Unholy Citadel MTG Card

Rarity	Uncommon
Type	Land
Released	1994-06-01
Set symbol
Set name	Legends
Set code	LEG
Number	309
Frame	1993
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Mark Poole

Key Takeaways

Unholy Citadel offers consistent mana without entering tapped, fueling card advantage and resource acceleration.
Its rigid color requirement and sacrifice mechanic can limit deck-building flexibility and battlefield presence.
Crucial for black-centric decks, it serves as an invaluable asset in the right MTG metagame.

Text of card

All your black legends gain bands with other legends.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Unholy Citadel does not inherently provide card draw, but as a land, it offers a consistent source of mana which can support spells and abilities that lead to card advantage. Its dual mana capacity can be crucial in casting key spells that allow for drawing or tutoring additional cards persistently throughout a game.

Resource Acceleration: This powerful land contributes to resource acceleration in decks that thrive on a diverse mana base. By providing both black and white mana in a single land drop, it enables quicker access to multicolored spells, effectively speeding up your gameplay and allowing you to outpace your opponents.

Instant Speed: While Unholy Citadel doesn’t operate at instant speed, its untapped mana can be pivotal in casting instant-speed spells. Having access to both colors of mana without entering the battlefield tapped ensures that you always have the necessary resources available to react to your opponents’ moves, especially during crucial combat phases or in response to threats.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Unholy Citadel necessitates that you sacrifice a creature whenever you wish to tap it for mana, which could be challenging when your battlefield presence is crucial for maintaining control.

Specific Mana Cost: The card’s requirement for both black and white mana restricts its use to decks that run these colors, potentially limiting flexibility for players who prefer mono-colored or other multicolored combinations.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost that includes two types of mana and comes into play tapped, Unholy Citadel can be considered quite costly, especially when compared to other lands in the game that may provide mana immediately or offer additional benefits.

Reasons to Include Unholy Citadel in Your Collection

Versatility: Unholy Citadel is an asset to any deck seeking mana fixing for black-heavy spells. Its capability to tap for black mana without causing life loss places it optimally in decks that rely on a high volume of black mana for strategy execution.

Combo Potential: As a land that’s also a Swamp with no downsides, Unholy Citadel slots into strategies that benefit from type-specific synergies, such as those using cards like Tainted Pact or Crypt Ghast to significantly expand options for creating powerful combinations.

Meta-Relevance: In a format where black spells are dominant or essential, Unholy Citadel provides consistent mana support. It can be particularly useful in Commander, where having access to multiple colors of mana while emphasizing one color can be critical to the deck’s functionality.

How to beat

Unholy Citadel is a unique land card that can be a thorn in the side of many MTG players. The card allows for a boost in the power of legendary black creatures, making an opponent’s formidable force even more intimidating. However, there are strategies to tackle this land and mitigate its influence on the game.

One effective approach is to use land destruction or land alteration cards. These can either change Unholy Citadel into a more benign land type or remove it from play entirely. Another tactic is to focus on reducing the number of black creatures or their combat effectiveness. This can be done through cards that force the opponent to sacrifice creatures or by using enchantments that neutralize the abilities and combat enhancements provided by Unholy Citadel.

Suppressing the benefits that Unholy Citadel provides requires timely intervention and a carefully curated deck. By emphasizing control elements and staying ahead of your opponent’s board development, you can make Unholy Citadel far less threatening. Keep these strategies in mind, and you will increase your odds of emerging victorious even when facing the daunting power of Unholy Citadel.

Cards like Unholy Citadel

Unholy Citadel is a unique land in the MTG realm, resembling the dual lands family which offer two types of mana with a particular twist. Similar in vein to cards like Badlands, which provide both red and black mana without a life cost, Unholy Citadel differentiates itself by granting 1 black mana or 2 black mana if you pay 2 life. This can be a significant advantage, especially in a format like Commander where life totals start higher.

Looking to other lands with painful trade-offs, we can consider City of Brass, which also offers flexible mana at the cost of life, but unlike Unholy Citadel, it is not restricted to a single color. Furthermore, Unholy Citadel stands alongside cards such as Vault of the Archangel, which offers utility beyond mere mana generation, though Vault doesn’t cause life loss but instead consumes mana to use its ability. The value of Unholy Citadel can be measured in decks that capitalize on high black mana demands where the life payment is a negligible downside for its mana acceleration potential.

Therefore, while weighing the benefits of similar cards, Unholy Citadel holds a place for players embracing the life-for-resources paradigm, integrating itself well within strategies that value the swift availability of black mana in MTG.

Vault of the Archangel - MTG Card versions

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

Terramorphic Expanse - MTG Card versions

Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Unholy Citadel MTG card by a specific set like Legends, 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 Unholy Citadel and other MTG cards: