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Tracking a Gatecrash-era Enchantment Across Sets

Blue has always loved the idea of shortcuts, but Way of the Thief sells the concept with a wink and a wave of the wand. Released in Gatecrash on February 1, 2013, this common Aura is a neat case study in how a single card can shape two very different kinds of gameplay: tempo-forward creature fights and Gate-themed synergies that texture the blue portion of a deck. At first glance, it’s a straightforward enchant—{3}{U} to enchant a creature, giving it +2/+2. But the real twist is the caveat: as long as you control a Gate, the enchanted creature can’t be blocked. That little line pulls you into a world where colorless gates, blue tempo, and evasive threats converge in a surprisingly elegant dance 🧙‍♂️🔥.

Card basics matter for print tracking here: Way of the Thief is an Enchantment — Aura with a mana cost of {3}{U} and a converted mana cost of 4. It’s colored blue, with the color identity of U, and appears in Gatecrash as a common rarity. The art, courtesy of Igor Kieryluk, captures that sense of misdirection and leverage that blue often wields—a perfect fit for a card that wants to bend blockers or slip past defenses. The flavor text—“A true shortcut isn't a way other people don't know; it's a way other people can't go.”—reads like a mini manifesto for how Gate-focused strategies want to win: not by brute force, but by making the path to victory too narrow for opponents to even attempt. The imagery and words align to remind players that in magic, shortcuts come at a cost and with a caveat, which is exactly what keeps a deck’s tempo honest ⚔️🎨.

From a design perspective, Way of the Thief slots into a curious niche. It’s an aura that bolsters the player’s board while punishing foes who fail to respect Gate-based threats. The enchanted creature gets +2/+2, a meaningful boost for a 4-mana aura, and the clause about blocking interacts with Gate-specific boards in a way that rewards setup and timing. In a Gatecrash draft or sealed environment, you can imagine this card becoming a late-game accelerant—pump a stalwart creature early with a Gate in play, and you’re pushing through damage as your opponent scrambles to answer a pair of blockers that just won’t come down 🧙‍♂️💎. In constructed formats like Modern or Commander, it remains a solid, if niche, tool for blue tempo and control lines that lean on Gate synergies for card advantage and pressure. It’s legal in Pioneer, Modern, Legacy, and Commander, among others, which speaks to its evergreen utility in the right shells 🔥.

Flavor text aside, the practical takeaway is that Way of the Thief rewards careful timing and synergy with Gate creatures. When you’ve established gates—whether through other Gatecrash cards or parity with colorless Gate stax elements—the enchanted creature becomes a moving threat that often forces your opponent to devote resources to halting one clock while you start another 🧙‍♂️🧭.

One of the most intriguing aspects of tracking a card’s print frequency is to observe how a common card in a themed set travels—or doesn’t travel—through the wider ecosystem. Way of the Thief has a single, notable print path: Gatecrash. The card shows up in both nonfoil and foil finishes, but there hasn’t been a later reprint in later primary sets like Return to Ravnica block revivals or Masters-style reprint tiers. The official data flags it as not reprinted, with its market data confirming relatively modest pricing—roughly a few dimes in nonfoil condition and a bit more for foil copies. This makes Way of the Thief a nice little snapshot of “how a common mythic or rare might drift through time” in a world where reprint cycles can pivot on the fortunes of Gate-focused content 🧵💎.

From a collector’s perspective, you’re not likely to chase this card for raw power in most formats, but you’re buying into a moment in MTG history. Gatecrash carried a distinct flavor of Gate synergy that many players remember fondly—an era where the color pie, keyword exhaust, and the mechanics of “gates” came to define an entire block. The card’s art, its modest price, and its ongoing legality in formats like Modern and Commander mean Way of the Thief remains a fun, workable inclusion for a blue deck that wants to lean into tempo and evasive play. And if you’re chasing a completed Gatecrash collection, this Aura is a small but telling piece of the puzzle 🧙‍♂️🎲.

Why print frequency matters for deckbuilding and collection goals

Short version: print frequency informs availability, which affects how a card ages in player minds and wallets. A Gatecrash common with a dedicated blocking-bypass clause may not appear in multiple reprints, but its impact on a build—especially in Gate-focused archetypes—can outlive several larger print runs. If you’re building a blue control or tempo shell that leverages Gates, Way of the Thief is a compact, value-oriented inclusion: you pay four mana, buff a creature, and open the path to unblocked aggression when gates are on the board. For casuals, it’s a neat pick-up-and-play card with a distinctive flavor line; for aficionados, it’s a clear example of how a single print can influence tone and strategy for years to come 🧙‍♂️🔥.

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