Friendship is Card Games: Campfire Tales · 11:45am Aug 27th, 2017
Well that was fun! 
Let’s dive right in, shall we?
Huh. I think this is the hardest time Applejack’s ever had when talking with a rope or something similar (i.e. Dash’s tail) in her mouth. I guess she couldn’t afford to give it the extra slack needed to give herself more jaw motion.
Also, it’s weird that Dash doesn’t have a personalized tent when the other big sisters do.
The intro did a good job of answering my questions almost as quickly as I asked them. Yes, this camping trip has become a regular thing for the sister sextet. Yes, they acknowledge Rarity’s smaller tent. Yes, this is apparently taking place a year after “Sleepless in Ponyville” wait what!?
Yeah, given Scootaloo’s lingering trauma and references to the scares “last time,” it is strongly implied that it’s only been a year between then and now. I’m going to assume this episode happened about a week after the Crusaders got their marks for the sake of my own sanity. (Well, either that or traumatizing Scoots is part of the tradition.)
I am delicious; biting insects flock to me over everyone I know. And yet the flyders didn’t bother me much. I think I just like their design and concept too much to be bothered. I’d probably have a much different attitude if I were on the other side of the fourth wall.
Hey, Sweetie Belle’s picked up a shield spell! Neat.
Interesting to note that the unicorns have flyder bites on their horns. There’s definitely a layer of skin on them, not just pigmented keratin or alicorn. (The material, not the tribe.) Mind you, I’m pretty sure there are one or two on the pegasi’s feathers, so make of that what you will. Possibly the Tiny Sapient Ungulates “skinlobe wing” model.
One of the less-noted unpleasant aspects of an erupting volcano: bouncing outhouses. 
Freaking earth ponies, man. And I though the ones in Hollow Shades were stubborn…
Hmm. That’s actually some believable motion with a mouth-operated shovel, provided the handle and Rockhoof’s neck muscles are made of sturdy enough stuff to handle the torque
Rockhoof’s cutie mark is the Valknut, the meaning of which is unclear to modern-day archeologists. Likely something to do with the cycle of life and death, which would explain how Rockhoof evolved into Mudsdale in a time of mortal peril.
What? What did you think of when he suddenly glowed and became bigger and stronger? Though I suppose it might be a dramatic application of earth pony magic…
Rarity has some absurd skill with shadow puppets. Seriously, I’d expect that kind of thing from a pegasus using their wings. Or Pinkie Pie. And that’s putting aside the bit where the ballerina completely detaches from the shadow connecting to the rest of Rarity’s body. (Okay, to be fair, Pinkie could still pull that off.)
Very interesting designs for the ponies in the second story. Pretty sure we’re looking at the Eastern unicorns Twilight mentioned in “The Cutie Map.”
Also, Mistmane apparently has an ethereal mane. Somehow. Despite not being an alicorn. We’re never getting an explanation for how that works, are we?
Wow. I’d say Sable Spirit went full Doctor Doom, but Doom at least kind of cares about the welfare of Latveria.
Also, given the color shift between Sable's two states, it's entirely possible that her attempted beautification spell actually removed her entire coat rather than bleaching it. No wonder she's so swathed in robes.
That’s a fantastic magic duel, but who else thought “Only a Shimada can control the dragons?”
And this one is apparently still set in Equestria. I’m getting a sense of world-country ambiguity again.
Laying it on a little thick with the trail of flowers at the end. Just saying. Also, you’d think Mistmane would become progressively more hideous as she spread beauty across the land… though that may have only been necessary for a spell powerful enough to cover the entire imperial capital.
Either Dash pinpointed a fault in the cave, or that was an absurdly powerful kick. Or Pinkie’s given her some pointers when it comes to hitting rocks.
Relighting a fire in what may now be an airtight chamber. Not the best call in the world.
Wow. Luna may want to give Scootaloo a few more sessions. Those mental scars run deep.
Hmm. Before the Wonderbolts were founded. So the third story is almost certainly before Luna’s banishment. Interesting.
I was not expecting the Dragonlands to lie so close to Equestria. Of course, they may not anymore. Still, I wonder what was on the other side that needed the Legion’s attention.
Lovely detail: Rather than the jet sounds we get from the Wonderbolts, the Royal Legion comes with prop plane sounds.
Okay, that is clearly Torch. And I’m willing to give good odds on the other dragon being Ember’s mother.
Hmm. So in the same enormous thunderhead that charred two full-grown dragons, Flash Magnus ended up roughly as burnt. I’d say that’s a point in favor of pegasus electricity resistance. (Not immunity, mind you. Resistance. Important distinction.)
Commander Ironhead manages to salute with a wing while in midair. That’s impressive.
I do appreciate the Scootalove in the last scene. Especially the belly raft.
This episode might not have had much in the way of plot, but I still loved it. Getting to hear about pony mythology is a huge treat, full of world building and fascinating storytelling possibilities. I’m aware that these were tie-ins to the latest line of comics, but I haven’t read any of those, so these were all new to me, and most enjoyable at that.
Now, let’s see what I can make from these legends…
Heroic Effort 1W
Instant
Target creature gets +2/+0 and gains indestructible until end of turn.
The lava crept closer. The Mighty Helm had cast off. But Rockhoof had a duty.
Flash Magnus 3WW
Legendary Creature — Pegasus Soldier
Flash
Flying, vigilance
When Flash Magnus enters the battlefield, you may exile any number of target creatures you control. Return them to the battlefield under your control at the beginning of the next end step.
Flash Magnus can block any number of creatures.
2/4
Forbidden City 3WW
Legendary Enchantment
When Forbidden City enters the battlefield, you become the monarch.
As long as you’re the monarch, creatures can’t attack you or a planeswalker you control unless attacking player pays 5. (Any number of creatures can then attack.)
Mistmane, Beautiful Soul 3WW
Legendary Creature — Unicorn Wizard
Mistmane, Beautiful Soul enters the battlefield with a divinity counter on it if mana was spent to cast it.
Mistmane has indestructible as long as it has a divinity counter on it.
Remove a divinity counter from Mistmane: Return to the battlefield all permanent cards in your graveyard that were put there from the battlefield this turn.
3/3
Call the Mighty Helm 4W
Instant
Create two 2/2 white Pony Soldier creature tokens.
The Mighty Helm galloped to the defense of those in need, ensuring safety in uncertain times.
Mystic Soulshard 3UU
Creature — Dragon Spirit
Flying
When Mystic Soulshard dies, you may cast target instant or sorcery card from your graveyard without paying its mana cost. If that card would be put into your graveyard this turn, exile it instead.
2/3
Palace Toilers 2B
Creature — Unicorn Serf
When Palace Toilers dies, you become the monarch.
”I am your empress. I am the reason for your existence. Why should you not give everything you have to serve me?”
—Empress Sable Spirit
2/1
Covetous Soulshard 2BB
Creature — Dragon Spirit
Flying
When Covetous Soulshard dies, target opponent reveals his or her hand. You choose an instant or sorcery card from that hand. That player discards that card.
A unicorn’s dueling dragon reflects what lies in her heart.
2/2
Mental Scar 6B
Enchantment — Aura Curse
Enchant player
Mental Scar enters the battlefield with X despair counters on it, where X is the amount of life enchanted player lost this turn. (Damage causes loss of life.)
At the beginning of enchanted player’s end step, that player loses life equal to the number of despair counters on Mental Scar.
Campfire Legend 1R
Sorcery
Create a token that's a copy of target commander or commander card in the command zone. That token has haste and “At the beginning of the end step, exile this permanent.”
Amid the flickering flames, heroes and villains come to brief, glorious life.
Avalanche Strike 2R
Sorcery
As an additional cost to cast Avalanche Strike, sacrifice a land.
Avalanche Strike deals 2 damage to each creature target player controls. The damage can’t be prevented.
Applejack felt conflicted. The bats were gone, but so was the west orchard.
Pyre Hauler 3R
Creature — Pegasus Warrior
Flying
When Pyre Hauler dies, it deals 2 damage to target creature or player.
She knew it was a bad idea from the start, but she’d rather endure than admit her own foolishness.
2/1
Encroaching Lava 4R
Enchantment
At the beginning of your upkeep, put a blaze counter on Encroaching Lava.
At the beginning of your end step, Encroaching Lava deals X damage to each creature without flying, where X is the number of blaze counters on it.
Sacrifice a land: Remove a blaze counter from Encroaching Lava. Any player may activate this ability, but only during his or her turn.
Immense Thunderhead XRR
Sorcery
Convoke (Your creatures can help cast this spell. Each creature you tap while casting this spell pays for 1 or one mana of that creature's color.)
Immense Thunderhead deals X damage divided as you choose among any number of target creatures.
Noxious Harvest G
Sorcery
Search your library for a basic land card, reveal it, and put it into your hand. If an opponent is poisoned, you may put that card onto the battlefield instead. Then shuffle your library.
”I think the trees like this new fertilizer.”
—Applejack, Voice of Vigor
Rockhoof of the Spade 1G
Legendary Creature — Pony Warrior
At the beginning of your upkeep, you may put the top two cards of your library into your graveyard.
Threshold — Rockhoof of the Spade gets +3/+3 and has trample and vigilance as long as seven or more cards are in your graveyard.
2/2
Stubborn Settlers 2G
Creature — Pony Citizen
Stubborn Settlers can’t be returned to its owner’s hand.
It’s easier to move a village away from earth ponies than the other way around.
2/3
Mass Migration XGG
Sorcery
Choose a creature type, then reveal the top X cards of your library. Put all creature cards of the chosen type revealed this way onto the battlefield and the rest into your graveyard.
Ponies aren't the only ones who seek more promising lands.
Netitus, the Unyielding 4
Legendary Artifact — Equipment
Indestructible
Equipped creature has indestructible.
All creatures able to block equipped creature do so.
Equip 4
Call for Retreat (wu)(wu)
Instant
Return any number of target creatures you own to your hand.
”I will not throw away my ponies’ lives when one order can let them see a battle they can win.”
—Ironhead, legion commander
Flyder Swarm BG
Creature — Spider
Flying
Wither (This deals damage to creatures in the form of -1/-1 counters.)
Whenever Flyder Swarm deals combat damage to a player, create a token that’s a copy of Flyder Swarm.
Some spiders aren’t content to wait in their webs.
1/1
Thorny Embrace W(wb)B
Enchantment — Aura
Enchant creature
Enchanted creature can’t attack or block.
At the beginning of the upkeep of enchanted creature’s controller, that player loses 1 life and you gain 1 life.
Dancing Shadow 1UB
Creature — Shade
U: Exile Dancing Shadow. Return it to the the battlefield under its owner's control at the beginning of the next end step.
B: Dancing Shadow gets +1/+1 until end of turn.
”Darkness can be far more elegant than nightmares and tyrant kings.”
—Princess Luna
1/1
Venom Assault 2(bg)
Instant
Creatures you control gain wither until end of turn.
”It only hurts when my heart beats.”
—Rainbow Dash, Bearer of Loyalty
Syphon Beauty 2WB
Sorcery
Remove up to one counter from each creature you don’t control. Put a +1/+1 counter on each creature you control.
The empress adorned those few who earned her favor with the treasures of the many who didn’t.
Empress Sable Spirit 3WB
Legendary Creature — Unicorn Wizard
When Empress Sable Spirit enters the battlefield, you become the monarch.
Whenever you cast a spell, if you’re the monarch, you gain 3 life.
Whenever an opponent casts a spell, if that player is the monarch, he or she loses 3 life.
3/3
Torch, Herd Roaster 4RG
Legendary Creature — Dragon
Flying
Whenever a Dragon you control attacks, target creature defending player controls can’t block this turn.
”Sister wishes to parlay with him. I say his scales will make fine armor.”
—Princess Luna
6/5
Mineighmo, School at the Horizon
Legendary Land
T: Add U to your mana pool.
UU, T: Copy target activated ability of a legendary creature you control. You may choose new targets for the copy.
Its students begin with alchemy and end as myths.
Nhorse Settlement
Land — Island Mountain
(T: Add U or R to your mana pool.)
Nhorse Settlement enters the battlefield tapped.
Cycling 2 (2, Discard this card: Draw a card.)
Ooh, I missed that! Sweetie's mage skills are really picking up. She'll have I Quattro Elementi under her belt in no time.
I liked the Netitus too. Actually I just really like shields.
This is the one thing that bugs me the most about the entire episode.
I'm willing to grant ponies magical hoof dexterity or tactile telekinesis, whatever... but come on! There's nothing casting that shadow!
I noticed Sweetie's shield as well. She seems to be finally excelling at magic!
Nope, this is...
This is it, this is the explanation. XD I will broke no others.
Scootaloo is best facehugger.
Yeah, there's no way the past three and a half seasons took place in a single year. Either the show was backtracking to set itself within some of the episodes at the end of S5, or Starlight's meddling made time flow backwards. Given how some of the new EG shorts were filler for the first movie, the first explanation is the most reasonable, although it's still jarring to watch. Has any brony tried to make a list of all the episodes in chronological order yet?
Anyway, this was a nice, low-key episode that I enjoyed a lot more than I expected. Not one of my favorites, but I appreciated the world-building. Each legend perfectly emphasized what was important to the storyteller. Applejack told about an earth pony who used his strength to protect his village, Rarity told about a unicorn who sacrificed her own beauty to bring back the beautiful things that were taken, and Rainbow told about a pegasus who teamed up with other soldiers to fight off dragons.
I saw a few people complain that the legends were predictable, but that didn't bother me at all. They're legends. They're supposed to be ancient stories passed down by oral tradition. Of course they're not going to have the most original plot twists or the best exposition. They're supposed to establish archetypes and tropes that endure through generations.
This might be my favorite episode's worth of cards yet. Guess it lends itself well.
So much lore...
I really don't think this is supposed to be one year after "Sleepless in Ponyville". Scootaloo's line is... pretty bad, yes, but it's a bit more ambiguous than that, and Apple Bloom's, Applejack's, and Rarity's talk about this being an annual thing and Rarity getting gradually better suggests to me that there have been more trips inbetween.
I'm very curious about exactly how the editorial process between the show staff and the comics people works. All three of these legendary characters were introduced in the Legends of Magic comics earlier this spring (and there are more to come, presumably there will be a similar episode for the rest of the mane six to tell their favorites (and yes every indication is that Twilight's is Star Swirl the Bearded, so I'm watching closely)), and each of the comics began with "Now, you all know the famous story of..." and alluding to these stories from the episode before saying "But here's another story about that pony that you might not have heard."
So clearly Jeremy Whitley, who is writing Legends of Magic, had been told what the legends would be about. But he clearly didn't have complete information, because the Rockhoof comic issue is all about how Rockhoof owes his strength to his rigorous training regimen, and how he gets soft when he slacks off.
Also, the comics feature teenaged Celestia and Luna, and the construction of Canterlot Castle, so that's more historical timeline information that may or may not be backed up by any other piece of canon.
This has been my answer to all the questions of continuity in this show.
"There is no continuity. Only insano."
Noxious Fertilizer.....oh dear. AJ, that's somewhat terrifying.
Love the Torch card, got some fate reforged vibes from Luna's flavor text.
Thorny Embrace has got a very cool mana cost. Kinda gives it some mechanical leniency, and some aesthetic blurring the line betwen colors.
I was half expecting Netitus to have something like an equipment that gave +0/+2 and protection from red.
What's especially odd is that there have been two Hearth's Warming Eve episodes between this one and "Sleepless in Ponyville". Either Equestria has a very weird calendar, or Applejack has a very unusual definition of the term "annual".
Anyway, one thing that stuck out to me was that while the ancient pegasi from before the founding of Equestria are usually interpreted as a Greek Fantasy Counterpart Culture (warning -- Tv Tropes link), Flash Magnus' name and his being part of the Royal Legion are decidedly more Roman.
One thing I've been wondering ever since I saw the episode is if the Flash Magnus incident is still a sore spot for Torch, especially with the legend still being told after all this time. Dragon Lord or not, there's no way the other dragons are ever gonna let him forget about the time a pony tricked him into electrocuting himself.
EDIT:
One thing that just occurred to me is that the Royal Legion seems to put on a rather more effective performance than their modern-day equivalents, especially if you compare their confrontation with the two dragons to the Wonderbolts'.... less than impressive showing against giant!Spike in "Secret of my Excess".
My thoughts:
*Flash Magnus is flicker tech, though he is too pricey to flicker then wrath, he's got a lot of utility. Nice
*You kinda messed the formatting, as there's like two cards that are all italicized
*Normally Mistmane's ability should be B, but it works well here.
*Nice use of the Serf creature type in Palace Toilers
*At first reading, it looked like Mental Scar did escalating damage (lose life = life lost last turn), but it's just life = the number of counters on it, so it's not as OP as it looked at first glance.
*Campfire Legend fails to work if your commander is on the field because of the "legend rule". You need to mention that the "legend rule" doesn't apply this turn (opening up the door to propagate strategies), or have the token be a copy except it's name is "Figure of Legend" or whatnot.
*I wouldn't have thought to use Threshold to depict Rockhoof (I probably would have gone flip/DFC), but it works here. Kudos.
* I have Elf and Sliver decks that would gobble up Mass Migration
* Netitus is begging to be equipped to a good old fashioned Thorn Basilisk,
* I hate the cost of Thorny Embrace. It screams of trying too hard to be cool. The entire purpose of hybrid mana is that you can use it in decks that are only one-half of the color; i.e., using a (ub) card in a WB deck. The only time WotC has use hybrid mana in a non-hybrid card was for gold cards that had a third color, like Marisi's Twinclaws. 99.999% of the time, W(wb)B is functionally identical to 1WB. It's an ugly looking cost that makes you look foolish.
In short, I don't like it.
* Venom Assault is a nice combat trick. I approve
* Syphon Beauty seems situational at best. It's doomed to spend its days in the sideboard.
* Empress Sable Spirit seems like a fun commander if you want to make everyone hate you.
* Torch seems like he would play well with the dragons of Tarkir. Or at least his card would.
* I see what you did there with Mineighmo. If it's any consolation, I'd rather play with your version. Just untapping a legend has less utility.
* Nhorse Settlement seems like it'd be a neat cycle, though just by its name, you'd expect RG or GW than UR.
All in all, it's really good outside of one card. Good job.
4649414
I'm beginning to suspect that's how ponies normally age. It would certainly explain why the Cake twins and the Crusaders haven't changed their proportions.
4649429
Oliver's making a game attempt. I don't always agree with his conclusions, but I have to admire his dedication
to staying true to the data.
4649442
I know!
4649447
Yeah, the opening dialogue seems to clash with itself at times, which is either impressive or indicative of the editor not doing their job. Possibly both.
4649458
So it's all suspended in hypertime?
4649499
Apparently folding Pegasopolis into Equestria led to a Romanization of the air force.
4649533
Thanks for the formatting catch. I spotted one, but the other slipped under the radar.
Mistmane, Beautiful Soul: Second Sunrise and Faith's Reward say otherwise.
Campfire Legend: Very good catch.
I've since reworked the card's functionality. Note that because of the cycle of commander planeswalkers, even legend rule immunity might not save the story.
Thorny Embrace: Three notes:
1. Please refrain of slipping into ad hominem attacks. It makes your criticism a lot harder to take seriously even when it's valid.
2. Decks with three or more colors would disagree with that "99.999%" assessment.
3. I think we can both agree that the ever-so-slight upgrade to Pillory of the Sleepless shouldn't make it a four-mana card. However, by the same token, it shouldn't have a cost identical to Pillory. Thus the question becomes how to price the thing. I devised a novel solution. I'm sorry it disagreed with you.
Mineighmo, School at the Horizon: Thanks, but I have no idea why catching the reference would lead to you saying "If it's any consolation."
4649492
I believe he's referencing his fanmade version of AJ who is a member of the Golgari.
I like to think that Sombra was one of these eastern unicorns. And yes, I thought the Shimada thing as well.
Thank you for introducing me to Tiny Sapient Ungulates. My revulsion is slowly replaced with intrigue.
Hoo boy. Imagining Mass Migration in the new Dragon commander deck. Yipe.
Is that a Praetor Applejack? Also, does "poisoned" here mean "has one or more poison counters"?
Makes sense she would be the one to suggest such a Skyrim-esque solution. After all, she is the one most experienced with shouting.
"Nhorse" is an inspired pun. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise.
4649563
In order:
* No problem, it's an easy thing to miss
* Yeah, white has some reanimation, but what came to mind was No Rest For The Wicked. I should have thought further.
* Um, the new wording doesn't help if you target your own commander that's on the field. It does let you nab temporary copies of your opponent's commander, so it's still worthwhile though.
* 1: Sorry, it's just as an amatuer card designer myself, I see abuse of the hybrid mana symbol a lot, so it's a bit of a pet peeve,
2: Yeah, 3+ color decks are the exception, and in retrospect, they make up more than 0.001% of decks, so I retract that statement.
3: I understand your reasoning, but I still feel that "hybrid mana in like mana costs" is an unexplored design space for a reason.
* Yeah, looking back, neither do I. Still it's a neat card and a good riff on an older one.
4649581
Yeah, TSU is a great example of groetsque-cute.
Pretty sure I got "Nhorse" from Jordan179.
Also, see below regarding Praetorjack. And yes, a player is poisoned if he or she has one or more poison counters.
4649492 4649580
Bugsydor has it right. Here's a blog with examples of all the pony praetors from way back before I even adopted the "name blogs after Magic cards" schtick.
It also contains some horrible, horrible lies regarding the future of My Little Praetor, which I really need to get back to at some point.
4649593
Hybrid is easy to misuse. Given the larger context, your reaction is understandable.
4649593
Wash that mouth out with soap!
4649598
All in all, its a great and safer use of hybrid mana on a gold card. Aggressively costed, and doesn't clunk up like guild leaders.
4649598
I wasn't going to bother you about needing to get on that rewrite, but since you brought it up...
4649600
No, it's one of those words that have multiple meanings and only one of them is bad. Like cock. It can be a salacious word, or it can mean "rooster" or "pulling the hammer in a firearm back".
Space is warped and time is bendable.....
Starting to think Equestria might be a Discworld type set up, where they have two different types of 'year'. One for one pass of the seasons, and one for one full rotation of the Disc, with the later taking two of the former. Just, so much does not make sense about timeline.
Speaking of! These are all likely taking place before Equestria was even a thing, given how the Legends comics tie into them directly, and all of the comics are framed as Sunburst reading stories of these Legends that Starswirl collected.
4649447 Well the comic staff were given the scripts to the season early to base their stuff off of... could be that that was how it was in the original script, but at some point they changed it, likely because of length issues and needing to condense some stuff. But yes be interesting to see when the next three come in, Twi's is obviously Starswirl, guessing Fluttershy's will be the one with the Sphinx, and taming a great beast through kindness and understanding.
Ooh, Praetorjack. The plot thickens...
Things like this I just file under "These are old legends. The wizard's dad, did it."
So, rules clarification on Campfire Legend: Since it's a copy of a Commander and not actually that Commander any damage it deals doesn't count for the "21 damage by a single Commander death" correct? Unless, of course, the copy deals 21 damage in a single hit that is.
I feel that Avalanche Strike should do something extra if the land you sac is a snow land. Maybe just something like "Deal 3 damage instead if the sacrificed land was a Snow land". Doesn't have to be major, just a nod to it being an avalanche from a snow land.
I really want to see the ability on Stubborn Settlers as a keyword ability, along with "Can't be exiled." and "Can't be returned to the library.", maybe not all together but each happening at some point.
For all together I was thinking something along the lines of "Embedded (This creature can only be removed from the battlefield by being destroyed. Exile effects and cards that use the word 'return' do not affect it.)" I'm not sure if you'd need to include state-based effects in there for having zero or less toughness but I think that 'destroys' the creature. I don't feel like bringing up the comp rules right now... .
OK, I looked though all of the hybrid mana cards and not a single one of them has two solid colors and a hybrid mana. They are all either solo hybrid (if different hybrids), colorless-hybrid-solid or hybrid-solid. It was always the hybrid before the solid so even if it breaks 'color order in casting cost of multicolor cards' just a bit I think the casting cost of Thorny Embrace would look better as {W/B}WB.
Get out. Leave. Go. You're dead to me.
(Seriously, I've not seen this pun slash play on words before. Well played.)
4649408
Disclaimer: I've not watched the episode.
Having said that, maybe Rarity is using some some of 'light projection' spell to control the shadows? We know unicorns can cast light spells of various types, not that much of a stretch that there is a 'shadow play' sort of spell. It would also explain how she was able to get 'detaching' shadows and all.
4649499
I'm not sure where I got it from but I once saw someone float the idea that the Wonderbolts stared as the equivalent of military, then became a reserve faction that did shows as a form of recruitment then become a show team that still thinks it's a reserve faction of the military (and is 'on the books' as such) but doesn't have any of those skills anymore.
Basically they talk up non show-flight skills they don't have any more because they think they still have them.
4649533
4649593
On Campfire Legend: The not not helping with your Commander on the board makes it so you have to either find some way around that (*coughMirrorGallerycough*) or only use it to copy other Commanders or yours while it's in the Command Zone. We've got a lot of cards that copy creatures but don't do anything with the 'legend rule' so I can see this one not doing so, even if it specifically deals with Legendary creatures.
On Thorny Embrace: "The entire purpose of hybrid mana" is actually to be used in cases where a card fits into an "either or" sort of station color pie and flavor wise. If a card could be a Red card or if it could be a Black card but it doesn't require both colors then it is a {B/R} card. The fact it makes multicolor decks a bit easier is, while not incidental, not the main focus of why hybrid mana was created.
Also, I have had several cases of running two color decks and getting mana screwed by missing out on half my colors. So, yes, when it is running good a hybrid mana is about the same as a colorless, but you must also consider that while a colorless can be paid for with any color of mana a colorless can not be used as any color. So the difference between 1WB and {W/B}WB is very large in some cases when you're running non-basic lands that produce colorless and have some utility ability that isn't color fixing.
On Syphon Beauty: At the very least it gives your whole team a +1/+1 counter. Also, take note that you can remove any counter from all creatures you don't control, including Divinity counters. It's a good Commander card but unless the format it is released in is creature counter heavy it's below par for constructed but still worth running in the main in some cases.
On Mineighmo: I'd say untapping has more utility than copying an activated ability. Because when untapped you can either use a tap ability again, attack, or block THEN use a tap ability. Here you can only do one thing: copy an ability, which by definition is less utility.
4649887
Isn't it normally The Bard, or maybe The Rogue, that is always the one "doing" things and not The Wizard?"
4650175
Could be a sorcerer.
4650175
That's actually a pretty good explanation. I've actually been pretty confused about whether the Wonderbolts are supposed to be a military unit (because they sure act like one) or just a performing team (because that's what they actually do), but this ties together things pretty neatly. I may just have to steal this headcanon.
4650175 * Fair point on the legend rule thing, though I feel I must point out that Mirror Gallery is a wasted slot in an EDH deck, as everything is otherwise a one-off.
* I'm not saying it should cost CWB (C being the diamond shaped colorless mana). I just feel that the times when you can pay 1WB but not W(wb)B are few and far between and that the distinction isn't worth the unorthodox mana cost.
* I suppose so, but Collective Effort did it cheaper (and without being multicolor) and with greater utility.
* Unless said ability cost a lot of mana (Oona, Queen of the Fae), required a sacrifice (Jalira. Master Polymorphist), and/or didn't have tap in its avtivated abilty cost (Muzzio, Visionary Architect). Then our pony equivilent is much more useful. Though I will admit, for legends that have an ability that simply taps (Niv-Mizzet, the Firemind) or is a big creature with only keywords and a huge body (Akroma, Angel of Wrath), then the original will be more useful.
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That was what hyoo-mans call a "joke," which induces the curious rhythmic paroxysms they call "laughter."
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Hmm. An eight-season year would explain a lot. Dash sings about "three months of winter coolness" in "Winter Wrap-Up," but I don't think anyone said the calendar was twelve months long. Now all we need is Fluttershy talking to the Great A'tuin.
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More like an abandoned plot congeals, honestly.
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Vlad, we've talked about commenting on an episode you haven't seen yet. Namely, don't.
Campfire Legend: As per effects like Fractured Identity, being a commander is not a copyable characteristic.
Avalanche Strike: In the episode, it was a purely rock-based avalanche. I'll grant that that doesn't preclude snow synergy, but I like to have at least a little justification from the source material when going in that direction.
Stubborn Settlers: If I recall correctly, Wizards tried that when designing Eldritch Moon. Apparently, it didn't go over well.
Thorny Embrace: The thing is, in the case of the gold-hybrid Alara Reborn cards, the left half of the hybrid symbol was always something that would normally precede the non-hybrid symbol. The convention there is muddied at best. I went for something more aesthetically pleasing.
Also, see below:
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Pretty sure Vlad's hypothesis is canon, given what Twilight says in "Testing Testing 1-2-3."
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You can't steal what is freely given!
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The Gallery isn't a dead card if you build your deck around copy effects. Magic is all about interlocking prices afterall and I've seen stranger combos in Commander decks.
Thorny Embrace: Keep in mind that 1 and C are not equivalent costs. A cost of 1 can be paid for with one mana of any color while a cost of C can only be paid for with one colorless mana. The former is easy to do because Basics and the latter is, while not overly difficult, not as easy.
Also, at the time they were made hybrid mana symbols themselves were "unorthodox mana costs". If Magic shied away from doing the unorthodox it'd be a very dull game.
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Then I wouldn't get to comment at all and that's no fun (because honestly I have very little desire to watch the show anymore but still like the community). I do try and only comment about things said by reviewers or just general comments.
How else would you explain detailed shadows from a hooved race other than "a unicorn did it"? (In universe. Adding "a Party Pony did it" isn't likely something most people would know to say.)
Campfire Legend: As I thought, just wanted to be sure.
Avalanche Strike: Just like how a frozen mass of land with nothing around can be called a "desert" it doesn't tend to be the first thing one thinks of when they hear the word. So too did my mind go to snow on the word "avalanche" instead of rocks.
Thorny Embrace: Aesthetics are in the eye of the beholder. I personally find the idea of a hybrid mana symbol sandwiched between two solid colors to be unsightly at best and possibly confusing at worst.
If you think of the hybrid mana symbols as more like the "generic" colorless numbers, which always go on the far left of the casting cost, that can only be paid with one of two colors instead of one of any then it makes sense for them to always be "before" solid color symbols, which can only be paid for with one color. Also, when dealing with the "2 or a color" hybrid they'd be left of any "two color hybrid" symbol. The colorless symbol is a bit odd here, do you put it before or after the hybrid? It can only be paid for with one type of mana after, just that type is "without color" instead of being a specific color.
Just my personal opinion. I don't think we'll be getting an official stance on it soon. (It's not something Wizards has done yet afterall. Doesn't mean they'll never do it just that they are unlikely to do so without reason. Maybe if we ever go back to Lorwyn-Shadowmoor it'll happen.)
And I wish I could claim the Wounderbolts thing as my own but it isn't. Wish more that I could remember who I got it from.
I dunno. I just assumed he hit one of those powerful, magic-infused rocks or something. You know the ones that Maud was talking about.
Sombra's form is Eastern, then? Simbrasian confirmed.
...And no comment involving Flash Sentry. Dang. I was hoping for a comment about him and Magnus. Oh well.
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Fair point, I should have said "Mirror Gallery is of much lesser utility in a singleton format like EDH, so in the vast majority of EDH decks, it would be a wasted slot"
As for the whole (wb)WB/W(wb)B cost, I've stated my reasons for not liking it. I honestly feel the distinction between (wb)WB and 1WB is moot the vast majority of times, and "I'm playing a 3 color deck and casting it on turn 3, so I don't have the two W and a B available/ two B and a W" is such an edge case that it's not worth bothering with. You do you, however. I'm just sharing my two bits.
Didn't like the episode much, to be really honest. It had worldbuilding, which I appreciate, but I didn't think the legends themselves were that good.
Something along the lines of, "Wow. That's dumb."
This is part of the reason I didn't like the episode much. I never thought I'd say this, but Jeremy Whitley did it better. The comic version of this character was one who trained hard and earned his strength and position of respect through sheer effort and determination. In this one... well, I guess technically this scrawny kid was still determined and putting in effort, but aging instantly into a burly warrior dude with superpowers thanks to magical bullshit is a significantly less impressive story to me.
I thought so too, and I got excited about that when I first saw this episode. But now it looks like we're about to meet the actual Mage Meadowbrook soon, and I don't think they have this design, so this promises to be another wasted opportunity.
Crossed my mind briefly. Though, I don't play Overwatch, so my actual first thought was Mistmane and Sable Spirit have the same type of Stand...!