Cagemail MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	2
Rarity	Common
Type	Enchantment — Aura
Abilities	Enchant
Released	2002-05-27
Set symbol
Set name	Judgment
Set code	JUD
Number	7
Frame	1997
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Scott M. Fischer

Key Takeaways

Cagemail provides protection from monocolored spells, maintaining vital board presence and resource control.
Instant-speed casting offers strategic flexibility, allowing responsive play to opponents’ actions.
The requirement to discard a card for activation can pose a strategic challenge at critical points.

Text of card

Enchanted creature gets +2/+2 and can't attack.

"Power often costs too high a price." —Commander Eesha

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Cagemail unlocks additional card opportunities. By offering protection from monocolored spells, it gives you a buffer that can lead to profitable exchanges or prevent the loss of your key creatures, thus maintaining your grip on the game.

Resource Acceleration: The ability to protect your creatures can translate into sustained battlefield presence. This sturdiness allows you to build up your resources and board state without setbacks from targeted removals or specific-colored threats, indirectly accelerating your resource advantage and board development.

Instant Speed: The versatility of casting Cagemail at instant speed is a significant tactical advantage. This allows you to adapt to your opponent’s moves, offering surprise protection that can disrupt their strategy and potentially waste their resources, all while keeping your mana uncommitted until just the right moment.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Cagemail’s playability is hindered by its need for a card to be discarded to unlock its potential. This can put players at a strategic disadvantage, especially when their hand is already running low on cards and every resource is critical.

Specific Mana Cost: Cagemail demands a precise mana arrangement to be cast. This can pose a deck-building constraint, limiting the card’s integration to decks that can reliably produce both white and blue mana, potentially excluding it from more versatile or monochrome strategies.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With the current pace of the game, the four-mana investment to get Cagemail on the battlefield can be hefty. Given the fast tempo and the existence of alternatives that provide either more immediate board impact or less restrictive protection at a lower mana cost, Cagemail may often be overlooked in favor of more cost-effective options.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Cagemail can be a flexible addition to a variety of decks, particularly those that need a reliable way to protect key creatures. Its ability to make a creature hexproof ensures your critical threats remain on the battlefield, away from targeted removal spells.

Combo Potential: This enchantment pairs well with creatures that have negative effects on their opponents when targeted. By making creatures hexproof, Cagemail enhances such punitive strategies and opens up a suite of combo possibilities in both casual and competitive play.

Meta-Relevance: In a meta dominated by spot removals and control elements, Cagemail ensures the longevity of your creatures. It’s also a strong counterplay against decks that run a lot of targeted spells, ensuring your high-impact creatures can continually apply pressure or provide crucial effects without interruption.

How to beat

Cagemail is a defensive card in Magic: The Gathering that’s tricky to overcome, specifically designed to restrict opposing creatures. It operates on a straightforward principle: target a creature, and that creature can’t attack or block as long as Cagemail is attached. The most effective methods to counteract the constraints posed by Cagemail involve direct removal spells or abilities that can target and destroy enchantments or enchantment cards on the battlefield.

Enchantment removal spells like Disenchant, Naturalize, or Mortify can effortlessly dispose of Cagemail, liberating your creature from its binding effect. Another strategy would be to utilize bounce effects, those that return permanents to their owner’s hands, such as Boomerang or Into the Roil. These allow for temporary evasion from Cagemail’s grasp, potentially opening a window for an assault or to establish a stronger board presence. Additionally, hexproof or shroud abilities provide preemptive defense against Cagemail by preventing it from targeting your creatures in the first place.

Navigating around Cagemail requires anticipation and preparedness. It’s important to have an answer ready in your deck to counter such roadblocks. With a balanced mix of offense, removal, and strategic play, you can ensure that Cagemail doesn’t cage your victory.

Cards like Cagemail

The Magic: The Gathering landscape is always evolving, and Cagemail is a solid part of this dynamic milieu. Lodged within the category of protective spells, Cagemail offers a unique blend of creature enhancement and defense. Comparable to cards like Shielded by Faith, Cagemail delivers a toughness boost, but diverges by granting a fixed increase rather than an indestructible status. Another analogous card is Spectra Ward, which confers an additional bonus of protection from all colors at a higher mana cost. However, Cagemail stands out in terms of accessibility, requiring less mana investment for immediate board impact.

Exploring further, we can look at Knightly Valor, which shares the attribute of buffing a creature but differs by also creating a creature token. The strategy here involves more than just fortifying; it’s about expanding presence on the battlefield. Cagemail, in comparison, hones in on fortifying a single asset, making it a decisively simpler and more directed option. Indomitable Will also serves a similar function of creature augmentation although only strengthening the power without the added defensive barrier that Cagemail provides.

In conclusion, while there are various enchantments in MTG vying for attention, Cagemail holds its own as a straightforward and cost-effective choice for bolstering one’s creatures, fitting snugly into strategies that value resilience and defense.

Cards similar to Cagemail by color, type and mana cost

Circle of Protection: White - MTG Card versions

Circle of Protection: Blue - MTG Card versions

Circle of Protection: Artifacts - MTG Card versions

Circle of Protection: Red - MTG Card versions

Circle of Protection: Black - MTG Card versions

I'm Rubber, You're Glue - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Cagemail MTG card by a specific set like Judgment, 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 Cagemail and other MTG cards: