New Ice Age Block Set: Coldsnap (Yes, this is real)

[Oversoul]

This is a great sales move. There'll be a ton of people out to buy this stuff. However, I happen to have a gripe on the story they tell. Its like they learned how to write reports from the same newspaper I worked for!

I can sympathize with that, but if the leading (pun intended) journalists are even more sensationalist than I am (and everything I've seen indicates that they are), expecting better from companies trying to sell products is wishful thinking at best.

These guys are SUPPOSED to overhype things and embellish in order to move more cards. The same can't be said for the publication you worked for. What paper was it, anyway?

 

[Ferret]

Now, here's the big $64,000 Question: What will they do about the fact that this is an expansion to a set that hasn't been in stores in over seven years? They can't re-release Ice Age - due to all of the bannings - and if they try to release an "Ice Age Light" edition people will feel cheated.

Even though this is supposed to be an expansion to Ice Age, it will probably feel more like another non-related set...

-Ferret

"I can't wait to get back to my Homeland..."

 

[jorael]

I hope you don't mean Homelands, Ferret?
You know, the one with Caste Sengir, Chandler and Leaping Lizard....

 

[Oversoul]

I hope you don't mean Homelands, Ferret?
You know, the one with Caste Sengir, Chandler and Leaping Lizard....

The same Homelands that has Academy Rector, Replenish, Masticore, Metalworker, and Yawgmoth's Bargain? Oh wait, that's Urza's Destiny.

But Homelands does have a few cards that transcend mediocrity and achieve slightly-better-than average status...

 

[Nightstalkers]

I think His Junk/Her Treasures still sells Homelands for $1.50 a pack...

 

[orgg]

Ha! below retail!

 

[Notepad]

Wow, there's actually people out there who would pay *that much* for those packs? Quite frightening!

 

[Gizmo]

I would be surprised if more than 20% of cards in this expansion were designed in 1993/4. This will be a B-side expansion of all the random stuff they couldnt fit into a block in the past ten years.

All the stuff that would unbalance a block mechanic, or unbalance a block limited or constructed format, that didnt fit a theme, or they just plain didnt have space for.

 

[Killer Joe]

chaff?

The IA borders are alot thinner than cards of today, I wonder how that will be addressed.

Maybe they should re-release a combined set of IA & AL only make it the non-Bomb cards like no Force of Will et al. Maybe.

 

[Oversoul]

Maybe they should re-release a combined set of IA & AL only make it the non-Bomb cards like no Force of Will et al. Maybe.

Ice Age mostly consisted of good cards and very bad cards. Alliances was probably a bit more balanced, but still...

No one would be interested in Ice Age/Alliances with all the good cards taken out.

 

[Notepad]

Gizmo, I think your take will be the most likely on the card mix. But it doesn't mean its chaff. Remember, quite a lot of good ideas get kicked to the curb (the whole Card X thing) just because they don't fix the set the designer is trying to shoehorn them into. Basically, a lot of them are pet projects.

So this will probably mean a crapload of dreamcard-esque pet projects by the R&D guys. With fingers crossed, this should be one hell of a set!

 

[Ferret]

Maybe they should re-release a combined set of IA & AL only make it the non-Bomb cards like no Force of Will et al. Maybe.

You see, that would be the problem. Most of the good stuff from those sets have either been reprinted already or banned/restricted. These sets really shouldn't be re-printed. As cool as nostalgia might be, this would be a bad idea...

-Ferret

"I'm suddenly reminded of an idea one of our other Founders had about a Chronicles II set..."

 

[Oversoul]

"I'm suddenly reminded of an idea one of our other Founders had about a Chronicles II set..."

But give it its own expansion symbol or something this time. We don't need more questions from inexperienced players about what set this one is...

"That one is Chronicles. See the white border and the Legends expansion symbol? Yes, I know that I said the other one was Chronicles even though it has a different symbol. It is too. That one is fourth edition, silly. No, you've got it wrong. Fifth edition says '1997' at the bottom. No problem. That one is Anthologies. Wait, I'm sorry. It's Battle Royale..."

 

[Ferret]

I think that introducing some of the cards that weren't reprinted from Fallen Empires through Homelands wouldn't be so bad. This would be a good chance to re-introduce some Legengs like Autumn Willow, Baron Sengir, Marten Stromgald, as well as some cards that weren't good enough to make the cuts for VIth through IXth Editions. I don't remember landing too many omnipowerful cards from Chronicles I, but it was fun to have access to them without having to drop a fortune into the secondary market...

-Ferret

"Besides, everyone wants a Polar Krakken of their own "

 

[Oversoul]

"Besides, everyone wants a Polar Krakken of their own "

Well, I'd trade my Krakens for some Darksteel Colossi...

 

[Notepad]

What, nobody wants the new and improved super crazy Autochthon Wurm? Yeah, yeah, I know...Shadow of the Colossus and all (crappy game, anyway!)...

 

[Spiderman]

I thought Randy "answered" most of the questions of how Coldsnap will fit in the grand scheme of things, but here's my take:

• Because they will NOT re-release Ice Age/Alliances, there won't be any mention of snow-covered lands.
• The cards in the pre-cons will contain "generic" IA/AL cards that are either not on the reserved list or have already been reprinted in some way.
• Since the discovery was an "outline" of ideas, not specific cards (probably for the most part), most cards will end up being what was on the outline with the hindsight of current playtesting and history; there could be some cards sneaking in that popped up in some designer's head in the last 10 years, but probably a very small percentage.
• Since IA/AL will not be re-printed as a whole, it will feel like a stand-alone. But I'm not venturing to say whether that's a good or bad thing until I actually see it.

 

[Oversoul]

Since IA/AL will not be re-printed as a whole, it will feel like a stand-alone. But I'm not venturing to say whether that's a good or bad thing until I actually see it.

Yeah, you never know. They might reprint Saprazzan Heir in this set!

 

[Nightstalkers]

I still say that they'll tone it down and make it feel really crappy...

 

[sageridder]

The first five painlands were in ice age and with the new guildlands in rav/gp/dis I wonder if we won't see some interesting rare lands in coldsnap.