City in a Bottle is one of those cards players keep asking about. Here is, in plain words, what its official text says, the rulings published by Wizards of the Coast, and the combos players actually run.
Official card text
Whenever one or more other nontoken permanents with a name originally printed in the Arabian Nights expansion are on the battlefield, their controllers sacrifice them. Players can't cast spells or play lands with a name originally printed in the Arabian Nights expansion.
Complete guide
City in a Bottle is a unique legacy artifact that acts as a total lockdown for cards hailing from Magic's first-ever expansion. It serves as a flavor-driven silver bullet, ensuring that the magic of the Arabian Nights doesn't dominate your current game. By enforcing a strict ban on these specific cards, it effectively erases their presence from the battlefield and prevents them from being played entirely.
What It Does
This artifact has two distinct effects: a continuous restriction and a triggered ability. First, it prevents any player from casting spells or playing lands that were originally printed in the Arabian Nights expansion. Second, it monitors the battlefield for any nontoken permanents from that set; if they are present, their controllers are forced to sacrifice them. This applies even if the physical card you are using is a reprint from a modern set like Chronicles or a Masters set.
How It Resolves Step by Step
The sacrifice ability is a triggered ability that checks the state of the game. Whenever a player would receive priority, the game checks if a relevant permanent is on the battlefield. If one is found, the ability triggers and goes on the stack. When the ability resolves, the controller of that permanent must move it to their graveyard. Because this is a sacrifice, effects like hexproof or indestructible will not save the permanent from being removed.
Common Mistakes
A frequent point of confusion involves tokens. City in a Bottle specifically states it affects 'nontoken' permanents. This means if an Arabian Nights card created a token before being sacrificed, that token remains on the field. Additionally, remember that this card checks the name of the card against the original expansion list, not the expansion symbol on the physical card in your hand. If the name matches a card from Arabian Nights, it is affected regardless of its printing.
When to Play It
City in a Bottle is best utilized in formats where older, powerful cards are prevalent. It is a niche sideboard choice designed to shut down specific strategies that rely on the unique utility lands or powerful creatures found in the Arabian Nights set. Since it costs only two generic mana, it can be dropped early to preemptively block your opponent's key plays.
Interaction examples
Sol Ring
Arcane SignetIf you have City in a Bottle on the battlefield, you can still cast Sol Ring and Arcane Signet without issue. Neither of these cards was originally printed in the Arabian Nights expansion. You can tap them for mana normally, as City in a Bottle only restricts cards specifically from that one historic set.
Imagine your opponent attempts to play a land originally from Arabian Nights while you control City in a Bottle. The game state prevents the land from being played at all. However, you can still play your Sol Ring because its original printing was in Limited Edition Alpha, making it immune to the Bottle's restrictive effects.
Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.
How it works : City in a Bottle
Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall
- #1· Wizards of the Coast
Any time a player receives priority to cast spells or activate abilities, check to see whether any permanents on the battlefield were originally printed in the Arabian Nights expansion (even if the physical card representing that permanent is a reprint with a different expansion symbol). If there are any such permanents, the ability will trigger and those permanents will be sacrificed.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #2· Wizards of the Coast
Token creatures and counters created by Arabian Nights cards are not removed.
No other card is named in this ruling.
Legal formats
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Meta decks with City in a Bottle
No archived Top 8 deck with this card yet.