Dolmen Gate

Artifact

Prevent all combat damage that would be dealt to attacking creatures you control.

Discussion (51)

multimedia on Ghired Conclave Exile budget upgrade

2 weeks ago

Hey, nice budget upgrade of the precon. Good to see Breath of Fury, such a good budget card with Ghired.

Some cards to consider adding:

• Dolmen Gate: Mystery Booster Cards version is $1, lets Ghired and your other creatures freely attack and not die to combat damage if blocked, but your creatures do combat damage to blockers. This effect is good with Ghired because he wants to be attacking.
• Open the Armory: tutor for Fury or Greaves, two cards that are very helpful to have more access too.
• Ogre Battledriver: haste enabler and pump, curve into Ghired to attack with 16+ power of creatures.
• Elemental Bond: repeatable draw that triggers when 3 or higher power tokens are created, triggers when a 4/4 Rhino is created. Good interaction with Battledriver because your creatures ETB with +2 to their power and Bond sees this.
• Faeburrow Elder: ramp, can tap for two mana (green and white) with Ghired or any other red permanent in your control it can tap for three mana (green, white and red).
• Shared Summons: budget creature tutor that can get two different creatures.
• Canopy Vista
• Battlefield Forge
• Game Trail
• Fortified Village
• Kessig Wolf Run

Cards to consider cutting:

• Desolation Twin
• Soul Foundry
• Burn at the Stake
• Conclave Guildmage
• Wayfaring Temple
• Growing Ranks
• Blossoming Sands
• Graypelt Refuge
• Kazandu Refuge
• 1x Mountain
• 1x Plains

Good luck with your deck.

Tenshi41 on 2 x 2 = 4, Quick Maths.

1 month ago

Response to PlutoniumWedding comment.

Yes, I've looked at Dolmen Gate before, it’s not that bad. It is a lot weaker than Reconnaissance (also gives all creatures vigilance) but still protects the commander. That is one card I've considered before.

I don’t know about Akroma's Memorial and Archetype of Imagination, Most of the creature’s tokens already fly and that CMC is just so huge. I liked Cathars' Crusade in the deck for power reason, but I removed it for tracking reasons. With all the tokens it was becoming so confusing to track all of them.

Most of the time I have no problem finishing off opponents, so power pump enchants are not necessary but will consider them. Most of the time the only thing I struggle with is Boardwipes and constant removal.

PlutoniumWedding on 2 x 2 = 4, Quick Maths.

1 month ago

This deck seems really interesting and fun to play. I like the choice of counterspells that are useful when rebound.

Dolmen Gate seems like it would be useful as a second Reconnaisance effect, both to protect Taigam and to let you attack with impunity with your tokens, especially given that Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite appears to pretty much be your only buff effect so they're not likely to simply be able to just smash through, like you'd see in a Selesnya token deck.

Higher up the curve there's Akroma's Memorial, Sun Quan, Lord of Wu and Archetype of Imagination to let your weenies get through and finish your opponents.

Of course, I get that you want to keep a high density of instants and sorceries, so it's a tricky balance. I'd still consider putting in just a few high-ceiling anthem cards, though. Stuff like Cathars' Crusade (if you can deal with the tracking nightmare) and Call for Unity - cards with the potential to buff your guys several steps with a single card.

Or you can punish your enemies for killing Taigam with Commander's Insignia! (I kind of wish this card wasn't so weak.)

I've recently also come to understand the power of Goldnight Commander in token decks, and he'd work especially well with the rebound theme since the rebound spell will buff the guys from last turn who can now attack. A bit janky, I'll admit.

Of course, there's always the high risk, high reward Coat of Arms...

These are just sort of my gut reactions to seeing the deck, I hope they gave you something to think about at least. :)

beets on Marchesa - Steal Shit and Stuff

1 month ago

oh i forgot that marchesa doesn't bring them back until the end step, my bad. i gave a lot of experience with undying but marchesa is new to me lol.

anyway about Dolmen Gate, my opinion is that it's probably not that worth it for your deck. the scenario i am imagining is that it is turn 10, you have 8 or so creatures. marchesa is out so your creatures are relatively safe. is this the card that you want to draw? again this is my opinion, so maybe the answer is yes! but try to look for cards that you are okay with playing on any turn with a variety of scenarios.

and going back to Willbreaker again, it technically combos with a bunch of cards in your deck. look at all of your targeted thief spells. with willbreaker on the field, those spells no longer wear off on end of turn.

hope this helps, and i hope you enjoy this deck! :)

zenia on Marchesa - Steal Shit and Stuff

1 month ago

Hi beets,

I think you are right - Spark Double does not fit into the concept.

About your suggestions. I like Geralf's Messenger. But I think the inpact is not big enough. It dies, comes back because of undying, dies again and comes back at the beginning of the endstep. If it could somehow combo off, but that way it just drains 4 life each turn. Which is good, but not inpactful enough - or am I missing something? I do really like Willbreaker, but a strictly one card synergy does not do the cut for me.

What do you think about Dolmen Gate? I aim to be rather aggressive and attack lot, not taking damage from attacking can be a plus. On the other hand, I am getting the creatures back if Marchesa, the Black Rose is on the board. It looks good, but does not seem like top 100 good, does it?

multimedia on Mardu | Hammer and Anvil | 6

1 month ago

Hey, good budget version of Syr.

Silverblade Paladin's soulbound can change. Give another Knight as well as Silverblade double strike before you can cast Syr. Can then later on be another source of double strike for Syr. Fervent Champion is a one drop Knight who can hold equipment well. Because of haste and reduce cost of equip this guy is a fine later game play as well as early game. Knight of the Ebon Legion is another good one drop Knight who can potentially repeatedly grow at your end step. It's a mana sink and deathtouch makes it a good attacker. Thalia's Lancers can tutor for Embercleave, Shadowspear or another legendary card.

Unbreakable Formation can save your Knights from most board wipes or cast it during your main phase for a big attack. Dolmen Gate can protect Knights in combat; making it difficult for your opponents to want to block your Knights because your creatures will not receive combat damage, but opponents blockers are dealt combat damage by your creatures.

Sun Titan is not a Knight, but has a great ETB/attack ability because he can reanimate a Knight, an equipment, Knights' Charge or History of Benalia which is now a budget card. You can get Gideon Blackblade for much less than $5 from TCGPlayer and he's good with Knights, Titan and -6 is versatile exile. Generous Gift is a versatile instant removal spell in Commander.

Exotic Orchard, Unclaimed Territory, Caves of Koilos, Battlefield Forge, Ash Barrens are budget lands to consider adding.

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Cards to consider cutting:

• Boros Guildgate
• Rakdos Guildgate
• Orzhov Guildgate
• Bloodfell Caves
• Scoured Barrens
• Wind-Scarred Crag
• Venerable Knight
• Belle of the Brawl
• Syr Alin, the Lion's Claw
• Syr Konrad, the Grim
• Mortify
• Open the Vaults
• Crystal Slipper
• All That Glitters
• Accorder's Shield

Good luck with your deck.

multimedia on Vampires

2 months ago

Hey, nice budget version of Edgar. I like that you included the combo.

An area to look to improve is the manabase. 15x combined Plains and Mountain basic lands is a lot when your deck is primary black. You want black mana more than any other in the early game which Swamps help with, but Plains and Mountains don't. Consider more dual lands that can make white and red mana as well as black? You want most of the dual lands to be able to make black mana because you need black mana the most.

The manabase is budget, Tower and Check lands are good, but even on a budget there's lands to consider adding:

• Unclaimed Territory
• Exotic Orchard
• Caves of Koilos
• Battlefield Forge
• Tainted Field
• Tainted Peak
• Smoldering Marsh

More expensive options: City of Brass, Godless Shrine, Blood Crypt, Sulfurous Springs, Sacred Foundry, Graven Cairns, Fetid Heath, Rugged Prairie.

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Some upgrades to consider:

• Captivating Vampire > Kalitas, Bloodchief of Ghet
  Three drop > seven drop. Captivating Vampire is a very good reason to want to play tribal Vamps in multiplayer Commander especially with tokens.

• Knight of the Ebon Legion > Bloodsworn Steward
  One drop > four drop. Less mana cost cards that are should be considered to be cut because is difficult to make with this manabase for a four drop. Edgar already has haste.

• Shadow Alley Denizen > Stromkirk Noble
  Noble is not worth it because consistently you will not have red mana turn one, but you will have black. Denizen is same price and can give other Vamps or itself evasion when Vamps ETB or Vamp tokens are created.

• Drana, Liberator of Malakir > Patron of the Vein
  Three drop > Six drop. Drana can get out of control with attacking Vamps and tokens as a repeatable way to put counters on Vamps.

• Dolmen Gate > Ferocity of the Wilds
  Gate is excellent with Drana and other attacking Vamps since your attacking Vamps don't receive combat damage thus they can't die from combat damage, but if blocked they do combat damage to blocking creatures.

• Ruinous Ultimatum > Kindred Charge
  Ruinous is a better overall effect for one more mana and a more difficult mana cost. It's a busted effect in multiplayer Commander.

• Living Death > Bloodline Necromancer
  Bloodline can reanimate one Vamp; Living could reanimate a lot more. Living is mass sac of creatures for all players and then mass reanimation of the creatures that were in graveyards before the ones that were saced. It can help to recover and for five mana it can recover a lot.

Good luck with your deck.

LadyZ on Tajic, Legion's Edge: One-Sided Board Wipes

2 months ago

I'd think about cutting Nyx Lotus since you're in two colors, it's still strong but much stronger in monocolor. Same with Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx.

Norn's Annex feels pretty meta dependent. Are you more likely to be attacked by 20 2/2s or 4 10/10s? The Annex can stop token decks but can be pretty weak otherwise.

Not a fan of Dolmen Gate. If you're in Boros then Iroas, God of Victory is almost strictly better.

Swiftblade Vindicator feels like a card to stack auras and enchantments on. Your deck doesn't really seem to be doing that so not a fan here.