Cover of Winter MTG Card
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 3 |
| Rarity | Rare |
| Type | Snow Enchantment |
| Abilities | Cumulative upkeep |
| Released | 2006-07-21 |
| Set symbol | |
| Set name | Coldsnap |
| Set code | CSP |
| Number | 3 |
| Frame | 2003 |
| Layout | Normal |
| Border | Black |
| Illustred by | Wayne Reynolds |
Key Takeaways
- Offers board control by blocking creature attacks, preserving player’s life and maintaining board presence.
- Snow mana synergy allows for mana acceleration and supports snow-based deck strategies.
- Instant speed activation disrupts opponents, offering flexible defense during combat phases.
Text of card
Cumulative upkeep {S} ({S} can be paid with one mana from a snow permanent.) If a creature would deal combat damage to you and/or one or more creatures you control, prevent X of that damage, where X is the number of age counters on Cover of Winter. {S}: Put an age counter on Cover of Winter.
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Cover of Winter operates as an exceptional control tool that helps you maintain tempo in the game. By adjusting the snow cost, you can create an evolving barrier that can keep your opponent’s creatures at bay, effectively generating card advantage as you protect your life total and your board.
Resource Acceleration: While Cover of Winter itself doesn’t directly provide resources, its snow mechanic synergizes with other cards that benefit from or generate snow mana, potentially accelerating your mana resources as you fortify your defenses.
Instant Speed: The key part of Cover of Winter’s power is its activated ability, which can be used at instant speed. This enables you to adapt to your opponent’s moves, by increasing the number of age counters in a fast-paced manner, thoroughly disrupting their combat strategy when they least expect it.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Including Cover of Winter in your deck means you must be prepared to discard other potential assets to deploy this spell, which can leave you at a strategic disadvantage, especially in games where card advantage is key.
Specific Mana Cost: With its specialized snow mana requirement, Cover of Winter necessitates a dedicated deck build that can reliably generate this type of mana, potentially limiting its versatility across various deck archetypes.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: The relatively steep cost to cast Cover of Winter can be a detriment in faster-paced games where conserving mana for timely responses is crucial. The result is a potentially slower setup compared to other protective spells or enchantments within the game.
Reasons to Include in Your Collection
Versatility: Cover of Winter brings an adaptive defense mechanic to any deck aiming to control the board pace, suitable for slowing down aggressive opponents regardless of the deck archetype you are running.
Combo Potential: This card synergizes with strategies that capitalize on snow permanents, enhancing your ability to stymie your opponent’s attacks while setting up your own win conditions seamlessly.
Meta-Relevance: Given that faster decks often dominate the play environment, introducing Cover of Winter into your deck adds a strategic layer that can shift the balance in your favor, making it a timely addition to combat current trends.
How to beat
Cover of Winter weaves a chilling tapestry across the battlefield in Magic the Gathering, presenting a defensive layer that can frustrate your aggressive strategies. This enchantment snow card has the unique ability to absorb damage from creatures, which can stonewall combat and turn the tides in favor of the controller. Understanding the rhythm and pace this card sets is crucial if you aim to dismantle its icy grip on the game.
To effectively bypass Cover of Winter’s cold barrier, consider implementing direct damage spells or abilities that can target the opponent directly, bypassing creature combat. Abrupt Decay and Chaos Warp offer solutions to remove the enchantment directly. Additionally, employing counter spells can prevent Cover of Winter from hitting the board in the first place. If it does find its way onto the battlefield, cards that strip away snow permanents or abilities that override damage prevention will be your warmth in the cold—a strategy to consider when winter’s cover threatens to quell your winning streak.
The key lies in preemptive actions and having the right answers at the right time. With strategic deck building and timing, Cover of Winter’s frosty fortress can be melted away, clearing the path to victory.
Cards like Cover of Winter
While Cover of Winter is a unique snow enchantment in Magic: The Gathering, there are other cards that share its protective essence. One such card is ‘Propaganda’, a blue enchantment that makes opponents pay a fee to attack you. Like Cover of Winter, it serves to deter attacks, although it doesn’t scale with snow permanents or alter combat damage.
Glacial Crevasses is another related card focusing on red’s interaction with snow. Instead of an ongoing effect, Glacial Crevasses allows you to sacrifice a snow-covered land to prevent combat damage, offering a more immediate but fleeting protection compared to the enduring shield provided by Cover of Winter.
Ascendant Evincar might not be directly related in card type but provides a similar feeling of suppression by weakening your opponent’s creatures. In contrast, Cover of Winter can scale to create a more significant barrier, potentially affecting all creatures rather than just the ones opposing your board.
Considering the synergy with snow permanents and its scalable defensive capabilities, Cover of Winter stands out in MTG as a control-enhancing asset, perfect for snow-themed decks aiming to preserve their life total and dominate the wintry battlefield.
Cards similar to Cover of Winter by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Cover of Winter MTG card by a specific set like Coldsnap, there are several reliable options to consider. One of the primary sources is your local game store, where you can often find booster packs, individual cards, and preconstructed decks from current and some past sets. They often offer the added benefit of a community where you can trade with other players.
For a broader inventory, particularly of older sets, online marketplaces like TCGPlayer, Card Kingdom and Card Market offer extensive selections and allow you to search for cards from specific sets. Larger e-commerce platforms like eBay and Amazon also have listings from various sellers, which can be a good place to look for sealed product and rare finds.
Additionally, Magic’s official site often has a store locator and retailer lists for finding Wizards of the Coast licensed products. Remember to check for authenticity and the condition of the cards when purchasing, especially from individual sellers on larger marketplaces.
Below is a list of some store websites where you can buy the Cover of Winter and other MTG cards:
- eBay
- TCG Player
- Card Kingdom
- Card Market
- Star City Games
- CoolStuffInc
- MTG Mint Card
- Hareruya
- Troll and Toad
- ABU Games
- Card Hoarder Magic Online
- MTGO Traders Magic Online
See MTG Products
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Cover of Winter has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Predh | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Cover of Winter card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2006-07-15 | Cover of Winter’s replacement effect prevents combat damage creatures would deal to you and to attacking or blocking creatures you control. |
| 2006-07-15 | If a creature has double strike, Cover of Winter prevents X of the combat damage it would deal during each combat damage step. |
| 2006-07-15 | If a creature’s combat damage is assigned to multiple recipients (for example, if it has trample and is blocked by two creatures, and damage is assigned to each of those creatures and to you), you decide how to divide the prevention effect. You may prevent damage that would be dealt to the first creature, the second creature, and/or you, as long as the total amount of that creature’s damage that would be prevented is X. |
| 2006-07-15 | If multiple creatures would deal combat damage to you and your creatures at the same time, this prevents X of the damage that would be dealt by each of them. This prevention is applied creature by creature. For example, if Cover of Winter has two age counters and you’re being attacked by an unblocked 1/1 and an unblocked 4/4, this will prevent 2 of the combat damage that would be dealt by each one. All damage from the 1/1 is prevented and 2 damage from the 4/4 is prevented, meaning you’re dealt 2 damage. |
