S03:E05 - Magic Duel

[Harmonic Revelations 8,835]

A few parts of the episode like this one I did have good potential for image memes/macros

 

 

But yeah, she was really sadistic in this episode but at least there is a canon explanation for why.

[Wingnut 6,997]

I wasn't overly impressed with this episode.  Any unicorn with a good basic understanding of magic would be uber powerful with that amulet.  It wasn't a fair contest.  And the amulet should've been much harder to acquire.  Something that strong would be locked in a Canterlot vault, not a cheap magic shop. 

 

But a so-so plot was redeemed by a number of references to past episodes (unusual for a series which isn't locked into a set chronological order like most anime is).  Another Fluttertree joke was welcome but knowing that beavers chew down trees, does she STILL want to be one?  And I personally thought the acknowlegment of Rule 63 fanart was a nice touch too.  I like how Big Mac-as-Applejack acts as if he is trying to hide his new "equipment", lol!

 

And was a different voice actor doing Trixie, or did she just sound funny because she hasn't voiced that role in such a long time?

Edited December 1, 2012 by Wingnut

[SPLinux 380]

I'm waiting for this episode to show up somewhere... it is SO frustrating that it's not shown in Canada the same time as the US. The station that broadcasts it here (Treehouse TV) doesn't have any of the Season 3 episodes on it's schedule.

 

here is a youtube link for your viewing pleasure

 

 

maybe one day the hub will finally come to canada. for now there’s always youtube.

[Harmonic Revelations 8,835]

I'm waiting for this episode to show up somewhere... it is SO frustrating that it's not shown in Canada the same time as the US. The station that broadcasts it here (Treehouse TV) doesn't have any of the Season 3 episodes on it's schedule.

 

Check that link out, and by the way, you're very welcome. Anyways, so if you don't want to wait for it on TV you can just watch it at that link.

here is a youtube link for your viewing pleasure

 

 

maybe one day the hub will finally come to canada. for now there’s always youtube.

 

Oh wow I got ninja'd. Good work on your sneaky ninjaness. Anyways yeah, that guy's channel is great since he always uploads new episodes the day they're released.

[Circadian 1,273]

Is anybody else bothered by the fact that there is an aging spell? I mean, that's the secret to immortality right there. Why not use it on Granny Smith?

 

Maybe the effects are only superficial, or temporary, or both.

[TailsIsNotAlone 3,695]

Best episode of the season so far. It was strange that "Magic Duel" was the best title they could come up with, though. There were enough fanon references here to make my head spin, maybe too many. But everything fit within the framework of MLP instead of distorting the show, and that will make most of us happy too.

 

It might've been the most fast-paced episode yet with all that it tried to fit into 20 minutes, but somehow they pulled it off. Trixie was just like I remember her, except more evil thanks to the amulet. I like that not so much was made of her return as what she had come there to do. We got Zecora back into things, Pinkie Pie had to be quiet for a while, and I knew Twilight was going to outsmart Trixie some way but I had to see how. It was brilliantly simple.

 

The episode wasn't perfect, but it was very good. I hope this is a positive turning point for the season after a shaky start.

[duidamasterXD 9,627]

Is anybody else bothered by the fact that there is an aging spell? I mean, that's the secret to immortality right there. Why not use it on Granny Smith?

 

Maybe the effects are only superficial, or temporary, or both.

 

It could be only temporary, but keep in mind that if someone as powerful as Twilight can't do it then it probably isn't practical to use on everybody.

 

Hm, this could explain how Celestia and Luna are still around though

[Dreadmallon 353]

I liked the episode overall, and I loved the references, especially the one to Zecora = Yoda :3

I also kind of liked how Hasbro fooled every brony by not referencing Sombra at all in the episode.

[Dtox 128]

Great episode IMO, lots of laughs and exciting moments.

 

The continuity involved was refreshing, including pinkie's rock farm, her use of the one mare marching band, and especially those parasprites.

 

Would have been nice if that amulet had a bit more explanation, or that they at the very least explained how on earth that merchant got a hold of it.

 

I also very much enjoyed the ending. I know a few people have some gripes with it, but I'm glad it ended on an apology/high note.

[FoxyCryptid 4,330]

I loved it. I think it rivals the premiere for best season 3 episode so far. The fact Trixie pulled a bit of a Heel Face Turn at the end is also nice, maybe will see her again as one of the good guys.  

[Marshmallow 1,137]

Okay, I don't say that often, but this episode was really awesome. It is quite possibly my new favorite episode, every season included. It was funny, had lots of action, and was just dark enough to keep it interesting. I loved the references to previous episodes with the parasprites, the rock farm and of course Trixie! The part with Trixie ruling Ponyville was hilarious. Perhaps that's because I have a dark sense of humor, but I hadn't laughed like this at a MLP episode in a long time. 

 

""But.. wouldn't it be faster if we had some... wheels?"

"The Great and Powerful Trixie doesn't trust wheels. Now pull faster!"

 

haha I love Trixie! I didn't care for her too much before. I just saw her as a mean antagonist who's full of herself, but now I think she is absolutely awesome. As for the ending, some of you guys said it was predictable. I for one didn't see it coming. For some reason I thought she was going to use the elements of harmony or something. But I liked what they did, that was pretty clever (and much more interesting than relying once again on the elements of overused). 

 

So yeah, that was a great episode. By far the strongest episode in season 3 so far, and it's definitely at least in my top 5 overall favorite episodes. Also they mentioned Saddle Arabia, yay more geography!

 

9.5/10 Would watch again.

[TailsIsNotAlone 3,695]

Oh, hell. It just occurred to me that I didn't use one exclamation point or point out one "squee" moment in my earlier post. And that's why Magic Duel was very good, not great. It was fun, it was pretty well written, it did everything more or less right...but it wasn't exciting. I'm always excited about My Little Pony, but like someone else said, it was all too predictable. It played out just as I would have expected it to as a brony--nothing less, but nothing more either.

 

Maybe I'll be more into it on future viewings. I also just realized that I liked Trixie better in Boast Busters than I did here, and that really startled me. At least there she was her own character; here she was just a vessel for a mysterious evil artifact until the end and the perfunctory apology. Her voice was cuter the first time and had more of a hoarse edge. There was a spark in that voice, a manic narcissism that said "yeah, I'm full of myself, but it's so much fun!" She didn't sound like that here. Maybe it was just an subconscious quirk that Kathleen Barr couldn't replicate.

Edited December 1, 2012 by TailsAlone

[Qsphere580&9/5 10]

I really enjoyed this episode, especially the jokes and references. Season three in my opinion has been most excellent. I'm really glad to see that applejack is seen more in this season so far. However with Magic Duel ending, I kinda thought how Trixie was defeated I just had to say "really?".

 

Also I was really surprised at first when Twilight turned Applejack into a stallion. I laughed so hard at that scene.

[kirbyboi 588]

Loved the epsisode! I wouldn't have been surprised if they made this a two-part episode! But I was kinda annoyed how they forgot to change Pinkie's mouth back...kinda irked me. But other than that, great episode!!!

 

Again, I didn't notice a letter to Princess Celestia at the end. Maybe in this season their not doing the letters. I dunno. But I love how this episode played out, and I liked how cute Fluttershy was in this episode. :3 

 

...Also, when AJ got turned into a Stallion...prepare for the stallion fanart!

[Acoustic Cloud 2,202]

Just me or was pinkie the best running joke in the episode?

 

But we should all come to grips and note... that two dashs are even better! the coolness awesomeness and radicalness have been doubled!

[ImperialFoxes 17]

This episode was really great in my opinion. So many things became canon. Though I must say.....Trixie who I hated now is now my good list.

[Radiance64 7,053]

It could be only temporary, but keep in mind that if someone as powerful as Twilight can't do it then it probably isn't practical to use on everybody. Hm, this could explain how Celestia and Luna are still around though

My god, that would literally explain everything- alicorns aren't immortal, they just use aging spells on themselves!

[Yellow Diamond 7,569]

@,

 

Well, I had better give you credit where credit is due. Twilight runs off to train in the wilderness; she learns that intelligence and deception, not raw power, are key to overcoming her foe; she returns to Ponyville, defeating Trixie with trickery.

 

 

Zecora had told Twilight to mind her surroundings.

 

It is funny that Twilight basically beat Trixie at her own game: parlor tricks, illusions, and distractions. Everything that made Trixie so "great and powerful" was turned on its head and used against her. That a string of ruses undid a unicorn wielding the power of an alicorn (now canon!) is perhaps lost in the shuffle of Trixie's return and all the other gags. Those are great things, to be sure---but the irony is richer than one may realize.

 

I'm happy that Trixie's "rivalry" with Twilight was resolved the way it was. I have a hard time understanding why anyone thought a rivalry existed in the first place: Twilight didn't so much run Trixie out of town as she unintentionally exposed Trixie as a fraud while saving Ponyville. But I can see why Trixie would hold a grudge---especially if here career was effectively destroyed by the incident. And thankfully Trixie more or less realized the error of her ways, hopefully bringing an end to the "Trixie is truly the most powerful unicorn who should kick Twilight's flank!" arguments which sprung up after "Boast Busters."

 

Yet again we are teased with some sort of dangerous ancient power, only to have it locked up as if it were a one-shot item. The writers surprised me (and others, I think) by avoiding any suggestion of Sombra; I suspect once again, however, that the Alicorn Amulet---much like Twilight's sudden usage of dark magic---will appear toward the end of the season. If it never materializes, the whole exercise would have been a strange one.

 

Overall, a good episode. It's not the absolute strongest of the bunch, but the episode acknowledges bornies without letting fanon override the story.

[Tom 891]

Great episode, now if only they could've added another song in somehow.

 

One thing that has been on my mind, does the alicorn amulet make it's user as powerful as Celestia/Luna?

And where do all these artifacts of power keep coming form anyway?

 

Perhaps some of our questions will be answered in the season finale.

Edited December 1, 2012 by Tom

[Dusty Soul 2,611]

Overall I found the episode to be very very good.  I think this episode had the best beginning out of all of them.  Honestly, I was surprised how ruthless Trixie was in the episode.  

[Courageous Thunder Dash 7,824]

GREATEST EPISODE SO FAR!!!

 

Dude, when my friend and I were watching this episode, we completely went crazy when Twilight turned Applejack into a stallion.

 

And...finally some tickling! I've been dying to see a tickling scene, especially Rainbow Dash. Hope they put more tickling in Season 3, or at least more laughter.

[Inactive01 5,299]

That was an amazing episode. What I loved most was how Trixie humbled herself for once. She wasn't just a pesky snob. She was somepony who needed to learn humility and receive forgiveness. I hope this episode leaves Trixie as a more mature pony.

[Squid 100]

Did anyone notice that they used the Wilhelm scream?

 

It was kinda low, just before that cart hit the ground in the first duel.

[Modphase 1,271]

I never really liked Trixie, and never understood why people like Trixie, but I can rest content knowing that she's not as bad as I thought. Sure, she's still not on my good ponies list, but at least she apologized to Twilight, and it seemed like she meant it.

 

Overall, I thought this was a very enjoyable episode. Such things I like was Twilight's genius way of fooling Trixie into thinking the "Amulet" she was wearing was powerful. It also revealed Zecora to be a lot more awesome and wise then before. I mean seriously, she can use magic without even using a horn.

 

However, there were some cliche and overlooked things in the episode. First off, the duel at the beginning seemed kinda shabby. It was not as dramatic as I thought it was, and didn't seem much like an actual duel. I expected Twilight and Trixie to stand back to back and walk a certain amount of steps in the opposite direction, then turn around and fire, but that didn't happen. Also, Zecora training Twilight resembled too much like that part in Star Wars, and I get the feeling that it wasn't a reference.

 

But with all that said, I give this episode an 8/10. I don't believe it will be the best episode of the season, but nonetheless enjoyable.

 

Also, a new location has been revealed! Saddle Arabia. I think it's one of the smarter puns.

[Amethyst 42 29]

here is a youtube link for your viewing pleasure

 

 

maybe one day the hub will finally come to canada. for now there’s always youtube.

THANKYOUUUUU!

I was searching and searching the tubes, but it just didn't show up for me!

We have it on Treehouse, but they haven't starting showing season 3. I have written an angry email!