"Marks in Time" is the newest set of the My Little Pony Collectible Card Game and it's coming soon, so it's time to start up our regularly scheduled preview articles of what to look for when the set debuts in May.
The name Marks in Time comes from the two major themes of the set: cute little foals with or without their Cutie Marks, and various time travel and important figures from Equestrian history. Today we'll be taking a closer look at Cutie Marks in particular, and the fun new gameplay mechanic specifically called Cutie Marking.
These articles always include at least a couple new card reveals that have never seen the light of day, so be sure to peek below the break even if you already know all about Cutie Marking!
Cutie Marks are obviously an important part of My Little Pony, and we wanted a mechanic which highlighted the way a character grows when they find their Cutie Mark. So, in this set, we have quite a few cards that can be Cutie Marked! These cards can be played as normal, then once in play you can pay 2 actions to Cutie Mark them during the Main Phase. When you do, they get a +1 power counter and often some additional effects highlighting their talents!
Here are a couple examples, which also highlight one of the other fun aspects of Cutie Mark cards – they show some of your favorite characters when they were cute little foals and hadn’t yet earned their marks:
Rainbow Dash, Growing Up starts out pretty small, as a 1-cost, 1-power Blue Friend, but that means she can come into play early, applying pressure and giving you color requirements to play your other cards. But with the Growing Up cycle of the Mane Six, you’re not just stuck with a 1-power Friend! Once you have more actions to spend, you can then invest in Rainbow's Cutie Mark ability, turning her into a 3-power Blue Friend with Swift as she earns her Cutie Mark – and becomes a much more formidable midgame threat! And the same can be said for Fluttershy, Growing Up, who bumps up to a 3-power Yellow Friend with the added benefit of the Calming keyword.
Not all Cutie Mark cards start out the same – some start with an ability, and earning their Cutie Mark unlocks another ability, often one which enhances the first. Filly Starlight Glimmer does just that:
Starlight Glimmer, Apprentice Sorcerer helps to power up your Troublemakers even before she earns her Cutie Mark. Then once she does get Cutie Marked, not only does she get stronger herself, but she also gets to summon up a Troublemaker of her own – making sure she’s always got one to boost!
Be careful about when you choose to Cutie Mark Starlight, though; you can’t Cutie Mark a Friend that already has their Cutie Mark (and removing the +1 power counter they get with their Cutie Mark doesn’t take the Cutie Mark away), so you’ll have to make one-time benefits like that count!
Obviously, it wouldn’t do to have a mechanic all about getting your Cutie Marks without featuring the Cutie Mark Crusaders, so we made sure they get some spotlight time in this set too!
And of course, as you can see by Apple Bloom's game text, the Cutie Mark Crusaders just love Cutie Marks!
We’re excited about what the Cutie Mark mechanic – and all of Marks in Time – will bring to the My Little Pony Collectible Card Game. Keep an eye out for Marks in Time, debuting in May, and in the meantime stay tuned for more preview articles here on EQD.
