Darksteel Citadel MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 15 setsSee all
RarityCommon
TypeArtifact Land
Abilities Indestructible

Key Takeaways

  1. Darksteel Citadel provides indestructibility, maintaining a strong board presence against removal.
  2. Increases artifact count immediately, enabling powerful artifact-based strategies.
  3. Lacks color versatility, which can be limiting for multicolored decks.

Text of card

Darksteel Citadel is indestructible. ("Destroy" effects and lethal damage don't destroy it.) : Add to your mana pool.

Panopticon, forge of the Darksteel Eye, home of Mirrodin's keeper.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Unlike many other lands, Darksteel Citadel offers resistance to common card removal strategies. Its indestructible nature ensures that it remains a consistent resource throughout the game, effectively providing a card advantage as it’s a land that’s difficult for opponents to deal with.

Resource Acceleration: As an artifact itself, Darksteel Citadel can contribute to strategies that rely on artifact synergy. This card can accelerate your game plan by enabling artifact count-dependent spells or abilities earlier in the match, often when it’s most critical.

Instant Speed: While Darksteel Citadel doesn’t function at instant speed, its unassuming entrance to the battlefield as a land translates to immediate utility. It’s ready to tap for mana or contribute to artifact synergies the moment it’s played, without tipping off opponents to your broader strategy and without waiting for summoning sickness to clear.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Darksteel Citadel does not directly impose a discard requirement on the player, but it’s important to note that its indestructible nature may not always protect against discard or exile effects which can specifically target land cards. In metagames where land destruction isn’t prevalent, its indestructible feature can be less impactful, possibly becoming an underutilized aspect of the card.

Specific Mana Cost: While Darksteel Citadel can be tapped for colorless mana, it does not provide any colored mana options. This can be a limiting factor in multicolored decks that require a diverse mana base to cast various spells. Decks that heavily rely on specific color combinations may find this artifact land less than ideal when looking to optimize their mana curve and color availability.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Darksteel Citadel enters the battlefield untapped, which is beneficial, however, it offers no additional mana ramp or color fixing. In an environment where the competition for land slots in a deck is fierce, some players might opt for utility lands that can accelerate their game plan or provide more flexibility, despite the resilience of the citadel.


Reasons to Include Darksteel Citadel in Your Collection

Versatility: Darksteel Citadel is an indestructible land that offers a reliable mana source in any game situation. It doesn’t come into play tapped, so it can be used right away, making it an excellent fit for various decks that require consistent mana without the drawback of entering the battlefield tapped.

Combo Potential: As an artifact itself, Darksteel Citadel works seamlessly with strategies that capitalize on artifact synergies. It feeds into mechanisms that count the number of artifacts you control and can be a robust enabler for artifact-themed combos.

Meta-Relevance: In a meta where artifact removal is prevalent, Darksteel Citadel’s indestructible nature makes it impervious to such strategies, ensuring you maintain your land count and mana availability throughout the game.


How to beat

Darksteel Citadel holds a unique position in the pantheon of land cards in Magic: The Gathering. Unlike other non-basic lands, it comes with the powerful trait of indestructibility, providing a robust foundation for artifact-based strategies and resilience against land destruction effects. However, this doesn’t mean it’s unbeatable. Strategies to overcome the strength of Darksteel Citadel focus on limiting its synergies rather than attempting outright removal.

Players dealing with Darksteel Citadel often employ methods that prevent or mitigate the effects of artifact synergies, such as Stony Silence or Karn, the Great Creator. These options restrict the abilities of artifacts, effectively counteracting the advantages that Darksteel Citadel might provide in an artifact-heavy deck. Another tactic is to employ land cards like Blood Moon, which can turn Darksteel Citadel into a basic Mountain, negating any tactical edge the citadel’s indestructibility and type synergy may offer.

By understanding the limitations and focusing on key strategies that target the deck’s mechanics as opposed to the land itself, players can mitigate the impact of Darksteel Citadel within the game’s landscape, without the need to resort to direct land destruction tactics that would typically be ineffective due to its indestructible nature.


Cards like Darksteel Citadel

Darksteel Citadel is a unique land in the vast world of MTG, providing an indestructible mana source. Comparable lands, such as Seat of the Synod, offer colored mana but lack the robustness that comes with Darksteel Citadel’s indestructibility. Seat of the Synod is part of a cycle of Artifact Lands, but it’s vulnerable to land destruction, whereas Darksteel Citadel stands resilient amidst mass removal effects.

Another similar card, Great Furnace, provides red mana and is also an artifact, which can be advantageous in decks that capitalize on artifact synergies. Nonetheless, it can’t match the durability of Darksteel Citadel. There’s also Ancient Den which functions similarly to Great Furnace but taps for white mana. Despite their differences, they both share that same fragility when pitted against Darksteel Citadel’s steadfast presence on the battlefield.

Assessing the landscape of comparable artifact lands, Darksteel Citadel’s unique indestructible property offers a clear strategic advantage. It’s a card that finds its strength not just in its ability to produce mana, but also in securing a robust footing, making it a favored option in artifact-centric strategies within the game.

Seat of the Synod - MTG Card versions
Great Furnace - MTG Card versions
Ancient Den - MTG Card versions
Seat of the Synod - Mirrodin (MRD)
Great Furnace - Mirrodin (MRD)
Ancient Den - Mirrodin (MRD)

Cards similar to Darksteel Citadel by color, type and mana cost

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Ornithopter - MTG Card versions
Jeweled Amulet - MTG Card versions
Zuran Orb - MTG Card versions
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Claws of Gix - MTG Card versions
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Mox Opal - MTG Card versions
Chalice of the Void - MTG Card versions
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Everflowing Chalice - MTG Card versions
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Engineered Explosives - MTG Card versions
Chimeric Mass - MTG Card versions
Chrome Mox - MTG Card versions
Turbo-Thwacking Auto-Hammer - MTG Card versions
Division Table - MTG Card versions
Rapid Prototyper - MTG Card versions
Black Lotus - Collectors' Edition (CED)
Ornithopter - Dominaria Remastered (DMR)
Jeweled Amulet - Masters Edition II (ME2)
Zuran Orb - Pro Tour Collector Set (PTC)
Phyrexian Marauder - Visions (VIS)
Claws of Gix - Urza's Saga (USG)
Mana Crypt - Judge Gift Cards 2011 (G11)
Mox Opal - Double Masters (2XM)
Chalice of the Void - Judge Gift Cards 2019 (J19)
Orochi Hatchery - Champions of Kamigawa (CHK)
Tormod's Crypt - Friday Night Magic 2008 (F08)
Mox Diamond - From the Vault: Relics (V10)
Everflowing Chalice - Tales of Middle-earth Commander (LTC)
Memnite - Duel Decks: Mirrodin Pure vs. New Phyrexia (TD2)
Engineered Explosives - Modern Masters (MMA)
Chimeric Mass - Modern Masters 2015 (MM2)
Chrome Mox - Double Masters (2XM)
Turbo-Thwacking Auto-Hammer - Unstable (UST)
Division Table - Unstable (UST)
Rapid Prototyper - Unstable (UST)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Darksteel Citadel MTG card by a specific set like Darksteel and World Championship Decks 2004, 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 Darksteel Citadel and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Darksteel Citadel Magic the Gathering card was released in 15 different sets between 2004-02-06 and 2022-11-18. Illustrated by 2 different artists.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12004-02-06DarksteelDST 1642003normalblackJohn Avon
22004-09-01World Championship Decks 2004WC04 mb1642003normalgoldJohn Avon
32014-07-18Magic 2015M15 2422015normalblackJohn Avon
42014-11-07Commander 2014C14 2902015normalblackJohn Avon
52015-05-22Modern Masters 2015MM2 2382015normalblackJohn Avon
62016-11-11Commander 2016C16 2882015normalblackJohn Avon
72018-06-08Commander Anthology Volume IICM2 2432015normalblackJohn Avon
82018-08-09Commander 2018C18 2412015normalblackJohn Avon
92019-11-07Mystery BoosterMB1 16622015normalblackJohn Avon
102019-12-02Secret Lair DropSLD 6082015normalborderlessDXTR
112020-08-07Double Masters2XM 3152015normalblackJohn Avon
122020-09-26The ListPLST MM2-2382015normalblackJohn Avon
132021-04-23Commander 2021C21 2852015normalblackJohn Avon
142022-07-28Explorer Anthology 1EA1 202015normalblackJohn Avon
152022-11-18The Brothers' War CommanderBRC 1801997normalblackJohn Avon

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Darksteel Citadel has restrictions

FormatLegality
HistoricbrawlLegal
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderLegal
OathbreakerLegal
GladiatorLegal
PioneerLegal
CommanderLegal
ModernLegal
PauperLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
ExplorerLegal
PredhLegal
TimelessLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2014-07-18 Although Darksteel Citadel is an artifact, it can't be cast as a spell. Playing it follows the normal rules for playing a land.

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