Introduction
This deck is part of the Pauper Decks, which are made from only common cards. The great thing about Pauper is the majority of the cards are cheap to buy, and are still strong as there are quite a lot of good common cards over Magic's history.
Key Strategy
The Caw Gates deck is a resilient and versatile control strategy that leverages the synergy between Gates and powerful card draw, removal, and recursion to outlast opponents. The deck focuses on maintaining a strong defensive position while gradually assembling the resources needed to secure a win through efficient creatures and powerful Gates.
Early Game: Setting Up Your Mana Base and Defense In the early game, your primary goal is to establish your mana base while ensuring you have the right tools to interact with your opponent’s threats. Ash Barrens and Gates like Basilisk Gate and Citadel Gate are essential for fixing your colors and enabling your Gates synergies. Preordain and Brainstorm help you filter through your deck to find the lands or removal spells you need early on.
Defensively, Sacred Cat and Journey to Nowhere provide early protection. Sacred Cat is especially valuable due to its ability to return from the graveyard with Embalm, providing a persistent blocker that can also pressure opponents in the late game. Journey to Nowhere deals with any early threats that could slip through your defenses.
Mid Game: Asserting Control As you move into the mid game, Squadron Hawk becomes a key card. The Hawks allow you to thin your deck and ensure you always have flying threats available. Combined with Basilisk Gate, these evasive creatures can grow quickly, turning into significant threats that are hard to block.
Your control elements come into full force here, with Counterspell and Spell Pierce keeping your opponent’s plays in check. Fire/Ice offers flexibility, either picking off small creatures or tapping down threats to buy you time. Prismatic Strands can create huge tempo swings, protecting your board from damage-based removal or combat while also allowing you to go on the offensive.
Late Game: Closing Out the Game In the late game, Basilisk Gate becomes your primary win condition. By pumping your flying creatures like Squadron Hawk, you can deal significant chunks of damage each turn. Guardian of the Guildpact is another potent late-game threat, particularly against decks relying on mono-colored removal. The Modern Age provides additional card filtering and eventually transforms into a 2/3 flier, adding to your aerial assault.
Dawnbringer Cleric offers utility against enchantments and graveyard-based strategies, and its lifegain can be critical against aggressive decks. Heap Gate and Azorius Chancery help maintain a strong mana base while offering additional value through color fixing and extra mana production.
Key Synergies and Interactions
Basilisk Gate with Squadron Hawk or Sacred Cat ensures your creatures can quickly become large threats, while The Modern Age contributes more flying bodies to amplify this strategy.
Counterspell and Spell Pierce are your primary tools for maintaining control, countering key spells that could disrupt your strategy.
Prismatic Strands is a powerful combat trick that can protect your creatures from damage-based removal or allow for a devastating attack when your opponent is unprepared.
Tips for Playing the Deck
Prioritize Your Gates: Make sure to prioritize playing your Gates early to maximize the potential of Basilisk Gate and ensure you have the mana to activate its ability when needed.
Control the Board: Use your removal spells and counterspells wisely to keep your opponent from establishing a board presence. Timing is key, especially when deciding when to deploy Prismatic Strands or Journey to Nowhere.
Maximize Value with Hawks: Squadron Hawk offers tremendous value by thinning your deck and providing multiple threats with just one card. Combine them with Basilisk Gate to quickly turn the corner from defense to offense.
Caw Gates is a deck that rewards patience and careful play. By establishing a strong defense and gradually building your resources, you can outlast and overwhelm opponents with powerful flying creatures and well-timed removal.
Key Cards
Cards to look for in the opening hand