Friendship is Card Games: Amending Fences · 11:46am Jul 5th, 2015
This week, some loose ends from the very first episode get tied up in Slice of Life 2: Coherent in Canterlot.
It seems Twilight has a fair amount to do as Princess of Friendship. We don’t quite see what that entails, other than dirty dishes being involved, but it’s still nice to see that she’s carrying out some manner of royal duties.
I can definitely empathize with Twilight at the start there. I’m terrible with the names of nonfictional people. And with maintaining friendships, truth be told. Still, not remembering the name of the old friend who lives in Ponyville? Ouch. (Really, Lyra gets the shaft throughout this episode. Yes, she had a chance to shine in “Slice of Life,” but still, no love for old friend #5?)
Apparently Twilight can fly from Ponyville to Canterlot. Quite quickly, going by the later Pinkie retrieval. At least space is as consistent as time in Equestria.
So… no one moved in to Twilight’s old place? No one even dusted it? I mean, come on, Canterlot doesn’t exactly have a lot of room for growth. You’d think someone would’ve snapped up a bit of prime real estate like that. I suppose it’s reserved for Celestia’s personal student. That doesn’t excuse it being left exactly as it was when Twilight left, though, as nice as the bit of Season 1 nostalgia is. What if she had left some alchemical project running?
Nice justification for seeing three Canterlot unicorns in the background of Ponyville, and vice versa for Lyra. There are definitely stories to be written here, especially when one takes Bonbon into account.
Minuette was much perkier than I expected. That photo op made me worried she was milking Twilight’s fame for her own benefit, but no, she’s just like that.
Huh. I think this is the first time we’ve gotten an exterior shot of Donut Joe’s. Also, I love Twilight’s friends’ reaction to her apology. “Oh, we knew you were socially inept. No hard feelings.”
Going by the flashback, these ponies weren’t really friends with Twilight, per se. More acquaintances she frequently associated with. I can go with that.
I quite like Moondancer, both the visual design and the attitude. There but for the grace of Celestia goes Twi. Heck, she even has human Twilight’s glasses.
Also, remember how Spike may have had a crush on her back before that first Summer Sun Celebration? Well, that just got creepy.
Twilight Sparkle yelling in a library? Come on, now. That said, the Haycart Method is one of the visually coolest magical effects they’ve done on the show. Understated, yet mind-blowing.
Heh. Giving a key with a friendship lesson. Sadly, Twilight’s attempt to recapitulate a theme of Season 4 was a bit premature. Still, nice to see that somepony may be making use of her old digs.
Also, wow. Moondancer will not be bought. A vast literary collection, a much nicer place to stay, a spell that lets her enter a book? Nope. Not enough to make her sit through polite conversation.
Also also, it seems that Twilight’s friends move in significant circles, going by Lemon Hearts’s job. Arranging state dinners at Castle Canterlot? Dang, girl.
And, of course, there was the pony at the next table over…
“And it is very cold in the mountains, Twilight, my old friend…”
So, flight to go with the magic and earth powers? Yeah, Pinkie’s an alicorn, or at the very least, more than just an earth pony. Knew it. Also, a demonstration of unified background pony theory: yes, that was all Minuette.
Mirari the Maneless? Presumably no relation to the Magic Mirror Ball of Doom, but it still made my ears prick up.
Moondancer’s complaint comes off as rather shallow when taken in a larger context. After all, if Twilight had gone to the party, she wouldn’t have been able to cross-reference the Elements of Harmony and the Mare in the Moon, and she wouldn’t have provided Celestia with an excuse to send her to Ponyville. Sure, Celestia probably had a backup plan, but as far as we know, the fate of the world depended on Twilight snubbing Moondancer. Besides, three out of four invited guests (or four out of five if Lyra came) is a pretty good turnout. I have to think that there’s an unrequited crush there; why else would one pony mean so much? (It’d also explain Moondancer’s manestyle back in the day.)
Uh, girls? You may want to clean up Moondancer’s house before playing sportball. Seriously, I’m pretty sure some of that mold is toxic, especially with the amount of magic she’s been studying and practicing.
In any case, an excellent episode, tying past and present together in a nice revisiting of the beginning of Twilight’s character arc. And, possibly, a bit of foreshadowing for what will come. They may have just been reusing Starlight’s image to fill space. Then again, they may not.
Regardless, let’s get some cards going:
Make Amends 1W
Instant
Whenever a source of your choice deals damage this turn, you gain that much life.
”I can’t change the past, but I can at least address the pain I’ve caused.”
—Princess Twilight Sparkle
Friendship Consultation 1WW
Sorcery
All creatures you control gain flying until end of turn if a creature you control has flying. The same is true for first strike, double strike, deathtouch, haste, hexproof, indestructible, landwalk, lifelink, menace, protection, trample, and vigilance.
Greater than the sum of their hearts.
Compare Notes 2U
Sorcery
If target opponent has more cards in hand than you, draw cards equal to the difference.
Cycling U (U, Discard this card: Draw a card.)
Twilight and Moondancer read books the same way Wonderbolts flew derbies.
Scholastic Focus 2U
Enchantment
At the beginning of your draw step, draw an additional card.
You can’t cast more than one spell each turn.
”The pursuit of knowledge is its own reward, especially when nopony else is smart enough to appreciate it.”
—Moondancer, hermetic scholar
Hermetic Scholar 2U
Creature — Unicorn Wizard
Shroud
T: Target player draws a card, then discards a card.
She has no time for anything that hasn’t been printed and bound.
0/1
Canterlot Academy 4U
Tribal Enchantment — Unicorn
Whenever you cast a Unicorn spell, you may draw a card.
Inspiring the next generation of young minds one cantrip at a time.
Permanently Borrow 3UUU
Sorcery
Gain control of target permanent.
Strangely, Twilight was less than thankful to those library patrons who had kept books safe from Tirek’s fury… and Trixie’s… and Discord’s… and the parasprites’…
Haycart’s Inception 4UU
Sorcery
Scry 6, then draw three cards.
”I read, therefore I am.”
—Runny Haycart
Meeting of the Minds 10UU
Sorcery
Put X 1/1 blue Unicorn creature tokens onto the battlefield, where X is the number of cards in your library.
”Consortium. Noun. A horn-measuring contest where each participant must explain how wrong the others are.”
—Discord’s Dictionary
Pink from Above B
Sorcery
Destroy target creature. That creature’s controller gains life equal to its power plus its toughness.
”When I said she was my secret weapon, that wasn’t quite what I had in mind.”
—Princess Twilight Sparkle
Friendship Failure 3B
Sorcery
Target player sacrifices a creature, then loses life equal to the greatest power among creatures he or she controls.
Driving a pony to solitude is as terrible for Twilight Sparkle as dousing the sun would be for Celestia.
Punch Through R
Instant
Target creature gets +1/+0 and gains trample until end of turn.
”It’s easy to forget that I have earth pony magic now. At least, until I remind myself.”
—Princess Twilight Sparkle
Shocking Reminder 2R
Sorcery
Shocking Reminder deals damage to target player equal to the number of instant and/or sorcery cards in that player’s graveyard.
Almost anything that comes out of a dragon’s mouth is going to hurt.
Wisdom’s Allure 1G
Instant
Target creature gets +X/+X until end of turn, where X is the number of cards in your hand. All blue creatures able to block that creature this turn do so.
”Them city unicorns may act all sophisticated, but you can lead them by the nose with the right bait.”
—Applejack, Bearer of Honesty
Fond Memories 3G
Sorcery
Return target card from your graveyard to your hand. You gain life equal to that card’s converted mana cost. Exile Fond Memories.
With the distance of time and the haze of nostalgia, anything can seem pleasant.
Student’s Tower 2
Artifact
Whenever an effect would cause you to discard a card, you may exile that card instead.
1, T: Return a card exiled with Student’s Tower to its owner’s hand.
It offers one of the greatest works of magic in Equestria: Enough shelf space.
Festive Piñata 4
Artifact Creature — Construct
Indestructible
Whenever Festive Piñata is dealt damage, each player draws a card.
”Everypony likes hitting piñatas, so I made one you can keep hitting for as long as you want!”
—Pinkie Pie, Bearer of Laughter
0/1
Tearful Confession UB
Sorcery
Target player reveals his or her hand and loses life equal to the number of cards revealed this way.
Some ponies are tough nuts to crack, and like any nut, doing so leaves them in pieces.
Dilapidation 1(rw)
Enchantment — Aura
Enchant nonbasic land
Enchanted land has “T: Add 1 to your mana pool” and loses all other abilities.
Whether through deliberate destruction or careless neglect, the result is the same.
Lingering Grudge 1BR
Enchantment — Aura
Enchant creature
Enchanted creature has deathtouch as long as an opponent controls more creatures than you.
Enchanted creature has double strike as long as an opponent has more life than you.
Glamourpierce 1RW
Instant
Destroy target enchantment. Glamourpierce deals 1 damage to each creature that enchantment’s controller controls.
The spell itself is harmless. What hurts is the explosive release of mystic tension.
Lab Accident 2UR
Instant
Counter target noncreature spell. Lab Accident deals damage equal to that spell’s converted mana cost to its controller.
Magical reagents and young unicorns always make for a dangerous combination.
Bubble of Silence 3(gu)W
Enchantment — Aura
Enchant player
Other permanents enchanted player doesn’t control can’t be the targets of spells or abilities he or she controls.
Library magic makes up a significant portion of known unicorn spells.
Now I'm torn between my curiosity over what the finale is and the fact that I really don't want spoilers this far out. This is why I can't have nice things ;-;
I do have to admit to being of two kinds of Starlight being there. On one hand, it could be a good setup to her return. On the other, given the core audience of the show, they usually aren't quite that subtle with foreshadowing. They zoomed in on the pony of shadows/Tirek in the end scene of Castlemania, so it was a bit of a hint that something was gonna be done with that. Ah well. Either way, this was a fun episode and o look forward to seeing what happens the rest of the way.
Considering M.A. Larson's attention to details when it comes to continuity, I'm pretty sure Starlight was put there for a reason other than to fill in the background. Didn't he write for one of the episodes for the season 5 opening?
I've found it hard to get excited over season 5, but I really, really liked this episode. I also really, really liked the Friendship Games trailer, so this was a good week for pony for me
I was thinking exactly the same thing re Moondancer's unrequited crush on Twilight. The only way that party could have been a life-altering moment of failure is if the one pony who didn't show up was the only real reason for the party in the first place
Or, if it not an actual crush, it seems that Moondancer idolized Twilight and wanted to be just like her... and then she learned that the feeling wasn't mutual.
Gotta confess, it seems very unlikely to me that it was actually Starlight Glimmer sitting in the corner of the restaurant... or, if it was, it seems more likely to me that she was just minding her own business when oh crap Princess Twilight has to show up right now quick hide behind this menu! than that she was actually spying on her.
Quickly, really? I interpreted it as Twilight leaving Canterlot in the evening, and arriving back with Pinkie in the morning, which would make it an entire night of flying assuming that they didn't stop for any reason. And it does seem like she just grabbed Pinkie as quickly as possible, because Pinkie doesn't arrive with any supplies (which doesn't stop her producing a party cannon, of course...)
Judging by the Castle of the Two Sisters, this seems to be something that godlike alicorns just do. I suppose when you're thousands of years old you lose track of time easily. :)
Actually, after this episode I'm starting to wonder if books have some intrinsic magical quality in Equestria. We've seen examples of books being left around for centuries without any sign of damage; ponies (even book-loving ponies!) throwing books around without concern, enchanted books that can suck you in; creatures that can gain sustenance by eating words (albeit due to a poorly-considered spell); and now, magic that lets you enter books and apparently gain information from them that way.
Not exactly. We did a brief analysis in Ponies with Glasses; they're similar but not the same.
You're telling me! My mind is still blown. I really hope we get some fics out of that concept. ^^
Dammit Larson. Who many adorable Twilight ships are you going to give me? Will it never end?!
Nope.
img1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20140725201504/godzilla/images/1/1a/THE_RIDE_NEVER_ENDS.jpg
Starlight is stalking Twilight. Hooooo boy.
Actually I had a little bit of a sa story behind that...Celestia told them not to touch it because, well, she was to sa over the thought of her student graduating and growing up. This little filly that she loved like a daughter has moved on an she couln't bear the thought of changing it. Heck, she probably hasn't changed much of any of her student's rooms/
Wich makes me wonder is she woudl've become laughter if Twilight stayed in Canterlot. Then imagine my surprise when I found no stories with Minuette as a bearer
By the way, the art on that book animation was aorable
On Hermetic Scholar; Mister Rosewater said the following in his article here about Shroud
As you pointed out they very well may print cards that refer to it (Arcane Lighthouse) because it is still "supported" they will not be making any new cards that actually have it. I would recommend not using it.
I feel that Canterlot Academy should be a land card, but I know there is enough precedent for locations being Enchantments instead of Lands. Maybe if it was a land it tapped for a colorless OR one of any color but only for Unicorns OR an ability that when you cast a Unicorn spell you may pay 1 and tap it to draw a card (thus paying the equivalent of 2).
Love the flavor text on Meeting of the Minds, the ability of the card itself isn't that bad. I want to put it into a Battle of Wits deck.
On Punch Through; It is easy to forget that trample is tertiary in red. Fitting for the flavor text.
Shocking Reminder gives me a good reason to run a UBR mill deck. MORE KILL SPELLS.
The flavor text on Student’s Tower lies, there is never enough shelf space. Even with space bending magic there will never be enough shelf space.
I like Festive Piñata, could always use blockers in a mill deck and it acts as the end win condition for the mill!
Lab Accident is yet another reason to add Red to mu Blue-Black mill deck.
I think it's less that they were friends with Twilight as Twilight was friends with them.
Or vice versa. What I mean is, they saw her as a friend, got that she was kind of a shut-in, and did their level best to keep her in the loop. They considered her part of the circle, she was ambivalent. That really explains the whole setup, and their reactions to her coming back to see them.
I like the parallel between Fond memories and Vengeful rebirth.
The only lab accident in the episode was that Lemon Hearts got her head stuck in an Erlenmeyer flask, not a beaker. Shame on you, egghead Twilight, for not pointing that out!
Of course, she may not have seen it, given her muzzle was stuck in that book.
Dayum. Friendship Consultation has some huge potential for blowouts.
Huh. Lots of blue draw spells in this batch.
I looked at Meeting of the Minds' mana cost and was like
, but then I looked at what it does, and now I'm ok with its cost.
I think I would definitely play Recollect over Fond Memories.
Do "Meeting of the Minds" and "Canterlot Academy" combo? I know creature cards are spells but I don't remember how tokens work.
3209930
No, they don't combo. Putting a creature on the battlefield can be an effect of casting a spell, but isn't a spell in itself. At least I think so. I'm usually wrong about this game. ^^
Let's get some responses in.
3208690
Huh. I'd never thought of Tirek being the Pony of Shadows. I just figured that was one of the end stingers that hasn't paid off yet, like Fluttershy's fang at the end of "Bats!"
3208720
Both of them, actually. He likely has something planned for the entire season.
3208726
I actually have an idea that combines Lyra getting snubbed and an exploration of Moonlight in the works. Tentative title: "Dancing With the Star."
Also, Science Twi is best Lovecraft protagonist. Really, if you're going to meddle in things Man Was Not Meant To Know, it's best to start small, like befriending Pinkie Pie.
3208731
The flight doesn't really give a good sense of the timeframe involved, I admit, but the casualness of it makes it seem like an act of minimal effort.
And I can definitely buy immortals forgetting about a building for a few years. The magical preservation effect is probably put on books rather than being an intrinsic part of them, though.
3208814
Another viable theory for the preserved tower. A bit too saccharine for my tastes, but viable.
Also, going by Sunset Shimmer's origin comic, Minuette might have been Loyalty. Of course, going by Sunset Shimmer's origin comic, all of Twilight's friends are several years older than her. So yeah, take that with an entire salt lick.
3210132 I believe that was mentioned at a panel a while back... I can't recall where, sadly. :/
3210132
3210136
Was it really? I am very pleased with this: I had two alternate interpretations of the end of Castle-Mane-ia, and the less-interesting-but-seemingly-more-likely one was that the Pony of Shadows' appearance was just a throwaway horror movie gag that had no further significance (as Fluttershy's fang still seems to have been, although the upcoming comic book storyline may change that).
The more interesting interpretation is that it was indeed Tirek in hiding, gathering intelligence before he began his campaign for conquest. The problem with that is that in Twilight's Kingdom Tirek does not know that Twilight exists and has to be told by Discord... unless Tirek was only feigning ignorance in order to see if Discord would take the opportunity to betray him. Which fits my preferred interpretation of Tirek as being far more cunning and observant than merely brutal and violent, as he ended up being in the episode.
3210162 Eh, I could be totally wrong. Could be that a friend told me this and I ended up taking his word for it. Was a while ago, so it's all a bit hazy :P
3210132
Hey saccharine is what I do. Well, that and torturing my characters mentally
I should think that Moondancer thought that Twilight was the center of that social circle instead of "shy person we're trying to pry out of her shell." Hmmm. I almost want to write an EqG fanfiction that has H!Twilight feel all butt-hurt and become a shining mark for the Shadowbolts because H!Moondancer told her that she had something on the boil.
3208690 I have a clever theory about what makes Starlight tick; at some point, she noticed that donkeys seem to do all right without cutie marks and assumed that the Best Gift Ever for her people was to extend that blessing to them. Since she's also an arrogant clod on top of being a frakked-up idealist with her hooves planted firmly in mid-air, she never actually bothered asking any jack or jenny about his or her daily life so doesn't really know that they have trouble fitting in and figuring out what their lives are for too. This means that Cranky will be the saviour of the realm when he asks the question "What do you believe and why do you believe it?"
3208975
Hermetic Scholar: Let me make this clear: It is not, nor has it ever been my intent to make a set out of these blogs. My only goal has been to interpret the episodes in the context of a card game. As such, I reserve the right to use every tool available to me, including the ones Wizards has discarded. Especially when that particular keyword perfectly captures Moondancer's dedicated antisociality, even towards overtures that are entirely for her own benefit.
Canterlot Academy: The thing is, your version rather misses the "place of education for young unicorns" flavor I was going for.
Student's Tower: Yes, but it's nice to dream.
3209048
Sounds about right. I have to wonder how much of it was enjoying Twilight's company, how much was pity, and how much was, in later years, the others wanting to cozy up to Celestia's student. Probably not much of that last one, but it would offer a bit of explanation as to why they stuck with her.
3209482
Erlenmare flask. Horse puns are compulsory.
3209790
I really like Concerted Effort. Meeting of the Minds has been floating around practically since I joined the fandom; I've just been waiting for a good time to put it on display. This seemed like the best opportunity I'd see in a while. And when the episodes about a bunch of old school friends and a mare who dedicated her life to the pursuit of knowledge, a lot of draw effects are bound to happen.
3209930
3210066 is correct. Casting a Unicorn spell and having a Unicorn creature enter the battlefield are two different things. Especially since, thanks to changeling (the keyword, not the thing you definitely aren't,) there are noncreature Unicorn spells out there, like Wings of Velis Vel.
3210192
One interesting point I've seen raised is that even when Twilight was a terrible friend, she still managed to assemble a social circle around herself, not just without trying, but while actively trying to achieve the opposite. Her destiny made itself known long before she was ready to acknowledge it.
Also, I love the idea of Starlight idolizing donkeys. Someone should.
3210243 It certainly makes sense that she's not simply a baddie from Totally Spies! who's all flank-hurt because her cutie mark isn't as obvious as Applejack's is. There has to be a messed-up nincompoop idealist running around trying to sell the world a really crappy utopia based on a brain fart behind the facade of knowing better for everyone.
I have to say, this was probably my favorite episode of the new season, firing on all cylinders. The animation was great with plenty of funny gags, the plot was fresh and managed to avoid being too predictable, and I actually liked the new characters.
I think all the dishes are because she spent, like, the last two episodes hosting foreign dignitaries and an international summit. As the princess of Friendship she probably spends a LOT of time on such diplomacy.
I also took notice of Twilight apparently deciding to go to Canterlot sometime in the evening and then getting there... that same evening. With someone riding on her back. (Actually, I was going to comment on almost every item you did, except spotting Starlight Glimmer).
I'm surprised Twilight never went back to retrieve all her old books. I know she lived in a library, but that was a trove of rare and sought-after books. Did she really not miss any of them?
I think Twilight stole the Haycart Method from Discord. It's really just his "show up in the stained glass" spell applied to ink and paper.
Ok, forget about Twilight's room not getting used in several years. That classroom looks like it hasn't been used either (certainly isn't now, in the middle of the day), and it's in a thriving university!
I feel like the writers are kicking themselves for writing themselves into a corner four-and-half seasons ago by not giving Moondancer a name that's am ironic mirror of Twilight Sparkle. You know they wanted to, so bad.
As for the whole "how could one pony not showing up to a party hurt her so bad" thing: I'll buy it. If Twilight Sparkle fresh out of the season one openers had tried to throw a party and none of her friends showed up, she would have been devastated. Well Moondancer was pretty much pre-Nightmare-Moon-Twilight. Even though the other three showed up, Twilight Sparkle was clearly her best friend out of the four (you said it yourself, more like acquaintences), and probably the only friend she actually cared about. And as for the selfish angle; she was probably too absorbed in her books to put two and two together and realize that timing.
All three of Twilight's old friends could probably stand in for Pinkie Pie any day of the week. They're all super-cheerful (especialy Minuette), forgiving of mistakes, and they reached out to not one but two ponies they saw as having no friends just because they felt it was the nice thing to do. Celestia had half a bearer team right under her nose and she missed them!
-----
Anyways, magic cards:
Make Amends: The flavor seems kind of backwards here, since the most obvious use is to cast it on the same turn that you make a big attack and double-dip. Probably would make more sense if it was something like "the next time a source of your choice that you control would deal damage this turn, prevent that damage and gain twice that much life."
Friendship Consultation: So it's a one-turn Concerted Effort, that works on extra keywords for less mana. This could be nasty in a dedicated deck--deathtouch plus trample is a nasty combo, with double strike and lifelink on top of it. And menace. Oh, and perhaps they're all indestructible too. Or skip the middleman and make them all unblockable (via protection, flying or landwalk) double-striking lifelinkers. It's just too bad it isn't instant speed (giving all your blockers flying, deathtouch and indestructible is in bad taste I guess).
Compare Notes: Quick, spend all your cards! You're not spending all your cards fast enough! (Cycling is a nice addition on this spell).
Scholastic Focus: That is a cool concept and a cool effect, and the flavor is brilliant. Of course, what self-respecting blue mage is only casting spells on her own turn? It would have been even cooler if it cost 1U but only let you cast one spell between each of your upkeeps.
Hermetic Scholar: Another great mix of flavor and function.
Canterlot Academy: I know, there's precedents on both sides, but two out of two cards with Academy in the name that aren't creatures are lands. Oh well, either way's fine.
Permanently Borrow: Blatant Theivery only costs 1 more and targets each opponent. So there's not really much of a choice; if you're planning to play your deck in multiplayer, use that; if not, use this.
Meeting of the Minds: Alternate win condition in a Battle of Wits deck? Probably not at that cost, but funny to picture. (More reasonably, plopping down 30+ unicorn wizadrd tokens at once should be an instant win if you've got anything that triggers when you gain a creature).
Pink from Above: So, uhh, why did you make this so much worse than Swords to Plowshares? Sorcery speed, destroy instead of exile, AND they gain more life. I know plowshares is overpowered but seriously?
Friendship Failure: Yikes! The effect's not actually unreasonable for black, but it fits the flavor brilliantly and comes off looking nasty.
Wisdom’s Allure: It's rather niche, but that's a huge effect for the cost. (In the best case scenario it's Revenge of the Hunted, which costs 4GG!)
Fond Memories: Force me to discard my big spells, will you? (Sadly incompatible with emrakul, progenitus, blightsteel, etc).
Student’s Tower: Nope. I can't think of any cards you could fill your deck with that would give you an advantage here, or any kind of deck archetype that tends to discard a lot of cards. Nope! :P On a more serious note, it's actually kind of unusual for an effect like this to not say that the exiled cards should be face-down. Was that intentional?
Festive Piñata: Ok, that is hilarious. It's a sillier, fairer version of Stuffy Doll.
Tearful Confession: I guess it's kinda good if you cast it on the second or third turn? I dunno, seems weak next to Gitaxian Probe since it's just plain useless late-game.
Dilapidation: Sure to become popular sideboard material, if it were a real card. Decent flavor.
Lingering Grudge: Very, very cool. I love this card's flavor. Just find a big creature with trample and you're golden. (Even the wimpiest creature is invincible against anything without first strike or indestructible).
Bubble of Silence: Sort of ridiculously powerful. Especially if you can stick shroud on it, since they can't target the source of shroud. Even without that, this shuts down everything a typical black or red player has except creatures.