Friendship is Card Games: d20 Pony, Ch. 8, Pt. 3 · 11:12am Jun 26th, 2022
The first two issues of the G5 IDW comics are out, and I definitely have some thoughts on them, but I’m holding off on them until more information comes to light. For now, let’s close out d20 Pony for the time being.
In this installment, the triumphant heroes return to Canterlot, inform Celestia of their completed quest, and as a reward get a free session in a spa with so much illusion magic, it might as well be a holodeck. From there it’s off to make Moonflower the new oracle of her town… and to chase off a grootslang that wants the Yggdrasil seed for its own fell purposes. Fortunately, the cavalry arrives, though given that it’s the Hoofington militia, that raises the question of whether they count as cavalry if they don’t have riders.
Regardless, Starfalls Town’s skepticism about their new oracle’s figurative and literal vision for their future, one of reintegrating with the rest of Equestria, seems to have been quelled after their neighbors helped save them from a grisly fate. Though we'll see what tomorrow brings.
Well, strictly speaking, I can see some of that now. I’m trying to take the comic one in-universe day at a time, and at this point, that means I’ll need to catch up to the few months’ worth of page I haven’t read yet. But that's for next time. For now, let’s see what else I can make of what I have to work with:
Canterlot Splendor 1W
Instant
As an additional cost to cast this spell, you may reveal a card with alicorn from your hand.
Target player skips their next combat phase this turn. If you revealed a card with alicorn or controlled a creature with alicorn as you cast this spell, tap all creatures that player controls.
Court of the Sun 1WW
Enchantment
When Court of the Sun enters the battlefield, you become the monarch.
At the beginning of your upkeep, put a +1/+1 counter on target creature you control. If you’re the monarch, put a +1/+1 counter on each other creature you control.
Daybound (If a player casts no spells during their own turn, it becomes night next turn.)
Court of the Moon
(B) Enchantment
When Court of the Moon enters the battlefield, you become the monarch.
At the beginning of your upkeep, creatures you control gain lifelink until end of turn. If you’re the monarch, those creatures also gain deathtouch and first strike until end of turn.
Nightbound (If a player casts at least two spells during their own turn, it becomes day next turn.)
Fulfilling Quest 2W
Instant
Exile target creature. At the beginning of the next end step, return that creature to the battlefield under its owner’s control with a shield counter on it. (If it would be dealt damage or destroyed, remove a shield counter from it instead.)
Experience is its own reward.
Banishment Squad 3W
Creature — Unicorn Soldier
When Banishment Squad enters the battlefield, exile another target creature. That creature’s controller may pay X, where X is the number of creatures in your herd. If they do, return that card to the battlefield under its owner’s control at the beginning of the next upkeep. (Your herd consists of up to one each of Bat, Pegasus, Pony, and Unicorn.)
3/3
Oracle’s Mantle 1U
Artifact — Equipment
Equipped creature has “At the beginning of each upkeep, scry 1.”
Equip 1U
Those who lead batpony tribes and channel their vaunted ancestors need to look the part.
Cosmic Influence 2U
Enchantment
Devoid (This card has no color.)
Whenever you cast a colorless spell, you may tap or untap target permanent.
“Even I know better than to study alicorns too closely.”
—Moondancer, polymath
Living Arcana 3UU
Creature — Elemental
Flying
Living Arcana’s power and toughness are each equal to the number of instant and/or sorcery cards in your graveyard.
When Living Arcana enters the battlefield, mill four cards.
Magic, like all life, wants to grow.
*/*
Haylantean Duo 4U
Creature — Siren Bard
Finale — Whenever you sacrifice a Song, create a token that’s a copy of target non-Bard, non-Song permanent.
Disguised sirens find incredible success when they can resist the urge to eat the audience.
3/5
Starfalls Campsite 2B
Sorcery
Create two 1/1 black Bat Pegasus creature tokens with flying. If it’s night, create four of those tokens instead.
Through Trailblazer’s expertise and Luna’s artistry, what might have been a tragedy became the best day of many cloistered lives.
Moonflower’s Vision 2BB
Sorcery
You draw three cards and you lose X life, where X is 4 minus the number of creatures in your herd.
Moonflower sees her people reunited with their diurnal brethren… and ruin for Equestria if that doesn’t come to pass.
Jolted Awake 3B
Sorcery
Target player discards in their hand, then draws that many cards minus one.
Moonflower’s first dreamhop was rough for everypony involved.
Grootslang Tyrant 3BB
Creature — Dragon Snake
Menace
When Grootslang Tyrant enters the battlefield, each opponent sacrifices a creature unless they put two +1/+1 counters on Grootslang Tyrant.
A grootslang offers a simple choice: Obey or die.
3/3
Crimsonsand Wanderers 4BB
Creature — Bat Pegasus Nomad
Flying
When Crimsonsand Wanderers enters the battlefield, return up to one target creature card and up to one target Desert card from your graveyard to your hand.
The southern wastes are a refuge for those who know them well.
4/4
Discord’s Guidance 3RR
Sorcery
As an additional cost to cast this spell, discard your hand and shuffle your library.
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.)
Draw three cards.
Imminent Collapse 5RR
Sorcery
Imminent Collapse deals 5 damage to each creature, player, and planeswalker.
Suspend 3–2RR
Whenever a time counter is removed from Imminent Collapse while it’s exiled, it deals 1 damage to each creature, player, and planeswalker.
Beyond Your Understanding 2G
Enchantment
Devoid
This spell can’t be countered
Colorless spells you cast can’t be countered.
Whenever you cast a spell with mana value 7 or greater, draw a card.
Some things in this world, and many in others, aren’t meant for mortals.
Imperial Springtender 4G
Creature — Kirin Citizen
When Imperial Springtender enters the battlefield, you become the monarch and gain 4 life.
“Rain Shine doesn’t like talking about the Empire. Best not to poke banked fires.”
—Autumn Blaze, kirin rageguide
4/4
Powerful Attraction 4GG
Enchantment
Whenever an opponent casts a noncreature spell, you may put a creature card with lesser mana value from your hand onto the battlefield. If you don’t, you may draw a card.
Using strong magic in the Everfree is like ringing a chorus of dinner bells.
Paired Plushies 3
Artifact — Equipment
When you cast this spell, copy it. (The copy becomes a token.)
As long as you control two or more equipped creatures, those creatures get +1/+0.
Equip 1
Impenetrable Firmament 1WU
Creature — Wall
Defender, flying
Ward 2 (Whenever this creature becomes the target of a spell or ability an opponent controls, counter it unless that player pays 2.)
Prevent all combat damage that would be dealt by creatures with reach to creatures with flying.
0/7
Happy Reunion 1WB
Sorcery
Two target players each put a creature card from their graveyard onto the battlefield.
Seeing familiar faces again is always a delight, though sometimes a very unexpected one.
Comprehensive Lesson 1GWU
Sorcery
Reveal the top eight cards of your library. For each card type, choose a card of that type from among them. Put the chosen cards into your hand and the rest on the bottom of your library in a random order.
“It’s all quite basic. There’s just a lot of it.”
—Moondancer, polymath
Therapeutic Illusionist 2GU
Creature — Unicorn Wizard
When Therapeutic Illusionist enters the battlefield, you gain 1 life for each land you control.
T: Untap target land. It becomes the land type of your choice in addition to its other types until end of turn.
2/3
Chocoscape
Artifact Land — Food
Chocoscape enters the battlefield tapped.
T: Add B.
2, T, Sacrifice Chocoscape: You gain 3 life.
The Day Dream Spa offers every fantasy imaginable, from vacation spots to outright impossibilities.
I like Banishment Squad, the grootslang, and jolted awake. Tribute is mediocre enough that they could make it multiplayer and lose nothing. And surprise taxes are the most fun (for the guy handing them out).
Oh great ruleaperson that haunts these: would Fufilling Quest add another shield counter if they already came in with one, or is it deliberate, or should it be "an additional"? Looking at Broker's Safeguard.
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Stupid Complicated Game Alert: Shield counters already stack quite profitably, although the "additional" is basically a style-guide thing that doesn't impact the rules but helps people like you play it correctly. Also, haunting something banishes you so it wouldn't work with this broad a spread because there are like three ways to come back from that and they're all MaRo Get Your Gun Alerts.
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I figured, but it's definitely possible to overelegance wording. Would you have preferred to bestow your wisdom, or something licid?
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I believe the correct phrasing for this would be "something something licid", but I appreciate the rules humor anyway. Obviously, seeing as I could have left that bit alone or gone with my first joke about not being dead.