Golgari Guildgate MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 14 setsSee all
RarityCommon
TypeLand — Gate

Key Takeaways

  1. Offers reliable mana fixing in multicolor Golgari decks for smoother gameplay.
  2. Enables powerful card synergies with other ‘Gate’ related cards.
  3. Essential for adapting to a versatile and competitive MTG meta.

Text of card

Golgari Guildgate enters the battlefield tapped. : Add or to your mana pool.

Enter those who are starving and sick. You are welcome among the Swarm when the rest of Ravnica rejects you.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Golgari Guildgate sets the stage for greater card economy by smoothing out your mana base, ensuring you have the right colors exactly when you need them to cast spells without interruption.

Resource Acceleration: As a dual land, this card may not directly increase your mana pool, but it is pivotal for a smoother mana curve, effectively accelerating your access to critical resources in a multicolor Golgari deck.

Instant Speed: While the Golgari Guildgate enters the battlefield tapped and can’t be utilized at instant speed, its presence supports a deck built around instant-speed interaction by reliably providing both black and green mana, essential for this guild’s instant-speed removal and creature abilities.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While the Golgari Guildgate doesn’t ask for cards to be tossed away, it does represent a trade-off in terms of tempo, as entering the battlefield tapped can delay crucial plays and set you back in the early game.

Specific Mana Cost: The mana provided by Golgari Guildgate is very specific, catering only to black and green mana. This constraint means the card can be incompatible with decks that require a more diverse mana base or that function with a completely different color pair.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Although Golgari Guildgate itself does not demand a high mana investment, its inherent drawback is the loss of speed compared to basic lands or other more versatile land cards that enter the battlefield untapped. This can be a considerable disadvantage in faster-paced matches where every turn counts.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Golgari Guildgate is a flexible card that suits various strategies, particularly in multicolored decks where mana fixing is crucial. Its inclusion can streamline your mana base and aid in casting spells with demanding color requirements with ease.

Combo Potential: As part of the Guildgate series, this card syncs well with Gate-centric mechanisms and can be an integral piece in activating powerful synergies with cards like “Gatebreaker Ram” and “Guild Summit,” enabling dynamic and potentially game-winning combos.

Meta-Relevance: In a game where the mana curve can dictate the pace and outcome, having a reliable source of both green and black mana can greatly influence a player’s ability to adapt to shifting meta conditions. Having Golgari Guildgate in your collection offers practical solutions to the ever-evolving challenges presented by the competitive environment.


How to beat

Golgari Guildgate may not be the most formidable card in Magic: The Gathering, but it serves a crucial role in mana fixing within decks that run on the black and green color combination. This common land card comes into play tapped, delaying immediate gratification but ensuring resource stability for future turns. Given its reliable function within the Golgari deck archetype, it supports a strategy that progressively builds towards overwhelming opponents with a mix of creature destruction and board presence.

To effectively counter the advantages of Golgari Guildgate, you want to focus on land disruption. Cards like Ghost Quarter and Field of Ruin can systematically uproot your opponent’s mana base, including their guildgates. Coupled with aggressive strategies that put pressure on your opponent early on, this can leave them stumbling to establish their game plan. Also, remember that Golgari Guildgate does not produce mana the turn it’s played, so quickly tailored spells and creatures can overtake a player relying on this land too much.

Overall, while the Golgari Guildgate is vital for mana fixing, it can also be a point of vulnerability that, if exploited correctly, can tip the scales in your favor and disrupt a well-curated deck’s pacing and synergy.


Cards like Golgari Guildgate

Golgari Guildgate is an asset for mana fixing in the diverse landscape of land cards in MTG. Within the same family, it parallels with other guildgates such as Azorius Guildgate or Izzet Guildgate, which serve similar purposes in their respective dual-color combinations. Golgari Guildgate allows for the tapping of either black or green mana, much needed for the Golgari deck’s graveyard-centric strategies.

Comparatively, cards like Jungle Hollow not only provide the same color mana flexibility but also grant a small life gain upon entering the battlefield. However, it does not bear the Guildgate subtype, which can be relevant for cards like Gatebreaker Ram or Guild Summit that capitalize on the number of gates controlled. Overgrown Tomb, another dual-color land, can be used immediately if you pay 2 life, offering an advantage in speed over Golgari Guildgate’s entering-the-battlefield tapped.

In weighing options, Golgari Guildgate is a reliable, though slower, option for seamless mana flow in a Golgari deck, often a staple in budget or casual play where speed is less critical than in competitive formats.

Azorius Guildgate - MTG Card versions
Izzet Guildgate - MTG Card versions
Jungle Hollow - MTG Card versions
Overgrown Tomb - MTG Card versions
Gatebreaker Ram - MTG Card versions
Guild Summit - MTG Card versions
Azorius Guildgate - Return to Ravnica (RTR)
Izzet Guildgate - Return to Ravnica (RTR)
Jungle Hollow - Khans of Tarkir (KTK)
Overgrown Tomb - Ravnica: City of Guilds (RAV)
Gatebreaker Ram - Ravnica Allegiance (RNA)
Guild Summit - Guilds of Ravnica (GRN)

Cards similar to Golgari Guildgate by color, type and mana cost

Bayou - MTG Card versions
Llanowar Wastes - MTG Card versions
Tainted Wood - MTG Card versions
Undergrowth Stadium - MTG Card versions
Twilight Mire - MTG Card versions
Temple of Malady - MTG Card versions
Necroblossom Snarl - MTG Card versions
Deathcap Glade - MTG Card versions
Golgari Rot Farm - MTG Card versions
Darkbore Pathway // Slitherbore Pathway - MTG Card versions
Gilt-Leaf Palace - MTG Card versions
Svogthos, the Restless Tomb - MTG Card versions
Grim Backwoods - MTG Card versions
Pine Barrens - MTG Card versions
Jungle Hollow - MTG Card versions
Foul Orchard - MTG Card versions
Blooming Marsh - MTG Card versions
Woodland Cemetery - MTG Card versions
Overgrown Tomb - MTG Card versions
Nurturing Peatland - MTG Card versions
Bayou - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
Llanowar Wastes - Commander 2020 (C20)
Tainted Wood - Commander Masters (CMM)
Undergrowth Stadium - Commander Masters (CMM)
Twilight Mire - Double Masters (2XM)
Temple of Malady - Commander Masters (CMM)
Necroblossom Snarl - Commander Masters (CMM)
Deathcap Glade - Innistrad: Double Feature (DBL)
Golgari Rot Farm - Ravnica: Clue Edition (CLU)
Darkbore Pathway // Slitherbore Pathway - From Cute to Brute (PCTB)
Gilt-Leaf Palace - The List (PLST)
Svogthos, the Restless Tomb - Commander Anthology Volume II (CM2)
Grim Backwoods - Commander 2020 (C20)
Pine Barrens - Vintage Masters (VMA)
Jungle Hollow - March of the Machine (MOM)
Foul Orchard - Shadows over Innistrad Remastered (SIR)
Blooming Marsh - Kaladesh Remastered (KLR)
Woodland Cemetery - Fallout (PIP)
Overgrown Tomb - Ravnica Remastered (RVR)
Nurturing Peatland - Historic Anthology 7 (HA7)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Golgari Guildgate MTG card by a specific set like Return to Ravnica and 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 Golgari Guildgate and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Golgari Guildgate Magic the Gathering card was released in 12 different sets between 2012-10-05 and 2024-02-23. Illustrated by Eytan Zana.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12012-10-05Return to RavnicaRTR 2392003normalblackEytan Zana
22013-05-03Dragon's MazeDGM 1492003normalblackEytan Zana
32013-11-01Commander 2013C13 2902003normalblackEytan Zana
42014-03-14Duel Decks: Jace vs. VraskaDDM 762003normalblackEytan Zana
52015-11-13Commander 2015C15 2862015normalblackEytan Zana
62017-03-17Modern Masters 2017MM3 2352015normalblackEytan Zana
72017-06-09Commander AnthologyCMA 2522015normalblackEytan Zana
82018-10-05Guilds of RavnicaGRN 2492015normalblackEytan Zana
92018-10-05Guilds of RavnicaGRN 2482015normalblackEytan Zana
102019-08-23Commander 2019C19 2472015normalblackEytan Zana
112021-02-05Kaldheim CommanderKHC 1112015normalblackEytan Zana
122024-01-12Ravnica RemasteredRVR 2782015normalblackEytan Zana
132024-01-12Ravnica RemasteredRVR 4021997normalblackEytan Zana
142024-02-23Ravnica: Clue EditionCLU 2352015normalblackEytan Zana

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Golgari Guildgate has restrictions

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

Rules and information

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

DateText
2013-04-15 Gate is not a basic land type.
2013-04-15 The subtype Gate has no special rules significance, but other spells and abilities may refer to it.

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