Seaside Citadel MTG Card


Offers diverse mana options for Bant-colored decks, aiding in smooth spell casting and strategy fulfillment. Entrance as a tapped land introduces a speed cost, affecting early game tempo and requiring strategic play. Amplifies multicolor deck consistency but less helpful in decks needing red or black mana sources.
Card setsReleased in 19 setsSee all
RarityUncommon
TypeLand

Text of card

Seaside Citadel comes into play tapped. : Add , , or to your mana pool.

For wisdom's sake, it was built high to gaze on all things. For glory's sake, it was built high as a testament of power. For strength's sake, it was built high to repel all attacks.


Cards like Seaside Citadel

Seaside Citadel occupies a unique space in Magic: The Gathering as a land card that has the potential to provide color fixing for decks playing with White, Blue, and Green mana. It mirrors the functionality of lands such as Jungle Shrine, which also enters the battlefield tapped but caters to Red instead of Blue. Seaside Citadel allows for a smoother mana curve in ‘Bant’ colored decks, which is critical for multi-colored strategies.

Looking at other tri-colored lands, we find Opal Palace which can add mana of any color but also supports Commander play by providing additional benefits for casting your Commander. Conversely, Seaside Citadel does not offer such incremental advantages but does not require mana to tap for one of its three colors. Similarly, Arcane Sanctum serves the Esper deck archetype, providing the same mana flexibility for a different color trio. While it offers no added effects, the nonrestrictive mana access is invaluable for players creating a diverse spell repertoire.

In essence, when evaluating Seaside Citadel against similar MTG cards, its contribution lies in enabling a consistent and diverse mana base for Bant decks looking to deploy a wide array of spells without worrying about the color requirements.

Jungle Shrine - MTG Card versions
Opal Palace - MTG Card versions
Arcane Sanctum - MTG Card versions
Jungle Shrine - MTG Card versions
Opal Palace - MTG Card versions
Arcane Sanctum - MTG Card versions

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Aysen Abbey - MTG Card versions
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Card Pros

Card Advantage: Seaside Citadel doesn’t directly provide card draw, but by ensuring land drops combine three colors of mana, it can indirectly lead to greater card efficiency. This lets players utilize a wider variety of spells in their hand without being limited by color requirements.

Resource Acceleration: While Seaside Citadel enters the battlefield tapped, it compensates by offering mana acceleration in the form of access to three different colors. This enables players to cast spells ahead of the curve by effectively expanding their mana base’s versatility.

Instant Speed: Although Seaside Citadel isn’t played at instant speed, its ability to tap for three different mana types supports the casting of instant speed spells by ensuring that mana requirements are met, regardless of the color needed.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While Seaside Citadel does not have a discard requirement itself, playing this card might necessitate holding onto other cards to ensure a balanced mana base, potentially causing a slowdown in your hand if you’re waiting to draw into the right colors.

Specific Mana Cost: Seaside Citadel can be restrictive due to its exact mana output, offering only white, blue, or green mana. This makes it less compatible with decks that also require red or black mana, limiting its versatility in multi-color decks.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Entering the battlefield tapped means you’re essentially paying a mana cost in terms of speed. This delay can be significant, especially compared to other land options that may offer immediate mana access or additional benefits upon entering the battlefield.


Reasons to Include Seaside Citadel in Your Collection

Versatility: Seaside Citadel shines in multicolored decks by ensuring you have the right mana at the right time. Its ability to tap for white, blue, or green mana makes it a must-have for any deck running these colors, allowing for smooth early-game development and seamless casting of key spells.

Combo Potential: This land is ideal for setting up game-winning combos by smoothing mana issues, ensuring the necessary colors are available when you need them. Its inclusion can be the linchpin in executing complex strategies without being hindered by color restrictions.

Meta-Relevance: In a game where the mana base can make or break your strategy, Seaside Citadel holds its ground. It provides consistent color fixing, which is critical in formats such as Commander, where decks tend to run multiple colors and seek efficiency in their mana sources.


How to beat

Seaside Citadel can be a valuable asset for players running multicolor decks in Magic: The Gathering, particularly those that encompass the Bant colors (White, Blue, Green). Its ability to tap for any of these colors without any additional cost makes it a reliable source of mana fixing. However, one strategy for overcoming a deck that utilizes Seaside Citadel is to implement land disruption. Targeted land destruction or cards that restrict the use of nonbasic lands can hinder a player’s ability to harness the Citadel’s full potential. Cards such as Ghost Quarter or Field of Ruin can assist in removing Seaside Citadel from play, thereby disrupting your opponent’s mana base and tempo.

Another approach is to leverage the speed disadvantage that comes with Seaside Citadel entering the battlefield tapped. Aggressive decks can take advantage of this by establishing a strong board presence before the Citadel can be used for mana. By applying pressure early in the game, you may be able to outpace a player reliant on Seaside Citadel, ensuring they won’t have the time to stabilize with their multicolor resources. Thus, through land disruption or rapid assault, there are effective ways to challenge and beat decks that include Seaside Citadel.


Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Seaside Citadel MTG card by a specific set like Shards of Alara and Magic Online Theme Decks, 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 Seaside Citadel and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Seaside Citadel Magic the Gathering card was released in 18 different sets between 2008-10-03 and 2024-02-09. Illustrated by 2 different artists.

#ReleasedNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12008-10-03Shards of AlaraALA 2292003NormalBlackVolkan Baǵa
22010-11-08Magic Online Theme DecksTD0 A1362003NormalBlackVolkan Baǵa
32013-11-01Commander 2013C13 3182003NormalBlackVolkan Baǵa
42015-11-18Legendary Cube Prize PackPZ1 1482015NormalBlackVolkan Baǵa
52016-11-11Commander 2016C16 3222015NormalBlackVolkan Baǵa
62017-03-17Modern Masters 2017MM3 2452015NormalBlackVolkan Baǵa
72017-06-09Commander AnthologyCMA 2692015NormalBlackVolkan Baǵa
82017-08-25Commander 2017C17 2772015NormalBlackVolkan Baǵa
92018-06-08Commander Anthology Volume IICM2 2652015NormalBlackVolkan Baǵa
102018-08-09Commander 2018C18 2772015NormalBlackVolkan Baǵa
112020-09-26The ListPLST ALA-2292003NormalBlackVolkan Baǵa
122021-07-23Forgotten Realms CommanderAFC 2582015NormalBlackVolkan Baǵa
132022-04-29New Capenna CommanderNCC 4252015NormalBlackVolkan Baǵa
142022-09-09Dominaria United CommanderDMC 2312015NormalBlackVolkan Baǵa
152023-05-08From Cute to BrutePCTB 832003NormalBlackVolkan Baǵa
162023-08-04Commander MastersCMM 10292015NormalBlackVolkan Baǵa
172023-10-13Doctor WhoWHO 3022015NormalBlackPiotr Dura
182023-10-13Doctor WhoWHO 8932015NormalBlackPiotr Dura
192024-02-09Murders at Karlov Manor CommanderMKC 2882015NormalBlackVolkan Baǵa

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Seaside Citadel has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal