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Card Shark 30: Mage Meadowbrook, Pillar of Healing

IT'S MY BIRTHDAY! As I go out to celebrate today, I'd like to thank you all for reading another Card Shark and giving my content a peek. Now then! As it is an Ultra Rare column day, I wanted to highlight one of my favorite Friends Forever cards that also happens to highlight one of my favorite MLP characters. And boy, is she something. Here's my take on "Mage Meadowbrook, Pillar of Healing!"

Don't let this pony's weird mask (which I covered in a previous column) and Cajun accent fool you; she is one tough cookie. When she enters the battlefield, all your opponent's Resources and Troublemakers are dismissed. Wait, what?! EACH opposing Resource and Troublemaker?! That almost sounds too good to be true! Staff of Sacanas? Gone. Pony of Shadows? Buh-bye. Varmint Barricade? Toast. Study Session? Don't hit the door on the way out. Holy shit, she is amazing. It's also worth pointing out that this is a "when this card enters play" effect rather than a "when you play this card" effect, which means that yes, it can be repeated with cards like Paradox Pony or Interdimensional Portal.

But of course, I must shine a light on the bad things. Yes, she is a "when this card enters play" card. But let's be real, that is likely not going to last. Do I think she'll hit the banlist like Vapor Trail or Guidance Counselor? I'm honestly not sure. At the very least, I think she will be errataed in the same way as Fancy Pants and Party Clasher. There's another issue here that's at play: Is she worth looping like that? You want to play this when it will hit the hardest, even with Paradox Pony. Preferably, for me, this is when there are lots of powerful Resources in play (less for the Troublemakers). After you Meadowbrook everything and your opponent tries to set up again, there are cheaper alternatives like Bewitched Beavers and Seabreeze's Flower. Basically what I'm saying is that Meadowbrook might not be worth repeatedly activating. She's great one time, but after that cheaper options may be more viable. (Of course, this is just my opinion - you can take my words with a grain of salt. Or lots of grains.)

Here are some cards (besides cards previously discussed) that you can use to REALLY stir up some trouble with this card:

*Minuette, Fast Forward. I have a big list of suggestions as a treat! If you want a Harmony alternative to Interdimensional Portal, this is a decent one. This is one of my favorite Absolute Discord Friends. I like her because, while she isn’t Immediate like Portal, she is much easier to repeat than Portal and can’t be cancelled with something like Wake Up Call (unless she is dismissed). Plus, it can discourage your opponent from resetting their Resources since Meadowbrook is just gonna swing back in and destroy everything again. I wouldn’t call it better than Portal, but if you like to get chaotic, I’d recommend using BOTH this and Portal to your advantage.

*Gravy Boat, Hot Stuff. You might be asking yourself, "Why would I be recommending another Absolute Discord card? Am I insane?" Well, if you didn't know that by now, I have some news for ya. The reason I choose this card instead of something cheaper like, say, Fluttershy, Kind Pony or Lie Low is because Gravy Boat isn’t limited to bouncing opposing Friends. That’s right: Gravy Boat can bounce your own Friends back to your hand. You can play your Meadowbrook and then Gravy Boat her back to your hand before your opponent can permanently take her out of the mix. Of course, this doesn’t stop certain Immediates like Belly Flop, but it can bypass Prince Rutherford as a frightened Meadowbrook would still be considered a Friend. (Yes, I DO have a thing for weird cards, thanks for noticing!)

*Cloudchaser & Flitter, Filly Racers. When it comes to AT, I find there are two big things players like: Gaining extra AT with little effort and reducing the cost of a card in some way. Baby Cici and Flits here fulfill that second part with an Immediate to boot (though chances are you wouldn’t be playing Meadowbrook on your opponent’s turn unless you had Under the Wire). In Meadowbrook’s case specifically, one of the 3 AT you need to play her can be traded for a little more power, also Cici and Flits’ doing! I choose this card specifically because it is part Yellow and can help with color req if necessary - the extra 1 power is nice, potentially game-changing, but I don’t think it’s as pivotal in Meadowbrook’s case.

*The EEA Council, Strict Guidelines. I never thought I’d be recommending this card on one of my suggestion lists, but here I am! Assuming you have this in play before you slam down Meadowbrook and you are playing Meadowbrook during the Main Phase, the Council essentially halts any Immediates like Belly Flop that could ruin Meadowbrook’s fun. Your opponent can only watch in horror as the Mystical Mask tears through their playing field like one of those crop cutting tractors. And it is brilliant. Doesn’t stop your opponent from taking their own Main Phase action to do whatever to Meadowbrook, but by then the damage is done and you’ll be getting ahead in no time.

*Magical Misfire. Who's a fucked up combo? THIS is a fucked up combo! First you play Meadowbrook and do all that dismissing. Then you slam the Magical Misfire down to guarantee that your opponent will not be seeing those cards again. Sure, there are Resource recovery options such as Sweetie Belle, Cutie Mark Crusader (see one of my previous columns!), but they aren't Immediate. It's best if you just erase everything in one fell swoop.

*Turning Point. So what if your opponent has a Troublemaker that you find interesting but don’t want to dismiss? Use Turning Point to steal it first! That way, when Meadowbrook enters play, it won’t be dismissed and your opponent either has to steal it back or challenge it themselves. I’ve stressed this before and I’ll say it again: How. Is. This. A. Common?!

*What’s Old is New Again. And on the subject of Harmony... in case Meadowbrook has been dismissed, this Event can put her back into play to let her do all kinds of dismissy shit. I pick this one over the similar Redeeming Qualities because this card also allows you to play Resources from your discard pile. Banishing this card after playing it might seem a little frustrating, but I see plenty of people play Read the Manual and be fine with it, so I still advocate for this card.

*Somnambula’s Blindfold. Wait, what?! I’m suggesting a different Pillar’s Resource for this card?! Yes I am! No matter what order you play these two in, they go together amazingly. After Meadowbrook does all her dismissy shit, the Blindfold prevents your opponent from getting any of those cards back! This especially stings if your opponent has already played a Resource removal card. Of course, the Blindfold can always been dismissed after the fact, so consider this one of the riskier plays on my suggestion list.

Thanks so much for reading this extra special Card Shark! Next week, I return to the usual Sharks with an emphasis on Seaquestria and Beyond! You’ll be seeing another Ultra Rare Shark when the big 40th column comes around! Hope you’ll come back then! Diamond out!