Saruli Gatekeepers MTG Card


Saruli Gatekeepers - Dragon's Maze
Mana cost
Converted mana cost4
RarityCommon
TypeCreature — Elf Warrior
Released2013-05-03
Set symbol
Set nameDragon's Maze
Set codeDGM
Power 2
Toughness 4
Number48
Frame2003
Layoutnormal
Borderblack
Illustred byChris Rahn

Key Takeaways

  1. Gatekeepers offer life gain and synergy in gate-focused decks, providing resilience against aggressive play styles.
  2. While dependent on gates, their impact on health and board presence can be significant in the right deck.
  3. Understand their weaknesses, such as specific mana costs, to effectively incorporate or counter them in matches.

Text of card

When Saruli Gatekeepers enters the battlefield, if you control two or more Gates, you gain 7 life.

In Ravnica's wilder districts, nature still stirs, and its protectors still mind their posts.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: The Saruli Gatekeepers’ entry effect will give you a significant boost in life, often swinging the game in your favor and effectively providing you with more staying power against aggressive strategies.

Resource Acceleration: Although the Gatekeepers themselves don’t directly accelerate resources, their solid presence on the battlefield may help you stabilize and utilize your mana more effectively in subsequent turns.

Instant Speed: While the Gatekeepers operate at sorcery speed, their strength lies in the gate synergy. They can perform exceptionally well in a deck designed around gates, potentially coupling with other instant-speed gate interactions to optimize your board state on the fly.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While the Saruli Gatekeepers don’t require a discard, they do necessitate a gate to be in play for the optimal effect. Without a gate, you’re left with a basic creature that may not provide the utility you’re looking for.

Specific Mana Cost: The casting cost of the Saruli Gatekeepers is split between green and white mana. This requirement means they are tailored for a specific two-color deck, potentially limiting their versatility across various deck builds.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Four mana for a 2/4 creature is steep, especially when the life gain ability is conditional on having a gate. Other creatures or spells at this cost can offer more immediate board impact or value without such conditions.


Reasons to Include Saruli Gatekeepers in Your Collection

Versatility: Saruli Gatekeepers provide a unique utility and life gain which can be a turning point in games. Their ability to instantly boost your life total makes them a suitable addition to various green decks or multicolored decks that can accommodate their gateway requirement.

Combo Potential: Launching off their enter the battlefield effect can be significant when combined with bounce and flicker strategies. By reusing their life-gain ability, you can outlast opponents in prolonged matches or stabilize against aggressive decks.

Meta-Relevance: With creatures and direct damage being prevalent in many metas, the life gain from Saruli Gatekeepers can be pivotal in surviving and ultimately winning the match. They fit well into decks that seek to control the pace and trajectory of the game, ensuring you remain in a favorable position throughout.


How to beat

Saruli Gatekeepers is a versatile card in Magic: The Gathering, offering both creature presence and a life gain benefit when it enters the battlefield with a gate. To overcome this card, strategy is key. Resource denial, such as land destruction or preventing the gate from coming into play, can inhibit the life gain ability. Cards like Stone Rain or Ghost Quarter can disrupt your opponent’s mana base and gate count.

Moreover, efficient removal spells are effective at dealing with the Saruli Gatekeepers as a creature. Spells like Fatal Push or Path to Exile can remove the creature from the battlefield before its life gain effect has a significant impact. Players should also consider the timing of playing their removal spells, aiming to cast them after the Gatekeepers’ enter the battlefield ability has been triggered to ensure it does not recur.

Anticipating and countering key gate cards in your opponent’s deck also works. This could be achieved by including counterspells such as Negate or Dovin’s Veto in your strategy, which inhibit your opponent’s plans and maintain the pace of the game in your favor. Adapting these tactics can effectively neutralize the Saruli Gatekeepers’ advantages in a match.


Cards like Saruli Gatekeepers

Saruli Gatekeepers, with its impact on life totals, draws a parallel to other creatures within Magic the Gathering renowned for their ‘enter the battlefield’ effects. Comparable to Centaur Healer, Saruli Gatekeepers offers a significant 7 life points boon when it arrives on the battlefield, if you control two or more gates. While Centaur Healer grants a flat 3 life regardless of land presence, Saruli Gatekeepers’ potential for a higher life gain reflects its gate-centric playstyle.

Another similar card worth considering is Siege Rhino which, in addition to providing a lifegain of 3 points to its controller, also inflicts a 3-point loss to the opponent, impacting life totals on both ends. Despite the higher life gain from Saruli Gatekeepers under the right conditions, Siege Rhino’s dual effect on life totals and a more aggressive body make it a formidable alternative.

Ultimately, Saruli Gatekeepers holds a unique niche in decks that favor a gated battlefield, marking it as a situational yet potentially game-changing addition to any player’s life-gaining arsenal in MTG.

Centaur Healer - MTG Card versions
Siege Rhino - MTG Card versions
Centaur Healer - Return to Ravnica (RTR)
Siege Rhino - Khans of Tarkir Promos (PKTK)

Cards similar to Saruli Gatekeepers by color, type and mana cost

Giant Spider - MTG Card versions
Marsh Viper - MTG Card versions
Scarwood Bandits - MTG Card versions
Carnivorous Plant - MTG Card versions
Erhnam Djinn - MTG Card versions
War Mammoth - MTG Card versions
Aurochs - MTG Card versions
Lhurgoyf - MTG Card versions
Jackalope Herd - MTG Card versions
Rootwater Alligator - MTG Card versions
Golden Bear - MTG Card versions
Argothian Swine - MTG Card versions
Elvish Piper - MTG Card versions
Erithizon - MTG Card versions
Saber Ants - MTG Card versions
Skyshroud Cutter - MTG Card versions
Ulvenwald Oddity // Ulvenwald Behemoth - MTG Card versions
Fungusaur - MTG Card versions
Viridian Lorebearers - MTG Card versions
Monkey Monkey Monkey - MTG Card versions
Giant Spider - Tenth Edition (10E)
Marsh Viper - The Dark (DRK)
Scarwood Bandits - The Dark (DRK)
Carnivorous Plant - Fourth Edition Foreign Black Border (4BB)
Erhnam Djinn - Pro Tour Collector Set (PTC)
War Mammoth - Introductory Two-Player Set (ITP)
Aurochs - Masters Edition II (ME2)
Lhurgoyf - World Championship Decks 1997 (WC97)
Jackalope Herd - Exodus (EXO)
Rootwater Alligator - Exodus (EXO)
Golden Bear - Portal Second Age (P02)
Argothian Swine - Urza's Saga (USG)
Elvish Piper - Ninth Edition (9ED)
Erithizon - Mercadian Masques (MMQ)
Saber Ants - Mercadian Masques (MMQ)
Skyshroud Cutter - Nemesis (NEM)
Ulvenwald Oddity // Ulvenwald Behemoth - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Fungusaur - Eighth Edition (8ED)
Viridian Lorebearers - Fifth Dawn (5DN)
Monkey Monkey Monkey - Unhinged (UNH)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Saruli Gatekeepers MTG card by a specific set like Dragon's Maze, 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 Saruli Gatekeepers and other MTG cards:

Continue exploring other sealed products in Amazon
See Magic products

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Saruli Gatekeepers has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PauperLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PioneerLegal

Recent MTG decks

Continue exploring other format decks
More decks