"Tricky Gate card" group

The Tricky Gate card group takes its name from Tricky Gate, the most recognizable card featuring this mechanic. As the best-known example of the effect, its name became associated with the entire group

Tricky Gate is a Copper Gate Card that fundamentally changes one of the game's core rules. Under normal circumstances, the Bakugan with the highest G-Power wins the battle. However, Tricky Gate reverses this rule, causing the Bakugan with the lowest G-Power to win instead.

Several variations of this effect were introduced later. These cards preserve the same core mechanic while adding additional conditions, typically restricting the effect to a specific type of Bakugan, Attribute, or battle situation. Despite these variations, they all belong to the Tricky Gate card group because they share the same defining mechanic.

Card list
Number	Image	Description
18/48		Basic example
5/15a		Basic example
6/15a		Basic example
20/48b		Basic example
17/48e		Basic example
17/48i		Basic example
17/48n		Basic example (the condition is flawed; see details here.)
17/48q-1		Basic example (the condition is flawed; see details here.)
17/48q-2		Basic example (the condition is flawed; see details here.)
20/48ah		Attribute exception example (the condition is flawed; see details here.)
21/48ah		Attribute exception example (the condition is flawed; see details here.)
22/48ah		Attribute exception example (the condition is flawed; see details here.)
18/48a		Basic example (the condition is flawed; see details here.)
18/48b		Attribute exception example (the condition is flawed; see details here.)
18/48c		Basic example (the condition is flawed; see details here.)
18/48d		Basic example (the condition is flawed; see details here.)
18/47e		Attribute exception example (the condition is flawed; see details here.)
18/48f		Basic example
18/48g-1		Basic example
20/48g-1		Bakugan type exception example
23/48g-1		Bakugan type exception example
17/48g-2		Basic example
17/48h		Basic example
19/48h		Bakugan type exception example
23/48h		Bakugan type exception example
17/24j		Basic example

Problem with Ambiguous Wording

It is also worth noting that some cards in this group suffer from ambiguous wording. Their effect does not always specify which G-Power value should be compared: the total G-Power, including all bonuses from Gate Cards, Ability Cards, and other effects, or the printed G-Power shown on the Bakugan itself. As a result, the effect of some cards can be interpreted in more than one way.

Problem Resolution

However, an analysis of all currently known cards in this group suggests that, whenever total G-Power is not explicitly specified, the intended comparison is most likely based on printed G-Power. This interpretation is supported by the European version of Needle's Eye, The Doom Trick, Fire Dodge, which explicitly refers to printed G-Power, as well as by the absence of any known cards whose wording contradicts this interpretation. Nevertheless, in the absence of an official clarification, this conclusion should be regarded as an interpretation based on the available evidence rather than a confirmed game rule.

"Gate Swap" group

The Gate Swap card group consists of cards whose defining mechanic is swapping a Gate Card in the arena with another Gate Card from a used pile.

Card list
Number	Image
11/15a
11/15a
48/48b
LG3
5/6a
26/48b
25/48ah

Problem with Gate Card Ownership

This creates an issue regarding who a Gate Card belongs to after it has been won by another player in a battle. For example, if a player loses their Gate Card to their opponent, the card is placed into the opponent’s used pile after the battle. At the same time, there are Ability Cards whose conditions require them to be played “on an opponent’s Gate Card.” This creates an ambiguity: is the Gate Card considered to belong to the opponent because they won it and it is now in their used pile, or does it still belong to its original owner? This distinction matters when determining whether abilities that specifically require an opponent’s Gate Card can be used on it.

Problem Resolution

According to FAQS UPDATED: 8.2011^[1], Section 1, “When I win a battle, do I get to keep my opponent's Bakugan or Gate Card forever?”, the answer clearly distinguishes between keeping a game piece and owning it. It states that after the game, all game pieces are returned to their owners, meaning that the player who won the piece was only allowed to keep it during the game, not become its owner. Therefore, “owner” refers to the person the game piece belongs to, while “keep” refers to retaining possession of it.