City of Traitors
Land
When you play another land, sacrifice this land.
: Add 
.
- CMC
- 0
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- C
- Rarity
- special
- Set
- Legacy Championship
- Price
- —
- EDHREC rank
- #1262
City of Traitors produces two colorless mana on turn one, which lets cEDH and fast-combo shells deploy commanders or high-impact spells a full turn ahead of schedule. The cost — losing the land when you play a second land — is almost irrelevant in decks like Dargo, the Shipwrecker // Tymna the Weaver that want to explode early and close fast; in fair decks it's a real tax, and you shouldn't run it there.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Dargo, the Shipwrecker // Tymna the Weaver
Dargo, the Shipwrecker // Tymna the Weaver is the canonical home — City of Traitors fuels a turn-one or turn-two Dargo by covering the bulk of his cost in a single land drop, and the deck churns through enough resources that the drawback barely registers.
Rograkh, Son of Rohgahh // Silas Renn, Seeker Adept
Rograkh, Son of Rohgahh // Silas Renn, Seeker Adept runs a zero-cost commander and wants to storm off with artifact mana as fast as possible; City of Traitors is exactly the kind of burst land that makes turn-one Rograkh followed by a combo piece realistic.
Malcolm, Keen-Eyed Navigator // Vial Smasher the Fierce
Malcolm, Keen-Eyed Navigator // Vial Smasher the Fierce plays a fast, spell-dense pirate shell where getting both halves online ahead of curve matters; City of Traitors accelerates into early commanders and the free spells that trigger Malcolm.
Lumra, Bellow of the Woods
Lumra, Bellow of the Woods wants to resolve a large commander and immediately begin looping land enters-the-battlefield triggers; City of Traitors provides the early mana spike to reach Lumra's cost before opponents can develop interaction.
Etali, Primal Conqueror
Etali, Primal Conqueror costs nine mana, so every acceleration piece counts; City of Traitors pairs with other fast-mana rocks to shave a critical turn off the timeline and get Etali attacking before the table can set up answers.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | not legal |
| pioneer | not legal |
| standard | not legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | not legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
In Commander, City of Traitors occupies a narrow but well-defined role: it belongs in cEDH and high-power fast-combo builds where the first two turns decide whether a line is live, not in the midrange or battlecruiser tables where the drawback compounds over a long game. Legacy is the other format where it matters, historically pairing with Ancient Tomb to power out Chalice of the Void, Sneak Attack, or Show and Tell on turn one — it's a staple there precisely because that format's clock is short enough that sacrificing long-term mana development is worth the explosive start. Vintage has access to Black Lotus and Moxen, which makes City of Traitors redundant in most builds. Oathbreaker is legal but seldom relevant given the smaller card pool and varied power levels.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Agatha of the Vile CauldronSilvanus's InvokerCity of Traitors
Infinite power and toughness for most creatures you control until end of turn; Infinite mana lands you control can produce; Infinite untap of lands you control
View on Commander Spellbook ↗Price Context
Current price
unknown tier
Pricing data for City of Traitors isn't available in the current feed, so check Scryfall or TCGPlayer for a live number — it has historically commanded a significant premium as a reserved-list land with genuine competitive demand in both Legacy and cEDH. If the price is a barrier, Ancient Tomb is the closest functional substitute at a fraction of the cost, though it deals damage rather than being conditional on land count.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
- Agatha of the Vile Cauldron
- Dargo, the Shipwrecker // Tymna the Weaver
- Rograkh, Son of Rohgahh // Silas Renn, Seeker Adept
- Malcolm, Keen-Eyed Navigator // Vial Smasher the Fierce
- Lumra, Bellow of the Woods
- Etali, Primal Conqueror
- Silvanus's Invoker
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.