Friendship is Card Games: The One Where Pinkie Pie Knows · 11:29am Oct 18th, 2015
A silly title. Pinkie’s known about us since the series premiere.
What? Oh. Never mind. 
This was the first episode written by G. M. Berrow, the author of several Friendship is Magic chapter books. She’s the one who brought us things like the story of Cadence’s ascension and the canon names of Pinkie’s family. (Personally, I still prefer the Pac-Man formula, even if Maud ruins it. Besides, Cloudy Quartz and Igneous Rock naming all four of their foals “Pie” just highlights how bizarre pony naming conventions are.)
I have to say, there’s something surreally beautiful about the author of a bunch of grade-school-level books writing a story that is tangentially about intercourse.
Ooh, Pound and Pumpkin are out of diapers. I'd noticed that in “Crusaders of the Lost Mark,” but here it’s clear that the animators didn’t just forget them. Also, it seems that pony foals are toilet trained before they speak. At least, these two are. “Apple Family Reunion” indicated the opposite. I suppose they’re roughly simultaneous on average.
Huh. So much for tension and mystery. Let’s just put the secret out there from the word “Go.” Granted, keeping it a secret from the audience would’ve been tricky, but it also would’ve been nice to at least make the attempt. Maybe if Pinkie had been flailing in the background, similar to her behavior in “Swarm of the Century.”
Really, I’m split on the conflict. On the one hand, it revolves around Pinkie needing to keep quiet, which is rather amusing. On the other, who’s successfully arranged countless surprise parties? Who said that betraying a friend’s trust is the fastest way to lose that friend FOREVER? We even know that she’s arranged at least one foal shower, the Cakes’. This surprise probably surpasses any secret Pinkie's had to keep before in terms of sheer magnitude, but I'm still not sure how I feel about the concept.
“Miss Pie”? Awfully formal there, Rarity.
I do like seeing the Mane Six together as a Council of Friendship.
It’s kind of sad that Shining Armor got some of his best character building, not just in this episode but in the show, while offscreen. Still, neat to get some deeper insight into him through his colthood interests, including his own preferred literary hero and plush toy.
Really? Have Spike incinerate Action Comics #1? Really? Sure, let’s have a callback to one of the worst episodes of Season 1 and perform utmost nerd sacrilege in the process! 
(On a less irate note, it's interesting to note that Supermane is an alicorn, especially since the earliest version of Superman couldn’t actually fly.)
I like the cake wagon. Same design as the pie wagon from “Somepony to Watch Over Me,” which makes sense.
Wow. There’s tempting fate, and then there’s explaining in exhaustive detail precisely how you want it to screw you over.
Yes. This pleases FanOfMostEverything.
Bored Crusaders. That is very much not good. The episode after that major a paradigm shift, you need to show that the change was positive, otherwise you feed the faction that focuses on the negative. At least, that’s what I thought when I wrote this on Saturday afternoon. Going by the reactions thus far, I appear to be the only person concerned about that. At least, the only person in my feed. Huh.
So… was that Fluttershy-colored Groucho Marx?
I did enjoy the Antisocial Polka montage. There’s also a fair amount to take in. Crossbows are canon, for example.
Dang. Look out, Party Favor. And Amethyst Star, for that matter. Those party dossiers don’t organize themselves.
Also, given his infiltration abilities, I think Featherweight may actually already know. (Also, whoa, Featherweight spoke! He didn’t even get to speak in “Slice of Life”!)
Wow. Pinkie is under so much stress that she’s having flashbacks to when Discord broke her. That is very much not good.
Hmm. So, is Maretonia en route to Ponyville from the Crystal Empire or what? It's not on the revised map.
It is nice to see Shining Armor interact with someone other than Cadence and Twilight.
It’s also nice to see that adorkability runs in the family.
Huh. Applejack had different eyes as a baby than the Cake twins. And as herself in that "Apple Family Reunion" flashback. Odd.
Is it just me, or was the horse noise density in this episode unusually high? Between Shining Armor’s geek-out and Pinkie at the final scene, you’d think the translator was giving out.
What the actual crap, Pinkie. Look, I am okay with any amount of hyperelasticity, but a pony physically falling to pieces, even Pinkie Pie, is asking a bit much.
So, in all… you can tell this was a first attempt at an episode of the show. The story doesn’t feel very cohesive. It’s like Berrow was trying to write a tiny story arc to fit in between each pair of commercial breaks. Plus, the dramatic tension was killed even before the opening. If the secret could’ve been kept from us until the big reveal at the end, it would’ve had a lot more impact.
I may just be looking at this in the wrong way; I certainly seem to be in the minority. I may just be overthinking a comedy, but it was leaning heavily on the one joke throughout. Maybe I’m still coming down from “Crusaders of the Lost Mark.”
Of course, just because I didn’t enjoy it much doesn’t mean I’m not going to make cards:
Baby Shower 2W
Enchantment
Whenever a creature enters the battlefield under your control, you may pay W. If you do, you gain life equal to that creature’s toughness.
”Congratulations. It’s a golem.”
—Aorta Redheart, registered nurse
Savior of the Universe 2W
Creature — Unicorn Hero
Vigilance
2WW, T, Sacrifice Savior of the Universe: Each player returns to the battlefield all permanent cards in his or her graveyard that were put there from the battlefield this turn.
Just a stallion, with a stallion's courage.
2/2
Idealized Hero 3WW
Creature — Hero
Alicorn (This card is a Pony Pegasus Unicorn.)
Flying, indestructible
Fighting for truth, justice, and the Equestrian way.
3/3
Privileged Information 4UU
Enchantment
You may look at and play the top card of your library.
”Canterlot takes the need-to-know basis very seriously.”
—Sweetie Drops, anti-monster operative
Shameful Reveal 1B
Sorcery
Target opponent reveals his or her hand. You lose 1 life for each card in that hand. Choose a card from it. That player discards that card.
Nopony likes a blabbermouth.
Corporeal Collapse 2B
Instant
Remove all counters from target creature. That creature gets -3/-3 until end of turn.
”If that were anypony but Pinkie Pie, I would be horrified right now.”
—Princess Twilight Sparkle
Heinous Globomancy 3B
Sorcery
Target player discards two cards.
Flashback 4BB (You may cast this card from your graveyard for its flashback cost. Then exile it.)
“You can do a lot with balloons, good and bad.”
—Party Favor, globomancer
Sugarcube Shinobi 4B
Creature — Pony Ninja
Ninjutsu 2B (2B, Return an unblocked attacker you control to your hand: Put this card onto the battlefield from your hand tapped and attacking.)
Whenever Sugarcube Shinobi deals combat damage to a player, you gain life equal to the life that player has lost this turn. (Damage causes loss of life.)
3/2
Ballistic Bounce 3R
Instant
Until end of turn, target creature gains trample and gets +X/+0, where X is its power.
”I’m just glad that this place can self-repair.”
—Princess Twilight Sparkle
Curse of Irrepressibility 3R
Enchantment — Aura Curse
Enchant player
At the beginning of enchanted player’s end step, if that player didn’t cast a spell this turn, Curse of Irrepressibility deals 2 damage to him or her.
Ideas press against the mind until the skull cracks.
Hyperhoof 3RR
Sorcery
Creature cards in your hand gain super haste until end of turn. (They may attack the turn before you cast them. (You may put any number of creature cards onto the battlefield tapped and attacking from your hand during your declare attackers step. If you do, you lose the game at the beginning of your next turn’s end step unless you pay those cards’ mana costs during that turn.))
Wacky Wave XR
Instant
Put an X/1 colorless Unicorn Construct artifact creature token onto the battlefield. Exile it at the beginning of the next end step.
Al Hoofington looked upon the graceful dance and knew he had found his destiny.
Sniff Out 1G
Sorcery
Reveal cards from the top of your library until you reveal a creature card. Put that card into your hand and the rest on the bottom of your library in any order.
”There’s no sense in not using all of your senses.”
—Pinkie Pie, Bearer of Laughter
Spill the Beans 2G
Sorcery
Target player reveals the top five cards of his or her library, then puts all land cards revealed this way into his or her hand and the rest into his or her graveyard.
”Well, at least that’s the west field seeded.”
—Applejack, Bearer of Honesty
Busy Day XG
Sorcery
Each player who controls fewer than X creatures puts a number of 2/2 green Pony creature tokens onto the battlefield equal to the difference.
Ponyville grows every day as more ponies herd around the Princess of Friendship.
Ant Farm 3
Artifact
At the beginning of your upkeep, put a charge counter on Ant Farm.
2: Put a charge counter on Ant Farm.
2, T, Sacrifice Ant Farm: Put a 1/1 green Insect creature token onto the battlefield for each charge counter on Ant Farm.
Zipline Arbalest 4
Artifact — Equipment
Equipped creature has “T: Target creature with power 2 or less can’t be blocked this turn” and “T: This creature deals 1 damage to target creature or player.”
Equip 3
Counsel of Friends 1(gu)W
Sorcery
Look at the top X cards of your library, where X is the number of creatures you control. Put one of those cards into your hand and the rest on the bottom of your library in any order.
Hoofcraft — If you control three or more Ponies, Pegasi, and/or Unicorns, put up to two of those cards into your hand instead of one.
Pinkie Prescience 1UR
Enchantment
At the beginning of your upkeep, look at the top two cards of your library. You may exile one of them.
A blend of Pinkie Sense, dumb luck, and her usual extroversion has made Pinkie Pie better informed than most of the royal espionage corps.
Scavenger Hunt 1BG
Sorcery
Search your library for a card with converted mana cost equal to or less than the number of cards in your graveyard, reveal it, and put it into your hand. Then shuffle your library.
”There was always a prize at the end, like a book. Or several books.”
—Princess Twilight Sparkle
Oathbound Celebrant 1GW
Creature — Pony Citizen
Lifelink
Oathbound Celebrant enters the battlefield with two +1/+1 counters on it.
When Oathbound Celebrant dies, put X +1/+1 counters on target creature you control, where X is the number of +1/+1 counter on Oathbound Celebrant.
0/0
Rush of Nostalgia 2BGW
Instant
Until end of turn, target creature gets +1/+1 for each card in your graveyard and gains trample.
The memories of better times come flooding in, providing the drive to make the future just as good.
Reduce to Ash 3BR
Sorcery
Target player reveals his or her hand. You choose a card from it. Exile that card. Reduce to Ash deals damage to that player equal to that card’s converted mana cost.
Dragons think flame retardancy is one of the funniest concepts ponies have ever created.
Advent of the Titan 5GU
Sorcery
Target creature you control has base power and toughness 8/8 until end of turn. Creatures your opponents control have base power and toughness 1/1 until end of turn and block that creature this turn if able.
”Why settle for having them just look like ants?”
I seem to be in the minority for having really enjoyed this episode
Personally I think it would have been a really bad idea to save the announcement for a big reveal. This episode would have been completely incoherent without it being known from the start; the constant hints would have been seen as ludicrously heavy-handed; it would have been more akin to the worst kind of pointless kindergarten fluff and I honestly think everyone here would have hated it intensely and wish we could have gotten this episode instead.
that's most likely what it is. The last episode was such a huge megaton that came out of nowhere that following it up with a simple comedy bit kinda fell flat in comparison.
3479071
Really? Because every reaction I've seen thus far seems to be more positive than mine. And I can't even begin to express how weird that feels, especially for a Pinkie Pie episode.
You probably have a point about the reformulation, though what I had in mind would've lowered the volume of baby puns. Of course, the scavenger hunt would've still been fairly obvious...
Yeah, fences and greener grass definitely come to mind.
I am disappointed that Savior of the Universe does not have Flash.
And I am now aware of super haste. My life has been made better.
Also, big roots are BIG. Bigger than I had realized.
I also think it was interesting watching a pony who normally holds fidelity and secret keeping in pretty high regard, struggling to deal with a secret that is too big for her.
3479071
I was thinking the same as I also really liked this one. After the epic opera we had last week, it seemed totally appropriate to have a bit of Pinkie fun this week. (It also helped that I saw this after watching the film Suffragette - which was brilliant - but after a two hour story of a bitter struggle against hardship, exploitation and police brutality, I was ready for some Pinkie Pie.)
I loved the concept as I could totally see that Pinkie would struggle to keep such a secret - but she attaches a very high importance to being able to do so - that's a great conflict to follow.
It's easy when you can just poop anywhere and no one cares. :V Diapers are only there until they get solid food, and thus solid poops.
Also shit I forgot about that crossbow I can write the Pinkie Pie/Hawkeye crossover now finally
I see it as this...they are only cored on that day. They couldn't find anything to do on that day, yesterday may have been different, and tomorrow maybe different, but today is an off day. You can't possibly be working on your talent all the time.
Me too, actually. I loved this eppie, its funny and hilarious, the problem is...it just came down from a momentous eppie like lost mark. I compared it to Flash, but its also like this.
Say you just watched your favorite superhero movie of all time. You just sat through and rewatched every single moment. Then you watched a decent superhero film afterwards. Yeah, its good, but in comparison to the great one, you can't help but feel like it fails in comparison.
The Cake twins may be old enough to be potty trained, but they're not old enough to have a second color in their eyes.
I don't think Shameful Reveal would be released as written, since it lacks the all-important "nonland" clause. However, maybe that's the price for a card that's otherwise so much worse than Thoughtseize.
You used Super Haste! All of my yes. Corporeal Collapse is also hilarious.
Enjoyment of this episode hinged entirely on individual viewers understanding Pinkie Pie's dilemma between keeping a promise and spreading joy.
Pinkie is great at secrets that are intended to remain kept indefinitely, especially if sharing it would cause unhappiness. Pinkie is less great about secrets that are ephemeral, intended to be shared, and intended to be good news.
It could be easier to say that the secret is actually a surprise, and pinkie is very much all about springing surprises that bring smiles to other ponies faces.... But this scenario, pinkie has to set aside her own joy and pride and ambition to let somepony who is not pinkie pie spring the surprise.
Pinkie has to choose between insuring a pinkie pie quality surprise event at an unkown cost of decreased net potential happiness, or aiding and abetting a certainly lower quality surprise event with an uncontrolled level of potential happiness.
3479092
I admit, excluding flash was something of a faux pas. However, my goal was to make a way for Savior of the Universe to be able to escape death on a regular basis, like any good pulp hero. This way, you can tap four and proclaim, "GORDON'S ALIVE!"
Also, I finally decided on which Queen lyric to use as flavor text.
3479094
Well, there was a whole laboratory in there. And still may be. Seriously, I have to wonder how much scientific equipment is still in the memory chandelier.
3479225
The life loss is the price you pay for the spell costing one less than Coercion
3479229
It actually isn't my first time using super haste. I also gave it to Filli-Second (I mean, how could I not?)
3479248
Hmm. When looking at it as Pinkie wrestling with her value function, it does come off a bit better.
After seeing her literally fall to pieces and reassemble herself, Discord style, I am now thoroughly convinced that Pinkie Pie is a chaos magic user. There remains no doubt in my mind anymore.
I love the flavor text you come up with for your cards.
Tangential intercourse hah thats funny. Never thought of it that way. Unless there using that mirror...
I enjoyed the episode for what it was. Pinkie's elasticity in this one was well used. It did seem abit off about her struggling to keep a secret. And that is where a lot of the comedy came from.
3479248's comment about her struggle does seem to be a good explanation of her struggle.
For being Berrow's first outing in show format she didnt do to bad overall. Hopefully she will improve if she keeps writing episodes.
I would believe the eye color changes would be more continuity errors. I doubt the animators are going to remember what was done in previous seasons, let alone bother checking just for a level of consistency only hardcore fans would notice.
Shining Armor is such a dork.
I really enjoyed this episode, and that was with coming into it not expecting to have fun. I found it to be a good Pinkie Pie episode in the best ways.
For one thing, it did a good job of showing the world through Pinkie's warped lens. I've found that the nature of the show's world changes significantly depending on which character an episode is focused on. Fore example, Fluttershy episodes tend to show how scary and cruel the world can be, while Pinkie's world makes Pinkie Sense, and tends towards hilarious happenings. That said, this episode was a barrel of laughs for me.
I feel that Pinkie's character has been handled much better this season than last season. She's managed to climb from worst pony to 3rd best pony, in my book. She's gone from making Fluttershy cry to making me cry—from laughing too hard.
On an unrelated note, I squeed so hard when I saw Dinky and Derpy together. I immediately capslock skype chatted a friend to convey my excitement.
Also, Shining Armor's horse-tacular geek-out was wonderful. Is it just me, or have we been getting way more horse noises this season than usual?
The story editor seems to have started to forget that we're not 'really' dealing with talking horses here.
It took me a minute to realize that Savior of the Universe is kind of broken, but it's in a kind of hilarious way with plenty of workarounds, so whatever.
At first I didn't see the "and play" part of Privileged Information, and was wondering why it cost so much.
I think the silliest part of super haste is the name. I wouldn't mind seeing the mechanic (or something similar) on non-un cards.
Pinkie Prescience is the best kind of prescience.
I feel like Rush of Nostalgia is kind of overcosted. Compare Graverobber Spider's ability, which, admittedly, is weaker, but is also only one color and doesn't cost a card.
How does Maud ruin that? The ghosts had Clyde.
3479349
I'm surprised that there ever was. I'm even more surprised that it managed to survive "Pinkie Pride."
3479431
"Pinkie's world makes Pinkie Sense" is such a perfect phrase that I am deeply ashamed of not thinking of it myself.
Pinkie's characterization is definitely stronger and more consistent this season. No "Filli Vanilli"-grade antagonist balls.
And I'm only half joking about the translator breakdown. Calling it now: Episode 200 will be nothing but horse noises, a very confused Spike, and a brief scene of English at the end written solely so Tara Strong still gets paid.
3479723
Or are we?
3479848
Rush of Nostalgia is costed the way it is for two reasons. One is the trample, the other is counting all cards in a graveyard. Between the two of them, this card can easily win games.
3480231
There were only five ghosts: Inkie, Blinkie, Pinkie, Clyde, and Sue. Adding a sixth Pie threw off the theme.
3480436
Glad to have contributed to your lexicon!
Privileged Information is future sight with one less blue and two more colorless.
3479278
Bringing this post back from the graveyard to ask: wait, are you saying Savior of the Universe brings itself back as well? I have two questions, and they're both, "Why would you have a card that repays part of its own cost?" (The first question's "you" is WoTC; the second question's "you" is FoME.) Are there enough cards that prevent sacrificing that this particular wording is called for?
5434765
Given five-plus years of hindsight, yes, that was probably a mistake. Especially in an Aristocrats deck that wants to sacrifice its creatures for value. At least Savior doesn't make a two-card combo that makes every end step a slog.