shards of destruction

Format: Commander

Commander: Child of Alara

Bracket: 3

DeckCheck Threat Index: 43

Deck overview

This deck is a dedicated 5-Color Gates Control strategy built around assembling 10 uniquely named Gate lands to win via Maze's End. Commanded by Child of Alara, the deck turns its commander into an accessible reset button that wipes all nonland permanents upon dying, safely leaving its own expanding mana base intact. The deck heavily emphasizes land-based ramp and tutoring through cards like Circuitous Route, Crop Rotation, and Archdruid's Charm to quickly find crucial utility lands, particularly Gond Gate to negate tap-land tempo loss and Baldur's Gate for explosive mana generation. Guild Summit and Tatyova, Benthic Druid translate land drops into continuous card advantage. The deck peaks on Turn 7 with a game-winning Reshape the Earth or natural Maze's End activation, while retaining durable backup plans in Approach of the Second Sun, The World Tree, and large trampling threats.

Decklist (100 cards)

  • 1 Aclazotz, Deepest Betrayal // Temple of the Dead
  • 1 Anguished Unmaking
  • 1 Approach of the Second Sun
  • 1 Arcane Sanctum
  • 1 Archdruid's Charm
  • 1 Archway Angel
  • 1 Avacyn, Angel of Horror
  • 1 Azorius Guildgate
  • 1 Baldur's Gate
  • 1 Basilisk Gate
  • 1 Black Dragon Gate
  • 1 Blasphemous Act
  • 1 Boros Guildgate
  • 1 Captain Marvel, Apex Avenger
  • 1 Child of Alara
  • 1 Circuitous Route
  • 1 Citadel Gate
  • 1 Clever Concealment
  • 1 Cliffgate
  • 1 Command Tower
  • 1 Counterspell
  • 1 Crackling Perimeter
  • 1 Crop Rotation
  • 1 Darksteel Ingot
  • 1 Deadly Dispute
  • 1 Dimir Guildgate
  • 1 District Guide
  • 1 Dovin's Veto
  • 1 Eternal Witness
  • 1 Exotic Orchard
  • 1 Forest
  • 1 Gate Colossus
  • 1 Gatebreaker Ram
  • 1 Gatecreeper Vine
  • 1 Gatekeeper Gargoyle
  • 1 Gates Ablaze
  • 1 Gateway Plaza
  • 1 Gateway Sneak
  • 1 Gift of Immortality
  • 1 Glaive of the Guildpact
  • 1 Golgari Guildgate
  • 1 Gond Gate
  • 1 Greenside Watcher
  • 1 Gruul Guildgate
  • 1 Guild Summit
  • 1 Heap Gate
  • 1 Ignoble Hierarch
  • 1 Island
  • 1 Izzet Guildgate
  • 1 Journey to Eternity // Atzal, Cave of Eternity
  • 1 Lotus Ring
  • 1 Manor Gate
  • 1 Maze's End
  • 1 Momentous Fall
  • 1 Mountain
  • 1 Myojin of Roaring Blades
  • 1 Nasty End
  • 1 Negate
  • 1 Nine-Fingers Keene
  • 1 Noble Hierarch
  • 1 Not Dead After All
  • 1 Nylea's Intervention
  • 1 Nylea, God of the Hunt
  • 1 Nylea, Keen-Eyed
  • 1 Opulent Palace
  • 1 Oracle of Mul Daya
  • 1 Orzhov Guildgate
  • 1 Phyrexian Tower
  • 1 Plains
  • 1 Planar Nexus
  • 1 Profane Tutor
  • 1 Rakdos Guildgate
  • 1 Ramunap Excavator
  • 1 Reanimate
  • 1 Reshape the Earth
  • 1 Rhonas the Indomitable
  • 1 Riftsweeper
  • 1 Rise of the Dark Realms
  • 1 Sab-Sunen, Luxa Embodied
  • 1 Sage of the Maze
  • 1 Sandsteppe Citadel
  • 1 Savage Lands
  • 1 Sea Gate
  • 1 Seaside Citadel
  • 1 Selesnya Guildgate
  • 1 Simic Guildgate
  • 1 Skyclave Relic
  • 1 Sol Ring
  • 1 Solemn Simulacrum
  • 1 Swamp
  • 1 Swords to Plowshares
  • 1 Tatyova, Benthic Druid
  • 1 The Black Gate
  • 1 The World Tree
  • 1 Tiller Engine
  • 1 Titania's Command
  • 1 Undying Malice
  • 1 Utter End
  • 1 Venat, Heart of Hydaelyn // Hydaelyn, the Mothercrystal
  • 1 Zetalpa, Primal Dawn