Friendship is Card Games: Winter Wrap Up · 5:06pm Jul 13th, 2014
Sorry for the slight delay, even if it was thematically appropriate. Between a crunch-time situation at work and the 2015 Core Set prerelease, I didn't have time to prep these ahead of time.
I'm just going to get this out of the way: We know from "Twilight's Kingdom" that pegasus flight is magic-enabled, and cloud-pushing is definitely magical. Furthermore, earth ponies probably can't help but emit magic on a continual basis. Thus, the Ponyville tradition is discrimination against unicorns veiled under the excuse "We've always done it this way." I realize this is not news to most of you, but it bears repeating.
Also, I have to love Twilight refusing to use magic to dress herself, only to use it to check her checklist. Ingrained habits can be frustrating when you notice them at all.
This episode highlights why I can't believe seasons 1 through 3 took place over the course of a single year. Summer solstice (longest day) to vernal equinox (start of spring) is nine months. Most of seasons 2 and 3 have to be after "Return of Harmony," which in turn has to take place after all of season 1 given the collected friendship reports. Even if one allows the Gala to occur after Discord's escape, a generous estimate still puts the events at one episode every three days.
Headcanon: Each season has an associated end festival: Spring Suspension, Summer Shutdown, Fall Finale, and Winter Wrap-Up. The last two are the most work-intensive. The Summer Sun Celebration is the capstone of Spring Suspension.
Yes, I am fully aware that Ditzy Doo is name-dropped, followed by a purple-maned grey pegasus bringing in the birds. Given Twilight's organizational skills, do you think she'd have assigned the pegasus with a track record of not knowing north from south to bird retrieval?
And now quick last thoughts, and then the cards:
• Lyra's irrational exuberance is always funny. Especially since she's looking right at the camera. "Humans! I see you! Hi!"
• Sadly, it seems that efforts taken during the musical number didn't actually count. Not the right kind of montage.
• "Right. No wings." Oh, irony.
• How many lakes were there on the rock farm, exactly? Eh, it's Pinkie. If she has to have a past, why not make it multiple-choice?
• Spike is kind of a jerk during the skating sequence. And the plowing bit. I suppose the hypothermia is a bit of karmic payback.
Inspiring Speech 1WW
Instant
Untap all creatures you control. Those creatures get +1/+1 until end of turn.
"Ninety percent of politics is saying the right thing at the right time."
—Marion Mare, mayor of Ponyville
Reveille Finch 2W
Creature — Bird
Flash
Flying
When Reveille Finch enters the battlefield, untap all creatures you control.
1/2
Nest Designer 3W
Creature — Unicorn
When Nest Designer enters the battlefield, put a 1/1 white Bird creature token with flying onto the battlefield.
"Well, we can't just let them arrive homeless, can we?"
2/2
Weather Team Cloudchaser 3W
Creature — Pegasus
Flying
4W, T: Destroy target enchantment.
"Flitter's pretty good at it, too."
—Rainbow Dash, Bearer of Loyalty
2/2
Flood Out 1UU
Instant
Return each creature that entered the battlefield this turn to its owner's hand.
"All those poor little critters still blinking the sleep out of their eyes, only to get swept up in all that cold, cold snowmelt… I don't even like imagining it."
—Fluttershy, Bearer of Kindness
Animal Team Awakener 2U
Creature — Unicorn
T: Untap another target creature.
"It's nice to be on the other end of an alarm clock for once."
2/2
Gelid Wave 2UU
Instant
Tap all nonsnow lands.
"A minor setback. We'll just make sure it doesn't happen again."
—Twilight Sparkle, Bearer of Magic
Hypothermia 3U
Snow Enchantment — Aura
Enchant creature
Enchanted creature's controller untaps it during each other player's untap step as long as it's snow. Otherwise, it doesn't untap during its controller's untap step.
Misguidance 4UU
Sorcery
Put target creature into its owner's library just beneath the top X cards of that library, where X is that creature's power.
"It's hard to navigate when you keep thinking along axes that don't exist."
—Ditzy Doo
Seeds of Woe 1B
Instant
Each player loses 3 life for each land that entered the battlefield under his or her control this turn.
Lots of blood, sweat, and tears go into a farm. Sometimes literally.
Conflicting Orders 1RR
Instant
Cast Conflicting Orders only during combat before attackers are declared.
For each creature attacking player controls, flip a coin. If the coin comes up heads, that creature attacks this combat if able. Otherwise, that creature can't attack this combat.
Lake Scorer 3R
Creature — Pony
Snow islandwalk
R: Target Island becomes snow until end of turn.
"Of course I froze the lake! How can I help melt the ice if there's no ice to melt?"
3/2
Plant Team Seeder 1G
Creature — Pony
1G, T: You may put a land card from your hand onto the battlefield.
At the moment the seed touches the ground, a bond is forged between plant and pony, each promising to lend the other strength.
2/2
"Winter Wrap-Up" 1G
Enchantment — Song
At the beginning of your upkeep, put a verse counter on "Winter Wrap-Up".
Sacrifice "Winter Wrap-Up": Untap up to X target lands, where X is the number of verse counters on "Winter Wrap-Up".
Nest of Vipers 1GG
Creature — Snake
Intimidate
Spike couldn't decide whether he should be insulted by Twilight's reaction to his fellow reptiles or honored that she didn't feel the same way about him. He settled on amused.
2/2
Enforced Simplicity 2G
Instant
Each player sacrifices an artifact and an enchantment.
"That just ain't how we do things around here, sugarcube."
—Applejack, Bearer of Honesty
Winter Warren 3GGG
Enchantment
At the beginning of your upkeep, reveal cards from the top of your library until you reveal a creature card. Put that card onto the battlefield and the rest into your graveyard.
"It's so exciting. I never know which friend I'll see next."
—Fluttershy, Bearer of Kindness
Animated Snowplow 4
Artifact Creature — Juggernaut
Snow landwalk
Animated Snowplow attacks each turn if able.
"Well, that went horribly right."
—Twilight Sparkle, Bearer of Magic
4/3
Bundle Up 1(gw)
Instant
Target creature gets +2/+2 and gains protection from snow until end of turn.
The fire of friendship sometimes need a little supplemental warmth.
Crasheriffic Impact 1(rw)(rw)
Instant
Target blocked creature deals damage equal to its power to itself and to each creature blocking it.
"Ooh, that's going to leave a mark."
—Pinkie Pie, Bearer of Laughter
Vitalizing Slipstream 2GW
Instant
Untap all permanents.
Enough pegasi working together can reshape a climate in seconds.
All-Team Organizer 3(gu)W
Creature — Unicorn Advisor
Pony, Pegasus, and Unicorn spells you cast cost 1 less to cast.
Hoofcraft — If you control three or more Ponies, Pegasi, and/or Unicorns, untap those permanents during each other player's untap step.
2/3
Dayflier Colony 3WB
Creature — Bat
Flying
Whenever another creature dies, put a +1/+1 counter on Dayflier Colony.
When Dayflier Colony dies, put X 1/1 black Bat creature tokens with flying onto the battlefield, where X is the number of +1/+1 counters on Dayflier Colony.
1/2
Seeds of Woe after a really big Tempt with Discovery (someone else's, naturally)
The obvious target for Crasheriffic Impact is a Phyrexian Obliterator that's being blocked by someone else's Phyrexian Negator (made better if they're both 5/6s for some reason)
Can I just say I really love some of these flavor texts? Especially Bundle Up, that one makes me smile.
I can't wait to see your analysis on Card Game Hell. It's like everything exists in the same way, except there are NO CARDGAMES!
"Dayflier Colony"'s rule text should be "When Dayflier Colony dies, put X 1/1 black Bat creature token with flying onto the battlefield, where X is the number of +1/+1 counters on Dayflier Colony" as seen on the new Chasm Skulker. Beware the cephalopod!
Another fun little set of cards from you.
2280517
Thank you. My personal favorite in this set may be Weather Team Cloudchaser's.
2280931
From whence did this concept come? My Google-fu gives me nothing on the subject.
If you made it up just now, well, I don't think you realize just how much has sprung from card games, from the sandwich to Plants vs. Zombies. Truly, Card Game Hell would be a much bleaker place.
2281208
Ah. Point. I'd somehow forgotten about the Cluster Squid. The text has been corrected. Thank you for the heads up.
Seeds of Woe should be named Take That, Valakut and Six Mountains!
Flood Out needs "If you played a land on each of your first nine turns this game, you win the game."
2281276 ...
I was going to put something here a8out how split mana is written {2/W}, with {W} as a "normal" mana, 8ut then I looked it up using Reaper King on gatherer. The split mana is written as {(}2/W)}.
Also, what color were you at the prerelease?
~Vriska Serket
2281386
There is no darker or more evil creation in all the Multiverse than that of the mana screw, but the mana flood comes close.
2281431
I thought it sounded like something out of YGOTAS. Kind of lost track of it after they broke the fourth wall. I'll have to rectify that.
2283780
My hybrid mana templating is based on the shortcut for the symbols on the Wizards forums. Well, the Wizards forums in 2006, which was when I was last on them.
And I got to the prerelease so late, they had handed out all of the packs. Thus, they opened up a new box, pulled one out at random, and handed it to me. It was black, and Ob Nixilis, Unshackled was in the same pack as the promo Indulgent Tormentor, which was nice.
Less nice was facing four green decks in a row. Two of them had Soul of Zendikar, one had Nissa, and one had two Phytotitans. And I was mana- and creature-screwed in game 2 against that last one, when my Stain the Mind would've actually been useful...
Eh. I still went 2-2, opened an Avacyn, Guardian Angel, and my prize packs had Caves of Koilos and Yisan, the Wanderer Bard. And I had fun.
2283915 What a8out f8cing two Chandras? That kinda hurt.
And all I got was Ur8org, Tom8 of Yawgmoth, Stormtide Leviathan, Chasm Skulker, and other assorted cards not worth n8ming to go with my Indulgent Tormentor in my Dimir deck. All of the lands are Island Swamps in addition to th8r other types!
I only lost one g8me when I got out the Leviathan (twice), and that was 8ecause it was ag8nst a "8ouncy everything" Simic deck. Of course, I only went 1-2, 8ut the prerelease g8ve me my first four wins at a s8nctioned tournament, including the two I had gone to 8efore that. Except for the 8yes, 8ut those don't count.
~Vriska Serket