Friendship is Card Games: Moonstuck, Pt. 3 · 12:50pm Feb 5th, 2023
Always a bit awkward to dust off an old save file and try to remember what you were doing at the time. Fortunately, Moonstuck is very forgiving for returning players. The game all but plays itself. 
In this installment, Woona and her capable assistants, the bat pony colts Frolicsome Meadowlark and Sunshine Smiles, manage to stumble their way past Nightmare Woon’s numerous rockslides and into the bat pony colony. Some familiar faces make themselves known, suggesting reincarnation may be at work (or just silly cameos. But hey, it can be both. 
)
After some rough negotiations, Woona is welcomed by the colony’s leader (and the colts’ mother,) who explains the situation. A cunning plan… doesn’t quite work out. Woona and Nightmare Woon cross horns, and Woona comes out the worse for it. Still, the moonitaur helps her find the second Lunar Stone (which either isn’t the treasure at the heart of the Moon Maze or has had that role supplanted after generations of oral tradition and knowledge drift) and Woona feels confident she’ll have this epic quest wrapped up by lunch.
We have half a dozen more Moonstuck blogs left. She has a ways to go. For now, let’s see what I can make of this leg of the journey:
Clear Communication 1W
Instant
Prevent all combat damage that would be dealt this turn. Each player who controls an attacking or blocking creature draws a card.
It’s amazing what people can achieve if they just talk to one another.
Moonflower Chorister 2W
Creature — Bat Pegasus Bard
Partner with Moonflower Confectioner (When this creature enters the battlefield, target player may put Moonflower Confectioner into their hand from their library, then shuffle.)
If you would gain life, you gain that much life plus 1 instead.
Flying
2/2
Luna’s Decoy 4W
Creature — Bat Pegasus Soldier
Flying
Ward 1 (Whenever this creature becomes the target of a spell or ability an opponent controls, counter it unless that player pays 1.)
Other creatures you control have ward 2.
Shadows can hide a scout or an army.
3/2
Moonflower Champion 5W
Creature — Bat Pegasus Warrior
Flying, vigilance, lifelink
Mentor (Whenever this creature attacks, put a +1/+1 counter on target attacking creature with lesser power.)
Moonflowers contain all nutrients a chiropteron needs. Some more than others.
3/4
In the Name of the Moon 6W
Sorcery
This spell costs X less to cast, where X is its target’s power.
Destroy target tapped creature.
Draw a card.
The brightest light in the night was a symbol of opposing darkness long before Luna’s reign.
Entranced Astronomer 2U
Creature — Unicorn Wizard
T: Add CC. This mana can’t be spent to cast spells that are one or more colors.
Disturb 4U (You may cast this card from your graveyard transformed for its disturb cost.)
“Why would I ever look away?”
1/3
Entrapped Moongeist
Creature — Unicorn Spirit
Flying
Whenever Entrapped Moongeist deals combat damage to a player, add that much C. Until end of turn, you don’t lose this mana as steps and phases end. It can’t be spent to cast spells that are one or more colors.
If Entrapped Moongeist would be put into a graveyard, exile it instead.
3/2
Hard-Hitting Investigation 3UU
Sorcery
Draw cards equal to the toughness of target creature you don’t control.
The right phrasing can make arguing with a brick wall not just easy, but productive.
Incredible Breakthrough 4UU
Instant
Draw three cards.
Miracle U (You may cast this card for its miracle cost when you draw it if it’s the first card you drew this turn.)
Sometimes scientific progress takes months of repeated trials. Sometimes it takes a single moment.
Eclipsing Power XU
Instant
Counter target spell with mana value X. Look at the top X cards of your library. Put one of those cards into your hand and the rest on the bottom of your library in a random order.
Luna mustered every ounce of effort she could. The other filly almost broke a sweat.
Moonflower Confectioner 2B
Creature — Bat Pegasus Citizen
Partner with Moonflower Chorister
Flying
At the beginning of your end step, if you gained 4 or more life this turn, create a Food token. (It’s an artifact with “2, T, Sacrifice this artifact: You gain 3 life.”)
2/2
Overwhelming Darkness 2BB
Sorcery
Overwhelming Darkness deals 5 damage to target creature or planeswalker. Excess damage is dealt to that permanent’s controller instead. You gain 5 life.
The last thing Luna saw before passing out was a parody of her own face sneering at her.
Luna’s Face-Breaker 3B
Creature — Bat Pegasus Soldier
Flying
Whenever Luna’s Face-Breaker deals combat damage to a player, create a Treasure token. (It’s an artifact with “T, Sacrifice an artifact: Add one mana of any color.”)
Blitz 1BB (If you cast this spell for its blitz cost, it gains haste and “When this creature dies, draw a card.” Sacrifice it at the beginning of the next end step.)
3/2
Echo’s Zealot 4B
Creature — Bat Pegasus Warrior
Flying
Ward — Pay 3 life.
Whenever an opponent pays life, you gain that much life.
4/2
Test of Bravery 2R
Sorcery
Adamant — Target creature gets +4/+4 and gains menace until end of turn. If at least three red mana was spent to cast this spell, up to two target creatures can’t block this turn.
Luna has matured in many ways, but the trials for her guards remain the same.
Marauder’s Mantle 4R
Artifact — Equipment
For Equestria! (When this Equipment enters the battlefield, create a 2/2 green Pony creature token, then attach this to it.)
Equipped creature gets +2/+1 and has menace.
Equip 3R
Greatness and Power 5R
Enchantment
Whenever you cast a noncreature spell, Greatness and Power deals 2 damage to any target.
Cycling 3R (3R, Discard this card: Draw a card.)
When you cycle Greatness and Power, it deals 2 damage to any target.
Reflex Save G
Instant
Choose target creature you control, then roll a d20.
1-9 | It gains your choice of hexproof or indestructible until end of turn.
10-19 | It gains hexproof and indestructible until end of turn.
20 | It gains vigilance, reach, hexproof, and indestructible until your next turn. Untap it.
Diligent Rock Farmer 1G
Creature — Pony Druid
T: Untap target noncreature permanent with a mana ability.
All earth ponies have a deep connection to the land. Some retain that connection even with bits of the land that have been excavated, cut, polished, and enchanted.
1/1
Legacy of Protection 2G
Enchantment — Aura
Enchant creature you control
Creatures you control other than enchanted creature have hexproof.
When enchanted creature leaves the battlefield, you may return Legacy of Protection from your graveyard to the battlefield attached to a creature that shares a creature type with that creature.
Echo, the Petalsinger 2WB
Legendary Creature — Bat Pegasus Advisor
Flying, lifelink
Other Bats you control get +1/+1 and have lifelink.
At the beginning of your end step, if you have at least 10 life more than your starting life total, return target Bat permanent card from your graveyard to the battlefield.
2/4
Mazewise Moonitaur 2RG
Creature — Minotaur Scout
Haste, trample
As long as it’s your turn, Mazewise Moonitaur has hexproof.
A minotaur is never lost. If you find one where you didn’t expect one, that’s your problem.
4/3
Obstructing Rockfall 3RW
Instant
Obstructing Rockfall deals 4 damage to any target. Create a 0/4 colorless Wall artifact creature token with defender.
The dark filly set off countless landslides. If she couldn’t crush the nuisance, she could at least trap it.
Moonstuck! Wow, that takes me back!
Inside Baseball Alert: For Equestria! (the exclamation mark is part of the name) is clearly meant to demonstrate how For Mirrodin! (same caveat) would probably need to change slightly in order to make sense in a return regardless of its name and they'd just make a new keyword instead.
Stupid Complicated Game Alert: most lands are noncreature permanents with mana abilities. Diligent Rock Farmer hasn't forgotten their roots just because their specialty lies elsewhere. EDIT: most other such permanents are gemstones or jewelry of some kind, for the flavor text.
Man, this brings back memories. I think I read this comic before I even fully got into the fandom.
... which was. In my last year of high school. Well. Time flies, huh.