Despite coming out 30 years ago, Ice Age still influences new Magic: The Gathering mechanics and such to this day.
First released in June 1995, Ice Age was the sixth overall expansion and came at one of the many high points in the series. It was out right before the oversaturated Fallen Empires and before the equally too big Homelands. However, Ice Age was also handcrafted as one of the first major expansions, with Richard Garfield going so far as to try and rename the expansion "Magic: Ice Age." Plus it also influenced package design, setting a new precedent on putting different artworks on the front of the card for the same set to create some variance.
However, being so focused on, the expansion came with a lot of cards that had new ways of blocking or dealing damage. And, 30 years later, some cards in Ice Age remain so unique that developers keep revisiting it to get some new play ideas.
One is Bushido, where a creature gets bigger if they block or are blocked. Officially it was first seen in Champions of Kamigawa in 2004, hence the Japanese name. But the ability's inspiration was taken from an Ice Age card - Chub Toad.
But that was nine years difference. If you are looking at the sheer longetivity of taking moves, look at Elkin Bottle:
Today, impulsive drawing is a pretty unique red mechanic, and it was thought to have been first seen in the Magic 2014 set with planeswalkers. But, once again, the past was mined for ideas, and wouldn't you know it, the original move of "Exile the top card of your library. Until the beginning of your next upkeep, you may play that card" was now a full-on mechanic.
Another one was the action of having the target player choose cards from their hand and puts them on top of their library in any order. Fairly simple. The first to do it was a card in Ice Age, Stunted Growth:
And once again something they had no idea would catch on did, as it became an almost trademark sort of move for certain cards going forward. In fact it was first seen back shortly in Mirage:
And then soon it seems like once a year. Even the Kamigawa block got in under it:
Those are just a few examples of the influence of Ice Age. No matter how new the set, developers just can't stop themselves from rediscovering he past or using moves from the expansion.
