The Black Gate
Tracked across real Commander games played through TurnZero HQ.
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What it does
As The Black Gate enters, you may pay 3 life. If you don't, it enters tapped.
T: Add .
1, T: Choose a player with the most life or tied for most life. Target creature can't be blocked by creatures that player controls this turn.
Rulings
2 official rulings, in the order Wizards published them.
- 2023-06-16
The creature that was targeted by The Black Gate's last ability can't be blocked by any creature the chosen player controls, including creatures that weren't on the battlefield when The Black Gate's ability resolved.
- 2023-06-16
The chosen player needs only to have the most life or tied for most life as The Black Gate's last ability resolves. After the ability resolves, any changes in life total won't affect which creatures can block or be blocked that turn.
Rulings are Wizards of the Coast's own, mirrored from Scryfall and refreshed nightly.
In the 99
Every deck whose current list includes The Black Gate, whatever its commander.
Most played under
| Commander | Decks | Games | Win rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frodo, Adventurous Hobbit | 1 | 0 | — |
| Sam, Loyal Attendant | 1 | 0 | — |
| Sauron, Lord of the Rings | 1 | 0 | — |
| Tinybones, Trinket Thief | 1 | 0 | — |
Colors it shows up in
- Mono-Black 1 deck
- Grixis 1 deck
- Abzan 1 deck
Every version of The Black Gate
5 printings, newest first. Prices are the market figures Scryfall publishes, refreshed nightly — a printing with no figure shows a dash rather than a zero, because Scryfall genuinely publishes none for some of them.
Inverted
The Hobbit Eternal
- Normal
- $12.78
- Foil
- $16.33
Inverted
The Hobbit Eternal
- Foil
- $42.33
Showcase
Tales of Middle-earth Commander
- Normal
- $26.21
- Foil
- $42.11
Extended Art
Tales of Middle-earth Commander
- Normal
- $17.86
Tales of Middle-earth Commander
- Normal
- $9.73
Prices from Scryfall, which tracks the TCGplayer and Cardmarket markets. They move daily and are a guide rather than a quote. Search TCGplayer for The Black Gate — a name search across every version, for the printings TCGplayer publishes no direct link to.
Aggregated from Commander games tracked in TurnZero HQ. Every figure counts decks and games only — no individual deck list, player or playgroup is identified. Win rates are withheld below 5 completed games, where the sample is too small to mean anything.