and information

The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Bar the Gate card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.

DateText
2021-07-23 A player may only have one dungeon in the command zone at a time.
2021-07-23 Choosing the dungeon or room to venture into is part of resolving the venture into the dungeon keyword action. Once that choice is made, players may not respond until after the appropriate room ability has triggered.
2021-07-23 Dungeon cards are not part of a player's deck or sideboard. In both constructed and limited formats, players can use any dungeon card when they venture into the dungeon.
2021-07-23 Dungeons are removed from the game as a state-based action.
2021-07-23 If you somehow venture into the dungeon while a room's ability is on the stack, you will continue on in the dungeon. If you're already in the last room, complete that dungeon and start a new one.
2021-07-23 Moving into a dungeon room will cause its room ability to trigger.
2021-07-23 Once you resolve the last room ability of a dungeon, that dungeon is now completed and is removed from the game.
2021-07-23 The player venturing into the dungeon chooses which dungeon they will venture into. They may choose a dungeon that they have already completed this game.
2021-07-23 To venture into the dungeon, a player moves their venture marker into the next room of the dungeon they are currently in. If they aren't currently in a dungeon, that player instead chooses a dungeon card from outside the game, puts it into the command zone, and moves their venture marker onto the first room.
2021-07-23 You can only move forward (well, downward) in a dungeon, never backwards or sideways.

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