Friendship is Card Games: Hearthbreakers · 12:14pm Oct 25th, 2015
This week, it’s Pink Burton’s The Christmas Before Nightmare Night.
The chronology here is weird. It’s winter, but Apple Bloom has her cutie mark. Has this season really covered more than a year? Probably not. The Crusaders weren’t in “Tanks for the Memories” at all, so “Crusaders of the Lost Mark” could have come before it.
The Castle-Tree has a chimney? I mean, it makes some sense, but I have to wonder which bit is the one where the smoke comes out.
Heh. Pinkie channeling Chancellor Puddinghead in the spirit of the season.
Twilight is not a creative gift-giver.
Interesting recap, largely in what leaves out, like the three tribes’ exodus from their original home. Still, this one’s pretty obviously for the benefit of the audience; Apple Bloom was right there at the pageant.
I’m saying it here: It’s still feels kind of weird to see that mark on Apple Bloom’s hindquarters. Still, that’s often how such milestones of maturity go. They’re a big deal when they come, but they become the new normal amazingly quickly. (And my getting a huge kick out of watching blind reactions to “Crusaders of the Lost Mark” on YouTube may have something to do with my own difficulty in acclimating to the change. 
)
It's also nice to see the Crusaders don't have to be attached at the hips for the rest of their lives. I didn't think they would be, but confirmation is always appreciated.
You know, if it weren’t for the whole “possibly cousins” thing, this story could be seen as having romantic angles. I mean, Pinkie’s nervous about Applejack meeting her parents.
Applejack’s gotten used to Pinkie, but nineteen hooves out of nowhere is still enough to give her pause.
Maud is awesome. This comes as no surprise. That said, Rarity could’ve told her about corundum. After all, that’s what rubies and sapphires are made of. Also, the Mohs scale is a thing in Equestria.
Imagine Luna at the rock farm. Her linguistic habits would’ve probably backslid a few centuries in a matter of hours.
Also, Igneous Rock Pie. I guess that works.
Interesting to note that the Pie siblings form something of a Four Temperament Ensemble. (Caution: TV Tropes.) Pinkie is sanguine, Limestone is choleric, Marble is melancholic, and Maud is phlegmatic… sort of. Not exactly a perfect matchup there, but humor theory isn’t exactly the soundest model of human behavior.
And Pinkie’s a twin? Didn’t expect that at all.
Also, ha. Limestone. She’s sour. And I'm still not convinced that her special talent is actually making really good margaritas.
Tradition is one thing, but serving rocks to ponies who can’t eat them is just rude.
I have to admit, I now ship Marblemac. Even if they are cousins, the relation is about ten generations back.
I really wasn’t expecting Apple Bloom and Maud to hit it off. I don’t think they were either, but you can’t say Maud wasn’t making an effort to connect with the filly.
The pairing and choosing stones raise some interesting questions about rock farmer culture, and possibly their religion, to say nothing what any of Pinkie’s potential suitors may have to go through. (I can’t help but think Cheese Sandwich would make the pairing stone erupt with confetti. Not intentionally, mind you. That's just what normally happens when a pair of party ponies seek its blessing.)
Why in the name of sanity would anyone think giving Big Macintosh the top bunk was a good idea? (For the visual gag, of course. My point stands.)
Ah, earth pony arguments. Unstoppable force meets immovable object, and we see which one is more poorly described.
And Igneous’s comment made me smile. “I know well thou favorest all manner of madnesses, but surely not this one!”
Jackie cracked corn, and everypony cares. Also, good on Pinkie for recognizing her tactlessness.
Holder Cobblestone… Is that intended to be a reference to The Catcher in the Rye, or am I looking too hard for a pun?
I suppose it’s easier for Maud to break rocks than move them. Problematic when it’s Holder’s Boulder.
In all, an enjoyable slice of life with some rich strata of world- and character-building. GaPJaxie has written an incredibly intriguing analysis of the Apple/Pie interaction as a conflict across an income gap, something that I only dimly suspected before reading that blog. And for once in my life, I’m actually recommending that you read the comments, because the ongoing discussion of the balance between the economic, social, and cultural components of the families’ differences is actually quite fascinating.
Now, time to unwrap my presents for all of you:
Skittish Rock Farmer 2W
Creature — Pony Citizen
Landfall — Whenever a land enters the battlefield under your control, you may exile Skittish Rock Farmer, then return it to the battlefield under its owner’s control.
Rock farms aren’t known for their warm welcomes.
2/3
Hearth’s Warming Morning 3WW
Sorcery
Until end of turn, creatures you control get +2/+2 and gain vigilance and lifelink.
Miracle W (You may cast this spell for its miracle cost when you draw it if it’s the first card you drew this turn.)
Curse of Befuddlement 2UU
Enchantment — Aura Curse
Enchant player
Whenever enchanted player casts a spell, that player puts the top two cards of his or her library into his or her graveyard.
”Wait, how am I doing this again?”
Infinite Funtacularity 2UU
Instant
Choose target instant or sorcery spell. Search the graveyard, hand, and library of that spell’s controller for any number of cards with that spell’s name. That player casts those cards without paying their mana costs if able. Then that player shuffles his or her library. If a card with that name would be put into his or her graveyard this turn, exile it instead.
Synchronize 4U
Instant
Copy target spell. You may choose new targets for the copy. (If you copy a permanent spell, when the copy resolves, it enters the battlefield under your control as a token that’s a copy of that permanent.)
Being on the same wavelength as Pinkie Pie can lead to all kinds of surprises.
Maud’s Insight 6U
Sorcery
Choose a land type. Draw a card for each land of the chosen type target player controls.
It’s not that she’s particularly observant. She’s just more interested in the flecks of andesite on your hooves than in you.
Crying Shame BB
Sorcery
Target player discards a card and loses 3 life.
Even the strongest heart can break.
Dialect Disconnect 3B
Sorcery
Target player chooses a color, then reveals his or her hand. That player discards all nonland cards that aren’t the chosen color in his or her hand.
”It’s all well and good to talk about sharing different perspectives, but you generally need a common language first.”
—Discord
Belligerent Rock Farmer 2R
Creature — Pony Citizen
Whenever a land you control becomes the target of a spell or ability an opponent controls, Belligerent Rock Farmer deals 3 damage to that player.
”You see all of this? It’s mine. Touch it, and you may live to regret it.”
3/2
Widening Fissure 3RR
Sorcery
Each opponent sacrifices an artifact and a land.
Leylines and fault lines often overlap, and rock farms are built on leylines.
Delicious History 2G
Sorcery
Return target permanent card from your graveyard to your hand.
Spell mastery — If there are two or more instant and/or sorcery cards in your graveyard, you gain life equal to the returned card’s converted mana cost.
Petrificationist 3G
Creature — Pony Shaman
2G: Until end of turn, Petrificationist gets +2/+2 and becomes an artifact in addition to its other types. Activate this ability only once each turn.
Some earth ponies try to become far more literal.
3/3
Holiday Tradition 3GG
Enchantment
Whenever you gain life, you may return target card with converted mana cost equal to or less than the life you gained from your graveyard to your hand.
Hearth’s Warming is a time to remember the early days of ponykind and to celebrate how far it has come since.
Traditionalist Rock Farmers 5G
Creature — Pony Citizen
At the beginning of each player’s upkeep, that player sacrifices an enchantment.
Even in a world full of magic, there are those who favor simplicity.
4/4
Pile of Presents XGG
Sorcery
Each player reveals the top X cards of his or her library and may put any number of permanent cards with converted mana cost X or less from among them onto the battlefield. Then put all cards revealed this way that weren’t put onto the battlefield into their owners’ graveyards.
Decorative Crystals 2
Artifact — Fortification
Whenever fortified land is tapped for mana, its controller adds 2 to his or her mana pool (In addition to the mana the land produces).
Fortify 2 (2: Attach to target land you control. Fortify only as a sorcery.)
Rock Farm Banner 3
Artifact
T: Add R, G, or W to your mana pool.
RGW, T, Sacrifice Rock Farm Banner: Draw a card.
Tradition to remember, diligence to continue.
Wrapped Present 3
Artifact Creature — Construct
When Wrapped Present dies, reveal cards from the top of your library until you reveal a creature card. Put that card onto the battlefield and the rest on the bottom of your library in a random order.
0/3
Pairing Stone 4
Artifact
4, T, Tap an untapped creature you control: Reveal the top four cards of your library. Put all cards revealed this way that share a creature type with the tapped creature into your hand and the rest on the bottom of your library in any order.
Holder’s Boulder 5
Legendary Artifact
You have absorb 1. (If a source would deal damage to you, prevent 1 of that damage.)
When Holder’s Boulder is put into a graveyard from the battlefield, it deals 5 damage to target creature or player. The damage can’t be prevented.
Even Pie family heirlooms need to have value beyond the sentimental.
Sculptor’s Strike 1R(wu)
Sorcery
Choose one or both —
• Destroy target artifact.
• Return target artifact card from your graveyard to your hand.
Creation and destruction united in a single swing of a pickaxe.
Stone Soup 3BG
Sorcery
Target opponent loses X life and you gain X life, where X is the number of lands you control.
”It’s an acquired taste.”
—Pinkie Pie, Bearer of Laughter
Rich Seam
Land
T: Add 1 to your mana pool.
T: Add one mana of any color to your mana pool. Activate this ability only if Rich Seam is fortified.
Some rock farms are built on promising veins of ore or crystal. Some cultivate them.
And caustic, Think quicklime. Or "unslaked lime," if you want a double entendre, given her unmarried state and another possible reason she's so cranky.
Eight or so, but same point -- they have at most a 1/1024th genetic similarity, which is trivial, and would only be observable through sophisticated genetic testing.
Pinkie ships them too, which given that this is her younger sister means she has a very high opinion of Big Mac.
How the pairing stone works, both culturally and practically, is an interesting question of considerable importance to writing romance with any of the Pie Sisters. Are marrages arranged by the Stone? Families? Or does the Stone merely confirm or reject the choices of families or individuals? In our world, such an object would be a Magic Feather, but rock magic is very real in theirs.
I'm less surprised. Twins seem to be a really common thing in Equestria. Flim and Flam, Flitter and Cloudchaser, Aloe and Lotus, Pumpkin and Pound, and if you go by the comics, Cheerilee has a twin as well. I was expecting at least one of the main six to turn out to be a twin eventually.
it seems like they could be a little more creative. Stones could be key parts of games, like checkers, chinese checkers or even something like Jenga for one thing. Or make some necklaces/jewelry out of some of them.
Also. I wonder if Holder's Boulder has some dragon magic on it. The ponies around it can eat rocks, who else can? Spike
Let's open my Wrapped Present.
*flipflipflip*
Oh, look, it's Emrakul!
I think a card like that would use the "in a random order" clause, since otherwise it would be primarily used to stack a deck. Four Wrapped Present, four Surgical Extraction, and the rest of the deck is Storm Combo.
I think what it is, three possiblities: 1) Winter is just a thing in Equestria, it happens, but not specifically at the same time for each city (Wich brings to mind a song from Camelot "The winter ends in march on the dot"_. 2) make up your own timeline! 3) the writers have fallen into the curse that all writers do...they have become so focused on story telling that they can't tell time. No, its a common phenomomon. Have you noticed that since you started writing, you have lost sense of time?
I alos just love Limestone, and I am starting to see why Pinkie is so close to Maude. She is the only one that Pinkie can talk to! I mean, Limey is the only pony that I see Pinkie getting irritated at.
I liked this episode. I've liked every episode since the hiatus, even though this one was more down to earth (and how weird is it that the Christmas Special episode was more normal than the other recent episodes?)
As always, the episodes clearly aren't aired in chronological order. And there might not be a chronological order that isn't incoherent at all. I am going to assume that this is the same winter as Tanks for the Memories, and that Crusaders of the Lost Mark happened before.
I just commented on GapJaxie's blog, and I feel kinda bad about it :P I disagreed with... everything. I don't know why it bugged me so much, but apparently it did.
I saw someone else make this observation- I've forgotten the name so I can't give credit where it's due- but...
Holder's Boulder was originally found in a dragon nest.
It is egg shaped.
Please consider this for a moment.
3495744
It's been said in many places... Perhaps here: Site Post: Episode Discussion » S5E20 - Hearthbreakers
But the general consensus? ... Is that it's too big. Look at Spike's Egg. Look at Holder's Boulder. Seems like the Boulder's too big to be an egg...
Hmmmm. Perhaps Marble has the same problem BM has: adapting to not talking because s/he can't get a word in edgewise. The parents speak Ye Olde Butchered English, Limestone is a fountain of angry blathering, Maud is a robot and Pinkie is Pinkie.
Synchronise's reminder text should be plain text. I think you can get away with 'copying' permanent spells like that, you just can't shortcut like that since you're establishing a new rule rather than clarifying or keywording.
It's a cool effect, at least, even if part of me thinks it's more red than blue, since it's all about emotional resonance.
So this episode expanded my headcanon on earth ponies a bit. I now believe that there are significant intratribal differences. I'm going to refer to ponies like the Pies as rock ponies, where the Apples are dirt ponies. And then there are the swamp ponies down by the bayou... I think I'll write a blogpost on this.
3495533
That's similar to the crack theory I came up with that the pies are slightly more closely related to a dragon than to the apples. The boulder being blessed with dragon magic was a competing idea floating around in my head, too.
As many people have been bringing up on Derpibooru when it comes to MarbleMac, their relation is "fourth cousin twice removed by a fifth cousin" which-
Oh. So did you remember that. And, yeah, I ship them, too...
i.imgur.com/ss0UfYO.png
Luna loves the Pies.
i.imgur.com/UkFU35X.png
The choosing Stone is a hard mistress.
3495476
I hadn't considered the caustic angle. Certainly not the unslaked one. Limestone's round at the pairing stone probably can't come soon enough.
On a serious note, it's interesting to think about what Limestone's mark actually means. Limes contain vital nutrients, but aren't exactly palatable on their own. Meanwhile, limestone is composed of countless accreted corpses. I suspect that her talent is doing what is unpleasant but necessary, a valuable talent given her managerial role on the farm. It also may explain her sour disposition if it's her destiny to do the dirty work.
3495533
Entirely possible, especially if the Boulder is actually a fossilized dragon egg. A permineralized dragon on a rock farm definitely seems like it could cause some interesting feedback. (And furthermore, what does that say about Gilda's powderless scones?)
3495567
Adjustment made.
3495585
I'm going to opt for number 2. I enjoy puzzles.
And I imagine that Marble is a very good listener. She'd have to be.
3495716
I actually appreciate that you vocalized the objections I couldn't put into words. Thanks for noting that you did.
And I really do need to work on that one story where I blame the weirdness of the show's chronology on Star Swirl.
3495744 3495748
Given the sheer anatomical diversity of Equestrian dragons, I wouldn't be surprised if there were some variety that laid eggs that big. Alternately, it could be for a roc or similar even larger creature. Either way, I'm pretty sure it's fossilized.
The episodes are being aired out of order ala Firefly's tv season
3495846
Seems logical. They probably recognized the habit in one another; no wonder they hit it off so well.
3495910
The thing is, if I do write it unitalicized, that means that this isn't the general protocol for copied permanent spells, which raises the question of what is. I realize this version is presumptuous, but I don't like the uncertainties caused by the alternative.
And red generally only gets temporary copies, so yeah.
3495940
I suppose the bayou dwellers are mud ponies?
3495950
Applejack and Pinkie seem to be the ones who have really internalized the whole "possibly related" thing. The dialogue makes it seem that neither has considered the wider familial implications. Family is at least partially a state of mind, so Applepie seems a lot squickier to me than Marblemac.
3496132
Magnificent, both of them. I also love the Limesatsuki.
3496213 Point to ponder, re: fossilized.
Dragons eat gems.
Which are rocks.
3496213
Glad to hear it. It also hasn't received the crashing boulder of downvotes that I halfway expected it to get, so yay?
Star Swirl looks forward to it
You might be interested in this. Personally, I'll laugh if it's later contradicted by an episode written by someone else.
3496229
That term had occurred to me, yes.
3496259
Is it still cannibalism if none of the tissue is left?
3496284
I was wondering about that. If nothing else, Word of Confalone lends weight to Limestone the elder. Whether it's Maud or Limestone, it's interesting to note that Pinkie was first to get her cutie mark.
3496306 Still, as I've noted elsewhere, there is absolutely nothing stopping a later episode, written by another writer, from saying otherwise.
3496229 Faust wanted to do an episode where he went walkabout and helped someone else because none of the ratchet-jawed idjits at home let him talk. (Please excuse my channeling Inuyasha but 'idjit' seems to fit.)
3495476 Also funny enough in your stories you have Pinkie being a twin, and in cannon she is is a older twin. Who Knew you where right?
Huh. It's been a while since you used the mechanic on Synchronize. Surreal Ultimatum, I think?
I notice that Maud's Insight doesn't say basic land type. Intentional?
Belligerent Rock Farmer makes me wish there was more good Awaken in red.
I think I would almost always play Recollect over Delicious History, to say nothing of Regrowth.
Holiday Tradition looks fun with things like Trostani and Wall of Reverence.
I'm trying and failing to come up with a clever nickname for Pile of Presents based on Genesis Wave. Regardless, I need one for my Kruphix group hug deck.
3496267
Or does he look back on it?
3496561
I think possibly to him all of time is like looking down at a map from above, but it's hard to understand.
Also did anyone notice that limestone is kinda, short?
At first I thought Infinite Funtacularity was a standard "exile all copies of that <card>" sort of spell that would counter the targeted spell in addition to the removing. But nope! It casts all of the spells of those names and THEN removes them. That's an interesting effect really.
I'd like to target Infinite Funtacularity with a second copy of itself with the first targeting a spell that copies target spell and them use the new copies to target Infinite Funtacularity, just to see if anyone else can keep up with what I'm actually doing.
No idea what the final result spell target would be, something really silly that didn't really do much for me.
Huh, Synchronize is also rather interesting. We don't get much in the way of permanent copying, and for good reason. Still, it is allowed and I think this is a reasonable cost for such an effect.
Really? No one has commented about Dialect Disconnect yet? I don't like the idea of paying five mana to have a player reveal their hand to the table and nothing else.
Most (standard) decks run one, maybe two colors, and against a mono-color deck this card is just next to useless. I say just next to because it will always hit artifacts (except for the ones from Alara block that have a color). Even so not every deck runs artifacts, my latest standard build has a grand total of four, in the sideboard.
I've read this card at least five times now and I'm rather sure I'm reading it correctly; You target me with Dialect Disconnect and I choose Green. I'm running some sort of Mana-Ramp Late-Game Beef deck and reveal a hand of nothing but lands and Green cards. Sure you get to see my hand but you can get that effect for a much cheaper cost.
I'm not really sure what you were trying to do with this one. If you let the effected player make a choice there has to be some, well, actual effect that happens to them. Lose this pile or that pile, keep this card or that card but not both. Something that prevents them from just choosing the only color of cards in their hand and thus not having to discard anything at all.
Holiday Tradition is a good combo enabler, especially since they often add life gain as an incidental effect to make a card a bit more relevant in limited. Also, Felidar Sovereign is a thing again now.
Decorative Crystals; Always happy to see more Fortifications. This is a decent effect as well.
Pairing Stone; *Messes up hair, titls head to the side a bit and holds hands up in front of himself.* Changelings.
Rich Seam; Oh, a land that cares if it has an attached Fortification. I really should have thought of this myself before now... .
3496561
I didn't pay this any mind myself at first because I thought only the basics were the only choices but then after reading your comment I remembered the Gates and then went and looked up the full list in the comprehensive rules.
I keep forgetting that "Urza's" is actually a valid land type and not just a phrase.
The show's chronology is pretty much b0rken now. TftM, in particular, doesn't fit anywhere... Of course, if the rumors are true and there are time travel shenanigans involved in the season finale, we can always excuse everything as the results of meddling, counter-meddling, counter-counter-meddling and so on of the timestream!
3496561
Maud's Insight: Vlad's already addressed this one. Maud can determine just as much from Gates and Loci as any other land type.
Belligerent Rock Farmer: Or literally any awaken in red other than Boiling Earth. Well, we'll just have to see what they do in Oath of the Gatewatch.
Delicious History: Spell mastery is tricky to balance well. In this case, the base was Nature's Spiral.
3496779
Not really. This frame suggests she's about as tall as Pinkie after accounting for perspective effects.
3497072
Dialect Disconnect: This was made with one thing in mind: Devoid. As you noted, colorless nonland cards have to be discarded. Also, the current Standard environment seems to favor two to three colors in decks. Tarkir Block is still a thing, after all. Still, I may have been a bit too cautious when costing it. I'll bring it down a notch.
And if you ever need a reminder that Urza's is a land type, just remember that Urza's Factory exists.
3497572
That may be just crazy enough to work. We'll have to see.
3497630
I completely forgot about Devoid, utterly and totally. However, had I seem the card along other Battle for Zendikar cards it probably would have clicked.
Four is still a bit expensive for the chance of a total wiff but discard is always one of those things that is hard to cost and is either never used or totally over used because it is too good.
My current standard deck is two colors, now I just need to find somewhere to play. My main store's FNM kinda died.
3498614
Pinkie said that she's only a few minutes older than Marble. Unless ponies have a very quick gestation time, that means that they're twins.