My Little Pony Collectible Card Game

Last updated
My Little Pony Collectible Card Game
My little pony collectible card game card back.jpg
Card back for My Little Pony Collectible Card Game
Manufacturers Enterplay LLC
PublicationDecember 13, 2013
Genres Collectible card game
LanguagesEnglish
Players2
Age range10+

The My Little Pony Collectible Card Game (abbreviated as MLPCCG) is a two-player collectible card game based on the animated television series My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic . It is produced by Enterplay LLC under license from Hasbro, and follows from Enterplay's previous work to produce a trading card series based on the same show.

Contents

The game requires each player to form a deck with one "Mane" character, 10 Problem cards that earn the players points when solved, and many other cards representing Friends, Resources, and other concepts; these cards are based on characters and other elements from the series. The goal is to play cards from one's hand to face off against any Problems put forth by either player, scoring points for doing so. The player to score a set number of points first is declared the winner. The game is distributed in pre-made one- or two-deck starter packs, and booster packs to expand a player's library. Since its release, the game has received seven major expansions and several themed decks.

The game has generally been well-received, providing an easy-to-learn experience for both the younger demographic of the show as well as the older players including the adult and male fans of the series. Enterplay has stated the game has sold well in the hobby store market and have arranged for various tournaments in such stores and fan conventions.

Gameplay

MLPCCG is a two-player game, with each player using a set of cards. One card is a Mane character printed on both sides, exactly 10 cards are Problem cards which are kept in a separate draw pile, and the remaining are various Friends, Resources, Events, and Troublemakers; there must be a minimum of 45 of these cards for a legal deck. Each Mane and Friend card are associated with one of six colors, representing the show's six main characters – Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Applejack, and Fluttershy – and their respective Elements of Harmony, and a numerical power value. Friends, Resources, Events, and Troublemakers have various power costs associated to play or face those cards, a combination of action tokens (earned during play) and colored power required (based on what cards the player has in play already). Problems have two sets of values, one based on colored power requirements representing what the owner needs to face the Problems, and general power that their opponent needs to face the Problem. Both Problems and Troublemakers include point values representing scoring elements for the game.

Players set up the game by placing their Mane character in their Start state, drawing and placing a Problem card from that pile, and dealing themselves their hand from the remaining deck. On each turn, players earn a number of action tokens (at least 2) based on their current score. They can then play cards from their hand to their "home" space (not challenging any Problem) with what action tokens they have, and then move any of their Mane or Friends to one of the Problem cards, as long as they have met the specific requirements. As long as a player has faced a problem unopposed, they earn a point towards their score, as well as bonus points if they are first at a problem. If a player moves their Mane or Friends to a Problem that is already challenged, a face off occurs between the two sides, the winner determined by the combined value of the cards on both sides. The winner earns additional points, and the Problem is then subsequently removed and replaced by the owner with a new Problem. The first player to earn 15 points is the winner.

Additional cards and abilities can be used to influence the results of facing against Problems. The Mane character has a specific condition that allows the player to flip the card to its Boosted side that provides improved abilities and bonuses for that player. Resources can modify the power and abilities of a given Friend card. Events can be used to perform one-time actions that can include playing additional cards, gaining action tokens, or "exhausting" an opponent's Friend to remove that card from a Problem. Troublemakers are played onto Problems that prevent the opponent from facing the Problem until they win a faceoff against the Troublemaker card.

As a collectible card game, MLPCCG is shipped as a number of pre-made decks with 59 cards, each focused around one of the main characters, and 12-card booster packs. Cards have various rarities, included limited foil editions of some cards. Players can construct their deck from all available cards with some restrictions on including duplicate cards.

Development and release

Prior to developing the game, Enterplay was licensed by Hasbro to print a series of standard trading cards based on the Friendship Is Magic property. The trading cards were popular particularly with the older brony fandom creating high aftermarket value, [1] leading to the development of a second and third series of the cards. [2]

Enterplay announced the CCG in August 2013, [1] with the first premiere sets and boosters shipping on December 13, 2013. [3] Enterplay also published additional material for the card game, such as binders and playmats. Since its release, Enterplay has released nine major expansions, several themed packs, and promotional cards available through conventions and tourneys.

NameRelease dateNumber of Unique CardsNotes
PremiereDecember 13, 2013 [3] 216Includes Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy Manes.
Canterlot NightsMay 16, 2014 [4] 210The cards of Princess Celestia and Princess Luna each have two different versions with alternate artwork, but are otherwise the same.
Rock 'N RaveAugust 2014 [5] 14Featuring manes Maud Pie and DJ Pon-3.
Celestial SolsticeAugust 2014 [5] [6] 10Includes six previously published decks, and oversized Twilight Sparkle and Princess Celestia Mane cards.
The Crystal GamesOctober-November, 2014 [6] 212Includes Spike, Princess Cadance, Cutie Mark Crusaders, and Derpy Hooves [7] Mane cards.
Absolute DiscordMay 8, 2015 [8] 216The card of Discord is a foiled fixed card released as a teaser in the Discord Collector's Tin product.
Equestrian OdysseysAugust 28, 2015218The promo set of 12 cards cannot be found in booster packs.
High MagicNovember 20, 2015152Each theme deck contains two double-sided Token cards that can be put into play via card abilities.
Marks in TimeJune 10, 2016145Instead of theme decks, three Draft packs were released with this set
Defenders of EquestriaJune 16, 2017142
Seaquestria and BeyondNovember 24, 2017142
Friends ForeverDecember 14, 2018141
Leaders and LegendsNovember 3, 2019

Enterplay has collaborated with various hobby and game stores and conventions such as GenCon and BronyCon to host MLPCCG tournaments, with special cards and prizes for the winners. [2]

Reception

U.S. Gamer rated the game four out of five stars, calling the game an "enjoyable and solid two-player game" with good flexibility and accessible for players of all ages, with their primary criticism about the poor instruction booklet included with the game. [9] Kotaku editor Mike Fahey stated that the game is "not Hearthstone , but it's pretty damn entertaining once you know what's going on". [10]

Enterplay's President Dean Irwin stated that the sales of the premiere releases were very positive, selling well within the hobby game market, in contrast to the trading cards which did well in the mass retail store market. [2] The popularity of the premiere release forced Enterplay to reprint the set by mid-February 2014. [2]

Related Research Articles

Booster pack

In collectible card games, digital collectible card games and collectible miniature wargames, a booster pack is a sealed package of cards or figurines, designed to add to a player's collection. A box of multiple booster packs is referred to as a booster box.

<i>Spellfire</i> Collectible card game

Spellfire: Master the Magic is an out-of-print collectible card game (CCG) created by TSR, Inc. and based on their popular Dungeons & Dragons role playing game. The game appeared first in April 1994, shortly after the introduction of Magic: The Gathering, in the wake of the success enjoyed by trading card games. It was the second CCG to be released, preceding Wizards of the Coast's second CCG Jyhad by two months.

<i>Babylon 5 Collectible Card Game</i>

The Babylon 5 Collectible Card Game is an out-of-print collectible card game set in the Babylon 5 universe. The game is ideally set for 4-5 players but can be played with a minimum of two players up to as many as 20 if using multiple Non-Aligned Factions and Home Factions. This CCG is distinct from most others of the genre for being specifically designed to be played by more than two players. The gameplay tends to have strong political elements encouraging significant player interaction aka "table talk" which is appropriate for a game based on a series which featured such a strong element of political intrigue. During its brief six-year existence under the Precedence Entertainment banner it released two core sets, five expansions sets and one revision set. There were two World Championships during that time. The game still continues to have a cult following as further expansions were made available online.

A Game of Thrones: The Card Game is an out-of-print collectible card game produced by Fantasy Flight Games. It is based on A Song of Ice and Fire, a series of novels written by George R. R. Martin. The first set was Westeros Edition and was released in August 2002. It has since won two Origins Awards. The game's primary designer is Eric Lang, the lead developer is Nate French, with Damon Stone serving as associate designer.

Vampire: The Eternal Struggle is a multiplayer collectible card game published by White Wolf Publishing. It is set in the World of Darkness and is based on the Vampire: The Masquerade roleplaying game.

Call of Cthulhu: The Card Game is an out-of-print card game produced and marketed by Fantasy Flight Games. It is based on Chaosium's Call of Cthulhu role-playing game, the writings of H. P. Lovecraft, and other Cthulhu Mythos fiction. In 2008, Fantasy Flight moved the game over to its Living Card Game (LCG) format, which retains the deck-building aspect of collectible card games, but without the random distribution.

Shadowfist Collectible card game

Shadowfist was created by Robin Laws and Jose Garcia. It was released in June 1995 as a collectible card game (CCG), but was shifted to a fixed distribution of cards as of 2013. It shares the same background as the Feng Shui role-playing game, also by Laws and Garcia and released the following year. In September 2018 ownership of Shadowfist switched to Vetusta Games.

Dragon Ball Z Collectible Card Game Out-of-print trading card game

Dragon Ball Z Trading Card Game is an out-of-print trading card game based on the Dragon Ball series created by Akira Toriyama. The game was produced by Score Entertainment and uses screen captures of the anime to attempt to recreate the famous events and battles seen in the anime. Score then sold the rights to Panini which eventually ceased publishing.

Fantasy Flight Games American game company

Fantasy Flight Games (FFG) is a game company based in Roseville, Minnesota, United States, that creates and publishes role-playing, board, and card games. As of 2014, it is a subsidiary of Asmodée Éditions.

<i>World of Warcraft Trading Card Game</i> Collectible card game

The World of Warcraft Trading Card Game is an out-of-print collectible card game based on Blizzard Entertainment's MMORPG, World of Warcraft. The game was announced by Upper Deck Entertainment on August 18, 2005 and released on October 25, 2006. Players can fight against each other one-on-one, or can join others in order to defeat dungeon/raid bosses based on those in the MMORPG. In March 2010, Upper Deck lost the license from Blizzard Entertainment. The license was acquired by Cryptozoic Entertainment later in the month, with the company announcing that planned card sets would be released.

Dune (card game) Card game

Dune is an out-of-print collectible card game produced by Last Unicorn Games and Five Rings Publishing Group, and later Wizards of the Coast. Set in the Dune universe based on the books written by Frank Herbert, the game pits two or more players against each other, each in control of a minor house vying for entry in the Landsraad.

The X-Files Collectible Card Game

The X-Files Collectible Card Game is an out-of-print collectible card game based on The X-Files fictional universe. It was developed by NXT Games and published by the US Playing Card Company (USPCC).

<i>Mythos</i> (card game) Collectible card game

Mythos is an out-of-print collectible card game published by Chaosium. It is based on the Cthulhu Mythos stories of the horror author H. P. Lovecraft, as well as on Chaosium's own Call of Cthulhu role-playing game.

Battlestar Galactica Collectible Card Game 2006 collectible card game

Battlestar Galactica Collectible Card Game is an out-of-print collectible card game based on the Battlestar Galactica science fiction media franchise. The game, published by WizKids, saw first release in May 2006 and was officially canceled in March 2007.

Gridiron: Fantasy Football was a football-themed collectible card game first published in August 1995 by Upper Deck.

Collectible card game Game played using specialized playing cards

A collectible card game (CCG), also called a trading card game (TCG) among other names, is a type of card game that mixes strategic deck building elements with features of trading cards, introduced with Magic: The Gathering in 1993.

<i>Pokémon TCG Online</i> Online video game

Pokémon TCG Online is a 2012 video game based on the Pokémon Trading Card Game developed by Dire Wolf Digital, and is available for Microsoft Windows, macOS, iOS and Android. It was originally released in March 2011 under the name of Pokémon Trainer Challenge as a browser-based game.

My Little Pony (2010 toyline) Fourth incarnation of My Little Pony toyline and media franchise

American toy company Hasbro launched the fourth incarnation of My Little Pony toyline and media franchise in 2010. This generation is not given any name by Hasbro, but some of later releases of toys are labeled with the subtitle "Friendship Is Magic". It is unofficially referred to the "Fourth Generation", "Generation Four" or "G4" by collectors.

A digital tabletop game is a video game genre that includes video games that have gameplay similar to physical tabletop games, including board games, card games, and role-playing games. Many digital tabletop games are adaptions of existing physical games into the video games, though some of these are wholly digital games that use tabletop game mechanics. There are also tabletop game simulators that allow for users to recreate tabletop games from a variety of game pieces.

References

  1. 1 2 "'My Little Pony CCG'". ICV2. August 13, 2013. Retrieved August 4, 2014.
  2. 1 2 "'MLP CCG' to Street December 13". ICV2. November 17, 2013. Retrieved August 4, 2014.
  3. ↑ "'MLP CCG' Expansion Set Info, Dates". ICV2. March 30, 2014. Retrieved August 4, 2014.
  4. 1 2 "Summer 'MLP CCG' Releases". ICV2. June 3, 2014. Retrieved August 4, 2014.
  5. 1 2 "Upcoming 'MLP CCG' Releases and OP Update". ICV2. August 19, 2014. Retrieved August 19, 2014.
  6. ↑ "Derpy Hooves" is a fan-given name to one character on the show that, while informally used by the show's staff, has not be officially named within other merchandise or within the show.
  7. ↑ Bunge, Nicole (March 10, 2015). "'MLP CCG: ABSOLUTE DISCORD'". ICV2 . Retrieved March 10, 2015.
  8. ↑ Davidson, Pete (February 12, 2014). "My Little Pony Collectible Card Game Review: Rivalry is Magic". US Gamer . Retrieved August 4, 2014.
  9. ↑ Fahey, Mike (August 2, 2014). "How To Play The My Little Pony Collectible Card Game, Basically". Kotaku . Retrieved August 4, 2014.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.