Friendship is Card Games: Classics Reimagined: The Unicorn of Odd #1 & #2 · 12:43pm Dec 17th, 2023
Tell Your Tale hasn’t quite told all the tales for this year, so we’re dipping back into G4 for a bit. Specifically the next round of Classics Reimagined. No prizes for guessing who’s in the great and powerful titular role, but we’ll get to that when we get to it. First we need to get out of Horse Kansas.
Issue #1
Ah yes. Returning to Classics Reimagined also means returning to the artwork of Jenna Ayoub. It’s an acquired taste, but I like it in its charming chunkiness.
Oh. We’re going with literal, actual Kansas. And I thought the Doctor Who planes were weird.
Heh. Yeah, Rarimac isn’t exactly the most viable ship out there. And I do appreciate Applejack immediately demanding a new costume in light of playing faster and looser with the source material.
Toto was a boy dog. Winona may have just been cast in the role regardless. Dogs prioritize belly rubs over correct pronouns.
Unfortunately, turn-of-the-century Kansas did not have an abundance of weather pegasi to deal with tornadoes.
I do love Toto still panicking and barking hours after the house took off. Pitch-perfect dog behavior.
Ah, and there’s the higher color saturation. And a concerning “Smush.”
“Gosh, Toto. I don’t think we’re in Ponyville anymore.”
Reminder that The Wonderful Wizard of Oz was one of the first isekai novels.
Breezies in place of Munchkins. That does make sense, even if it means I won’t be able to make any Kithkin cards this week.
I do love how the Breezies are all absolutely delighted to see the Witch Princess of the East crushed under Dorothy’s house. And Nightmare Moon is a very suitable actress for the role. The starter villain who gets the ball rolling.
“Are we just swapping ‘princess’ for ‘witch’ here?”
Pretty clear that we are, AJ. Try to keep up. 
I do love how, given the description, Dorothy pictures the Unicorn of Odd as male Rarity.
“They say he’s more powerful than any princess!”
“See, that don’t sit well with me! One stallion and he—”
Heh. Yeah, that does run counter to MLP’s usual tendencies.
I do appreciate how the magic slippers horseshoes are silver per the books, but have rubies on them per the movies. And how Celestia, Good Princess of the North, forces them on Dorothy to keep the plot moving whether the poor mare likes it or not.
Yeah, aside from being the designated farmer, Applejack’s also a great choice to cast as Dorothy because both would really rather go back home rather than explore this fantastical land of adventure and wonder. They have family depending on them!
“Don’t cry, Dorothy!”
“I ain’t crying! I’ve just got some princess dust in my eye, okay?!”
I do love a good unique sentence.
Ha! Love the bit about only the book being in the public domain. The movie has another eleven years left.
Celestia and Luna’s conversation is also great. I do love these two getting to be sisters with/at one another. And those shoes possibly being cursed would explain a lot. That or Nightmare Moon just pulls them off better.
Heh. Applejack is not comfortable with this much celebration for a case of residential mareslaughter.
Ah, the cornfields. I’d be more concerned if this were a Twilight Zone crossover.
Pinkie as the Scarecrow certainly works. More clever than they look, or sometimes think they are.
This poor, poor narrator. I wonder who got saddled with the job, because they’re not taking AJ’s improvisation well. Still, I have to agree with her point. Kicking a piece of wood is a viable solution here. Thus, Applejack will kick the piece of wood.
And we close on Applejack sharing her insight into intellectual property laws. Leave it to Pinkie to find a workaround. Written humming is plausibly deniable! But yes, “unicorn” in place of “wizard” does mess up the rhythm of the chorus.
Issue #2
Ah, we have the identities of the other princesses, with Chrysalis as West and Twilight as South. Changeling drones certainly work in place of flying monkeys.
Being convinced that her relatives can’t possibly run the farm without her is such an Applejack line, there being no place like home aside. Pitch-perfect character moment there. (And yes, Dorothy has a point, but still.)
Heh. I do love the idea of Maud being an actual rock-based scarecrow. I imagine she approves as well.
“Since I’m filled with stuffing and not meaty bits, nothing hurts me.”
There’s something strangely concerning about Pinkie using the term “meaty bits.” Naturally, I blame the creepypastas of old.
“You fell right on the meaty bit where you put food!”
And now it’s looped back to endearing. It’s like HK-47 calling organics “meatbags,” but without any of the barely restrained murderous intent. Though she does still show off not needing to sleep or eat.
Finding Rarity the Tin Woodsmare by having Pinkie propose mixing plaid and polka dots is wonderful.
… Wow. I was not expecting Rarity to sass the narrator out of the booth entirely. Claiming to be made of silver when she’s explicitly the Tin Woodsmare is quintessential Rarity. And helping the narrator get things back on track so everypony can enjoy the performance is quintessential Pinkie.
Calling Rarity heartless is certainly strong, but she can certainly give that impression at first if you offend her sensibilities.
Ah, an obstacle that the new follower’s special ability can clear. I’m really enjoying this new Paper Mario game.
“Yes, chop them to ribbons, my darling.”
You may want to get the Tin Woodsmare that heart sooner rather than later…
Ooh, backstory. Largely similar to the original Tin Woodsman, though there it was to support a fiancee rather than a dream of being a fashionista.
Ah, Fluttershy as the Cowardly Lion. I don’t even need to justify this one; it’s too obvious not to do. Also, tying her mane under her chin to get a lion’s mane is a very nice touch.
Mind you, there is something very funny about Fluttershy getting by on bluster without having to learn any real courage.
Ah. Once again, new friend, new obstacle. And then the magic of teamwork, demonstrating how the real gifts are already inside all of them… though really, putting tear glands in a rust-prone prosthetic just seems like a bad idea.
Diamond Dogs are playing the role of Kalidahs, tiger-headed bears. And we close the second issue with them about to attack the party.
In all, this is the same delightful blend of original tale and fourth-wall cracking shenanigans as the previous round of Classics Reimagined, and it is frankly a welcome reprieve from G5’s increasing desperation to make up for lost time. Now, let’s see how well I can predict 2029’s headlining Universes Beyond product.
Mistaken for Royalty W
Instant
Target creature you control gains indestructible until end of turn. Create a Royal Role token attached to that creature. (If you control another Role on it, put that one into the graveyard. Enchanted creature gets +1/+1 and has ward 1.)
Who else could drop a house on someone?
Call to Adventure 1W
Sorcery
Put a +1/+1 counter on target creature. That creature gains indestructible and vigilance until your next turn.
The Princess of the North gave Dorothy no other option but to sally forth and claim her destiny.
Faceplant 1W
Instant
Target tapped creature deals damage equal to its power to itself.
The biggest threat in the dark forest wasn’t slavering beasts or hostile magic. It was poor brick road maintenance.
The Brainless Scarecrow 1W
Legendary Artifact Creature — Scarecrow
Vigilance
Prevent all damage that nonred sources would deal to The Brainless Scarecrow.
2: Target spell or permanent becomes red until end of turn. The Brainless Scarecrow’s controller may draw a card. Only your opponents may activate this ability.
3/1
Cyclonic Lift 2U
Sorcery
Return target land to its owner’s hand.
Overload 4UU (You may cast this spell for its overload cost. If you do, change “target” in its text to “each.”)
Dorothy wasn’t sure if the tornado had taken her away from the world, or the other way around.
Breezie Escorts 2UU
Creature — Pony Faerie Scout
Flash
Flying
When Breezie Escorts enters the battlefield, creatures you control gain hexproof until end of turn.
Dorothy kept insisting she’d be fine, never knowing how much trouble she avoided.
2/1
Rusted Solid 3U
Enchantment — Aura
Enchant artifact or creature
This spell costs 1 less to cast for each of its target’s card types.
When Rusted Solid enters the battlefield, tap enchanted permanent.
Enchanted permanent doesn’t untap during its controller’s untap step.
Eloquent Description 3UU
Sorcery
Draw cards equal to the greatest number of lines of rules text among cards in your graveyard.
Allow Rarity near a script at your own sesquipedalian peril.
Old and Gray 1B
Sorcery
Devoid (This card has no color.)
Until end of turn, each creature that’s one or more colors gets -1/-1 and becomes colorless.
The only young thing on the Gale family farm was Dorothy herself.
The Cursed Axe 2B
Enchantment — Saga
(As this Saga enters and after your draw step, add a lore counter. Sacrifice after III.)
I — Put a -1/-1 counter on target creature.
II — Target player sacrifices a creature.
III — Put target creature card from an opponent’s graveyard to the battlefield under your control with a tin counter on it. It’s an artifact in addition to its other types.
Princess Dust 2B
Sorcery
As an additional cost to cast this spell, exile a creature card from your graveyard.
Target opponent loses life equal to the exiled card’s power. If that card was legendary, that player also loses life equal to its toughness. You gain life equal to the life lost this way.
Tin Prosthetics 3B
Artifact Creature — Equipment Construct
Whenever Tin Prosthetics or equipped creature dies, you may put that card on top of its owner’s library.
Reconfigure 1B (1B: Attach to target creature you control; or unattach from a creature. Reconfigure only as a sorcery. While attached, this isn’t a creature.)
3/2
Smush R
Instant
As an additional cost to cast this spell, discard one or more land cards.
Smush deals damage equal to the number of land cards in your graveyard to any target.
The Princess of the East was terrifyingly powerful. Gravity was stronger still.
Berate the Narrator 2R
Instant
Berate the Narrator deals 1 damage to any target.
Brainstorm (When you cast this spell, copy it for each card players have drawn this turn. You may choose new targets for the copies.)
“After all that, this is your best idea?”
Right of Conquest 2R
Enchantment
Whenever a creature you control deals combat damage to a player, gain control of target artifact that player controls until your next turn. Untap that artifact. It gains haste until end of turn.
Dorothy didn’t want the silver hipposandals, but nopony asked her.
The Tin Woodsmare 3R
Legendary Artifact Creature — Unicorn Warrior
Trample
Whenever The Tin Woodsmare attacks, you may sacrifice a land. If you do, put a +1/+1 counter on The Tin Woodsmare. If that land could produce three or more colors of mana, double the number of +1/+1 counters on The Tin Woodsmare instead.
3/3
Confront the Lion G
Sorcery
Target creature you control fights target creature you don’t control. If both creatures are green, the creature you control gains deathtouch and indestructible until end of turn before they fight.
”Don't you dare to bite Toto!”
—Dorothy Gale
Royal Business 2GG
Sorcery
Demonstrate ((When you cast this spell, you may copy it. If you do, choose an opponent to also copy it.)
Draw a card for each legendary creature you control.
All four Princesses discussed Dorothy’s journey with great interest.
Packhunter Kalidah 4G
Creature — Cat Bear
Enlist (As this creature attacks, you may tap a nonattacking creature you control without summoning sickness. When you do, add its power to this creature’s until end of turn.)
Trample
Two kalidahs outnumber anyone.
3/5
Howling Tornado XG
Sorcery
Howling Tornado deals X damage to each creature with flying. If X is 4 or greater, you may planeswalk.
Before strange winds swept Dorothy to Odd, more mundane ones had scattered every bird within ten miles of the farm.
Welcome to the Multiverse 2
Sorcery
Choose two —
• Planeswalk.
• Chaos ensues.
• Draw a card.
”Toto, I don’t think we’re in Kansas anymore.”
—Dorothy Gale
The Woodsmare’s Axe 2
Legendary Artifact — Equipment
Equipped creature gets +2/+0.
Revolt — Equipped creature has double strike as long as a permanent you controlled left the battlefield this turn.
Equip 2
Forestry management has never looked so good.
Karn’s Unicorn 4
Artifact Creature — Unicorn
Karn’s Unicorn enters the battlefield with two +1/+1 counters on it.
When Karn’s Unicorn dies, for each counter on it, put a +1/+1 counter on a creature you control or a loyalty counter on a planeswalker you control.
His Spark is gone. His inspiration is not.
0/0
Rock Farm Scarecrow 4
Artifact Creature — Scarecrow
Reach
5: Until end of turn, Rock Farm Scarecrow assigns combat damage equal to its toughness rather than its power.
Strange crops attract strange pests, and demand stranger guardians.
1/5
Toto, Faithful Companion GW
Legendary Creature — Dog
Other legendary creatures you control have ward 1.
Sacrifice Toto: Legendary creatures you control gain indestructible and hexproof until end of turn.
Whenever a legendary creature enters the battlefield under your control, return Toto from your graveyard to your hand.
2/2
Dorothy, Displaced Farmgirl RGW
Legendary Creature — Pony Scout
Whenever Dorothy attacks, look at the top X cards of your library, where X is Dorothy’s power. You may reveal a historic card from among them and put it into your hand. Put the rest on the bottom of your library in a random order.
Whenever you play a historic card, put a +1/+1 counter on Dorothy.
2/2
The Cowardly Lion 2RG
Legendary Creature — Cat Coward
Menace
The Cowardly Lion can’t attack unless you pay X, where X is the greatest power among untapped creatures defending player controls.
The Cowardly Lion can’t block unless you pay X, where X is the greatest power among creatures attacking you and/or planeswalkers you control.
6/6
Gray Homestead
Land — Plains Swamp
(T: Add W or B.)
Gray Homestead enters the battlefield tapped unless you control two or more basic lands.
“It ain’t much, but it’s home.”
—Dorothy Gale
The Yellow Brick Road
Legendary Land
T: Add C.
T, Tap X untapped legendary creatures you control: Add X plus one mana in any combination of colors. X can’t be 0.
All roads lead to the Emerald City.
Breezieland
Plane — Odd
When you planeswalk to Breezieland or at the beginning of your upkeep, create a 1/1 blue Pony Faerie creature token with flying and “This creature can block only creatures with flying.”
Whenever chaos ensues, Faeries you control get +1/+0 until end of turn and can’t be blocked this turn.
Plot twist: Rainbow will show up as TikTok.
Rare's comment about being silver would also remove the whole "rust" thing, since silver doesn't rust, just tarnishes. Then again, Tin doesn't rust, just corrodes when exposed to acid or bases.
How much of it is due to reading the really-frustrating Camp Bighoof G5 five-parter alongside this, I cannot say, but I did enjoy this. The meta and fourth-wall jokes aren't too schticky or overbearing, to the point quite a few work, the casting of G4 ponies in these roles is largely spot-on, and the pacing and structure strikes the right balance between skipping stuff the reader will know due to the story its riffing on while keeping what will make for good material.
And not just defaulting to the movie, but pulling parts from the book too. They did their homework.
It rather fumbles in a few issues, but even with that in mind, and even with it not rising above being merely amusing, it's the most sustained fun I've had with a MLP comic in quite a while.
...Wait, they're following the book on this one? Looking forward to the massacre of chapter 12, then.
Hang on, no, been a while, it was two massacres, right? Nope, silly me, it was three massacres. Three massacres, one attack from the Winkies, and one just generally brutal attack from the Flying Monkeys, who were the Witch's last resort because she could only summon them three times and had blown two already. And all that in the same chapter. Any time someone mentions pacing issues on any story, just link them to that particular chapter. You'd be surprised what the classics got away with back in the day
Also, Rarity as the Tin Woodsman? The character who is a basically a fantasy cyborg by dint of a full-body prosthetic thanks to a cursed axe? That's dark, but at least she has mannequin parts for spares, I guess?
Sometimes I get the impression not enough people what the source material actually was on this one. The first Oz book was mental, and had a few good lessons in it, even, especially where the Wizard himself was concerned.
Because "great and powerful" was always a reference.
And was apparently also played by a girl dog in the movie. As others have said, they really do their research for these.
Of course, most of the tropes people associate with the genre weren't introduced until Three Hearts and Three Lions more than 60 years later (but still more than 50 years before the genre was popularized, to make it clear I'm merely extending the joke).
Inside Baseball Alert: Say "Cyclonic Lift" with a Japanese accent. Then issue a Play Design Alert because this one makes the Rift look pleasant.
Stupid Complicated Game Alert: Doubling 0 still results in 0. Make sure you sacrifice a boring land before sacrificing an interesting one, because the replacement isn't optional.
Horse Kansas is best Kansas
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I suppose that because Sweetie Bot is only a fan creation, Rarity's younger sister wasn't a reasonable choice for the role.
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You know what? I ain't even mad, that's a very good point.
Not a fan of any aspect of the first Classics Reimagined miniseries, but this one is really enjoyable.
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Yep. There are several excellent reasons why The Wizard of Oz had a gazillion sequels and a *major* blockbuster movie based on it. (And a tragically underappreciated film sequel, and professionally published fanfiction and two Broadway spectaculars...)
Two issues in, I did prefer the writing in the Little Women comics. I liked how they were both whimsical and more open to experimenting the characters to fit the story. Jeremy Whitley is a stolid workhorse and he does stretch to fit the more whimsical tone Megan Brown set, but it's not quite the same for me. I guess I feel like the characters in
OzOdd are simpler, with less depth, and that makes the whole story feel less ambitious to meStill, they're perfectly enjoyable, and I don't really mind using the classics excuse to get more g4 content without the obligations of ongoing continuity.
Huh. You know, considering how everyone always seems to fall over themselves to reimagine, reinterpret or retcon Trixie into a magical master despite the whole point of her character originally being that she wasn't, I'm kind of interested in how they'll portray her in the place of a non-magical fraud. Though, given the whole fourth-wall breaking schtick, I can't imagine she'll be very happy about it... which just makes it more amusing.
What's this?! Actually having fun and doing something interesting in pairing characters together (even if more as parody than anything) rather than just sticking them with the most unimaginative partner imaginable and saying "They're together and in love now because I say so!"? Not sure what franchise this even is now... but I'm liking it!
What?! Followers?! In Paper Mario?! Don't be ridiculous! Next thing you're gonna tell me is it has interesting and deep gameplay or characters with names!
(Admittedly, that joke would have worked better before the TTYD remake was announced, but it takes a while for that kind of bitterness to fade, dammit! But seriously, if that doesn't do well and make Nintendo listen, I might actually cry.)
...
Huh, that post was weirdly negative given the fact I liked this one, I do apologize! Guess things just happened to brush up against some minor pet peeves of mine, sorry about that!