Friendship is Card Games: Legends of Magic #9 & #10 · 11:49am Mar 17th, 2019
Happy St. Patrick’s Day! Let’s see how much luck Stygian has with assembling the superteam of pony antiquity.
Issue #9: Wherein a Stallion Throws Potions at a Wall to See What Sticks
I feel like this is playing up Meadowbrook’s mask a bit. In “A Health of Information,” it seemed more like it soothed the flash bees through shape, not sorcery.
Technically speaking, swamp fever is actually one of the least deadly diseases in all of Equestria. If nothing else, the victim’s body lives through it. (At least, I hope only the body lives through it… 
)
Hang on, I thought the fungal infection was only affecting herbivores. Why is there a cat and some manner of mustelid in the group on this splash panel?
Rockhoof seems better designed for breaking a siege than defending against one, but any port in a storm.
Oh my. Somepony’s been grinding alchemy.
“Headbutting bunnies? Now you’re just making me want to open the door.” Rockhoof is great.
Huh. Didn’t realize woad grew in this swamp.
I’d think that Meadowbrook’s idiosyncratic labelling system was a result of low literacy rates in this time period, but we’ve seen her diary. I can only assume that the symbolic labels are a result of the limits of oral dexterity. It’s hard to write that small when you’re an earth pony!
I do appreciate how Stygian is far more worried about the long term effects of time-space gates than Star Swirl. And how he’s literally throwing card ideas at me.
What did you think the bull’s-head potion was going to do, Stygian?
Huh. I guess Star Swirl didn’t completely invent Meadowbrook’s ninja skills. Indeed, she confirms the town full of frog zombies.
And so, before the traveling montage, we have an eating montage. Seems fair.
Heh. Pretty sure we’re seeing some archetypal earth pony flirting: Eating mass quantities and talking about their future grandchildren. (Though I ain’t sure how to take the Scots-Norse berserker saying “ain’t.” Just because Strength is proto-Honesty doesn’t automatically make him Southern.)
Also, interesting to see how Stygian’s already fading into the background. Even when he’s not preoccupied by thoughts of home, he sees himself as a gnat among titans, and that belief denies any efforts he might make to disprove it.
Oof. You know the editing had a few issues when Rockhoof refers to his own organization by the wrong name.
Ah, interservice rivalry. My uncle was is a Marine and my grandfather was in the Air Force, so I’m well familiar with this sort of thing. That said, from the sound of it, the Royal Legion and Mighty Helm are apparently supposed to be two branches of the same military? Definitely wasn’t getting that impression before.
“Hay Garrick? Mare E. Allen? Whinny West?” Heh. Different kind of Flash, Rockhoof.
Rockhoof should avoid referring to himself in the third person before he learns what he’s up against.
Also, it is really weird to see completely legless dragons. Seriously, some of those things are snakes with wings.
Issue #10: Wherein Many Ponies and Genres are Terribly Confused
Seriously, Rockhoof is great. This won’t do much to boost Stygian’s self-esteem, but hearing pony Brian Blessed tear a strip off of Flash and the dragon commander both is fantastic. Especially since he actually unites pegasus and dragon in being weirded out by him.
Ah. Apparently the Legion really is ancient Equestria’s air force. And sirens are strictly a navy problem.
Wait, if the dragons were coming down with a disease that made them lose their wings, then why were some of them missing every other limb?
Also, poor Flash. Denied glorious combat through a well-meaning medicine mare. (Also, a very Fluttershy-esque solution from Meadowbrook. Nice.)
Ooh, nice continuity with the cherufe. And I do like Rockhoof assigning the right ponies for the job. He’s lieutenant commander of the Helm for a reason.
“Just to be sure I didn’t spill one of my potions…” Meadowbrook apparently brought some recreational concoctions with her…
Wait, mummies are only legendary in this region? Do southern ponies not preserve their dead?
I mean, by Magic logic, mummies are a form of zombie, but I see what Stygian means. 
Apparently glopaz can turn you into a living meteor. Who knew?
Somnambula’s irrepressible optimism is still great. Lower key than Pinkie, but still quite enjoyable.
And that’s how Somnambula invented the Fastball Special.
Wow. Prince Hisan gets to almost as much peril as Princess Peach. Though there’s a much greater variety to it. Far less kidnapping.
Somnambula has apparently a read fair amount of comics, to say nothing of a finely refined sense of dramatic irony. Apparently being a pink pony with proto-Laughter powers caries certain consequences.
Poor Hisan is so confused. And he doesn’t even get to say goodbye. And there’s no guarantee that that unknown enemy won’t continue their efforts to destroy him… though the village does at least persist until the modern day. Granted, there still could’ve been a few usurpations along the way.
Huh. Shades of Sci-Twi in Principal Celestia’s greenhouse on that last page. This should be quite interesting.
Not much to say in summary; we’re in the middle of a larger arc. Still, good action and good demonstrations of how the group gels together.
Now onto the pot of gold. And monocolored cards:
Blazing Hope 2W
Instant
Fateful hour — If you have 5 or less life, you may cast this spell without paying its mana cost.
Target blocking creature gets +7/+7 and gains lifelink until end of turn.
Some flames never go out.
Legion Home Guard 3W
Creature — Pegasus Soldier
Flying, vigilance, lifelink
Skirmish 1W (Whenever this creature attacks, you may pay 1W. If you do, create a token copy of it that’s tapped and attacking. Exile the token at end of combat.)
Less glorious than the front lines, but no less important.
2/3
Peaceful Conclusion 3W
Instant
Prevent all combat damage that would be dealt this turn. Put a +1/+1 counter on each creature you control that’s attacking or blocking.
“Isn’t it nice when we can work things out pleasant-like?”
—Meadowbrook, Pillar of Healing
Vizier of Allocation 4WW
Creature — Pony Cleric
When Vizier of Allocation enters the battlefield, create two 2/2 black Zombie creature tokens.
Embalm 6W (6W, Exile this card from your graveyard: Create a token that’s a copy of it, except it’s a white Zombie Pony Cleric with no mana cost. Emblam only as a sorcery.)
2/3
Confusion Potion U
Instant
Choose one or both —
• Tap target creature.
• Switch target creature’s power and toughness until end of turn.
It’s hard to fight when giant flaming eggplants keep distracting you.
Frost Shock 1U
Instant
Kicker 2R (You may pay an additional 2R as you cast this spell.)
Tap up to one target artifact and up to one target creature. If this spell was kicked, destroy the artifact and Frost Shock deals 2 damage to the creature.
Cliff Terror 2U
Creature — Drake
Flying
Cliff Terror has menace as long as you control a red permanent.
No one was sure if the armless creatures were infected dragons or just tagalongs.
2/2
Heroic Huddle 3U
Sorcery
Scry X, where X is the number of legendary creatures you control, then draw two cards.
Even before the Pillars were fully assembled, they began pooling their collected knowledge and experience to better vanquish evil.
Lost in the Bog BBB
Sorcery
Nonblack creatures get -2/-2 until end of turn.
The Hayseed Swamps are not a place for the casual explorer. Those who don’t simply vanish into the mist and mire still have to deal with the locals.
Acid Splash 2B
Instant
Put a -1/-1 counter on target creature an opponent controls. Creatures that player controls get -1/-1 until end of turn.
All the bitterness of the bog in a convenient, portable package.
Grim Portent 3B
Sorcery
Reveal the top card of your library and put it into your hand. Each opponent loses life equal to that card’s converted mana cost.
“Yes, I’m sure this team will face no misunderstandings whatsoever!”
—Somnambula, Pillar of Hope
Shambling Nightmare 3BB
Creature — Nightmare Zombie
When Shambling Nightmare enters the battlefield, put target creature card from an opponent’s graveyard to the battlefield under your control. That creature is a black Zombie in addition to its other colors and types.
When Shambling Nightmare leaves the battlefield, that creature’s controller sacrifices it.
3/2
Blistering Invective 1R
Instant
Blistering Invective deals 2 damage to target creature. That creature attacks this turn if able.
A few choice words from the Mighty Helm can knock most pegasi out of the air and send the rest down seeking revenge.
Legion Speedster 2R
Creature — Pegasus Soldier
Flying, haste
Skirmish R
The battle was won before the griffin commander had left his tent.
2/1
Cauldron Dump 4R
Sorcery
Cauldron Dump deals X damage to each creature, where X is the number of instant and sorcery cards in your graveyard.
“Careful, now. Even I don’t remember what all I put in there.”
—Meadowbrook, Pillar of Healing
Poorly Labeled Potions XXRR
Sorcery
Reveal cards from the top of your library until you reveal X instant and/or sorcery cards. Cast as many of those cards as able without paying their mana costs, then put the rest of the revealed cards on the bottom of your library in a random order.
Miracle XRR You may cast this card for its miracle cost when you draw it if it's the first card you drew this turn.)
Lapine Lowlander GG
Creature — Rabbit Warrior
Lapine Lowlander enters the battlefield with a +1/+1 counter on it if you control no other creatures named Lapine Lowlander and have no cards in your graveyard named Lapine Lowlander.
There should be only one.
2/2
Arboreal Eruption 1G
Sorcery
Reveal the top four cards of your library. Put all land cards revealed this way in your hand and the rest into your graveyard.
Awaken 3 — 2GG (If you cast this spell for 2GG, also put three +1/+1 counters on target land you control and it becomes a 0/0 Elemental creature with haste. It’s still a land.)
Battering Rabbits 3G
Creature — Rabbit Mutant
Whenever Battering Rabbits becomes the target of a spell, it gets +3/+3 until end of turn.
“This is why you don’t just dump out old potions with the dishwater.”
—Meadowbrook, Pillar of Healing
3/3
Interservice Rivalry 1RW
Enchantment
Red creatures you control get +0/+1 and have vigilance.
White creatures you control get +1/+0 and have menace.
Competing branches of the military bring out the best and worst in one another.
Decaying Dragon 2BR
Creature — Dragon
At the beginning of each upkeep, if Decaying Dragon attacked or blocked last turn, put a -1/-1 counter on it.
Decaying Dragon has flying as long as it has one or fewer -1/-1 counters on it.
His pride is the one part of him that’s still intact.
5/5
🍺
Oh dear God, now I'm seeing Angel Bunny as Duncan McCloud
As it happens, that wasn't actually that uncommon a look for mythological and heraldic dragons! After all, dragons started out as simply really big snakes in myth -- legs and fire and all the rest cam a fair bit later. "Wyvern" and "viper" derive from the same root word -- vipera, from which "wyvern" derives through the French word vouivre -- and the word "python" used to be the personal name of one specific dragon from Greek myth. Take also the depiction of the dragons that pulled Medea's chariot:
upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5b/M26.1BDrakones.jpg
This has been your pointless mythological trivia of the day!
On reflection, I think I know why I was so lukewarm on Somnambula's appearances in this series. I think it's because of her homeland, Southern Equestria. Most of Equestria maps really well to North America. You've got all the American city names, you've got Vanhoover and a whole load of ice in the north, the south end of the map has swamps, jungles, and ancient Mesoamerican temples, and there's a desert area that seems to map well to California and the American southwest. But then, slap-bang in the middle of it all, with no regard for theme or placement, there's pony Egypt. That just bothers me on a fundamental level. It's one of my least favourite things about the MLP of recent years, and Somnambula reminds me of it every time she turns up.
>Potion of Confusion
Not going for the Munchkin joke?