Tech: You can return this land to your hand if you play Guildpact dual lands like Izzet Boilerworks or Planeshift lairs like Dromar's Cavern, since their CIP ability goes on the stack and resolves before City of Traitor's sacrifice effect. You could even sacrifice this land, if it is untapped, to Lotus Vale.
Posted By:
nammertime
(7/7/2010 4:21:48 PM)
@ Sironos, regarding flavor:
It's old, but if you've heard anything about Volrath's Stronghold on Rath, this is the city that was built below it to house his minions. These minions were traitors of their own people and moved here. If I remember, the city's population all fled when Volrath's Stronghold was invaded by the good guys (Eladamri, Lord of Leaves and his elf army).
It's supposed to represent Volrath The Fallen's minions abandoning the city. I guess to be more accurate, the card could have read "At the end of each turn, if you were attacked this turn, sacrifice City of Traitors."
If you compare the artwork from Volrath's Stronghold to this card, you can see how they fit together.
Posted By:
chrisAAMO
(10/12/2011 9:41:02 PM)
I love how this city must act based on the mechanic: "WHAT? Our planeswalker has learned of another land? Burn this city at once!" CIty of lealousy is more like it. Can anyone explain how the flavour of the mechanic really is?
Posted By:
Sironos
(12/20/2010 5:05:18 PM)
I regret having sold my copies years ago for, they're worth a lot more now especially with the mentioned bounce lands and CoW. Good card.
Posted By:
limbrooke
(1/25/2011 5:00:49 PM)
this card abilities fit the name of the card perfectly. 5stars
Posted By:
ItsSlaughteringTime
(10/24/2010 11:57:30 PM)
Further Tech: In a land-centric deck that runs the Crucible of Worlds engine, the drawback really no longer matters. Just play it early on, then bring it back as you see fit. Throw in Zuran Orb and Fastbond, and the drawback definitely no longer matters!
Posted By:
Lateralis0ne
(7/20/2010 8:37:47 AM)
In the late game, this is just brutal, letting you get the extra colorless to summon... say, Emrakul, the Aeons Torn?
More advice: Don't play in a landfall deck.
Posted By:
Weretarrasque
(6/29/2010 8:52:08 AM)
Andrew's Occasional Random Card of the Day #12 - 7/8/2011 - City of Traitors
This card really promotes early explosive plays. That's the type of game play that Wizards doesn't really print cards for anymore. Plan on winning on turn two or three using the extra mana generated from City of Traitors? Well, enjoy it in your legacy format, because you probably won't be seeing new cards like that. Even newer cards like Mox Opal that push the modern boundaries of fast mana encourage you to play more permanents, forcing you to spend more cards on your board position, rather than rewarding you for playing fewer lands and more expensive and powerful spells.
I think this card reads like a Spike card to most informed people today, but a less informed (on average) Magic population of the past might have seen this more as a Johnny card. And in a way it is. It has a pretty severe drawback, but with big potential. Figure out how to mitigate that drawback and... (see all)
Posted By:
fissionessence
(7/7/2011 10:30:28 PM)
"City of Traitors does not trigger on itself being played." lol
Posted By:
CovetousDragon
(5/25/2011 12:42:19 AM)
Perfect in combination with artifact mana, big creatures and Armageddon.
Posted By:
themicronaut
(5/22/2009 12:26:51 AM)