Friendship is Card Games: Simple Ways · 4:20pm Feb 9th, 2014
In Magic, the conflict of green and blue can be characterized in a number of ways: nature versus civilization, harsh reality versus pleasant illusion, brawn versus brain, and so forth. Most pertinent to yesterday's episode is the facet of inborn talent versus learned skill, a.k.a. "nature versus nurture."
According to green, a creature's role and capabilities are decided from birth, determined by countless years of evolution, and darn it, if it was good enough for your great-great-grandfather, it's good enough for you. Trying to branch out from this innate skill set is as ridiculous as a sloth trying to break the sound barrier.
Blue, meanwhile, sees each person as a blank slate, a living mass of potential waiting to be applied and defined. Anyone can learn to do anything, given sufficient time, resources and motivation. Even animals can be taught tricks, or at least instilled with Pavlovian responses that make them more useful.
Applejack and Rarity demonstrate this magnificently. Rarity thinks she can become just as rustic as AJ, and she's right. However, she can't do it in the timeframe she gives herself. Applejack feels it's best for ponies to stay true to themselves, and she's right. Her brief stint as "Applejewel" does not contradict this any more than "A Modest Proposal" sincerely sponsors baby-eating.
In the end, the two reconcile, each being who she is and who she has defined herself as. The enemy colors come together in friendship, and Hipster McArgylebutt is never heard from again. 
Alright, enough color philosophy. You'd think I was Mark Rosewater or something. (Mind you, if you enjoyed this, I could do it again...) On to the cards:
Put Down Roots 1W
Instant
Exile target creature. That creature's controller reveals cards from the top of his or her library until he or she reveals a land card, puts that card onto the battlefield tapped, and puts the rest on the bottom of his or her library in any order.
Farming, like farms, seems noble and romantic from a distance. Up close, it stinks.
More is More 3W
Enchantment
Each creature you control gets +1/+1 for each permanent attached to it.
"If you don't go over the top, then you crash into the hillside."
—Rainbow Dash, Bearer of Loyalty
Karmic Resonance 3W
Enchantment — Aura
Enchant creature
Whenever enchanted creature deals damage, Karmic Resonance deals that much damage to that creature.
When enchanted creature dies, return Karmic Resonance to its owner's hand.
"Unrequited love, eh? Yeah, that must be real rough."
—Spike
Change of Plans UU
Instant
Return target instant or sorcery spell to its owner's hand. That player may cast an instant or sorcery card with a different name than that spell from his or her hand without paying its mana cost.
Inspiration is fickle. Ideas come in fits and starts, and often piecemeal.
Bated Breath 1U
Enchantment — Aura
Enchant creature
Enchanted creature can't attack or block.
When a player casts a spell, sacrifice Baited Breath. If you do, each of that player's opponents draws two cards.
Dainty Display 1U
Instant
Change the text of target instant or sorcery spell by changing all numbers to "1", all number words to "one", and singularizing where appropriate. If that spell's cost contains X, X becomes 1. That spell's controller may choose new targets for it. ("No" is not a number word.)
There's a reason there's no such thing as a traditional unicorn harvest dance.
Horned Hick 2U
Creature — Unicorn
Protection from lands
"Yes, this is actually how some unicorns think earth ponies behave. Yes, I was once among them. Yes, it's kind of sad."
—Princess Twilight Sparkle
2/3
Curse of Lachrymosity 2UU
Enchantment — Aura Curse
Enchant player
Creatures enchanted player controls don't untap during his or her untap step.
At the beginning of enchanted player's upkeep, that player chooses and untaps half the tapped creatures he or she controls, rounded up.
Some days, it's just not worth getting out of your despair-wallowing robe.
Curse of Infatuation 3UU
Enchantment — Aura Curse
Enchant player
As Curse of Infatuation enters the battlefield, name a card other than Curse of Infatuation.
Permanents with the chosen name have protection from enchanted player. (They can't be damaged, enchanted, blocked, or targeted by anything that player controls.)
Marshmelodrama 4U
Enchantment
Whenever a creature you don't control becomes the target of a spell or ability, tap that creature.
"I'd thank Rarity for the inspiration if I thought she'd appreciate it."
—Ditzy Doo
Horrible Accent 2BB
Enchantment
Whenever you cast a spell, each opponent loses 1 life.
Magical modulation can make an earsplitting voice all too literal.
Breathless Rambling 1R
Enchantment
Spells you cast can't be countered by spells or abilities as long as they aren't the first spell you cast this turn.
Once Pinkie Pie gets going, it's easier to just let her run out of steam on her own.
Messy Eater 2R
Enchantment — Aura
Enchant creature
Enchanted creature has "1, Sacrifice a nonland permanent other than Messy Eater or this creature: This creature deals 1 damage to target creature or player."
"Yeah, nothing's more attractive than making me have to pick bits of apple out of my mane."
—Applejack, Bearer of Honesty
Love at First Sight 3RR
Enchantment
Whenever a creature enters the battlefield under your control, if you cast it from your hand, you may pay 2R. If you do, untap target creature you don't control. Gain control of that creature until end of turn. It gains haste until end of turn.
The heart wants what the heart wants, but it doesn't always get to choose what that is.
Anxiety Attack 4R
Sorcery
Anxiety Attack deals damage to target player equal to the number of cards in that player's hand plus the number of blue permanents he or she controls.
The more you think about it, the more worried you should be.
Cover in Mud G
Instant
Target creature can't be the target of nongreen spells or abilities from nongreen sources this turn.
"Spas charge for something pigs get to do for free. Am I the only pony who finds that odd?"
—Applejack, Bearer of Honesty
Rustic Charm 1G
Instant
Choose one — Destroy target enchantment; or creatures you control gain trample until end of turn; or search your library for a basic land card, reveal it, put it into your hand, then shuffle your library.
Pastoral Sophisticate 2G
Creature — Pony
As long as Pastoral Sophisticate is enchanted, lands you control have "T: Add one mana of any color to your mana pool."
Farming and fashion are not mutually exclusive interests.
2/3
Orchard Idyll 5G
Sorcery
You gain 1 life for each land on the battlefield.
"I came from the earth, and one day I'll return to it. Still, neither of us is in a hurry."
—Granny Smith
Amethyst Hornring 2
Artifact
2, T: Remove a counter from target permanent.
Amethyst has no inherent medicinal qualities, but generations of unicorn healers who thought otherwise have made it a potent focus for such magic.
Stout Plow 2
Artifact
3, T, Tap an untapped creature you control: Search your library for a basic land card, reveal it, put it into your hand, then shuffle your library. If you tapped a Pony to activate this ability, you may put that card onto the battlefield instead of putting it into your hand.
"I think it's asleep."
—Rarity, Bearer of Generosity
Scale Model 3
Artifact
Play with the top card of your library revealed.
As long as the top card of your library is an artifact or land card, Scale Model has that card's activated abilities.
It's the shape of things to come.
Travelling Trendsetter 1(gu)W
Creature — Unicorn Advisor
Play with the top card of your library revealed.
Spells that share a card type with the top card of your library cost 1 less to cast.
As long as the top card of your library is a land, spells cost 1 less to cast.
2/2
Amazed by Dirt 1GU
Instant
Attacking creatures get -1/-0 until end of turn for each land you control.
"City ponies. Go figure."
—Applejack, Bearer of Honesty
Psychotic Desperation 2UB
Sorcery
Target opponent may discard any number of cards. Then, that player puts the top three cards of his or her library into his or her graveyard for each card in his or her hand.
"Love makes you crazy. I should know."
—Cadence, Princess of Serenity
Compare 3U//Contrast 2B
Sorcery//Sorcery
Compare: If target opponent has more cards in hand than you, draw cards equal to the difference.
Contrast: Domain — Each player loses 2 life for each basic land type among lands he or she controls.
You forgot a "be", I think.
Also, wow, protection from lands. That's an extremely unlikely thing to need protection from.
1814975
Thanks. That's the problem with doing your own editing; there always seems to be that one typo that slips by.
And Rarihick isn't even the first card to have protection from lands. That honor goes to Horizon Drake. Of course, that was in the same set as the Zendikons and dual manlands, so the ability was a bit more relevant. Here, it's just a dislike of dirt taken to epic proportions.
Horned Hick's flavor text is deliciously awkward, just like Trender-hoof with his whole "I really admire the work ethc of Earth Ponies" line. You know they're trying to be complimentary' but they way they say it...
I loved the philosophy in addition to the Cards
I rather liked the color theory bit and would not say no to more
I think you want Bated Breath. I didn't see Fluttershy feed the otters in this episode.
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I don't know, that giant pink floater is sure to attract something...
Yeah, fixed.
Mate, you should definitely wax Rosewaterian some more. Your unique take on colour philosophy is well worth the read, if you ask me.
I love the Magemarks (EDIT: linking to an example, since I can't figure out how to put closing square braces inside urls), so something that even faintly resembles one (More is More) is definitely something I approve of. (Also wow More is More is potent. Only one mana more than a Magemark, and it works with equipment and scales up based on density of attachments. Sure, it doesn't grant an ability, but still!) It inspired me to write up a tamer version as an actual Magemark (more powerful than the originals, but not its inspiration):
Artificer's Magemark 2W
Enchantment -- Aura
Enchant creature
Creatures you control that are enchanted get +1/+1 and gain "Equip abilities that target this creature cost {1} less to activate."
Creatures you control that are equipped get +1/+1 and gain "Aura spells you cast that target this creature cost {1} less to cast."
Instead of a scaling boost, it makes it easier for your guys to benefit from both sides if they match one. Also (2u) because blue is the color with the most positive regard for artifacts, but hybrid because it should be available to all colors. (Also, I edited to fix templating. The phrases "equipped creatures" and "enchanted creatures" aren't meaningful, or at least don't mean what I want them to.)
Edit 2: Actually, when I think about it, blue likes artifacts in general, but dealing with equipment specifically is more white, and hybridness isn't really needed. Changing the cost accordingly.