Pointed Discussion

I guess it's in response to this unstoppable card that they had no choice but to make Hornet Sting...

It would be a great enchantment if the damn thing didn't break all the time!

Great Card. Shut down a creature entirely for 2 CMC...whats not to like.

lost a sealed deck game because a guy bolted his own bogardan hellkite to break this crappy enchantment.

@ donjohnson

The third ability. Look at it closely. If they have any other card that says anything like "tap a creature you control..." or some similar you lose the ice cage.

At the very least it's better than Sleeping Potion most of the time.

Frozen Solid

I would prefer the frozen solid with cmc2 over this one.

On constructed: First off, there are better options. If we ignore that, there is still the part about how you want to give your opponents as few options as possible, and this gives them the option of getting rid of your "removal" spell.
On limited: One copy is usually fine in a sealed deck, but if you have two your opponent can usually play around them via sideboard (Hornet Sting, Diminish, Stabbing Pain, Primal Cocoon, Holy Strength, Unholy Strength) if not main deck. Pick it no earlier than mid-pack.

@abacus: You seem to be misunderstanding the term "target", since the phrase you're quoting obviously refers to abilities which use creature-tapping as a _cost_ rather than an effect.

The fact that it says "destroy ice cage" makes me giggle at the possibility of enchanting this with indestructibility. Two card 6 mana arrest ftw

nice but hell of a fragile so...

Can someone help clear up this confusion:

If my creature has been enchanted with an ice cage, can I go on later to equip it with a shield if the ice cage is still in place?

@Krizard: Yes, you can. In fact, the equipping breaks the ice cage altogether! I've used that more than once in M12 limited to save my creatures.

There are obviously better cards, Journey to Nowhere, Oblivion Ring, heck even Pacifism could be considered better. In blue there are other lockdown cards as well. This card may not be the next Stoneforge Mystic but it is good. It shines in casual. At 2cmc and common it comes into play early and is easily obtainable. It will shut down any early threat and will typically be used against a creature your opponent may not feel is even worth bailing out which means they will typically just play around it instead of breaking your cage. Its great against tempo and weenie decks if you are playing a slower control deck. Drop this on a Warcry critter or something and all the sudden your opponent is fighting just a little bit harder to get his strat going. It definitely has its place and I feel it deserves a better reputation.

In casual drafts and the like, the card has some fairly serious stopping ability. In anything a bit more focused, it loses some value. It's not as terrible as many others in similar situations though.