The best feeling in Magic is brewing up a deck and then doing well with it, and I struck gold back in July with a Historic Maze's End Gates deck that ended up being far better than I ever could have hoped.

Historic doesn't really have a true big mana deck like Tron, which is exactly how this Gates deck plays out. Make a bunch of mana very fast, and then the world is yours. Kill everything with Gates Ablaze, draw tons of cards with Hydroid Krasis and Guild Summit, and then if things get gummed up just win the game outright with Maze's End.

And now we even get surprising update from Dominaria United!

Time Stamps:

03:32 - Match 1

23:40 - Match 2

35:20 - Match 3

Maze's End Gates | Historic | Jim Davis

• Companion (1)
• 1 Jegantha, the Wellspring

• Creatures (11)
• 3 Hydroid Krasis
• 4 Arboreal Grazer
• 4 Gatebreaker Ram

• Instants (4)
• 4 Growth Spiral

• Sorceries (12)
• 4 Circuitous Route
• 4 Explore
• 4 Gates Ablaze

• Enchantments (3)
• 3 Guild Summit

• Lands (30)
• 1 Forest
• 1 Baldur's Gate
• 1 Barkchannel Pathway // Tidechannel Pathway
• 1 Boros Guildgate
• 1 Dimir Guildgate
• 1 Gate to Manorborn
• 1 Gate to Seatower
• 1 Gate to the Citadel
• 1 Gate to Tumbledown
• 1 Golgari Guildgate
• 1 Selesnya Guildgate
• 2 Azorius Guildgate
• 2 Maze's End
• 2 Thran Portal
• 3 Gruul Guildgate
• 3 Izzet Guildgate
• 3 Simic Guildgate
• 4 Plaza of Harmony

• Sideboard (15)
• 1 Ugin, the Spirit Dragon
• 3 Deafening Clarion
• 2 Chandra, Awakened Inferno
• 1 Jegantha, the Wellspring
• 2 Negate
• 2 Relic of Progenitus
• 2 Archway Angel
• 2 Mystical Dispute

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While it's quite unexpected that there would be a new gate in Dominaria United, it's a welcome one to be sure.

On pure rate, Thran Portal is a pretty awful Magic card. Mana Confluence only sees play under the most dire of circumstances or in combo decks, and Thran Portal is worse for a number of reasons. However, it does do one unique thing that is a huge weakness for Gates decks - it comes into play untapped on turn one for the color you need, while also being a gate for all your synergy. You can't go too hard on Thran Portal because the damage will add up, but adding that untapped land to the mana base is huge.

Otherwise, the deck remains mostly the same, because frankly it works awesome! This deck plays a style that is totally unique in Historic, is a blast to play, and is very powerful. Repeat after me... this is not a meme!