Cage counter
| Cage counter | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Counter | |
| Use | Copies the abilities of an exiled artifact or creature |
| Placed on | Exiled Artifacts, Creatures |
| Introduced | Commander 2017 |
| Last used | Unknown Event |
| Scryfall Statistics | |
Cage counters are a type of counter introduced in Commander 2017. They are placed on exiled creatures and artifacts, allowing another card to gain their activated abilities.
Description
Cage counters first appeared on Mairsil, the Pretender in Commander 2017. When it first enters the battlefield, it exiles an artifact or creature with a Cage counter on it. It then gains the activated abilities of the card with the Cage counter, allowing one use per turn. The name of the counter alludes to the exiled card being caged.
The effect of copying the activated abilities of any card with the Cage counters caused many rule clarifications, with a total of 11 different notes on the Gatherer regarding how various types of copied activated abilities are copied. Examples include being able to copy a crew ability but not an equip ability, how linked activated abilities are copied, and how multiple of the same ability can be copied.[1]
The counter was featured again on a 2024 Unknown Event test card Seer of the Bright Side, which was a human assassin that enters with two of the counters on it. They have a differently flavored effect in this use, where they represent the Seer being caged and then unleashed by preventing it from attacking or blocking while the counters are on it.
Trivia
In Magic Online, the counter is colored green as its considered a positive effect and they share an icon with Brick and Tower counters.[2]
References
- ↑ Wizards of the Coast (August 25, 2017). "Mairsil, the Pretender". Rulings. Gatherer.
- ↑ Christopher Bellach (September 5, 2018). "Counter Development in Magic Online". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on 2018-09-10.
