@Background Pony #4024  
Discord’s magic is more than just making bubbles

S9 Tirek: But taking it all would be madness. It’s impossible for any other creature to control.
 
Says the centaur who used Discord’s magic just fine in S4.

@Background Pony #383E  
Source please? I’ve heard that elsewhere and it would be really helpful to get confirmation.
 
@Background Pony #B086  
Not chaotic how? In personality?

the one time she could have said nopony and been right…

It doesn’t make sense because without Discord’s chaotic magic, he isn’t chaotic, and when someone else gets it, they become chaotic.

Tirek got nerfed after Season 4. (Sigh.)

@Background Pony #3489  
Is that true?

In my opinion there are 3 kind of magic :black magic ,normal magic and chaos  
Tirek can drain all magic but he can only convert to his raw power and strength that why he can’t use any special ability  
Tirek hardly grew a few inches from consuming Discord’s magic cause he got a little normal magic too cause you can see he cast the stone sleep spell with Celestia and Luna

@GlacierFrostclaw  
The episode even referenced past episodes

@NavelColt  
I thought even the magic of the 4 princesses couldn’t stop Discord’s magic.

@Brony kaiju soldier  
I guess? He grew the size of three mountains from three alicorns, maybe 3-4 feet from everyone else in Equestria, and half an inch from the chaos god that nobody else was able to defeat without hack mode, so I don’t think they were really paying much attention to scaling. The only explanation that makes sense to me is exactly what I said. If Discord’s magic didn’t do much for him then everything else makes sense.

@NavelColt  
As he grew, he needed more to keep growing.

Tirek hardly grew a few inches from consuming Discord’s magic, so it probably didn’t do anything for him. He wasn’t able to harness that energy, just consume it so that Discord couldn’t use it.
 
Still perfectly explainable.

@Potato Candy  
After watching the english finale, I can confirm that this seems to be how it works. Tirek’s power converts the magic to something he can use while Grogar’s Bell MOVES the magic. Basically, he gets the strength of the magic, but not the actual full effects.

@Copper Knight
 
So basically, what you’re all saying is, when Tirek uses his magic-draining powers, he gains not the magic itself, but its power, which boosts the strength of his own magic, while Grogar’s bell takes the magic itself?

Tirek is a car, when he takes magic, he pumps the air out of a spare tires and adds to his own. Grogar’s bell swaps the flat tires with the spares.

They specifically had Tirek say that he steals life energy lately. It’s a retcon, technically, but it’s at least consistent.

@Josh103  
I think it’s just to show that they’ve spread that magic.

We all know this was just an excuse for the trio to not instantly win against them, which is dumb since we all know the “magic of friendship” would’ve protected the mane six regardless anyway.
 
Luckily little kids don’t know what rite?

@AC97  
All absorbing magic does for him is add to his own and makes him stronger.

Did Tirek suddenly learn how to say, bake pies because he ate Pinkie Pie’s magic? Anything of the sort?
 
I thought not.
 
There’s a difference between having those abilities bestowed upon you by the bell, and simply eating magic.
 
Remember that Tirek had opened a portal to Tartarus before he ate the Mane Six’ (barring Twilight) magic.
 
 
@CyanHide
 
Exactly. Tirek can’t inherently Power Copy just from eating magic.
 
I think this Breaking Bad scene sums it up well, in a way.
 
@IceKitsune
 
I don’t think Tirek would ever have the correct mindset to use Discord’s powers probably, even if you gave him 1,000 years, because it’s probably a mindset antithetical to chaos. Same goes for Cozy and Chrysalis.

Tirek doesn’t absorb other creature’s abilities, only their power. After stealing Chrysalis’ magic, he wouldn’t have been able to shapeshift.

@Background Pony #3489  
@PonyPon
 
Discord was established as so powerful the four princesses had no chance against him. Yet when Twilight wailed the four’s power against Tirek who had Discord’s plus hundreds or thousands of ponies (Jornal of the Two Sisters and “Horse Play” shows it took 6 ponies to compare to the princesses, raising the sun/moon), they were evenly matched. Any rationals for that is being made by us fans, not in the work itself.
 
The show has never bothered with consistent power levels (look at how often the princesses get worfed, which actually happens less under the new writers), that’s at least something the new writers got right.

F∪ck logic ©Hasbro

I figured Tirek used Discord’s magic for power, not for the effects themselves. But, hey, different interpretations I guess.