Coldsnap
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| Released | July 21, 2006 | |||
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| Size | 155 (40 rares, 50 uncommons, 65 commons) | |||
| Keywords | Cumulative Upkeep, Ripple, Recover | |||
| Mechanics | Snow Supertype, Pitch Cards | |||
| Development code | Splat | |||
| Expansion code | CSP | |||
| Third set in the Ice Age Block block | ||||
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Coldsnap is the third set in the Ice Age block for the Magic:The Gathering collectible card game. It was released on July 21, 2006 by Wizards of the Coast. The set came out over ten years after Ice Age was released in June 1995, the longest period of time between the beginning and the completion of a full block in Magic.
In the initial announcement, Randy Buehler said that Coldsnap was designed around the same time as Ice Age and Alliances but was never released because "internal politics" had "forced" Wizards to release Homelands instead. Buehler said that although the set was not a modern design, it would go through modern development and released with modern Magic text and wordings. However, in the Ask Wizards section on November 10, 2005, a player pointed to several inconsistencies in Buehler's story and suggested that Coldsnap was in fact a newly designed set. While Buehler did not explicitly confirm that the player's analysis was correct, he did imply as much by saying only that the notion that Coldsnap was "from the vault" was more fun to think about.
Mark Rosewater confirmed in his February 6, 2006 column that the "from the vault" story was a "cute little cover" to make the announcement more interesting and expressed surprise that any players took the story at face value. He apologised for the confusion Wizards R&D had created and made it clear that the set is indeed a newly designed one.
As of August 20, 2006, Coldsnap is tournament legal in Standard, Extended, Legacy, Vintage, and Ice Age Block tournament formats. It was also released on Magic: The Gathering Online on August 14, becoming the first expansion ever to be legal for Constructed tournament play on Magic Online before its paper version was.
The Coldsnap Theme Decks include Aurochs Stampede (Red/Green), Beyond the Grave (Red/Green/Black), Kjeldoran Cunning (White/Blue), and Snowscape (Black/Blue). These decks include some notable cards from Ice Age and Alliances, including Brainstorm, Death Spark, and Swords to Plowshares.
Keyword mechanics
- Ripple. When a spell with Ripple is played, the controller of the spell may reveal the top four cards of his library. If he reveals any cards with the same name as the spell with Ripple effect, the player may play those spells without paying their mana costs. The card Thrumming Stone gives all spells its controller plays Ripple. Interestingly, although each card involving Ripple requires four cards to be revealed, the mechanic is templated as "Ripple X", meaning that further iterations of the ability could involve revealing a greater or smaller number of cards.
- Recover. Recover is a triggered ability that allows cards to be returned from the graveyard to their owner's hand. When a card with Recover is in the graveyard and a creature is put into the same graveyard, the ability triggers. Its controller may then pay the Recover cost and return the Recoverable card to their hand. If they do not, the player removes it from the game. This mechanic was designed to preserve the spirit of Death Spark, a popular Alliances card, while holding to the modern policy of not printing cards that require the graveyard to stay in a specific order.
- Cumulative Upkeep. An old ability that initially debuted in Ice Age, cards with Cumulative Upkeep require their controllers to pay increasing upkeep costs every turn or sacrifice them. Coldsnap offers new twists on this mechanic, including bonuses or penalties based on the number of turns the card has been in play.
Notable cards
Dark Depths - Removing all of the ice counters on this land will give the owner the most powerful creature token in Magic, an indestructible 20/20 sorceress named Marit Lage.
Herald of Leshrac - This growing avatar requires the player to gain control of other players' lands for it to survive.
Hibernation's End - This enchantment essentially allows you to play increasingly large creatures straight from your library without paying their mana costs.
Ohran Viper - Ohran Viper resembles old favorites, Tangle Asp and Ophidian, it is currently the highest priced card in Coldsnap, and is a prominent addition to the popular 'Snakes on a Plane' deck.
Lightning Storm - Potentially one of the most abusive (and confusing) direct damage spells ever created. Also the first instant with an activated ability.
Panglacial Wurm - This is the first ever creature that can be played directly from the library.
Vanish Into Memory - Winner of You Make the Card 3.[1]
Braid of Fire - The first card that adds mana to the player's mana pool as the cost of the cumulative upkeep, allowing other cumulative upkeeps to be maintained indefinitely.