Cold Snap

Third Mirage Expansion?

Hi, Mark.
Is it possible that something like a third expansion will be added to the Mirage block, just like Cold Snap was added to the Ice Age block over time? (since Weatherlight is like episode zero of the Rath cycle) (although I have a feeling Prophecy is the third)

Weatherlight was still the third block of the Mirage block. It does have flanking and phasing cards in it.

Cold Snap Flanking Mirage Phasing Prophecy Prophecy Snap Weatherlight Weatherlight

Set Name Cards

Re: Cards with the same name as sets in general, the full list is: Apocalypse, Cold Snap (sort of), Conflux, Conspiracy, Future Sight, Hour of Devastation, Mirrodin Besieged, Morningtide, Onslaught, Planar Chaos, Prophecy, Time Spiral, Visions, Torment and Weatherlight. I know the Time Spiral block ones were named on purpose and I assume Conflux, Mirrodin Besieged and Hour of Devastation were deliberate too. Do you know if any others were?

The rule of thumb is if the set came first, we were did it on purpose. And yes, Time Spiral block was on purpose.

Apocalypse Cold Snap Conflux Conspiracy Future Sight Hour of Devastation Mirrodin Morningtide Onslaught Planar Chaos Prophecy Rules Time Spiral Torment Visions Weatherlight

Snow Mana Debate

Okay, I am a fan, and this set has been amazing so far, but WHY activated ability costs using snow mana? You cited unpopular mechanics as the reason not to bring back things like Kamigawa, and now this? As far as I know, Cold Snap was not a fan favorite. With love, from hater of snow mana

Snow cards are a very frequent request. While you might not be a fan, Snow has plenty.

Cold Snap Fan Favorite Kamigawa Mana Mechanics

Snow's Return Probability

Where do you rate Snow currently on the storm scale? Has your opinion changed about its chances of returning since cold snap?

Snow chances of returning to a Standard-legal set are not high. Non-Standard-legal set is a little better.

Cold Snap Keyword Abilities Standard Storm Scale

Knights and Birthdays

My birthday was this past week. Can I get some trivial on Haakon from Cold Snap, or the Knight tribe in general?

Knights, by color from most to least: white, big gap, black, red, blue, green. Happy Birthday!

Birthday Black Blue Cold Snap Colors Green Knight Red White

Interest in Experimental Sets

Are you personally still interested in experimental sets like cold snap?

Unstable is more experimental than Coldsnap.

Cold Snap Coldsnap Unstable

Cold Snap Design

How the heck did you design cold snap in six weeks?

Quickly. Too quickly if you ask me.

Cold Snap

Standard Size History

Is it correct that once HOU becomes standard legal, it will be the most cards legal in standard since, something like, 1996? There will be 8 legal sets, ~1740 cards (not counting planewalker deck cards and counting DFCs once.) The eventual new 2.0 standard will be about the same size (6 big and a core set, 249 cards each = 1743 cards) when Standard is at its biggest. New standard is now bigger, no?

That’s not even close to the largest number of cards in Standard. Large sets used to be bigger and core sets sometimes bigger than that (Fifth Edition had 449 cards in it). I think the largest, of relatively recent time, is original Ravnica block and Time Spiral blocks were in Standard together. Cold Snap was included along with the core set and a whole slew of time shifted cards.

Cold Snap Dual Faced Cards Fifth Edition Format Legality Standard Time Spiral

Data and Kamigawa

I often wonder about your data. Anecdotally, Sold Snap was loved. On a related note about data, do you ever redo polling to see if you get different answers over time? Maybe Kamigawa would score high now?

If Cold Snap was loved people must have done it from afar. It sold horribly and when asked about it in market research, it scored low.“It would definitely succeed now although it failed miserably back in the day” is a hard argument to win even with data that says people would be receptive. The argument would be, “Why not just do a new top-down Japanese-inspired world instead?” No more Return of Kamigawa questions. I promised I would cut way back on questions about it.

Cold Snap Japan Kamigawa Top Down

Cold Snap Concept

What was the deal with Cold Snap? Why revisit Ice Age?

The idea was doing a “lost set” and Ice Age was the only block at the time to not have a third set.

Cold Snap Ice Age

Coldsnap Presentation Issues

Why was there ill will about coldsnap's presentation? (FWIW I loved Ice Age and looked forward to Cold Snap, the weakness of the set was the low power level and how the return of snow was handled.)

A significant amount of audience didn’t get the joke of the “lost set” (found in an old file cabinet) and then accused us of misleading them as to its origin.

Cold Snap Coldsnap Humor Ice Age Power Level

Coldsnap Design Speed

We're getting 20 cm of snow right now in Montreal - do you have any trivia on Coldsnap for this cold snap in March?

Cold Snap had the shortest design time of any set since I have been Head Designer.

Birthday Cold Snap Coldsnap Head Designer

Ice Age Reception

How was Ice Age/Cold Snap received? Do you believe there is enough substance to do a full block out of the theme? (

Ice Age/Alliances/Coldsnap is a full block. While Ice Age and Alliances were well received, Coldsnap was not.

Alliances Cold Snap Coldsnap Ice Age

Nostalgic Sets Concern

Internally, was there any concern about releasing Cold Snap and Timespiral(two big nostalgia sets) so close together?

Absolutely. It was a huge marketing problem. Also, Time Spiral’s codename was Snap (as in Snap, Crackle, Pop) so that also caused all kinds of confusion.

Cold Snap Time Spiral