Coldsnap - Keywords and Mechanics

Keywords and Mechanics

• Ripple. When a spell with Ripple is played, the controller of the spell may reveal the top four cards of his library. If he reveals any cards with the same name as the spell with Ripple effect, the player may play those spells without paying their mana costs. The card Thrumming Stone gives all spells its controller plays Ripple. Interestingly, although each card involving Ripple requires four cards to be revealed, the mechanic is templated as "Ripple X", meaning that further iterations of the ability could involve revealing a greater or smaller number of cards.
• Recover. Recover is a triggered ability that allows cards to be returned from the graveyard to their owner's hand. When a card with Recover is in the graveyard and a creature is put into the same graveyard, the ability triggers. Its controller may then pay the Recover cost and return the Recoverable card to their hand. If they do not, the player removes it from the game. This mechanic was designed to preserve the spirit of Death Spark, a popular Alliances card, while holding to the modern policy of not printing cards that require the graveyard to stay in a specific order.
• Cumulative Upkeep. An old ability that initially debuted in Ice Age, cards with Cumulative Upkeep require their controllers to pay increasing upkeep costs every turn or sacrifice them. Coldsnap offers new twists on this mechanic, including bonuses or penalties based on the number of turns the card has been in play.