Cached Defenses
Sorcery
Bolster 3. (Choose a creature with the least toughness among creatures you control and put three +1/+1 counters on it.)
- CMC
- 3
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- G
- Rarity
- uncommon
- Set
- Fate Reforged
- Price
- $0.06
- EDHREC rank
- #27049
Cached Defenses dumps three +1/+1 counters onto any creature you control — immediate, at instant speed, for three mana. It's a niche role-player in counter-synergy Commander builds, not a universal staple.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | legal |
| pioneer | legal |
| standard | not legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | not legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
Cached Defenses is legal in Commander, Legacy, Modern, Pioneer, Vintage, and Oathbreaker, but it sees meaningful play only in Commander. In competitive 60-card formats, three mana for three counters on a single creature loses badly to Hardened Scales, +1/+1 synergy payoffs, or pump spells that do more for less. In Commander, the card earns its slot in dedicated counter-synergy decks where Doubling Season, Hardened Scales, or Corpsejack Menace turn three counters into six or more. Outside that shell, it's outclassed by faster or more scalable options.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.06 bulk tier
At $0.06, Cached Defenses is deep bulk — you're picking it out of a dollar box, not tracking it down. Price stability is a non-issue at this tier; it will stay bulk unless a future counter-synergy commander pushes demand, which is speculative and not worth betting on.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.