Gelid Shackles MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	1
Rarity	Common
Type	Snow Enchantment — Aura
Abilities	Enchant
Released	2006-07-21
Set symbol
Set name	Coldsnap
Set code	CSP
Number	6
Frame	2003
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Alex Horley-Orlandelli

Key Takeaways

Gelid Shackles provides control decks with a tool to effectively neutralize threats without card disadvantage.
Instant speed casting gives players the tactical advantage to respond flexibly to opponents’ moves.
While resource-heavy, the strategic benefits of Gelid Shackles can shift game momentum in your favor.

Text of card

Enchant creature Enchanted creature can't block and its activated abilities can't be played. {S}: Enchanted creature gains defender until end of turn. ({S} can be paid with one mana from a snow permanent.)

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Gelid Shackles allows you to lock down a creature, effectively negating an opponent’s creature without losing a card from your hand. Deck strategies that prevent opponents from executing their plans can greatly benefit from such a mechanic, making Gelid Shackles a staple in control-oriented decks.

Resource Acceleration: Although Gelid Shackles doesn’t directly provide mana or resource acceleration, it helps maintain your lead on the board. By freezing an opponent’s asset, you conserve your resources and can proceed to deploy your threats or answers without the pressure of an opposing creature. This indirect resource advantage can be pivotal in the tempo of the game.

Instant Speed: The ability to cast Gelid Shackles at instant speed is a crucial tactical edge. It allows you to wait until the last possible moment before deciding to use it, perhaps in response to an opponent’s actions or even during combat. This flexibility is highly valued and can often catch an opponent off guard, potentially leading to favorable exchanges in combat or misallocated resources on their part.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Gelid Shackles forces its controller to pay snow mana whenever they want to prevent it from untapping. This cost can disrupt your mana curve and strategy, especially in decks that are not tailored to snow mechanics.

Specific Mana Cost: Requiring a snow mana specifically limits the card’s flexibility as it necessitates the inclusion of snow-covered lands or other sources of snow mana in your deck, which might not align with your deck’s overall mana base.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: The overall mana investment for Gelid Shackles, considering the initial cast and the ongoing requirement for snow mana to maintain its effect, is significant. In contrast, other control cards might offer similar or better effects with a lower, or more generic, mana investment.

Reasons to Include Gelid Shackles in Your Collection

Versatility: Gelid Shackles offers a flexible control option for decks looking to manage opposing creatures. Its icy grip can halt attackers in their tracks and prove to be a nuisance for opponents relying on creature-based strategies.

Combo Potential: While not a combo piece in the traditional sense, Gelid Shackles synergizes with decks focusing on tapping and untapping mechanics or those that benefit from the presence of snow permanents. Its ability to tap down creatures complements strategies aiming to lock down the opponent’s board.

Meta-Relevance: In environments where fast, aggressive creatures are prevalent, Gelid Shackles provides a low-cost control solution. As the meta shifts, its relevance can increase, especially in formats where disabling a vital creature for even a single turn can swing the game in your favor.

How to beat Gelid Shackles

Gelid Shackles is a unique card in the Ice Age block that can be a pesky obstacle for MTG players. Not only does it tap an opposing creature, but it also prevents that creature from untapping during the player’s untap step as long as Gelid Shackles remains in play. This can lead to a prolonged disadvantage for the opponent if the right measures are not taken.

To counteract the freezing grip of Gelid Shackles, consider using cards that can remove enchantments or that grant your creatures the ability to untap outside the standard untap step. Cards like Disenchant or Return to Nature are perfect for directly dealing with the Shackles by simply destroying it. Additionally, employing creatures with vigilance or cards that can untap creatures like Vitalize can mitigate the effect since they can either avoid being tapped or get untapped through another card’s ability, bypassing the Shackles’ restrictive power.

Ultimately, understanding the importance of flexibility and incorporating enchantment removal or untap mechanics into your deck can ensure that Gelid Shackles doesn’t cool down your strategy. With these tools at your disposal, you can thaw out the challenge this card presents and keep your creatures moving freely on the battlefield.

Cards like Gelid Shackles

Gelid Shackles is a unique Aura within the frosty realms of Magic: The Gathering, locking down opponents’ creatures with icy ease. It shares common ground with fellow Auras like Claustrophobia, both designed to disable creatures without outright destroying them. However, Gelid Shackles offers a chilling twist: it can be cast using snow mana, ensuring that the targeted creature not only fails to untap during its controller’s untap step but also loses all abilities, a subtle yet powerful advantage over the non-snow alternative.

Another icy contender is Frost Breath, which, for the same mana cost, temporarily freezes two creatures. Though it’s not a permanent solution like Gelid Shackles, the instant speed of Frost Breath can be a tactical asset during combat. On the other end, there is Ice Cage, which, like Gelid Shackles, prevents the enchanted creature from attacking or blocking, but the Cage shatters upon the creature becoming the target of a spell or ability, a vulnerability that Gelid Shackles deftly avoids.

On balance, Gelid Shackles presents itself as a strategically versatile card amidst its counterparts. Its ability to consistently control the battlefield conditions with its snow-centric mechanics, without the caveat of temporary effects or easy removal, distinguishes it as a formidable tool in any MTG player’s arsenal.

Cards similar to Gelid Shackles by color, type and mana cost

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Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Gelid Shackles MTG card by a specific set like Coldsnap, 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 Gelid Shackles and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Gelid Shackles has restrictions

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

Rules and information

The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Gelid Shackles card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.

Date	Text
2006-07-15	Gelid Shackles doesn’t stop static abilities or triggered abilities from working. It also won’t prevent the creature from attacking unless the enchanted creature is given defender before attackers are declared.
2016-06-08	Activated abilities contain a colon. They’re generally written “ -ost: -ffect].” Some keywords are activated abilities and will have colons in their reminder text.