The New My Little Pony Secret Lair... Is Actually Awesome

We've seen My Little Pony mtg cards before, with the Ponies: The Galloping secret lair. Now, we're getting a second round, and I must say, the cards look pretty amazing. Even if you're not an MLP fan, there are some cards you'll want to check out as an MTG fan. And if you are a My Little Pony fan, you're in luck because the drop is true to the source material. Either way, here is everything you need to know about the My Little Pony secret lair.

Ponies: The Gathering 2 contains four new My Little Pony mtg cards and is available from September 18 to midnight November 6. Non-foil versions are $39.99 and foil versions are $49.99. You can preorder here if you're interested.

Ponies: The Galloping 2 - My Little Pony Secret Lair Drop

Applejack

First, we have Applejack - A four-mana 4/4 with the "Family Gathering" ability. It says, "At the beginning of your end step, put a toy you own onto the battlefield as a 2/2 creature token with that toy’s name, colors, and creature types. If the toy has wings, the token has flying. If the toy has a horn, scry 2. If it has neither, create a Food token."

This is a reference to the "Apple Family Reunion" episode from season three, where Applejack is put in charge of organizing the family reunion and, in her panic to make it an extravagant affair, loses touch with what's important - Spending time with her family.

From a play perspective, this is cool because you can use it alongside your physical MLP toys and make tokens. However, you can use any toy and still make a food token, which makes the possibilities endless here. You can slap down a Skeletor or Vegeta and make a token, too. Overall, just a really fun card if you ask me. And it's pretty powerful alongside Princess Twilight Sparkle from the previous My Little Pony secret lair.

Spoiler alert - The cards mentioned by Princess Twilight Sparkle are in this secret lair drop. So, if you can get each one into play, you'll win the game. What's interesting about Applejack's ability is that if you have the physical toy of each pony, she can make tokens named after them, and you can win the game without actually casting the cards.

Fluttershy

Moving on to the second card from Ponies: The Galloping 2 is Fluttershy. She's a three-mana 0/4 with defender and flying. If you pay one and tap her, you put a +1/+1 counter on each creature you control with a tail. Then, you "stare down" up to one target creature you don't control until the end of the turn. This means it can’t attack or block as long as you’re looking directly at it. These feel like classic "unset" mechanics, and fans of silver-bordered cards will like this.

The +1/+1 counter ability will certainly hit all your other pony cards, which is the main goal. I've never paid much attention to which other MTG creatures have tales, but building "tail tribal" would be a pretty fun endeavor. If you've got any suggestions, comment and let me know.

From a MLP lore standpoint, Fluttershy makes a lot of sense. As her name kind of implies, she's quite shy and timid. And she's not the best flyer either, once receiving a 0.5 in windpower (when the minimum for her task was 800), which explains flying alongside defender. She also has "the stare," which can tame things when she looks into their eyes.

Pinkie Pie

Pinkie Pie is my favorite card in the drop. She's a two-mana 2/2 with some awesome abilities. First, you make a treasure token whenever you cast a spell with a smile in the art. All your MLP cards will trigger this, which is the point. But there are also some pretty unpleasant smiles in Magic: The Gathering that you could build this around for a funny deck. Abyssal Hunter's flavor text said it best, "Some smiles show cheer; some merely show teeth."

Next, we have "Everybody's Invited," which says, "Your party consists of each creature you control, and your party is always full." For those who don't know, Pinkie Pie is an avid party-thrower who plans and throws parties for even the smallest occasions. This portrays the character perfectly and is a powerful line of text in-game because it works with the "party" mechanic from the DnD sets!

So, you'll automatically turn on cards like Archpriest of Iona, Squad Commander, and Multiclass Baldric, as well as many other things that reference your party. 

Rainbow Dash

Rainbow Dash is the fourth and final card from Ponies: The Galloping 2. And it's undoubtedly the coolest card from the drop. Rainbow Dash is a three-mana 2/2 with flying and haste, which is a solid stat line, even without the abilities I'm about to cover. The keywords, flying and haste, fit well from a lore perspective, considering Rainbow Dash is a speed junkie.

Now onto her awesome ability. First, whenever you attack with a creature with flying or haste, you get 20% cooler. And you start at 0% coolness. Next, there's "Sonic Rainboom," which has you tap Rainbow Dash, and if you're at least 100% cool, you add WUBRG mana to your mana pool, draw a card, and reset your coolness meter.

Not only is this a fun ability, but it's powerful as well. Creatures with flying and/or haste are generally pretty good attackers. So, it won't be too hard to get the requisite five attackers to reach 100%. And once you do, drawing a card and getting five mana is potent.

Extra Life 2023 Charity

Magic: The Gathering has once again partnered with Extra Life to raise money for children's Miracle hospitals. 50% of all sales for the drop will go to this cause. Here's some basic info about the collab.

Conclusion

It's a good day anytime I get to cover My Little Pony mtg cards. If you're a MLP fan, this will be a must-have set for you. And if you're not, these cards are unique and fun just from an MTG point of view. The fact that half of all proceeds go to charity is the cherry on top that makes this drop a win for everyone involved.