Paupers' Cage
Artifact
At the beginning of each opponent's upkeep, if that player has two or fewer cards in hand, this artifact deals 2 damage to that player.
- CMC
- 3
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- C
- Rarity
- rare
- Set
- Mirage
- Price
- $1.31
- EDHREC rank
- #23907
Paupers' Cage forces every opponent to discard whenever they cast a spell while holding four or more cards — which, in Commander, is most of the time. Three mana to deploy and zero to maintain makes it one of the more cost-efficient hateful enchantments in black.
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 |
Paupers' Cage is legal in Commander, Legacy, Vintage, and Oathbreaker, but Commander is where it does real work — four opponents drawing seven cards each means the discard trigger fires constantly through the early and mid game. In Legacy and Vintage, hand sizes shrink too fast and games end too quickly for a three-mana enchantment with a conditional trigger to matter. Oathbreaker mirrors Commander closely enough that the card is similarly playable, particularly in black control shells trying to grind opponents off resources.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$1.31 cheap tier
At $1.31, Paupers' Cage sits comfortably in the bulk-rare tier — cheap enough to slot in without a second thought. Niche appeal keeps it from rising, but dedicated discard and stax lists will always want it, so the floor is stable.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.