Friendship is Card Games: Best Gift Ever · 11:18am Oct 28th, 2018
Happy Christmaween! (Nightmare Warming? Sounds like psychotropic climate change.) I though this was going to be the “ia” of Season 8’s “Welcome Princess Celest,” but it’s a full-fledged hour-long special. Let’s dig into the out-of-seasonal cheer.
Wow. No theme or anything, just title screen, narration, opening song. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that something set in winter gets a cold open. (Yes, that’s not quite what this is, but let me have the pun. 
)
Efficient work in getting the Student Six, Starlight, and Trixie out of the way so the story can focus on the Mane Seven. Though I do wonder where the unicorn gal pals are heading. Las Pegasus or Sire’s Hollow to see family? (And there is the question of whether Twilight relented on the punishment for the students at the end of “The Hearth’s Warming Club” or if this is meant to be next year…)
I can see Dash being a last-minute shopper, and Fluttershy would probably worry about hurting the feelings of the gifts she didn’t pick. Rarity, meanwhile, is caught in a frenzy of creativity and couldn’t stop if she wanted to.
Who eats ice cream outside in December?
Oh hey, the Pies came to Sweet Apple Acres this year! And Grand Pear still exists! It’s kind of a shame they couldn’t get Shatner for this one; it’d be the closest thing we’d get to canon Kirk vs. Q (unless that happened in a novel or something.)
Ouch, that heartbreak from Marble. Sweets and Stones may become canon in the next few days.
Going by that tree, it’s looking like a Charlie Brown Hearth’s Warming.
Oh hey, the postpony who’d been stranded in Discord’s dimension made it out.
Between pulling Twilight out of her meltdown and shutting down Spike’s attempts at subterfuge, Applejack wins the first part of the special hands down.
Twilight was grading midterms, which gives a sense of the semester layout for the School of Friendship. Good to know.
I was a bit shocked that Applejack was proposing something new and different, but then it turned out to be a tried-and-tested Apple Family method for gift-giving and the world made sense again.
I was wondering how they’d translate Secret Santa. This certainly works. My guesses were “Covert Caribou” and “Private Puddinghead,” though that last one sounds like a story where Puddinghead and Pansy somehow switched places, which especially ironic considering the original tribes of their analogues in the Bearers.
“Let’s put our names in the hat.” Draws their cutie marks. (And Spike’s wing, which says something about how Twilight sees his molting.) I know some of that is to ease localization in other languages, but it still feels bizarre.
Also, funny how Fluttershy takes a name/mark with her wing while Dash uses her mouth. Especially since Dash uses feather fingers later in the special.
Great work, Spike. You had to wind her up again, didn’t you? I’m going to blame it on the Rarity tunnel vision.
I am glad that the two-pony chains didn’t pull a Gift of the Magi situation. We’ve already dealt with that.
Marble giggling is all too adorable.
I admit, Fluttershy is me to an extent. I like pretty much everything and don’t particularly want anything, so I’m very frustrating to shop for.
Discord as Lumiere? Beauty and the Beast would’ve probably gone a lot differently…
(Also, “GHOST CANDLE!” is strangely hilarious. Now I’m imagining human Dash throwing her DS the first time she saw a Litwick.)
Seriously, Spike? Forget tunnel vision, this is trying to use a drinking straw as a telescope.
Sigh. At least the Flimflams are somewhat disguised this time. Though I have to wonder how they knew Fluttershy was specifically looking for a gift for Dash. Maybe they ship it.
I don’t know why I was so amused by Prince Rutherford being covert, but I was. I suppose it’s just the juxtaposition of the larger-and-louder-than-life Prince of Smashing going full Deep Throat.
It’s always fantastic to hear Best Pony speak, though given how slowly and dazedly she was speaking, I have to wonder if she’s dealing with the holiday stress through… herbal methods, if you will.
Does Fluttershy still have regular spa days with Rarity? Granted, in that case, it wouldn’t make a very good gift anyway. (And this may explain the awkwardness we’ve seen from Fluttershy at the spa.)
Seriously, what the hell was the pudding face. 
I can only assume that Twilight gazed too deeply into the Pink.
“Can I borrow some (bits) for the train?” … Did they not buy round-trip tickets?
I’m not too surprised that Equestria can manufacture plastic, but I”m not sure which bits of Holly the Hearth Warmer are plastic. Looks like rope, straw, and sackcloth to me.
Pistachio is a delight, and it’s always nice to see parents being supportive.
Earth pony recipe in the spells section. Nice.
I do love Shining and Cadence’s experience with Twilight’s obsessive episodes… though maybe they should’ve done something to make sure she didn’t do something regrettable in this one. Also, Flurry Heart in her star coat is adorable, even if I’m not sure how all of her fits in that thing. (Though given what she does later, if she’s any kind of star, she’s a disaster.)
I have to say, I am a bit disappointed that Twilight Velvet and Night Light are nowhere to be found. Especially since Velvet would’ve loved the climax.
“Blitzen’s beard.” Huh. There’s an interesting oath. Especially given the absence of the fellow usually associated with Blitzen, save for a brief formation of snow on Discord, who strikes me as more of a Krampus. The Ponyville stallion wearing an elf costume only further muddies the waters.
Also, it’s great to see canon reindeer, especially considering what certain AUs have done with the species.
Bori has a brother, Auster, but he lives at the South Pole.
Sweet Odin on the world-tree, they’re CHRISTMAS NORNS! Makes sense if you take Dickens into account—and this raises some interesting questions about “A Hearth’s Warming Tale”—but those reading the Oversaturated World know how much I love the past-present-future trio trope.
(That said, I do have to wonder what purpose the gift-givers fulfill when not sought out for last-minute conflict resolvers. Do they distribute gifts unnoticed? Did Pinkie subconsciously summon them to serve her?)
Someone who knows G. I. Joe better than I do will have to say how appropriate or ironic Discord and Dash’s ninja suits are.
Aside from being a great name for a Mario Kart track, I have to wonder what the Froyo Flume would entail. Is it a log flume with a nearby frozen yogurt stand, or is the yogurt somehow incorporated into the ride?
While I love how Applejack is completely immune to Flimflam flimflam at this point, I wish Fluttershy were a bit more resistant. Also, shame on those two in general for exploiting the ponies who reunited them and basically gave them that resort.
Hugh Jelly still exists. Neat.
Applejack isn’t that much worse an actress than Flim or Flam. Of course, most ponies don’t exactly have a lot of ranks in Sense Motive. (Or Perception. See Eyepatch Sparkle.)
Rarity is one of the most famous ponies in Equestria? Yeah, I’m going to cite the bias of youthful passion there. I mean, she probably should be a household name between the world saving, the fashion empire, and the friendship journal, but news travels slowly and strangely in Equestria.
So… is Sweet Acorn Orchards in a town literally called Nowhere? I wouldn’t put that past Equestria.
Fluttershy is very protective of her catchphrases.
Reminding Twilight that other ponies exist. This must be nostalgic for Shining and Cadence.
Also, at this point, I’m beginning to think that Flurry’s lethality is inversely proportional to the local temperature. She’s bad at any time of year, but the winter brings out the worst in her. Her special talent is probably going to be alpine warfare. (And seriously, neither of her parents noticed her messing with the pudding?)
“Twilynanas” is a wonderful term, all the more so because it was likely coined during Twilight’s childhood. Oh, the implications…
“Oh look, sunset!” Anyone else do a double-take and expect to see a certain orange unicorn?
Oh my. And I thought Mogwais were bad.
The nice thing about having two problems like these is that they may be able to solve each other.
Shining Armor got to do something useful! Good for him. And I do love how the couple admire each other’s martial capability.
Heh. This is why Discord can never run O&O sessions; he always gets so impatient when the players don’t do what he wants them to.
(Also, “For Scorpan’s sake”? Another interesting oath.)
The winterchilla’s family left for the holidays? I have several questions. Is this supposed to be the Kevin McCallister of winterchillas?
The Celestia floaty is pretty darn fantastic.
I do appreciate Discord acting as an audience surrogate and calling out the deus ex rangifer. Still, if you’re not using future sight to cheat, why bother even having it?
Heh. The pudding bowls are made of the same crystal as the castle itself. I assume they came with the place… or somepony made them from the wreckage of the front door. Can’t imagine the Castle’s happy with that.
So… does Applejack pull her father’s hat out of the accessory closet for the holidays or what? (Or it’s one of several dozen kilohats.)
Heh. Putting Fluttershy on a literal pedestal. Discord’s shameless in his fan fiction.
Double heh. Cadence using Ponyvile for her adrenaline fix. She’s probably been doing that since “Three’s a Crowd.” There need to be more stories with Cadence and Twilight Velvet seeking thrills together.
Spike pulling a page from Pear Butter’s playbook. Very sweet.
Oh, that’s why Fluttershy made such a terrible tea cozy. Given who it was meant for, quality would’ve been downright insulting. All those repeated patterns…
The end montage is great. The diarchs having a sisterly moment, the changelings still doing it wrong, the Flimflams grimacing at the bitter fruit of karma, all feel-good moments. And really, the special itself was as well. This was some quality pony right here; that first song was especially fantastic, and trimming the cast down to the central seven meant that the special could balance the plotlines very effectively.
Now, time for a present for all of you:
Flammable Ewes 2W
Sorcery
Create two 1/1 white Sheep creature tokens. Create two more of those tokens at the beginning of your next upkeep step unless an opponent pays R before that step.
You’d better like the smell of burnt wool.
Fedora Felt 2WW
Legendary Creature — Pony Artificer
Whenever a nontoken artifact enters the battlefield under your control, create a colorless Equipment artifact token named Hat. It has equip 1 and “Equipped creature gets +0/+1.”
Equipped creatures you control get +2/+2.
2/2
Culinary Devastation 2WWW
Sorcery
Destroy all nonland permanents. Each player gains life equal to the number of permanents they controlled that were destroyed this way.
Chancellor Puddinghead had a knack for bringing together words that had no business being in the same sentence.
Check Twice 1U
Sorcery
Scry 2, then draw a card.
Flashback 2U (You may cast this card from your graveyard for its flashback cost. Then exile it.)
“I might have missed something the first time.”
—Princess Twilight Sparkle
Entangling Checklist 1U
Instant
Tap up to two target creatures. Scry 1.
When Twilight Sparkle gets caught up in panic, so does everypony else.
Holiday Meltdown 1UU
Snow Instant
Counter target nonsnow spell. If that spell is countered this way and S was spent to cast Holiday Meltdown, exile that spell instead of putting it into its owner’s graveyard. (S can be paid with one mana from a snow source.)
The most wonderful time of the year comes immediately after the least.
Discord’s Disdain 2U
Instant
Counter target spell with no targets.
”Derivative at best. Honestly, are you even trying?”
Sweet Acorn Stylist 2U
Creature — Pony Artificer
Whenever you cast an artifact spell, put a +1/+1 counter on Sweet Acorn Stylist.
Every towering oak of fabulosity starts small.
2/1
Spacey Mailmare 3U
Creature — Pegasus Scout
Flying
Whenever Spacey Mailmare becomes the target of a spell that wasn’t cast from exile, you may exile that spell with a time counter on it. If you do and it doesn’t have suspend, it gains suspend. ((At the beginning of its owner's upkeep, remove a time counter from that card. When the last is removed, the player casts it without paying its mana cost.)
2/2
Overwhelming Shipment 3UUU
Sorcery
Target player draws six cards.
”If I see another box again, it’ll be too soon.”
—Ditzy Doo
Mental Bisection 2BB
Sorcery
Target player discards half the cards of the cards in their hand, rounded up.
”Having half a mind seems like a step up for you. Good job.”
—Discord
Hearth’s Warming Helper 3B
Creature — Pony Citizen
You may reveal this card from your opening hand. If you do, at the beginning of the first upkeep, search your library for a card, put it into your hand, shuffle your library, then exile three cards from your hand.
Lifelink
3/2
Stormshadow Spy 3B
Creature — Pegasus Ninja
Ninjutsu BB (BB, Return an unblocked attacker you control to hand: Put this card onto the battlefield from your hand tapped and attacking.)
Flying
Whenever Stormshadow Spy deals combat damage to a player, surveil 1. (Look at the top card of your library. You may put that card into your graveyard.)
2/2
Sanity Slayer 4B
Creature — Chimera Ninja
Ninjutsu 2B
Whenever Sanity Slayer deals combat damage to a player, that player reveals their hand. You choose a nonland card from it. That player discards that card.
2/2
“One More Day” RR
Enchantment — Song
At the beginning of your upkeep, put a verse counter on “One More Day”.
RR, Sacrifice “One More Day”: Creatures you control get +X/+0, where X is the number of verse counters on “One More Day”. If “One More Day” has a verse counter on it, take an extra turn after this one. At the beginning of that turn’s end step, you lose the game.
Casual Obliteration 1R
Sorcery
Destroy target artifact.
Draw a card.
”I put it out of my misery.”
—Discord
Optimal Smash 1R
Instant
Target creature gets +2/+0 and gains trample until end of turn. Damage that would be dealt by that creature this turn can’t be prevented.
Yaks have elevated mindless destruction to a science.
Chimeric Aviator 2R
Creature — Chimera Scout
Chimeric Aviator has flying as long as it’s not enchanted or equipped.
Invisible planes have notoriously little carrying capacity.
2/2
Paragator 2G
Creature — Crocodile
If a spell or ability an opponent controls causes you to discard Paragator, put it onto the battlefield instead of putting it into your graveyard.
Living with Pinkie Pie makes anything prepare for the unexpected.
2/3
Polar Steed 3G
Creature — Bear
Snow landwalk (This creature can’t be blocked as long as defending player controls a snow land.)
Whenever Polar Steed attacks, another target attacking creature gains snow landwalk until end of turn.
In foreign lands, trust those who know the area.
3/2
Superior Yak 4G
Creature — Ox Warrior
Whenever another creature enters the battlefield, if that creature’s power or toughness is greater than Superior Yak’s, put a +1/+1 counter on Superior Yak.
Yaks can’t stand the idea of anyone being better at anything.
3/3
Puddinghead’s Recipe 2
Legendary Artifact
1, T: Draw a card, then exile a card from your hand. If cards with four or more different card types are exiled with Puddinghead’s Recipe, untap Puddinghead’s Recipe and transform it.
Earth pony magic at its most absurd.
Puddinghead’s Folly
(G) Legendary Creature — Ooze
Puddinghead’s Folly has trample as long as a creature card is exiled with it, hexproof as long as an instant card is exiled with it, deathtouch as long as a sorcery card is exiled with it, vigilance as long as an enchantment card is exiled with it, reach as long as an artifact card is exiled with it, indestructible as long as a planeswalker card is exiled with it, and “T: Add two mana of any one color” as long as a land card is exiled with it.
5/5
Jinxed Doll 2
Artifact
At the beginning of your upkeep, Jinxed Doll deals 2 damage to you.
X: Target player gains control of Jinxed Doll and puts a currency counter on it. X is the number of currency counters on Jinxed Doll.
The gift that everyone keeps on giving.
Fractal Statuette 3
Artifact
T: Add one mana of any color.
4, T, Sacrifice Fractal Statuette: Create two tokens that are copies of Fractal Statuette.
Every facet contains the infinite complexity of the whole.
“The True Gift of Giving” WU
Enchantment — Song
At the beginning of your upkeep, put a verse counter on “The True Gift of Giving”.
WU, Sacrifice “The True Gift of Giving”: Target player gains control of target nonland permanent with converted mana cost X or less, where X is the number of verse counters on “The True Gift of Giving”. That permanent’s owner gains life and draws cards equal to that converted mana cost.
Darting Winterchilla 1RG
Creature — Beast
Hexproof, haste
At the beginning of each upkeep, if no spells were cast last turn, transform Darting Winterchilla.
By day, their fur and agility protect them from predators.
2/1
Lumbering Winterzilla
(RG) Creature — Beast Mutant
Creatures with power less than Lumbering Winterzilla’s power can’t block it.
At the beginning of each upkeep, if a player cast two or more spells last turn, transform Lumbering Winterzilla.
By night, it’s the predators who need protection.
4/4
Stress Teleportation 2UR
Enchantment
Whenever a creature becomes the target of a spell or ability, exile that creature, then return it to the battlefield under a random player’s control.
By the time Twilight calmed down, she was on the other side of the country and the war. Also, there was a war.
Glittering Dragon 2RG
Creature — Dragon
Flying, trample
Glittering Dragon enters the battlefield with two +1/+1 counters on it.
Whenever Glittering Dragon deals combat damage to a player, proliferate. (You choose any number of permanents and/or players with counters on them, then give each another counter of a kind already there.)
0/0
Giftgivers of the Grove 3GU
Legendary Creature — Elk Shaman
Flying
You may look at the top card of your library any time.
During each turn, you may play up to one card from the top of your library and up to one card from your graveyard. If an instant or sorcery card cast from your graveyard this way would be put into your graveyard, exile it instead.
2/4
Oak Orchard
Land
Oak Orchard enters the battlefield tapped.
When Oak Orchard enters the battlefield, scry 1.
T: Add G.
The only crops that require more planning grow on rock farms.
I've consistently enjoyed the Christmas episodes, so I can't wait to see it.
I've been saying for EIGHT YEARS that the idea of "Santa Hooves" is stupid and their version of Santa is probably a reindeer / caribou. The juice of the vindication fruit is still sweet, even after so many times tasting it...
This Special was spectacular!
I loved it and I love these cards
This special was pretty great. Best episode since Perfect Pear, I think. I only wish we'd actually gotten it at Christmas.
Well, considering the pigeon lady from Home Alone 2 is around...
cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/366319736134303744/506018267890974725/mpv-shot0001.jpg
That was a really great special
Starlight does!
Oh wait. I made that up.
This did bother me a bit, since it made Derpy come off as a bit slow, which isn't how she was portrayed previously. On the other hand, I like the headcanon of Derpy enjoying some "special muffins" so much that I'll accept it on those grounds.
First thing I thought of.
I didn't actually like the idea of the reindeer all that much - characters that OP raise some storytelling problems - but then Discord went and actually called the episode out on it, which is brilliant. 👏 👏
I loved this too. The idea of Cadance as a repressed thrill-seeker has been overshadowed by her motherly duties, so it's great to see this return. ^^
OMG IT HAS SUPER-EVOLVE
I WANT FOUR
I agree with the consensus, the special was better than I expected. Funny, cute, touching, musical numbers that didn't suck... You really can't ask for more.
I immediately thought of this joke from the Simpsons.
I haven’t seen this yet, but I feel vindicated in my original concept.
"It’s always fantastic to hear Best Pony speak, though given how slowly and dazedly she was speaking, I have to wonder if she’s dealing with the holiday stress through… herbal methods, if you will."
Huh. That would explain some things.
"Also, at this point, I’m beginning to think that Flurry’s lethality is inversely proportional to the local temperature. She’s bad at any time of year, but the winter brings out the worst in her. Her special talent is probably going to be alpine warfare."
Or she's the Destined Princess-Redeemer of the Windigos. I mean, she's got the name for it.
Cady and Shiny really should have seen Flurry at that angle, but I'm going to chalk that up to storyboarding limitations.
The really distressing thing is that Flurry understood that she had to swap herself out with an item of approximately equal mass so that Cady didn't notice (it worked). Flurry is treating her mom like that trap room at the beginning of Raiders of the Lost Ark. This goes beyond "naughty baby" and into "naughty baby with an uncomfortable amount of foresight."
And yes, it is good to see a glimpse of thrillseeker Cadance since that's firmly where my headcanon lies.
Finally, it is good to see yet more evidence that Mare of Many Hats must absolutely be canonical.
The only thing I know about G.I. Joe that's relevant is that Snake-eyes (the one in black), is one of the good guys, and never talks.
Additionally, the dolls were so creepy, that it was Discord who blasted them.
...at least... I assume he blasted them. Knowing him, he might have just sent it somewhere else.
Like under Celestia's pillow.
I haven't felt this fulfilled after watching an mlp episode in a while! Well, technically it's a special, but you get my meaning. So WARM AND FUZZY!
No! Do not plumb the show's chronology! That way lie naught but madness and migraines!
The odd thing is that the midway point is in midwinter. Either their semesters are twice as long as ours or they have odd starting points.
On that note, "Bori" is pretty similar to "Buri", the first-born of the Norse gods and Odin's grandfather.
This was a wonderfully sweet special. Everyone was in top form, the humor was on point and there were plenty of sweet moments scattered throughout. Also, the Apples-Pies combo seems to be growing into a substantial clan of its own right, even without counting the rest of AJ's family.
I loved this special. It was great to watch a slice-of-life two-parter that gave each of the Mane 6 and Spike equal attention. I wish there were more 44-minute slice-of-life episodes.
The parenting fail with Flurry Heart bothered me (it's especially disturbing that a toddler outsmarted her mother, as Skywriter pointed out), but I suppose the writer thought it would be OOC if Twilight messed up the recipe herself.
Cooking is a form of alchemy, after all.
This was pretty much my main thought.
Yay, it was a very sweet special, wasn't it?
Fedora Felt is a lovely reference to the Pistachio subplot, one of my favourites: Rarity really living up to her element. At first the name made me think it was an Equipment itself, which would also be an interesting design: like the Magemark cycle but for Equipment.
Check Twice: Wow, many references in one card!
It took me a while to see how the mechanics of Hearth's Warming Helper are meant to match the flavour, and I'm still not sure I get it. Is it meant to be rather than getting lots of random gifts, you get one gift that's just what you wanted?
That "One More Day" Song seems more suited to the similarly-named Les Miserables song o.O
Haha, great to see a reference to Discord flying his invisible aeroplane.
And bwahaha, Puddinghead's Recipe makes me want to get all the abilities now. Instant+Sorcery can be done at last thanks to Guilds of Ravnica, and Artifact+Creature is easy enough, but actually I think it needs to be Artifact+Land and Enchantment+Creature. (Of course, it's simpler to just copy the activated ability or untap the artifact between activations.)
Whoa, I love Fractal Statuette and want one! I also want to build a deck around Stress Teleportation.
Good stuff as always!