Gate to Phyrexia MTG Card
1994-03-04 - Number 16
2011-01-10 - Number 82
| Card sets | Released in 2 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 2 |
| Rarity | Uncommon |
| Type | Enchantment |
Text of card
Sacrifice one of your creatures during your upkeep to destroy any one artifact. You may not sacrifice a creature that is already on its way to the graveyard.
"The warm rain of grease on my face immediately made it clear I had entered Phyrexia." —Jarsyl, *Diary*
Cards like Gate to Phyrexia
Gate to Phyrexia is a unique artifact destruction card within the MTG universe. It offers a rare Black color-aligned method for dealing with artifacts, sharing the stage with few others such as Phyrexian Tribute. While both cards require sacrifices for resolution, Gate to Phyrexia demands a creature sacrifice and only operates during upkeep, pointing to a very specific strategic use.
Another card with a related function is Karn, the Great Creator. Although he doesn’t destroy artifacts directly, his ability to neutralize them shares a strategic kinship with Gate to Phyrexia. Where Gate to Phyrexia excels in removing artifacts from the game, Karn excels in flexibility, offering utility beyond mere destruction.
Considering the scarcity of artifact control in Black, Gate to Phyrexia stands out for its ability to influence the board and disrupt opponents’ plans. While other cards offer alternative means to handle threats, the exclusivity of Gate to Phyrexia’s artifact removal within its color makes it an important card for players to evaluate alongside it’s more versatile or accommodating peers.
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Gate to Phyrexia offers a unique strategic benefit, allowing you to sacrifice a creature to destroy an opponent’s artifact. This disruption can lead to a potential two-for-one scenario where you remove a key component of your opponent’s strategy while utilizing a creature that has already served its purpose or is otherwise expendable.
Resource Acceleration: By dismantling an opponent’s artifact-based resources, you indirectly accelerate yours in comparison. The ability to target artifacts specifically makes this card particularly potent in environments where artifacts play a significant role in the metagame, potentially crippling an opponent’s mana base or combo pieces.
Instant Speed: While Gate to Phyrexia itself does not operate at instant speed, it provides a powerful effect that can be activated during each of your upkeep phases. This persistent threat allows for strategic planning and can be timed to disrupt your opponent’s plans at a moment that is most inconvenient for them, showcasing its tactically versatile application in a match.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: To activate Gate to Phyrexia’s ability, players need to sacrifice a creature. This can often be a costly requirement, particularly in decks that don’t readily have expendable creatures or those that rely on maintaining a strong board presence.
Specific Mana Cost: Gate to Phyrexia demands a very specific setup with a mana cost that is purely black. This restricts its integration predominantly to mono-black decks or those that have a heavy black mana base, potentially excluding it from more diverse mana strategies.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: While the ability to destroy artifacts is useful, Gate to Phyrexia comes at a significant mana investment. The two mana needed to cast and the additional upkeep of sacrificing a creature can sum up to be quite the cost compared to other artifact removal options available in the game, which might require less setup and be more immediate in their application.
Reasons to Include Gate to Phyrexia in Your Collection
Versatility: Gate to Phyrexia offers unique artifact destruction capabilities, which are scarce in black’s segment of the color pie. This allows it to serve as a valuable tool in decks that struggle against artifact-heavy opponents.
Combo Potential: This card can synergize with strategies revolving around sacrificing creatures, as it requires a creature to be sacrificed in order to destroy an artifact. It fits well with decks that easily generate token creatures or with those that benefit from creatures entering the graveyard.
Meta-Relevance: In environments where artifacts are dominant, having a repeatable artifact removal option like Gate to Phyrexia can provide a significant advantage. It works exceptionally well in formats such as Commander, where artifacts play a critical role in many deck archetypes.
How to beat
Gate to Phyrexia presents a unique challenge in the world of Magic: The Gathering – an artifact-based control ability that allows its user to systematically dismantle their opponent’s artifact resources. Unsurprisingly, overcoming this powerful card involves strategic planning and a proactive approach. A pivotal step is to prioritize the removal of this card from the battlefield, which can be achieved with direct removal spells or abilities that specifically target enchantments and artifacts.
Alternatively, another effective method is to limit the number of artifacts in your deck, thereby reducing the card’s impact. Playing around Gate to Phyrexia necessitates a careful balance between deploying your own artifacts judiciously and keeping up the pressure on your opponent to prevent them from fully leveraging its potential. Moreover, incorporating instant-speed interaction can catch your opponent off guard, bypassing Gate to Phyrexia’s once-per-turn restriction and preserving your valuable artifact assets.
Ultimately, recognizing the threats posed by this card and adopting a tailored game plan can ensure that Gate to Phyrexia doesn’t impede your path to victory. A calculated approach backed by the appropriate countermeasures can turn this potential setback into a surmountable obstacle.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Gate to Phyrexia MTG card by a specific set like Antiquities and Masters Edition IV, 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 Gate to Phyrexia and other MTG cards:
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- eBay
- Card Kingdom
- Card Market
- Star City Games
- CoolStuffInc
- MTG Mint Card
- Hareruya
- Troll and Toad
- ABU Games
- Card Hoarder Magic Online
- MTGO Traders Magic Online
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Printings
The Gate to Phyrexia Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 1994-03-04 and 2011-01-10. Illustrated by Sandra Everingham.
| # | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1994-03-04 | Antiquities | ATQ | 16 | 1993 | Normal | Black | Sandra Everingham | |
| 2 | 2011-01-10 | Masters Edition IV | ME4 | 82 | 1997 | Normal | Black | Sandra Everingham |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Gate to Phyrexia has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Oldschool | Legal |
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Predh | Legal |