Ice Age || Crack-A-Pack - Aug 31, 2021

[@pyredynasty]

The crazy part is it looks like angry Mark Hamill now, not then.

[@Drecon84]

I've always assumed it looked like Soldevi. Only when I looked that up now is when I realized that Soldev was a country in the setting where Ice Age is set and these are all supposed to look like regular soldiers of that realm.

[@chifii]

Upvote if you think Graham qualifies as a 2/2 for 2.

[@LexYeen]

Agreed without reservations.

[@staffordandsuch]

Idk, Graham strikes me as more a Barbarian Guide type

[@adiuntesserande6893]

I mean, he *is* the captain of Bear Force One.

[@AnInnocuousBlueCube]

I'm seeing him as... a gender-flipped Hanweir Militia Captain.

[@havcola6983]

I'm trying to imagine any of the LRR crew in a fight and tbh I think most of them would be 0/Xs with some odd abiliy. 1/3s with Defender tops.

[@dougsundseth6904]

The model for Mesmeric Trance is indeed somebody that Dan knows. I know him too, and game with him moderately regularly. Most of the humans that the Boulder Magic artists (Mike Kimble, Dan Frazier, Doug Shuler) painted for their cards are people that I've LARPed with in the same games as Mike, Dan, and Doug.

[@pintpullinggeek]

There wasn't a Prodigal Sorcerer in Ice Age but there was a Zuran Spellcaster. "A Tim by any other name will ping as sweet" - Norritt, probably

[@ArdenDag]

Came to the comments to say exactly this

[@outistynnanyt5153]

While Graham isn't *technically* a bear, I doubt any Bear Bars would kick him out of he wanted to attend

[@IzzysIssues]

Couldn't have said it better

[@gweedle8521]

@11:34 "This cards SUCKS!" Me, looking at Norrit in my Merieke Ri-Berit EDH deck: "No you don't, sweetheart"

[@TheDemonHelios]

I agree with you there. I use Norritt in my Araumi Pauper EDH deck and it is fantastic. It just needs the right deck to take advantage of its abilities

[@isawaletomo1680]

Also agree. Just found Fatespinner, which could work well for it. Very abusable card, I would think.

[@artemi7]

Gotta agree. Norritt is pretty legit, even today. You don't really have anything that's got that combo of untap and narrow-but-sometimes-very-powerful creature kill on the same card.

[@duesexistat5016]

I’d run it just for the art. Plus that ability can be surprisingly useful in a game of commander.

[@BloodKaez]

"Orcish Farmer get your pig ready!" - James, Friday Nights (I think Clanmanders)

[@feltyone]

Beat me to it.

[@BloodKaez]

@@feltyone :P

[@RekkinOnTheInternet]

Norritt seems like the protagonist of a late 90s mascot platformer that failed to achieve even the cult status of Gex.

[@paulosa8823]

I would go more with late 80's early 90's creature in horror movie. Gremlins popped right of, but I can see it in something similar to Leprechaun or Critters. Dark humour horror at it's finest.

[@jonothanthrace1530]

I remember an early issue of InQuest said that he was essentially Beast from X-Men

[@tomcove]

"You're weird... But fine." Aren't we all?

[@BlueTrebol]

"I blame commander" No, this time it's just people speculating on reserved list cards

[@Wraithfighter]

It’s an Ice Age Rare with Cumulative Upkeep, a thing that WOTC will never ever reprint (it’s a 9 on the Storm Scale). Eventually someone’s going to find a deck for that monstrosity, and when it happens, those speculators are going to have all of the supply! :D

[@CityofLight11]

I will never not be mad that speculators have sent the price of Wood Elementals to the moon. They're... they're Wood Elementals.

[@Kryptnyt]

@@Wraithfighter It's also somewhat outclassed by a few cards. Compulsion and Unfulfilled Desires, while not being strictly better, are generally better and I would recommend them first.

[@skagra4290]

@@Wraithfighter the storm scale only affects premier sets.

[@TundraWolfe]

That Last Unicorn clip had me DEAD. Thank you Matt!

[@dragonegger2]

I used to think that movie was a fever dream only I had.

[@vzq5175]

@@dragonegger2 I have felt that way about a lot of media. Anyone else remember Action League Now?

[@EmperorsTeeth]

Geez, Norritt's Oracle Text actually has MORE words than the printed card! It actually seems... useful. Like, repeatable Goad, but they can hit you, with the bonus that it kills stuff. Handy as it can take out those annoying creatures you're opponent would just tap to avoid attacking with. I might pick a copy up!

[@KevinOMalleyisonlysmallreally]

James: "Orcish farmer get your pig ready!" Graham: "I like that they both have one pokey tooth"

[@CalebDenn]

For anyone interested, Mesmeric Trance was the rare. As for Norritt's ability yes its bad, but i could see it as a targeted destruction almost. You have to choose a creature that must attack before attackers are declared that your opponent has controlled since the beginning of the turn. Choose something that is already tapped out and has a annoying static or activated ability.

[@austinaustinaustin]

I can't explain why I've become so suddenly obsessed with this series but I'm just gonna roll with it

[@paverce]

That dragonfly ist just too gigantic to see anything else when zoomed out that far.

[@mfitkin]

Whoa that soldevi simulacrum not only looks just like Mark Hamill, but have you seen Knightfall on Netflix? It’s okay but Mark is incredible in it and honestly in some ways it’s hilarious. He plays a Knight Templar with a beard and it’s just literally him on that card.

[@edatthegovernance]

Graham, you can't be a bear, Kathleen wouldn't let you in the house due to her on record perfectly reasonable concerns about bears.

[@grahamoliver1470]

Gotta love how Burnt Offering and Dark Ritual ended up in the same pack as Norrit. Old sets are so fun to look back on.

[@PromotedPawn]

As far as the draft pick goes, open palm slam Withering Wisps. There’s a reason they don’t print Pestilence style effects anymore and that’s mainly because they don’t do much for constructed while being absolute BOMBS in limited. In any limited format that offers a card like that, they’re almost always one of the best picks in the entire set.

[@d.j.8059]

Pestilence ruining Urza's Saga drafts as a common put an end to all that.

[@towelguy]

withering wisps is a weird pestilence that does a good job in a mono b commander deck with snow swamps (also let's you play dead of winter, which is better and the main reason for snow swamps but hey, it's a better pestilence in this case)

[@Trainwithseb]

I can see it especially if you have a black creature that can regenerate so it never goes away

[@WhiteWizard42]

The only reason I've ever seen someone run Withering Wisps was because Zur can find it.

[@Kryptnyt]

It's a shame because most Enrage creatures aren't in black (I think Nested Ghoul is the one that comes to mind the most, and he's middling) I think the best version of the effect might be Crypt Rats. Getting lifelink or deathtouch on an enchantment is a lot harder to do.

[@ahrenstarr6273]

Never drafted Ice Age, but I remember feeling jealous when my friend got a Ice Box then my parents bought me Mirage instead. Turns out I probably got the long term value from the LED.

[@disco_falcon1895]

I can't believe Graham didn't portmanteau Centaur Archer. It's right there! Perhaps it was simply too easy.

[@jeffreydenenberg7101]

arcentaur

[@joel767]

Necropotence was in this set, and at the time of drafting everyone thought it SUCKED. It most likely would have been passed over in a draft (at the time), so if you were sharp enough to realize how it could be used, Dark Rit might not be a bad pick. Going by today's knowledge, it's unlikely you would be passed Necro.

[@Hannibal1462]

Drafting as we do today wasn't really a thing back then, though variant drafting was sort of a thing.

[@toastermon2272]

I think we're slowly arriving the point, where Necro starts to suck again. The drawback is real this time around with so many GY shenanigans going on, not drawing the cards directly is also a big downside, as is the mana cost. There's just way better ways of getting card advantage, that don't have such heavy drawbacks. Source: Playing mono black in multiple (singleton) formats and it hasn't made the cut in 2 years, apart from a devotion style deck.

[@joel767]

@@toastermon2272 Hey I love mono black! What singleton formats are you playing out of curiosity? I know it's still very prevalent in commander. What has it been phased out by? I would guess that Peer Into The Abyss, while more pricey mana-wise, is better?

[@Asrugan]

The big combo at the time was Necropotence+Zur’s Weirding, great fun.

[@Timlin22]

I feel like Orcish farmer could be useful to shut down gaia's cradle or Tolarian Academy, especially if you can give the farmer haste. You play it, don't attack, let them untap then you tap the farmer to turn the cradle or Academy into a swamp in the upkeep step. That way they can't get the same value since the mana evaporates moving to the main phase. Unless they have a way to give everything flash, you repeatedly shut their best land down. Thay being said, the Orc still isn't good, but it does have a use

[@suNn.K.O]

Absolutely love Tedin's art. Beautiful.

[@clearchalk]

Prodigal sorcerer isnt in Ice Age but Zuran Spellcaster (which is identical in function) is!

[@ArkaosMotovlogs]

Mesmeric trance actually found a loving home in my Estrid the Masked deck recently! With infinite mana it’s a good way to filter through my deck or generally get stuff in the graveyard and use Estrid to bring it back to the battlefield for free, including itself after never paying the cumulative upkeep. Even considerably bad cards have an important place! Haha

[@hamishian0]

It's not bad if is part of a win con... right? Right!!!?

[@flaetsbnort]

there are lots of Norritts, and Istvan is their uncle

[@rpriske]

Starting at Ice Age and stopping for a very long time is me too!

[@jaydenyamada2916]

Ah burnt offering, key card in fishelbrand, the wacky delve sacrifice storm pauper deck

[@masterthnag105]

Norritt is actually pretty good for commander because it can force utility creatures to swing out when a play would want to keep them back. Mana dorks that get used for mana just die etc...

[@JimPea]

It's funny how early Magic's cards go from broken to absolute trash to totally appropriate for Standard sets printed today.

[@marxmeesterlijk]

Norritt + Icy Manipulator is the real play here.

[@ahrenstarr6273]

I view Graham as more of an 0/2 Legendary Human Bear Comedian for 1G. If Graham attacks, all other Bears get +1/1. (Maybe there needs to be 3 - 6 other Bears attacking for Graham to trigger)

[@Alexm920]

Ice Age was also one of my first Magic exposure, that and the first Portal kit. Big nostalgia times.

[@hiimemily]

"I don't think I qualify as a bear." Yeah, you're too slender for that. You're more of an otter. ...I swear you've brought this up in a nicknames podcast before.

[@gogovish]

hi emily

[@ZaberFangAT]

8:38 Use it in their upkeep to turn off their utility lands or shut them out of a colour for the turn? That's the best I can come up with

[@SinisterSally]

I remember we all played 5 color back then. Then one day a teacher brought out a red/green deck and stomped us.

[@vmcampos]

So... you got... SCHOOLED 🤣

[@SinisterSally]

@@vmcampos ... yes... i'll groan later, too sleepy now.

[@KorrenTheNinth]

I enjoy the reveal that Graham's story about the ice age started from Friday Nights - Throwback was absolutely true

[@wademiller2376]

Dark ritual is great! Also the artwork on that particular pack is excellent

[@Asrugan]

Norritt + Leviathan was usually a finisher in my deck back in the day (with optional Jump or Invisibility)

[@thetiax]

I distinctly remember Norritt's artwork being used for a full-page ad for Ice Age in Scrye magazine. Then I got the card and was very confused.

[@mongoosedoesmagic6478]

Goblin sappers works perfectly in an commended deck I’m making, thanks for showing it off!

[@farrowking37]

I am deeply scared of any deck where Goblin Sappers is the lynchpin. Whatever you are doing, it's too powerful for us mere mortals.

[@TheSonOfRyan]

Nice last unicorn bit

[@pleaswaite]

I'm just getting back into the game after not having played since about the Ice Age era. These cards and the packaging are pure nostalgia to muddle school for me

[@duesexistat5016]

Burnt offering is a good piece of gear. In a deck that wants things to die, in those colors, at instant speed, I’ve found it quite useful.

[@TheGabrielbowater]

Norritt coupled with Icy Manipulator was recurrent creature kill, like a budget Royal Assassin

[@brendaneichler5244]

I actually started with this set

[@Krosserdog]

Prodigal Sorcerer isn't in Ice Age, but there is a functional reprint as Zuran Spellcaster. In fact, you will not notice from this pack, but Ice Age has a few functional reprints with different names. Identical ABU / 4ED etc cards but with different names. Fyndhorn Elves is another, it's just Llanowar elves again.

[@masterthnag105]

This series is good for picking out old cards that might be fun for commander

[@ConnallTara]

centaur archer! my boy! (can confirm he was oracle texted to be an archer)

[@brendaneichler5244]

Centarcher, really

[@gonzoron]

Norritt was Tims 9-12 (after Prodigal Sorcerers and Zuran Spellcasters) in my UB Tim deck back then. And look out when he paired up with Reveka, Wizard Savant! Also, they were a preview card in the Duelist (or Inquest?) before the set came out, so I actually paid a whole dollar at my LGS for the first one I got, just to be the first in my group to have an Ice Age card.

[@martypunker]

Now I just want a game where people are shown Magic art and have to guess....anything... about the card.

[@karvamammutti]

Dragonflies, by definition, are insects of uncomfortable size.

[@creaturetypesorcery]

I love seing older packs being opend.

[@Milambus]

Back then I comboed Norrit with Royal Assassin.

[@TheJohtaja]

Burnt Offering has been an important part of pauper jank combo decks run by Caleb (Gannon).

[@criticalsquire]

2:19 Good job resisting the portmanteau. Centaurcher.

[@scryptogram5686]

burnt offering is used in some mono-black pauper decks

[@jaredmoore6741]

last time I was this early I was looking at Ice Age spoilers

[@Daniel199423]

I remember Norrit from back when I was first playing Magic. He's good at making your opponent's weak creature with a cool activated ability attack. Also, he can destroy any creature they have that's tapped during their pre-combat main phase.

[@L337P1R4735]

Graham isn't a bear, he's not big enough, Graham is a wolf lol

[@stratuvarious8547]

Graham, Noritt, much like Nettling Imp and Royal Assassin was used to just murder many creatures for value, a truly great card

[@Crossark1]

The caveat on withering wisps feels pretty directly targeted at preventing shenanigans with Dark Ritual

[@slowmo56]

back in the day i bought a 4th edition starter deck as my first ever purchase. shuffled it up and went to play with some kids at school and one of them asked me, "what kind of deck do you have?" "Kind? its....4th edition." he had a mill-control deck and the rest is history.

[@thecolortwelve3784]

I definitely have that dark ritual, goblin sappers, and shambling strider in one of the boxes in my closet

[@MaxMckayful]

Pale bear checking in. Just took a flight on Bear Force One. Saw some river bears on my flight!

[@gijswelten]

G gets to write flavour text once and immediately starts giving off on flavour text writers of yore XD

[@theodorestephens2504]

Mesmeric trance combos with dredge cards to mill your deck quickly, I guess?

[@FnrrfYgmSchnish]

I think an Ice Age "starter deck" was my first Magic purchase, also.

[@thecolortwelve3784]

Oh boy. Hitting me right in the childhood

[@superneeg]

Graham's experience with the Ice Age starter deck is the exact same thing I did at the time. It was the first MtG product I ever bought, shuffled he whole thing together, and played it as if it were a deck. It did not work.

[@trilemma85]

Seems to me that Mesmeric Trance isn't being propped up by Commander (it's only in 33 decks on EDHREC), but instead is being propped up by speculators who froth at the mouth whenever they find a new card that is on the reserved list.

[@nathanjudy7705]

Ahhhh, Burnt Offering, best way to sacrifice a Griselbrand

[@charanth182]

Totally started magic the same way with ice age

[@MizzenMastodon]

12:35 "Their are some who call me ... TIM"

[@theomniarch7405]

Prodigal Sorcerer was not in Ice Age but Zuran Spellcaster sure was. I remember trying to make a pinger deck back in middle school.

[@cellard00r60]

My husband and I love watching your videos together ❤ we play with our 3 kids! The ASMR makes me so happy 😊

[@paulallison3974]

In Ice Age draft (not that I was any good at the time) I would take noritt usually in the 4-10 pick range, my memory is that creatures were just generally terrible in the set. That strider was a monster and the archer just fine.

[@n__neen]

13:50 prodigal sorcerer doesn't exist in ice age but zuran spellcaster does.

[@nerdaccount]

How is Graham NOT a bear? Wasn't he one of the three bears in that bedtime story skit? I do love these crack a packs!

[@ericwollam5532]

If I were drafting from that pack, I'd probably take the Unicorn. With all the cumulative upkeep synergy in that set, it seems like having the unicorn would greatly help. Especially considering Mystic Remora was a common in the set, it would really help towards the longetivity and value of your mystic remoras as well as keeping mana open for your plays later on. Plus it also keeps you in white and blue which is arguably the strongest color pairing in the set giving you access to cards like swords to plowshares and brainstorm Also while looking into what cards were in this set, I discovered a card called "Musician" which I now desperately want. I also really wanna draft Ice Age now. Seems like a really fun draft.

[@Drecon84]

So much awesome art in that pack.

[@MSUHitman]

Wasn’t Orcish Farmer mentioned in the Friday Nights episode at Khans’ release where Alex is trying to find a commander & James is trying foolishly to complete his childhood Orc deck?

[@matthewyoho5422]

It was, yes.

[@jasonkorf7700]

Yep, to quote James "Ooh Orcish Farmer get your pig ready." Now I picturing James off-screen with the Orc Commander deck. Telling it to not listen to the bad man and for Orcish Conscripts to stop picking it's nose. Seriously though, I do want them to do a Tribal Commander game with Graham on Bears, James on Orcs, Cameron on Homarids, and then either Kathleen or Ben on some other Jank tribe.

[@Deris76]

@@jasonkorf7700 Kathleen has gotten a pretty strong vampire image, but she could always play cat tribal with Johan, which was in the first commander Friday Nights video :)

[@skiffer3]

Withering wisps is bonkers and fun :D

[@treybooher9608]

I am not sure why but when Graham held the pack up it just seems like it would be icy to the touch. Full of cold, cold life waiting to burst out.

[@d.j.8059]

Ah, Ice Age. My first expansion set. (Began playing just after Fourth Edition came out, though I had no idea what the hell that meant.) Believe it or not (and it may be hard to believe after looking at the contents of this pack) Ice Age was actually meant to be a "proper" standalone set that had every tool necessary to play on its' own. As it turns out, that was probably a bit ambitious. I have played in an Ice Age only Sealed Deck event. It was not pretty. Mirage was probably the first set that can truly stand on its own. Withering Wisps would actually be my first pick, as it honestly does provide hellagood board control as long as you have a creature that can be kept alive, but Shambling Strider is also a very good choice. It will whip most every other creature your opponent plays, and red has two good common removal spells in Incinerate and Lava Burst to try to clear the runway.

[@Null_Experis]

oh, you're lucky. You got the one in 3 Ice Age booster that didn't come with Gaze of Pain. Congratulations! An Ice Age/Cold Snap/Kaldheim mixed draft would be fun.

[@blitzkrogg2589]

My uncle introduced me to magic when 4th edition came out. I still remember seeing the black lotus In my local lgs for $300

[@bendertusepaki8995]

Orcish farmer goes straight into James deck! I used to play it when I played kitchen table level!

[@GarySterna]

My first magic product was also a Ice Age starter deck. Me and my buddy were poor so, we ended up splitting the deck in half and trying to play with half of that. Our secret tech was hoping to get 2 of the 3 mountains and the Grizzled Wolverines.

[@BenjaminKlahn]

One of the best Dark Ritual arts of the era. I have so many random Dark Rituals in my collection from that time, I also started during Ice Age when I encountered the game on a boyscout camping trip. These days it's hard to play Dark Ritual, it being kinda broken AF so not legal... Gets me turn 3 (sometimes T2 with T1 Strike it Rich) Bolas in Historic Brawl on arena some times though and on the play that's not fun for the opponent.

[@auggiesunflower2159]

A “sapper” is a person in a military that breaches fortifications etc. originally, they would tunnel under a wall and then try to bring it down by either digging or burning out the supports. This seems to be what the goblin sappers are trying to do based on the art, and why they can make a creature unblockable. Sapping was also highly dangerous and not a really fun job. Hence, for RR your creature is unblockable, but the sappers die lol.

[@Aaron-wv5si]

I'll always have a soft spot for Shambling Strider. First MTG card I ever laid eyes on.

[@CapeMonkeyPrime]

Prodigal Sorcerer is not in Ice Age but the functionally identical Zuran Spellcaster is! NORRITT 4 LIFE

[@kellehm1]

No joke: my first MTG products were Revised Starter Boxes...I didn't know they weren't decks until JUST NOW.

[@TheBluemechanic]

I've seen Burnt Offering in some highlander combo lists. You only get one dark ritual, so you need to go deep on other ways of making fast mana

[@michaeldrew4239]

Ice age didn't have a Prodigal Sorc, but they did have the Zuran Spellcaster, which is exactly the same thing.

[@Jaebird88]

Norritt looks like if someone brought in a gremlin from the Gremlins movie into the Gargoyles cartoon.