Cave-In
Sorcery
You may exile a red card from your hand rather than pay this spell's mana cost.
Cave-In deals 2 damage to each creature and each player.
- CMC
- 5
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- R
- Rarity
- rare
- Set
- Mercadian Masques
- Price
- $8.30
- EDHREC rank
- #17498
Cave-In clears the board of small creatures for free — pitch a red card and pay two life instead of five mana. That cost is low enough that Niv-Mizzet, Visionary runs it as a near-unconditional reset that leaves bigger threats standing and keeps your own engine intact.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Niv-Mizzet, Visionary
Niv-Mizzet, Visionary draws a card whenever you cast an instant or sorcery, so Cave-In's alternate cost means a one-sided sweeper that replaces itself in hand — the pitch cost is almost irrelevant when you're already cycling through your deck at that rate.
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, Cave-In fills a niche as a free board wipe in Izzet shells that can afford to pitch red cards — it's not a staple, but it's the kind of insurance spell that wins games when opponents flood the board and you're tapped out. Legacy is where Cave-In has historically had more structural relevance, since fast, free interaction is currency in that format's early turns. Vintage is legal but the card sees no real play there; the powered environment has better ways to deal with boards cheaply. Oathbreaker follows the same logic as Commander — situationally useful, never essential.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Budget Alternatives
Cheaper options that do most of the same work
Sweltering Suns and Anger of the Gods both sweep small creatures for two or three mana without the pitch cost, making them reliable substitutes when you don't need the free-cast upside. Cave-In's edge is entirely the alternate cost — if your deck isn't built to abuse that, either of those is a cleaner include at a fraction of the price.
Price Context
Current price
$8.30 mid tier
At $8.30, Cave-In sits in the mid tier — meaningful enough to feel in a budget, not so expensive it's a barrier for established collections. The price is stable given its narrow but genuine demand in Izzet Commander builds and Legacy fringe play; it's not likely to crater, but you're paying a premium for the free-cast text specifically.
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Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.