Friendship is Card Games: Suited for Success · 1:34pm Aug 3rd, 2014
Step by step, putting them together
Pony cards, adding the mechanics word by word
Making sure cost and effect balance
Interactions can't be too absurd
Always have to keep in mind the flavor
With the innovation, can be braver
I'm making up some cards...
In any case, this is the episode that demonstrated that even when this show is about dresses and fashion shows, it's still awesome.
Opalescence really does put up with a lot. It's no wonder she's so cranky.
Knock knock knock knock open the door anyway. Real classy, AJ.
It is a musical number, and thus may not count, but "Art of the Dress" does show off Rarity's incredible magical dexterity. Consider how much trouble Twilight will have with a single loop of woodland creatures in "Magic Duel." Rarity makes vortices of heterogeneous objects as a matter of course.
Given the way the music cuts out for Dash's (in)famous line, it's almost like they wanted us to isolate the clip.
I do love that Spike apparently has connections in the fashion industry. We really haven't done much with that. I like to think that he took advantage of all the networking opportunities that were presented to Twilight as Celestia's student. Combine that with the exotic appeal of a dragon that isn't going to eat you, and you have a social phenomenon.
Personally, I never thought Dash's second dress was that bad. Streamline it a bit, lose the giant zipper, and you have a perfectly good superhero outfit.
You only pack warm if you're going into exile in Sibearia, Rarity. If it were, say, Hosstralia? Pack light. Though I suppose that would be transportation rather than exile.
Now, tell me what you think:
Overtaxing Workload 1W
Enchantment
Spells each player casts cost X more to cast, where X is the number of spells that player cast this turn.
Rarity doesn't consider her schedule full until she's violated causality.
Wallow in Companionship 1W
Instant
Target creature gets +0/+1 for each creature you control until end of turn. If that creature is a Pony, a Pegasus, or a Unicorn, it gets an additional +1/+0 for each creature you control until end of turn.
Ponies have always drawn strength from one another
"Art of the Dress" 2W
Enchantment — Song
At the beginning of your upkeep, put a verse counter on "Art of the Dress".
1W, Sacrifice "Art of the Dress": Search your library for an Aura or Equipment card with converted mana cost X or less and reveal it, where X is the number of verse counters on "Art of the Dress". You may put that card onto the battlefield. If you don't, put it into your hand. Then shuffle your library.
Arbiter of Fashion 3W
Creature — Pony Advisor
No more than one creature that isn't enchanted or equipped can attack each combat.
No more than one creature that isn't enchanted or equipped can block each combat.
Nothing sees the runway without his say-so.
1/4
Reclusive Hermit 5WW
Creature — Unicorn
When Reclusive Hermit enters the battlefield, put a 1/1 white Cat creature token onto the battlefield for each creature you control.
Cat creatures you control get +1/+1.
"Called it."
—Pinkie Pie, Bearer of Laughter
1/1
Wallow in Confusion 1U
Instant
Tap target creature. It doesn't untap during its controller's next untap step. If that creature is a Pony, a Pegasus, or a Unicorn, you may instead exile it. If you do, return it to the battlefield tapped and under its owner's control at the beginning of that player's next upkeep.
Struck by Inspiration 2U
Enchantment — Aura
Enchant creature
Whenever enchanted creature is dealt damage, its controller may draw a card.
The right magic can turn cranial trauma into something worth seeking out.
High Anxiety 2UU
Enchantment — Aura
Enchant creature
Whenever enchanted creature becomes the target of a spell or ability, return that creature and High Anxiety to their owners' hands.
"What was that? Who's there? What's going on!?"
Illusory Splendor 2UU
Enchantment
Creatures you control get +2/+2 and have "Whenever this creature becomes the target of a spell or ability for the first time in a turn, it gets -2/-2 until end of turn."
"Yes, it isn't real, but it's terribly gauche to point that out in the middle of the show."
—Rarity, Bearer of Generosity
Wallow in Pity 1B
Instant
Target creature gets -2/-2 until end of turn. If that creature is a Pony, a Pegasus, or a Unicorn, it gets an additional -2/-2 until end of turn.
"That wasn't nearly as enjoyable as I'd hoped it would be."
—Rarity, Bearer of Generosity
Melancholy Seclusion 3B
Enchantment
As long as you control exactly one creature, that creature gets +1/+3 and has lifelink.
"Being alone is an unnatural, unhealthy state for ponies. There is a strength in isolation, but for us, embracing it is the first step on the path to madness."
—Princess Luna
Demand Action 1R
Sorcery
At the beginning of target player's next end step, if that player didn't cast a spell that turn, Demand Action deals 5 damage to him or her.
"Rarity can be very… insistent at times."
—Fluttershy, Bearer of Kindness
Wallow in Resentment 1R
Instant
Target creature you control fights another target creature. If the creature you control is a Pony, a Pegasus, or a Unicorn, Wallow in Resentment deals 3 damage to the other creature.
Ponies can hold grudges for decades, but usually resolve them in moments
Unrefined Technique 2R
Instant
Each spell that targets one or more creatures deals 4 damage to each of those creatures.
"Stunt flying doesn't really have a learning curve. More like a learning 'get this right or you'll regret it.'"
—Rainbow Dash, Bearer of Loyalty
Record Spinner 2R
Creature — Unicorn Rogue
R, T, Remove a verse counter from a Song you control: Record Spinner deals 2 damage to target creature or player.
"The light beats are for favors. The medium beats are for paid gigs. The heavy beats? You might say those are for special occasions."
1/1
Stubborn Refusal GG
Instant
Target creature you control gains hexproof until end of turn.
Retrace (You may cast this card from your graveyard by discarding a land card in addition to paying its other costs.)
"Hmm… nah."
—Applejack, Bearer of Honesty
Barge In 1G
Instant
Target creature gets +2/+2 until end of turn. You may have that creature assign its combat damage this turn as though it weren't blocked.
Nopony locks their doors in Ponyville. Against most of the townsfolk, it wouldn't make a difference.
Wallow in Leaves 1G
Instant
Target creature you control gains hexproof until end of turn. If that creature is a Pony, a Pegasus, or a Unicorn, regenerate it.
"Ain't no better way to relax after a long harvest."
—Applejack, Bearer of Honesty
Dressmaker's Ponnequin 2
Artifact Creature — Pony Construct
Defender
As long as Dressmaker's Ponnequin is equipped, it gets +1/+1 and can attack as though it didn't have defender.
"The right dress can breathe new life into anything that wears it."
—Rarity, Bearer of Generosity
2/2
Sturdy Galoshes 2
Artifact — Equipment
Equipped creature gets +1/+1 and has islandwalk and swampwalk.
Equip (2g)
"I'd rather have them and not need them than not and do."
—Applejack, Bearer of Honesty
Personalized Couture 3
Artifact — Equipment
As long as equipped creature has no activated abilities, it gets +2/+2.
Equipped creature's activated abilitiies cost up to 2 less to activate. This effect can't reduce the amount of mana an ability costs to activate to less than one mana.
Equip 3
Valid Criticism (wu)(wu)
Instant
Return target spell to its owner's hand. That player can't cast spells with that spell's name this turn.
"I hope I've given you something to think about."
—Dinky Doo, spellbreaker
Twenty Percent Cooler RW
Instant
Target creature gets +1/+1 and gains your choice of flying, first strike, or haste until end of turn.
"Now that's more like it!"
—Rainbow Dash, Bearer of Loyalty
Spell by spell, frame by frame
Color, type, keyword, name
Plane by plane, shard by shard
Old and new, plain, bizarre
And that's the art of the card!
Valid Criticism doesn't say anything about countering the spell first. Does the spell just fizzle the moment it's forced off the stack, akin to what happens with Nivmagus Elemental's ability? If so, it might not hurt to add something about the spell being bounced not resolving (which is different to being countered, right?)
Demand Action is one of those cards with lots of "correct" uses (mainly when you can ensure your opponent can't cast anything next turn) but honestly I would have a lot of fun stockpiling three or four, waiting until they've got an empty hand, and then casting the lot at once and possibly risking the game on them drawing a land.
Wallow in Companionship could be read as an "or" effect.
I've always found it kind of strange that Dash's two most famous/used lines are ones she says precisely once throughout the whole series (unless she uses them again in season 4; I haven't seen much of that), while lines that (if I recall correctly) she uses more often are mostly forgotten (like "In my sleep!" in response to whether she can do a thing)
2339844 Yes, the spell does not resolve, and yes, that's different from it being countered. It's also not the first thing to bounce spells
2339900
What about that suggests an "or" effect?
2340140
The part where I changed it after he commented on it. That "an additional" wasn't there when I posted the blog. Thanks, 2339900.
And yeah, memes are unpredictable. People latch onto the strangest things.
I see what you did there.
Found a few typos:
Wallow in Confusion has a spare comma in "you may instead exile it."
High Anxiety is missing the "Enchant creature" line.
Wallow in Pity's flavour text is missing an "as:" "That wasn't nearly as enjoyable as I'd hoped it would be."
Also, I have definitely noticed a trend in the cards you make, in that a majority of them are blue and/or green. Blue moreso than green, but I think it's because those colours reflect who you are (that's just a theory. I'm heavy white and medium blue personality-wise, but my "just for fun" set has more black than any other colour).
2340214 No problem, I have a rules lawyer friend and am an amature RPG designer, I notice stuff like that.
"Unrefined Technique" should read "Until end of turn each spell that targets one or more creatures deals 4 damage to each of those creatures."
"Valid Criticism"; Nice to see Dinky learning some new spins on an old trade. I also like the title of "Spellbreaker" but still thinks it's cute when Ditsy calls her "My little voidmage".
2340367
Don't mistake isolation for safety.
2341000
Typos fixed. Thanks.
And yeah, I do admit something of a bias towards blue and green concepts. Though part of it is that Twilight is shoehorned into every S1 episode, Ponyville is a rather pastoral community, and there simply aren't that many black effects in Equestria.
On the bright side, next episode has grievous bodily harm and partially takes place in a swamp, so that should help balance things out a little.
2342193
Nope. Your wording has completely different functionality from mine. Mine applies to every other spell already on the stack. Yours sets up a trigger that will apply to spells cast after Unrefined Technique resolves... which means that no one will want to cast such spells for the rest of the turn, making the card a white effect by proxy.
I misread the intent of the card, and at first the timing just seemed off and didn't think it would work in that way. Reading it again (and again, it took me a few tries but I've been sleep deprived the past few days) but it finally got through.
I think a Sorcery that had spells deal damage to what they targeted would be cool and very red.
2342746
Except, again, it doesn't work as a one-time effect. It needs to be an ongoing effect as with Ruric Thar, or nine times out of ten, players will just avoid triggering it for the turn.
2342897
See also Men in Tights (Creature — Human Archer Rogue), Blazing Saddles (Artifact — Equipment), Young Frankenstein (Legendary Creature — Human Wizard), et. al.
2342879
I was talking about a whole new spell, one that made all spells a "burn" spells, maybe for 2 damage. That way your "normal" burn spells could kill larger creatures and it might get other players to use their instants to kill creatures.
It'd be fun to see a "Prevent the next 2 damage dealt to target creature this turn." deal 2 damage to the creature first and kill it.
2342984 Indeed. On a bit of a tangent, how would ponies and slivers interact?
2343377
Unpleasantly. Well, for the ponies, at least. They'd probably try to manage the slivers like any species, allowing the hive to grow to critical mass. The slivers would find the ponies delicious, and the next generation of the hive would be remarkably colorful and particularly magical.
2343412 Oh god. Slivers with pony abilities. As if Indestructible/Hexproof/double-strike/deathtouch wasn't enough.
2343525 Don't forget flying and lifelink.
2346571 Quite so
I can tell from both this and your little author blurb that you are a fan of MtG. That makes you awesome in my book. Have some mustaches.
From Wallow in Companionship
I feel as if this should read "it also gets" instead of "it gets an additional", since +1/+0 and +0/+1 aren't the same kind of bonus. I could very well be wrong and there there be a precedent for this that i don't remember.
Also AJ's flavor text on Stubborn Refusal is hilarious.
2423856
Precedent can be found most recently in Silver-Inlaid Dagger. For an instant example, see Wild Might.
2424366
Even with those, I think I would still disagree, as for both of those you can divide/multiply one bonus by an integer to get the other. But for WiC the bonuses are on separate sides of the Power/Toughness slash.
I guess perhaps a cleaner way of saying it is that I've always read such abilities as: "Get X of quantity Y(and Q). If _______, get Z more of the same quantity(S)."(Parenthesis for Wild Might bonuses)
But perhaps I'm being pedantic. The question remains ultimately on uncertain ground until wizards prints something that actually gives bonus X to Y and if ____, Q to Z
2424450
Well, for the sake of arguement, I searched for "also gets." The only relevant hit was Joint Assault, wherein an entirely different creature gets the conditional bonus. I think you're being pedantic at this point.
I see it as making sense. Rarity has a high degree of small motor skills with her magic through sheer necessity, and because it suits her special talent to wield her magic like a rapier.
Whereas Twilight obviously has a high degree of "large motor", she's just raw power without a whole lot of finesse. (Hence training with Zecora in My Little Pony IV: A New Hope to gain the same degree of finesse enjoyed by Trixie and Rarity.)
3270777
Indeed. Twilight is the strength to Rarity's dexterity. (Also, I should note that Yoda's training is from Episode V.)