City of Shadows MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 2 setsSee all
RarityRare
TypeLand

Key Takeaways

  1. City of Shadows offers unique mana generation, requiring sacrifices while providing an indefinite ramp resource.
  2. Its strategic utility shines in longer games, becoming stronger with each creature exiled under its effect.
  3. City of Shadows is more than a land card, it’s a game-changing asset in decks designed around token generation.

Text of card

oc T: Sacrifice one of your creatures, but remove it from the game instead of placing it in your graveyard. Put a counter on City of Shadows. oc T: Add X colorless mana to your mana pool, where X is the number of counters on City of Shadows.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: City of Shadows MTG grows in power as it steadily eases any potential resource scarcity. Each time a creature is exiled, the card’s versatility expands, providing an invaluable advantage in the middle or late stages of the game.

Resource Acceleration: A unique land card, City of Shadows offers a vivid demonstration of resource acceleration. Through its ability to add storage counters, you gain a progressive increase in mana generation over time, earmarking it as a pivotal element in strategy decks centered on mana intensification.

Instant Speed: While not technically an instant spell, the ability to utilize City of Shadows’ powers without the constraints of turn restrictions enhances adaptability during gameplay. The capacity to exile at will allows on-the-fly adjustments, spotlighting the card’s significance in resource management and tactical maneuvers.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While playing with City of Shadows, be mindful of its unique feature which requires you to remove a creature you control from the game. This discard requirement can impose a significant drawback when your deck is running low on creatures.

Specific Mana Cost: One of the critical aspects to consider about City of Shadows is its devoid colour identity. It means you’ll have to pay two colourless mana, which may impose limitations to its application, making it better suited for certain deck types.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Although City of Shadows offers a distinct benefit of adding mana to your pool, it comes at a high price. It gradually powers up, relying on your ability to consistently sacrifice creatures. However, in the world of Magic the Gathering, there are alternative cards that provide more mana generation efficiency without such stringent requirements.


Reasons to Include City of Shadows in Your Collection

Versatility: City of Shadows offers a unique dynamic to a multitude of decks. Its capacity to remove creatures from the game, while simultaneously accumulating charge counters, grants expansive mana production capabilities to players.

Combo Potential: The inbuilt synergy of City of Shadows allows for astonishing combinations. Its ability to create mana can be a vital component in strategies that need large amounts of resources, instigating compelling game-changing moments.

Meta-Relevance: With a game environment often dominated by creature heavy strategies, City of Shadows gains significance. Its creature removal aspect combined with mana generation makes it an intriguing choice in the current meta, providing players with a viable counter-strategy.


How to beat

City of Shadows, an enigmatic land card in MTG, indeed poses significant challenges to players. Displaying an uncanny ability to remove creatures and amass ‘shadow counters,’ this card contributes to sizeable mana generation as the game progresses, a strategic advantage for the handler. But there are efficient ways to neutralize or even exploit this advantage.

Among these approaches is utilizing land destruction cards which can simply destroy City of Shadows before it escalates in power. Cards such as Ghost Quarter or Field Of Ruin are excellent choices for this. Exiling is another effective strategy. With cards like Planar Cleansing or Merciless Eviction, the whole battlefield could be swept clean, including City of Shadows.

One ingenious tactic could be to use your opponent’s City of Shadows against them. Cards designed to take control of target lands, like Annex or Agent of Treachery, can turn City of Shadows’ power into your favor.Rendering City of Shadows obsolete is not an easy feat, but with strategic card plays and a little tactical thinking, its shadows can indeed be lifted.


Conclusion

In conclusion, mastering the depth of Magic the Gathering is an ongoing quest that blends strategic thinking with the excitement of exploration. Whether you’re refining your deck or scouting for the next pivotal card, every moment offers the chance to sharpen your skills. The MTG realm is vast and full of opportunities to gain the upper hand. Consider each match not just a singular event, but a step in a grander campaign. We encourage you to deepen your engagement with the game, expanding your knowledge and discovering new strategies. Dive deeper into the MTG lore with us, and let’s work together to conquer the competition and claim your victories.


Cards like City of Shadows

City of Shadows is a unique land card in Magic: The Gathering and bears comparison to cards like Maze of Ith and Glacial Chasm. These cards do not tap for mana the traditional way, but offer hefty trade-offs. For example, Maze of Ith doesn’t produce any mana but provides a defensive mechanism, pulling a creature out of combat, while Glacial Chasm prevents all damage to you at the expense of a life each turn and having to sacrifice a land.

Where City of Shadows shines is in its ability to incrementally generate a vast amount of colorless mana. This resembles lands like Temple of the False God or Ancient Tomb; however, the mechanism to generate mana is entirely different. You need to use creatures cautiously, sacrificing them to boost City of Shadows’ power, creating a strategic complexity of using creatures as a resource.

Therefore, although there are similar lands in Magic: The Gathering, City of Shadows stands out through its unique sacrifice-to-gain mechanic. It may not be a quick mana producer like Ancient Tomb, but in the right deck, City of Shadows can become a powerful asset, intensifying gameplay and tactically leveraging your creatures.

Maze of Ith - MTG Card versions
Glacial Chasm - MTG Card versions
Temple of the False God - MTG Card versions
Ancient Tomb - MTG Card versions
Maze of Ith - The Dark (DRK)
Glacial Chasm - Ice Age (ICE)
Temple of the False God - Scourge (SCG)
Ancient Tomb - Tempest (TMP)

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

Cathedral of Serra - MTG Card versions
Mishra's Factory - MTG Card versions
Griffin Canyon - MTG Card versions
Ice Floe - MTG Card versions
Ghost Town - MTG Card versions
Urza's Mine - MTG Card versions
City of Brass - MTG Card versions
Bloodstained Mire - MTG Card versions
Zoetic Cavern - MTG Card versions
Grixis Panorama - MTG Card versions
Rupture Spire - MTG Card versions
Terramorphic Expanse - MTG Card versions
Tectonic Edge - MTG Card versions
Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx - MTG Card versions
Buried Ruin - MTG Card versions
Wasteland - MTG Card versions
Eldrazi Temple - MTG Card versions
Maze of Ith - MTG Card versions
Homeward Path - MTG Card versions
Arid Mesa - MTG Card versions
Cathedral of Serra - Legends (LEG)
Mishra's Factory - Dominaria Remastered (DMR)
Griffin Canyon - Visions (VIS)
Ice Floe - Fifth Edition (5ED)
Ghost Town - Tempest (TMP)
Urza's Mine - Masters Edition IV (ME4)
City of Brass - World Championship Decks 2002 (WC02)
Bloodstained Mire - World Championship Decks 2003 (WC03)
Zoetic Cavern - Future Sight (FUT)
Grixis Panorama - Commander 2013 (C13)
Rupture Spire - Magic Online Theme Decks (TD0)
Terramorphic Expanse - Commander 2018 (C18)
Tectonic Edge - Zendikar Expeditions (EXP)
Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx - Theros (THS)
Buried Ruin - Commander 2014 (C14)
Wasteland - Zendikar Rising Expeditions (ZNE)
Eldrazi Temple - Duel Decks: Zendikar vs. Eldrazi (DDP)
Maze of Ith - Eternal Masters (EMA)
Homeward Path - Judge Gift Cards 2017 (J17)
Arid Mesa - Modern Masters 2017 (MM3)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase City of Shadows MTG card by a specific set like The Dark and Masters Edition III, 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 Shadows and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The City of Shadows Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 1994-08-01 and 2009-09-07. Illustrated by Tom Wänerstrand.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
11994-08-01The DarkDRK 1161993normalblackTom Wänerstrand
22009-09-07Masters Edition IIIME3 2061997normalblackTom Wänerstrand

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where City of Shadows has restrictions

FormatLegality
OldschoolLegal
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2004-10-04 The storage counters aren’t removed when you activate the mana ability.
2009-10-01 You can activate City of Shadows’s second ability while it has no storage counters on it, though it won’t add any mana to your mana pool in this case. You did not tap it for mana, though, in case any abilities (such as the ability of a Fertile Ground enchanting it) care about that.

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