Okay, so this is my favorite magic card ever. It is a nice combat trick as a response to any creature played, as it will almost always result in advantage. When you build a combo deck around it the look on you opponent's face when you swing for the win with, say, 11 2/2 Ape (I call them Monkey) tokens is great. Give them all flying and wallow in the cinematic reference.
nammertime
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.7/5.0)(3 votes)
Combat trick? According to the text, you're forced to sacrifice it the next time a creature comes into play. You don't have a choice. What if someone plays a 1-drop 1/1 creature? You just paid 5 mana for a 2/2 creature!
You want to play a creature to use this? You'll have to use a bunch of mana to summon your own creature right after you play this, and honestly here, if you had 11 mana to spend on a Darksteel Colossus and 5 more to spend on this beforehand, you should already have won the game.
At best, it prevents your opponent from summoning something big for a little while, 'til you're forced to use this with your own creature, or you're forced to use it with one of his weenies. This card stinks.
GooberSnotpants
★★☆☆☆ (2.8/5.0)(2 votes)
I bet you could work something cool out with this and deep sea kraken another suspended fatty. Toss in a timebug, play this, remove the final time counter, and wabam. Monkeys.
EggShen
★★★☆☆ (3.0/5.0)(2 votes)
You can get pretty good use out of it if you're cheating fatties into play via something like an Elvish Piper or a Dragon Arch.
Maybe something like a turn 1 Llanowar Elf into a turn two Fierce Empath to tutor up a Draco. Turn 3 Elvish Piper, turn 4 whatever, turn 5 Monkey Cage, then wait for the fun surprise factor. Hopefully your opponent will put out some cheap critter to pop your cage, & in response you activate your Piper, bringing Draco into play and netting a cool 16 monkeys. Turn 6, swing for the win. . . after casting a Coat of Arms of course.
Obviously that requires a perfect draw and not missing a land drop. Still, seems like a fun card in the right sort of deck.
Gezus82
★★☆☆☆ (2.8/5.0)(2 votes)
does this work with creatures like Ivy elemental, or does the CMC stay 1?
nibelheim_valesti
★★☆☆☆ (2.8/5.0)(2 votes)
Question - Do you still get the apes if the Cage has left play by the time its triggered ability resolves?
Just wondering because the sacrificing isn't a cost, and there's no "if you do" involved...
Kryptnyt
★★★★☆ (4.2/5.0)(3 votes)
@nibelheim velesti; yep, the triggers "sacrifice" and "put into play" don't depend on one another. So creatures with flash like Pestermite can be played in response to your opponents creatures to decent effect. @nammertime; yeah, you can use 20 mana to banefire someone for 19, or you can cast this and emrakul then swing with your monkeys. One way just has more style.
exterion
★★★☆☆ (3.0/5.0)(2 votes)
Give it flash and laugh as you play it in response to their fatty :P Or flash it out at the end of their turn and follow it up with a fatty of your own ;)
Gabriel422
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Greater Gargadon jumped into mind.
Other than above, I don't see how this could get around problem of the opponent playing a 1/1.
Kirbster
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(5 votes)
People seem to be trying to find the easiest way to follow Monkey Cage up with a fattie. But why settle for one? The sacrifice is triggered when a creature comes into play - so do a bunch at once and each one will trigger the cage. If you can drop Twilight's Call with a Monkey Cage out, you could find yourself with 50-odd Ape tokens.
Welcome to the Monkey House, indeed.
iSlapTrees
★★★★☆ (4.0/5.0)(1 vote)
heh. I am surprised that this card isn't in one of the un-sets.
infernox10
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Cheat Emrakul, the Aeons Torn in while this is in play.
Sure, no extra turn, but who cares?
You have 15 2/2 creatures that are APES!!!
Homarid-Batman
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(3 votes)
I never realised you could use Twilight's Call-esque cards to get loads of tokens, now you just need to mill yourself, and use discard stuff, and Buried Alive type stuff to get your Dracos, Autochthon Wurms,
Emrakuls and all that jam. And of course, Doubling Season can combo wih EVERYTHING, so you can obviously use that as well. And if you're using that then Door of Destinies would be more savage than Coat of Arms.
Yeah that's quite a lot of stuff, but casual decks rule, and if you do end up getting at least a hundread apes which are at least 200/200, then it's worth the effort.
TheWrathofShane
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
A) Insert this into a green deck with mana ramp B) Drop the cage C) Cast a fatty. (Note 5 drop falls right before titan range)
Not hard folks, not hard.
Fanaticmogg
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(2 votes)
Use in EDH. You'll be getting three Monkeys, minimum.
@Gabriel442: It triggers off of CMC, not power or toughness. If that 1/1 was a Scornful Egoist... Anyway, the Gargadon is more powerful this way, too. MAMMOTH MONKEY ARMY
kirbster: it won't work. if more than one creature enters at once, they see each other enter, but the ability will trigger for only one creature- then the cage is sacced and the rest of the triggers go to hell (i think. i might be wrong).
EDIT: NO! wait! nibelheim_valesti's question made it clear: a bunch of stuff together do work, since there's no "if you do". do notice though: if an ETB trigger gives you more creatures, only the first one works- the cage is sacced with his enter, before the creature's ability resolves. also, tokens give 0 monkeys.
Comments (22)
You want to play a creature to use this? You'll have to use a bunch of mana to summon your own creature right after you play this, and honestly here, if you had 11 mana to spend on a Darksteel Colossus and 5 more to spend on this beforehand, you should already have won the game.
At best, it prevents your opponent from summoning something big for a little while, 'til you're forced to use this with your own creature, or you're forced to use it with one of his weenies. This card stinks.
Maybe something like a turn 1 Llanowar Elf into a turn two Fierce Empath to tutor up a Draco. Turn 3 Elvish Piper, turn 4 whatever, turn 5 Monkey Cage, then wait for the fun surprise factor. Hopefully your opponent will put out some cheap critter to pop your cage, & in response you activate your Piper, bringing Draco into play and netting a cool 16 monkeys. Turn 6, swing for the win. . . after casting a Coat of Arms of course.
Obviously that requires a perfect draw and not missing a land drop. Still, seems like a fun card in the right sort of deck.
Just wondering because the sacrificing isn't a cost, and there's no "if you do" involved...
So creatures with flash like Pestermite can be played in response to your opponents creatures to decent effect.
@nammertime; yeah, you can use 20 mana to banefire someone for 19, or you can cast this and emrakul then swing with your monkeys. One way just has more style.
Or flash it out at the end of their turn and follow it up with a fatty of your own ;)
Other than above, I don't see how this could get around problem of the opponent playing a 1/1.
Welcome to the Monkey House, indeed.
Sure, no extra turn, but who cares?
You have 15 2/2 creatures that are APES!!!
Emrakuls and all that jam. And of course, Doubling Season can combo wih EVERYTHING, so you can obviously use that as well. And if you're using that then Door of Destinies would be more savage than Coat of Arms.
Yeah that's quite a lot of stuff, but casual decks rule, and if you do end up getting at least a hundread apes which are at least 200/200, then it's worth the effort.
B) Drop the cage
C) Cast a fatty. (Note 5 drop falls right before titan range)
Not hard folks, not hard.
@Gabriel442: It triggers off of CMC, not power or toughness. If that 1/1 was a Scornful Egoist... Anyway, the Gargadon is more powerful this way, too. MAMMOTH MONKEY ARMY
EDIT: NO! wait! nibelheim_valesti's question made it clear: a bunch of stuff together do work, since there's no "if you do".
do notice though: if an ETB trigger gives you more creatures, only the first one works- the cage is sacced with his enter, before the creature's ability resolves. also, tokens give 0 monkeys.
march of the machines, cheat gleemax in.