Friendship is Card Games: Rock Solid Friendship · 11:15am Apr 30th, 2017
This week, we look at a relationship that’s part of Pinkie’s personal bedrock… and the fault line running right through it.
It seems geology isn’t the most popular discipline in Equestria. Also, I do wish they’d gone easier on the rock… well, you can’t even call them puns. It’s just jamming the word “rock” in where it has no business being.
That being said, the characterization of the rest of the Pie family is amazing in the opener. They didn’t say a word, but their expressions and actions still speak volumes. Igneous’s reaction to Cloudy tearing up was especially notable. Not the most demonstrative stallion in the world, that one.
Pinkie’s understanding of Maud is… curious. I’d expected her to know her sister better than she seems to in this episode, but on the other hand, consider how Pinkie presented her back in “Maud Pie.” Pinkie doesn’t see her sister as the soft-spoken introvert that she is, but a super-amazing Mary Sue-level embodiment of awesomeness. It does make sense that she’d fail to grasp how to best help Maud make friends. After all, this is a new context for Maud, one Pinkie’s never dealt with before.
On the other hand, Pinkie’s dealt with introverts in the past. Fluttershy, Twilight, and arguably even Starlight should’ve both offered examples on how not everypony functions in the same way socially. On the other other hand, the fact that we’ve never seen Starlight interact much with Pinkie actually ties into this; she may not know Starlight well enough to understand how best to expand her social circle, the exceptions filed in her mental dossier for others not yet established. Plus the sheer desperation to keep her sister close at hoof likely clouded Pinkie’s already less than stellar judgement.
Huh. That idea went longer than I expected.
The conflict feels limp since we don’t actually know how far Ghastly Gorge is from Ponyville. All we know from “May the Best Pet Win” is that it's one scene transition away. 
I do love Pinkie providing the harp music in the cave. That’s cheating, Pinkie. Hilarious, but cheating.
Maud has a point. If they weren’t common gems, the cavern probably wouldn’t be full of them. Still, I'd expect Rarity to have better working knowledge of gemology.
Heh. Return of Pinkie’s check mark, only now it’s crystal instead of felt. (And thinking about it, it's appropriate to have a callback to another episode when she forgot how restraint worked.)
Ooh, Lyracite. Very rare. Makes for swell hoodies.
I really wasn’t expecting Maud’s involvement in Starlight’s reign of terror. Was she keeping every cutie mark in a jar before that point, or was she permitting the members of her cult to keep them while they were building Our Town? Also, interesting to note that the Cutie Vault was a naturally occurring magical capacitor and that not just any place could contain all those marks.
And Maud has a point; Starlight hasn’t overridden another pony’s will for almost two whole weeks!
I see every member of the Pie family has a rather elaborate full name. Though “Daisy” is a much more species-appropriate middle name than “Diane.”
Pinkie did push Maud to spend more time with Starlight in the first place. Not all of her actions harmed the cause.
Very nice touch to have Starlight enjoy something we’ve seen in her room before. And I love hearing the two of them nerd out together and respect one another for their knowledge and passion. This looks a lot like most of my friendships. And Pinkie acts as my mother, who never understood why my friends and I rarely if ever discussed our personal lives with one another.
I do love the visible flurry of emotions that plays across Derpy’s face. “Huh? Oh, pizza! Ow! Aw. Seriously? Hang on, free pizza. I’m okay with this.”
So… can Maud shred with the best of them? Inquiring minds want to know. While we’re at it, I’d love to hear her stand-up routine. And whatever happened to her poetry?
Ponies have dynamite. Or some manner of mining-grade explosive, anyway. Well then.
You kinda did ruin everything, Pinks. Sorry.
At first, I thought the camera was lying with the fakeout literal cliffhanger. Upon further review, that does look like it could be a one-foot drop.
Lumberjack Boulder is a wonderful thing, and I’m glad that he exists.
That is a beautiful residence for Maud. I’m sure it will inspire quite a lot of poetry. (Also, Pinkie finally got her to wear those BSFF slippers.)
In all, this episode made a few questionable choices, but it still did a lot right. Most especially, it let Starlight interact with characters who aren’t Twilight, Sunburst, or the rest of the Suicide Squad. I think this may be the first time Starlight’s had significant one-on-one time with a non-alicorn member of the Mane Six, to say nothing of her friendship with Maud. She’s finally making more progress out of her pigeonhole, and that’s excellent to see. Plus, this episode gave a lot of depth to Maud. No mare is an island, after all.
So, yeah. Solid episode. Now, time for one of my major interests:
Seal the Exits 1WW
Instant
Creatures can’t leave the battlefield this turn. (Players can’t move creatures to other zones to pay costs, including sacrificing them. Creatures stay on the battlefield even if their toughness is 0 or less.)
Pinkie wasn’t going to let anything stand in the way of quality time between the two friends-to-be.
Rock Emulation 1U
Instant
Target creature becomes an artifact and loses all abilities until end of turn.
”See? Rock. Definitely not a pony.”
—Pinkie Pie, Bearer of Laughter
Tephrite Mage 2U
Creature — Pony Wizard
When Tephrite Mage enters the battlefield, you may search your library for an artifact card with converted mana cost 5, reveal it, put it into your hand, then shuffle your library.
”Have you tried looking in the big cave?”
2/2
Ominous Crows 3U
Creature — Bird
Flying
Whenever Ominous Crows deals combat damage to a player, scry 2.
They pick apart the corpse of the future as it decays into the past.
3/2
Flawless Impersonation 3UU
Instant
Target creature becomes a copy of another target creature until end of turn.
Spell mastery — If there are two or more instant and/or sorcery cards in your graveyard, you may instead have each of those creatures simultaneously become a copy of the other until end of turn.
Resigned Isolation 4B
Enchantment
As long as you control exactly one creature, that creature gets +2/+1 and has indestructible.
”I always knew my future would largely consist of rocks. That’s fine.”
—Maud Pie, Ro.D.
First Impression R
Instant
Target creature that entered the battlefield this turn fights target creature with a different controller.
”Nice to meet you.”
Boulder’s Ingenuity 2R
Sorcery
Escalate R (Pay this cost for each mode chosen beyond the first.)
Choose one or more —
• Destroy target nonbasic land.
• Destroy up to two target artifacts.
• Creatures target player controls can’t block this turn.
Furious Shredding 2R
Instant
Furious Shredding deals X damage to target creature, where X is 3 plus the number of verse counters on Songs you control.
Rainbow Dash’s fingers tingled. She knew that somewhere, a worthy challenger was making herself known.
Irrational Exuberant 2R
Creature — Pony Citizen
Whenever you cycle or discard a card, Irrational Exuberant deals 1 damage to each creature you don’t control.
For her, shattering glass is only the beginning.
2/1
Quarray Rubblechewer 5R
Creature — Fish
Trample
Tribute 3 (As this creature enters the battlefield, an opponent of your choice may put three +1/+1 counters on it.)
When Quarray Rubblechewer enters the battlefield, if tribute wasn’t paid, destroy target land.
3/3
Seed-Laden Stingbush 2G
Creature — Plant
Defender
1R: Seed-Laden Stingbush deals 1 damage to target player.
Stingbush seedpods evolved to grip the thickest of pony coats. Anything else gets punctured.
2/4
Basalt Mortarboard 2
Artifact — Equipment
Equipped creature has renown 1. (When it deals combat damage to a player, if it isn’t renowned, put a +1/+1 counter on it and it becomes renowned.)
When equipped creature becomes renowned, unattach Basalt Mortarboard. If you do, Basalt Mortarboard deals 2 damage to target creature or player.
Equip 1
Lumberstone 2
Artifact
T, Sacrifice a land: Add CC to your mana pool.
”Boulder is a rock of many hats.”
—Maud Pie, Ro.D.
Rocktorate of Geology 2
Artifact
When Rocktorate of Geology enters the battlefield, draw a card.
1R, Sacrifice Rocktorate of Geology: Rocktorate of Geology deals 2 damage to target creature.
Graduates are expected to hew their own diplomas.
Domination Crystal 3
Artifact
Domination Crystal enters the battlefield tapped.
Spells cost 1 more to cast.
4, T: Create a token that’s a copy of Domination Crystal. Then if you control six or more permanents named Domination Crystal, you win the game.
Pizza Toss RG
Instant
Pizza Toss deals 4 damage to target creature. That creature’s controller gains 4 life.
”Sorry, it’s not my usual kind of pie.”
—Pinkie Pie, Bearer of Laughter
Hyperfocus (gu)W
Instant
Target creature you control gets +2/+2 and gains hexproof until end of turn. Prevent all damage that would be dealt to that creature this turn.
”What an unusual stalagmite formation.”
—Maud Pie, Ro.D.
Friendship Analysis 3(gu)
Instant
Draw a card for each creature that entered the battlefield this turn.
”It’s always nice to see ponies find a way to measure the immeasurable.”
—Princess Twilight Sparkle
Geologist’s Camp
Land
T: Add C to your mana pool.
1, T, Sacrifice Geologist’s Camp: Return target land card from your graveyard to the battlefield tapped.
Buried strata are the planet’s record of the past.
Maud’s Grotto
Land — Lair
When Maud’s Grotto enters the battlefield, sacrifice it unless you return a non-Lair land you control to its owner’s hand.
T: Add U, R, or G to your mana pool.
A natural balm for the poetic soul.
Yeah, I think that scene was supposed to be funny, but it was so overdone that it fell flat for me.
Even with Maud's expansive knowledge of rocks, I'm not sure how she would know that a cave wall could contain ponies' cutie marks. Unless her Maud Sense told her.
Also note that Maud is totally unapologetic after she learns what happened. Not only that, but she suggests that with a powerful enough rock, Starlight could rule the world. At first I didn't know what to make of this, but the more I thought about it, the more I liked her as a potential villain. Think of the fanfic possibilities for Dr. Pie, the overpowered earth pony villain!
Starlight's love of kites is sure to become a meme, and I am glad that she finally got to really interact with Pinkie without casting a mind spell on her. I still think Starlight is a Mary Sue, but it's good to see her finally getting some "humanizing" qualities, for lack of a better word.
I've seen others suggest that the show is setting up for an alternate Mane 6 with Starlight, Trixie, and Maud. That's only halfway there, though, so it's still too early to tell if that's where they're going with this.
This wasn't a perfect episode, but I enjoyed it much more than last week's.
IR: Mother, you are being emotional again.
CQ: Yes, yes, I apologize. Lie back and think of Equestria, lie back and think of Equestria...
Oh, I love Seal the Exits. I am so grafting my Force of Savagery tonight!
Tephrite Mage has a lot of potential, though I think 4 or 6 would have had more appeal to me. (Guess I can survive on a Coat of Arms and a Gauntlet of Power.) If only it was a legendary, so it would synergize with Hero's Podium!
Would Quarray Rubblechewer be an eel rather then a fish?
Though eels are fish....
I love this episode for very many reasons. Ponies in pajamas being one of them.
It occurs to me that "Diane" isn't completely out of place. It's a name from classical mythology, the Roman name for Artemis, which has of course greatly influenced Equestria all over. Artemis is more associated with woodlands than with rocks, but Diana was also the goddess of childbirth and protector of women and girls. Perhaps this is the Pie parents' old-timey religious sensibility making itself felt.
(Yes, my Classical Mythology kick is still in effect, having been going on all year.)
I am of mixed opinion about this episode. Maud was great as Maud always is, as was Starlight. I am shocked to look back and realize that we first met Maud way back in season 4, and that there have only been four episodes with her before now.
But Pinkie rammed into a pretty big narrative problem: when the story requires the protagonist to be genuinely annoying, how do you portray that without it hurting the story? Sadly, even as it moved the story along, I felt like Pinkie made each scene worse by her overwrought antics.
I guess I liked it. Maud consistently made me laugh, which is welcome; Gift of the Maud last season was pretty dull, and I was worried that Maud's comedic potential as a character had been worn thin from overuse, so it was nice to see that Maud episodes can still be funny. I personally didn't actually find Pinkie to be that annoying (to me as an audience member, anyway), so I didn't mind her. As for Starlight, I still don't like her, but she was basically okay. I still don't welcome her presence, but they've taken steps to make her tolerable, at least, which is a step up from last season.
It's mostly the retcons and worldbuilding I didn't like for this episode. Maud's involvement in Ourtown, this huge underground cave near Ponyville that nobody ever found until now, Rarity apparently having no knowledge of the value of gems, and Ghastly Gorge suddenly being far enough away to warrant a train ride all just felt weird and jarring to me. It was like an IDW comic in animated form.
Slight discrepancy there.
This episode was weird for me at some points. The undiscovered cavern was strange, for lack of a more descriptive word. It gave off an air of peace, tranquility, and harmony, and it seemed disconnected from the rest of the cavern. Though if it is close to Ponyville, I'd bet the Tree of Harmony has something to do with it.
Starlight liking kites gave me a laugh when I remembered that she had kites in her room in the S6 finale.
Pinkie was really over the top in this episode, scarily so. Once she sets her mind to something, there is little you can do to stop a reality warping, hammerspace using, fourth wall breaking Pinkie Pie.
Overall, this was a fine episode to the series, even though it had a few unanswered questions at the end of it.
Edit: This is why I laughed at the whole kite thing.
This one will make the Magic rules manager hunt you down and kill you, FoME.
So if I understand the rules correctly, you cast Seal the Exits. I cast Shock on one Grizzly Bears, and Dead Weight on a second. Neither leaves the battlefield. In the cleanup step, Seal the Exits' effect ends at the same time as combat damage is removed from one Grizzly Bears. Then the other one with Dead Weight dies.
Just speculating, but with Maud added to Starlight's list of friends, I think I might have a nascent second set of Elements
Magic: Starlight
Honesty: Maud
Laughter: Discord
Loyalty: Thorax
Generosity: Trixie
Kindness: Sunburst
Why are their no kite based cards?
Just under a week late, I really let myself fall behind on this site this week... .
Furious Shredding is another card to add to the collection of "Damage spells that only hit creatures that you pair up with Stuffy Doll to get around that restriction".
I'd rather the activated ability on Rocktorate of Geology was either {2/R} or 1{2/R} to give it more viability for use in non-red decks which is where it'd be of a bit more use then a pure Red deck.
And Domination Crystal was the tipping point for me to actually make comments on the cards. I really love alternate win conditions and this one is one of those that's easy enough to actually get to while at the same time easy enough to disrupt even if your opponent isn't specialized in destroying artifacts. So, basically a perfect balance in an alternate win condition.
The flavor text on Pizza Toss is amusing. The card itself is also a nice red-green card, fitting both of their flavor.
I'm trying to suss out why Hyperfocus is Green-or-Blue and White and not just Green-White, Blue isn't known for giving out +#/+# bonuses and Green has access to Hexproof so I'm not really sure what the Blue brings to this card that Green alone wouldn't.
What I'm saying here is this card very much feels like a Green-White card and not at all Blue in any way.
Friendship Analysis on the other hand feels like it could be either a Blue OR a Green card so the hybrid mana here is very well used. I'd kind of like to see an 'odd mana' choice along the lines of "1(2/G)(G/U)" to show that the spell is "more Green than Blue but could also be pure Blue".
I like how you can use Geologist’s Camp to return another Geologist’s Camp. Recursive things are fun!
4514505
Maud has been an Evil Mastermind all along! Why else would she have a Lair?
We already have one pegasus for the "Alternate Main Cast" idea in Lightning Dust. I could see the second earth pony being Suri Polomare to keep going with the "former villain" thing (which Maud would be the odd pony out of but, eigh, maybe she's just really good at hiding her evil inclinations). I'm not sure who the other pegasus would be though.
4514535
Sadly "Eel" is no longer a valid creature type. (Look at the printed card's Type line and the official rules text Types line.)
Just re-watched this episode and i noticed something. I first i thought the writers had made some kind of mistake with giving Maud hair curlers, but then it hit me going all the way back to season 1.
Pinkie can't get her mane to straighten up.
derpicdn.net/img/view/2012/9/13/96981__safe_pinkie+pie_the+best+night+ever_animated_cute_cuteamena_grin_happy_mane+inflation_pinkamena+diane+pie_smiling.gif
Maud can't get her's to curl up.
derpicdn.net/img/view/2017/5/6/1429802__safe_screencap_maud+pie_rock+solid+friendship_spoiler-colon-s07e04_clothes_cropped_footed+sleeper_hair+curlers_pajamas_plot_solo.png
They both try to look like the other.
If it weren't for Pinkie being more obnoxious than usual, I think I would give this episode a 'best of the season' award without even having seen the rest of the season. Maud and Starlight were perfect here.