Maze's End is a unique land card in Magic: The Gathering that offers an alternative win condition, allowing a player to win the game instantly by collecting a specific number of different Gate lands.
Understanding Maze's End's Core Mechanic
Maze's End's primary function is to act as a land that can tap for colorless mana or use an activated ability to search for a Gate land. Its most critical aspect is its last ability, which provides a direct path to victory.
- Mana Ability: You can tap Maze's End to add one colorless mana (◊) to your mana pool.
- Win Condition Ability: For its activated ability, you pay one generic mana, tap Maze's End, and return it to your hand. When this ability resolves, you search your library for a Gate card, put it onto the battlefield, and then shuffle your library. Immediately after this, the game checks if you control ten or more Gates with different names. If you do, you win the game. This check happens regardless of whether you put a Gate onto the battlefield with the ability and only at the moment the ability fully resolves.
The Winning Condition Explained
The alternative win condition of Maze's End revolves entirely around the "Gate" land subtype. To win the game with Maze's End, you must meet a specific criterion:
- Ten or More Different Gates: You must control at least ten Gate lands that each have a unique name. For example, controlling two copies of Azorius Guildgate and eight other different Gates would not be enough; you would need ten Gates, each with its own distinct name, such as Azorius Guildgate, Boros Guildgate, Dimir Guildgate, etc.
When the ability of Maze's End resolves, the following sequence occurs:
- Search for a Gate: You search your library for a Gate card.
- Put Onto Battlefield: You put the chosen Gate card directly onto the battlefield.
- Shuffle: You shuffle your library.
- Win Check: Then, the game checks if you control ten or more Gates with different names. If this condition is met at that precise moment, you win the game. This check is crucial and happens only as the ability finishes resolving, not at any other time.
Why Gates?
Gates are a cycle of common non-basic lands, primarily from the Ravnica blocks, that enter the battlefield tapped. They provide colored mana, typically two specific colors. Examples include:
- Azorius Guildgate (provides White or Blue mana)
- Dimir Guildgate (provides Blue or Black mana)
- Rakdos Guildgate (provides Black or Red mana)
Their prevalence and the existence of exactly ten different two-color Gates make Maze's End a viable, albeit challenging, win condition.
Strategic Insights for Playing Maze's End
Utilizing Maze's End effectively requires careful deck construction and strategic play.
- Gate-Fetching: Your deck will heavily rely on cards that can search for basic lands, specific land types, or any land. Maze's End itself is a recursive fetch engine, allowing you to return it to hand and then replay it to find another Gate.
- Examples: Farseek, Growth Spiral, Sylvan Scrying, Expedition Map.
- Landfall Synergies: Since you're consistently playing lands (including Maze's End itself multiple times), cards with Landfall abilities can provide additional value.
- Defense and Stalling: A Maze's End deck typically needs to survive long enough to assemble its Gate collection. This means including defensive creatures, removal spells, and counterspells.
- Ramp: Accelerating your mana production helps you play more Gates and cast your defensive spells earlier.
- Protection for Gates: While individual Gates are expendable, losing many to land destruction can be devastating. Cards that protect your lands or retrieve them from the graveyard can be useful.
Common Gates Used with Maze's End
| Guildgate | Mana Colors |
|---|---|
| Azorius Guildgate | White, Blue |
| Boros Guildgate | Red, White |
| Dimir Guildgate | Blue, Black |
| Golgari Guildgate | Black, Green |
| Gruul Guildgate | Red, Green |
| Izzet Guildgate | Blue, Red |
| Orzhov Guildgate | White, Black |
| Rakdos Guildgate | Black, Red |
| Selesnya Guildgate | Green, White |
| Simic Guildgate | Green, Blue |
Important Rules Interactions
- Winning on Resolution: The win condition check only happens as Maze's End's activated ability resolves. This means opponents have a chance to respond to the ability (e.g., by destroying one of your Gates or Maze's End itself) before the check occurs.
- Return to Hand Cost: Returning Maze's End to your hand is part of the cost of activating the ability, so it happens immediately when you activate it, not when it resolves.
- Different Names: Emphasize that the Gates must have different names. Controlling ten copies of "Azorius Guildgate" will not trigger the win.
Maze's End offers a fun and challenging alternative win condition that rewards players for building a deck around the unique mechanics of Gate lands.
