City of Death MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost3
RarityRare
TypeEnchantment — Saga
Abilities Treasure

Key Takeaways

  1. City of Death provides deck cycling, offering timely access to essential cards for strategic advantage.
  2. The card enables accelerated mana production, potentially leading to earlier and more impactful plays.
  3. Its instant speed actions maximize flexibility and adaptability during dynamic gameplay situations.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase City of Death MTG card by a specific set like Doctor Who and Doctor Who, there are several reliable options to consider. One of the primary sources is your local game store, where you can often find booster packs, individual cards, and preconstructed decks from current and some past sets. They often offer the added benefit of a community where you can trade with other players.

For a broader inventory, particularly of older sets, online marketplaces like TCGPlayer, Card Kingdom and Card Market offer extensive selections and allow you to search for cards from specific sets. Larger e-commerce platforms like eBay and Amazon also have listings from various sellers, which can be a good place to look for sealed product and rare finds.

Additionally, Magic’s official site often has a store locator and retailer lists for finding Wizards of the Coast licensed products. Remember to check for authenticity and the condition of the cards when purchasing, especially from individual sellers on larger marketplaces.

Below is a list of some store websites where you can buy the City of Death and other MTG cards:

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Text of card

(As this Saga enters and after your draw step, add a lore counter. Sacrifice after VI.) I — Create a Treasure token. II, III, IV, V, VI — Create a token that's a copy of target non-Saga token you control.


Card Pros

Delving into the strategic benefits of the City of Death card in your MTG arsenal can be a game-changer, and here’s why:

Card Advantage: When City of Death enters the battlefield, its unique ability to churn through your deck presents an invaluable opportunity to discover the key components to dominate your match. The ability to sift through your cards and select the perfect one can mean the difference between a win and a loss, especially in tight situations where strategy is paramount.

Resource Acceleration: Amidst the roar of the battleground, resource management is crucial for timely plays. City of Death excels in this area by offering resource acceleration that can give you the upper hand. With its potent ability to ramp up your mana, you can deploy your threats faster or have the necessary means for crucial spell casts when it matters most.

Instant Speed: The versatility of City of Death is also evident in its capacity to function at instant speed. This feature allows you to adapt seamlessly to the evolving battlefield, making your strategic plays unpredictable and more effective. You can wait for the opportune moment to use City of Death’s abilities, ensuring you’re always one step ahead of the adversary.

Understanding these aspects of the City of Death card can usher in a new level of play, as you weave these advantages into your MTG strategy for ultimate deck mastery.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: The City of Death card asks players to discard another card as part of its activation. This can be particularly burdensome when your hand is running low and every card counts, potentially depriving you of crucial plays later in the game.

Specific Mana Cost: This card demands a precise blend of mana colors that may not align with all deck strategies. If your build doesn’t support the mana requirements, the card could end up as a dead draw, unable to be played when you need it most.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Carrying a notable mana value to get onto the battlefield, City of Death may not compare favorably with other options in your arsenal. Players often seek lower-cost alternatives that can fulfill a similar role without taxing their mana resources as heavily, allowing for a more efficient curve and gameplay.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: City of Death boasts a flexible nature that allows it to be integrated into a variety of deck archetypes. This utility makes it a valuable asset for players looking to adapt to different gameplay situations.

Combo Potential: This card can serve as a pivotal piece in setting up powerful combinations with other cards, potentially unlocking new strategies and enhancing existing ones.

Meta-Relevance: With the ever-shifting MTG landscape, the strategic impact of City of Death can be significant, especially in formats where graveyard manipulation or control strategies are prevalent.


How to Beat City of Death

City of Death in MTG stands out as a formidable card that can put many players on the defensive. Its ability to leverage graveyard resources elevates its strategic value, making it a target for removal in any game. To successfully navigate against this card, a focus on graveyard disruption is key. Cards like Tormod’s Crypt offer a zero-cost solution to purge an opponent’s graveyard, rendering City of Death far less effective.

Another strategy is to employ spell-based removal such as Feed the Swarm or Disenchant to directly deal with City of Death when it hits the battlefield. Speed is of the essence; the sooner you can address this threat, the better your chances of reducing its impact on the game. Moreover, counter spells like Negate or Dovin’s Veto can prevent City of Death from ever taking effect, provided you have them ready at the right moment.

Ultimately, maintaining a flexible approach to counter your opponent’s threats while staying aware of graveyard-based strategies can help ensure that City of Death doesn’t become the demise of your match outcome.


BurnMana Recommendations

Given the strategic depth the City of Death brings to the table, enhancing your MTG deck with this card could lead to new victorious heights. As we dissected its pros and cons, we learned that while the card possesses powerful abilities that advance your gameplay, it also demands keen awareness of hand management and precise mana balancing. If you’re seeking to refine your deck and are curious about integrating City of Death or similar strategic cards into your MTG universe, we encourage you to explore further. Embrace the nuanced tactics that come with such a dynamic card and join us to uncover more insights that could redefine your journey to becoming an adept MTG strategist.


Cards like City of Death

City of Death stakes its claim within the pantheon of powerful land cards in Magic: The Gathering. It invites comparisons to legendary lands like Cabal Coffers, which is renowned for its ability to exponentially increase your black mana pool based on the number of swamps you control. While City of Death doesn’t amplify mana in the same vein, it does offer a unique set of strategic benefits through its graveyard interaction.

Exploring further, we encounter Phyrexian Tower. Much like City of Death, this land provides a sac outlet that can be pivotal for certain MTG strategies. The Tower gives you immediate access to black mana but lacks the element of graveyard manipulation that City of Death provides. Another peer in this sphere is High Market. It presents a sac outlet without the cost of losing any life but doesn’t yield the potent benefit of returning creatures to the battlefield that City of Death potentially offers.

Through examining City of Death alongside its counterparts, its unique role becomes clear. It may not pump out vast amounts of mana like Cabal Coffers or give instant mana boosts like Phyrexian Tower, but its ability to recur creatures from the graveyard makes it an interesting tactical choice for deck builders in Magic: The Gathering.

Cabal Coffers - MTG Card versions
Phyrexian Tower - MTG Card versions
High Market - MTG Card versions
Cabal Coffers - MTG Card versions
Phyrexian Tower - MTG Card versions
High Market - MTG Card versions

Cards similar to City of Death by color, type and mana cost

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Raking Canopy - MTG Card versions
Fyndhorn Pollen - MTG Card versions
Kudzu - MTG Card versions
Wanderlust - MTG Card versions
Maddening Wind - MTG Card versions
Cycle of Life - MTG Card versions
Hall of Gemstone - MTG Card versions
Dense Foliage - MTG Card versions
Momentum - MTG Card versions
Ancestral Mask - MTG Card versions
Broken Fall - MTG Card versions
Lure - MTG Card versions
Food Chain - MTG Card versions
Howling Moon - MTG Card versions
The Dragon-Kami Reborn // Dragon-Kami's Egg - MTG Card versions
Squirrel Nest - MTG Card versions
Alpha Status - MTG Card versions
Lifegift - MTG Card versions
Blanchwood Armor - MTG Card versions
Rites of Flourishing - MTG Card versions
Raking Canopy - MTG Card versions
Fyndhorn Pollen - MTG Card versions

Printings

The City of Death Magic the Gathering card was released in 1 different sets between 2023-10-13 and 2023-10-13. Illustrated by Miklós Ligeti.

#ReleasedNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12023-10-13Doctor WhoWHO 7042015SagaBlackMiklós Ligeti
22023-10-13Doctor WhoWHO 992015SagaBlackMiklós Ligeti

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where City of Death has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal

Rules and information

The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering City of Death card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.

Date Text
2023-10-13 Any enters-the-battlefield abilities of the copied token will trigger when the token enters the battlefield. Any "as
-his permanent] enters the battlefield" or "
-his permanent] enters the battlefield with" abilities of the chosen token will also work.
2023-10-13 If the copied token has in its mana cost, X is considered to be 0.
2023-10-13 If the copied token is copying something else (for example, if the copied token is one previously created by this ability), then the token enters the battlefield as whatever that token copied.
2023-10-13 The token you create copies the original characteristics of the token as stated by the effect that created that token, (unless that token is copying something else; see below). It doesn't copy whether that token is tapped or untapped, whether it has any counters on it or Auras and Equipment attached to it, or any non-copy effects that have changed its power, toughness, types, color, or so on.