Friendship is Card Games: Sleepless in Ponyville · 1:36pm Sep 6th, 2015
If you were expecting “Magic Duel,” you can find it here. This week, we’re looking at the first part of the Crusaders’ dream trilogy… which, due to how I ended up doing this blog, will be the last one I look at. And largely isn’t in Ponyville. Go figure.
I do like how Granny Smith and Scootaloo seem to have a trick arranged. Granny must still have a good sense of choreography from those years of aquabatics.
Scootaloo, “air braking” doesn’t mean “stopping in midair.” Though that is a nice display of pegasus magic. Probably. How else could she get enough friction to halt herself from atmosphere alone? (Answer: cartoon physics, but I like my explanation better.)
I do like how there’s this chain of irrational admiration. Scootaloo adores Rainbow Dash, who adores the Wonderbolts. (Well, she does for now…) Logically, there’s at least one Wonderbolt who has a soft spot for that one orange filly. Because that is how logic works.
Blue hates green, Rarity hates camping. Though as I’ve noted before, I do like how both sisters can coerce the other into doing their bidding. It’s not the healthiest relationship, but at least it’s not one-sided.
I assume that making a specific item fly out of your saddlebags uses motions similar to applebucking. A careful blend of precision and power. (Or cartoon physics again, but once more, I like my explanation.)
Ah, continuity. Dash would probably consider any story that involves her doing a Rainboom to be the best story.
I suppose when you eat hay, hitting the straw is the logical alternative.
I do like the “found footage” aspect to that first glimpse of Luna.
Grabbing clouds and crash resistance. Yeah, Scootaloo’s magic is fine. It’s just that her wings are underdeveloped.
Heh. Applejack has my defense mechanism against horror: Pick apart the inconsistencies.
Hmm. Sweetie Belle isn’t afraid to sing… but can’t. Huh. Well, it’s a Scootaloo focus episode and one of the worst insults to the craft of songwriting known to man or pony. I’m not sure it’s possible to sing “Ninety-Nine Containers of Food on the Wall” well.
While Rarity is snarled in a cycle of mutual manipulation, Applejack is the unconditionally good big sister. Well, aside from the occasional moment of overprotection. Still, it’s very appropriate for the most family-oriented member of the Mane Six.
Ah yes, Scootaloo running so fast she creates a Mach cone. Neat.
Some people have complained that the Crusader dream episodes cast Luna as a cut-rate Celestia, acting as a second wise, enigmatic mentor. The thing is, the lessons she teaches are all based on her own experiences: Confront your fears, or they will dominate you. Lashing out against an overshadowing sibling will hurt both of you. Obsessing over your purpose in life will only lead to misery. Luna uses her own mistakes to guide others away from them. She may not have forgiven herself for her misdeeds—not yet, anyway—but at least she’s channeling the experiences positively.
Also, Scootaloo is able to throw the freaking Princess of the Night out of her dreams. It may just be because she was waking up. It may not be.
Huh. I guess they got the scooter back after Scootaloo’s sleep-scooting.
Luna can communicate to anypony who can see the moon. Furthermore, she can do it such that others nearby can’t hear her. I suspect Celestia can do the same thing, but certain logistical difficulties keep her from using the ability. After all, it’s only natural to look at someone when they’re talking to you, and if she speaks through the sun…
And so we come to Rainbow Dash. Not the cleverest big sister nor the most compassionate, but she cares. She’ll be there for Scootaloo come Tartarus or tidal surges… though Scoots may need to tell her when she’s needed. Still, it’s a nice bit of character growth for her.
Say what you will about the Olden Pony, she’s polite when she gets what she’s looking for.
Now, let’s take a look at what I’ve dreamed up:
Wide-Eyed Pleading 2W
Enchantment
Creatures you control with power 1 or less have hexproof.
The Crusaders have all but perfected the art of being too cute to resent.
Swooping Rescue U
Instant
Kicker — 1, Tap an untapped creature you control with flying. (You may pay 1 and tap an untapped creature you control with flying in addition to any other costs as you cast this spell.)
Return target creature you own to your hand. If Swooping Rescue was kicked, you may put the returned card onto the battlefield.
Startling Owl 1U
Creature — Bird
Flying
When Startling Owl enters the battlefield, target player puts the top three cards of his or her library into his or her graveyard.
”I don’t trust anyone who asks that many questions.”
—Spike
1/1
High Tension 1UU
Enchantment
Whenever a creature enters the battlefield under your control, you may tap target creature.
In the right state of mind, the slightest sound is enough to make anyone jump.
Curse of Repulsion 3UU
Enchantment — Aura Curse
Enchant player
At the beginning of enchanted player’s upkeep, that player returns the creature he or she controls with the greatest power to its owner’s hand. If two or more creatures are tied for greatest power, that player chooses one of them.
Over the Falls 3UU
Instant
Put target creature on top of its owner’s library, then that player shuffles his or her library.
”You can live through it, but you’ll end up wishing you didn’t.”
—Daring Do
Headless Horse 2BB
Creature — Nightmare Horse
Headless Horse can’t block.
”Each tale of terror inspires a thousand such shades in Our subjects’ dreams. Vanquishing them for those who cannot is an essential part of Our duties.”
—Princess Luna
4/4
Restless Night 2BB
Sorcery
Target player discards a card for each tapped creature he or she controls.
”The dark hours can wear on any mind.”
—Princess Luna
Horrific Snoring 3B
Enchantment — Aura
Enchant creature you control
As long as enchanted creature is tapped and it’s not your turn, creatures your opponents control get -1/-1.
”I’ve heard falling trees quieter than that mare.”
—Applejack, Bearer of Honesty
Gather Firewood 2R
Instant
Add R to your mana pool for each Forest on the battlefield.
Trees don’t care who gathers their branches when they’re through with them.
Young Daredevil 3RR
Creature — Pegasus Child
Haste
Whenever Young Daredevil attacks, up to two target creatures can’t block this turn.
Ponyville lives in fear of the day she’ll finally get airborne.
2/2
Epic Flail 3RRR
Sorcery
Target creature deals damage equal to its power to its controller and each other creature that player controls.
”Humiliation trumps probability nine times out of ten.”
—Ditzy Doo
Make Camp G
Instant
Put a +1/+1 counter on target creature.
Retrace (You may cast this card from your graveyard by discarding a land card in addition to paying its other costs.)
Few trips worth taking are a day’s trot away.
River Crocodile 2G
Creature — Crocodile
Whenever River Crocodile blocks or becomes blocked, it gets +2/+2 until end of turn.
Fluttershy looks after the animals near Ponyville. Other creatures are more independent.
2/2
Lurking in the Woods 5GG
Enchantment
Whenever a creature attacks you or a planeswalker you control, reveal the top card of your library. If it's a creature card, put it onto the battlefield blocking that creature. Otherwise, you may put it on the bottom of your library.
Pavilion Tent 2
Artifact — Fortification
Fortified land has "2, T: Regenerate target creature."
Fortify 1 (1: Attach to target land you control. Fortify only as a sorcery.)
"It's not much, but it will do."
—Rarity, Bearer of Generosity
Rusty Horseshoes 3
Artifact — Equipment
Equipped creature gets +2/+1 and has wither. (It deals damage to creatures in the form of -1/-1 counters.)
Equip 2
”Vintage is one thing, but that’s just ridiculous.”
—Rarity, Bearer of Generosity
Foal Laborer WU
Creature — Unicorn Child
Noncreature spells you cast cost 1 less to cast.
”She was so eager to lend a hoof. How could I say no?”
—Rarity, Bearer of Generosity
1/1
Somnambulation UR
Enchantment — Aura
Enchant creature
Enchanted creature gets -3/-0 and attacks each turn if able.
Dreams take the mind on strange journeys. Sometimes, the body follows suit.
Luna’s Intervention 1WB
Instant
Destroy target creature. If that creature is attacking or blocking, exile it instead.
”Trouble Our ponies no more.”
Olden Pony 3WB
Creature — Nightmare Pony Elder
Creatures your opponents control get -1/-1 for each Equipment attached to Olden Pony.
Her shuffling trot is the prelude to troubled slumber.
2/2
Winsome Falls
Land
T: Add 1 to your mana pool.
1, T: Until end of turn, lands you control gain “T: Add one mana of any color to your mana pool.”
”No evidence of industrial runoff was found on site.”
—Cloudsdale Weather Commission, official statement
Did you make Restless Night a really good followup to Sleep on purpose? Cuz that's really cool.
Also, I had an idea for a card last night that I wanted to share
(name pending) U
Sorcery
Kicker 3U
If CARDNAME was kicked, search your library for a (type of?) card, (maybe reveal?) then shuffle your library and put that card on top.
Draw a card.
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Both cards work off of a larger "tapped creatures are asleep" flavor seen in cards like Narcolepsy and the inspired mechanic. ("The gods sent me an amazing dream!")
I quite like the blue tutor. I think it works quite well as an "any card" one.
Enormously accurate though.
"We blinded five Adams before we figured that one out."
High Tension: Good for token or weenie decks in general, but combine it with Goblin Chieftain or Goldnight Commander (or anything similar) for a knockout blow.
Curse of Repulsion: That would be so frustrating. Not only is your best creature bounced and effectively unable to ever return, but if you don't keep paying for him again it'll just bounce your other creatures instead. And it'll easily pick off most enchanted or equipped creatures, scrapping your auras. A control deck might find that they've got a ton of 1-2 power creatures and can pick a relatively cheap one each turn, but that's STILL annoying enough to warrant paying 5 mana and it's the least damaging scenario (not counting them immediately destroying the enchantment).
Of course, all bets are off against the rare opponent that wants to bounce his own creatures, like Thratgusk.
Over the Falls: Obligatory comment about removing an opponent's commander. Because it's true.
Restless Night: Probably pretty nasty if you play it at the right time. It's even more likely to whiff than normal discard, though.
Horrific Snoring: Cute effect. With the right creatures the condition is a freebie. Or you can play mind games and cast it on an opponent's creature!
Epic Flail: Wow, normally I'd expect a one-sided board wipe that also damages the opponent to cost more than that. Like, Flame Wave is this spell with X locked at 4 and it costs 3RRRR, and this spell can go bigger.
Lurking in the Woods: For every attacking creature? That's huge! And unreliable, and expensive, so it's balanced, but Timmy definitely likes this card.
Somnambulation: Sorry Goblin Guide, you work for me now. (I know there's cards that trigger on attacks which could combo with this, and finding them would be pretty fun).
It is possible to sing "[number] [unit] of [noun 1] [preposition] the [noun 2]" well, but since most aren't too likely to do so unless drunk makes it seem otherwise. Singing at the top of your lungs like Sweetie did in that episode USUALLY doesn't help...
I know it is the same thing that allows us to have elephants wear boots but Swooping Rescue made me think of a small little owl snatching and carrying away a giant hydra after it runs over a cliff... .
I thought we already had something like High Tension but I couldn't find it. Kinda surprised we don't already have something like it then.
I don't think Horrific Snoring really needs the "and it’s not your turn," clause. Maybe a "this is will not reduce toughness below 1" clause, then again a major wipe against token decks for 3B is pretty fair, even if it does get to conditionally stick around.
If anything you would think it would kick in on turns that are not the controller's turn, since that is most likely time for something to be awake, since their boss is more actively paying attention to them.
I'm a little iffy on Gather Firewood's cost, since it works best if you are running Red-Green. At worst you could turn one red into two red if you really needed that double red but didn't have the second Mountain.
Maybe as a sideboard if Green is heavy in your local meta-game and you have use for a large amount of mana at instant speed?
It's just tickling my "something is slightly off" sense and I'm not sure what that something is.
Young Daredevil would be a lot of firsts; first Pegasus in Red, first Pegasus without flying, first Pegasus with haste, first Pegasus to cost double colored mana and the first Pegasus to cost more than 3.
I know you're going for flavor here but I don't really see M;tG Pegasi ever being in mono-Red, maybe in Red-White but never mono-Red.
Mono-White has done the "can't block" stick before, not often mind you (only three cards) but there is precedent for it.
Of course you could make it cost 2RW instead and I'd have much less of a problem with it M;tG color-pie creature type wise.
Combine Lurking in the Woods with Lost in the Woods as well as Lurking Predators and you put a whole new spin on the phrase "Don't go into the woods".
Oh, I like Pavilion Tent. Fortifications are something I'd love to see come back but Mister Rosewater said it was unlikely to happen. They just don't play as well as Equipment it seems.
Hum, yes, Luna does rather strike me as the vindictive sort when something endangers one of her subjects.
Though Luna’s Intervention is closer to Devouring Light.
I think this might be fine at WB but that might be pushing it just a little.
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Hmm. Is Celestia the Metatron of Faust? Is Octavia actually a very well-spoken Jay to go with Vinyl's Silent Bob? Does Equestria even have skee ball?
3373591
Horrific Snoring: Thanks for helping me realize that I forgot to give this an enchant ability. Sadly, that ability is "enchant creature you control," so no mind games.
Epic Flail: This was intended as a twist on Chandra's Ignition, but given that it doesn't hit your creatures, you do raise a good point. I'm going to up the cost by a red. (After all, your opponent still needs to have a huge creature for it to be really dangerous.)
Somnambulation: It says something that goblins are better guides asleep than awake.
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Good point about the lung tops. Very few people sound good when screaming.
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Swooping Rescue: You think that's odd? As written, Swooping Rescue can have a creature with flying save itself.
Horrific Snoring: The "not your turn" rider is there for flavor reasons. The snoring shouldn't start while the creature is still attacking people. Also, note that it has "enchant creature you control."
Young Daredevil: Much like dragons on Tarkir, ponies of all tribes on Ungula can fit into all colors as needed. This wouldn't even be the first time I made a flightless Pegasus. That'd be Adoring Fanfilly, which is also monored. Since both cards represent Scootaloo, it's only appropriate.
Pavilion Tent: Yeah, the big problem with Fortifications is that lands don't get destroyed nearly as often as creatures, which means that Fortifications have few advantages over Auras with enchant land. Still, it's a fun concept.
3375086 Your opponent doesn't need to have a huge creature for that to wipe the board. You just need their biggest creature to have power greater than its (or anything else's) toughness. Since most players that aren't control tend to favor power over toughness, that's at least as reliable as their biggest creature having 4 or less toughness.
3375086
Well of course they can, they can fly!
Well, it has it now. I didn't even notice the lack of the Aura "Enchant creature" rules text.
Being only able to put it on your own creatures makes the "not your turn" line make more sense.
Yeah, I was thinking there had been a Scootaloo card before that was also sans-flying but I didn't go back to check.
Dragons may be base Red but they have been in all colors for a very long time now. The classic Elder Dragons were of a variety of non-Red colors and Kamigawa had one for each mono-color and there are a lot of dragons in White.
Though I will concede to the point that on the right plain non-White pegasus cards would make sense. And non-flying also makes sense if they represent a younger one, though that's a bit of a stretch since horses learn to walk shortly after birth one could also say the ones with wings learned to fly early as well.
3376987
Well, given that there's canonical evidence to the contrary...
It's unfortunate that not all of the Crusader cards have power 1... Meh?