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Draft Day Insights: Prioritizing Second City for Mana Fixing

There’s a particular thrill in drafting a land that doesn’t merely produce mana, but teases a whole plan lurking just beyond the table edge 🧙‍♂️. Second City—an unusual Town land from the MagicFest 2025 promo cycle—asks you to see mana as a movie trailer: the first frame is cheap, the second frame hints at a payoff, and the final frame delivers a tasty reward in the form of a Deep Dish Pizza token. This is not your run-of-the-mill fixer; it’s a design that rewards sequencing, color-dreaming, and a touch of luck as you curve into your late-game spells 🔥. It’s rare, it’s playful, and it’s a reminder that mana in Magic can be a flavor experience as much as a function.

{T}: Add {C}.
{T}: Add one mana of any color. Spend this mana only to cast your second spell in a turn. When that mana is spent, create a Deep Dish Pizza token. (It's a Food artifact with "{3}, {T}, Sacrifice this token: You gain 3 life and draw a card.")

What makes this land sing in a draft format is the way its abilities encourage deliberate tempo and color-picking. The first ability—{T}: Add {C}—gives you a foothold, a reliable start that won’t derail your early game. The second, more ambitious ability—{T}: Add one mana of any color—opens the door to multi-colored splashes or dramatic color fixes. The kicker, though, is the constraint: you can spend that mana only to cast your second spell in the turn. That clause transforms a simple fixer into a strategic lever ⚔️. You’re not racing to accelerate every turn; you’re building toward a deliberate two-spell sequence that culminates in a meaningful payoff. And there’s the dessert: once you spend that mana to fuel your second spell, you get a Deep Dish Pizza token—a flavorful Food artifact. It’s not just cute flavor, either. The token’s flavor text hides a practical pickup: for {3}, {T}, Sacrifice this token: You gain 3 life and draw a card. That small life-for-card exchange can be a clutch lifeline in a tight game, and it nudges your deck towards longer, more grindy games where your late spells shine 🌮💎.

When to prioritize Second City in a draft pack

First, assess your mana needs. If you’re splashing a third color or trying to stabilize a two-color deck with a late-game winner, this land can smoothly bridge the gap. The colorless mana helps in the early turns, while the “any color” option becomes a powerful fix when you’re ready to cast a second spell in a turn—especially if that turn features a glossy curve-friendly second spell that rewards multi-color access. In a world where you’re weighing picks by consistency, the ability to fix for a second spell while also nudging the game toward a longer arc is compelling 🧙‍♂️.

Second City really shines in decks that lean into two- or three-color strategies with strong mid-to-late game conclusions. If your deck already has a slate of cheap spells that you want to chain into bigger effects, this land helps you pull off those sequences more reliably. The payoff—Deep Dish Pizza tokens—adds a cute resilience to the board: a token that eventually becomes a draw-and-life engine can swing races that look unwinnable. And yes, the pizza token is a tongue-in-cheek nod to the game’s whimsical side, a reminder that MTG can be both cutthroat and deliciously silly at the same time 🎨🎲.

However, Second City isn’t a slam-dunk pick for every deck. If your plan is to be aggressively fast with a single punch every turn, the restriction on the second-mana usage means you’ll want to sequence two spells in quick succession. If your pool is light on high-impact two-spell combos, or if you’re running a mono-colored or very linear deck, you might prefer a more straightforward fixer. Like many draft decisions, it’s about weaving the card into the deck’s broader tempo rather than forcing it into every list. In the end, it’s a matter of taste and timing—two things that MTG fans relish as much as a well-timed bite of pizza after a long draft session 🍕⚡.

From a design perspective, this card embodies the playful, high-concept spirit of a promo set. Mark Rosewater’s art direction shines through with a card that is both mechanically intriguing and thematically rich. The rare status and MagicFest 2025 branding add a collectible edge, inviting players to chase not just the synergy but the memory of a special event. For collectors, the flavor-forward token and the reversible expectations of a two-spell plan make it a card you’ll remember long after your draft bag is emptied 🧙‍♂️💎.

In practice, I’ve found Second City pairs best with spells that reward you for planning ahead or that scale nicely when you cast a second spell in a turn. Think of you opponent’s tempo plays as a puzzle you solve with careful mana management. The land’s charm lies in its dual identity: it’s a sturdy fixer in a pinch and a strategic invitation to sequence your plays for a stronger endgame. It’s the kind of card that makes you nod and grin when your second spell lands on the same turn as your color splash, knowing you drafted smarter for it. And if you’re lucky enough to taste that Deep Dish Pizza payoff, you’ll be reminded that sometimes the best parts of drafting are the tiny, flavorful bonuses that show up just when you need them most 🧙‍♂️🔥.

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