Everything You Need to Know About My Little Pony in Magic

Last updated on March 18, 2024

Princess Twilight Sparkle | Illustration by Jennifer L. Meyer

Back before Universes Beyond became a common concept in Magic, there were still a few crossover products in MTG. Some of these early crossovers were meant to cross-promote Magic and other toy lines owned by Wizards' parent company, Hasbro. One of these crossovers was with the popular animated series My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic.

My Little Pony had quite a cultural moment after Friendship Is Magic found surprising success outside of its target demographic. The Magic crossover Ponies: The Galloping was like a capstone for the end of the series, which aired its last episode just 10 days before the first MLP Secret Lair release.

Ponies: The Galloping 2 added the four remaining ponies of the Mane Six to the My Little Pony cards available in Magic. They do a good job of capturing the spirit of the characters they represent. The cards are great collectibles for fans of the show, which likely explains their steep price increase since release despite none of the cards being playable in competitive Magic formats.

Curious about what exactly each card does, how they stack up, and where you could get your hands on them? Time to brush up on everything My Little Pony in Magic!

What Are the My Little Pony MTG Cards?

Rarity | Illustration by Andrea Radeck

Ponies: The Galloping featured three Magic cards, each depicting a different character from My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic. The set was sold directly through Hasbro’s site. It was meant as both a celebration for the end of the animated series and a way to raise money for the Extra Life charity fundraiser. It was the second-ever crossover between Magic and an outside IP, with The Walking Dead being the first.

A lot of these cards sit safely within the display case they came with since the My Little Pony cards aren’t legal in any format, and because of the limited nature of their release. But some players use them in casual formats like Commander or in playgroups that don’t mind playing with any kind of cards.

How Many MLP Cards Are There?

There are seven My Little Pony Magic cards: Applejack, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Princess Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Nightmare Moon / Princess Luna.

Where to Buy the My Little Pony Cards

TCGPlayer

You might find a few listings for Ponies: The Galloping and Ponies: The Galloping 2 box sets available on TCGPlayer. You can also expect to find the individual pony cards on the site if there’s only one or two that you want instead of the full bundle.

TCGPlayer has great customer service and makes it easy to get a refund if you’re unsatisfied with the product that’s delivered to you. Some sellers on the site are also local game stores, so you can help support small businesses while you shop singles. This makes it one of the best options for buying cards directly from individual sellers.

CardKingdom

CardKingdom is one of the most popular sites for buying single Magic cards, and they will most likely have a few sealed Ponies: The Galloping 2 boxes. CardKingdom is typically a little more expensive than some TCGPlayer sellers, but the added cost can be worth it because you know you’re getting high-quality cards that are being shipped properly.

Mercari

Mercari is an increasingly popular place to buy and sell Magic cards and other collectibles. While the number of listings for Ponies: The Galloping on Mercari fluctuates, you can sometimes find a good deal.

It’s important to remember that Mercari, like eBay, is made up largely of individuals selling items secondhand. While the cards have sold at a decent discount, it’s a bit harder to ensure the cards are shipped quickly and in good condition when compared to other sites.

Local Game Stores

While there’s no guarantee your local store will have a copy of Ponies: The Galloping 2, it’s worth a shot! I hope to pick mine up at my LGS for a little more than TCGPlayer’s market price.

Though there may be some added cost, it’s nice to get to see the cards in person before you purchase them. It’s also good to support the stores you play at financially! I’ve seen a few stores with Secret Lair goods, and your best bet is larger stores that buy cards from customers and carry a lot of Magic products.

Best My Little Pony Cards Ranked

#7. Pinkie Pie

All the My Little Pony cards are a flavor win, and Pinkie Pie is no exception. The main concern with Pinkie Pie is finding card art with smiles, because even Alesha, Who Smiles at Death isn't really smiling. You'd really be cooking up fun if you pair Pinkie Pie with Zendikar Rising‘s party mechanic to immediately give you a full party. While Boros () is always looking to make good use of treasures, there's quite a bit of work to be done here.

One pony had to be ranked #7, so to be fair, Pinkie would probably be responsible for gathering every pony to play a game of Magic.

#6. Nightmare Moon / Princess Luna

It takes six mana to transform into Princess Luna the same way it took the six Elements of Harmony wielded by Twilight Sparkle, Rarity, Applejack, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and Rainbow Dash to do so in the show. Just as the Mane Six became friends with Princess Luna after she transformed into her old self, so does any player that helps transform Nightmare Moon in Magic.

From a gameplay standpoint, Nightmare Moon is a little underwhelming. Though it's a powerful flier if you’re playing at night, that’s basically all it is since it loses its high power and toughness when it transforms.

Princess Luna could potentially be helpful if it weren’t for the restrictions put on pulling cards from outside the game. It’s one thing to convince other players to let you use a silver-bordered card in a game of Commander, but quite another for them to allow you to break the format’s rules about not being able to search up cards from outside the game.

#5. Rarity

Rarity’s Magic card fits her personality from the show well. Its generous cost reduction for rare and mythic rare cards is in keeping with Rarity’s affinity for rare and valuable gems. From a meta standpoint, rare cards are also slightly more fabulous than non-rare cards thanks to the shiny foil on the bottom.

Rarity’s activated ability cares about the colors of ponies and their outfits, which fits with her profession as a fashion designer. Though protective magic isn’t something Rarity is really known for in Friendship Is Magic, she creates protective gem-like barriers in the spinoff show Equestria Girls. Rarity is a helpful addition to a lot of Commander decks, known for having bulk rares that get a lot of mileage out of their cost reduction.

If you own any My Little Pony toys then Rarity’s protection ability is very helpful as well. A Rainbow Dash toy will get you protection from any color except black if you’re looking for a good pony toy to pick up. And if your playgroup accepts a Magic card as a toy, you can just use your Nightmare Moon card for protection from black, helping you cover all your bases.

#4. Fluttershy

The activated ability is inexpensive, Un-set level removal, and with a little deckbuilding effort, will group hug your whole team. Fluttershy might be the most difficult to build around, but excellent in support of other ponies. With more animal friends than a Disney princess, Fluttershy helps you discover that there are a surprising amount of creatures with tails. Just remember to be kind when you're discussing which creatures have tails or not.

#3. Princess Twilight Sparkle

Magic’s version of Princess Twilight Sparkle captures Twilight’s tendency to help other ponies through its anthem ability. As the Princess of Friendship it also makes sense that Twilight’s activated ability would help everyone (or every pony) win the game. This also makes it the ultimate group hug commander because no other deck allows every player in the pod to be considered the winner.

Princess Twilight Sparkle does the best magic with its Mane Six friends.

You can cover for one of the missing of Twilight's friend's cards with the Un-card _____. Activating its ability, you can change its name to account for a pony you don’t control.

#2. Applejack

Honestly, Applejack feels like a Limited bomb. Applejack gives you a lot of flexibility assuming you have enough toys on hand. You'll gain a ton of value with the latest food synergies, and creating tokens with abilities is always strong as is the possibility of scry 2 every turn. Be sure to stash plenty of these toys in with your tokens/dice: Celestia, Cadence, and even Queen Chrysalis, each has wings and horns. Of course, your dragon miniatures should work too.

#1. Rainbow Dash

Rainbow Dash ramps and draws cards better than probably 80% of the red and white cards in existence thanks to triggering on five attacks. Load up with phoenixes, dragons, or even Raging Goblin and get to 100%! Red and white are the best at creating creatures that are immediately attacking, making your board a great example of how friendship is magic.

Let's leave this list with a hot take: Tapping for and card draw is cooler than the Wonderbolts.

Are the MLP MTG Cards Legal?

Unfortunately, no, none of the My Little Pony cards are legal in any format. That said, you can likely convince players to let you use them in casual Commander games.

I have a group hug Princess Twilight Sparkle deck, and I’ve never had anyone say no to playing with it after I explain the goal is for everyone to win the game. It’s also likely your playgroup will be okay with you including them in the 99 of your deck since none of the individual cards are too overpowered.

Wrap Up

Nightmare Moon | Illustration by John Thacker

Fans of both My Little Pony and Magic will likely love the crossover cards and the Arena cosmetics. The flavor on each card does a great job representing the ponies, and they do a great job of translating the look of the ponies to fit in with Magic’s aesthetic.

The complete collection of My Little Pony cards looks super sweet. With the Secret Lair coming down alongside the 40th anniversary of My Little Pony, it's worth celebrating.

What decks would you put the My Little Pony cards into? Would you like to see more pony cards in future Universes Beyond products? What other Magic crossovers are you excited about? Let me know in the comments below or on Draftsim’s Twitter.

Thank you for reading, and I look forward to seeing you all in the next one!