Today in what is viewed generally as a shocking move Wizards announced 2006's fourth set. In addition to Guildpact, Dissenion, and the unnamed beginning of the next block, Wizards will also be releasing the third, never realized set of Ice Age, Coldsnap. Also in this annoucment Wizards has said that it will be tourament legal. Some have taken this as confirmation for the rumored Legacy/Vintage-only Chronicles follow-up.
The orginial annoucment on Wizards can be found here and the Salvation discussion thread here.
With that I would like to coin the next great phrase:
With that I would like to coin the next great phrase:
Oh, Snap! GoGo Coldsnap!
I'm fairly sure you didn't coin that phrase, that honor goes to The 3rd Try and Lord_Cthulhu over at the Wizards boards. (Unless of course either of those are your username over there)
Exciting news either way.
-Lance
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I'm fairly sure you didn't coin that phrase, that honor goes to The 3rd Try and Lord_Cthulhu over at the Wizards boards. (Unless of course either of those are your username over there)
Exciting news either way.
-Lance
Yes well, they did not have the GoGo in theirs. Otherwise someone here also would have beat me to it. But they just had the Oh, Snap! so I will take credit.
CEO: "Wow, putting out four sets a year really pushes our revenue up! Do we have any excuses to print a fourth set in 2006?"
WotC: "Well, um...let me see..."
CEO: "C'mon, I want a new yacht, a new car, and a new house in 2006! Think of something, anything!"
WotC: "Well...we never did put out a third set in Ice Age block..."
CEO: "Terrific! Do it!"
Wotc: "...ten years ago..."
CEO: "Yeah, yeah. Go get started!"
WotC: "...legality issues..."
CEO: "Do it or I'm gong to cancel your Cartoon Network subscriptions."
WotC: "We're on it!"
wtf...
I think this is a result of their online shenanighans.
mirage is rereleased online because it was the first full block.
wizards is probably planning on continuing rereleasing all the sets from then on having block constructeds as they go.
recently they must've realized ice age was an unfinished block and to fix it up for the rest of their plans they are coming out with cold snap.
Ok... Where to start?
1. Type 2 legal? Will it be ajusted for the modern "color wheel" or back to glory days? That will mess some stuff up.
2. What the hell block is homelands in then?
3. Cumminitive upkeep makes a return? What about rampage and banding (bob save us)?
Ok... Where to start?
1. Type 2 legal? Will it be ajusted for the modern "color wheel" or back to glory days? That will mess some stuff up.
2. What the hell block is homelands in then?
3. Cumminitive upkeep makes a return? What about rampage and banding (bob save us)?
2. Homelands is now considered part of "Disowned" block.
3. Please no. If banding returns, I'm going to stab myself in the goddamn face.
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A concealed attack on my intelligence? Improbable!
3. Please no. If banding returns, I'm going to stab myself in the goddamn face.
ROTFLMGDAO!!!!!!!!!
Seriously, this is killin me, that is some funny stuff.
Strange. The possiblities of:
1) Banding
2) Cumulative Upkeep
3) Next turn Cantrips
4) Snow Covered Lands
5) Rampage
6) Enchant Worlds
7) Unbalanced old Color Wheel
Weird
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Commander Decks: WBRQueen Marchesa's Powerful FriendsRBW URArjun, Mindmoil SphinxRU GFreyalise and the ElvesG GROmnath, Ramping to RageRG UBaral, Chef of CounterspellsU
Seriously, this is killin me, that is some funny stuff.
Strange. The possiblities of:
1) Banding
2) Cumulative Upkeep
3) Next turn Cantrips
4) Snow Covered Lands
5) Rampage
6) Enchant Worlds
7) Unbalanced old Color Wheel
Weird
I think that the block will be flavorfully similar to Ice Age and bring back a mechanic or two, but it's probably going to be updated to modern rules and standards. That means no banding, no next-turn cantrips, no enchant worlds, the color wheel will probably be balanced, etc. We might have Snow-Covered Lands, but WoTC has admitted that they failed last time. Maybe if they approach it better, making it more relevant? I doubt Rampage will be in there either- it's not specific to Ice Age, just an old mechanic.
so are they going to charge what it would have cost the customer back then?? Pack were $2.95 back in the day!
I HIGHLY DOUBT IT!!!:swear:
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"Talkin outta turn....That's a paddlin'. Starin' at my sandals....That's a paddlin'. Paddlin' the school canoe....You better believe that's a paddlin'!" --Jasper
If Ice Age had Counterspell, the third best ever counter, and Alliances had Force of Will, one of the two equal best counters in the game (equal with Mana Drain), does this mean we'll see something better in Coldsnap?
I'm certainly looking forward to this one, having started playing when Ice Age was the most recent release.
Counterspell was originally published in Alpha. However, Necropotence was originally published in Ice Age. Unfortunately, all that means is that they probably went in to the file on the set and cleaned up any really problem cards from it. Sure, they might be good for Vintage or Legacy, but they probably won't be as broken as they might have been had the set been put out with the rest of the bunch.
As far as Banding... It's a complex mechanic, that really does mess with the general rules of the game a lot. Despite it being somewhat innocuous looking, and very "flavorful", it really was very hard for many, many players to learn how to actually play with it. That being said, I don't think it's beyond anyone to learn how to use it and could certainly be revisited. But, it'll probably be passed over for some other flashier mechanic.
Personally, I think it's weird that they'd decide to release the "third set" to Ice Age. I doubt it was done for purely financial reasons, given they probably don't want to saturate the market and drive down sales of the other sets they release (especially when Standard and Block will be the major sales for the next year with FNM), and it's odd to release a set that really will have no place in that environment (can't play Coldsnap in Standard, though you could draft with it).
Just a quick note: they said tournament legal, not necessarily standard legal.
I'm reserving all judgment on this one until they tell me what on earth they're doing with this. The options are just too many at this point to speculate meaningfully, so I'm just going to go ahead and wait til Wednesday.
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People who opened cards and saw 'banding' were. It wasn't showing up on the tournament scene - but that doesn't change the fact that it was showing up to the other 85% of the playerbase, and they didn't get it, but played with it anyway.
They cut banding because, once upon a matress, it confused most of the playerbase. It wasn't powerful and splashy, it was just an interesting mechanic - and honestly, it's a mechanic that really helps out white, and it's one they've tried to bring back in more mechanically simple forms (the best example being the En-Kor dudes from Tempest). But it's still fricking confusing and I don't understand how it works like I do with the other keywords.
I think I'm fairly typical, as far as rules go.
Plus, interacting with banding is pretty eh. There's no a lot of design space for it (I said 'not a lot'; there isn't much for trample, either, after all), and it's not an eponymous-enough mechanic that it deserves to stay despite that.
I'm looking forward to seeing the newest creations of the artificer who inspired one of my old screen names: Arcum Dagsson, Soldevi Machinist.
And as far as Banding goes... while I never found it particularly useful on the attack, the ability to defend with a Benalish Hero and two other massive creatures, and not get anything killed, was pretty cool.
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I am no longer on MTGS staff, so please don't contact me asking me to do staff things. :|
Why is everyone talking about Banding ? Noble Elephant was in Mirage block and that's got Banding. As such MtGO already has (or will soon have) Banding.
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<Limited Clan>
Well this is utter madness..... This means that there is going to be 1 or 2 broken cards in this set and a bunch of utterly useless crap..... maybe this is all a bad dream..... I got it April Fools day is only a few months away maybe they are setting us up..... Crap I got nothing
-TotT
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Quote from mastab3690 »
yes turning of the tide that was a nice, props on breaking the deck
I was flipping through the nre mirage faq and I noticed that they clarified mechanics such as cumminitive upkeep and such but a question came up asking about banding and they said "don't need it" so my guess is that cumminitve upkeep is making a comeback in this set(combo something with power conduit perhaps?)
Banding is a Keyword ability that grants the following abilities and is only relevant during combat or with a few lands from Legends.
On defense, creatures with banding have their damage assigned by their controller, rather than the controller of the attacking creature. If at least one creature with Banding is part of a multiple creature blocking group, then all creatures in the group with the creature with Banding have their recieved combat damage assigned by their controller.
When attacking, you can make a "group" of X+1 attacking creatures where X is the number of creatures with banding in the group. If you have multiple creatures with banding you can make multiple attacking groups. If one member of the group is blocked, then the entire group is blocked. As on defense, groups containing a member with banding are assigned combat damage by their controller, rather than the controller of the blocking creature.
Hope that helps clarify things for you solafida 289. If it doesn't the saturday school from this past weekend on wizards has a nice explanation of Banding as well.
OMFG!!!! BEST THING EVAR!!!!! ICE AGE WAS MY FAVORITE SET BEHIND LEGENDS!!!! 0OMG SNOWCOVERED LANDWALXORZ [email="HAXORz@@@!!!!!!1LEET"]HAXORz@@@!!!!!!1LEET[/email]!!!!!!
Sorry for the lack of lower case letters, I couldn't contain myself.
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"But then are we most in order when we are most out of order."-Jack Cade
"That is not dead which can eternal lie, And with strange aeons even death may die."
- H.P. Lovecraft
You know the scene in Boondock Saints that so elegantly illustrated the diversity of the F-word? Right. That scene is currently running through my head on endless repeat.
So is this going to be for the next couple of years? Wizards prints a block and a "fun set"? May be we get the 3rd Un set (Undressed??!?!) in a couple of years. And don't shoot me as I propose a 2nd chronicles just to get some of the old mechanics into standard.
Oh and also, with the advent of coldsnap, will there be a Iceage block tourney rotation? hmmm... my counter/post deck will reign supreme again!
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Where to I was once the purveyor of much merryment, now I'm just a complete bastard.
Yes banding isnt that bad, but "bands with others" is just confusing and counterintuitive as hell. (i have a creature with bands with legends, and i....can't band with legends? UHWHAAAA?)
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The orginial annoucment on Wizards can be found here and the Salvation discussion thread here.
With that I would like to coin the next great phrase:
Oh, Snap! GoGo Coldsnap!
Exciting news either way.
-Lance
Spread the word.
Yes well, they did not have the GoGo in theirs. Otherwise someone here also would have beat me to it. But they just had the Oh, Snap! so I will take credit.
...
CEO: "Wow, putting out four sets a year really pushes our revenue up! Do we have any excuses to print a fourth set in 2006?"
WotC: "Well, um...let me see..."
CEO: "C'mon, I want a new yacht, a new car, and a new house in 2006! Think of something, anything!"
WotC: "Well...we never did put out a third set in Ice Age block..."
CEO: "Terrific! Do it!"
Wotc: "...ten years ago..."
CEO: "Yeah, yeah. Go get started!"
WotC: "...legality issues..."
CEO: "Do it or I'm gong to cancel your Cartoon Network subscriptions."
WotC: "We're on it!"
Always trading for more Kezzerdrixes...drixen...drixii...for more!
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CHAMPION of Survivor MTG News vs. MTG Salvation!
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Think.
I think this is a result of their online shenanighans.
mirage is rereleased online because it was the first full block.
wizards is probably planning on continuing rereleasing all the sets from then on having block constructeds as they go.
recently they must've realized ice age was an unfinished block and to fix it up for the rest of their plans they are coming out with cold snap.
1. Type 2 legal? Will it be ajusted for the modern "color wheel" or back to glory days? That will mess some stuff up.
2. What the hell block is homelands in then?
3. Cumminitive upkeep makes a return? What about rampage and banding (bob save us)?
2. Homelands is now considered part of "Disowned" block.
3. Please no. If banding returns, I'm going to stab myself in the goddamn face.
ROTFLMGDAO!!!!!!!!!
Seriously, this is killin me, that is some funny stuff.
Strange. The possiblities of:
1) Banding
2) Cumulative Upkeep
3) Next turn Cantrips
4) Snow Covered Lands
5) Rampage
6) Enchant Worlds
7) Unbalanced old Color Wheel
Weird
Commander Decks:
WBRQueen Marchesa's Powerful FriendsRBW
URArjun, Mindmoil SphinxRU
GFreyalise and the ElvesG
GROmnath, Ramping to RageRG
UBaral, Chef of CounterspellsU
I think that the block will be flavorfully similar to Ice Age and bring back a mechanic or two, but it's probably going to be updated to modern rules and standards. That means no banding, no next-turn cantrips, no enchant worlds, the color wheel will probably be balanced, etc. We might have Snow-Covered Lands, but WoTC has admitted that they failed last time. Maybe if they approach it better, making it more relevant? I doubt Rampage will be in there either- it's not specific to Ice Age, just an old mechanic.
I HIGHLY DOUBT IT!!!:swear:
I'm certainly looking forward to this one, having started playing when Ice Age was the most recent release.
Counterspell was originally published in Alpha. However, Necropotence was originally published in Ice Age. Unfortunately, all that means is that they probably went in to the file on the set and cleaned up any really problem cards from it. Sure, they might be good for Vintage or Legacy, but they probably won't be as broken as they might have been had the set been put out with the rest of the bunch.
As far as Banding... It's a complex mechanic, that really does mess with the general rules of the game a lot. Despite it being somewhat innocuous looking, and very "flavorful", it really was very hard for many, many players to learn how to actually play with it. That being said, I don't think it's beyond anyone to learn how to use it and could certainly be revisited. But, it'll probably be passed over for some other flashier mechanic.
Personally, I think it's weird that they'd decide to release the "third set" to Ice Age. I doubt it was done for purely financial reasons, given they probably don't want to saturate the market and drive down sales of the other sets they release (especially when Standard and Block will be the major sales for the next year with FNM), and it's odd to release a set that really will have no place in that environment (can't play Coldsnap in Standard, though you could draft with it).
I'm reserving all judgment on this one until they tell me what on earth they're doing with this. The options are just too many at this point to speculate meaningfully, so I'm just going to go ahead and wait til Wednesday.
I run a Tumblr for Magic-related statistics, graphs, and quizzes. Come check it out!
They cut banding because, once upon a matress, it confused most of the playerbase. It wasn't powerful and splashy, it was just an interesting mechanic - and honestly, it's a mechanic that really helps out white, and it's one they've tried to bring back in more mechanically simple forms (the best example being the En-Kor dudes from Tempest). But it's still fricking confusing and I don't understand how it works like I do with the other keywords.
I think I'm fairly typical, as far as rules go.
Plus, interacting with banding is pretty eh. There's no a lot of design space for it (I said 'not a lot'; there isn't much for trample, either, after all), and it's not an eponymous-enough mechanic that it deserves to stay despite that.
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And as far as Banding goes... while I never found it particularly useful on the attack, the ability to defend with a Benalish Hero and two other massive creatures, and not get anything killed, was pretty cool.
(I'm on on this site much anymore. If you want to get in touch it's probably best to email me: dom@heffalumps.org)
Forum Awards: Best Writer 2005, Best Limited Strategist 2005-2012
5CB PotM - June 2005, November 2005, February 2006, April 2008, May 2008, Feb 2009
MTGSalvation Articles: 1-20, plus guest appearance on MTGCast #86!
<Limited Clan>
Amulet of Quoz
My guess is this set will be a paper-only set, and legal in Vintage and Legacy only.
-TotT
On defense, creatures with banding have their damage assigned by their controller, rather than the controller of the attacking creature. If at least one creature with Banding is part of a multiple creature blocking group, then all creatures in the group with the creature with Banding have their recieved combat damage assigned by their controller.
When attacking, you can make a "group" of X+1 attacking creatures where X is the number of creatures with banding in the group. If you have multiple creatures with banding you can make multiple attacking groups. If one member of the group is blocked, then the entire group is blocked. As on defense, groups containing a member with banding are assigned combat damage by their controller, rather than the controller of the blocking creature.
Hope that helps clarify things for you solafida 289. If it doesn't the saturday school from this past weekend on wizards has a nice explanation of Banding as well.
Sorry for the lack of lower case letters, I couldn't contain myself.
"That is not dead which can eternal lie, And with strange aeons even death may die."
- H.P. Lovecraft
You know the scene in Boondock Saints that so elegantly illustrated the diversity of the F-word? Right. That scene is currently running through my head on endless repeat.
Oh and also, with the advent of coldsnap, will there be a Iceage block tourney rotation? hmmm... my counter/post deck will reign supreme again!
Logical Reasoning is dead; Long Live Stupidity