Welcome to Rogue's Refuge! As I have been a brony for a long time, and an avid CCG player for even longer (yes, I had first edition Magic the Gathering cards - dating myself), it's crazy to me that it took me so long to get into the card game. Now, however, that little oversight is resolved, so let's saddle up!

As the title says, this is a complete and unbiased first impression. I have seen a little bit of the game, but never owned any or played a hand before. For anyone unfamiliar, I hope this gives a good intro. For veteran players, forgive any beginner's ignorance. I have not yet played a full game yet. That will come later.

First off, the cards are nice, durable, and well detailed. My most extensive experience with a CCG I have is Redemption, as I have been playing for 14 years now. That is the gold standard of material - a tad thicker, a good coating so finger prints stay where they should (elsewhere!), but without the feeling of industrial cardstock. MLP isn't up to that level, but is far beyond other games - Yu-Gi-Oh is a tad thinner and collects prints like none other. The worst offender is the horrendous Inuyasha CCG - exceedingly cheap. I was worried a bit about MLP, but for the most part my fears were unfounded. The cards are above average in material quality, so they can be played without sleeves, though I wouldn't recommend that. Properly sleeved, they'll last a long time - much longer than other games. Stored unsleeved, they seem like they will survive.

Starter deck construction, however, leaves a tad to be desired. I understand the mechanics of the game, and can see that the starters are not chock full of power cards. This is understandable, as the goal is buying more (I get it - business is business) and building one's own deck, but other games have done better. Redemption, again, is phenomenal, as each starter comes with mega-power cards. MLP certainly has a good mix of higher grade cards, and a base to build on, but also has a few too many low power cards. One or two is ok, as sometimes LPs can work to a strategy, but I can tell when I build a lot of original are going to end up in the scrap heap and will more than likely not be used again. A shame, but this is common in all CCGs.

The extras are nice, but unnecessary. I would have preferred a MLP Theme D20 to keep track of action points, but that's just me being excessively nerdy. The included action counters are good, and will easily fit in a deck box. The playmay is enormous, and unfortunately my uncoordinated self already ripped it in the unfolding. I'm a terror with roadmaps. I can definitely see it being helpful for younger players, so I like how detailed it is. The rulebook, though small, covers the necessary concepts well - it even answered a few questions I had while reading about the game that I figured I would need an online reference for.

All in all, I'm pleased with it thus far, and will be getting some more starters and packs soon. I hope this has, at the very least, been interesting, and I will add (much) more after a few preliminary games. Thank you for reading!