Friendship is Card Games: Twilight's Kingdom · 12:28pm May 11th, 2014
If you'd like to see my reaction to the episode, see the previous blog.
Next week, it'll be a blast from the past, complete with bats on Pinkie's face. For now, there is one more new episode to enjoy. And by enjoy, I of course mean "use as card fodder":
"You'll Play Your Part" 1W
Enchantment — Song
At the beginning of your upkeep, put a verse counter on "You'll Play Your Part".
0: Sacrifice "You'll Play Your Part".
When "You'll Play Your Part" is put into a graveyard from the battlefield, you may pay 1W. If you do, return to the battlefield up to X other target permanent cards that were put into your graveyard from the battlefield this turn, where X is the number of verse counters on "You'll Play Your Part".
Lift Bubble U
Instant
If target creature has flying, return it to its owner's hand. Otherwise, that creature gains flying until end of turn.
"How high is too high? Well, it's really all a matter of perspective."
—Discord
Exit Reality 1U
Instant
Exile target nonland permanent. As long as that card is exiled, its owner may cast it.
"Just stepping out for a moment. Be back in two jiffies of a lamb's flash."
—Discord
Prophetic Vision 2U
Sorcery
As an additional cost to cast Prophetic Vision, tap an untapped creature you control.
Scry X, then draw half that many cards, rounded down, where X is the power of the tapped creature.
"Celestia's dreams are strange things, more real than any dream should be. Equestria has owed its continued existence to them more than once."
—Princess Luna
Isolate 3UU
Sorcery
Choose target creature. Return each other creature with the same controller to its owner's hand.
"From now on, I will refuse any plan that explicitly excludes my friends. Those never work."
—Princess Twilight Sparkle
Tirek, Soul Stealer BBB
Legendary Creature — Centaur Demon
Whenever a creature dies, put a +1/+1 counter on Tirek, Soul Stealer.
BBB, T: Destroy target creature with power less than Tirek's power.
Tartarus weakened Tirek, but it did nothing to curb his ambition or his malice.
0/3
Soul Drain XB
Sorcery
Lifelink
Kicker XX
Soul Drain deals X damage to target creature. If Soul Drain was kicked, it deals X damage to each other creature.
Escape from Tartarus XBB
Sorcery
Kicker X
Choose a creature card in your graveyard with power X or less. If Escape from Tartarus was kicked, choose an exiled creature card you own with power X or less instead. Return the chosen card to the battlefield.
Infernal Heat RR
Instant
Destroy target artifact. Infernal Heat deals damage equal to that artifact's converted mana cost to that artifact's controller.
Tartarus is a cold hell, but Tirek's ire more than compensates.
Heartwarm 1R
Enchantment — Aura
Enchant creature
At the beginning of each end step, if a player controls more creatures than each other player, the player who controls the most creatures gains control of enchanted creature.
Unlike his brother, Scorpan was swayed by the power of friendship.
Hypersonic Boost 3R
Instant
Target creature gets +X/+0 and gains first strike until end of turn, where X is that creature's power.
"Not bad, not bad. You got anything in relativistic?"
—Rainbow Dash, Bearer of Loyalty
Tempting Proposition 3R
Sorcery
Untap and gain control of target creature. As long as you control that creature, it has haste and "4: Gain control of this creature. Only this creature's owner may activate this ability, and only any time that player could cast a sorcery."
Twilight's Fury 3R
Sorcery
Twilight's Fury deals damage equal to the number of instant and sorcery cards in your graveyard divided as you choose among any number of target creatures and/or players.
Armed with arbitrary amounts of power, Twilight decided to conduct a few high-energy experiments on Tirek's face.
Explosive Obliteration 4R
Sorcery
Destroy target land. Explosive Obliteration deals 3 damage to that land's controller.
"No ponies were irreparably hurt that day, but I still lost one friend."
—Princess Twilight Sparkle
Exploit Imbalance 3GG
Enchantment
Whenever a player casts a spell with converted mana cost 6 or greater, you may put a creature card from your hand onto the battlefield.
"Great acts of magic ripple across the world like pebbles thrown in a pond, and I happen to be an excellent surfer."
—Discord
General's Regalia 2
Artifact — Equipment
Whenever equipped creature attacks, attacking creatures get +1/+1 until end of turn.
Equip 2
"You'd be amazed how much a uniform can get ponies to listen to you."
—Shining Armor
"Let the Rainbow Remind You" GW
Enchantment — Song
At the beginning of your upkeep, put a verse counter on "Let the Rainbow Remind You".
GW, Exile "Let the Rainbow Remind You": Return up to X multicolored cards from your graveyard to your hand, where X is the number of verse counters on "Let the Rainbow Remind You".
Slipshod Sunrise UR
Sorcery
Each player flips a coin. Each player whose coin comes up tails skips his or her next untap step.
"Honestly? She did better than my first try."
—Princess Celestia
Rainbow Power WUBRG
Legendary Enchantment
Creatures you control get +2/+2 and have flying, first strike, vigilance, trample, and lifelink.
The line between Bearer and Element has been blurred into irrelevance.
Power United 3WU
Enchantment — Aura
Enchant creature
As Power United enters the battlefield, you may exile any number of creatures you control until Power United leaves the battlefield.
As long as one or more cards are exiled with Power United, it and enchanted creature have indestructible.
Enchanted creature gets +X/+Y and has all abilities of all cards exiled with Power United, where X is the total power of those cards and Y is their total toughness.
Prismatic Reification 3WUBRG
Sorcery
For each color among permanents you control, search your library for a permanent card and put it onto the battlefield. Then shuffle your library.
Exile Prismatic Reification.
The Elements have been returned to the Tree, where they may work their greatest magic.
Planar Restoration 5WUB
Sorcery
Exile all permanents and all permanent cards from graveyards. Each player returns all non-Aura cards he or she owns exiled this way to the battlefield, then does the same for Aura cards. Empty all mana pools.
"The place needed some freshening up even before the whole demonic rampage thing."
—Pinkie Pie, Bearer of Laughter
Tirek's Rage X(br)(br)(br)
Sorcery
Tirek's Rage deals X damage to each creature target player controls. Those creatures can't be regenerated this turn.
"Burn for your insolence, horse."
Sparkalon, the Palace-Tree
Legendary Land
Sparkalon, the Palace-Tree doesn't untap during your untap step unless you control a Pony, a Pegasus, or a Unicorn.
T: Add one mana of any color to your mana pool.
The Tree of Harmony has at last borne fruit.
You Have Outlived Your Usefulness
Scheme
When you set this scheme in motion, you may sacrifice a creature or planeswalker. If you do, you gain X life and draw Y cards, where X is that permanent's converted mana cost and Y is its power or loyalty. Otherwise, set a scheme in motion.
"Surely you saw this coming."
Tartarus
Plane — Ungula
Whenever a creature would die, exile it instead.
Whenever you roll chaos, you may return target card exiled with Tartarus to the battlefield under your control.
Hmm? I'm forgetting something? I don't know what you're talking about…
Oh, fine. Here, have MacGuffin: The Next Generation.
Aegis Blossom 2
Artifact
Spells with targets cost 1 more to cast.
T: Counter target spell you control that targets a permanent, spell, or card you don't control. If that spell is countered this way, transform Aegis Blossom.
Any breezie magic that can make them more resilient outside of their home is highly treasured.
Key of Kindness
Legendary Artifact — Key
Keys you control have hexproof.
Tap an untapped Key you control: Prevent all damage that would be dealt to and dealt by target creature this turn.
Unlock the sympathy in every heart
Rainbow Thread 2
Artifact
T: Target creature you control becomes all colors until end of turn. You may have target opponent gain control of that creature. If you do, transform Rainbow Thread.
With the right materials, the ties that bind can be altered like a poorly fitting suit.
Key of Generosity
Legendary Artifact — Key
Keys you control untap during each other player's untap step.
Tap an untapped Key you control: Reveal the top card of your library. If that card is an artifact, put it into your hand. Otherwise, put it on the bottom of your library.
Unlock the inspiration in every trifle.
Wonderbolt Badge 2
Artifact — Equipment
Equipped creature has first strike and haste.
2: Attach Wonderbolt Badge to target creature you own. If you don't control that creature, gain control of it, then unattach and transform Wonderbolt Badge. Activate this ability only any time you could cast a sorcery.
Key of Loyalty
Legendary Artifact — Key
Other players can't control Keys you own.
Tap an untapped Key you control: Untap target creature you control. It gains haste until end of turn.
Unlock the determination in every soul.
Floppy Chicken 3
Artifact
3, T: Target creature loses all abilities until end of turn. If that creature lost no abilities this way, transform Floppy Chicken.
"You can't make chocolate without vanilla."
—Pinkie Pie, Bearer of Laughter
Key of Laughter
Legendary Artifact — Key
Keys you control have lifelink and "4, T: This artifact deals 1 damage to target creature."
Unlock the absurdity in every moment.
Symbolic Bit 3
Artifact
T: Add one mana of any color to your mana pool.
T: Reveal your hand. If you reveal at least one card this way, transform Symbolic Bit.
Even when your word is good as gold, it helps to have some for comparison's sake.
Key of Honesty
Legendary Artifact — Key
Spells and abilities your opponents control can't cause you to sacrifice Keys.
Tap an untapped Key you control: Add 1 to your mana pool.
Unlock the potential in every scrap.
Amulet of Scorpan 4
Legendary Artifact
XX, T: Creatures you control with power X or less gain hexproof until end of turn.
Tap five untapped creatures you control: Transform Amulet of Scorpan.
Tirek thought it useless, for it is powerful as its bearer's compassion.
Key of Magic
Legendary Artifact — Key
Keys you control have indestructible.
Tap six untapped Keys you control: You win the game.
Unlock the hero in every pony.
I can't help but think that Tempting Proposition's activated ability should require mana of multiple colors to use, or at least be more expensive with colorless mana. It's not just any old magic that can restore broken faith, after all.
Maybe it could use that colorless-hybrid mana from the Shadowmoor block, for instance, that cost one colored or two colorless to cast, like Reaper King.
If I tap a Key, can I trigger multiple keys with the tap?
2100337
Nope. Tapping the Key is a cost, just like paying mana or sacrificing permanents. Of course, if you have Key of Generosity, then you can use your Keys far more often.
Ok, I need the Tirek card. I have been playing the game on the PS3 for a while and I need something to fight Sarkon the Mad.
Also, love the rainbow cards.
But what's hexproof
2100594
A permanent with hexproof can't be the target of spells or abilities controlled by its controller's opponents.
I would love Prismatic Reification for my five-colour Commander deck. Though I've never heard of "Reification" before (and, apparently, neither has spellcheck). I'd probably build a deck specifically for the keys, much like how said five-colour deck was originally built purely to retrieve and activate the Door to Nothingness (It's kinda lost that purpose at this point, but people still fear me activating it).
2100594
Hexproof means that your opponents can't target it. It's a better version of shroud, which prevented you from targeting it as well.
You forgot the "until end of turn" rider on Key of Kindness
Exit Reality 1U
Instant
Exile target nonland permanent. As long as that card is exiled, its owner may cast it any time they may cast a sorcery
Flash is too broken to have on this, I think.
2100859 I think how the ability is worded now means you cast it at the normal speed of the card. Instant speed for instants and things with flash, sorcery for everything else
2100594
Wait, who is Sarkon the mad again?
I've played the 2013 and 2014 editions and I don't know who that is and what his deck is about.
Is this from the '12 or '15 edition?
Is the 2015 one even out yet? I'm so ignorant sometimes... Google to the rescue!
One googly-diddle later...
Huh, that's an even older version than I thought, no wonder I don't know him.
Still, what's so bad about his deck?
2100691
Reification (which my spellcheck does recognize) is the noun form of reify. Future Pumpkin Cake does a lot of reifying.
2100693
Oh, that's a bit too kind. Fixed. Thanks.
2100859
As written, Exit Reality is basically a novel twist on Disperse. The card's timing restrictions still apply, as with Misthollow Griffin.
2101984
12 edition I think, his deck is all about using cards that will return everything that had been sent to the graveyard while sending out invinicible monsters and one hit killing yours.
2102496
Huh, sounds annoying.
"You'll Play Your Part" should have some kind of activation cost on its sacrifice effect, even if it is only 1 (though I'd say at least 1W). Being able to return a lot of low casting cost creatures onto the battlefield after you attacked in and they blocked them all would make White Weenie vastly more powerful. Also R&D is trying to limit the amount of 0 activation cards they do so there are more "shields down" moments and you actually have to think about how you are going to spend your mana on each turn and plan it out. As it is right now there is now "wrong" way to play this Song, since you can pop it for free.
Oh, and your board wipe effects don't hit you because you just bring them all back again.
Horribly broken.
On Soul Drain. I was going to say it could not have Lifelink, because of how the reminder text on Lifelink is worded on the various creatures that have it but then i went and looked in the comprehensive rules just to be sure and, sure enough, the way it is worded any type of card can have Lifelink!
But a quick Gather search Lifelink only ever shows up on Creatures or is given to a Creature though a spell.
This sort of thing is normally worded along the lines of "You gain X life" so I don't know if this would confuse people or not since there has never been a sorcery with Lifelink before!
It works as it is but might confuse a lot of people.
Now I really want to see actual spells printed with Lifelink. We got some with Wither after all.
On Aegis Blossom, again, a 0 cost. This one should probably just tap like Rainbow Thread does.
I don't find Key of Laughter funny. But it could fall into the "laugh at the pain of others" type of comedy here. Also it feels more Red and Black to me, and the other keys fell like their colors. I think maybe if you made it "Pay 1 life: each other player loses one life" it could be a sort of maniacal laugh that hurts others or maybe just such contagious unending "laugh until it hurts" sort of thing.
I think Key of Honesty should be "add one mana of any color" instead of colorless, because that is what it was before and taking two steps back after the transform isn't really worth the protection it offers on the Keys. We do have artifacts that require colored mana, both in cost and activated abilities.
As for Key of Magic. I loves me some alt win conditions.
Looking forward to seeing more cards from older eps now that we've got a bit of a lull. Keep up the great work.
I think Wonderbolt Badge needs an equip cost. I doubt Wizards of the Coast would make an equipment with only an alternate method of attaching it. And boy, is that one hard to transform!
2103534
It's actually not that bad. It seems to be designed with the other keys in mind. You can give someone a creature with the Rainbow Thread and immediately take it back with the Wonderbolt badge.
2103366
"You'll Play Your Part"'s death trigger now has an activation cost. You can still kill it for free, but you'll need to pay up for the quasi-Faith's Reward.
As you noted, damage modifying keywords on spells is perfectly permissible. If Puncture Blast works, I see no reason why Soul Drain can't.
Aegis Blossom now taps to counter.
Key of Laughter gives you the power of schadenfreude. As Mel Brooks once said, "Tragedy is when I cut my finger. Comedy is when you fall into an open sewer and die." Associating Laughter with black has some... interesting ramifications.
Key of Honesty still produces colorless mana, but it's unrestricted.
2103366 2104675 Huh, and I thought the joke was that Laughter's ability was utterly ridiculous. Lifelink artifacts that can do an expensive one damage shot? Really doesn't seem worth it.
2104675
You know, I didn't notice that Key of Laughter gave all keys Lifelink as well. Reading check fail.
And you can always just not transform Key of Honesty until you need another key around.
Anyone else notice that Tirek's horns seem somewhat similar to a certain evil planeswalking dragon?
2107190
Eeyup.
2107750
Well, Hasbro owns both. Makes sense they'd borrow design aspects from other characters that had proven successful in the past.
And personally, I reckon throwing on 'Centaur' as a typing on Tirek's card wouldn't be a stretch. After all, we've seen a Demon Dragon, Demon Spirits, a Demon Hound, a Fungus Demon and even a Demon Ninja! Not like a Centaur Demon would break the game too much.
2107772
Eh, why not. Tirek is now buds with Pheres-Band Warchief.
I don't think lifelink works outside of creatures. I have, however, seen "[...] and you gain life equal to the damage dealt this way."
~Vriska Serket
2117683
As noted elsewhere in the comments and demonstrated by Puncture Blast, damage-modifying keywords can in fact go on spells. Even in the link you posted, it explicitly states "The lifelink rules function no matter what zone an object with lifelink deals damage from."
Among other things, this means that lifelink (as well as deathtouch, wither, and infect) works even when Selfless Exorcist exiles a card.
2119541 I suppose. I guess I've just never seen lifelink except on creatures.
~Vriska Serket