Old FogeyHow it works & interactions with other cards

A Dictionary of Keywords

Old Fogey possesses several 'maintenance' keywords that occur during your upkeep. Fading 3 means it enters with three fade counters; if you can't remove one during your upkeep, you must sacrifice it. Cumulative upkeep {1} adds an age counter every turn, requiring you to pay {1} for each age counter present. Phasing causes the card to alternate between being 'in' and 'out' of existence each turn, which actually prevents its Echo {G}{G} ability from ever triggering since it isn't on the battlefield when the check occurs.

Combat Mechanics and Evasion

When attacking, Old Fogey is difficult to block. Flanking gives -1/-1 to any non-flanking creature that blocks it. If it is blocked by more than one creature, Rampage 2 gives it +2/+2 for each creature beyond the first. It also has Snow-covered Plainswalk, meaning it cannot be blocked if the defending player controls a Snow-Covered Plains. Finally, 'Bands with other Dinosaurs' allows it to form an attacking group with other Dinosaurs, letting you choose how combat damage is assigned by the blocker.

Resolution and Timing

During your untap step, if Old Fogey is phased out, it phases in. During your upkeep, you must handle the stack of triggers: remove a fade counter for Fading, then add an age counter and pay the cost for Cumulative Upkeep. Because Phasing happens before the upkeep, the Echo trigger (which checks if the creature entered since your last upkeep) misses its window, meaning you never actually have to pay the {G}{G} cost.

Common Mistakes

The most common error is forgetting that Phasing does not trigger 'enters the battlefield' or 'leaves the battlefield' effects. When Old Fogey phases in, it does not get new Fade counters, nor does it reset its Cumulative Upkeep age counters. Another mistake is trying to pay the Echo cost; per official rulings, because it phases out before its first Echo trigger would happen, you effectively bypass that cost entirely.

Interaction examples

Managing Maintenance Costs

Sol Ring

During your second upkeep after Old Fogey phases in, you will have one age counter on it from Cumulative Upkeep. You can tap Sol Ring to produce {C}{C}, using one mana to pay the upkeep cost and keep your Dinosaur on the battlefield.

Fixing Mana for Upkeep

Arcane Signet

As the game progresses, the Cumulative Upkeep cost of Old Fogey increases. If you have two age counters, you must pay {2}. You can use Arcane Signet to provide one mana toward this total, ensuring the Dinosaur doesn't have to be sacrificed due to a lack of resources.