Friendship is Card Games: Imposing Sovereigns I · 12:19pm Jan 26th, 2020
We’re doing something a little different this week. Horizon’s encouraged me to make cards out of the entries to the second Imposing Sovereigns contest, and I do plan on doing that. But first, I’m going to address the entries in the first one. Each story is linked in the appropriate card's name. See here for an easier to process list of what goes with what.
Mirror Summons 1W
Sorcery
Search your library for a Human card, reveal it, and put it into your hand. Then shuffle your library.
"It's quite like fishing. Different lures will attract different catches, which are then collected and… utilized.”
—Princess Celestia
Prairie Haka 1W
Instant
Multikicker 1W (You may pay an additional 1W any number of times as you cast this spell.)
Creatures you control get +X/+X until end of turn, where X is 1 plus the number of times this spell was kicked.
Music is one of equinity’s oldest legacies.
Altar of Old Stone 2W
Enchantment
Other creatures you control get +0/+1.
As long as a creature is attacking you or a planeswalker you control, Altar of Old Stone is a 1/7 Spirit creature in addition to its other types.
Poetry was one of the first commonalities Sunset found between the worlds.
Celestia’s Legacy 2W
Sorcery
Create a 2/1 white Unicorn creature token with lifelink.
Retrace (You may cast this card from your graveyard by discarding a land card in addition to paying its other costs.)
There are many forms of immortality.
Crystal Ruins Expedition 2W
Enchantment
Landfall — Whenever a land enters the battlefield under your control, put a quest counter on Crystal Ruins Expedition.
Remove three quest counters from Crystal Ruins Expedition and sacrifice it: Return target artifact or enchantment card from your graveyard to the battlefield.
Questing Princess 2W
Creature — Unicorn Noble
First strike, lifelink
True nobility isn’t afraid to get its hooves dirty.
2/1
Persevere W
Instant — Adventure
Target creature gains indestructible until end of turn. (Then exile this card. You may cast the creature later from exile.)
Tyrannical Temptation 3WW
Instant
Choose one —
• Return to the battlefield all creature cards that were put into your graveyard from the battlefield this turn.
• Destroy all creatures that dealt damage to permanents you controlled this turn.
Political Puppetry 1UU
Sorcery
Tap all creatures target player controls. If that player is the monarch, those creatures don’t untap during their next untap step.
”The nobility all happily dance to my tune. If only Clover could see why she should too.”
—Princess Platinum
Walls of Fort Libris 1UU
Creature — Wall
Defender
Walls of Fort Libris’s toughness is equal to the number of cards in your hand.
Whenever Walls of Fort Libris blocks, draw a card.
Some walls are more storied than others.
1/*
Procedural Approach 2U
Sorcery
Draw three cards, then discard two cards unless you discard a blue card.
The scientific method served Twilight well in the laboratory… and much less well at parties.
Eidolon of Sorcery 2UU
Enchantment Creature — Unicorn Spirit
Instant and sorcery spells you cast cost 1 less to cast.
Star Swirl could not follow Celestia into eternity, and thus left her a way to consult him after the inevitable.
3/3
Canterlot Defenders 3U
Creature — Unicorn Wizard
Prowess (Whenever you cast a noncreature spell, this creature gets +1/+1 until end of turn.)
After her new friends abandoned her, Twilight remembered she had old ones.
2/4
War of Ideas 3U
Enchantment
When War of Ideas enters the battlefield, you become the monarch.
At the beginning of your upkeep, scry 1. if you have more cards in hand than each opponent, scry 2 instead.
The stakes are the highest they could be, for both sides fight for the future.
Willing Delusion 3U
Enchantment
Creatures you control get +1/+1 and have hexproof.
When you’re dealt damage or become the target of a spell, sacrifice Willing Delusion.
Flurry led the Empire to untold prosperity… since nopony sane could tell.
Imperial Claim 4U
Enchantment — Aura
Enchant creature
When Imperial Claim enters the battlefield, you become the monarch.
You control enchanted creature as long as you’re the monarch.
The princess and the land are one. Sometimes literally.
Bitter Betrayal BB
Sorcery
Each opponent loses life equal to the greatest power among creatures they control.
“Sunset’s taught me so much! She’s the best friend I could ask for.”
—Lemon Hearts, unicorn student
Nightclub Diplomacy 1B
Instant
Destroy target creature. Its controller gains 4 life.
“I’m not here to ruin anypony’s good time. Not unless they were planning on ruining mine.”
—Princess Flurry Heart
Puparia's Guidance 1B
Enchantment
At the beginning of your upkeep, sacrifice Puparia’s Guidance unless you sacrifice a creature.
At the beginning of your end step, draw a card.
“My mother taught me everything I needed to rule.”
—Queen Chrysalis
Changeling Successor 3B
Creature — Shapeshifter Noble
When Changeling Successor enters the battlefield, you become the monarch and each player sacrifices a creature.
With Queen Enap dead, her last brood scrambled for dominance.
2/2
Dark Reign 3B
Enchantment
Black creatures you control get +1/+0 and have menace.
“This is no nightmare, little alicorn. You are the dreamer. And we are coming to awaken you.”
—Luna, to Twilight Sparkle
Arawn, Lord of Blood 3BB
Legendary Creature — Pony Vampire
Whenever a nonlegendary creature dealt damage by Arawn, Lord of Blood this turn dies, return that creature to the battlefield under your control. It’s a Vampire in addition to its other types.
Nothing lies in Tartarus without reason.
5/4
Suncrystal Flareblades 1RR
Artifact — Equipment
Equipped creature has double strike and “2R: This creature gets +1/+0 until end of turn.”
Equip 2
Forged by the Sunmother herself, Princess Sunset’s weapons of choice are as deadly as she.
Regal Bloodseeker 3R
Creature — Unicorn Noble Berserker
Menace
Dethrone (Whenever this creature attacks the player with the most life or tied for most life, put a +1/+1 counter on it.)
No princess worth her crown can tolerate a higher authority.
2/3
Eternal Struggle 3RR
Sorcery
Target creature you control fights target creature you don’t control. Exile Eternal Struggle with three time counters on it.
Suspend 3—2R (Rather than cast this card from your hand, you may pay 2R and exile it with three time counters on it. At the beginning of your upkeep, remove a time counter. When the last is removed, cast it without paying its mana cost.)
Watch it Burn 3RR
Sorcery
Watch it Burn deals damage to target player equal to the number of lands that player controls. Destroy target land they control.
“Canterlot was the crown jewel of Equestria. Now look at it.”
—Sky Stinger, to Rainbow Dash
The Minotaur King 4RR
Legendary Creature — Minotaur Warrior
Whenever another creature or planeswalker enters the battlefield, The Minotaur King deals 2 damage to it.
When asked for his name, his only answer is a neck-snapping backhand.
6/5
Ruinous Fire-Serpent X
(R) Creature — Elemental Snake
Spend only red mana on X. X can’t be 0.
Trample, haste
When Ruinous Fire-Serpent enters the battlefield, it gets +X/+0 until end of turn.
At the beginning of the end step, sacrifice Ruinous Fire-Serpent.
2/1
Numerical Advantage 2G
Enchantment
At the beginning of your upkeep, if you control more nonland permanents than each other player, draw a card.
Flurry didn’t care that she had bigger cookies. Taffy still had more.
Terraform 2GG
Sorcery
Search your library for up to three basic land cards, reveal them, and put them into your hand. Then shuffle your library. You may play an additional land this turn.
A star pony’s first sunrise brings waves of new life.
Twilight's Perambulation 3G
Sorcery
Reveal the top four cards of your library. You may put up to two permanent cards revealed this way into your hand. Put the rest on the bottom of your library in a random order.
There’s always more to discover.
Apple Family Debtor 1WB
Creature — Pony Citizen
Extort (Whenever you cast a spell, you may pay (wb). If you do, each opponent loses 1 life and you gain that much life.)
Afterlife 1 (When this creature dies, create a 1/1 white and black Spirit creature token with flying.)
An Apple’s favorite hobby is complaining about taxes.
2/2
Luna, Mistress of Spycraft 3UB
Legendary Creature — Noble Rogue
Alicorn (This card is also a Pony Pegasus Unicorn.)
Flying
When Luna enters the battlefield, surveil X, where X is the number of Ponies, Pegasi, and/or Unicorns you control. (To surveil X, look at the top X cards of your library, then put any number of them into your graveyard and the rest on top of your library in any order.)
2UB: Exile Luna. Return it to the battlefield at the beginning of the next end step.
3/3
Cunning Optimist 3UR
Creature — Dragon
Flying
At the beginning of your draw step, each player draws a card.
Whenever Cunning Optimist attacks, it gets +1/+0 for each card in defending player’s hand.
The original Draconic term more accurately translates to “stark raving mad.”
3/3
Gala Stampede 3RG
Sorcery
Until end of turn, creatures you control get +2/+2 and gain trample and dethrone.
Many ponies saw the incident as a striking political statement. Fluttershy couldn’t bear to admit the truth.
Sunset, the Dichotomy 3RWB
Legendary Creature — Angel Demon
Alicorn
Flying, lifelink
3, Pay X life: Gain control of target creature with converted mana cost X until end of turn. Untap that creature. It gains haste until end of turn. Activate this ability only any time you could cast a sorcery.
4/4
Macintosh, Vox Populi 4GW
Legendary Creature — Advisor
Alicorn
Flying
As Macintosh, Vox Populi enters the battlefield, choose eeyup or eenope.
• Eeyup — Creature spells you cast cost 2 less to cast.
• Eenope — Noncreature spells your opponents cast cost 2 more to cast.
5/5
I love this.
Awww. Mine's not there!
Sadness.
5192340
Glad to hear it! I briefly considered making the fabled sword Name To Be Determined, but Pumpkin seemed perfectly suited to a storybook card.
5192341
Everything in the IS1 folder got a card. In your case, Celestia's Legacy. It makes so many white unicorns.
5192343
So, my work doesn't qualify then.
5192343
*happy hoof clapping!!!*
Weird note: Aragon is probably well-read enough to agree with me that The Minotaur King's real name is Asterius. (With all the humans non-existent, the throne defaults to the bastard child that remains)
Stupid Complicated Game Alert: No part of Eternal Struggle's effect is optional. If both you and someone else control a creature, one of yours has to fight one of theirs, even if you're playing Two-Headed Giant and that other person is your own teammate. On the other hand, if you don't have a legal fight to make, eternity is revealed to be shorter than anticipated and it goes to the graveyard instead of resolving the rest of its effect.
Inside Baseball Alert: Eidolon of Sorcery is a reference to Theros stuff, which are of course still pretty fresh in FoME's mind.
But of course.
My card is a tad anticlimactic as a riff on Compulsive Research, but overall these are great.
Cunning Optimist is a brilliant take on my fic. Spread the wealth, then grow the hoard! Not that I expected any less from you.
It would, of course, go straight into my Nekusar group hug/chaos (until people force my hand and the game has to end) deck.
5192344
Sorry, no.
5192352
Recursive Chess* Alert: Altar of Old Stone references Kami of Old Stone because QueenMoriarty slipped the flavor text into The Principal's Project.
* Like inside baseball, but more so.
As for Eidolon of Sorcery, Star Swirl's mind is in a weird pocket dimension adjacent to the dream world in that story, which is about as close to Nyx as pony can get without involving alicorn OCs.
5192377
Sorry it came out underwhelming. The Floozy stories weren't the easiest to work with, especially in terms of keeping things work-safe, and "socially incompetent flailing" isn't the easiest concept to communicate through card games. So I went with something that works a lot better with intellectual pursuits than a party a satyr would be happy to attend, much like Twilight herself.
5192399
Glad you liked it! I personally like the implication that Niv-Mizzet is also a cunning optimist.
Wow. Such cool and evocative designs. These cards make me really really want to read most of these fics now...
5192416
Something referencing how out of place Twilight was could have worked:
Fish Out of Water 1BB
Enchantment
Creatures that don't share a color with at least one other creature on the battlefield get -1/-1.
Twilight Sparkle fit in at the frat party about as well as Ajani did on Kaladesh.
This is all sorts of fun!
Aw, thanks for doing this!
Belated hurrah! Great to see these coming to fruition.
5199835
Funny that you commented on these now. Tomorrow will see the next round come to fruition in turn.