Ice Cage
Enchantment — Aura
Enchant creature
Enchanted creature can't attack or block, and its activated abilities can't be activated.
When enchanted creature becomes the target of a spell or ability, destroy this Aura.
- CMC
- 2
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- U
- Rarity
- common
- Set
- Magic 2010
- Price
- $0.09
- EDHREC rank
- #23741
Ice Cage locks down a creature for two mana, but the enchantment falls off the moment the opponent spells or abilities the creature themselves — a condition that comes up constantly in Commander. There are cleaner answers at this price point, and Ice Cage rarely makes the cut over them.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | legal |
| pioneer | not legal |
| standard | not legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
In Commander, Ice Cage competes against a deep pool of unconditional removal, and the 'target of a spell or ability' clause is a liability at a table where opponents freely target their own creatures with equips, buffs, and activated abilities to pop it for free. In Pauper, the card-for-card economy is tighter and commons-only removal is more constrained, so Ice Cage sees occasional fringe play as a stall piece in slower blue builds. Legacy and Vintage move too fast for a two-mana do-nothing enchantment to matter. Oathbreaker shares Commander's problem — the format's density of targeted effects makes Ice Cage fragile enough to cut before the 60-card list is finalized.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.09 bulk tier
At $0.09, Ice Cage is deep bulk — you'll find copies in commons boxes rather than singles bins. The price reflects demand accurately; there's no scenario where this appreciates, and you're buying it for a casual brew rather than any competitive application.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.