City of Traitors MTG Card
1998-06-15 - Number 143
1999-08-04 - Number kb143a
2011-01-02 - Number 2019NA
2015-05-06 - Number 237
| Card sets | Released in 4 setsSee all |
| Rarity | Rare |
| Type | Land |
Text of card
If you play a land, sacrifice City of Traitors. oc T: Add two colorless mana to your mana pool.
"While we fought, the *il* surrendered." —Oracle *en*-Vec
Cards like City of Traitors
As a powerful land card in Magic: The Gathering, City of Traitors enables players to ramp up their mana resources significantly early in the game. It’s often compared to Ancient Tomb, a land that also produces two colorless mana, but while Ancient Tomb inflicts damage to its controller, City of Traitors does not. However, City of Traitors does present a constraint; it requires you to sacrifice it when another land comes into play under your control.
Crystal Vein offers a somewhat related effect, providing an immediate boost of two colorless mana upon sacrificing. While this does not come with the ongoing benefits or restrictions of City of Traitors, it can’t match the permanence of the mana acceleration unless sacrificed. Mana Vault is an artifact alternative that also ramps up your mana but comes at the cost of cumulative upkeep.
These nuanced differences highlight the unique position of City of Traitors within the MTG realm. It may pose a strategic hurdle with its landfall stipulation, but the potential for explosive plays and the lack of immediate drawbacks make it a valuable asset, especially in decks that capitalize on rapid, high-impact strategies.
Cards similar to City of Traitors by color, type and mana cost
Decks using this card
MTG decks using City of Traitors. Dig deeper into the strategy of decks, sideboard cards, list ideas and export to play in ARENA or MOL.
| # | Name | Format | Archetype | Event |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Mono-Red Prison | Legacy | Mono-Red Prison | Legacy Challenge 64 2024-05-05 |
 | Goblins | Legacy | Goblins | Legacy Challenge 32 2024-05-05 |
| R | Legacy | Legacy Challenge 64 2024-05-05 | |
| Painter | Legacy | Painter | Legacy Challenge 64 2024-05-05 |
 | Patchwork Stompy | Legacy | Patchwork Stompy | Legacy Preliminary 2024-05-06 (1) |
| U | Legacy | Legacy Challenge 32 2024-05-05 | |
| Boros Initiative | Legacy | Boros Initiative | Legacy Challenge 64 2024-05-05 |
| Creative Technique | Legacy | Creative Technique | Legacy Challenge 64 2024-05-05 |
| WRG | Legacy | Legacy Challenge 32 2024-05-05 | |
| Omni-Tell | Legacy | Omni-Tell | Legacy Challenge 64 2024-05-05 |
Card Pros
Card Advantage: The City of Traitors lets you maintain momentum by providing the necessary resources to play high-cost cards early on, keeping your hand free for other strategic moves. This can lead to a significant advantage as you deploy threats faster than your opponent.
Resource Acceleration: As a land that taps for two colorless mana, City of Traitors propels your gameplay by boosting your mana pool swiftly. This acceleration is paramount for casting influential spells or activating crucial abilities ahead of schedule, putting pressure on your adversary.
Instant Speed: While not a spell itself, City of Traitors enables instant speed interactions by providing ample mana without the need for preparation. The additional mana can be the difference in casting that game-changing instant or activating an ability at a moment’s notice, keeping your opponents always on their toes.
Card Cons
Land Sacrifice Trigger: The key downside to City of Traitors lies in its ability which triggers the sacrifice of this land when you play another land. This condition plays a crucial role in shaping your strategy, often requiring careful planning of land drops to avoid unwanted loss of mana resources.
Specific Mana Cost: City of Traitors generates two colorless mana, which can be restrictive. Decks that rely on colored mana for key spells may find the colorless mana less useful at critical moments, thereby limiting the card’s versatility in certain strategies.
Comparatively High Mana Value: Despite not having a traditional casting cost, City of Traitors can be considered high in mana value due to the opportunity cost. Its ability can set you back a land, potentially slowing your development compared to using lands that do not have such a significant drawback, especially in longer, drawn-out games.
Reasons to Include in Your Collection
Versatility: City of Traitors provides an exceptional mana boost, quickening your pace in any deck that strives to cast high-cost spells early in the game. This land is a boon for strategies that need a rapid mana surge without the wait.
Combo Potential: This card excels in decks that utilize land-sacrifice mechanics or benefit from playing additional lands. Its ability to be an instant mana accelerator can be paired with cards designed to skirt its downside, capitalizing on both its land subtype and mana-producing capability.
Meta-Relevance: In environments where speed is key, City of Traitors shines by allowing players to outpace their opponents. Its impact on legacy formats, where decks are finely tuned for efficiency, cannot be overstated. The inclusion of this city can be the difference between victory and defeat in high-stakes rounds.
How to beat
City of Traitors is a powerful land in Magic: The Gathering that can catapult a player far ahead by providing two colorless mana. Its downside, however, is the necessity to sacrifice it when another land enters your battlefield. This unique trait can be strategically leveraged by an opponent. For instance, employing land destruction or land bouncing effects to force a player to play another land can expedite the sacrifice of City of Traitors, thwarting their mana development.
Alternatively, you can target the accelerative nature of City of Traitors through counterplay. Cards that restrict land plays or abilities, such as suppression fields or stifling effects, work well. By manipulating the timing of your land drops or controlling the board state with spells that inhibit or remove lands, you can diminish the advantage gained from this powerful card.
Moreover, initiating aggressive plays that pressure a City of Traitors user to constantly develop their board is another method. This naturally leads them to play additional lands, which results in losing the beneficial terrain. Thus, understanding and interacting with the specific restrictions and triggers of City of Traitors is key to turning its strength into a vulnerability.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase City of Traitors MTG card by a specific set like Exodus and World Championship Decks 1999, 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 Traitors and other MTG cards:
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- eBay
- Card Kingdom
- Card Market
- Star City Games
- CoolStuffInc
- MTG Mint Card
- Hareruya
- Troll and Toad
- ABU Games
- Card Hoarder Magic Online
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Printings
The City of Traitors Magic the Gathering card was released in 4 different sets between 1998-06-15 and 2015-05-06. Illustrated by 2 different artists.
| # | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1998-06-15 | Exodus | EXO | 143 | 1997 | Normal | Black | Kev Walker | |
| 2 | 1999-08-04 | World Championship Decks 1999 | WC99 | kb143a | 1997 | Normal | Gold | Kev Walker | |
| 3 | 2011-01-02 | Legacy Championship | OLGC | 2019NA | 2015 | Normal | Black | Ralph Horsley | |
| 4 | 2015-05-06 | Tempest Remastered | TPR | 237 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Kev Walker |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where City of Traitors has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Premodern | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Predh | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering City of Traitors card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2004-10-04 | City of Traitors does not trigger on itself being played. |
| 2004-10-04 | City of Traitors does not trigger on lands that are put onto the battlefield without playing them. |