Like such games as Chess, Go, and Roshambo, tournament Magic has long enjoyed the distinction of being an endeavor in which success was solely determined by skill. Games involving the rolling of a die or picking a tile from a bag are typically stigmatized as "children's games," with the random element being seen as an equalizer. Richard Garfield made sure his game would always enjoy the respect of the general community and receive prominent media coverage by banishing die rolling to "Un-sets."

Even the dexterity based cards were banned after players complained that sometimes uncontrollable environmental conditions could spoil their aim. Coin-flip cards received serious scrutiny until pros such as Mike Long and Trey Van Cleave demonstrated that they could indeed control the result of a coin-flip with 100% reliability, rendering cards like Aleatory nothing of the kind.

Now Coldsnap opens the doors, however slightly, to cards that may prevent Magic from making that claim. Taking a look at the comprehensive rules, we see a new and startling addition:

502.56 Ripple

502.56a Ripple is a triggered ability. Ripple N means “When you play this spell, you may reveal the N cards of your library that happen to be on the top as you play the spell. You may not look at or rearrange the order of your library after the spell is announced. You may play any revealed cards with the same name as this spell without paying their mana costs. Restack your library.)

502.56b Multiple instances of Ripple each trigger and resolve separately.

503.56c The cards "Reality Ripple" and "Crippling Fatigue" no longer have Ripple as of the "reversion to printed text" Oracle changes of 7/10/06.

This mechanic is unlikely to have a huge impact due to the small volume of cards printed bearing it. As Daron Rutter explained recently, "As a block keyword in a concluded block, there are no possible future cards that could be printed with the mechanic. Wizards has absolutely no plans to bring back old keywords." The bodyguard assigned to him by Hasbro then quickly hustled him away.

Still, the philosophical change is significant. A player who skillfully managed to draft 8 copies of Surging Sentinels may not have significantly more success than a lesser player who only was able to draft 6, a devaluation of skill which some say degrades the game. Mark Rosewater defended the move, pointing out that it fits into Coldsnap's larger "library order matters" theme, and that players who are careful to keep their library ordered correctly at all times can largely still control the randomness of Ripple.

Still, MaRo's article contained hints that he secretly relished the possibility of a Magic game, perhaps even the deciding game of an important match, being decided by luck. The most blatant of these was his signoff: "In conclusion, new expansions are about giving Magic players a 'chance' to do what they have never done before. So until next week, may you get lucky!"

Discuss this article in the Magic: the Gathering Forums!

Related Stories

• Magic to be Replaced with Rock, Paper, Scissors
• Magic Player Manascrewed; Day of Mourning Declared
• Magic Officially Classified as "Game of Luck"

Like such games as Chess, Go, and Roshambo, tournament Magic has long enjoyed the distinction of being an endeavor in which success was solely determined by skill. Games involving the rolling of a die or picking a tile from a bag are typically stigmatized as "children's games," with the random element being seen as an equalizer. Richard Garfield made sure his game would always enjoy the respect of the general community and receive prominent media coverage by banishing die rolling to "Un-sets."

Even the dexterity based cards were banned after players complained that sometimes uncontrollable environmental conditions could spoil their aim. Coin-flip cards received serious scrutiny until pros such as Mike Long and Trey Van Cleave demonstrated that they could indeed control the result of a coin-flip with 100% reliability, rendering cards like Aleatory nothing of the kind.

Now Coldsnap opens the doors, however slightly, to cards that may prevent Magic from making that claim. Taking a look at the comprehensive rules, we see a new and startling addition:

502.56 Ripple

502.56a Ripple is a triggered ability. Ripple N means “When you play this spell, you may reveal the N cards of your library that happen to be on the top as you play the spell. You may not look at or rearrange the order of your library after the spell is announced. You may play any revealed cards with the same name as this spell without paying their mana costs. Restack your library.)

502.56b Multiple instances of Ripple each trigger and resolve separately.

503.56c The cards "Reality Ripple" and "Crippling Fatigue" no longer have Ripple as of the "reversion to printed text" Oracle changes of 7/10/06.

This mechanic is unlikely to have a huge impact due to the small volume of cards printed bearing it. As Daron Rutter explained recently, "As a block keyword in a concluded block, there are no possible future cards that could be printed with the mechanic. Wizards has absolutely no plans to bring back old keywords." The bodyguard assigned to him by Hasbro then quickly hustled him away.

Still, the philosophical change is significant. A player who skillfully managed to draft 8 copies of Surging Sentinels may not have significantly more success than a lesser player who only was able to draft 6, a devaluation of skill which some say degrades the game. Mark Rosewater defended the move, pointing out that it fits into Coldsnap's larger "library order matters" theme, and that players who are careful to keep their library ordered correctly at all times can largely still control the randomness of Ripple.

Still, MaRo's article contained hints that he secretly relished the possibility of a Magic game, perhaps even the deciding game of an important match, being decided by luck. The most blatant of these was his signoff: "In conclusion, new expansions are about giving Magic players a 'chance' to do what they have never done before. So until next week, may you get lucky!"

Discuss this article in the Magic: the Gathering Forums!

Related Stories

• Magic to be Replaced with Rock, Paper, Scissors
• Magic Player Manascrewed; Day of Mourning Declared
• Magic Officially Classified as "Game of Luck"