Gruul Guildgate MTG Card
2013-02-01 - Number 243
2013-05-03 - Number 150
2013-11-01 - Number 294
2017-03-17 - Number 236
2019-01-25 - Number 249
2019-01-25 - Number 250
2020-09-25 - Number 130
2024-01-12 - Number 403
2024-01-12 - Number 279
2024-02-23 - Number 237
| Card sets | Released in 10 setsSee all |
| Rarity | Common |
| Type | Land — Gate |
Text of card
Gruul Guildgate enters the battlefield tapped. : Add or to your mana pool.
Enter and leave the shackles of society behind.
Cards like Gruul Guildgate
Gruul Guildgate is a land card that finds its place in the vast array of mana-fixing options in Magic: The Gathering. It’s in close competition with other dual lands like Izzet Guildgate, which offers blue and red mana access. The Gruul Guildgate, providing red and green mana, is pivotal for players looking to cast spells within the Gruul color combination. Despite the similarity being part of a Guildgate cycle, where each card enters the battlefield tapped, Gruul Guildgate is distinct with its synergy in decks that favor creature-heavy strategies.
Analyzing Rugged Highlands, another comparable card, it also provides red and green mana but with an added benefit of gaining 1 life when it enters the battlefield. This slight advantage can sometimes be a determining factor in longer games. Then, there’s the Rootbound Crag, an option that doesn’t always enter the battlefield tapped, albeit with a requirement to control a Mountain or a Forest to utilize this perk. For players aiming at faster gameplay, this conditional entry might be preferable over the Gruul Guildgate’s consistent tapped status.
Assessing Gruul Guildgate in the landscape of MTG dual lands, its straightforwardness and reliability are appreciated, particularly in decks where the pace of mana is less critical, and the focus is on building up strong creature combinations.
Cards similar to Gruul Guildgate by color, type and mana cost
Decks using this card
MTG decks using Gruul Guildgate. Dig deeper into the strategy of decks, sideboard cards, list ideas and export to play in ARENA or MOL.
| # | Name | Format | Archetype | Event |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Abzan Aggro | Pioneer | Maze's End | ReCQ - Pioneer - SCG CON Atlanta - Saturday - 1:00 pm (Bronze) |
| Five-color Control | Pioneer | Maze's End | Super Pioneer - 3 Torneio da Liga de Volta Redonda |
 | Five-color Combo | Legacy | Painter | Charlotte Legacy League Season 2 Week 1 |
 | Five-color Lands | Legacy | 94 / The 94th Legacy at Home | |
 | Jund Control | Legacy | Charlotte Legacy League Season 1 Week 2 | |
| Five-color Ramp | Pioneer | Maze's End | DreamHack Atlanta 2023 - Sun. 11AM Pioneer 5k Open 8-Slot RCQ |
| Five-color Yorion | Pioneer | Maze's End | #23 Last Chance Qualifier: Pioneer |
| Decklist | Free form | Weekday Night Magic | |
 | Temur Midrange | Pioneer | Maze's End | Peasant Pioneer Showdown - A Josh and Pat's MTG Bazaar Sponsored Event |
| Jund Lands | Gladiator | Gladiator Team Unified League |
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Gruul Guildgate, while not directly offering card draw, does provide a strategic advantage by stabilizing your mana base. Effective mana sources like this ensure you have the right colors when needed, indirectly helping you play your cards more efficiently. It’s a fundamental building block for casting spells on curve and maximizing your hand’s potential.
Resource Acceleration: As a dual land, Gruul Guildgate may enter the battlefield tapped, but it accelerates your resources by tapping for either red or green mana. This flexibility in mana production allows you to smoothly progress towards playing bigger, more impactful spells ahead of schedule or enables multicolored decks to function more consistently.
Instant Speed: Although Gruul Guildgate operates at sorcery speed due to being a land, its presence compliments decks featuring instant speed interaction. By providing a dependable mana foundation, you can confidently keep mana open for instants and abilities, knowing Gruul Guildgate has already fulfilled its role in your land drops without compromising your color requirements.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: While not directly related to discard mechanics, the slow pace at which Gruul Guildgate enters the battlefield may force you to discard if it’s drawn late game and your hand is already full.
Specific Mana Cost: Providing only red or green mana can be limiting for multitasking within decks that may also require other colors or more flexible mana sources.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: As a land card, Gruul Guildgate doesn’t have a mana cost, but it does enter the battlefield tapped which effectively delays your mana acceleration comparing to other lands that enter untapped, potentially slowing down your game strategy.
Reasons to Include in Your Collection
Versatility: Gruul Guildgate serves as a flexible land choice, enabling access to both red and green mana in multicolor decks. This can be particularly helpful for players looking to smooth out their mana base without investing in pricier, rare dual lands.
Combo Potential: As a gate, it has synergy with gate-focused cards that look for the subtype to activate abilities or bonuses. Some powerful gate-matters cards can transform a deck utilizing Gruul Guildgate into a formidable strategy.
Meta-Relevance: In certain meta environments where slower, more budget-conscious decks are viable, Gruul Guildgate fits perfectly. It aligns well with strategies that prioritize reliable mana fixing over the speed of untapped lands.
How to beat
Gruul Guildgate is a nonbasic land card that’s part of a two-colored gate subtheme in Magic: The Gathering. Serving as a mana fixer for decks combining red and green, it enters the battlefield tapped, providing a short delay before its potential is realized. This pause provides an opportunity to outpace decks reliant on such gates.
To gain an advantage against Gruul Guildgate, consider emphasizing speed. Aggro decks are particularly well-suited to exploit the tempo loss incurred by a tapped land entry. Leveraging efficient one and two-drop creatures can apply pressure early on, forcing the gate-reliant deck onto the back foot. Alternatively, land destruction strategies can disrupt the mana base, albeit these tactics are less common in standard formats. Removal spells targeting specific nonbasic lands, such as Field of Ruin, can also dismantle a multi-gate strategy effectively while aiding your own mana fixing.
Understanding the timings and capabilities that Gruul Guildgate offers can turn this potential setback into a strategic opportunity. By emphasizing tempo and applying early pressure, you can navigate the gates and secure your route to victory.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Gruul Guildgate MTG card by a specific set like Gatecrash 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 Gruul Guildgate 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
See MTG Products
Printings
The Gruul Guildgate Magic the Gathering card was released in 8 different sets between 2013-02-01 and 2024-02-23. Illustrated by 2 different artists.
| # | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2013-02-01 | Gatecrash | GTC | 243 | 2003 | Normal | Black | Randy Gallegos | |
| 2 | 2013-05-03 | Dragon's Maze | DGM | 150 | 2003 | Normal | Black | Randy Gallegos | |
| 3 | 2013-11-01 | Commander 2013 | C13 | 294 | 2003 | Normal | Black | Randy Gallegos | |
| 4 | 2017-03-17 | Modern Masters 2017 | MM3 | 236 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Randy Gallegos | |
| 5 | 2019-01-25 | Ravnica Allegiance | RNA | 249 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Alexander Forssberg | |
| 6 | 2019-01-25 | Ravnica Allegiance | RNA | 250 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Alexander Forssberg | |
| 7 | 2020-09-25 | Zendikar Rising Commander | ZNC | 130 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Randy Gallegos | |
| 8 | 2024-01-12 | Ravnica Remastered | RVR | 403 | 1997 | Normal | Black | Randy Gallegos | |
| 9 | 2024-01-12 | Ravnica Remastered | RVR | 279 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Randy Gallegos | |
| 10 | 2024-02-23 | Ravnica: Clue Edition | CLU | 237 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Randy Gallegos |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Gruul Guildgate has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Historicbrawl | Legal |
| Historic | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Paupercommander | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Gladiator | Legal |
| Pioneer | Legal |
| Commander | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Pauper | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Explorer | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |
| Timeless | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Gruul Guildgate card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 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. |