Unicorns are actually OP

[Sepul-Coloratura 756]

It's Ok. There are always unicorns like Rarity to balance things out. 

[IronM17 5,145]

Well, Unicorns can use active magic while the others use passive magic. That is the luck for unicorns. But I would not say that they are more powerfull than others because the most unicorns can only use telecinetic spells and maybe some spells who can help tham at theirn work. The only scene I remember where regular unicorns use more dangerous magic is these scene (and not because I like these characters, it is really the only scene I remember). But I don't know if their magic beams are a product of Sombras magic  or if they are students of the school of magic. And for  Ponies like Starlight, or Twily. Well, they studied magic for their whole life and also seems to be really talented in it, so it is clear that their are good in it. Really powerfull unicorns seems to be a really rare thing. And unicorns are maybe really good in magic, but it seems for me that they are physically weaker than earth ponies and pegasi. I can not remember any Unicorn who used his/her body as a tool or a weapon isntead of the magic. So, no, I would not say they are more OP.

[Rushing cash 829]

They kinda got OP after twilight became a princes, but it didn't happen suddenly, but slowly more and more unicorns started doing complicated spells, starlight, sunburst and even trixie can now use teleportation and things like this which were considered very difficult in the beginning. Apparently rarity can shoot magic beams in season 9. 

[IronM17 5,145]

1 hour ago, Rushing cash said:

Apparently rarity can shoot magic beams in season 9. 

You are right. I forget that even she did it (link). Hmm, so I guess the theory that the canterlot unicorn girls can do this because of the magic of Sombra is more unlikely. Maybe all or at least the most unicorns can do this. Or Rarity learned it from Twily or/and Starlight.

[Rushing cash 829]

5 minutes ago, IronM17 said:

You are right. I forget that even she did it (link). Hmm, so I guess the theory that the canterlot unicorn girls can do this because of the magic of Sombra is more unlikely. Maybe all or at least the most unicorns can do this. Or Rarity learned it from Twily or/and Starlight.

It still possible that she learned it from twilight and a lot unicorns caouldn't cast this spell without sombras help, maybe they didn't know the spells but did when they were brainwashed. Still, spells that once were considered difficult in the first seasons, they are not now, look at snips and snails this season...

[Kadeda 178]

To be fair... the main 6 are a good deal above regular ponies. Rarity shooting beams isn't that weird when you consider that. With Trixie... she was always good with magic... just really impatient... then you got Starlight (Alicorn Tier Unicorn) teaching her so I can see her preforming very well. To be fair... I do agree that Unicorns have gotten more and more powerful over the years... especially the ones mentioned. Comparing season 1 Twilight who we are told is top tier in magic... to season 9 Starlight... or even Rarity. There's a huge distinction in power.

[Sepul-Coloratura 756]

Unicorns : can do magic, fly, grow plants.

Pegasus ponies : can fly, grow plants.

Earth ponies : grow plants.

[Limestone-Pie 188]

Unicorns are a bit of a conundrum in Equestria. By far they have the most versatility out of the other races because they can manipulate objects around them with their magic, however I think for most unicorns that's about it. The ordinary Equestrian citizen, at least based off what I've seen in the background, is only ever really able to use telekinesis and perhaps one special power related to their talent. Considering the show spends much more time on unicorns that are far and away the exception to the norm, like Twilight(previously), Starlight, and others, there is a bit of a perception that unicorns can be overpowered. However I like to view them as glass canons of shorts, very good when it comes to ranged attacks but they won't fare too well when in a close combat engagement - and Earth Pony would win that bout every time.  

[heavens-champion 1,893]

13 hours ago, Sepul-Coloratura said:

Earth ponies : grow plants.

And have super strength. 

[Kadeda 178]

1 hour ago, heavens-champion said:

And have super strength. 

I don't think Super Strength is a earth pony thing... it's more of an... side effect.

[Latecomer 438]

I'm actually kind of disappointed that ordinary unicorns are almost never seen using magic beyond TK - just actual mages, who our focus on bends perceptions.

In Season 1, Rarity had a whole bunch of spells, but after that she just seemed to forget about them.

6 minutes ago, Kadeda said:

I don't think Super Strength is a earth pony thing... it's more of an... side effect.

A side effect of what?

Edited October 1, 2019 by Latecomer

[Kadeda 178]

4 hours ago, Latecomer said:

I'm actually kind of disappointed that ordinary unicorns are almost never seen using magic beyond TK - just actual mages, who our focus on bends perceptions.

In Season 1, Rarity had a whole bunch of spells, but after that she just seemed to forget about them.

A side effect of what?

Their jobs. They are more physical jobs. Rainbow dash and other Pegasus can be really strong as well.

[Latecomer 438]

4 hours ago, Kadeda said:

Their jobs. They are more physical jobs. Rainbow dash and other Pegasus can be really strong as well.

True. Of course there are some outlier cases, like that filly from Crusaders of the Lost Mark - even if she's spent her life lifting heavy sacks on her parent's farm, there's still a limit. (And now that I say it like that, I'm wondering if a star fell on that farm around the time she was "born"....)

[Lucky Bolt 34,989]

Hmmm nah. Pegasus pones are Best 

[Landi 598]

1 hour ago, Lucky Bat said:

Pegasus pones are Best 

Yes, I agree. They are important, awesome, and are not op. Pegasus all the way

[Latecomer 438]

2 minutes ago, Landi72 said:

Yes, I agree. They are important, awesome, and are not op. Pegasus all the way

They do have a realtivly consistent set of powers (outliers like Fluttershy aside) whereas unicorns and earthponies seem much more varied.

[BornAgainBrony 2,395]

On 11/7/2017 at 4:27 PM, St3venp said:

Imagine, without Twilight's help to get her wings back, she will be crippled for the rest of her life, because of 3 normal unicorns, not even powerful ones, just ones that are jealous of twilight becoming an alicorn. And Rainbow Dash could not have done anything by herself to get her wings back because she simply cant beat 3 unicorns. Therefore, in my opinion, unicorns are the most dominant race in Equestria.

You think this is a good example of OP unicorns? Anyone with a brain, whether they be earth pony or even another pegasus could have done that. Getting the wings back would be a much more difficult matter. You're also forgetting that flight IS pegasus magic. It can make rain and lightning and even summon tornados. This is like arguing that Earth Ponies are OP because a Unicorn with no horn (not half of one like Tempest) couldn't take them on.

3 of anything vs one crippled individual is pretty unevenly-matched.

[Megas 27,130]

It was really obvious there was a ton of favoritism towards unicorns in the show, especially as the show went on 

[Landi 598]

1 hour ago, Kiryu-Chan said:

It was really obvious there was a ton of favoritism towards unicorns in the show, especially as the show went on 

Exactly. The show has always seemed to focus on them and not as much on the others. Like I said before, Unicorns have been given less and less boundaries with their magic. It seemed that at least in the beginning they tried to make Unicorns as even as possible, but now that effort has been dropped. It's a shame.

 

[Latecomer 438]

4 hours ago, Landi72 said:

Exactly. The show has always seemed to focus on them and not as much on the others. Like I said before, Unicorns have been given less and less boundaries with their magic. It seemed that at least in the beginning they tried to make Unicorns as even as possible, but now that effort has been dropped. It's a shame.

 

Certain specifc unicorns showed a lot of magic, but most of them (even protagonists) didn't really get to use much magic at all.

And in any case, the show isn't about power. What favouritism are you guys even talking about?

[Landi 598]

7 hours ago, Latecomer said:

What favouritism are you guys even talking about?

I was also thinking along the lines that the Unicorns get most of the focus. Not just power. It just really seems like they get the most screen-time and representation in the show. Just think of all the main/secondary Unicorns: Twilight (pre-Alicorn), Rarity, Starlight, Sunburst, Trixie, and more. They seem to dominate the cast. Plus, their lore has been constantly talked about throughout the show, whereas Earth Ponies and Pegasi still have mysteries surrounding them. So yeah, it's not just power, it's also screen-time, characters, and lore. This all just proves that Unicorns have been given favoritism by the show. I am not saying that they don't care for the others, but they do care the most for the Unicorns.

[Latecomer 438]

13 minutes ago, Landi72 said:

I was also thinking along the lines that the Unicorns get most of the focus. Not just power. It just really seems like they get the most screen-time and representation in the show. Just think of all the main/secondary Unicorns: Twilight (pre-Alicorn), Rarity, Starlight, Sunburst, Trixie, and more. They seem to dominate the cast. Plus, their lore has been constantly talked about throughout the show, whereas Earth Ponies and Pegasi still have mysteries surrounding them. So yeah, it's not just power, it's also screen-time, characters, and lore. This all just proves that Unicorns have been given favoritism by the show. I am not saying that they don't care for the others, but they do care the most for the Unicorns.

I'm pretty sure you're wrong about characters - there are more earthponies than any other tribe.And screen time seems fairly balanced, though I admit I haven't run an analysis. The lore I'll give you, since their archetype lends itself to such - it would be nice to know more about pegasus or especially earthpony magic, but it isn't something as simple or flashy as spellcasting.

[Landi 598]

42 minutes ago, Latecomer said:

I'm pretty sure you're wrong about characters - there are more earthponies than any other tribe.And screen time seems fairly balanced, though I admit I haven't run an analysis. The lore I'll give you, since their archetype lends itself to such - it would be nice to know more about pegasus or especially earthpony magic, but it isn't something as simple or flashy as spellcasting.

Yes, there are more Earth ponies than the other two when it comes to background ponies. But I was referring to the main/secondary characters in the foreground. In the case of them there is more of a focus on Unicorns. And if you think about it, the Pegasi are getting the short end of the stick either way. I'm just saying that overall the show has a bigger focus on Unicorns. I'm not saying that the show is bad because of that. I just wish that the show could shed more light on the Pegasi and Earth Ponies.

[Latecomer 438]

11 minutes ago, Landi72 said:

Yes, there are more Earth ponies than the other two when it comes to background ponies. But I was referring to the main/secondary characters in the foreground. In the case of them there is more of a focus on Unicorns. And if you think about it, the Pegasi are getting the short end of the stick either way. I'm just saying that overall the show has a bigger focus on Unicorns. I'm not saying that the show is bad because of that. I just wish that the show could shed more light on the Pegasi and Earth Ponies.

Looking at the lead characters we have 1 alicorn, 2 pegasi, 3 earthponies, 2 unicorns and 6 nonponies. I don't think the secondaries are terribly unicorn-weighted either - for every Trixie there's a Discord or a Big Mac. Screentime will take a deeper analysis, but I can do a crude one if I have to.

Pegasi do tend to perhaps be a bit less focused on due to being "the one in-between", but there are still several episodes focusing on pegasus-centric affairs like flight and weather. Still, i'm always glad to get more notable pegasi like Cozy Glow.

 

 

 

[Ittoni 536]

On 11/7/2017 at 11:40 PM, ShadOBabe said:

All races have the potential to become alicorns.

Cadence was a pegasus.

Maybe but as for now there's far more unicorns shown to be considered for the position that any other race (which also must have a celestial related cutiemark). So i sense a bit of a preference and at the same time less opportunities for other races to be able to attain that status being earth ponies the less likely and the most forgotten even by the staff and the writers. Unicorns are more likely to be in power positions and have a lot of riches. 

There's a reason for why unicorns are a lot more popular with the fandom. I can assure you that almost 4 out of 10 chooses unicorn OC, 3 will choose pegasus, 2 alicorn, and 1 earth pony. And that's because unicorns have been shown in a better light in the world of equestria than any other race aside from twilight (and alicorn is not higher because of the whole marrysue issue but it would be number one otherwise). If the only thing you need to do is learn how to use magic ( which is also not as hard as it seems shown how starlight teaches Trixie how to transmogrify and teleport) then the only thing that is stopping unicorns to be the overlords is self control and not reading books.

It's true that some earth ponies have shown incredible strength but most of them have normal strength or even none at all (quibble pants), and the show hasn't even bothered to explain what is earth pony's ability commune with earth or how are they balanced out with the other races other than "if the others are not going to give us sun we will go on a strike and see how long they can survive without us working on the farm for their food", so umm... they have the power of mutiny? and there's far less prominent earth ponies too, either in power positions or doing cool jobs. They are more like the masses, the background, the "why be  the lame pony that can't fly and can't do magic".

it's kind of funny because of the rl parallels but i would like to leave social/economic/politics out, let's get back to ponies.