_Coldsnap_(TM) Frequently Asked Questions Compiled by Mark L. Gottlieb, with contributions from Laurie Cheers, Jeff Jordan, and Lee Sharpe Document last modified June 14, 2006 _Coldsnap_ Prerelease tournaments: July 8-9, 2006 _Coldsnap_ official release date: July 21, 2006 The _Coldsnap_ set becomes legal for sanctioned Constructed play August 20, 2006. Set size: 155 cards (60 common, 55 uncommon, 40 rare) This FAQ has two sections, each of which serves a different purpose. The first section ("General Notes") explains the new mechanics and concepts in the set. The second section ("Card-Specific Notes") contains answers to the most important questions players might ask about a given card. Items in the "Card-Specific Notes" section include full rules text for your reference. Not all cards in the set are listed. The _Ice Age_(TM) and _Alliances_(TM) cards reprinted in the _Coldsnap_ theme decks are not included in this FAQ. ----- GENERAL NOTES Snow and the Snow Mana Symbol The snow-covered supertype has been renamed "snow." All _Ice Age_ and _Alliances_ cards that used the term snow-covered are receiving updated wordings in Oracle. Boreal Druid {G} Snow Creature -- Elf Druid 1/1 {T}: Add {1} to your mana pool. * Like "legendary," the supertype snow may appear on any card that becomes a permanent. Unlike "legendary," "snow" has no particular meaning or rules associated with it. * Some lands with the supertype snow, such as Snow-Covered Forest, also have the supertype basic. Since these are basic lands, you may have any number of them in a Constructed deck in any format in which the _Coldsnap_ set is legal. * In Limited events, you can't add basic snow lands to your deck from outside your card pool. You may add only lands named Plains, Island, Swamp, Mountain, and Forest, as normal. * Effects that target nonbasic lands can't target basic snow lands. The _Coldsnap_ set features a new mana symbol. The snow mana symbol is denoted as {S} and resembles a snowflake. It is used only in abilities, not in cards' mana costs. Rimebound Dead {B} Snow Creature -- Skeleton 1/1 {S}: Regenerate Rimebound Dead. ({S} can be paid with one mana from a snow permanent.) * {S} in a cost represents a single generic mana, similar to the symbol {1} in a cost. It can be paid with one mana of any color, or one colorless mana, as long as that mana was produced by a snow permanent. For example, {S} can be paid with one mana produced by Snow-Covered Swamp or Boreal Druid, among others. It can't be paid with mana produced by the nonsnow permanents Swamp or Llanowar Elves. * When paying for {S}, it matters only if the permanent that produced the mana had the supertype snow at the time that mana was produced. If it did but subsequently lost the supertype, that mana can still be used to pay for {S}. On the other hand, if it wasn't a snow permanent when it produced the mana but subsequently gained the supertype, that mana can't be used to pay for {S}. * {S} is not a color, you can't add {S} to your mana pool, and "snow mana" is not a type of mana. ----- Cumulative Upkeep Cumulative upkeep is a mechanic featured in the _Ice Age_ and _Mirage_(TM) blocks. Phobian Phantasm {1}{B}{B} Creature -- Illusion 3/3 Flying, fear Cumulative upkeep {B} (At the beginning of your upkeep, put an age counter on this permanent, then sacrifice it unless you pay its upkeep cost for each age counter on it.) Minor additions have been made to the rules for the cumulative upkeep ability in order to clarify how some _Coldsnap_ cards work. The official rules for the cumulative upkeep ability are as follows: 502.13. Cumulative Upkeep 502.13a Cumulative upkeep is a triggered ability that imposes an increasing cost on a permanent. "Cumulative upkeep [cost]" means "At the beginning of your upkeep, put an age counter on this permanent, then sacrifice this permanent unless you pay [cost] for each age counter on it." If [cost] has choices associated with it, each choice is made separately for each age counter, then either the entire set of costs is paid, or none of them are paid. Partial payments are not allowed. Example: A creature has "Cumulative upkeep {W} or {U}" and two age counters on it. When its ability next triggers and resolves, the creature's controller puts an age counter on it and may then pay {W}{W}{W}, {W}{W}{U}, {W}{U}{U}, or {U}{U}{U} to keep the creature in play. 502.13b If a permanent has multiple instances of cumulative upkeep, each triggers separately. However, the age counters are not linked to any particular ability; each cumulative upkeep ability will count the total number of age counters on the permanent at the time that ability resolves. Example: A creature has two instances of "Cumulative upkeep--Pay 1 life." The creature currently has no counters but both cumulative upkeep abilities trigger. When the first ability resolves, the controller adds a counter and then chooses to pay 1 life. When the second ability resolves, the controller adds another counter and then chooses to pay an additional 2 life. * Paying cumulative upkeep is always optional. If it's not paid, the permanent with cumulative upkeep is sacrificed. Partial payments of the total cumulative upkeep cost can't be made. For example, if a permanent with "cumulative upkeep {1}" has three age counters on it when its cumulative upkeep ability triggers, it gets another age counter and then its controller chooses to either pay {4} or sacrifice the permanent. * Examples of choices associated with cumulative upkeep costs include choosing an opponent, choosing a creature, choosing a color of mana, choosing a graveyard, and choosing "heads" or "tails" when flipping a coin. Each choice within a single payment is made independently. The entire set of choices must be legal and payable. * Some permanents have abilities that trigger when their cumulative upkeep is paid. These abilities trigger when an entire upkeep payment is made. They don't trigger once per individual cost payment. * Several cards with cumulative upkeep do something based on the number of age counters on them when they're put into a graveyard from play. For example, Arctic Nishoba says "When Arctic Nishoba is put into a graveyard from play, you gain 2 life for each age counter on it." That ability triggers no matter how the Nishoba is put into a graveyard from play. If you don't pay its cumulative upkeep and have to sacrifice it, it gets an age counter first, which impacts the amount of life you gain. * Note that the decision to track cumulative upkeep using counters was made when the "Sixth Edition rules" (and the original version of the Oracle card database) were released in 1999. The _Coldsnap_ set is the first since that time to feature cumulative upkeep cards, so this may appear to some players to be a rules change. ----- Recover Recover is a triggered ability that works from the graveyard. Icefall {2}{R}{R} Sorcery Destroy target artifact or land. Recover {R}{R} (When a creature is put into your graveyard from play, you may pay {R}{R}. If you do, return this card from your graveyard to your hand. Otherwise, remove this card from the game.) The official rules for the recover ability are as follows: 502.55. Recover 502.55a Recover is a triggered ability that functions only while the card with recover is in a player's graveyard. "Recover [cost]" means "When a creature is put into your graveyard from play, you may pay [cost]. If you do, return this card from your graveyard to your hand. Otherwise, remove this card from the game." * You get only one chance to use a card's recover ability. After a card with recover is put into your graveyard, any creature put into your graveyard from play causes the recover ability to trigger. When the ability resolves, either you pay the recover cost and return the card to your hand, or you don't pay and the card is removed from the game. * If a creature with recover is put into your graveyard from play, it doesn't cause its own recover ability to trigger. Similarly, if another creature is put into your graveyard from play at the same time that a card with recover is put there, it won't cause that recover ability to trigger. * If multiple creatures are put into your graveyard from play at the same time, the recover ability of a card already in your graveyard triggers that many times. Only the first one to resolve will cause the card to move somewhere. By the time any of the other triggers resolve, the card won't be in your graveyard anymore. You can still pay the recover cost, but nothing else will happen. ----- Ripple Ripple is a triggered ability of a spell that works when you play that spell. Surging Dementia {1}{B} Sorcery Ripple 4 (When you play this spell, you may reveal the top four cards of your library. You may play any revealed cards with the same name as this spell without paying their mana costs. Put the rest on the bottom of your library.) Target player discards a card. The official rules for the ripple ability are as follows: 502.56. Ripple 502.56a Ripple is a triggered ability that functions while the card with ripple is on the stack. "Ripple N" means "When you play this spell, you may reveal the top N cards of your library, or, if there are fewer than N cards in your library, you may reveal all the cards in your library. If you reveal cards from your library this way, you may play any of those cards with the same name as this spell without paying their mana costs, then put all revealed cards not played this way on the bottom of your library in any order." 502.56b If a spell has multiple instances of ripple, each triggers separately. * When you play a spell with ripple, the ripple ability will resolve before the spell does. * If you choose to reveal cards, you may play any or all of the revealed cards with the same name as the spell. Any cards you don't play, including those with the same name, will be put on the bottom of your library in any order. * For each revealed card you choose to play, follow all the normal steps for playing it, though you won't have to pay its mana cost. Any additional costs are paid as normal. All cards played this way go on the stack on top of the original spell, then all abilities that trigger when you play the new spells (including their ripple abilities) go on the stack on top of them. * After you play the original spell with ripple, ripple's triggered ability goes on the stack and you receive priority. But you don't receive priority after you play a spell during a ripple ability's resolution; after the ripple ability resolves, the active player receives priority. ----- Aurochs The _Coldsnap_ set features a number of creatures with creature type Aurochs. They each have abilities that refer to other Aurochs. Bull Aurochs {1}{G} Creature -- Aurochs 2/1 Trample Whenever Bull Aurochs attacks, it gets +1/+0 until end of turn for each other attacking Aurochs. * Abilities of Aurochs care about other creatures that have creature type Aurochs, which includes (but is not limited to) the _Ice Age_ card named Aurochs. ----- Martyrs The _Coldsnap_ set features a cycle of Martyrs. Each has an ability whose cost includes revealing cards from your hand. Martyr of Ashes {R} Creature -- Human Shaman 1/1 {2}, Reveal X red cards from your hand, Sacrifice Martyr of Ashes: Martyr of Ashes deals X damage to each creature without flying. * Each card that's revealed to pay the cost remains revealed until the ability leaves the stack. * A card that's already revealed for another cost or because of an effect can be revealed to pay this cost. * If one of the cards that's revealed to pay the cost leaves its owner's hand before the ability resolves, it stops being revealed, but the value of X is not affected. ----- Double-Pitch Cards A cycle of _Coldsnap_ cards let you remove two cards of a specific color in your hand from the game rather than pay their mana costs. Commandeer {5}{U}{U} Instant You may remove two blue cards in your hand from the game rather than pay Commandeer's mana cost. Gain control of target noncreature spell. You may choose new targets for it. (If that spell is an artifact or enchantment, the permanent comes into play under your control.) * You may pay the alternative cost rather than the card's mana cost. Any additional costs are paid as normal. * Paying the alternative cost doesn't change when you can play the spell. A creature spell you play this way, for example, can still only be played during your main phase while the stack is empty. * If you don't have two cards of the right color in your hand, you can't choose to play the spell using the alternative cost. * You can't remove a card from your hand to pay for itself. At the time you would pay costs, that card is on the stack, not in your hand. ----- "Slowtrips" In a throwback to the _Ice Age_ block, some _Coldsnap_ cards say "draw a card at the beginning of the next turn's upkeep." These cards set up a delayed triggered ability that triggers at the beginning of the very next turn. It doesn't matter whose turn it is. Balduvian Rage {X}{R} Instant Target attacking creature gets +X/+0 until end of turn. Draw a card at the beginning of the next turn's upkeep. ----- CARD-SPECIFIC NOTES Adarkar Valkyrie {4}{W}{W} Snow Creature -- Angel 4/5 Flying, vigilance {T}: When target creature other than Adarkar Valkyrie is put into a graveyard this turn, return that card to play under your control. * Adarkar Valkyrie's ability can target a token creature, but since token creatures cease to exist when they leave play, it won't be returned to play. ----- Arcum Dagsson {3}{U} Legendary Creature -- Human Artificer 2/2 {T}: Target artifact creature's controller sacrifices it. That player may search his or her library for a noncreature artifact card, put it into play, then shuffle his or her library. * Arcum Dagsson's ability targets an artifact creature, not the controller of one. * Arcum Dagsson's ability can target any permanent that's both an artifact and a creature, such as a Grizzly Bears while Mycosynth Lattice is in play. ----- Balduvian Frostwaker {2}{U} Creature -- Human Wizard 1/1 {U}, {T}: Target snow land becomes a 2/2 blue Elemental creature with flying. It's still a land. * Balduvian Frostwaker's effect has no duration. The snow land is a creature as long as it's in play. * If an affected land later loses the supertype snow, Balduvian Frostwaker's effect doesn't end. The land will remain a creature. ----- Balduvian Warlord {3}{R} Creature -- Human Barbarian 3/2 {T}: Remove target blocking creature from combat. Creatures it blocked that no other creature blocked this combat become unblocked, then it blocks an attacking creature of your choice. Play this ability only during the declare blockers step. * Balduvian Warlord's ability may be played during any player's turn. * Only legal blocking choices may be made. For example, a creature without flying can't block a flying creature this way. Or, if the targeted blocking creature was blocking a Taunting Elf, Balduvian Warlord can remove the blocker from combat, but then it must block the Taunting Elf again. * If the targeted creature can't legally block any attacking creatures at this point (for example, it doesn't have flying and the creature it was initially blocking gained flying during the declare blockers step), that creature is simply removed from combat and blocks nothing. * The targeted creature that's removed from combat may then block the attacking creature that it was originally blocking. If so, that creature will no longer be unblocked. * If an attacking creature becomes unblocked this way and remains unblocked, it will deal its combat damage to the defending player. Abilities that say "When this creature attacks and isn't blocked" won't trigger. * If the targeted creature has a "When this creature blocks" ability, it will trigger when Balduvian Warlord's ability resolves and the creature blocks again. * If an attacking creature has an ability that triggers "When this creature becomes blocked," it triggers when a creature blocks it due to the Warlord's ability only if it was unblocked at that point. * If an attacking creature has a "When this creature becomes blocked by [a creature]" ability, it triggers when a creature blocks it due to the Warlord's ability. * The attacking creature will become unblocked only if the targeted creature was the only one that blocked it this combat, even if all the other creatures that were blocking it are no longer in play or are no longer blocking it (even those removed with other Balduvian Warlords' abilities). ----- Blizzard Specter {2}{U}{B} Snow Creature -- Specter 2/3 Flying Whenever Blizzard Specter deals combat damage to a player, choose one -- That player returns a permanent he or she controls to its owner's hand; or that player discards a card. * You choose the mode when you put Blizzard Specter's triggered ability on the stack. * If Blizzard Specter's first mode is chosen, the defending player chooses the permanent to return to hand when the ability resolves. * Blizzard Specter's second mode may be chosen even if the defending player's hand is empty. ----- Braid of Fire {1}{R} Enchantment Cumulative upkeep--Add {R} to your mana pool. (At the beginning of your upkeep, put an age counter on this permanent, then sacrifice it unless you pay its upkeep cost for each age counter on it.) * Braid of Fire is a very unusual card. "Add {R} to your mana pool" is a cost. This enchantment does nothing but add increasing amounts of mana to your mana pool during your upkeep. Any of this mana that isn't spent during your beginning phase (that is, during the rest of your upkeep and your draw step) will cause mana burn. ----- Brooding Saurian {2}{G}{G} Creature -- Lizard 4/4 At the end of each turn, each player gains control of all nontoken permanents he or she owns. * If a permanent is enchanted with an Aura such as Confiscate when Brooding Saurian's ability resolves, the enchanted permanent's owner will regain control of it. The Aura will not be removed. The Aura will still be controlled by its owner, but its effect will be overridden. ----- Commandeer {5}{U}{U} Instant You may remove two blue cards in your hand from the game rather than pay Commandeer's mana cost. Gain control of target noncreature spell. You may choose new targets for it. (If that spell is an artifact or enchantment, the permanent comes into play under your control.) * If you gain control of an instant or sorcery spell with Commandeer, it will still be put into its owner's graveyard when it resolves. * After Commandeer resolves, you control the targeted spell. Any instance of "you" in that spell's text now refers to you, "an opponent" refers to one of your opponents, and so on. The change of control happens before new targets are chosen, so any targeting restrictions such as "target opponent" or "target creature you control" are now made in reference to you, not the spell's original controller. You may either change those targets to be legal in reference to you, or, if those are the spell's only targets, the spell will be countered on resolution for having illegal targets. When the spell resolves, any illegal targets are unaffected by it and you make all decisions the spell's effect calls for. * You may change any of the targeted spell's targets. If you change a target, you must choose a legal target for the spell. If you can't, you must leave the target the same (even if that target is now illegal). * If the targeted spell has a triggered ability that copies it (for example, replicate or storm), the copies will be controlled by the player who played that spell. ----- Counterbalance {U}{U} Enchantment Whenever an opponent plays a spell, you may reveal the top card of your library. If you do, counter that spell if it has the same converted mana cost as the revealed card. * If an opponent plays a spell with X in its mana cost, the converted mana cost of that spell takes the value of X into account. If you reveal a card with X in its mana cost, X is 0. For example, if your opponent plays Blaze with X=1, Counterbalance will counter that spell if you reveal a card with converted mana cost 2, but it won't counter that spell if you reveal a Blaze of your own. * If an opponent plays half of a split card (for example, Hit), and you reveal a split card where half of it has the same converted mana cost (for example, Hit/Run or Stand/Deliver), Counterbalance will counter the spell. ----- Cover of Winter {2}{W} Snow Enchantment Cumulative upkeep {S} ({S} can be paid with one mana from a snow permanent.) If a creature would deal combat damage to you and/or one or more creatures you control, prevent X of that damage, where X is the number of age counters on Cover of Winter. {S}: Put an age counter on Cover of Winter. * Cover of Winter's replacement effect prevents combat damage creatures would deal to you and to attacking or blocking creatures you control. * If multiple creatures would deal combat damage to you and your creatures at the same time, this prevents X of the damage that would be dealt by each of them. This prevention is applied creature by creature. For example, if Cover of Winter has two age counters and you're being attacked by an unblocked 1/1 and an unblocked 4/4, this will prevent 2 of the combat damage that would be dealt by each one. All damage from the 1/1 is prevented and 2 damage from the 4/4 is prevented, meaning you're dealt 2 damage. * If a creature has double strike, Cover of Winter prevents X of the combat damage it would deal during each combat damage step. * If a creature's combat damage is assigned to multiple recipients (for example, if it has trample and is blocked by two creatures, and damage is assigned to each of those creatures and to you), you decide how to divide the prevention effect. You may prevent damage that would be dealt to the first creature, the second creature, and/or you, as long as the total amount of that creature's damage that would be prevented is X. ----- Dark Depths Legendary Snow Land Dark Depths comes into play with ten ice counters on it. {3}: Remove an ice counter from Dark Depths. When Dark Depths has no ice counters on it, sacrifice it. If you do, put an indestructible legendary 20/20 black Avatar creature token with flying named Marit Lage into play. * Dark Depths is a land with no mana ability. * Dark Depths's last ability is a state trigger. It will not trigger again while the ability is on the stack, but if the ability is countered and Dark Depths is still in play with no ice counters on it, it will trigger again immediately. ----- Deepfire Elemental {4}{B}{R} Creature -- Elemental 4/4 {X}{X}{1}: Destroy target artifact or creature with converted mana cost X. * For example, for Deepfire Elemental to destroy a creature with converted mana cost 4 would cost {4}+{4}+{1} = {9}. ----- Frostweb Spider {2}{G} Snow Creature -- Spider 1/3 Frostweb Spider can block as though it had flying. Whenever Frostweb Spider blocks a creature with flying, put a +1/+1 counter on Frostweb Spider at end of combat. * If Frostweb Spider blocks a creature with flying that's just powerful enough to kill it, it will die before it can get the +1/+1 counter. * If Frostweb Spider somehow blocks more than one creature with flying during the same combat, its ability will trigger multiple times. ----- Fury of the Horde {5}{R}{R} Sorcery You may remove two red cards in your hand from the game rather than pay Fury of the Horde's mana cost. Untap all creatures that attacked this turn. After this main phase, there is an additional combat phase followed by an additional main phase. * If it's somehow not a main phase when Fury of the Horde resolves, all it does is untap all creatures that attacked that turn. No new phases are created. ----- Gelid Shackles {W} Snow Enchantment -- Aura Enchant creature Enchanted creature can't block and its activated abilities can't be played. {S}: Enchanted creature gains defender until end of turn. ({S} can be paid with one mana from a snow permanent.) * Gelid Shackles doesn't stop static abilities or triggered abilities from working. It also won't prevent the creature from attacking unless the enchanted creature is given defender before attackers are declared. ----- Goblin Furrier {1}{R} Creature -- Goblin Warrior 2/2 Prevent all damage that Goblin Furrier would deal to snow creatures. * If Goblin Furrier assigns combat damage to a snow creature, or a spell or ability is played that would have Goblin Furrier deal damage to a snow creature, and Goblin Furrier leaves play before it resolves, the damage won't be prevented. ----- Greater Stone Spirit {4}{R}{R} Creature -- Elemental Spirit 4/4 Greater Stone Spirit can't be blocked by creatures with flying. {2}{R}: Until end of turn, target creature gets +0/+2 and gains "{R}: This creature gets +1/+0 until end of turn." * Creatures that can block as though they had flying can't block Greater Stone Spirit. * After Greater Stone Spirit's activated ability is played, the affected creature gains an activated ability that only that creature's controller can play. ----- Haakon, Stromgald Scourge {1}{B}{B} Legendary Creature -- Zombie Knight 3/3 You may play Haakon, Stromgald Scourge from your graveyard, but not from anywhere else. As long as Haakon is in play, you may play Knight cards from your graveyard. When Haakon is put into a graveyard from play, you lose 2 life. * Haakon can't be played from your hand. It can't be played from any zone other than your graveyard, even if an effect such as that of Spelljack or Muse Vessel would otherwise allow you to. * While Haakon is in your graveyard, you may play it. This follows the normal rules and timing for playing a creature spell; the only difference is what zone Haakon is being played from. The spell goes on the stack. You have to pay Haakon's mana cost and any applicable additional costs. The same applies for Knight cards you play from your graveyard while Haakon is in play. ----- Herald of Leshrac {6}{B} Creature -- Avatar 2/4 Flying Cumulative upkeep--Gain control of a land you don't control. Herald of Leshrac gets +1/+1 for each land you control but don't own. When Herald of Leshrac leaves play, each player gains control of each land he or she owns that you control. * When Herald of Leshrac's cumulative upkeep ability resolves, if its age counters outnumber the number of lands in play that you don't control, you can't pay its cumulative upkeep cost and must sacrifice it. * You must choose a different land you don't control for each age counter on Herald of Leshrac. Otherwise, you'd try to gain control of a land you *do* control midway through paying the cost and need to back up. * Herald of Leshrac's leaves-play ability affects all lands you control but don't own, not just the ones you gained control of with Herald of Leshrac. For example, if you had gained control of an opponent's land with Annex, its owner will regain control of that land. Annex will remain attached to it, but its effect will be overridden. ----- Hibernation's End {4}{G} Enchantment Cumulative upkeep {1} Whenever you pay Hibernation's End's cumulative upkeep, you may search your library for a creature card with converted mana cost equal to the number of age counters on Hibernation's End and put it into play. If you do, shuffle your library. * The converted mana cost of the creature you find must be exactly equal to the number of age counters on Hibernation's End. ----- Jester's Scepter {3} Artifact When Jester's Scepter comes into play, remove the top five cards of target player's library from the game face down. You may look at those cards as long as they remain removed from the game. {2}, {T}, Put a card removed from the game with Jester's Scepter into its owner's graveyard: Counter target spell if it has the same name as that card. * You can see the cards that are removed from the game with Jester's Scepter, but no one else can. * Because the cards that are removed from the game are not hidden to you, you can choose which one to put into its owner's graveyard when you activate the second ability. * When Jester's Scepter's second ability is activated, any of the removed cards may be put into its owner's graveyard, and any spell may be targeted, whether or not the card and the spell have the same name. If they don't have the same name, the effect does nothing. The spell's controller and the owner of the card put into a graveyard this way may be different. * If half of a split card is played (for example, Hit), and you put one of those split cards into its owner's graveyard with Jester's Scepter (for example, Hit/Run), the spell is countered. ----- Jötun Grunt {1}{W} Creature -- Giant Soldier 4/4 Cumulative upkeep--Put two cards in a single graveyard on the bottom of their owner's library. (At the beginning of your upkeep, put an age counter on this permanent, then sacrifice it unless you pay its upkeep cost for each age counter on it.) * When paying Jötun Grunt's cumulative upkeep, you may choose a different graveyard for each age counter. For example, if it has three age counters on it, you may put four cards from your graveyard on the bottom of your library and two cards from your opponent's graveyard on the bottom of his or her library. However, you can't put five cards from your graveyard on the bottom of your library and one card from your opponent's graveyard on the bottom of his or her library. ----- Juniper Order Ranger {3}{G}{W} Creature -- Human Knight 2/4 Whenever another creature comes into play under your control, put a +1/+1 counter on that creature and a +1/+1 counter on Juniper Order Ranger. * The creature doesn't come into play with a +1/+1 counter on it. It comes into play, then the ability triggers. If either that creature or Juniper Order Ranger leaves play before the ability resolves, the remaining creature will still get a +1/+1 counter. ----- Karplusan Minotaur {2}{R}{R} Creature -- Minotaur Warrior 3/3 Cumulative upkeep--Flip a coin. Whenever you win a coin flip, Karplusan Minotaur deals 1 damage to target creature or player. Whenever you lose a coin flip, Karplusan Minotaur deals 1 damage to target creature or player of an opponent's choice. * The coin flip rules have changed. You now win or lose a flip only if *you* flipped the coin. If your opponent loses a flip, that no longer means that you win that flip. Only coin flips caused by cards that say "win" and/or "lose" anywhere on them have a winner or loser. * If a spell or ability uses a coin flip to determine what happens on a heads result versus a tails result, the flipping player doesn't call "heads" or "tails." Such flips have no winner or loser. * When Karplusan Minotaur's cumulative upkeep ability resolves, you either flip a number of coins equal to the number of age counters on it, or you sacrifice it. Once you start to flip, you can't stop; you must continue until all flips are made. If you flip, you call heads or tails for each flip. Each time you're right, the Minotaur's second ability triggers. Each time you're wrong, the Minotaur's third ability triggers. The triggers wait until after you're done flipping, then they all go on the stack in whatever order you choose. Each may have a different target. * The Minotaur's last two abilities will trigger whenever you win or lose any coin flip. For example, if you play Stitch in Time, one of the Minotaur's abilities will trigger. ----- Lightning Serpent {X}{R} Creature -- Elemental Serpent 2/1 Trample, haste Lightning Serpent comes into play with X +1/+0 counters on it. At end of turn, sacrifice Lightning Serpent. * If Lightning Serpent comes into play without X being paid because an effect puts it into play or an effect lets you play it without paying its mana cost, then X is 0. ----- Lightning Storm {1}{R}{R} Instant Lightning Storm deals X damage to target creature or player, where X is 3 plus the number of charge counters on it. Discard a land card: Put two charge counters on Lightning Storm. You may choose a new target for it. Any player may play this ability but only if Lightning Storm is on the stack. * Lightning Storm has an activated ability that can be played only while the spell is on the stack. Any player may play that ability. When the ability is played, it goes on the stack on top of Lightning Storm. When the ability resolves, the Lightning Storm spell is affected. * When you play Lightning Storm, you immediately have a chance to play its ability since you'll have priority. If you don't, and all other players pass, the spell will resolve. You won't receive priority again -- and thus won't get another chance to play its ability -- unless someone else plays Lightning Storm's activated ability or some other spell or ability. * After an instance of Lightning Storm's activated ability resolves, the active player (not Lightning Storm's controller) receives priority. * When Lightning Storm's activated ability resolves, if there are no other legal targets to choose for the Lightning Storm spell, you must leave the target the same, even if it's now an illegal target. * When Lightning Storm leaves the stack, its charge counters go away. ----- Lovisa Coldeyes {3}{R}{R} Legendary Creature -- Human Lord 3/3 Barbarians, Warriors, and Berserkers get +2/+2 and have haste. * Each creature with at least one of those subtypes gets +2/+2 from Lovisa Coldeyes's ability, regardless of how many of those subtypes it has. For example, a 3/3 Mistform Ultimus would become 5/5, not 9/9. ----- Magmatic Core {2}{R}{R} Enchantment Cumulative upkeep {1} (At the beginning of your upkeep, put an age counter on this permanent, then sacrifice it unless you pay its upkeep cost for each age counter on it.) At the end of your turn, Magmatic Core deals X damage divided as you choose among any number of target creatures, where X is the number of age counters on it. * The damage is divided when Magmatic Core's ability triggers. Increasing or decreasing the number of age counters on Magmatic Core after the ability triggers but before it resolves has no effect on the amount of damage that's dealt. * If Magmatic Core has no age counters on it, the only number of targets the ability can have is zero. * If Magmatic Core has at least one age counter on it, the number of targets must be at least one and at most X. Each target must be assigned at least 1 damage. * Magmatic Core's effect is mandatory. At the end of your turn, if the only creatures in play are yours, you must have Magmatic Core deal damage to at least one of them. ----- Panglacial Wurm {5}{G}{G} Creature -- Wurm 9/5 Trample While you're searching your library, you may play Panglacial Wurm from your library. * Panglacial Wurm's ability works only while you're searching your own library. The effect that caused you to search needs to say "search" and "library," and you need to be looking through your own library for this to work. (Examples of effects that let you play Panglacial Wurm: Rampant Growth, Gifts Ungiven. Examples of effects that don't: Bribery, Sage Owl.) * Playing Panglacial Wurm while searching your library follows all the normal rules for playing a creature spell, except for timing (playing the Wurm this way always occurs during the resolution of another spell or ability) and what zone the Wurm is being played from. The spell goes on the stack. You have to pay the Wurm's mana cost and any applicable additional costs, which means you can play mana abilities while you're playing the Wurm while you're searching your library. * After you play Panglacial Wurm, you pick up the search effect where you left off. When the search effect finishes resolving, the active player gets priority with Panglacial Wurm on the stack. Any abilities that triggered when the spell was played are put on the stack now. * If you have enough mana, you can play multiple Panglacial Wurms during a single search effect. * A Panglacial Wurm that you play while searching your library can't be found by the search effect. ----- Phyrexian Soulgorger {3} Snow Artifact Creature -- Construct 8/8 Cumulative upkeep--Sacrifice a creature. (At the beginning of your upkeep, put an age counter on this permanent, then sacrifice it unless you pay its upkeep cost for each age counter on it.) * When Phyrexian Soulgorger's cumulative upkeep ability resolves, you must either sacrifice a different creature for each age counter on Phyrexian Soulgorger or sacrifice it. You may also sacrifice it as part of its own upkeep payment. ----- Rimefeather Owl {5}{U}{U} Snow Creature -- Bird */* Flying Rimefeather Owl's power and toughness are each equal to the number of snow permanents in play. {1}{S}: Put an ice counter on target permanent. Permanents with ice counters on them are snow. * Rimefeather Owl's last ability affects all permanents with ice counters on them, whether or not it put the ice counters on them. ----- Rimehorn Aurochs {4}{G} Snow Creature -- Aurochs 3/3 Trample Whenever Rimehorn Aurochs attacks, it gets +1/+0 until end of turn for each other attacking Aurochs. {2}{S}: Target creature blocks target creature this turn if able. ({S} can be paid with one mana from a snow permanent.) * If the first creature targeted by Rimehorn Aurochs can't block the second targeted creature (for example, because the second creature has flying and the first doesn't, or because both creatures are controlled by the same player), the ability does nothing and the first creature is free to block whichever creature its controller chooses, or block no creatures at all. ----- Rimescale Dragon {5}{R}{R} Snow Creature -- Dragon 5/5 Flying {2}{S}: Tap target creature and put an ice counter on it. ({S} can be paid with one mana from a snow permanent.) Creatures with ice counters on them don't untap during their controllers' untap steps. * Rimescale Dragon's last ability affects all permanents with ice counters on them, whether or not it put the ice counters on them. ----- Ronom Hulk {4}{G} Creature -- Beast 5/6 Protection from snow Cumulative upkeep {1} (At the beginning of your upkeep, put an age counter on this permanent, then sacrifice it unless you pay its upkeep cost for each age counter on it.) * Ronom Hulk can't be targeted by snow spells (though there are no snow instants or sorceries) or abilities of snow sources, it can't be enchanted by snow Auras, it can't be equipped by snow Equipment (though there are none), it can't be blocked by snow creatures, and all damage that would be dealt to it by snow sources is prevented. ----- Scrying Sheets Snow Land {T}: Add {1} to your mana pool. {1}{S}, {T}: Look at the top card of your library. If that card is snow, you may reveal it and put it into your hand. ({S} can be paid with one mana from a snow permanent.) * If the card isn't snow, you can't reveal it. If the card is snow, you don't have to reveal it. An unrevealed card stays on top of your library. ----- Shape of the Wiitigo {3}{G}{G}{G} Enchantment -- Aura Enchant creature When Shape of the Wiitigo comes into play, put six +1/+1 counters on enchanted creature. At the beginning of your upkeep, put a +1/+1 counter on enchanted creature if it attacked or blocked since your last upkeep. Otherwise, remove a +1/+1 counter from it. * If Shape of the Wiitigo leaves play but the creature doesn't, the +1/+1 counters stay on the creature. ----- Sheltering Ancient {1}{G} Creature -- Treefolk 5/5 Trample Cumulative upkeep--Put a +1/+1 counter on a creature an opponent controls. (At the beginning of your upkeep, put an age counter on this permanent, then sacrifice it unless you pay its upkeep cost for each age counter on it.) * If no opponent controls a creature, you can't pay the upkeep and must sacrifice Sheltering Ancient. * You may choose a different creature to put each counter on, but you can also choose the same creature multiple times. The creatures don't have to be controlled by the same opponent. * Creatures that can't be the target of abilities can have +1/+1 counters put on them by Sheltering Ancient's cumulative upkeep ability because it doesn't target them. The same is true for creatures with protection from green or protection from any other quality Sheltering Ancient has. ----- Sound the Call {2}{G} Sorcery Put a 1/1 green Wolf creature token into play with "This creature gets +1/+1 for each card named Sound the Call in each graveyard." * If Sound the Call resolves while all graveyards are empty, first a 1/1 token is created, then the Sound the Call card is put into your graveyard, which makes the token 2/2. Although the token is momentarily 1/1, state-based effects aren't checked until after the Sound the Call card used to create the token is in a graveyard. For example, if Night of Souls' Betrayal is in play, the Wolf will momentarily be 0/0. By the time state-based effects are checked, it will be 1/1, so it will remain in play. ----- Stalking Yeti {2}{R}{R} Snow Creature -- Yeti 3/3 When Stalking Yeti comes into play, if it's in play, it deals damage equal to its power to target creature an opponent controls and that creature deals damage equal to its power to Stalking Yeti. {2}{S}: Return Stalking Yeti to its owner's hand. Play this ability only any time you could play a sorcery. ({S} can be paid with one mana from a snow permanent.) * If either Stalking Yeti or the targeted creature is no longer in play when the comes-into-play triggered ability resolves, the ability does nothing. ----- Survivor of the Unseen {2}{U} Creature -- Human Wizard 2/1 Cumulative upkeep {2} (At the beginning of your upkeep, put an age counter on this permanent, then sacrifice it unless you pay its upkeep cost for each age counter on it.) {T}: Draw two cards, then put a card from your hand on top of your library. * If you don't draw a card because all the draws were replaced (with dredge, for example), you still have to put a card from your hand on top of your library. ----- Tamanoa {R}{G}{W} Creature -- Spirit 2/4 Whenever a noncreature source you control deals damage, you gain that much life. * A "noncreature source" is a source that doesn't have the type creature. If a creature card that's not in play deals damage (for example, a cycled Gempalm Incinerator), Tamanoa's ability won't trigger. * Tamanoa's ability triggers no matter who the recipient of the damage is: another player, a creature, or even you. If a noncreature source you control deals damage to you that drops your life total to 0 or less, you'll lose the game before Tamanoa's ability can resolve. ----- Thermal Flux {U} Instant Choose one -- Target nonsnow permanent becomes snow until end of turn; or target snow permanent isn't snow until end of turn. Draw a card at the beginning of the next turn's upkeep. * Thermal Flux adds or removes the supertype snow from a permanent. Adding or removing a supertype doesn't affect any other types, supertypes, or subtypes that permanent has. ----- Thrumming Stone {5} Legendary Artifact Spells you control have ripple 4. (Whenever you play a spell, you may reveal the top four cards of your library. You may play any revealed cards with the same name as the spell without paying their mana costs. Put the rest on the bottom of your library.) * If you play a spell that already has ripple (such as Surging Flame, which has ripple 4) while Thrumming Stone is in play, both ripple abilities will trigger separately. Assuming you choose to do all "you may" actions, when the first instance of ripple resolves, you reveal the top four cards of your library, play all Surging Flames, and put the rest of the cards on the bottom of your library. Any new Surging Flames are on the stack on top of the other instance of ripple, so they'll resolve next. Each of them also has two instances of ripple, which trigger separately, and the process continues until the ripple abilities don't reveal any Surging Flames. * If you play half of a split card (for example, Hit) and reveal another one of those split cards when the ripple ability resolves (for example, Hit//Run), you may play either half of that split card (Hit or Run) without paying its mana cost. ----- Tresserhorn Skyknight {5}{B}{B} Creature -- Zombie Knight 5/3 Flying Prevent all damage that would be dealt to Tresserhorn Skyknight by creatures with first strike. * Damage that would be dealt to Tresserhorn Skyknight by creatures with double strike is dealt as normal. * All damage (not just combat damage and not just first-strike combat damage) that would be dealt to Tresserhorn Skyknight by creatures with first strike is prevented. * Damage that would be dealt to Tresserhorn Skyknight by a creature that gains first strike while its combat damage is on the stack is prevented. * Combat damage from a creature that's no longer in play that would be dealt to Tresserhorn Skyknight is prevented if that creature had first strike when it left play. ----- Vanish into Memory {2}{W}{U} Instant Remove target creature from the game. You draw cards equal to that creature's power. At the beginning of your next upkeep, return that card to play under its owner's control. If you do, discard cards equal to its toughness. * Vanish into Memory cares about the creature's power just before it left play and its toughness just after it returns to play. For example, if you target a Vigean Hydropon with two +1/+1 counters on it, you'll draw two cards, then when the Hydropon returns to play with five +1/+1 counters on it, you'll discard five cards. * If the creature removed from the game with Vanish into Memory never returns to play (because it was a token creature, for example), you don't discard any cards. * If the creature removed from the game with Vanish into Memory isn't a creature card (for example, it was an animated Gruul War Plow), that card will still be returned to play, but not as a creature. Since the card returned to play has no toughness, you discard no cards. ----- Vexing Sphinx {1}{U}{U} Creature -- Sphinx 4/4 Flying Cumulative upkeep--Discard a card. (At the beginning of your upkeep, put an age counter on this permanent, then sacrifice it unless you pay its upkeep cost for each age counter on it.) When Vexing Sphinx is put into a graveyard from play, draw a card for each age counter on it. * If Vexing Sphinx has more age counters on it than you have cards in your hand, you can't pay the upkeep and you must sacrifice it. ----- Void Maw {4}{B}{B} Creature -- Horror 4/5 Trample If another creature would be put into a graveyard from play, remove it from the game instead. Put a card removed from the game with Void Maw into its owner's graveyard: Void Maw gets +2/+2 until end of turn. * If Void Maw and another creature would be put into the graveyard from play at the same time, Void Maw is put into your graveyard and the other creature is removed from the game. ----- Wall of Shards {1}{W} Snow Creature -- Wall 1/8 Defender, flying Cumulative upkeep--An opponent gains 1 life. (At the beginning of your upkeep, put an age counter on this permanent, then sacrifice it unless you pay its upkeep cost for each age counter on it.) * When paying Wall of Shards's cumulative upkeep, you may choose a different opponent for each age counter, or you can choose the same opponent multiple times. ----- Woolly Razorback {2}{W}{W} Creature -- Beast 7/7 Woolly Razorback comes into play with three ice counters on it. As long as Woolly Razorback has an ice counter on it, it has defender and any combat damage it would deal is prevented. Whenever Woolly Razorback blocks, remove an ice counter from it. * Having an ice counter on Woolly Razorback doesn't prevent combat damage that would be dealt to it. * The third time Woolly Razorback blocks, its last ice counter will be removed, meaning the combat damage it deals that combat won't be prevented. ----- Zombie Musher {3}{B} Snow Creature -- Zombie 2/3 Snow landwalk {S}: Regenerate Zombie Musher. ({S} can be paid with one mana from a snow permanent.) * Zombie Musher can't be blocked as long as defending player controls a snow land. ----- Zur the Enchanter {1}{W}{U}{B} Legendary Creature -- Human Wizard 1/4 Flying Whenever Zur the Enchanter attacks, you may search your library for an enchantment card with converted mana cost 3 or less and put it into play. If you do, shuffle your library. * If you use Zur the Enchanter's triggered ability to search for an Aura, it will be put into play attached to an appropriate permanent. It doesn't target that permanent. If no appropriate permanent exists for it to be attached to, that Aura can't be put into play and stays in your library. ----- All trademarks are property of Wizards of the Coast, Inc. in the U.S.A. and other countries. c2006 Wizards.