Friendship is Card Games: Dragon Dropped · 11:20am Sep 8th, 2019
You thought Spike’s first date would be with a pony…
Now that that’s out of the way, let’s look into this in earnest.
It’s always nice to see how Twilight’s work ethic has rubbed off on Spike, combined with his own sense of diligence and dedication.
Interesting to compare the poster in Spike’s room with the IDW appearance of the Power Ponies. Given the sheer number of differences—number of ponies, costumes, absence/presence of alicorns—I have to think that the poster depicts a different superhero team. That or there’s been a reboot since the magic comic was printed.
That last soft “Hello?” before the theme plays is hilarious to me. Something about the voulme contrasted against the wide shot.
I do have to wonder how sustainable the gem cave is. I know, Equestrian mineralogy is its own kettle of fish, and a rock farmer living next door could certainly have some impact on crystal formation, but still.
The frantic harpsichord as Rarity rants to herself is delightful. Even her personal background music is agitated.
Good to see the gems are tougher today than during “The End in Friend.”
“Breath mail!” was another great delivery. Really, Tabitha St. Germain devoured three pigs worth of ham this episode, and I love it.
I do appreciate how all of Rarity’s friends get a chance to be ranted at regarding Spike.
Wow. Rarity’s so worn out after the gem cave that she had to physically drag a drama couch with her rather than simply summon one. She should really just keep them stashed around Ponyville in case of marshmelodrama emergenci
Pinkie, get away from the keyboard! Even if you do have a point.
Lovely bit with Rarity smacking some of the books facefirst and not even noticing. She has more important things to worry about right now.
I really wasn’t expecting Gabby’s return, but I can’t argue with the reasoning for her finding a fast friendship with Spike.
Nice touch with Derpy slamming the service counter shut as Rarity shoves her massive crate of apologies into the post office. Bearer shenanigans are on the list next to big green things with teeth and Mrs. Cake. (Also, said crate of apologies seems to largely consist of comics, gems, and baking supplies. Seems about right.)
I’m not sure what I like better, the Say Anything tribute with the phonograph or the inexplicable post office spotlight.
I’m pretty sure this isn’t how Spike expected Rarity to throw herself at his feet.
Huh. Twilight ended up sending that research paper in “The Fault in Our Cutie Marks” after all. Misunderstanding or not, it clearly strengthened ties with Griffonstone. Also, Grandpa Gruff is secretly very concerned about Gallus’s well-being, and it’s adorable.
Also also, Gabby apparently flies between Griffonstone and Ponyville on a daily basis. Or she takes the train.
Spike tasting for counterfeit gems in the flashback is a lovely touch. They may be able to register in Rarity’s magic, but flavor is rarely a factor illusionists take into account.
Oof. Not only are Lyra and Bonbon at the next table to add to the romantic ambiance, Gabby feeds Spike her cherry.
A literal cherry. Shame on you.
I’m sure someone’s commented on this, but the spa uses incredibly thick cucumbers.
Time and place, Rarity. And again, this definitely isn’t how Spike expected her to surprise him in bed.
Hmm. Shame on me.
I wonder if Spike was ever able to make it to previous Power Pony Paloozas.
And so we get the answer to how Rarity feels about Princess Schmarity. Though it’s not clear how much her Spike withdrawal colored her reaction.
Very appropriate to have Princess Schmarity fighting a green-eyed monster, even if her player’s losing horribly to it.
You know, I do have to wonder how much assistance Twilight has needed over the course of these events. Spike’s had a lot of free time available.
Isn’t that always the way? You throw out one couch and they bring in another. Twilight really needs to unsubscribe from that service.
Huh. Looks like Rarity’s picking up on what to taste for. Or she just didn’t want to do the licking herself in public. She may have a more experienced palate than we may think…
It’s kind of hilarious how much shouting there is in that last scene before the bats wake up.
I honestly quite enjoyed this one. It highlights something several people have pointed out before, myself included: Every Bearer possesses the antithesis of their virtue as much as the virtue itself. Rarity can be as possessive as any dragon, and she does not easily part with that which she sees as hers. Of course, a unicorn trying to own people was how we got Sombra’s reign in the Crystal Empire, so it’s a good thing she got some sense smacked into her. Plus we got some unexpected, uncommon character interaction, and I can always appreciate that.
People have said that this sank Sparity, and I have to disagree. Not only does Rarity now realize how much she took Spike for granted, what I took away from this was that Spike gets all the ladies. Of every species. And what is a harem but a hoard that can appreciate the hoarder? 
In all seriousness, this episode strikes me more as a Rorschach test than anything. Your interpretation says more about you than the episode itself.
But enough about that. I’ll get to the cards so I don’t monopolize your day. Bear in mind that I’m considering Throne of Eldraine mechanics fair game henceforth:
Shield of the Coiffure 1W
Artifact — Equipment
Equipped creature gets +0/+3.
As long as equipped creature is enchanted, prevent all damage that would be dealt to it.
Equip 2
An elegant blend of form and function.
Regal Shieldmage 2W
Creature — Unicorn Noble Wizard
Other creatures you control get +0/+1.
“A princess must defend her people.”
2/3
Royal Aegis 1W
Instant — Adventure
Prevent all damage that would be dealt to target creature this turn. (Then exile this card. You may cast the creature later from exile.)
Masked Alicorn 2WW
Creature — Hero
Alicorn (This card is also a Pony Pegasus Unicorn.)
Flying
When Masked Alicorn is turned face up, put a +1/+1 counter on each other Pony, Pegasus, and Unicorn you control.
Megamorph 5W (You may cast this card face down as a 2/2 creature for 3. Turn it face up any time for its megamorph cost and put a +1/+1 counter on it.)
3/3
Message Breath U
Enchantment — Aura
Enchant creature
Whenever enchanted creature deals combat damage to a player, you may pay XU. If you do, draw X cards, then discard X cards.
Postal workers are proud to call Spike one of their own.
Grand Gesture 2U
Instant
Draw three cards, then discard two cards.
Adamant — If at least three blue mana was spent to cast this spell, instead draw three cards, then discard a card.
“If it’s worth doing, it’s worth overdoing.”
—Rarity, Bearer of Generosity
Transoceanic Courier 2U
Creature — Griffin Scout
Flying
Whenever Transoceanic Courier attacks, return it to its owner’s hand at end of combat. (Return it only if it survived combat.)
“Be right back. Just have to pop over to Mount Aris.”
3/2
Press for Time 2UU
Instant
Target instant or sorcery spell gains “End the turn.” (When it resolves, exile all spells and abilities from the stack, including that card. The player whose turn it is discards down to their maximum hand size. Damage wears off, and "this turn" and "until end of turn" effects end.)
Covetous Aberration 3U
Creature — Horror
5UU: Monstrosity 3. (If this creature isn’t monstrous, put three +1/+1 counter on it and it becomes monstrous.)
When Covetous Aberration becomes monstrous, gain control of target permanent for as long as you control Covetous Aberration.
3/3
Impossible Excess 5UUU
Sorcery
Exchange your hand and library. Then shuffle your library.
“I liked having all of my options available until I realized just how many options I had.”
—Rarity, Bearer of Generosity
Lantern-Hat Spelunker 1B
Creature — Pony Scout
When Lantern-Hat Spelunker dies, target creature you control explores. (Reveal the top card of your library. Put that card into your hand if it's a land. Otherwise, put a +1/+1 counter on that creature, then put the card back or put it into your graveyard.)
2/1
Cacophonous Swarm 3B
Creature — Bat
Flying
Whenever a player casts a spell with converted mana cost 6 or greater, return Cacophonous Swarm from your graveyard to your hand.
Powerful vibrations, whether from sound or spells, will awaken just about anything.
3/1
Daring Wager 3B
Sorcery
Roll a twenty-sided die. Your life total becomes equal to the result.
All across Spiketopia, a single phrase can inspire fear in even the bravest heart: “Natural one.”
Gem Splinters 1R
Instant
Gem Splinters deals 2 damage to any target. Create a Treasure token. (It’s an artifact with “T, Sacrifice this artifact: Add one mana of any color.”)
“Oh! Terribly sorry. At least that will more than cover your hospital bill.”
—Rarity, Bearer of Generosity
Implements of Seduction 2R
Artifact
1R, T, Sacrifice Implements of Seduction: Gain control of target creature until end of turn. Untap that creature. It gains haste until end of turn. Activate this ability only during your turn.
The way to a heart could be through any number of organs.
Prismatic Beam 2R
Instant
Choose one —
• Prismatic Beam deals 4 damage to target monocolored creature.
• Target multicolored creature gets +2/+0 and gains double strike until end of turn.
Faceted Iridescence 2G
Enchantment
Whenever an artifact you control becomes tapped, add one mana of any color.
Ungula is so rich in mana that gems form mere inches below the surface, waiting to be unearthed and harnessed.
Mega Basket 1
Artifact
You have no maximum hand size
At the beginning of your end step, if you have seven or more cards in your hand, create a Food token. (It’s an artifact with “2, T, Sacrifice this artifact: You gain 3 life.”)
For Spike, there’s little difference between a gem cave and a farmers’ market.
Energizing Soup 2
Artifact — Food
Energizing Soup enters the battlefield with three charge counters on it.
T, Remove a charge counter from Energizing Soup: Untap target creature.
2, T, Sacrifice Energizing Soup: You gain 3 life.
Rarify RG
Instant
Rarify deals 2 damage to each creature with flying. Those creatures lose flying until end of turn.
“Imagine my disappointment when I learned the word already existed.”
—Rarity, Bearer of Generosity
Souvenir Spree 1(gu)(gu)
Instant
For each artifact token you control, create a token that’s a copy of that artifact.
“‘Take only photographs, leave only hoofprints’ doesn’t work when you unearth new treasures with every step.”
—Rarity, Bearer of Generosity
Cunning Monopolizer 2WU
Creature — Unicorn Rogue
As Cunning Monopolizer enters the battlefield, choose artifact, enchantment, instant, sorcery, or planeswalker.
Spells you cast of the chosen type cost 1 less to cast.
Spells your opponents cast of the chosen type cost 1 more to cast.
2/3
Gorgon Exhibitor 3WB
Creature — Gorgon Artificer
Deathtouch
Whenever another nonartifact creature dies, create a colorless Sculpture artifact creature token with “This creature’s power and toughness are each equal to the number of Sculptures you control.”
2/4
Sparity might not have been sunk per se, but this episode certainly put a peg into one of its little holes. Also, yeah, the friends-as-horde was where we all assumed they were going with Spike, right? That wasn't just me and the several people who wrote fics about that?
Daring Wager errata: it must be an actual physical die. No cheating with a computer for d(arbitrarily high); the best you're going to do is one of those one-die d%s that exist and are probably the only way to make the card worth 5 mana. EDIT: Barring Death's Shadow decks which will use a d4 because Death's Shadow, I guess.
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I actually applied some last-second errata of my own when I remembered d%s exist: It has to be a d20. Five mana for "Set your life total to an average of 50.5" is a bit too good. (Of course, five mana for 10.5 is a lot worse, so I also dropped the cost by one mana.) Naturally, this is where the Squirrel-Powered Schemes come in.
Indubitably. :V
I didn't get the sense Spike was tasting for counterfeits, per se. Rarity just knows enough to know that "tastes good to dragons" is an extra layer of quality assurance when it comes to gems.
I watched this episode early but even now I still can't get over the cherry scene.
First time I saw the episode, I also saw the comment sections going on about how Rarity betrayed her Element. The people saying that must've missed the gigantic apology crate full with stuff Spike likes, or the tickets to something Spike desperately wants to go to, or Rarity spending time with him playing his favourite RPG.
No, this isn't about Rarity's greed. She's plenty generous in this episode. This is (to a lesser extent) about her vanity and (more so) about her need to be liked.
Rarity has an almost Pinkie-like need to be liked by others. She can't stand the idea of others not liking her, we have seen this several episodes over the course of the show, most famously Sweet And Elite and Fame and Misfortune. I think people forget that about her sometimes. Perhaps because Rarity's sometimes-haughty, snobby, and prissy demeanour can push others away; but then, it makes sense if she's aware of this fact, doesn't it? Rarity is a very manipulative little pony who doesn't have the ego-fuelled reality filter of someone like Rainbow Dash.
Anyhow, this is also another of the rare instances we see a more negative side to Gabby compared to the bundle of flawless perfection she was during her debut episode. Namely her jealousy.
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Seems like Griffon can be possessive, too. And maybe not used to losing.
Was anybody else, when you realized Spike was ditching Rarity to go to the post office, hoping for a Spike / Derpy hookup?
This episode was okay. While it did show a side of Rarity that casted her in a negative light, I think it was mitigated by her over-the-top apologies. Plus, her spa visits with him, as well as the O&O session, show that she doesn't just enjoy his company because he carries things for her. She actually enjoys him for who he is.
Just imagine: some future day, Rarity has one of her dramatic moments. She ignites her horn to summon her fainting couch and falls backwards.
Only to hit the ground.
After much confusion and searching, she discovers the couch has been commandeered by Twilight, who finds it perfect for reading.
Finally pony gets back to what matters! Shipping! Both the post office kind and the love kind.
I admittedly got hinted at this episode during an incidental derpibooru search. My eyes did see the freeze frame of the cherry nomming and my reaction back then was. “Whaaaaaat!” Because seriously, anyone seeing Gabby x Spike (Gabike? Spibby?) before this would have been accused of crackshipping.
But! Now that I’ve actually seen the episode, they actually have surprising chemistry. Post office romance, a contender for the ubiquitous coffee shop? I also found in interesting that Spike can direct his breath mail. ( That or Celestia has set up all mail to be forwarded to the post office now that she’s packed her bags
)
It’s nice to give Spike some other options. While Smolder / Ember always seemed good alternatives for romance, there is always a danger of the like-to-like / fated narrative if you ditch pony x dragon for dragon x dragon. With Gabby inter-species love is still possible, just between a different pair!
Tabitha sounded like she was having fun this episode and I’ll always enjoy every little noise she puts behind Rarity’s dramatics. Rarity's actions though in the episode were a little questionable. And its a hard sell to think that she would manipulate a friend to break them up with another. (Sure she did things spike wanted to do, but then she started pressuring Spike to go with her to do all her daily activities again soon after).
It’s tough, did she just want a
foothoofstool minion back because he was useful, or did she truly enjoy his company?On one hoof it took the threat of losing him for her to change up what they did, on the other hoof she knew exactly what made him happy. She can be oblivious, yet she was ready to beg for forgiveness even without knowing what she did wrong. And even after she did the mistake of stealing him away from Gabby she corrected it after Twilight nudged her.
Maybe for somepony like Rarity she has a bit of blindness to the further implications of her actions. It wouldn’t be the first time she did something ruthless / cutthroat only to to get shaken out of it later.
At the end of the day, I kinda enjoy the open endedness of the resolution. No more intrinsic guilt felt at pairing up Rarity with anypony else if Spike's got his option B. Plus I think this may be the first Spike episode where he wasn’t in the wrong or treated like a joke. Generally it was about how two girls wanted his company. If there is one thing I can be thankful for season 9 is that Spike has been wholly upgraded from Twilight’s pet to Twilight’s Little Brother and is treated well. Imagine all the Spike Angst / Spike Abuse fics that could have been avoided if they did this three seasons ago.
Love the flavor text for Rarify XD
For me, this is definitely a case of Spike gets all the ladies.
Derpy NOPEing the heck out was hilarious (and relatable).
Gems in Ungulla are alive and grow like (slow) plants, you can't convince me otherwise.
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Griffons? Possessive of their friends? Never...
Which frustrates me, the ability for people to just pick their own reality on an issue that should NOT be left up in the air. Rarity dating Spike, AS THEY ARE NOW, is not right, and the show should have taken a stand against it. I'm not trying to take a big steaming dump on the Sparity ship. I've actually liked some of those stories, especially with Kilala's universe.
The difference is that stories like next-gens have a significant time skips. It lets me read into a Rarity and Spike choosing to pursue a relationship later down the line, as adults. And NOT that Rarity feels CURRENTLY romantic attraction to a MINOR that she's known since prepubescence. Something I've never felt the show presented, but elements of this fandom keep yearning for.
I saw this episode as trying to politely put that shit down already. Although they muddled that message at the very end with Pinkie Pie delivering a saucy joke, which I'm honestly surprised, and kind of disappointed, they included. Gabby is the most adorable and unthreatening bullet-to-the-head of a ship I've ever seen.
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Argh, I hated missing this one, but family obligations are what they are. To me, it’s fantastic that they did something with Sparity before the end though—and I’m kind of okay that they did it as a Rorschach test.
While I’ve always shipped them, I’ll also be the first to acknowledge that the age difference makes it weird. It’s probably actually less weird for Spike to date someone his own age
before aging out of the weirdness, saying “buck this,” and sweeping Rarity off her hooves.>Rarity sneaks into Spike's room late at night to show him her appreciation.
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It goes to show how much the fandom and FiMfiction has slowed down. A few years ago that scene would have produced like 10 clopfics published practically before the episode finished airing. But now it’s over 24 hours later (many weeks later if you count the international airings) and there isn’t even 1.
I feel that this episode fell into the same trap that every episode trying to deal with Spike and Rarity's weird thing does -- namely that it was obviously using "friendship" as a stand-in for "romance" (I mean, between Rarity's "boombox" apology, Rarity's jealousy of Gabby, Gabby acting like a jilted lover, Gabby hand-feeding Spike a cherry...) and Rarity being clearly an adult whereas Spike is clearly not. I found this profoundly uncomfortable to watch.
That, and there was also the issue that what was clearly meant to be a sad and poignant montage about Rarity being sad that she doesn't get to spend time with Spike anymore focusing entirely on her not having someone to carry her things and do her chores anymore. It didn't say many flattering things about Spike and Rarity's relationship.
I feel like this episode could've been great if it had taken a slightly different direction -- namely, something like the friends that Rarity had shanghaied into doing her heavy lifting noting how what she really seems to miss is a porter and errand-boy more than a friend; cue then Rarity having one of her emotional moments as she realizes she takes Spike for granted and her apologizing for that specifically while promising to appreciate him more as an actual friend and peer.
Characters having major flaws is fine, but leaving one like this unaddressed and glossed over... it leaves a bad taste in my mouth.
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Remember after Gauntlet of Fire, and how the entire mature feature box was nothing but dragon porn for like a week?
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Sorry, I was busy writing SpikeXGabby clop instead. Back when this episode aired early, actually.
We're late enough into the season now that I assume every episode will be "the last [character]-focused episode" of the series. For example, "She Talks to Angel" was the last Fluttershy episode we'll see.
I thought this was a good last hurrah for Rarity and for Spike (not Rarity×Spike). It makes Rarity more three-dimensional to give her character flaws and especially to bring those flaws to the fore. And Spike continues to finally be given opportunities to pursue his own life and interests.
Another piece of animation worth highlighting: The funny moment where Twilight experiments with using the fainting couch to strike one of Rarity's melodramatic poses.
Personally, I've never shipped Spike and Rarity -- the show has always depicted it as nothing more than a silly childhood crush, which makes sense. And silly childhood crushes go away when the child grows up.
The way I interpreted the ink blot is that Spike has matured enough to realize that Rarity isn't a romantic ideal to idolize. However, the show is subtitled Friendship Is Magic, so he still sees her as a friend. And when a friend starts offering to do all of your favorite activities, you're not going to say no.
I also interpreted this episode as showing that Gabby makes for a good platonic friend for Spike (after all, it's healthy to have interests outside of your sister's friends). As I watched the episode, I didn't want the two to become a couple (I am of the firm belief that not every character in a TV series has to be shipped), and I was pleased that they seemed to be more hanging out than dating.
Of course, I also didn't notice the scene at the café until it was mentioned up above, as I was distracted by the adorable LyraBon in the background. Yeah, that whole cherry thing doesn't really fit my "not a date" interpretation. Also not fitting that interpretation: Spike blushing as he asks if he can accompany Gabby on her rounds near the end of the episode.
Well, at least Gabby is closer to Spike's developmental age than Rarity is. And maybe they're just trying dating and will realize that they're better as just friends. Like I said, not every character needs to find love before a series ends.
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That's a very good question. By the end of the episode, Rarity finally realizes why she's apologizing, but it's only because she was trying to keep Spike all to herself. To fully analyze their relationship would take more than a 22-minute runtime: She likes having him do things for her, but she would also argue that Spike truly is knowledgeable about fashion and gems, and she really does value his opinions. But does she realize that the only reason he's studied those subjects is because he has/had a crush on her and she took advantage of it? Is it healthy to share common interests as friends if those common interests initially developed from an unhealthy place? There's a lot to examine.
I dunno whether to laugh hysterically or be squicked
Well-played, FOME, well-played.
Have you ever noticed that most of the one-off characters are absolute waifu bait?
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Rarity has a habit of talking others into doing things for her.
She's also usually doing so when she thinks the other party will like the attention, or like the activity.
In other words, she may be taking advantage of what Spike is selling, but I don't see him complain about it. Quite to the contrary. And when people say it's bad of her to do so because of his crush on her, well, would he really be happier if she refused his company altogether? He'd be crushed.
One thing I never liked about Secret of my Excess was Rarity interrupting Spike's confession of love. It all but stated she knows he has a crush and now the problem shifted from him not openly asking her out to her actively stopping him from doing so. If she knows he has a crush on her, and she keeps exploiting it, and she keeps him from going the next step even though he wants to... that's just messed up. Not sure the writers knew what they were doing with that.
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I liked the Rorschach approach too. Spike's actually grown closer to several girls more his age the last few seasons: Smolder, Gabby... Smolder shows him what's it like to be a dragon in Equestria looking in, while Gabby can share his alienation with his biological people.
I wonder whether Smolder or Ember would win a Spike Shipping pole. Princess Not-A-Princess has seniority, but Scootadragon is adorable and closer to his mindset as is...
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She hasn't seemed manipulative of Spike in a long while. Not since the show itself gave him more dignity and stopped using him as a giant living target for physical gags. We've seen throughout the lifespan of the show she'll try to get people working under her, and not just with the angle of attraction.
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Dragon Dropped even reminds us of that with how she ropes in all her friends to help her at some point. So that's not a great quality of hers, but it feels more equal-opportunity towards everyone. Spike's probably been stuck with being the lackey WAY more than other people, but it's kind of his own fault for sticking to her like an anemone, thus putting himself in the line of sight, and not putting his foot down if there was something he didn't like.
Also, Undefined, I would think his affinity of gems would come from needing to eat them his entire life, and his dragon instinct to acquire them. I think he's also always had at least a little appreciate for fabric:
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In fairness to the situation of Secret of my Excess, they're both falling to their death at that point, so I can get Rarity just telling him it's okay to be quiet. Also why she wouldn't bring it up again, although this show doesn't offer realistic takes on coping with near-death experiences. I wish Rarity had come out and said "I'm not interested in you that way," but it's clear that the show itself hasn't wanted to address the issue. At all.
But the problem had felt resolved because (and I'm basing this off of candid recall) it hasn't really occurred these last few seasons. With everything Spike and Rarity were doing in Season 8, I'm not sure they even got to interact besides when he had to save her from the Roc. So much like with the idea of giving dimension to Garble or Angel, that issue just hasn't been on my mind in a long while because the show itself seemed unaffected by it. Although I really enjoyed Dragon Dropped more than S&S and Talks to Angel because that unnecessary question wasn't the central premise of the episode. Rather it's answered in the first act, and the real conflict is how Rarity is coping with that resolution.
"marshmelodrama emergencies" is a fantastic Pinkieism.
I was entertained by how well-chosen Rarity's crate of Spike apology material was.
I found Rarity's lantern-hat quite fascinating as well. The way the lamp lights up with her spellcasting aura indicates an intriguing level of magitek.
Every line in the whole Princess Schmarity O&O scene was fantastic. The roleplaying Rarity gets into is so magnificently characteristic of her and I would dearly love to hear far more of it. (I'd also love to see more of Power PonyPalooza, especially having seen Rarity cosplaying Mane-iac.)
And I think you're spot on with the Rorschach test interpretation of the episode :)
Press for Time is an awesomely intriguing variation on Time Stop. I love to imagine using it on a buyback / retrace spell to put a stop to the recursion shenanigans.
Faceted Iridescence is a delightful card too. I love the rare green pro-artifact cards we get (Kaladesh was great for that as in so many other ways) and that has me properly Tapping My Lip.
Is it 'counterfeit' though? I figured it was more him being able to judge the quality of the gem by taste.
G5 is a harem anime comedy staring Spike?
Finally got around to watching the episode (I'm cutting it close, binging the ones I haven't seen before the finale (holy crap the finale's this weekend)), and therefore looking at these.
Just wanted to say that I feel like Gem Shard should give the controller of the target creature the Treasure, based on where the gem shards wind up and the flavour text.
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Technically, both players get Treasures. The injured creature's controller just has to spend their share on health care.