Friendship is Card Games: The Mane Attraction · 12:52pm Nov 22nd, 2015
This episode marks the beginning of a long goodbye. This week, it’s Amy Keating Rodgers’s last pony contibution. Next week, it’s the end of Season 5. Let’s see how the first part plays.
Hmm. Seems Amethyst Star is getting a chance to do at least some organization around here. Also, nice to see Applejack in a “pillar of the community” role. Those don’t come up all that often for her.
Whoa. Direct reference to one of the Berrow books. Didn't "Hearthbreakers" directly contradict a few details of that one?
So, if this is a charity concert, what’s the charity for? “Helping Hooves” is about as generic a name for a charitable organization as there could be.
Applejack has as much awareness of music as I do. Good to know. (Seriously, never heard of Lena Hall until now.)
Coloratura, as defined by Google, is elaborate ornamentation of a vocal melody. The subtle pun pleases me. And yes, it is called “rara” for short.
Interesting to think about Applejack’s younger days. She has her cutie mark in the flashback, so this is taking place after her trip to Manehattan. It’s possible her stories of the Big Apple inspired Colorature to go there. This also likely takes place before her parents’ deaths, when the farm needed every able hoof.
Also, pony AJ plays guitar. It’s unclear if she can also play bass.
Huh. Camp Friendship seems to be exclusively earth pony. Seems they do have special organizations analogous to flight camp and magic kindergarden. I figured they did, but it’s nice to get confirmation.
Coloratura’s palanquin seems to employ the same technology as human Vinyl’s car.
Applejack does not appreciate getting stamped with recycled Equestria Girls Flash resources.
So, did Svengallop just add the Crystal Empire gems to the list of arbitrary demands when the place returned, or has he always demanded them by proxy, even when they were thought lost forever? Probably the former, but I wouldn’t put the latter past this guy.
That said, it is a nice touch how most of the demands are callbacks to other Amy Keating Rodgers episodes. I suppose Griffonstone doesn’t exactly have a lot of desirable products at the moment.
Huh. Pinkie wasn’t so out there during “MMMystery on the Friendship Express.” Equestria does have laser technology. And Auto-Tune spells, which are frankly kind of hilarious. They also explain the lasers, which are probably more magical than electrical in nature, though the latter does seem to be a subdiscipline of the former in Equestria.
Oh hey, a legitimate reason for Photo Finish to be present. And it's amusing to see the pony everyone thought was based on Lady Gaga in the same shot as the pony actually based on Lady Gaga.
They really overplayed Svengallop as the antagonist. There’s doing the right things for the wrong reasons, doing the wrong things for the right reasons, and just being cartoonishly evil. This guy comes off as the last one, a show business version of the evil vizier.
Also, you know you’ve made an unreasonable demand if Pinkie says it’s impossible.
Also also, a storyline that plays up Ponyville’s rural aspect just doesn’t work well when one takes into account the whole “resident princess” thing. The writers have swept the Mane Six’s achievements under the rug since the show began, but having a local alicorn just can’t be ignored. Seriously, if Twilight had just showed up in front of Svengallop while he was first browbeating Pinkie, he’d have probably ended up swallowing his own tongue. And that’s saying nothing of being in sight of the capital.
I love the apple peeler and corer. Pedals and push bars, logical designs for earth ponies. Still, they couldn’t have gotten anypony else to help with this? Apple Bloom would probably love to do it if she knew it was for Countess Rara. (Though it wasn’t, and AJ probably wouldn’t feel right asking her to do so because of it. Oh. Issue resolved.)
Wow. Svengallop really doesn’t get the value of good PR. Sure, the aloof celebrity is a good image to cultivate, but people are going to eat up someone who is both glamorous and caring.
The hornlights are amusing, though they raise questions about a magic shortage at some point in Equestria’s past. Or they’re just a traditional means of unicorns quietly signaling their appreciation during a performance. Either or. 
Ooh, shadow Octavia. And apparently Fancy Pants can conduct.
Coloratura’s cutie mark presents an interesting question: Does it shine because she’s reaffirming her talent in a literal positive light, as with Diamond Tiara, or does hers just do that? This isn’t the first instance of it, after all, and it wasn’t like she had been led astray back at Camp Friendship.
That last scene is beautiful, but where are those spotlights coming from? Is it the same place Spider-Man aims for when web-swinging?
In all, a touching story, but one that lacks the subtlety and nuance that makes this show so good. Still, given Svengallop’s “more is more” design philosophy, it does make sense that he’d live life in the same over-the-top manner.
Also, part of me feels it would’ve been nice for the Crusaders to take a more active role, given that this sort of thing is kind of what they’re meant to do with their lives. The rest knows that this was Applejack’s childhood friend. Crowbarring in the Crusaders by virtue of thematic appropriateness would’ve weakened the story.
Still, a good sendoff for AKR. Time to commemorate it in my own way:
Backup Dancer 1W
Creature — Pony Citizen
When Backup Dancer enters the battlefield, untap target creature.
Myriad (Whenever this creature attacks, for each opponent other than defending player, you may put a token that's a copy of this creature onto the battlefield tapped and attacking that player or a planeswalker he or she controls. Exile the tokens at end of combat.)
2/2
“The Magic Inside” 1W
Enchantment — Song
At the beginning of your upkeep, put a verse counter on “The Magic Inside”.
2W, Sacrifice “The Magic Inside”: Exile up to X target creatures, where X is the number of verse counters on “The Magic Inside”. Return the exiled cards to the battlefield under their owner’s control at the beginning of the next end step.
Glitz and Glam 2W
Instant
Enchanted creatures you control get +2/+2 until end of turn.
Cycling 3W (3W, Discard this card: Draw a card.)
When you cycle Glitz and Glam, you may return target Aura card from your graveyard to your hand.
Diva’s Guise 2WW
Enchantment — Aura
Enchant creature
Enchanted creature has vigilance and gets +2/+2 for each Aura attached to it.
Some fashion statements speak louder than others.
Glamorous Veil 1U
Enchantment — Aura
Enchant creature you control
Whenever enchanted creature or an Aura attached to it becomes the target of a spell or ability you don’t control, counter that spell or ability unless its controller pays 2.
It blocks out unimportance.
Mystique Manager 1UU
Creature — Pony Advisor
Spells you cast that target commanders you control cost 2 less to cast.
Commanders you control have hexproof.
”You need to seem larger than life. You need to make knees buckle as you walk by. I can help.”
2/2
“The Spectacle” 2U
Enchantment — Song
At the beginning of your upkeep, put a verse counter on “The Spectacle”.
2U, Sacrifice “The Spectacle”: Proliferate X times, where X is the number of verse counters on “The Spectacle”. (To proliferate, choose any number of permanents and/or players with counters on them, then give each another counter of a kind already there.)
Vocal Distortion 2U
Instant
Kicker 1U (You may pay an additional 1U as you cast this spell.)
Copy target instant or sorcery spell. You may choose new targets for the copy. If Vocal Distortion was kicked, return the copied spell to its owner’s hand.
”Relax. We’ll fix it in post.”
—Vinyl Scratch
Implausible Demand 3U
Instant
Counter target spell unless its controller pays WUBRG.
”Watching ponies scramble to satisfy Countess Coloratura is one of the most rewarding parts of my job.”
—Svengallop, mystique manager
Shadow Players 2B
Creature — Pony Shade
B, Remove a verse counter from a Song you control: Shadow Players gets +2/+2 until end of turn.
Music can be found in every part of Ungula. Sometimes, it’s a dirge.
1/1
Frizz Freak R
Sorcery
Frizz Freak deals damage to target player equal to the number of cards in his or her hand minus the number of cards in your hand.
”Ignorance is only blissful for the ignorant. It just causes headaches for the rest of us.”
—Princess Twilight Sparkle
Tug of War 1R
Sorcery
Clash with an opponent. Tug of War deals damage to the losing player equal to the margin of victory. (Each clashing player reveals the top card of his or her library, then puts that card on the top or bottom. A player wins if his or her card had a higher converted mana cost. The margin of victory is the winning cost minus the losing one.)
Spread the News 4RR
Instant
Choose target instant spell, sorcery spell, or ability that targets only a single permanent or player. Copy that spell or ability for each other permanent or player it could target. Each copy targets a different one of those permanents and players.
“Equestria, the Land I Love” 1G
Enchantment — Song
At the beginning of your upkeep, put a verse counter on “Equestria, the Land I Love”.
1G, Sacrifice “Equestria, the Land I Love”: Put X +1/+1 counters on target land you control, where X is the number of verse counters on “Equestria, the Land I Love”. That land becomes a 0/0 Elemental creature with haste that’s still a land.
Friendship Camp 1G
Tribal Enchantment — Pony
Ponies you control untap during each other player’s untap step.
”Those were good times. Playing and learning all mixed together so you didn’t even notice the second one.”
—Applejack, Bearer of Honesty
Stomp of Approval 1G
Enchantment — Aura
Enchant creature
Enchanted creature has “G, T: Put a +1/+1 counter on target creature.”
Just being acknowledged by somepony famous is enough to inspire most.
Heartfelt Diva 3G
Creature — Pony Band
Heartfelt Diva gets +1/+1 for each enchantment on the battlefield
Whenever you sacrifice a Song, put a +1/+1 counter on Heartfelt Diva.
Every word and note is filled with her joy and passion.
2/2
Gilded Palanquin 4
Artifact — Equipment
Equipped creature gets +2/+2. As long as it’s legendary, it gets an additional +2/+2.
Equip 3
”You should never be upstaged by your own transportation.”
—Trixie Lulamoon, traveling performer
Replay Iniquity 2RW
Instant
Replay Iniquity deals damage to target player equal to the damage sources that player controlled dealt to other players this turn.
”Everything you’ve done can and will be used against you.”
—Princess Twilight Sparkle
Grandiose Stage
Land
T: Add 1 to your mana pool.
2, T: Whenever you tap a land for mana this turn, add one mana to your mana pool of any type that land produced.
Enough spectacle can make anything seem more important.
It was a lovely episode, but too short: the character arc was so straight-forward, it didn't feel real. But, they needed the time for the music, which was the real point of the story, and that song was amazing.
So long AKR: a grateful viewer wishes you all the best.
Is there a card called Hate Sink.....because Svengallop cries out for one.
Also, I can't help but worry that certain positive changes will be undone by a crazy idiot monster time traveler who doesn't have combat eyebrows.
Svengallop was wearing pants! That's how you know he's a villain.
Instinct tells me that Backup Dancer is a bit far above the Silvercoat Lion baseline to cost 1W, but no one tests multiplayer cards.
On your spotlight question, it could be on a cloud
I don't think that was actually Fancy Pants conducting, but I had the same thought at the time.
Okay, that's something I hadn't noticed. This is actually really important, if you ask me. And now we know where Ginger Snap came from. :D
Whenever i see these, i live by what Lauren has said about them...
AKR was a coloratura back in the day. I had to search youtube for an example, was not disappointed.
I rather liked this episode.
Not familiar with berrows books to have caught the reference you mentioned seeing.
Helping Hooves reminds me of my favorite charity, M.O.H. otherwise known as My Open Hand...
I was under the impression that when AJ went to Manehatten her folks where already dead. Granny and Big Mac could have pulled in other relatives to help around the farm so AJ could go to camp. I would go more with this as these camps for the different tribes seem to be an extremely important part of the childhood.
I would go with reaffirming ones cutie mark, just in a real deep and meaningful way. Almost like when you first got it.
The music in this episode was amazing.
Well, maybe AJ ran out of walls to hang them, and Pinkie stepped in to offer a hepping hoof?
Also, evil vizier was precisely how I described Svengallop as I was rewatching it with my buddy. Between his attitude and name, all he was missing was a crooked dagger and a wiry black moustache to twirl.
As for Svengallop's name, it's a play on the name of a famous character called Svengali who took advantage of a young would-be singer in some book whose name I don't recall. He even has a legal defense named for him, where the defendant is said to have been an unwitting pawn in someone else's scheme.
And dangit, you stole my line about Pinkie saying something was impossible. We will have words, sir. Words!
I wish Mystique Manager wasn't blue, because it's perfect for my Krond deck. (I guess it would also need to be an actual card, but w/e)
... I just realized that you can proliferate experience counters. I know I have a Plaguemaw Beast lying around that I can put in my Meren deck...
I thought the parents died before she went to Manehattan, as Mac and Granny were the only ones giving her a farewell when she's leaving. Maybe they just weren't that bad off or Granny thought it would be nice if AJ spent some time away from the farm anyway, only with ponies her own age this time.
I always found the idea that her parents death meant that the farm was in danger to be funny. It's a big family, and while they own a lot of farms that they need to tend to, i'm sure they can afford to help each other in extreme cases, like, say, the death of two family members.
This episode didn't really do much for me, perhaps it's because I don't keep up with the world of music at all and my knowledge of it is limited to whatever is being played on the radio when i don't have a podcast to listen to instead. But filly mane 6 are always adorable and we need more of them.
Implausible Demand is great.
3560420
We'll have to wait and see there.
3560442
Are you implying that Rarity's mother is evil? Neglectful, possibly, but evil?
As for Backup Dancer, you do need to keep attacking with it to get the benefit, and a bear isn't going to be relevant all that often in a multiplayer game.
3560448
I suppose it's possible.
3560457
Well, we already know he spends time in Ponyville for ambiguous, likely Rarity-related reasons. Still, it probably was just a recontextualization of the character model.
Glad I could point out Earth Camp. (It's like Space Camp, only not.)
3560497
I've never seen that quotation before. I'm going to need to remember it in the future. Word of Faust: Don't think about it too much.
3560567
Yeah, but the exploitation was through information control. Svengallop is a great example of a blue-black villain; he just wasn't sufficiently paranoid when it came to alicorn surveillance. Plus, I liked the design of Mystique Manager and he doesn't deserve multiple cards.
3560604 3560708
With regards to the relative timing of Applejack's trip to Manehattan and he death of her parents, here's my question: Where is Apple Bloom in the flashback? It's unclear whether or not she was born yet, and if she wasn't, the parents would logically have to still be alive. Really, there's not a lot of evidence either way, but I'm leaning towards AJ getting her mark before her parents died.
3560627
"Now, just make sure nopony asks how the spotlights get where they are, and this will work great!"
"Why shouldn't Ah ask?"
"That's why."
I like the Pinkie theory.
CRUNCH
Themaskedferret's blog taught me the reference. The novel in question is Trilby.
I can definitely guarantee that no telepaths were involved in the theft of that joke. I mean, the completely original independent conception of that joke.
3560677
I may put one in my Ezuri, Claw of Progress deck.
3560604 That's my headcanon too, that AJ went to Manehattan after her parents died - partly because only Granny and Big Mac were shown in the flashback. Granted, it's possible that the animators either didn't feel like coming up with character designs for the parents, or they didn't want to address the elephant in the room.
Svengallop had to be a big shot, last night, had to open up his mouth.
He had to have the white hot spotlight, he had to be a big shot last night~
So, AKR last ep...
That's kinda depressing.
“The Spectacle”; I'll, uhh, I'll be in my bunk... .
I like the "margin of victory" mechanic on Tug of War, it gives clash some more design space and isn't overly complicated, I mean, you're already comparing the two numbers and performing a subtraction isn't too much more hassle.
The wording for “Equestria, the Land I Love” should match Awaken wording as close as you can, so it should be
I'd have a problem with Heartfelt Diva being a "Band" creature type but we have the Trope "I Am The Band" for a reason so I'll let it slide.
The wording on Replay Iniquity seems a bit wonky, I mean it works but I had to read it a couple of times. Also I think it would be better named as Repay Iniquity instead. I can understand wanting to go with a sort of song vibe for it, but the name is also a little awkward as well as the ability.
3560951
Well, AJ's farewell consisted of walking her to the front yard fence of the farmhouse, not the train station or even Ponyville proper, so I'm inclined to believe baby Apple Bloom was sleeping in her crib at the time, hence Granny deciding they should stay within hearing distance.
If her parents were still alive, I could understand one of them staying behind to look after AB is she was already born, or even not going all the way to the train station, but not even bothering to walk out the front yard of the house to say goodbye? Either they were very cold ponies or they really didn't like AJ (maybe because she inherited that Orange coloration). Unless the parents of Mare of Many Hats are canon I just don't see it.
3560951
3561524
AJ states in "The Cutie Mark Chronicles" that when she left she was younger then Apple Bloom. Not once does she mention Apple Bloom, yet when she is thinking of home she thinks only of Big Mac and Granny Smith working the farm. No mention of her parents. So either there alive at that time but the writers dont want to acknowledge it or make characters of them to show because, you know "Death", of her parents at a later date. Or they already are dead and again they dont mention it or where Apple Bloom is because again "Death".
Unrelated but filly AJ looks the same in that episode and yesterdays.
Excellent song. Not so excellent antagonist. Fairly straightforward story and character arc. Overall good episode.
Loving that direct reference to the books, though.
Nah, at least Jafar was enjoyable hammy. I mean, he was an OK antagonist but, there has been much better.
I think it's the first one.
Why not?
Sounds advice actually.