Floodgate

Floodgate was originally printed in the Urza's Saga expansion in 1998, serving as a tactical blue creature designed to punish opponents who overextended their board presence. The card belongs to a thematic cycle of cards from that era that explored mechanics centered on entering the battlefield, a concept that would become a cornerstone of Magic: The Gathering design. Its inclusion in the 2023 Dominaria Remastered set was intended to evoke the mechanical nostalgia of the late 1990s, offering players a curated trip through the history of the game's most iconic plane.

The art for the original Floodgate was created by veteran illustrator Randy Elliott, who utilized a distinct, moody aesthetic to represent the creature's disruptive nature. When it was revisited for Dominaria Remastered, the card retained its original mechanical function while benefiting from the updated frame treatments and high-quality printing processes characteristic of the Remastered series. The card is generally regarded as a niche but effective tool in limited formats, valued for its ability to clear the battlefield when the timing of its summon is managed correctly.