Frostbite in Flesh and Blood: calculate added costs
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Each Frostbite you control adds one resource to the cost of playing a card or activating an ability. Its later destruction does not avoid the surcharge on the action that caused it. Add increases from all relevant auras before deciding whether you can pay.
Source · Frostbite in Flesh and Blood: calculate added costs.
Printed zero does not guarantee a free play
Frostbite changes the cost to play or activate, not the printed number. With one Frostbite, an action otherwise costing zero resources may require one. A printed zero does not automatically ignore cost increases.
These hypothetical calculations assume no other modifiers or additional costs. They isolate Frostbite rather than resolve every possible combination.
| Resource cost before Frostbite | Frostbite auras | Example payment |
|---|---|---|
| Zero | One | One resource |
| One | Two | Three resources |
| Two | Three | Five resources |
With reductions, additional costs or restrictions, determine the full cost using the applicable rules. The table is not a substitute for those interactions.
Pay before destroying auras because of that play
The token has a destruction trigger associated with playing a card, activating an ability or the beginning of your end phase. Do not remove it before payment and calculate as though it was already absent.
Suppose you have two Frostbite and want to activate an ability ordinarily costing one resource. To legally announce and pay, account for both increases. Destruction associated with the activation follows its own procedure and supplies no retroactive discount.
Each aura has its own text and trigger. Do not treat multiple tokens as coupons where you pay one, remove one and automatically preserve the rest. Check the relevant triggers of every affected aura and other interactions in the game.
Resource points and action points are separate
An added resource is not an added action point. Keep separate calculations for payment and the permission or action point required by the chosen action.
An ability may be available at the correct time but unaffordable. Conversely, having enough resources does not bypass timing restrictions or an action-point requirement. Frostbite does not merge these questions.
Abilities also require checking: “I am not playing a card” is not enough to avoid the aura. If you are activating an ability, the token's wording covers that use. Identify the action before calculating its cost.
Pitching is not playing the pitched card
Pitching a card to obtain resources does not play that card. Do not invent a Frostbite payment merely because you physically move a card from your hand to fund an action.
During practice, distinguish the card being played from cards generating payment. Write the first card's total cost, then decide how to pay it. Combining those tasks may create imaginary surcharges on pitched cards or destroy a token at the wrong time.
For example, suppose the chosen action needs three resources after Frostbite. Generating three can cover that payment without turning pitched cards into additional cards played. Effects reacting to pitch remain separate checks.
Recount before the next action
Count auras when choosing the first play and update the count after resolving relevant triggers. Planning a whole sequence using the initial Frostbite count can overestimate later costs. Removing them before the first payment makes the opposite mistake.
Write a practice sequence with two differently priced actions. Calculate the first with the auras present, resolve what follows and calculate the second from the actual resulting state. Add an effect generating another aura to test why a start-of-turn calculation is insufficient.
Do not choose a card solely because a marketplace description says it “clears Frostbite for free.” Verify current wording, payment and timing. A short product description may omit the condition enabling the result.
Frequently asked questions
Can a zero-cost card require a resource because of Frostbite?
Yes. Its play cost is modified; a printed zero does not ignore increases.
Does Frostbite also affect activated abilities?
Yes. Its wording covers playing cards and activating abilities. Check the actual payment and other conditions.
Can I destroy it first to avoid the surcharge?
Destruction associated with playing or activating does not avoid that same play's cost. An independent effect destroying it needs its own legal sequence.