Friendship is Card Games: Most Delightful Ponidox · 1:18pm Nov 22nd, 2020
Another contest in the books means another blog to commemorate all the entries. Let’s see how it all fares. See here for an easy-to-parse list of what inspired what. And remember, names have to match exactly for the “legend rule” to apply, so self paradoxes are easy in Magic.
Pact of the Sun 0
(W) Instant
Put an divinity counter on target creature. It gains flying, lifelink, and indestructible.
At the beginning of your next upkeep, pay 3WW. If you don’t, you lose the game.
The first contract remains unbroken.
Nick of Time 1W
Instant
Split second (As long as this spell is on the stack, players can't cast spells or activate abilities that aren't mana abilities.)
Target creature gains indestructible until end of turn.
Tragedy in one timeline can lead to salvation in another.
Sweetfeather Friendship 1W
Sorcery
Create a 1/1 white Pegasus creature token with flying and a 1/1 white Human creature token.
Like much of Fluttershy’s life, the meeting was quiet, calm, and held massive later ramifications.
Irreconcilable Similarities 2W
Sorcery
All nonland permanents become legendary until end of turn.
Few things are more cathartic than a mirror image you can punch.
Big-Hearted Medium 2WW
Creature — Pegasus Cleric
Flying
Morbid — When Big-Hearted Medium enters the battlefield, if a creature died this turn, create two 1/1 white Spirit creature tokens with flying.
“One eye on the living, one eye on the dead.”
2/2
Mundane Counterpart 2WW
Sorcery
Exile target creature. Its controller creates a 1/1 white Human creature token.
“Uh, no, you’re looking for the superhero unicorn pop star.”
—Sunset Shimmer of Pedestria
Transitory Ruler 2WW
Creature — Noble
Alicorn (This is also a Pony Pegasus Unicorn.)
Flying, indestructible
Vanishing 3 (This creature enters the battlefield with three time counters on it. At the beginning of your upkeep, remove a time counter from it. When the last is removed, sacrifice it.)
Nopony reigns forever.
4/3
Nacreous Transmutation 1U
Instant
Until end of turn, target creature has base power and toughness 3/3 and becomes the creature type of your choice.
A shard of Novo’s pearl can adapt a creature to any biome, including Canterlot.
Worldline Hopper 2U
Creature — Human Artificer Rogue
Whenever Worldline Hopper attacks, you may roll the planar die.
Worldline Hopper can’t be blocked as long as you’ve planeswalked this turn.
Approaching problems from unusual angles often helps.
3/1
Crystal Prep Designer 3U
Creature — Human Artificer
Exploit (When this creature enters the battlefield, you may sacrifice a creature.)
When Crystal Prep Designer exploits a creature, search your library for an artifact card, reveal it, and put it into your hand. Then shuffle your library.
2/4
Self-Reflection 3U
Instant
Draw two cards. If you control two or more nontoken creatures with the same name as one another, draw three cards instead.
Cadence needed someone who knew her well, yet offered an outside perspective. Cadence was happy to provide.
Capture Clone 3UU
Creature — Shapeshifter
You may have Capture Clone enter the battlefield as a copy of any creature on the battlefield. When you do, tap the copied creature and it doesn’t untap during its controller’s untap step for as long as you control Capture Clone.
0/0
Mirror-Match Liaison 4U
Creature — Human Advisor
When Mirror-Match Liaison enters the battlefield, create a token that’s a copy of target creature you control not named Mirror-Match Liaison.
“I’m sure you two have a lot to talk about.”
2/2
Untouchable Socialite 2B
Creature — Unicorn Rogue
When Untouchable Socialite dies, each opponent who controlled a spell or ability that targeted it this turn or a source that dealt damage to it this turn loses 4 life.
“Muss one hair in my mane, darling, and I will destroy you.”
2/2
Destined Heir 3B
Creature — Shapeshifter Noble
When Destined Heir enters the battlefield, you become the monarch.
Whenever an opponent becomes the monarch, Destined Heir phases out until you become the monarch. (While it’s phased out, it’s treated as though it doesn’t exist.)
4/4
Asylum Demon 6B
Creature — Demon
Madness 3BB (If you discard this card, discard it into exile. When you do, cast it for its madness cost or put it into your graveyard.)
It’s not clear whether he’s an inmate or a warden. He came with the place.
6/6
Aging Familiar R
Creature — Hound
Aging Familiar can’t attack or block alone.
4RR: Transform Aging Familiar.
Years of loyalty deserve a reward…
2/1
Ancient Dragon
(R) Creature — Dragon
When this creature transforms into Ancient Dragon, it deals 5 damage to you.
Flying, menace, trample
… but it’s best to ask before giving it.
5/4
Underworld Cookbook R
Artifact
When Underworld Cookbook enters the battlefield, you may discard a card. When you do, Underworld Cookbook deals 5 damage to target creature.
5R, T: Underworld Cookbook deals 5 damage to target creature.
Disaffected Youth 1R
Creature — Human
Disaffected Youth can’t be the target of spells or abilities you control.
“I wouldn’t wish puberty on my worst enemy.”
—Princess Twilight Sparkle
3/1
Sunset, Weaponizer 2R
Legendary Creature — Human Artificer
Whenever Sunset, Weaponizer attacks, gain control of target artifact defending player controls until end of turn. If that artifact is an Equipment, attach it to Sunset.
2R, Sacrifice an artifact: Choose one —
• Create a 2/2 colorless Construct artifact creature token.
• Put two +1/+1 counters on target artifact creature.
2/2
Curbstomp 3G
Sorcery
Target creature you control deals damage equal to its power to each of up to two target creatures you don’t control.
The Dazzlings were ready for any number of devious plots and cunning schemes. Sunset punched them a lot.
Star Swirl the Shaven 3GG
Legendary Creature — Unicorn Monk
Trample
Star Swirl the Shaven gets +1/+1 for each card type among cards in your graveyard.
Partner (You can have two commanders if both have partner.)
“I have done my part. Let Clover carry wizardry forward.”
3/3
Oleaginous Anomaly 4G
Creature — Bear Ooze Horror
Reach, trample
At the beginning of your upkeep, put a +1/+1 counter on Oleaginous Anomaly.
Temporal resonance can beckon all manner of monstrosities into saner space.
3/3
Interplanar Scissors 3
Artifact
4, T, Exile a land you control: You may put a permanent card from your hand onto the battlefield.
“What are a few holes in reality between friends?”
—Discord
The Cold Vacuum of Zpeis 4
Legendary Snow Artifact
S, T: Tap target creature. Move all counters from that creature onto The Cold Vacuum of Zpeis. (S can be paid with one mana from a snow source.)
2S, T: Move any number of counters from The Cold Vacuum onto target snow creature.
Find the Bright Side WB
Instant
As an additional cost to cast this spell, sacrifice a creature or enchantment.
Draw two cards. You gain 5 life.
“Everypony has bad days, even me. But they don’t last forever.”
—Pinkie Pie, Bearer of Laughter
Lethemancer’s Spite UB
Sorcery
Target player mills six cards. Exile all cards from that player’s graveyard.
Clover defeated Tenebrous Pact, but her final spell left him a hollow shell of the stallion he’d been.
Squandered Talent UB
Enchantment — Aura
Enchant creature
Enchanted creature gets -2/-2 and loses all abilities.
“When you’re young and stupid, you feel immortal as Celestia. Then reality sets you straight.”
—Lightning Dust
Ditzy, the Infinite 1UR
Legendary Planeswalker — Ditzy
+1: Add U or R.
-3: Create a token that’s a copy of Ditzy, the Infinite, except she’s not legendary and her starting loyalty is 1.
-7: Exile the top seven cards of your library. You may cast any number of nonland cards exiled this way without paying their mana costs.
3
Sunmane Outfitter 1RW
Creature — Human Artificer
Red creatures you control and equipped creatures you control have trample.
White creatures you control and enchanted creatures you control have lifelink.
“I have just the look for you.”
2/2
Ageless Archivist 2GW
Enchantment Creature — Unicorn Advisor
Whenever another nontoken creature dies, exile that card from its owner’s graveyard. That player gains 2 life.
“It is time to meet your fate.”
3/4
Lyra, Combine Renegade 2GU
Legendary Creature — Unicorn Human
Hexproof
Humans you own can be the targets of spells with mutate as though they weren’t Humans.
“I promised to make no new life. This is modifying what’s already there.”
3/3
Starlight, Ponyville Tyrant 3WU
Legendary Creature — Unicorn Wizard
When you cast this spell, turn up to X target nontoken creatures face down, where X is the number of face-down creatures you control as you cast it. (Those creatures are 2/2.)
Forecast—1WU, Reveal Starlight from your hand: Manifest the top card of your library. (Put it onto the battlefield face down as a 2/2 creature. Turn it face up at any time for its mana cost if it’s a creature card. Activate this ability only during your upkeep and only once each turn.)
3/3
Haunting Analogue 3UB
Creature — Human
You may have Haunting Analogue enter the battlefield as a copy of any creature card in a graveyard, except it’s still a Human and gains menace.
Ghosts wear ape faces in another world.
0/0
Now I wish I’d come up with something like this for my roleswap contest. (Though I’m not into Magic: The Gathering.) Speaking of which, I’m going to do another one next year, probably in the summer. Would you be interested in contributing?
Woo! Yeah! That was the loophole I was thinking about / obliquely hinting at in my story! Right on the mark with the flavor text of Combine Renegade!
Great phrasing!
...
And now I should probably read through my ponidox backlog!
Lots of clone effects this week, but the prompt kind of asks for it.
Stupid Complicated Game Alert: Lethemancer's Spite will trigger anything that cares about sending things from the library to the graveyard, but those triggers won't actually resolve until after their entire graveyard is exiled. Which does in fact include the six cards you just put there, to be clear.
Crystal Prep Designer's flavor is perfect. Also, Asmoranomardicadaistinaculdacar card when?
I wish I knew enough about card games in general to understand what all the stats do and how useful the card would be, but these are fun descriptions to read. I do like the idea that Derpy can rehabilitate dead creatures.
5402829
At the rate it's going, I'll probably be able to participate with the story I wanted to write for this year's contest.
5402843
There's a lot of great stuff to be found in the entries. And I'm glad to get an excuse to use that particular ability.
5402912
I suspect the only reason they didn't show up in Commander Legends is because Wizards couldn't put two-line name boxes in a black-bordered set. Or WotC's just made of cowards.
5402950
That particular Best Pony makes for an imposing one-card air force if you can reliably get a creature killed (which is not at all difficult for the right deck.) Feel free to ask about any of the other cards on display; I'm happy to answer your questions.
5403033
Oh it fits. You just have to make them a 1 drop.
Would probably run my story's card in any deck that doesn't want to reanimate my opponent's stuff.
For a second there, I thought Sun Pact would be mine for some reason. But I guess making Star Swirl a fairer Tarmogoyf works better.
Excellent choice, wouldn't have had it any other way, flavour text was finger-lickin' good as well. Though you know in future sets that Star Swirl would have to be a transforming/flipping card, obviously. With the implication that in that world, it's Star Swirl who eventually becomes the Pony of Shadows and goes full warlock.