Pointed Discussion

Absolute garbage. Like most of the blue stuff in M10.

Alright, my opponent's creature can't attack . . . oh wait, he just pumped it with a beneficial spell, destroyed the enchantment, and screwed up my plan to kill him. This card is appalling; in no way, shape, or form does this card capture the mechanic or flavor of blue. Honestly, I'm disappointed.

Wizards made this card because they like to laugh at blue removal. This is depressing garbage.

Comparing Oblivion Ring to Ice Cage is somewhat illogical. Oblivion Ring is white and three costing. What about mono-blue decks? What if you need a two costing card to disable a blocking/attacking creature?

Saying this card is garbage is not only illogical, but ridiculous, because you fail to provide any reason for your statement and take account of special circumstances. If you get your kicks by trash-talking cards, go talk about Squire, not Ice Cage.

I give Ice Cage a 3. Getting rid of the card via abilities uses up an opponents ability on one of his or her own creatures, so that's not a terrible drawback in most situations. The card itself is a little more flexible than it's white counterpart, Pacifism, which makes it feel a little more blue. If you base your whole game plan on Ice Cage crippling your enemy and winning the game, its going to disappoint you. If you need a solid blue card to stop a pesky creature for a couple of turns, its a good card for two.

Complaining about simple but effective cards because they are not a Cruel Edict for two is the wrong way to go about looking at cards.

This card is pretty good. I used to play mono-white before going mono-blue, and honestly, I find it to be a good tradeoff. Sure, the opponent can easily eliminate the hold, but played early, it's great! Plus, it works with blue's mantra: low cost trip-up spells. Look at Essence Scatter and Negate. They cost the same. This card's use is incapacitating a creature you couldn't catch with either of those and opening the opponent to attack. Of course, I prefer to use Unsummon, but that's just personal preference.

A poor man's Pacifism - more easily gotten rid of, but stopping abilities is definitely useful. If, by some chance, your opponent's deck doesn't have anything that targets (unlikely, but possible), then you're in reasonably good shape, but otherwise, BOO.

This just came to me with this card. Say you were playing a creature card with a static ability like Magus of the Moon (I know he's red but its the only card that I can think of at the moment). Anyway, when a card like that comes into play you would want to protect him in some way. Well, his ability has already been activated, so could you not cast Ice Cage on him to protect him?

I just got back into playing after a long hiatus so this might not be legal, but I can't see why it wouldn't be. In my opinion that makes this a pretty good card.

Oblivion Ring is still far superior to this card. First of all, Oblivion Ring can target any nonland permanent (including Planeswalkers), not just creatures. Second, for an opponent to get his creature back, he has to take out the ring, not just pump his own creature.

@gellar76:
It seems that you are imagining that if the enchanted creature would be destroyed, destroy Ice Cage instead, which isn't the case at all. Ice Cage does nothing to protect creatures from removal. It is fragile removal in itself; nothing more.

This card really should read, "If creature is dealt damage, destroy Ice Cage." Would make a lot more sense, considering the cage being made out of ice and all (and a Volcanic Fallout or Firespout would result in said cage being melted).

Should have cost only U, its an average card

would be a load better if it said, if enchanted creature is targeted, destroy the creature, instead of the cage, there was an ice age card, flash freeze, that had the same effect

but that wouldnt be reprinted, blue is shakey atm, and WotC doesnt want it to stabalize till it is become a spare color on the color wheel, a 5th wheel kinda color

It's like a very weak crystallize or oblivion ring.. the only value of it is if you are playing mono blue at least you have something that can act as a pacifism.. on the other hand it seems simpler just to remove the creature instead of trying to play ice cages on it, or use a mind control. Blue has got so ridiculously weak lately.. everything blue does is currently taken up by another color, and all the other colors do it better. Flyers are everywhere, taking control of other creatures is now part red (mark of mutiny and dominus for example), and other colors have counter spell'esque cards (moonhold). There's nothing that only blue does that blue is best at, and the few cards that are quintissentially blue are certainly easy to get around or not the strongest for what they do.

Seems a bit underpowered, assuredly. It does a nice job of locking someone up for a turn, but you could simply Boomerang them for about the same cost, or unsummon them for 1 less.

It is a little stronger than Pacifism since it stops activation abilities, although neither presents static effects like a boost from Death Baron for example. Pacifism is also a hell of a lot harder to get rid of.

I'd say this card is somewhat usable in limited formats, but just barely as an early stopper.

2/5

Well... the art is kind of cool.

I run a few of these in a fun ninja deck. It actually more often than not sticks around for 2 or more turns, and lets me get in with a throat slitter to take it out anyway.

Ice Cage {1}{U}
Enchantment -- Aura
Enchant creature
Enchanted creature can't attack or block, and its activated abilities can't be activated.
When any player looks at Ice Cage funny, destroy Ice Cage.