In the 2005-2006 season, points could be earned by actions such as attending official or club-hosted events, uploading info to their site, and reaching certain tournament placements, each of which would net you a couple hundred points
The Mega Lucario ex SIR and Mega Gardevoir ex SIR are also strong chase pulls
Gates are a kind of land in Magic: The Gathering that usually bring with them different mana types or strange effects
For players, this expansion laid the groundwork for a renewed metagame
Think of scenarios like this: you have enough mana to either play Gargoyle, or cast a mill spell that would result in seven or more total cards hitting the enemy graveyard
You skip the mana curve entirely, cheat out game-ending threats on turn two or three, and get to do it again when your stuff inevitably dies