Friendship is Card Games: Trade Ya · 2:01pm Apr 20th, 2014
I have mixed feelings about this episode.
On the one hand, there's a wealth of world-building. Discord has apparently found a niche in relatively orderly society through objets d'art. Orthroses (Orthroi?) are a thing, as are oatburgers, though the latter's relationship to hayburgers is unclear. Jeff Bridges is either a pony of many talents or a something-tuplet. Wheelchairs come in more pony-compatible forms than the one in "Feeling Pinkie Keen," presumably for those who still have the use of their forelimbs. Crystal ponies are moving outside the Empire. And, of course, there's the Traders Exchange itself, which Celestia presumably had to preside over every year for most of a millennium. (This actually ties in nicely to my headcanon about Cadence's sisters...)
Also, there are some excellent bits of color philosophy. Applejack and Rarity's disagreement pits green's love of nostalgia and practical value against blue's love of duplication and perceived value. (Rarity may very well be a reincarnation of Mishra.) Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy show an unhealthy form of cooperation between red and white, combining the former's short-sightedness with the latter's willingness to sacrifice for the group. Pinkie is the blackest she's been since "Party of One."
Of course, that leads us to the negative. There must have been a special on Trope Balls, because the Mane Six are all twisted out of character to varying degrees to satisfy the needs of the plot. That, or swap meets bring out the worst in ponies. Pinkie is especially egregious. I'm beginning to suspect that her continuing use of laughter magic after putting her Element back in the Tree is having a deleterious effect on her sanity. At least Spike came away clean.
And then there's the implication that equine trafficking is perfectly legitimate as long as buyer and seller agree, with no consultation of the bought or sold. Yikes.
Also, if that more efficient pie tin hasn't been made for years, I can think of three reasons:
1. The metal became harder to access and the higher cost of materials wasn't worth a five second reduction in baking time.
2. Other materials were superior in other respects, like rust resistance, that outweighed the reduction.
3. The metal was hazardous in ways unknown at the time.
In other words, AJ may have been trying to buy the equivalent of lead-based paint.
Alright, enough of that. Let's get to the cards:
Mint Condition W
Enchantment — Aura
Flash
Enchant permanent
Sacrifice Mint Condition: Regenerate enchanted permanent.
Collectors see a disfiguring scar. Everypony else sees a slight crease.
Charitable Standoff 2U
Enchantment
Creatures can't attack unless attacking player has defending player gain control of a permanent attacking player controls. (This cost is paid as attackers are declared.)
Friendship shouldn't be a competition, but that's never stopped ponies from making it one.
Major Purchase 2U
Sorcery
Exchange control of target nonland permanent and X target nonland permanents you control, where X is that permanent's converted mana cost.
"Shut up and take my kobolds!"
—Pinkie Pie, Bearer of Laughter
Trader Exchange 3U
Enchantment
3: Choose a permanent you control. Target opponent chooses a permanent he or she controls that shares a type with that permanent. Exchange control of those permanents. Any player may activate this ability, but only any time he or she could cast a sorcery.
Chain of Deals 3UU
Enchantment
At the beginning of your upkeep, you may exchange control of target nonland permanent you control and target nonland permanent an opponent controls with converted mana cost X or less, where X is the first permanent's converted mana cost plus 1.
Pink Panic 3BB
Sorcery
Target player discards X cards, where X is the greatest power among creatures you control.
"Sometimes I forget how sane I'm supposed to be."
—Pinkie Pie, Bearer of Laughter
Savage Orthros 4R
Creature — Hound
Savage Orthros can't be blocked except by two or more creatures.
3R: Savage Orthros gains double strike until end of turn.
"Oh, he's just a big softie."
—Fluttershy, Bearer of Kindness
3/3
Pinkie's Auction 4RR
Sorcery
Each player may bid life for control of target nonland permanent. You start the bidding with a bid of 0. In turn order, each player may top the high bid. The bidding ends if the high bid stands. The high bidder loses life equal to the high bid and gains control of the permanent.
Purveyor of Beasts GG
Creature — Pony
T: The next creature spell you cast this turn costs X less to cast, where X is Purveyor of Beasts's power.
"You look like a pony who needs a bloodcurdler!"
1/2
Bruin Call 1G
Instant
Prevent all combat damage that would be dealt by non-Bear creatures this turn.
Bears aren't the fiercest, strongest, or deadliest creatures in the forest, but they may be the most respected.
Vintage Stall 1G
Enchantment
3: Each player returns a card from his or her graveyard to his or her hand at random. Any player may activate this ability.
Used dreams, pre-owned memories, and relics of a bygone age, freely available to all customers.
Royal Welcome 3G
Enchantment
Whenever a legendary creature enters the battlefield under your control, you may draw a card.
"Welcome Princess Twilig"
—Banner caption
Lucky Horseshoe 1
Artifact — Equipment
If equipped creature would be destroyed, flip a coin. If you win the flip, regenerate equipped creature.
Equip 2
"Don't crash into a mountain without it. Or, you know, ever."
—Rainbow Dash, Bearer of Loyalty
Crystal Chalice 2
Artifact
Whenever you cast a spell, flip a coin. If you lose the flip, sacrifice Crystal Chalice.
T: Add 2 to your mana pool.
Outside of the Crystal Empire, such works are barely able to contain their own power. The slightest touch might send one over the edge.
Caretaker's Whistle 3
Artifact
As Caretaker's Whistle enters the battlefield, choose a creature type.
3, T: Put a creature card of the chosen type from your hand onto the battlefield.
The whistle's note blends with the whistler's desire, and beasts come flocking to her side.
Rooster Totem 3
Artifact
T: Add G to your mana pool.
1G: Rooster Totem becomes a 2/1 green Bird artifact creature with plainswalk until end of turn.
Lamp of Discord 4
Artifact
(2r)(2r), T: Each creature attacks this turn if able.
"Art. A fascinating concept. The chaos of imagination captured in a relatively static form. And ponies actually enjoy it. Who'd have thought?"
—Discord
Recycled Mosaic 4
Artifact
3, T, Sacrifice an artifact: Draw a card and put a charge counter on Recycled Mosaic.
Remove three charge counters from Recycled Mosaic: Draw a card.
From scraps and shards is beauty made.
First Edition 6
Artifact
4, T: Scry 1, then draw a card.
It isn't just rarity that makes collectors covet such works. The first printing of a novel is imbued with all the hope and dedication the author put into the manuscript, an emotional resonance lost to later productions.
Sentimental Value 2(gw)(gw)
Enchantment — Aura
Enchant nonland permanent you control
At the beginning of your upkeep, you gain life equal to enchanted permanent's converted mana cost.
"Memories are valuable in ways that coin and gem cannot match. For the most part."
—Rarity, Bearer of Generosity
AJ: Yeah, the lead-based coating on the pie tin makes the pies slide out easier.
Rarity: Lead? Wouldn't that cause other... problems?
AJ: Nope, we never had no other problems with them pies we baked in 'em.
Rarity: Well, that explains it.
You better believe it.
I think you missed a "nonland" in Chain of Deals.
"Bruin Call" reminds me of the idea I had of building a Legacy Bear Tribal deck and naming it "Old Fred Bear." It comes to mind every time I hear the song.
Wait, who decides which permanent switches sides with Charitable Standoff?
The way it's written now doesn't specify if it's the attacker or the defending player who chooses the permanent to be taken. Unless there's a precedent/ruling I'm not familiar with in this kind of situation...
Also, those Discord lamps... Why do I get the feeling the one who actually made them is Discord himself, one day where he was bored.
2027771
Easy to miss, but it is right there.
Caretaker's Whistle is a straight up better version of Belbe's Portal and a more limited but better version of Quicksilver Amulet, at least if you run tribal and only run one creature type. Which you would do if running Caretaker's Whistle.
2028140
But even then, the way it's worded only means that the attacker causes the defending player to gain control of a permanent. It doesn't mention who gets to choose that permanent. It could be chosen by the defender, by the attacker, or completely at random and it would still fit the current wording.
2028190
The way it is worded is Magicease for "For one your creatures to attack another player you must give that player a permanent of your choice that you control or you cannot attack that player."
When you see "<player> has <other player> gain control of a <card-type> <player> controls" the <player> is the one that makes the choice of what to give to the <other player>.
They don't have "of <player>s choice" because this is a bit of assumed word text that is only overridden if the card has "of <other players> choice" or the like.
So the answer to your question is: "Yes, there is a precedent/ruling on this matter you might not know about."
Double Princess - 3WW
Enchantment
At the beginning of your upkeep, if you control a legendary permanent with another legendary permanent attached to it, you win the game.
"What does it mean?"
--Pinkie Pie, Bearer of Laughter
2027526
You can't make a proper plum pudding without plumbum!
2027676
That I did. Fixed when you pointed it out, but I'm replying to comments now. So yeah.
2027771
Because the attacking player is paying the cost, he or she decides how to pay that cost. Think of it as "sacrificing control."
2028475
derpicdn.net/img/view/2014/4/19/604779__safe_meme_image+macro_barely+pony+related_crown_spoiler-colon-s04e22_trade+ya_old+spice_terry+crews.jpg
I love this joke.
2032633
It needed to be done.