Friendship is Card Games: Where the Apple Lies · 12:20pm Oct 9th, 2016
Bit of an amusing note on “P.P.O.V.” Given all the talk of getting ponies out of their element, I think it’s appropriate that the three had very little laughter, honesty, or generosity among them upon their return.
And on that note, let’s look at a time when Applejack was a long cry from exemplifying Honesty…
Very nice to see a nicer take on Filthy Rich in the wake of Legend of Everfree. I suppose his human analogue never had the fear of Granny Smith put into him. Or this one is only courteous to the Apples, but I’d rather believe he’s just a generally better person.
Ah yes, the Apple family cider monopoly. Flim and Flam taught them how important it was to maintain that.
Sorry, Bloom, but your sister has lied on camera before. Granted, I don’t think Apple Bloom was actually present at any of those times.
I do love Granny pulling in a rocking chair from offscreen via stretchy limbs. I maintain that she walked the path of transcendence. She may not be a full-fledged party pony, but there is a hint of the gift in her.
I love the character designs of the younger ponies in the flashback, to say nothing of seeing how they’ve grown as people from those days. That said, I am a bit disappointed that Mac was so muscleheaded. I always liked the idea of him as a closet intellectual. Also, I find myself wondering when Applejack started wearing that hat.
And where is Apple Bloom in all of this? The parents appear to have passed on; otherwise, Mac and Jack wouldn’t be discussing who’d take over the farm. However, they kind of needed to give birth to her first. Maybe some neighbors or cousins are looking after her while the apple blight demands the attention of all available hooves. Or maybe Applejack’s glossing over that particular bit of history to tell a tighter story.
You can’t plow a field with most ideas, Mac, but somepony had to think of the plow.
I’ll be honest, I blinked and missed 80’s Cheerilee when watching the episode. I was probably taking notes at the time. Thank goodness for Derpibooru. (That said, “that’s how everypony was wearing their mane back then,” eh, Cheerilee?)
Spoiled. Milk. I’m not sure what her parents were thinking, but that is downright hilarious. (It also says a lot about her mothering skills. What should be wholesome curdles into a poison.) Also, it appears that she did, in fact, had a nose job after this point in time. And for that matter, I think her talent may actually be gold digging, or at least attaching herself to much wealthier ponies.
Hmm. The cider starts spoiling immediately after it leaves the cask? Can’t be very alcoholic if it needs a “refrigerate after opening” label.
Ooh, first look inside Barnyard Bargains.
Poor AJ. She’ll do anything for the farm. Even lie her tail off. Not that she was ever any good at it; she just resorted to it a lot more easily back then.
Given how Granny Smith was only about twenty feet away when Mac and Jack were reviewing the horrible web of lies, I have to assume that her hearing was starting to go.
I’m kind of sad we don’t get to hear all of Mac’s cutie mark story, though even that snippet is intriguing.
I seriously cannot believe Applejack managed to convince Granny that the blight was spreading from trees to ponies.
Heh. Well, that is one way to get the whole family in the hospital. Though, again, that brings up the issue of Apple Bloom.
Ooh, the broom closet ending. That one’s my favorite.
Okay, why were the Shining twins in the background at one point? Did they die in this hospital?
Also, I can only assume that the attempt to correct Derpy’s vision went wrong for some unknown reason. That or her latent cockatrice genes activated and she wanted to get that taken care of. 
Operating theaters are a thing in Equestria. Good to know.
Wow. Near-amputation in a TV-Y show. I do love seeing them push the envelope.
Huh. Sounds like Stinking Rich was still alive at the time of the flashback. That or Granny threatened to raise him from the dead solely to berate his grandson. I want to lean towards the latter. I’ve always believed earth ponies would make excellent necromancers.
This was a really nice episode. On the surface, there were quality sitcom hijinks, but under that lay fantastic character studies of both Applejack and Big Macintosh. Character growth implies that if you go back in time, you see character shrinkage, and that was certainly the case here. It’s always fascinating to look back and see how far characters have come. I even like that Big Mac grossly overcompensated and became as taciturn as he is now. It says a lot about him.
Right now, though, it’s time for the products of my honest labor:
Lollygaggery W
Enchantment — Aura
Enchant creature
When Lollygaggery enters the battlefield or at the beginning of your upkeep, detain enchanted creature unless its controller pays 3. (Until your next turn, that creature can’t attack or block and its activated abilities can’t be activated.)
Even the Apples can’t work all the time.
Tragic Twins 2W
Creature — Pegasus Spirit
Flying
Delirium — Tragic Twins has double strike as long as there are four or more card types among cards in your graveyard.
Most go to Elysium after death, but some linger near where they last drew breath.
1/2
Granny’s Lecture U
Sorcery
Each player may draw two cards. Each player who does skips his or her next untap step.
It’s a lot more interesting than it seems, but you are going to be there for a while.
Increasing Deception UU
Instant
Counter target noncreature spell. If that spell is countered this way, exile it instead of putting it into its owner’s graveyard. If Increasing Deception was cast from a graveyard, you may cast that card without paying its mana cost for as long as it remains exiled.
Flashback 4UU (You may cast this spell from your graveyard for its flashback cost. Then exile it.)
Circuitous Directions 1U
Instant
Tap up to two target creatures.
Landfall — If you had a land enter the battlefield under your control this turn, those creatures don’t untap during their controllers’ next untap steps.
Shipment Mixup 2U
Instant
Target spell’s controller reveals his or her hand. You may choose a card in that hand that shares a card type with that spell. If you do, that player casts that card without paying its mana cost if able and return that spell to its owner’s hand.
Conspicuous Absence 4UU
Instant
Put up to two target creatures on top of their owners’ libraries.
”Who’ll run the Acres after I’m gone should have an easy answer. Should, but don’t.”
—Granny Smith
Gasket Mites 1B
Creature — Pest
Whenever an artifact enters the battlefield under an opponent’s control, that player loses 1 life.
”Rubber, lubricant, steel, it doesn’t matter. They’ll eat anything.”
—Rachette, repair pegasus
1/1
Amputation Specialist 2B
Creature — Pony Citizen
2B, T: Put a -1/-1 counter on target creature. Then if that creature’s toughness is 1 or greater, regenerate it.
”Don’t worry. They’re doing amazing things with prosthetics these days.”
1/2
Apple Blight 2B
Creature — Fungus
Apple Blight gets +1/+1 for each Forest your opponents control.
2G: Apple Blight gets +1/+1 for each Forest you control until end of turn. Activate this ability only once each turn.
Only diseases strong as the Apple family can give them pause.
1/1
Zoonosis 2B
Instant
Two target creatures that share no creature types get -2/-2 until end of turn.
To boldly sicken what no plague has sickened before.
Blindfold 1R
Enchantment — Aura
Reveal Blindfold as you draft it. The next time a player drafts a card from this booster pack, that player can’t look at the pack and must draft a card at random.
Enchant creature
Enchanted creature can’t block.
Heedless Rush 1R
Instant
Target attacking creature gains trample until end of turn. If that creature would deal damage this turn, it deals double that damage instead. If a source would deal damage to that creature this turn, it deals double that damage to that creature instead.
Idea Mare 2R
Creature — Pony Citizen
At the beginning of your upkeep, discard a card, then draw a card.
”I thought I was the biggest genius to grace Celestia’s green earth when I was younger. I had one or two decent ideas, but about a hundred bad ones.”
—Applejack, Bearer of Honesty
2/2
Matriarch’s Authority 1G
Enchantment — Aura
Enchant creature you control
Enchanted creature has hexproof as long as you control another creature.
At the beginning of your upkeep, if you control no creatures other than enchanted creature, create a 2/2 green Pony creature token.
Apple Family Matriarch 3G
Creature — Pony Elder
Other Ponies you control get +1/+1.
2G, T: Put a +1/+1 counter on each Pony you control.
Earth ponies don’t age. They get seasoned.
2/2
Chattering Brute 3GG
Creature — Pony Citizen
Trample, hexproof
Some creatures repel hostile magics through stealth or spells of their own. Others just yammer so much that no one else can hear their own incantations.
4/3
Pass the Torch 3GG
Instant
For each creature card put into your graveyard this turn, search your library for a creature card with converted mana cost equal to that card’s converted mana cost plus 1 and put it onto the battlefield. Then shuffle your library.
Visiting Hours 1WB
Enchantment
WB: Return target creature card from your graveyard to the battlefield. That creature can’t attack or block. Sacrifice it at the beginning of the next end step. Activate this ability only any time you could cast a sorcery.
Empty Promise 1UB
Sorcery
Target player draws three cards. That player discards four cards at the beginning of his or her next end step.
Disappointment hurts all the worse when hope came before.
Natural Monopoly 1GW
Enchantment
As Natural Monopoly enters the battlefield, choose a color.
Nonbasic lands can’t produce mana of the chosen color.
Those who even think of trying to mass produce Sweet Apple Acres products have already failed.
Operating Theater
Land
T: Add C to your mana pool.
3, T, Exile a creature card from your graveyard: Draw a card.
”A truly enlightening experience. If only this plane didn’t turn me into a rabbit.”
—Tamiyo
Ratchette's name is hilarious because in America, "being ratchet" is street slang for being an uncouth, unmannerly, crass lowlife.
They're the kind of person who drinks whiskey right after getting up in the morning and wears knockoff designer clothing unironically.
She ratchet! She -literally- ratchet.
That was my headcanon of him as well, and it would fit with his interest in OnO. Maybe he started to become more intellectual after AJ finally got through to him about trying new ideas. One of the themes of this show is that individuals can change for the better.
Those explanations are a lot more palatable than some of the theories I saw on the discussion thread.
I am glad we didn't see what the Apple parents looked like because I'm sure it would destroy a lot of headcanons (including mine), but there should have been some mention of where they were. The way AJ and Mac talked about Granny Smith making all the decisions on the farm implied that their parents have been gone for a while, but where was Apple Bloom? It would be very irresponsible to leave a toddler home alone while they all ran to the hospital. And I'm not going to assume that AJ is Bloom's real mom (as some fans have suggested) unless someone on the official staff confirms it. Besides, that theory falls apart when you take Equestria Girls into account, where there's no more than a four year age difference between AJ and AB.
It didn't ruin the episode for me, but these characters' complete absence in the flashback distracted me from the otherwise entertaining story.
The best part for me was seeing Applejack and Big Mac when they were younger, and I loved Granny Smith's spunk. And I don't know why, but I laughed when AJ tackled Granny to the ground. I'm bad and I should feel bad.
Fun fact: there really is an "apple blight" virus called fire blight that infects apple and pear trees.
goddammit
So, better than Apple Bloom, then. Got it.
...
I'm placing this joke under arrest for being too silly.
I laughed way more than I should have at Tamiyo's flavor text. But now the image is absolutely adorable.
Nice to see that AJ's color philosophy was pragmatically Red.
A guild leader mana costed spell? Have to say, it definitely would sum up a somewhat... non-benign side if GW.
Does making UB cards provide a difficulty to you as much a others? It always seems to boil down to card discard and draw as the main descriptor. They so need a hybrid mechanic.
Unrelated, I was absolutely amused to find Kaladesh has a gremlin problem.
4247983
A bit of slang with which I was wholly unfamiliar. I just
shamelessly stoleborrowed one of Estee's OCs. She seemed like the kind of pony who'd deal with gasket mites on a frequent basis.4247998
True. Once he stopped talking, he could start listening.
And yeah, I will bend over backwards to find a solution to the Apple parent question that doesn't result in one of Apple Bloom's parents—or, heaven forbid, both of them—posing as her siblings. That kind of continual deception seems like it'd interfere with attuning to the Element of Honesty.
It's actually bacterial... which is kind of disappointing. I made the card a Fungus because I thought it might be like Dutch elm disease. This is what I get for insufficient research. Oh well, this form of apple blight makes trunks go red, so it's probably not the same thing. Besides, given Equestrian ecology, their version of fire blight probably involves actual fire.
4247999
I am a muse. I shed silly ideas the way most people shed skin cells.
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The soratami were already riffs on the rabbit in the moon. Ungula just takes that to its logical conclusion.
On the subject of AJ parents I will approach it from both a Dpylist and a Wattsonian perspective.
Dolyist: The writers were too busy think up a fun story to tell that can teach a lesson. They wantd to show how Applejack grew as a caharcter and most likely felt that saying "This was some time after your parents died and you were living wih your uncle and aunt" woud've made the scenes bittersweet and might have detacted from the focus of both the lesson and story they wanted to tell.
Wattsonian: Applejack's parents are probably dead, and Applebloom was most likely with her uncle (By the way, wonder if Spoiled got knocked up just to conn Filthy into marriage. It feels like it.) Granny SMith most likel didn't ant to say anything because it would've put a dark cloud over the rest of the story. Especially if Applebloom never heard the story of hw they died.
I am intrigued by Spoiled Rich's name change and how it relates to name-cutie mark destiny magic. We knew from "Crusaders of the Lost Mark" that Spoiled Rich is a social climber, and the maiden name "Milk" suggests that she comes from a farming background working with cattle tenants. But she has a diamond ring cutie mark. It appears her magical destiny was to marry up, change her name, and forget where she came from
The writers actually did their homework here, because there's two different kinds of apple cider. There's "hard cider", which IS alcoholic, and then there's non-alcoholic cider, which is heavier and stronger than apple juice, but doesn't keep as well.
That was Applejack's NEXT trip to the hospital.
I, too, have this as part of my headcanon.
I always enjoy stories where characters dig their own graves, so this episode was a treat.
"Tamiyo, the Rabbit Sage" ranks up there with "Sorin the lush" in the "if only FoME had infinite time" list.
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Yeah, unreliable (or at least withholding) narrator definitely applies here. Twofold if we're seeing Apple Bloom's interpretation of the story rather than Applejack's memories.
4248169
If anything, the name seemed to encourage her to find something better with which she could replace it.
4248175
Yes, after the meteorite containing Apple Bloom sent by her parents nearly broke one of her legs.
Obviously, you aren't implying anything else.
4248341
Ooh. I look forward to seeing what you do with it when Amber finally meets the mud ponies.
4248547
Infinite time would be nice, yes. Though given my track record, I'd find a way to fill it with infinite durdling about.
On Circuitous Directions: huh. I found it odd that it was "untap steps" and went and looked and that's actually more common than the singular version. Never noticed.
On Shipment Mixup: I'm not sure why but it reads better in my mind if they return the spell to their hand first then cast the picked card.
Nice reference on Gasket Mites's flavor text.
Zoonosis would be good in sealed and probably 'alright' in most standard formats but it is really bad against tribal decks.
I've never drafted Conspiracy but that "When you draft" clause on Blindfold seems like it'd be a bit much. I understand that it's a more casual format than most drafts but even so I think that would lead to more upset people than a fun drafting experience.
On Matriarch’s Authority: She's a matriarch alright, always popping out babies even! (I know that is not what it is intended to represent [or they'd be 0/1 Pony Child tokens] but is the impression I got from the creation of the token.)
On Pass the Torch: I like Birthing Pod, Pass The Torch would go well with it, and various other means of recycling creatures for profit, especially the classic Altar.
Ok, Visiting Hours gave me an idea that is not at all what you were probally going for, or maybe it was.
Instead of what we think of as "visiting hours" for a hospital this card gave me the idea that you had certain points in time that people who have passed away could return and visit the living.
As for the card itself I almost feel that the creature should be exiled if it would hit the graveyard again, that way you can't overly abuse "dies" effects for such a cheap cost and can only get a second use out of an ETB effect. Maybe have it exiled AFTER hitting the graveyard, so you DO get a second "dies" trigger but you ONLY get it once more.
I think Natural Monopoly could safely be costed at only 1GW. Most sets don't have a lot of non-basic colored mana production and if Blood Moon, which shuts down ALL of their other abilities, not just (non-Red) colored mana production for CMC of 3 a CMC of 5 Enchantment that ONLY shuts down a single color choice is super expensive. Might even be able to drop it down to just GW, or maybe have it be 1GW and you pick TWO colors.
In the end it's just really over costed for the effect it has, since it only shuts down color production it might not ever do anything at all, unlike Blood Moon which shuts down all sorts of things.
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I was so happy to see that as well. I just checked and we've actually had two Gremlins before now, one of them very old and the other one from a slightly more recent set.
But Gremlin just work really great for a world like Kaladesh.
What surprised me is that fact that Spoiled Rich actually loves her husband, and maybe even her filly. When Filthy Rich gave her a hug, she gave him an honest smile. It's also surprising that she actually followed her fiance around the hospital and was acually worried when it looked like Granny Smith was going to lose a leg.
She's still a stuck up witch, but at least she has something positive going for her.
4248559
As do I, FoME! As do I...
Hmm... Shipment Mixup seems like an easy way to summon Emrakul or cast Omniscience for 3-4 mana.
Pass the Torch looks like it would be amazing in a BG deck, especially if you included Reassembling Skeleton, Nykthos, and Ashnod's Altar.
I love Increasing Deception, it's a good "Increasing" Flashback card; but even better is the 50% discount Filthy Rich is giving on Counterlash! (At least, that's how I use Counterlash and would use Shipment Mixup, and love it!)
Matriarch’s Authority and Apple Family Matriarch are going right into my Populate/Cathar's Crusade Deck. Love it!
The evil villain in me loves Natural Monopoly; especially the lopsidedness I'd milk from it in a Knight of the Reliquary deck (if my playgroup would unban that card for me).