City of Traitors MTG Guide: The Two-Mana Land With a Sacrifice Clause
Prices from cards tracked on RareWell — updated daily. Last updated August 2, 2026. Format legality changes — verify against the current official banned & restricted list.
City of Traitors is a land from Exodus that taps for two colorless mana, but it must be sacrificed when you play another land. It accelerates powerful artifacts and colorless spells ahead of schedule, rewarding decks that can convert a temporary land advantage into a permanent lead.
Most lands produce one mana. City of Traitors produces two without requiring life, another permanent, or a setup turn. The drawback is delayed but severe: make a normal land drop later and the City sacrifices itself.
That design creates a card that is powerful, awkward, and strategically rich. The player must decide when the extra mana is worth constraining future land development.
How the sacrifice trigger works
City of Traitors has a triggered ability that triggers when you play another land. Playing a land is the special game action used for a normal land drop or an effect that explicitly lets you play additional lands.
Putting a land onto the battlefield without "playing" it does not necessarily trigger City of Traitors. The exact wording of the effect matters.
When the trigger resolves, City of Traitors is sacrificed. The controller can tap it for mana in response to the trigger, because the City remains on the battlefield until the trigger resolves.
Sequencing City of Traitors
A common pattern is to play ordinary lands first and City of Traitors as the final land needed for an explosive turn. If City arrives after the player has already used the turn's land play, it may survive until the next turn.
Another pattern is to use the City early, accept that the next land drop will sacrifice it, and gain a full turn of acceleration. The deck needs the accelerated spell to justify the temporary setback.
City is much worse when drawn in a hand that needs several colored sources. It is strongest in decks with low colored-mana requirements, artifact acceleration such as Grim Monolith and Mox Diamond, or a curve designed around two-mana lands.
City of Traitors and Ancient Tomb
City of Traitors and Ancient Tomb are often grouped as "sol lands" because they can produce two mana from one land. Their drawbacks differ.
Ancient Tomb can stay on the battlefield but deals damage when used for mana. City produces mana without life loss but threatens to sacrifice itself after another land is played.
That makes Ancient Tomb a repeatable resource and City a sequencing puzzle. Decks that value explosive openings may use both, often alongside other colorless-mana lands such as Crystal Vein and Eldrazi Temple.
Reserved List scarcity
City of Traitors is on the Reserved List, limiting ordinary reprint supply under the current official policy. It also has substantial play demand in formats and decks capable of using two colorless mana efficiently.
Those forces make it one of Exodus's marquee cards. Price still depends on format demand, broader collectible markets, and condition; Reserved List status is a supply constraint, not a promise of appreciation.
Condition and authenticity
City of Traitors was a tournament card. Many copies show shuffle wear, edge whitening, surface scratches, or bends. Because clean copies carry premiums, buyers should watch for inking and other attempts to improve apparent condition.
Use high-resolution front, back, edge, and angled-light images for expensive copies. A card's story is strongest when the collection record includes edition, condition, purchase history, and any professional grade.
City of Traitors printings tracked on RareWell
| Card | Set | Rarity | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| City of Traitors | Exodus | rare | $545 |
 City of Traitors | World Championship Decks 1999 | rare | $49 |
 City of Traitors | Legacy Championship | special | — |
 City of Traitors | Tempest Remastered | rare | — |
Frequently asked questions
- When do I sacrifice City of Traitors?
- Its ability triggers when you play another land. You sacrifice City when that trigger resolves.
- Can I tap City of Traitors before sacrificing it?
- Yes. You can respond to the sacrifice trigger by tapping it for mana.
- Does putting a land onto the battlefield trigger City of Traitors?
- Not always. The ability cares about playing a land. Effects that put a land directly onto the battlefield use different game actions.
- Is City of Traitors on the Reserved List?
- Yes.
- Why is City of Traitors expensive?
- It combines Reserved List supply limits, age, strong two-mana acceleration, and demand from players and collectors.