Friendship is Card Games: The Magic of Cybertron #1 & #2 · 12:04pm Jun 20th, 2021
It’s another clash of Hasbro’s titans, and I’m throwing a third into the mix. (Given the upcoming D&D crossover set, it’s only appropriate.) This time, we change up the setting; it’s ponies on Cybertron.
Issue #1
Optimus making that pose just looks so wrong.
We begin with another roll call… and Sombra’s called out. I knew about this ahead of time, but still, this bodes ill. (Also, how many times does he have to die? He’s almost as bad as Starscream.)
I appreciate the “And Spike!” on the Mane Six entry.
Huh. You know, I think this may be the first time that particualr mare has been referred to as “Vinyl Scratch” in canon. I wholeheartedly approve. Nopony’s naming their daughter “DJ-P0N3,” not unless Equestria has an Elon Musk analogue.
Also, Octavia and Vinyl are both superstars.
The comics continue to waffle on the Wonderbolts’ military status, just listing them as “high flyers.” And I have no idea why or how Scootaloo’s aunts are here.
Once again, the Transformers only get called out by faction, with Optimus as “leader” and Megatron as “warlord.” After millions of years of war, it’s all they have left.
The Magic of Cybertron
Ah, a glimpse of Equestrian fiction that… may not be based on real-life events. Hard to tell. Goblins have come up a few times, generally in an in-story fictional context. And this definitely feels like a morality play in comic form more than anything based on a true story. Villain redemptions usually take at least twice as long. 
Oh, Pinkie Pie supplied it. That makes sense.
Also, credit to Frenzy for embracing the things that make Friendship is Magic so great. In spirit, at least.
So, the Decepticons built a new multiverse-capable spacebridge. Shockwave even built a thaumic locator to detect mystic energies for collection. You might say they’re gathering ma—
Who threw that?
In any case, a magic source in the Everfree bodes ominously for the Tree of Harmony. And the source in the Crystal Mountains doesn’t even need to bode given Sombra’s entry in the dramatis personae. I suppose this generation of Transformers has never had to deal with Dark Energon.
(Also, interesting choices for the magic acquisition teams. Mindwipe is a hypnotist obsessed with communicating with the spirits of the dead. Airachnid is the exact sort of amoral, monstrous scientist who you’d expect would flourish in the Decepticons’ ranks. Not sure why the croc and the car are there, but it’s clear why some of these bots volunteered for this.
Well, at least Thundercracker is asking for magic items before firing. Though I’m not sure how the living jets plan on performing any kind of stealth mission in Equestria.
I do love the Bearers’ reactions to seeing Decepticons. AJ, Dash, and Twilight are all business. Fluttershy’s nervous. Spike’s surprised but not afraid per se. Pinkie’s excited to see friends from another universe again. And Rarity… You can hear her think “Oh, please.” Magnificent.
… 
Soarin’, I blame you. Though there’s an alternate story here with the Wonderbolts going through a natural portal to the human world. The tone of that story depends on the altitude of the other end of that portal. In any case, the ‘Bolts really are Dash’s people in this issue. And by that, I mean reckless, short-sighted idiots.
At least, they are compared to creatures who have been in active military service since before our ancestors fell out of the trees.
The layering in this first panel feels off. It looks like Spitfire’s already halfway through walking through the bars.
They took the whole dang stage with them, including the performers. That’s certainly one way to collect magic items
Heh. Faction icons are kind of like cutie marks, now that Pinkie mentions it. Though it’s more of an externally imposed destiny.
Oh my goodness, they actually went for the Unicron/unicorn pun. It’s so dumb, and yet I’m smiling.
Ah. That’s what we’re going with. Sombra’s gruesome end in “The Beginning of the End” atomized him, but did not truly destroy him. And while Twilight may have reawakened him, the Decepticons experiments would have doubtlessly revived him anyway.
Also, credit where it’s due, Sombra is smart, immediately taking the option that got him last time off the table. I’m not a big fan of Twilight getting a mind whammy when she shook it off last time, but this is a four-issue miniseries, and we need to make allowances for time. And everyone rolls nat 1s on their saves sometimes.
And he’s got Megatron as well. That can’t be good.
So… why can Sombra fly now? It’s not like he turned into a cloud of shadow or anything. He’s just a horse that has decided to ignore gravity for the time being. Ditto Pinkie Pie.
Also, asking to see “all the magic of Cybertron” will lead to a very brief tour.
Hmm. A humanoid underestimating the dangers of Equestrian magic and losing control of their mind to ominous purple energy. This does seem familiar, doesn’t it?
I have to appreciate Rarity assembling a runway of scrap so she can speak to Optimus face-to-face. Likewise the ponies forcing the two sides to work together to deal with Sombra.
A Real Mother!
Ah. That explains Holiday and Lofty’s presence on Cybertron; Scootaloo got abducted.
A pony wearing shoes on their front hooves just feels weird. On the other hand, I love how Lofty has clearly been waiting for an opportunity like this for years at minimum. Given the adventures of her in-laws, can you blame her for being a bit jealous?
That said, did we really need that many panels of Lofty getting her stretches in?
Greenlight and Arcee’s relationship has apparently been established earlier in the IDW Transformers comics. Neat.
Ponies come up to an Cybertronian’s knee in this story. Pretty sure they were smaller in the previous one, but size inconsistency is a proud tradition in Transformers fiction.
Murderking, alias Killmaster. I’m with Holiday; it’s a bit on-the-nose. Also, he has that wand even when not being controlled by extradimensional unicorns.
The fact that the phrase “demon horse-machine” makes perfect sense in this context is one of the reasons why I love this crossover.
That yarn has truly ridiculous tensile strength.
I’m not surprised that Scootaloo made friends among the young Autobots and Mini-Cons. I am surprised that she got a whole outfit in the process.
This was… odd. Fun, but odd. It feels like the end result of a random prompt generator. And after setting truly dire stakes in the first story, a random interlude with Scootaloo’s aunts of all ponies is more than a bit of a non sequitur.
Issue #2
The main cover isn’t much to write home about, but this variant is a thing of beauty.
Very few entries in the roll call this time. Though Wildwheel having switched sides is interesting.
Stunt Flying
It’s always fun to see Dash and Starscream interact, given the Death Battle. Especially since they’re challenging one another even now.
Spitfire again refusing to acknowledge that the Wonderbolts are a wing of the Equestrian military when it means actually, you know, fighting. She’ll yell at as many rookies as she likes, but actual combat is apparently a step too far.
I suppose those other enthralled ponies got here the same way Scootaloo did, though that raises the question of how she escaped Sombra's control. Also, the crystal cutie mark on one of the unicorns here is especially concerning. Also also, what is that controlled pegasus even doing during this surface-to-air bombardment?
There’s something charming in a Decepticon calling a pegasus a “flying glue bottle.”
I admit, for all that I come down on Spitfire insisting that the ‘bolts are non-combatants, it does make sense seeing some lock up amid the hail of laser fire. Whether or not they’re military, they’re definitely short on combat experience.
Meanwhile, Rainbow Dash is a high-level adventurer at this point. This maneuver may well be the first step that got her in the captain’s chair post-timeskip. (Assuming this is canon, which the first MLP/TF crossover went out of its way to say no, it isn’t. But it’s fun to think about it.)
Nice touch with the Wonderbolt motto from “Newbie Dash.” Especially since they’re shouting “Soaring higher!” while falling.
Hmm. Should Cybertron even have enough moisture for these rainclouds? I suppose there’s enough in the atmosphere that ponies don’t immediately dessicate.
So… why couldn’t the Seekers drop those net torpedoes earlier? I suppose the things getting shot out of the sky would’ve been problematic. Still, great teamwork all around.
There’s something wonderful about Starscream sparing Autobots based on the assumption that they’ll be so grateful for being rescued, they’ll serve him as the king of unified Cybertron. Truly, his ego has saved more lives than we can fathom.
And that last page. Eat scrap, Starscream.
One-Trick Pony
… Applejack, you ran through the portal. What do you mean you don’t know how you got here? I suppose she may mean this desert specifically. The question I have is how she got her outfit.
I do love how AJ’s dramatic monologue keeps getting undercut by the surreality of the situation.
So… I’m trying not to expose my ignorance on Transformers too much, but I admit that looking at the wiki only does so much. Pink alchemy being a thing would’ve been nice to know in the previous crossover, when Shockwave wanted to process ponies to extract magical energy. As such, I have to ask a sincere question about Wildwheel:
Why do giant robot have poncho on it?
I do love each character tipping their hat to the other.
You know, if Wildwheel’s beef is Applejack being on his turf, you’d think he’d be amenable to helping her get off of it. Of course, since he’s under Sombra’s control, peace was never an option.
Quickstrike!? Now we’re getting to the part of Transformers I do know. The heck is a Fuzor doing here? He’s way out of his place on the timeline.
Ohhh. Quickstrike was the one going on about Sombra’s hand. Which, now that I think about it, has some issues of its own.
There we go. Always nice to see a friendship kindled in a shared appreciation of Western aesthetic.
I do feel this works better than the previous issue’s B story. It’s still confused as to how its pony got here, but the overall flow feels more natural and less generally absurd. (Seriously, that was a lot of yarn.)
In any case, this has been wonderfully ridiculous thus far. I’m looking forward to the back hald of the crossover. Until then, let’s see what I can make out of this lovely mess.
Barometric Bomber 1W
Instant
Barometric Bomber deals 1 damage to each attacking creature.
Storm (When you cast this spell, copy it for each spell cast before it this turn.)
The Wonderbolts easily shifted their maneuvers to the original combat applications.
Mother of Threads 1W
Creature — Pony Citizen
T: Target creature you control gains protection from the card type of your choice until end of turn.
“That warlock’s wandering around town. Bring a sweater.”
1/1
Wonderbolt Creed 2W
Enchantment
Creatures you control with flying get +1/+1 and have ward 1. (Whenever a creature with flying you control becomes the target of a spell or ability an opponent controls, counter it unless that player pays 1.)
Binding Skein 3W
Enchantment — Aura
Enchant permanent
When Binding Skein enters the battlefield, scry 2.
Enchanted permanent can’t attack or block, and its activated abilities can’t activated unless they’re mana abilities.
Seeker Raid (2w)(2w)(2w)(2w)(2w)
Sorcery
Affinity for artifacts (This spell costs 1 less to cast for each artifact you control.)
Create three 2/2 colorless Decepticon artifact creature tokens with flying.
Some came for the contraband. Some were the contraband.
Sudden Reinforcements 1UU
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.)
Amass Robot artifacts 2. (Put two +1/+1 counters on an Army you control. It's also a Robot artifact. If you don’t control an Army, create a 0/0 black Robot Army artifact creature token first.)
Demanding Hijacker 4U
Artifact Creature — Decepticon
Flying
At the beginning of combat on your turn, any opponent may have you gain control of an artifact that player controls for as long as you control Demanding Hijacker. If a player does, tap Demanding Hijacker.
4/4
Struggle for Supremacy 5UUU
Sorcery
Exile a creature target opponent controls, then they exile a creature they control. Repeat this process until all creatures that player controls have been exiled. You each return the cards you exiled this way to the battlefield under your control.
Shadow of Unicron 2B
Creature — Shade
B: Shadow of Unicron gets +1/+1 until end of turn.
1B, Exile an artifact card from your graveyard: Put a +1/+1 counter on Shadow of Unicorn.
Even a suggestion of the Planet Eater holds dread power.
1/1
Inescapable Fate 2BB
Sorcery
Kicker 2B (You may pay an additional 2B to cast this spell.)
Return target creature card from your graveyard to the battlefield. If this spell was kicked, put an indestructible counter on that creature.
Even destiny kneels before Sombra.
Delusions of Royalty 3B
Enchantment
When Delusions of Royalty enters the battlefield, you gain 10 life and become the monarch.
When another player becomes the monarch, sacrifice Delusions of Royalty. If you do, you lose 10 life.
Starscream schemes. The universe laughs.
Foolhardy Wonderbolt 1R
Creature — Pegasus Soldier
Flying
Foolhardy Wonderbolt attacks each combat if able.
Whenever Foolhardy Wonderbolt attacks, roll the planar die.
“‘Go through the portal,’ you said. ‘It’ll be fun,’ you said.”
2/1
Harassing Goblin 1R
Creature — Goblin Rogue
When Harassing Goblin enters the battlefield, it deals 3 damage to up to one target creature or planeswalker that was dealt damage this turn.
Nothing makes a goblin’s day like ruining someone else’s.
2/1
Rust Storm 2RR
Sorcery
Rust Storm deals damage to each creature equal to the number of artifact cards in your graveyard.
The scouring particles tear through flesh and metal with equal ease.
Skulking Serporpion 3R
Artifact Creature — Predacon Chimera
Wither (This deals damage to creatures in the form of -1/-1 counters.)
Skulking Serporpion has first strike as long as you control a Desert or there is a Desert card in your graveyard.
Toxic in every sense.
3/2
Bot with No Name 3RR
Artifact Creature — Decepticon
When Bot with No Name enters the battlefield, clash with an opponent. When you win, Bot with No Name deals damage equal to its power to target creature or planeswalker. (Each clashing player reveals the top card of their library, then puts that card on the top or bottom. A player wins if their card had a higher mana value.)
5/4
Spotter Thrall 4R
Artifact Creature — Decepticon Drone
When Spotter Thrall enters the battlefield, amass Robot artifacts 3.
Artifact creature tokens you control have reach.
Megatron or Sombra, the troops obey.
2/2
Cybertron Trailblazer 2G
Creature — Pony Scout
When Cybertron Trailblazer enters the battlefield, search your library for an artifact land card, reveal it, put it into your hand, then shuffle.
A stranger in an exceptionally strange land.
2/2
Tumblewire 2G
Artifact Creature — Plant
Artifact landwalk (This creature can’t be blocked as long as defending player controls an artifact land.)
From the first primordial circuit, all life on Cybertron has been electronic in nature.
3/1
Frozen Phylactery 2
Snow Artifact
T: Add C
2SS, T, Sacrifice Frozen Phylactery: Return target creature card from your graveyard to the battlefield. If that creature is snow, put a +1/+1 counter on it. (S can be paid with one mana from a snow source.)
Scootaloo, Stunt Driver RW
Legendary Creature — Pegasus Pilot
Vehicle creatures you control get +1/+1.
T: Each Vehicle you control loses X points of crew until end of turn, where X is Scootaloo’s power.
The Mini-Cons soon became her third family.
1/2
Sombra Eternal 1UBR
Legendary Creature — Unicorn Wizard
Spellcraft — Whenever you cast or copy an instant or sorcery spell, amass Drones 1.
When Sombra dies, you may exile it. If you do, it gains “Whenever an opponent casts or copies an instant or sorcery spell, if Sombra is exiled, you may return it to the battlefield.”
3/4
Ensnaring Bombardment 2(wu)(wu)
Instant
Tap all creatures target player controls. Return all of those creatures that you own to your hand.
“Dropping bombs just to capture feels as unnatural as following Prime’s orders.”
—Skywarp, Decepticon seeker
Raid the Everfree 2BG
Sorcery
Reveal cards from the top of your library until you reveal a creature card, then put those cards into your graveyard. Return a creature card from your graveyard to the battlefield.
By the time the forest had adapted to the invaders, they had already left.
Hypnotic Medium 3UB
Artifact Creature — Decepticon Bat
Flying
UB: Target artifact or creature you control becomes a copy of target artifact or creature card in your graveyard until end of turn.
“Listen to my voice. Feel the bygone Spark as it connects to yours.”
2/4
Conquering Colossus 8BR
Artifact Creature — Decepticon Drone
This spell costs X less to cast, where X is the greatest power among Armies you control.
Menace, trample
“I barely needed to do anything. He was already primed to serve me.”
—King Sombra
8/8
Rust Dunes
Artifact Land — Desert
T: Add C.
Like Mirrodin, Cybertron replicates many biomes in metal. Like Mirrodin, it hides stranger things at its core.
Aetheric Reinvigoration
Phenomenon
When you encounter Aetheric Reinvigoration, each player may return a creature card from their graveyard to the battlefield. (Then planeswalk away from this phenomenon.)
I love the implication that some of the cons are actually scared of the ponies at this point.
And we've got Sombra back in action. I always enjoy cunning, intelligent villains.
Inside Baseball Alert: Oh hey, it's a ponified Mother of Runes. Bonus points for Equestria not having discovered the colors yet.
Stupid Complicated Game Alert: If Demanding Hijacker were in a real set, it'd probably be a red Dragon instead of a blue anything. Unfortunately, red doesn't get flying unless it's a dragon or phoenix.
Inside Baseball Alert: So, it turns out the original card was Illusions of Grandeur, but this was closer to the later reference anyway.
Stupid Complicated Game Alert: Unlike the above cards, you can bounce Delusions of Royalty to keep the life. At least you're not necessarily in the #1 color at doing that, though (you can still have blue in addition to black).
Stupid Complicated Game Alert: The second "when" on Bot with No Name means that your opponent can wait to bounce the target in response until after you've won the clash, and also that they can't prevent the clash itself by doing so because that's actually a separate ability with no targets. (Yes, you need to have things be separate abilities like that for the non-targeting portions to resolve when all targets are rendered illegal. There's a reason I call these what I do.)
Stupid Complicated Game Alert: I'm forced to assume that "Spotter" Thrall is also providing your 2/2 Zombie tokens with guns; the Amass token can be presumed to have them already and just forget to look up if it's the one he contributed to, although any Eternal portions of the Army probably prefer their own spellcasting.
Whoa, whoa! Hold up! You're not referring to the five-figure set that came out last year, are you? If not: do you have any details? I'll be all over this like Pinkie on Pie.
5538256
A Forgotten Realms set is replacing this year's Core.
5538258
...oh. I thought he was talking about a D&D / MLP crossover...
5538261
I was completely unaware of that, but I guess it exists too.
Regarding the Prime pose: bear in mind that, for example, in one of the G1 cartoons the barely-existent B-plot was the Autobots learning to play basketball... with a Cybertronean-sized hoop and ball. And Optimus is by far the most enthusiastic about learning the new sport.
Nine million years of war and betrayal has not entirely destroyed Orion Pax.
That one was the best
That's....actually very disturbing when you stop and think about it
It's not the poncho that made me do a legit double-take; it was the cowboy hat. I actually like the poncho.
After reading Wildwheel’s Wiki entry the hat and poncho were presumably made for him during his time on Earth possibly as a memento of his human outlaw buddies. The hard part to figure out is how they haven’t disintegrated from age and his rough lifestyle.
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Which considering that Wizards has had the rights to d&d since 1997 you would have thought they have tried it sooner. But I'm actually grateful that they are doing it now since design has evolved since then and things like Lolth would have been horrible legends back then.
Gosh! I hadn't heard of this comic! But the last one in this crossover series was fun enough that I'd be up for getting it.
...But looking online I don't see a way to buy the Kindle version. And the print one doesn't look like it's out until November. Is there a legal way to view this yet? Maybe it's one of those UK/US differences?
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I grab digital copies directly from IDW. It was tricky to find this one, since they have it listed as "My Little Pony/Transformers II." Technically accurate, but not intuitive. Here are links to the first and second issues. The third isn't out yet, but you can keep an eye on it here.