Monkey Cage MTG Card

Mercadian Masques (MMQ)
1999-10-04 - Number 307

Jumpstart 2022 (J22)
2022-12-02 - Number 787

Card sets	Released in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost	5
Rarity	Rare
Type	Artifact

Key Takeaways

Monkey Cage transforms one card into many threats, exploiting creature tokens for board dominance.
The card’s ability to generate tokens in response to creature plays offers surprise strategies.
Balancing the mana costs and discard requirements is crucial for its effective utilization.

Text of card

When a creature comes into play, sacrifice Monkey Cage and put into play a number of 2/2 green Ape creature tokens equal to that creature's converted mana cost.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Monkey Cage presents a unique avenue to gain card advantage by potentially flooding the board with creature tokens. This converts a single card into multiple threats, overwhelming opponents and bolstering your field presence significantly.

Resource Acceleration: While Monkey Cage doesn’t directly produce mana or treasure, it can indirectly accelerate resources. By generating a wealth of creature tokens, it provides substantial board state that can be leveraged for various synergies and sacrificed for additional mana or effects in certain deck builds.

Instant Speed: Although Monkey Cage is not an instant itself, it reacts to creatures entering the battlefield at any time, which can include instant speed interaction. This responsiveness allows players to capitalize on the dynamic battlefield conditions, creating creature tokens in response to other instant speed plays or during an opponent’s turn for surprise blocks or effects.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Monkey Cage asks players to sacrifice something else in hand which can be costly if your resources are already stretched thin, making timing critical for its use.

Specific Mana Cost: The mana cost of Monkey Cage requires a commitment to a particular color balance in your deck, potentially restricting its inclusion to certain deck archetypes that can meet its color demands effectively.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: When you examine the card’s performance relative to its mana investment, Monkey Cage may not stack up favorably against other options in the same cost bracket, potentially occupying a slot in your deck that could be filled with a more impactful play.

Reasons to Include Monkey Cage in Your Collection

Versatility: Monkey Cage can be integrated into a range of deck types, making it a flexible choice for players who enjoy on-the-fly tactics. Its ability to generate an army of monkeys upon creature deployment can swing games, adapting well in various board states.

Combo Potential: This card synergizes with strategies revolving around creatures entering or leaving the battlefield. It can be assembled with mass creature removal spells, leading to a quick change in board presence and potential unexpected victories.

Meta-Relevance: Given the dynamic nature of MTG’s competitive landscape, Monkey Cage can capitalize on heavily creature-based strategies prevalent in the meta. As opponents deploy large creatures, Monkey Cage provides an immediate response with token generation that can deter attacks or set up counter plays.

How to beat Monkey Cage

Monkey Cage is a unique artifact card in the MTG realm, known for its ability to generate a troop of tokens under specific conditions. When facing a card like Monkey Cage, it is crucial to be prepared with artifact removal spells or abilities in your deck. Employing cards such as Naturalize or Abrade can swiftly handle the potential threats posed by Monkey Cage as they directly target artifacts, rendering them ineffective. It’s much like tackling a card akin to Darksteel Citadel, which also demands direct artifact interaction.

Additionally, leveraging counterspells such as Counterspell or Mana Leak can prevent Monkey Cage from ever hitting the battlefield. This preemptive strategy is akin to obstructing a powerful card like Hive Mind, where negating its initial casting can be incredibly beneficial. Lastly, you could also introduce cards that limit the number of tokens an opponent can generate, akin to Illness in the Ranks or Virulent Plague, which would minimize the impact of the apes that Monkey Cage attempts to unleash.

Ultimately, destroying the artifact before it can trigger, countering its initial cast, or stifling its token production are effective strategies to overcome the challenges brought by Monkey Cage in an MTG match.

Cards like Monkey Cage

The Monkey Cage entry into the card pool of Magic: The Gathering offers quite an intriguing gameplay twist. Its ability to generate a number of Monkey tokens comparable to the converted mana cost of a creature spell your opponent plays can significantly alter the board state. In terms of card comparison, we can look at Norin the Wary which also delivers a unique creature token dynamic. Norin may not provide the sheer number of tokens that Monkey Cage can, but he makes up for it with his tricky dodging ability, returning to the battlefield and creating a token with each departure.

Another counterpart worth mentioning is Dragon Fodder. While it only produces two tokens irrespective of mana value, its consistent output for a small mana investment ensures a more controlled token generation strategy. Similarly, Tendershoot Dryad stands out for steadily bolstering your army with Saproling tokens during each upkeep. However, unlike the situational yet potentially massive token flood from Monkey Cage, these tokens are dependable but less likely to surprise an opponent with a sudden surge in creatures.

Through this lens, Monkey Cage might shine where unpredictability is an asset, rewarding players who can capitalize on the flux of token quantities, particularly in dense multiplayer situations.

Cards similar to Monkey Cage by color, type and mana cost

The Deck of Many Things - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Monkey Cage MTG card by a specific set like Mercadian Masques and Jumpstart 2022, 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 Monkey Cage and other MTG cards: