Friendship is Card Games: Deviations and 20/20 · 1:03pm Dec 1st, 2019
I was going to do the 2016 annual this week… but it doesn’t appear to exist. Bit of a problem. In the spirit of an alternate version of me having one to work with, let’s look at the MLP editions of IDW’s recent Elseworlds events.
Deviations
This Celestia is bizarrely calm about the whole “dragon bursting out of a tower” thing. You’d think they’d have this exam outdoors if that sort of thing happened this often. That or it’s only frequent from Celestia’s perspective.
Grumpy cactus Night Light is honestly kind of hilarious. Twilight Velvet’s understandably shocked, but apparently this is just an annoyance to him. (“It’s like meeting Vel’s parents all over again.")
Some alternate universes branch off of the main line because of random chance. Some due to temporal interference. Some are just Celestia going “lol why not?” It’s not like she has a crazed sister to worry about… or she just has incredible faith in Harmony.
Curious. Between calling original Spikezilla a “final exam” and Blueblood needing to magically alter an egg to move on to the next semester, this clearly isn’t the entrance exam for Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns. There are more differences here than just who Celestia took on as her personal protege.
Poor Inkwell. She didn’t fight in the invasion of ’42 to deal with brats like this. (I’d ask why Blueblood hasn’t been expelled yet, but the answer is clearly knowing ponies in high places.)
I appreciate how even Blueblood realizes this is a terrible idea. That said, I’m astonished that Celestia both put up with and couldn’t get through to him over the course of the theme song montage. I’d expect him to be expelled, cooperative, or a pile of ash by the end of the second year, but then we wouldn’t have a story. Still, I much prefer diplomat Blueblood from his Friends Forever issue with Shining Armor.
Tia. Seriously. Supreme monarch of the land. Come down on him like a ton of bricks. It’s not tyranny if nothing else has worked.
Is there a reason why the guards are following his orders? If the only joke in this thing is “Blueblood is an obnoxious git and everypony lets him get away with it,” this is going to be a long review.
Nice touch with the mare-less moon in the background of the Ponyville arrival panel.
Heh. If nothing else, the lesson on checklists took root.
Alicorn or no, I’m not sure if one hostile pony counts as being overrun.
Good on Applejack for not tolerating for a minute what all of Canterlot has for years. Seriously, I can only imagine what kind of political quagmire Celestia unwittingly dove into in taking on Blueblood.
Blueblood. She is an alicorn. You’re lucky she didn’t break every bone in your body.
Insipid though he may be, Blueblood actually has a point in dismissing the Elements. Why would the villain flat-out say the one thing that could stop her? (Unless, of course, that’s Luna subconsciously wanting to be beaten, which would explain such acts of tactical genius as “frighten the questants with scary trees.”)
Of course, Nightmare Moon ordering the citizenry to adore her hints at the other reason why she’s being relatively merciful: At the end of the day, she’s just desperate for attention. She was when she first transformed, and a thousand years of isolation on the moon hasn’t changed things.
You know the world’s about to end when Fluttershy misgenders a pet.
Just throttle him, Fluttershy. Nothing of value would be lost.
Heh. Goes to show, if Rarity had played hard to get, she probably could’ve snared Blueblood at that first Gala. Whether or nto that would be a good thing is up for debate.
I get the feeling that Rarity literally said “dreamy sigh.”
At this point, I’m starting to think that “Prince” is literally just his first name.
Rarity can make antimagic fabric? Huh. There’s an interesting detail.
She definitely said “Sputter!”
Why would you give him the antimagic cloth? Why would you give him anything after you already know he’s a jerk?
Huh. I thought that was Lightning Dust. I wonder what ripple effects put her on the Ponyville weather patrol.
Plundervines? Or at least some kind of thorny growth. Curious.
Heh. I do appreciate how Pinkie puts the plot on hold, up to and including telling Nightmare Moon to shut up, so she can focus on Blueblood stepping on her hooves. She’s the meta pony around here, bucko. And I do appreciate how Blueblood proved himself to be the living antithesis of every Element of Harmony. Even Magic; he demonstrated that at the very beginning!
Also, “task at hand?” Silly Luna.
Oh, it isn’t the Summer Sun Celebration yet? I thought the side trip to Manehattan just took a couple days.
But yeah, Blueblood actually has a point. Subverting expectations just for the sake of subverting expectations isn’t a good idea. That’s how you get The Last Jedi.
… Holy crap, they’re actually berating the Nightmare out of Luna. What good is power if she’s as bad as Blueblood? 
Yeah, it’s not like the helmet has any power on its own. Plus, the way Blueblood was putting it on, it’d hit his horn in another few millimeters.
Wait. Blueblood. On the moon.
This was all a prequel to Moonstuck.
That dog is an astonishingly adept architect.
Hmm. Is a ponified Starbucks mermaid a seapony or a siren?
I’m certainly impressed by Blueblood. Just not in a positive way.
Katie Cook’s note on why she picked this moment is honestly delightful. She all but comes out and says that she just submitted her fan fiction. And speaking as a connoisseur thereof…
Well, frankly, she overplayed the joke. She may say that “Blueblood is best worst pony,” but that doesn’t excuse everypony else putting up with him in defiance of all reason and logic. Yes, I’m effectively overthinking a crackfic, but this was a slog at times. Also, I do have to wonder whatever happened to Twilight.
20/20
You know it’s a special event when they take the Elements out of the Tree.
Lightning hitting something going well over 88 mph. Yeah, that’ll result in time travel, especially if the Element of Loyalty works as a flux capacitor.
Time travel in Equestria always seems to focus on the moment of Dash’s first Rainboom. It’s not surprising; it’s a pivotal moment in shaping the destiny of Bearers and world alike. Still, it’s become a trope in and of itself.
Literal fractures in space and time are never a good thing. Consider the circumstances of last time. Still, I have to appreciate the various initial reactions. Especially the Pinkies taking this in stride and Twilight’s parents trying to process that holy horseapples their daughter is an alicorn.
I do feel I should mention the conceit of this series: To celebrate IDW’s twentieth anniversary, all of their titles had an issue where characters travel twenty years into their past or future. This does seem to set a bit of hard chronology for the Mane Six, twenty years from Dash’s first Rainboom to some time after defeating the Storm King, given the Abyssinian delegates. Not sure how much I buy that.
Kirlian photography captures electrical auras that discharge off of the edges of objects, including people. The Pinkies’ technobabble boils down to “like calls to like.” Also, again, the fact that the Pinkies are handling this the best is fantastic. So, was Granny Pie or Nana Pinkie the quantumancer?
“Where’d you get the hat from?” I suppose Applejack left her father’s hat in the closet for this dignitary visit.
Okay, the Fluttershies’ interaction is truly heartwarming. All of them are, but her/them especially.
For all that the rock farm wasn’t a good fit for Pinkie, it’s still her home and still has her family. It’s near and dear to her. It’s just that the chores aren’t.
Celestia can apparently sense temporal distortions. This makes “It’s About Time” all the funnier. She really did know about the closed time loop the whole time!
Also, young Twilight analyzing her future self is adorable.
Wait, Pinkie had a cake baking in the middle of a diplomatic visit?
… Actually, I’m not even surprised.
Also, good thing nopony’s poked their muzzle into the time vortex… though I suppose even Ponyvillians have enough self-preservation to leave that be.
Huh. I’d legitimately missed that the Elements had vanished. Interesting to see that young Twilight has heard of them… though she definitely recalled reading about them in the premiere. Yeah, this checks out.
Heh. Each group has one of everypony.
There’s something vaguely worrisome about Rarity wearing the Element of Laughter. I keep expecting her to look in our direction and be horrified.
I can’t help but think that Fluttershy could’ve just asked the bear to get up so they could get the lumpy rock out from under it.
Poor little Fluttershy couldn’t keep up at Dash’s pace,. And Rarity is reasonably concerned.
Nice touch with Twilight looking at a tree trunk the same shape as her castle as she talks about the perks of Ponyville.
Pinkie has referred to Discord as a god twice in this special. Not disputing it, just making the observation.
Celestia can apparently seal memories. That’s not at all concerning. 
And yeah, strictly speaking, this isn’t an Elseworlds story. And Celestia knowing about the Bearers ahead of time certainly makes a lot of her actions in and leading up to the series premiere make sense. Heck, even the fretting we saw in “Celestial Advice” still works. Can you imagine the panic you’d feel if you’d planned around a future you may have unwittingly invalidated? But in the end, this was as much of a closed time loop as the Next Tuesday Incident. Even Rainbow DeLorean doesn’t have the causality twisting power of a jailbroken Cutie Map.
The unspoken issue of Applejack’s parents lingers over that goodbye. It never came up, and neither did they, but still…
Oh dear. Fluttershy gets timesick. Happens to the best of us.
Lovely stuff, especially after the show has ended. Given the way the adult Bearers summarize the lessons they’ve learned, it really emphasizes the “bookend” feel, even if the presence of the Elements means this has to take place before Season 9. Still, a heartwarming read and an absolute treat for the eyes given all of the adorable foals on display.
Now for what some people might be seeing in booster packs in other timelines:
Gale Sphere W
Enchantment
When Gale Sphere enters the battlefield, exile target creature an opponent controls until Gale Sphere leaves the battlefield.
At the beginning of your upkeep, if you don’t control a creature with flying, sacrifice Gale Sphere.
Abyssinian General 2WW
Creature — Cat Soldier
Vigilance
Whenever you cast a Cat spell, create a 1/1 white Cat creature token with lifelink.
“We would have easily beaten the Storm King had he not lured us from our posts with those infernal red dots.”
3/3
Trust in Harmony 3WW
Enchantment
You can’t draw more than one card each turn.
Each nonland card you own that isn’t on the battlefield has miracle. The miracle cost is its mana cost reduced by up to 4. (You may cast the first card you draw each turn for its miracle cost.)
Pluck the Stars U
Instant
Choose one —
• Counter target enchantment spell.
• Return target enchantment to its owner’s hand.
Sometimes heroes can justify their hubris.
Wardweave Cloak 1U
Artifact — Equipment
Equipped creature gets +0/+2 and has hexproof.
Equip 3
Rarity blends magic and material science into an incredible composite.
Memory Seal 2U
Enchantment
Vanishing 4
When Memory Seal enters the battlefield, exile all cards from your hand face down, then draw that many cards.
When Memory Seal is put into a graveyard from the battlefield, return the exiled cards to their owner’s hand.
Prophetic Visitor 2U
Creature — Pony Wizard
Vanishing 3 (This creature enters the battlefield with three time counters on it. At the beginning of your upkeep, remove a time counter from it. When the last is removed, sacrifice it.)
When Prophetic Visitor enters the battlefield or leaves the battlefield, scry 2.
3/3
Existence Fracture 4U
Sorcery
Put target nonland permanent on top of its owner’s library.
Suspend 2—1U (Rather than cast this card from your hand, you may pay 1U and exile it with two time counters on it. At the beginning of your upkeep, remove a time counter. When the last is removed, cast it without paying its mana cost.)
Noble’s Familiar B
Creature — Hound
Noble’s Familiar has deathtouch as long as you control another black creature.
“He’s a dear, really. He just detests the smell of the poor.”
—Prince Blueblood
1/2
Untouchable Connections B
Enchantment — Aura
Enchant creature
Enchanted creature has “B, Sacrifice another creature: This creature gains indestructible until end of turn. Tap it.”
It’s not what you exploit. It’s who you exploit.
Find Good Help 1B
Sorcery
Return target creature card from your graveyard to your hand.
Peasantcycling 3 (3, Discard this card: Search your library for a Peasant card, reveal it, and put it into your hand. Then shuffle your library.)
Spoiled Scion 1B
Creature — Unicorn Noble
When Spoiled Scion enters the battlefield, sacrifice a nonland permanent.
“Most of the Canterlot nobility serve vital roles in the nation’s governance. A few… Well, it’s best to keep them far away from actual power.”
—Princess Celestia
3/3
Great Surveyor 1BBB
Creature — Noble
Alicorn (This card is also a Pony Pegasus Unicorn.)
Flying
When Great Surveyor enters the battlefield, if you cast it from your hand, search your library and graveyard for five cards and exile the rest. Put the chosen cards on top of your library in any order. You lose half your life, rounded up.
4/3
Flux Bolt 2R
Instant
Choose one or both —
• Flux Bolt deals 3 damage to target creature or planeswalker.
• Remove two time counters from target permanent or suspended card.
Summit Awakener 2R
Creature — Unicorn Shaman
When Summit Awakener enters the battlefield, target Mountain becomes a 4/2 red Elemental creature with first strike for as long as Summit Awakener remains on the battlefield. It’s still a land.
Unicorns didn’t find the cliff Canterlot rests on. They made it.
1/1
External Conflict 3R
Sorcery
Create a token that’s a copy of target creature you don’t control. The token gains haste until end turn. Exile it at the beginning of the next end step. You may have it fight that creature.
Everyone is their own worst enemy.
Tanglevine 1G
Instant
Kicker G (You may pay an additional G as you cast this spell.)
Prevent all combat damage that would be dealt this turn. If this spell was kicked, each attacking player sacrifices a creature with flying.
Rainbow Dash didn’t like the ground, and the ground clearly felt the same way.
Ignore Causality 1(rg)
Instant
This spell can’t be countered.
Spells you control can’t be countered this turn.
“Paradox schmaradox. We’ll be fine.”
—Pinkie Pie, to Pinkie Pie
Blueblood, the Atrocious 1BR
Legendary Creature — Unicorn Noble
As Blueblood, the Atrocious enters the battlefield, an opponent of your choice gains control of it.
Blueblood’s owner chooses whether and who it attacks each combat.
Other creatures you control get -1/-1.
Whenever you cast a spell, Blueblood deals 1 damage to you.
5/4
Living Shield 2WB
Enchantment
If a source would deal damage to you, prevent X of that damage, where X is the number of creatures you control.
Whenever damage that would be dealt to you is prevented, Living Shield deals that much damage divided as you choose among creatures you control.
Blueblood’s Subjects 2GW
Sorcery
Create a 1/1 colorless Construct artifact creature token for each land you control.
“Strictly speaking, Bunny made them, but he’s not the one wearing the crown.”
—Blueblood, lunar emperor
Guardian Bruin 2GW
Creature — Bear
When Guardian Bruin enters the battlefield, exile target artifact or enchantment an opponent controls until Guardian Bruin leaves the battlefield.
Everypony talks about mother bears, but nopony mentions the part where they confiscate your toys.
4/4
Realize Destiny 3GU
Sorcery
Scry 3, then reveal the top card of your library. When you do, put X +1/+1 counters on target creature you control, where X is that card’s converted mana cost.
Once you look ahead, whatever you see, however unlikely, will be the truth.
Twilight’s Supreme Surge 4UR
Legendary Sorcery
(You may cast a legendary sorcery only if you control a legendary creature or planeswalker.)
Cascade, cascade, cascade (When you cast this spell, exile cards from the top of your library until you exile a nonland card that costs less. You may cast it without paying its mana cost. Put the exiled cards on the bottom of your library in a random order. Then do it two more times.)
It took you until now? That's been peoples' headcanon since his first appearance.
Inside Baseball Alert: Great Surveyor, in relation to the linked reference, is Doomsday on legs.
Stupid Complicated Game Alert: Judging from the wording, I think Tanglevine is supposed to interact with Party Crasher if it somehow gained flying, but I'm not entirely sure it does. Granted, silver-border means that intent can override the actual rules, so this is genuinely pointless to bring up.
Stupid Complicated Game Alert: Spoiled Scion can be sacrificed to his own ability if you just want a death trigger. You're in black, you probably have ways to abuse that even if it's just a dead apostle.
Stupid Complicated Game Alert: Miracle works when an effect instructs you to draw during other people's turns, so it's important to note that Trust in Harmony does nothing to prevent any part of that. Also, go ahead and spam tutors, wishes, impulse effects and impulsive draw; none of those are drawing so they aren't affected by the limitation (and as the links state, those last two are actually different things!). If you're playing against it? Wheels are your friend. (A vintage interaction, to be sure; both of those cards are Restricted in Vintage for a reason.
Haven't read the comics, but they sound fun.
Also, Blueblood the Atrocious sounds like a dreadful card to play against your opponent.
Oh, another Stupid Complicated Game Alert: Living Shield lets you assign as much damage as you like to a single creature, even in excess of what will kill it. Also, it still triggers on damage prevented in ways other than its own effect. Also, for hilarity you can have Gideon stop them from hurting themselves on your behalf, and it'll work splendidly because really, it's not like they're going to kill him at this point, right?
5162684
Yeah, but in 1v1, his player is either getting attacked by a 5/4 that only they paid mana for or giving their opponent the opportunity to kill him on their own terms. Or he's in the sideboard of B/R burn for the token matchup, if that happens to be a deck.
I need to catch up. I never saw the comeback of the mirrorworld comic, or the background 4th Doctor.
20 years is pretty reasonable, actually. The series itself spans about 10-12 years.
Twilight's friendship reports were weekly as of Return of Harmony, and there's an absolutely gigantic pile of them, so a year or two in passing between S1E1 and S2E1. Also; I just realized that Twilight never graduated. Spike says they're "on a break" in S1E1, and they never go back.
Also. We've seen the Crusaders pretty much grow up over the series. DHX can't change their designs over time because toys, but they start out dumbass kids and end up dumbass young adults that don't seem to attend school anymore. 20 is completely reasonable.
It's even better than that. NMM never gets truly purged; she just decides being evil ain't worth it if it means being compared to Blueblood.
Blueblood's obnoxiousness redeemed NMM.
It's also the closest we'll get to a definitive age on everyone: 20+
Oh hey, I remember reading that comic! Over the summer, in fact, off the Humble Pony Comics Bundle, to my 5-year-old. Though I think I enjoyed the time travel hijinks and general feels more than she did. But eh, what good is a daughter if not providing an excuse to read pony comics during your summer holiday?
I see Abyssinian General is following the OMG Kitties style of flavour text.
Trust in Harmony is really interesting. I wonder whether it's in colour pie, given its second line works like "{T}: Add {4}. Spend this mana only to cast the first card you drew this turn." But I have a suspicion "free spells" is actually something within the colour pie for all colours if they have a flavour justification, which this definitely does.
I don't know what you're talking about saying you don't make many NWO-compliant commons. A bunch of these would be fine as commons. Would it be OK if I did have a go at assembling a 250-card set from the gathered FICG archives?
Snerk at the effect of Great Surveyor. ISWYDT.
Summit Awakener is a neat twist on Awakener Druid. First strike is as least as good as 3 extra toughness most of the time, but the tweak does indeed make it feel red.
Is External Conflict a deliberate name reference to Inner Struggle?
I fear Blueblood the Atrocious might be a bit too confusing to print. I suppose they did just print Xantcha, Sleeper Agent... but still. I like the effect anyway, though I've always been cautious about blanket one-sided -0/-X effects after staring down Elesh Norn from the wrong side of the battlefield one too many times.
It feels wrong to have a card named "Living Shield" not be a creature. The mechanic is really interesting though: rewards making a bunch of 0/3 tokens or some such.
Blueblood's Subjects looks nice. Not broken or anything, but useful at most stages of the game and in a variety of different decks. A oneshot Dune-Brood Nephilim activation for half the colours.
It'd feel really bad to have your Realize Destiny fizzled by the opponent Shocking the 1/1 you were pointing it at.
5163778
Fortunately, the targeting is part of a "when you do" specifically so that this isn't a thing. The scry will still go through.
5165757
So it is! That cunning newfangled reflexive-trigger technology!
5165769
I mean, scry 3 isn't worth anywhere close to 5 mana especially when it's costing you two different colors and a card, so that's still a good idea for your opponent to do. It just doesn't completely blank it.