Ice Age (Magic: The Gathering)

Ice Age
ReleasedJune 1995
Size383 cards (121 commons, 121 uncommons, 121 rares, 20 basic lands)
KeywordsCumulative Upkeep
MechanicsAllied color alliances, cantrips, Snow lands
DesignersSkaff Elias, Jim Lin, Dave Pettey and Chris Page[1]
Development codeIce Age
Expansion codeICE
First set in the Ice Age block
Ice Age Alliances Coldsnap
← 4th Edition Chronicles →
← No previous blocks Mirage Block →
Alliances
Alliances symbol
banner
ReleasedJune 10, 1996
Size199 cards
(144 functionally different)
KeywordsCumulative Upkeep
MechanicsAllied color, cantrips, pitch spells, snow lands
DesignersSkaff Elias, Jim Lin, Dave Pettey and Chris Page[1]
Development codeQuack
Expansion codeALL
Second set in the Ice Age block
Ice Age Alliances Coldsnap
← Homelands Mirage →
← No previous blocks Mirage Block →
Coldsnap
Coldsnap common expansion symbol
icicles
ReleasedJuly 21, 2006
Size155 (40 rares, 55 uncommons, 60 commons)
KeywordsCumulative Upkeep, Ripple, Recover
MechanicsSnow Supertype, Pitch Cards
DesignersBill Rose (lead), Aaron Forsythe, Devin Low, and Mark Rosewater
DevelopersRandy Buehler Jr. (lead), Devin Low, Zvi Mowshowitz, and Michael Turian
Development codeSplat
Expansion codeCSP
Third set in the Ice Age block
Ice Age Alliances Coldsnap
← Dissension Time Spiral →
← No previous blocks Mirage Block →

Ice Age is a block of three expansion sets in Magic: The Gathering, consisting of the Ice Age, Alliances and Coldsnap sets. It is also the titular first set in the block. The Ice Age set is the eleventh set and the sixth expansion set, previewed at the Canadian Card and Comics Spectacular in early June 1995,[2] and released later that month.[3] Set in the years from 450 to 2934 AR, the set describes a world set in perpetual winter due to the events in Antiquities. Ice Age was followed up June 1996 with Alliances, the fourteenth Magic: The Gathering set and eighth expansion set.;[4] and on July 21, 2006 with Coldsnap. The time period between Alliances and Coldsnap was the longest period of time between the beginning and the completion of a full block in Magic. Originally, the set Homelands, released in October 1995, was the second set in the Ice Age block (with Alliances being the third set), but following the release of Coldsnap, Homelands was removed from the block in favor of Coldsnap.[5][6][7][8][9][10][11]

  1. ^ a b Rosewater, Mark (February 9, 2009). "Whatever Happened to Barry's Land?". Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on February 13, 2009. Retrieved February 26, 2011.
  2. ^ "WotC News". The Duelist. No. 6. Wizards of the Coast. 1995. pp. 86–88.
  3. ^ "Ice Age Card List". Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on November 28, 1999. Retrieved August 11, 2009.
  4. ^ "Alliances Card List". Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on June 29, 2009. Retrieved August 11, 2009.
  5. ^ "Announcement: Coldsnap". Feature Article. Wizards of the Coast. October 24, 2005. Retrieved May 6, 2017.
  6. ^ Miller, John Jackson (2001), Scrye Collectible Card Game Checklist & Price Guide, p. 520.
  7. ^ Moursund, Beth (2002), The Complete Encyclopedia of Magic The Gathering, p. 720.
  8. ^ Searle, Michael (September 1995), InQuest, The Ultimate Guide to Card Games, p. 104.
  9. ^ Justice, Mark (1998), Magic The Gathering - Advanced Strategy Guide, p. 128.
  10. ^ Wakefield, James (1997), Tournament Reports for Magic: The Gathering, p. 169.
  11. ^ Baxter, George H. (1996), Alliances Revealed : A Review of the Alliances Edition of Magic: The Gathering, p. 129.