Cave Sense MTG Card

Card Advantage: Cave Sense offers a peek into upcoming draws, greatly improving game strategy. Flexibility: Instant speed allows players to respond to opponents while progressing their own plans. Resource Control: Reclaiming lands from the graveyard ensures consistent land plays every turn.

Mercadian Masques (MMQ)
1999-10-04 - Number 179

The List (PLST)
2020-09-26 - Number MMQ-179

Card sets	Released in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost	2
Rarity	Common
Type	Enchantment — Aura
Abilities	Enchant

Text of card

Enchanted creature gets +1/+1 and has mountainwalk. (It's unblockable as long as defending player controls a mountain.)

Cards like Cave Sense

Cave Sense presents a unique twist on red’s creature enhancement spells in Magic: The Gathering. It draws parallels with cards like Madcap Skills, which also grants increased power and a valuable evasion ability. However, Cave Sense offers creatures mountainwalk, an effect that allows creatures to be unblockable as long as the opponent controls a Mountain. Madcap Skills, alternatively, gives a creature additional power and menace, forcing opponents to block with two or more creatures.

Another comparable card is Goblin War Paint, giving a creature a lesser boost in power but shares the resemble trait of enhancing with haste. Despite this, Cave Sense provides a more permanent evasion ability which could be more advantageous in games with numerous Mountain-wielding opponents. There’s also the comparison with Seismic Stomp, which instead of enchanting a single creature, temporarily gives all creatures you control the ability to be unblockable by creatures without flying for a turn. The choice between these might depend on the deck’s overall strategy and the estimated prevalence of Mountains in the meta.

Overall, when considering enhancements focused on evasion and power boost, Cave Sense stands out with its capacity to make creatures permanently unblockable under specific conditions, a potential game-changer in matches against red-heavy decks.

Cards similar to Cave Sense by color, type and mana cost

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Cave Sense provides the strategic edge of peeking at the top card of your library anytime, offering foresight into your draws and subsequent plays. This insight can sculpt your game plan and improve decision-making, ultimately leading to card superiority.

Resource Acceleration: This spell’s ability to return lands from your graveyard to your hand acts as a form of resource acceleration. It ensures a steady land drop every turn, which is fundamental for executing your strategy without disruption.

Instant Speed: The swiftness of Cave Sense, being castable at instant speed, is invaluable. It offers the flexibility to respond to an opponent’s actions while still contributing to your game plan. Playing it on an opponent’s turn can also conceal your full potential until the moment is right, keeping opponents on their toes.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Cave Sense often necessitates discarding another card from your hand, which can diminish your in-game options, especially if your hand is already dwindling.

Specific Mana Cost: This card’s casting cost involves particular mana types that may not seamlessly integrate into multi-colored decks, potentially causing it to be a dead draw in hands unable to meet its mana demands.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: The mana investment required to play Cave Sense might be steep when compared to other cards providing similar or better utility. This could lead to less efficient deck performance, particularly in fast-paced matches where economy of actions is crucial.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Cave Sense adds a level of adaptability to decks that focus on creature survival and combat tactics. Its ability to grant creatures of your choice the crucial first strike ability makes it a strategic addition to a variety of deck builds, enhancing their defensive and offensive capabilities in crucial moments.

Combo Potential: Harmonizing with cards that benefit from conditional creature abilities, Cave Sense can be the linchpin in combinations that revolve around creatures avoiding damage or dealing lethal blows without retaliation during combat phases, creating a formidable board presence.

Meta-Relevance: In a meta where combat interactions are decisive, Cave Sense’s first strike granting mechanic becomes exceedingly influential. It equips creatures to outclass others in combat engagements, aligning perfectly with decks that look to maintain board control through superior tactical engagements.

How to beat Cave Sense

Cave Sense is a card that can pose a challenge due to its ability to grant creatures the cave walk ability, making them unblockable as long as the opponent controls a Cave. Overcoming this card requires strategic play and deck composition. Incorporating removal spells that can clear the opponent’s Caves is one effective strategy. Cards like Ghost Quarter or Field of Ruin allow you to target specific lands to hinder Cave Sense’s efficiency.

Another method to counter Cave Sense’s advantage is by using cards that restrict land types or change them, such as Blood Moon, which can turn all nonbasic lands into Mountains, nullifying cave walk abilities by removing the relevant land type from the game. Lastly, ensuring a robust defense with creatures that can block regardless of abilities or using spells that can remove enchantments, such as Disenchant, provide direct answers to Cave Sense’s cave walk conundrum.

By adapting to the challenges posed by Cave Sense and employing specific counters, players can effectively navigate around this card’s potential to sway the battlefield in favor of the opponent. Preparation and flexibility are key in mitigating the impact of Cave Sense in your MTG games.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Cave Sense MTG card by a specific set like Mercadian Masques and The List, there are several reliable options to consider. One of the primary sources is your local game store, where you can often find booster packs, individual cards, and preconstructed decks from current and some past sets. They often offer the added benefit of a community where you can trade with other players.

For a broader inventory, particularly of older sets, online marketplaces like TCGPlayer, Card Kingdom and Card Market offer extensive selections and allow you to search for cards from specific sets. Larger e-commerce platforms like eBay and Amazon also have listings from various sellers, which can be a good place to look for sealed product and rare finds.

Additionally, Magic’s official site often has a store locator and retailer lists for finding Wizards of the Coast licensed products. Remember to check for authenticity and the condition of the cards when purchasing, especially from individual sellers on larger marketplaces.

Below is a list of some store websites where you can buy the Cave Sense and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Cave Sense Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 1999-10-04 and 1999-10-04. Illustrated by Mark Romanoski.

#	Released	Name	Code	Symbol	Number	Frame	Layout	Border	Artist
1	1999-10-04	Mercadian Masques	MMQ		179	1997	Normal	Black	Mark Romanoski
2	~~2020-09-26~~	The List	PLST		MMQ-179	1997	Normal	Black	Mark Romanoski

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Cave Sense has restrictions

Format	Legality
Commander	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Paupercommander	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Pauper	Legal
Premodern	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Predh	Legal