Sunday, December 29, 2013

"Silver Pieces: White Silver Devotion 2014"


"Silver Pieces: White Silver Devotion 2014"
by:
Virgilio F. De leon Jr.

When I play any white deck I always think of Alfred. One of my previous team mates and earliest opponents when I was playing the tournament scene. He showed me that with a single Protection from Red , my whole Mono Red deck could crumble despite its speed in casual test plays.

So there,with the silver format ( a 60 card deck , all uncommon format with the exception of lands) I turn to one of the most unused cards in the current Theros set ,The Evangel of Heliod  and hope to churn out a winner. Here is my deck list for White Silver:

22 X Plains

3 X Azorius Justiciar
4 X Favored Hoplite
3 X Evangel of Heliod 
4 X Phalanx Leader
4 X Fencing Ace
4 X Banisher Priest
_____________
22 creatures

4 X Ordeal of Heliod
3 X Dauntless Onslaught
3 X Blessing
4 X Brave the Elements
4 X Arrest
___________________
16 Spells



Alright , now I had tokens on my mind when I crafted this deck , so many tokens in fact but then again it would rely on a piece that has not been getting a lot of play. ,The Evangel of Heliod pales in comparison to other Devotion creatures like Master of the Waves or Fanatic of Mogis , and besides white has more speedier creatures that would fit. So why play with the The Evangel of Heliod then? I just love these kinds of cards.

Since this is an all Uncommon format I reasoned that the other decks would be much slower ( this is after the fact that I created an all uncommon Red deck). I still think that with the Phalanx Leader and Fencing Ace there are early elements of control. The Banisher Priest could exile creatures while the Azorius Justiciar could detain and defend as well. Come the 6th turn and the Evangel of Heliod comes into play with the tokens it has in tow. Well it is time to close the game.


Access to Brave the Elements here could spell doom for your opponents in the end game but it could also be something that you might use to defend your creatures early on when you already have 2 in hand. You only need one of these to win.

Here is to hoping that your devotion to white plays out well. 

"Silver Pieces: Red Silver 2014"


"Silver Pieces: Red Silver 2014"
by:
Virgilio F. De leon Jr.

I always wanted to have a deck ready for every format.Sadly because land can be so expensive especially in Standard Tournament levels you could only have enough funds for some.

Here would be my Mono Red Silver Pieces 2013 if the format ever got off the ground:

22 X Mountains

4 X Rakdos Cackler
4 X Burning Tree Emissary
4 X Young Pyromancer
3 X Fanatic of Mogis
4 X Gutter Snipe
4 X Firefist Striker
___________________
23 Creatures

4 X Magma jet
4 X Skull Crack
4 X Ordeal of Purphoros
___________________
12 Spells


Like any red deck the whole purpose of the deck is to run any opponents to the ground with early attackers and well timed burned spells.

Magma Jet has always been a personally favorite of mine since I first saw it in the original Mirrodin set. It burns and lets you scry for crying out loud. what is not to love?

The deck is so packed with creatures that could attack early , even creatures like Young Pyromancer and gutter snipe that would take advantage of the times you would cast  Magma jet
or Skull Crack. One gives more tokens and the other the other just piles on more damage. 


Firefist Striker also makes an appearance here to take care of the tough blockers that your opponents have. The big and the tough cannot block. More woe is there is only one creature on the other side of the battlefield.

The triple Fanatic of Mogis is here for when defenses on the other end have already been set. In case of a stalemate in creatures , the Fanatic is the difference. All your creatures need to do is stand there and let the Fanatic count all of their mana cost and Burn...

The Silver format might be a dream for now but this deck is real and it's speed is real.Time to test it for yourself. 

"The Unexpected Visitor"


"The Unexpected Visitor"
by:
Virgilio F. De leon Jr.

I often talk about Ghosts because they are always around my family but they are not the only things that lurk where we live. 

Some of my family have been rumored to be not so human. I want you to read this story with an open mind. Judge for yourself. 

When I was a young baby , My Lolo was very proud of me. I was his first apo and there was even a time that he hoped to become an Aswang to fly to Manila and see and guard me as I slept at night.

He was right about guarding me though because one night we had a visitor that he did not want me to see. I was a baby and we were staying at our Ancestral House in Dapawan that summer. 

During those times the nights were still dark in the provinces. The lamplight's were few and the vehicles even fewer. When night time fell people stayed home or they might get lost in the dark.People who had no urgent business in the nighttime would prefer to do them in the morning light.

So my lolo was surprised to hear the knock on our back door. It was already close to 10pm in the evening. 

"Who is that?" He asked.

The voice that answered was familiar and he knew who it was right away. It belonged to an old woman who was pushing past her 60's and would have trouble navigating from her house located at least 4 kilometers at the islands North. 

"Why are you here? My Lolo Romy asked courteously. My Mom said that he was holding on to the handle of his bolo as he said this.

"I heard that your Grand son is here. I wish to give him a kiss." The old woman answered.

"I'm sorry but you should best do that in the morning. My grand son is asleep. I am sorry you had to go all the way here for nothing."

There was no answer from beyond the back door and the old woman was gone. My Lolo would not sleep that whole night my mom recounted. He would sit besides me as I slept. Keeping the windows closed and vigilant to any noise in the dark. He was that kind of man.

I miss you Lolo Romy. 



"The Smell of Mud"


"The Smell of Mud"
By:
Virgilio F. De leon Jr.

I often talk about Ghosts because they are always around my family but they are not the only things that lurk where we live. 

When I was a baby, my Mom and I often stayed with my Mamay Auring in Tondo. My early care takers when I was young was Nanay Flor and my Mamay Auring and there were things that they told me that really bothered me now that I was older.

We lived at the 3rd floor of my Ninangs House and Store. They told me about a barred window on the 3rd level of this window. I was told that not even a fly could land on my skin when I was at that place but there were several times that they were awakened by something in the darkness. Something that seemed to be crawling on the wall that they could not clearly see. They may not have seen it but the smell was clear. It was the smell of mud where there are not grounds. No air to carry them. 

In the morning they went outside and looked at the wall from below. There were hands that looked as if someone was creeping toward it from below. This was 3 stories up and there was no way that any one could use a ladder that high up in total darkness.Needless to say my Mom and Mamay Auring was vigilant at watching me as I stayed there. 

Up to this day no one could say what those muddy hands meant.Another mystery that I hope I never find the answer to.  

"Lolo Melitons Goat"


"Lolo Melitons Goat"
by:
Virgilio F. De leon Jr.

I often talk about Ghosts because they are always around my family but they are not the only things that lurk where we live. 

My Lolo Meliton was quite a drinker but he knew how to handle himself eve when he had a drink too many. He could still walk from the town proper to our little Baranggay in Dapawan regardless of the time and without incident.

This particular night he was only a few yards away from the bend of road that would take him through the fields and to his house at the foot of the Hill we called Bagontor. He had recounted that he had met a goat on the road. The goat bumped him and he pushed it away.He kept on walking.

For some reason the goat would find his way in front of him and bump him again. Again he would push the goat away and be on his way.

This would happen for a third time and as my Lolo got annoyed he would realize that three times the goat was able to hit him square on his right shoulders. He was a tall man , almost 5'6. making the goat taller than 5 feet to be able to hit him on the shoulders. He also noticed that the speed at which it seemed to get in front of him. It could only be something non-animal. Needless to say that it sobered him up as he ran toward home.

This story is still told in drinking sessions. We miss you Lolo. 

"Uncle Epoy's Bat"


"Uncle Epoy's Bat"
by:
Virgilio F. De leon Jr.

I often talk about Ghosts because they are always around my family for some reason but these are not the only sort of things that lurk where we dwell. 

This story is about my Uncle Epoy who was a young Engineering Student during the time(circa 70's). He would often burn the midnight oil studying , keeping the wide Capiz-covered windows of the 2nd floor of our Ancestral house open to let the breeze in . This was a room that was directly above My Lola's Sari-Sari Store and it faced the road so that people passing by could easily be seen. Since it was already close to midnight and it was the province the only light was the burning lamp from the 2nd floor room.

My Uncle was already tired during that night but he had kept on reading. He was rubbing his eyes a bit when he heard something that seemed like a few feet away from the window. He could only see as far as the light of the Lamp could afford him but he strained his eyes to look at the darkness and like something from a nightmare his eyes adjusted and he could see it. It was the head of a giant bat , as it flew nearer and nearer it was beating its wings and moving closer it was giving out a shriek , and my uncle calculated that it was the size of a man , its head was determined to reach him.The light  of the lamp was showing more and more of its black skin and teeth.


In a state of panic my Uncle grabbed the nearest thing he could find. The thick engineering books that were littered on the table. Fearing for his life he heaved the book and it connected with the gigantic bats right shoulder. My Uncle saw the bat fall and the book pinning its right wing. He knew that this was his chance to finish it. One word was screaming in his mind."Aswang". He went down to the kitchen and looked around to get something to beat the giant bat with.He settled on a rusty Jungle bolo and rushed outside to face the injured bat. He only saw his bloodied Engineering book.

The following day , one of my uncles classmates who was rumored to be one of the Aswangs in town was sporting a cast on his right arm. The same arm that my uncle injured the previous night.When people asked him how he got injured the rumored aswang would just answer with silence as he looked on to my Uncle Epoy. When pressured a little more the guy said that he was in a climbing accident. My Uncle Epoy knew the truth though. It was a flying accident. 

"Shrieking Affliction: Mono Black Discard 2014"


"Shrieking Affliction: Mono Black Discard 2014"
by:
Virgilio F. De leon Jr. 

I have always preached disruption. The schemers and the long planners ,  They need a little chaos in their world. They need a little brain adjustment. What makes this deck so sweet is that their loss also represent their doom.

22 X Swamps

4 X Drain Piper Vermin
4 X Slum Reaper
3 X Liliana's Reaver
______________________
11 Creatures

4 X Shrieking Affliction
4 X Thought Seize
4 X Duress
3 X Underworld Dreams
4 X Mind Rot
4 X Ultimate Price
4 X Doom Blade
______________________
27 Spells


This deck revolves around the Shrieking Affliction.A one Mana Costing Enchantment that makes opponents lose 3 life if they have 1 or fewer cards at hand.I put 4 in here because I love annihilating hands more than I love annihilating creatures on the board(Well that is the mood that I am in anyway). Control players have lesser creatures anyway. So this deck is about controlling control and making them lose life when whey lose their ideas.

Thought Seize, Duress and Mind Rot are great at the discarding. Then there are creatures that work to your advantage too like Drain Piper Vermin and Liliana's Reaver. The former makes an opponent discard when it dies and the latter does the same while giving you a 2/2 Zombie in the process after it has damaged your opponent for 4 life. 


Players who play Blue might be able to recover with sufficient card drawing but by then it might not be enough with the control that you have established. I just can't wait to test this next year.( Two days from now!)

So with the dwindling resource that is their hand , opponents are now faced with the question of dying from your creatures or dying from the Shrieking Affliction. None are good choices as I would like to say. 








"Killing a Memory"


"Killing a Memory"
by:
Virgilio F. De leon Jr.

I
In my heart where you lie
I find myself reaching till you die
Of a memory fading
yet , I'm desperate to keep alive

II
I find myself whispering to nothing
Raging at the the dying of your light
I find myself hoping
till all my rage can last

III
I keep on grasping on nothing but air
I hear you breathing from nowhere
I know I can save you
but you are dying in me , dying everywhere

IV
You whisper , I am the best part of you
There will be none like me
And I rage at the fact
That things can never ever be

V
So in my heart where you lie
I find myself reaching till you die
by my hand , by my will.
Letting my rage let fly.

"Taking the Black: Mono Black Infect Pauper"


"Taking the Black: Mono Black Infect Pauper"
by:
Virgilio F. De leon Jr.

I have often mentioned my mono black infect pauper deck but I have never wrote about it. Building it was great but its first outing and my first foray into Standard Pauper was one of my greatest memories.

When my brother Aj told me that Ongkeko's Hobby shop was having a Standard Pauper tournament and with the Scars of Mirrodin and Innistrad joining forces to make a great card pool it was a no brainer for me to join. It would also prove to be a fun night because 4 Team Virulence members would come and join me. So it was Me , Aj , Alicar and Mark Abude against the entire field.

Here is the decklist that I set out to battle with:

20 X Swamps

2 X Toxic Nim
4 X Contagious Nim
4 X Corpse Cur
4 X Flensemite
3 X Plaque Stinger
__________________
17 Creatures

4 X Virulent Wound
4 X Doom Blade
4 X Tragic Slip
4 X Geths Verdict
4 X Distress
3 X Altar's Reap
_________________
23 Spells



A quick look at the spells that I have packed in here would instantly tell you that this is a sort of Mono Black Machine Gun deck. It literally mows down anything that hits the ground. I was thinking that brewers would want to cram as many creautures as much as they could and so I wanted to make sure that I had a bullet for each one of them.

The Distress is there to take care of things I might not be able to deal with on the ground. Doomblade was in common at that time too , as of this writing Doomblade is at the uncommon slot.Scars of Mirrodin and Innistrad has given black many killing spells that I just had to play black.


There were also a lot of Hexproof creatures in the current pool and my brother was play testing heavily against me with it. I realized that I didn't have to be afraid of these creatures even though I may not be able to to target them or have a Geth's Verdict in my hand all the time.

This was an Infect deck and the number to watch out for was 10 not 20. Any player would know the number well otherwise he would find himself frothing at the mouth and turning Phyrexian from all the Poison counters. Hexproof creatures may let early damage in but sooner or later they would have to block to stay alive. Life gainers may gain all the life that they want but they will have watch out for the number 10.



The creatures are few but deadly. Plague Stinger flys in unopposed , Contagious Nim is a cheaper version of the Phyrexian Cruasder and could kill someone after 5 turns. So what happens when my creatures die? They come back for more because of Corpse Cur. Flensermite and Toxic Nim was included mainly because I was able to collect foil versions of them. The 2 Toxic Nims at Ongkeko that same night.

I could feel the helplessness of one of my opponents when I plopped a Toxic Nim into play. A regenerating 4/1 Monstrosity. There were some concedes as they knew that even with blockers I could just wither them all away and eventually Infect. This is a deck that went 4-0. Not bad for someone who just started Standard Pauper. Magic always rekindles your interest just when you thought that there are no other places for you to conquer.It gives you a place when you think that there is no longer any place to go and it makes you find things that you thought were lost to you.

  




Saturday, December 28, 2013

“Finding My Reflection”




“Finding My Reflection”
 by:
Virgilio F. De leon Jr.

I
I painted my picture
Filled it with shadows
Cast it in blue and white and grey
Till they all added to a different shade

II
That of me in the darkness
And that of me in the light
Always in constant battle
No one emerging just quite right

III
I saw myself
In my creation
A mocking image
Of what I intended to be

IV
I painted my picture
And breathed life unto it
Not knowing of my possibilities
And the monster I let live

V
That of me in constant shift
From evil and good
Casting out a different persona

With all my varying moods.

“Psychological darkness”


“Psychological darkness”
by:
Virgilio F. De leon Jr.

I
Silence now the whispers speak
In this mind of darkness their secrets keep
Dwelling in its halls the angry beasts
The ghost of rulers and forgotten feasts

 II
Darkness now all that remains
Here in this heart full of shame
Where the maker was hollowed
And the grievances followed

III
Murder now committed
In the name of him who was acquitted
To inspire greater terror

To add to this world of horror.

"Chatroom (Pasok sa chatroom)"


"Chatroom
(Pasok sa chatroom)"
by:
Virgilio F. De leon Jr.

Ang chatroom parang buhay
May nagmamahalan
May nagpapatayan

May mga totoo
At may mga huwad
Kayraming mga ugali
Ngunit nagkakasundo din agad

Parang buhay kapag may problema
Tatakbo at iiyak sa iba pa
May mga magkasintahan
May mga nagaalitan

May sobrang dada
At sobrang hiya
May mga pangit
At siyempre may maganda

May mga tanga
Wala ng buhay paglabas ng chat
Wala nang magawa
Wala na wala



"Finding Oblivion"


"Finding Oblivion"
by:
Virgilio F. De leon Jr. 

I
My mind aches as I look at the screen
Too many colors causing me pain
Too many voices calling out my name

III
My eyes are hurt by their brilliance
Thought of games that may cause my dullness
Games that lead me to nothingness

III
I want nothing of real life
But the one I have in this protected shell
The one I created for myself in this realm

IV
I am happy
I am content
To be looking inside
To the outside where I have been
To see their faces
To sense their thoughts
Trapped in the days demands
Beckoning the call

They do not understand


“Hush Now”


“Hush Now”
by:
Virgilio F. De leon Jr.

Hush now
Let your tears dry up
Let this well cease
For there is no need for it now
Only joy
Only joy

II
Hush now the pain will soon be gone
Let your whimpering stop
Let all sounds cease
For there is no need for it now
Only joy
Only joy

III
Hush now
Your true beauty you will again see
Up there in heaven
Where you were meant to be
This world is not worth
For someone like thee
So hush now
It’ll all be over soon
There is no need for sadness
Only joy

Only joy

“The Angel Fell”


“The Angel Fell”
by:
Virgilio F. De leon Jr.

I
I cut myself to see the blood
It oozed right out
I cut myself to see how much
A human I have become

II
Can I now feel
This ,that they call pain?
Can I now feel the drops
Of a fresh morning rain?

III
Can I now feel
This that they call loss
This that they call longing
So many questions that need answering.

IV
I feel my own nothingness swallow me
I am the void which I spoke of
I am the emptiness of my days
I am the useless remnant of what I used to be


I am not a phoenix who will be borne

"Magic: Should I let my child play this game?"


"Magic: Should I let my child play this game?"
by:
Virgilio F. De leon Jr.


The last time I checked Magic:The Gathering has one of the strongest followings here in the Philippines but have not reached mainstream status that everyone has been picking it up as hobby. However when I read my daughters Christian Living assignment about Spending time and Money wisely there was a question there that piqued my curiosity about how Magic as a game is being perceived here in the country. The question went:

If you had extra money what would you spend it on?

The choices were as follows:

A. Buy a book
B. Save it in the bank
C. Buy Magic cards
D. Buy a gift for someone

When I read this I was a bit happy that Magic was mentioned but as all the other answers suggested Magic cards was a waste of money. I told my daughter that this was not the case. There are many skills that you could take out of the game that you could use in real life situations and even in academics. 

"It is up to you to determine what you could take out of each situation and experience..."So with my daughter over my shoulder I launched into writing this article about why you should let your kids play this game.



Magic teaches kids math. 

- Any kid who plays Magic knows how to count at least up to 100! 60 if they are playing standard decks. They can calculate probability at such an early age. People who cannot count in this game cannot calculate battle damage or even life totals. So kids who are exposed to magic know their numbers earlier than most.

Magic and Social skills.

- Kids who play magic develop social skills. It is a misnomer that magic players are not socially adept people who find solace in the game. Quite the contrary , Magic players are some of the most vocal and polite people on the planet. Especially Filipinos who still show respect after a bad play. It teaches kids how to deal with people who are older , people who are bullies , people who are aggressive , people who are too passive. Kids learn and they have fun while they are at it too. They learn without even noticing it. 

Magic and Tactics.

- Kids who play the game develop tactics. They learn lessons like when one way is not open there should be another way to do it. Kids learn how to be patient because some games take a lot of thinking to win. I have seen kids smile once they figure out something and keep on winning. One of the lessons that they learn is that there is literally not only one way of approaching a problem.



Magic and Stress Outlets

- As with Adults a good game of Magic could help kids blow off steam as well. I have observed a lot of ADD-HD types focus in games a lot more than they do in their every day lives. Kids could also find this as an emotional outlet for their frustrations , it is a more mature outlet rather than  hitting other kids or destroying property.Hey , kids nowadays are facing more pressures in school because of the added years and yes they could relieve some of their stresses by playing games on a tablet . PC or phone but where is the social interaction in that right?

Magic and Expenses

- Another misnomer that stops parents from letting kids play is that the game is expensive. I have the answer to that. It is called Standard Pauper. A budget friendly format that let's people play with decks that cost 200 pesos or even less! Money is not a hindrance here. People in my community are even willing to let new players borrow pauper decks so they could enjoy the game.In every place that has Magic there are at least 3 people who know how to conduct a budget friendly deck. Our Community has ST and he even goes early in the venue to show new players the ropes.Padi's Point at SM North Edsa if you are interested in learning the game and are in the area. I believe every community has this type of person and they would be more than happy to help people who are just starting out in the game.



Magic and Creativity

- This game like Lego brings out the creativity in people.Especially in children who's minds are not as hampered as adults. Granted that there are 10,000 or more cards than you could combine to make a theme for your deck there are a lot of suggested decks online or even in this blog to help you out. 

Magic and Art Appreciation

- Kids who play this game learn to appreciate art at an early age. For my daughter I made an Angel Deck that she reads and admires. She might not have the tactics yet but she does have the say when something is pretty good or not. More art exposure means that the more kids can appreciate other forms of it in the future as well.Expose them early as my folks always said.



Magic and  Vocabulary

- Like when one reads a book Magic Players are always exposed to words that are not easily found in our day to day lives. Kids are going to learn a lot of new words while playing this game and if they get into the theme of a certain expansion they could go and read the stories themselves. For example the current expansion , Theros is set in a plane that has a very heavy Greek Mythology theme. The geek in me was happy for that and made me want to read my books more. Some kids may even get into more reading because of the game especially if they like any of the Planeswalkers that have become the main protagonists and antagonists of the game.

Magic and Bonding Moments...

My friend Mau plays magic with his children , I know a boy named Aki who plays with his mom and Aunt.My brother and I played it when we were young. Nothing bridges the age gap more than this game in my book. Siblings start to talk about it more and try to improve decks to be more competitive with each other.It is is really fun to watch cousins and fathers and sons and daughters all playing together in one table. 

With all of this being said there is still an age restriction to the game but parents can always choose the cards that their kids will be playing with. Save the heavy stuff for when they are older. It is enough that they learn the basics for now and if they want to go on and want to play in tournament events later on then that is for them to decide.

So there you have it. Just a few reasons why you should let your son or daughter play this game. I love this game and for more reasons than one and I believe that with guidance the kids could also love it too.




Friday, December 27, 2013

"Selfish Silence"


"Selfish Silence"
by:
Virgilio F. De leon Jr.


I
I am the lone voice
That makes sense in madness
I am the chaos
Of your incurable sadness

II
I hear you cry out
And yet not cry out
Feel your heart
Even in the distance that I am
I hear you sob
And yet not sob
Discern your sadness
Know your madness

III
I know what you need
But I do not give it
You desire me like no other
And I do not answer

IV
So in your Agony I leave you
In pain from the longing
Dulled eyes and Whitened hair
Dried bones seeking but not finding.

VI
I am the lone voice
That makes sense in madness
I am the chaos
Of your incurable sadness

You have never found me


"The Burning"

“The Burning”

by: 
Virgilio F. De leon Jr.

I
The memories returned
Of her face , her beautiful face
There in the darkness I shuddered
I sinned

II
One cannot help desiring her
She who consumes my mind
In every sleeping
And waking hour

III
One cannot help to be drawn
To her whose smiles are like a flame
Drawing the moth ever closer
To its desire and death all the same

 IV
One cannot help being enchanted
To her who casts her spell with every breathe
To her who breathes life and magic to this world

 V
I have heard her voice
I have called her name
I have known her
Played her games

VI
She knows not what she does

Enticing me like that
I do know though that
We are all burned in the end

"Silver Pieces: Golgari Risen"


"Silver Pieces: Golgari Risen"
by:
Virgilio F. De leon Jr.

One of my frustrations when I was making Standard Pauper decks was that the Golgari (which is my favorite guild by the way) got no love. The pieces were not really there and it seemed like any deck I made would just be swallowed up by faster or more stable decks in the end game.

When I turned to making Silver decks ( Standard 60 card deck , all uncommons with the exception of lands) I felt something different and I knew that the Golgari could once again make a strong showing in this particular format.

4 X Golgari Guildgate
9 X Swamp
9 X Forest
___________________
22 Lands

4 X Thrill Kill Assassin
4 X Rakdos Cackler
4 X Dreg Mangler
4 X Slither Head
4 X Brush Strider
4 X Burning Tree Shaman
4 X Dryad Militant
__________________
28 Creatures

2 X Golgari Charm
4 X Putrefy
4 X Doom Blade
_________________
10 Spells


Now any color combination that has black in it would always want to check out the available spot removal. And there are 2 at the uncommon spot. Both of these awesome removals are making a come back. Putrefy and Doom blade. Aside from Red this is probably the best color combination for removal. You could add Golgari Charm and Shrivel here as well. So in those 4 cards alone you have the ability to remove Artifacts , Enchantments and creatures , and a mini mass removal too. Now isn't that great? 

It gets better. Scavenge as an ability was hard in standard Pauper but not so in Silver. Slitherhead is fast and makes things much bigger for a Zero Scavenge cost! There are a lot of 2 drops and 1 drops on this list that would cause problems for your opponents regardless of their guilds and color combinations. I mean Dreg Mangler and Brush Strider in one deck! Plus the possibility of Scavenging a Slither head and Dreg Mangler to make any of these guys bigger. 



The Burning Tree Shaman is a personal favorite of mine because it can cast so much more because of that additional mana. The dream casting would be 4 straight Burning Tree Shamans and a Brush Strider at the end. Representing 11 damage all in all at the next swing. 

Yup maybe this time the Golgari will be able to rise in this format. Maybe I could smash heads with those Scavenge creatures finally. Maybe. I can't wait to playtest this. 

"Magic Mga Tama lang sa buhay Questions"


"Magic Mga Tama Lang Sa Buhay Questions"
by:
Virgilio F. De leon Jr.

Janet Lim-Napoles has gotten nationwide attention during her "hearings". One of her one liners that have been heard and read over the internet has gained so much notoriety. When asked about her riches she gave an answer that was downright understating. She said. "Tama lang sa buhay".

I don't care about other online meme's but here are some possible Magic online Memes. Memes that are actually closer to our hearts.Something that hints more about our addictions.

#1 - Sa tingin mo ba masyado nang marami ang mga Lands mo sa bahay? 

Tama lang sa Buhay...

#2 - Sa tingin mo ba na sobra na ang paglalaro mo kung nakapaglaro ka na ng FNM , eh naglaro ka pa ng Saturday and Sunday?

Tama lang sa Buhay...

"Jolats"
#3 - Sa tingin mo ba kung lahat ng pack na nabuksan mo sa Theros eh puro Akroan Horse eh malas ka sa block na ito?

Tama lang sa Buhay...

#4 - Sa tingin mo ba kung wala ka nang pambili ng pagkain pero may pambili ka ng cards eh mali na?

Tama lang sa Buhay...

#5 - Sa Tingin mo ba may Magic addiction ka na?

Tama lang sa Buhay...

"Di naman..."
#6 - Kung may nag offer sa iyo ng package ng lahat ng Theros Gods sa 300 at tinawaran mo pa hanggang 200 eh smacker ka na?

Tama lang sa Buhay...

#7 - Kung kilala ka na ng lahat ng shop owners tapos mas sikat ka pa kay Mang Jerry eh sobra na kaya ang ginugugol mong oras sa Magic?

Tama lang sa Buhay...

Sa point of view ko kung nakakarelate ka ng at least 3 Tama lang sa Buhay...

Tuesday, December 17, 2013

"Riding the LRT: Like A Rat In A Cage..."

"Riding the LRT: Like A Rat In A Cage..."
by:
Virgilio F. De leon Jr. MD

"Despite all my rage I am still just a rat in a cage..."
-  Smashing Pumpkins  , from Bullet with Butterfly wings

On my way to the clinic where I work at I found myself humming this particular song from my youth. Nope no lame ass Justin Biebers or One Directions back in my day(I sound so old!). Just really awesome bands that you could bang your head to. I think the reason why I was humming this tune was that I realized that I was being herded like some sort of lab rat in a maze that was supposed to be the LRT.

Don't get me wrong I am happy that they now have a great system of stop and flow in the LRT platforms so that people are not too crowded on any given stage. What they do is they cordon off areas with rope , from the line at the bottom to the stairs to the platform itself. When a train arrives and the platform is empty there is a systemic cascade of ropes being pulled down simultaneously and allowing people to move forward.

I guess there have been too many complaints of guys mashing into women and pickpockets having their way with a lot of peoples wallets. This way the manyaks and the pickpockets are easier to spot and the forward flow discourages these people because there is literally no way of escape and a handful of guards are always visible to clobber them just in case they try to make a run for it.

Yes it is a great system that makes sure that there are fewer people to rub sweaty skins with you or fewer people who could cough on you on demand but it does kind of feel like being pushed through some sort of maze and despite the fact that you are fuming( raging?) because of numerous delays due to skip trains and the like you are trapped in this cage of ropes that perpetually moves you forward.

Yup...all you could do is hum the song and hope to get a good spot to stand on or an actual seat. Just another day for us rats on the way to work.  

"Silver Pieces: Orzhov Heroics"


"Silver Pieces: Orzhov Heroics"
by:
Virgilio F. De leon Jr.

(Silver is an 60 card deck all uncommon format.  With the exception of lands all of your other cards need to have that silver stamp.)

Now this is my first official Silver Deck. I have to recall all of these pieces while there was a lull in patients at the clinic and I wrote them in a notebook. As always it is open for improvement because I might have missed some great pieces. I think it is fitting that since Orzhov Ethereal was the first deck I built in Standard Pauper that I start off with this one in Silver.

Orzhov Heroics:

4 X Orzhov Guildgate
9 X Swamps
9 X Plains
___________________
22 Lands

4 X Thrill Kill Assassin
4 X Favored Hoplite
4 X Tormented Hero
4 X Phalanx Leader
4 X Fencing Ace
4 X Banisher Priest
____________________
24 Creatures

4 X Ordeal of Erebos
4 X Ordeal of Heliod
4 X Doom Blade
2 X Orzhov Charm
____________________
18 spells

The centerpiece of this deck is hands down the Phalanx leader. Any spell that you cast which targets it allows you to put a +1/+1 counter on each creature you control. Each of them. 


I like making things big and so I also added these guys , Ordeal of Erebos and Ordeal of Heliod to pile on the counters. So the advantage of the Auras is that they are great at targeting the  Phalanx Leader , it makes all whatever they enchant into Sliths , only slightly better because they can still put on the +1/+1 counter while attacking and when there are more than three +1/+1 counters on the creature it has enchanted ,  the Aura can be sacrificed for Discard and Lifegain effects. With the speed at which counters pile up in this deck expect to be able to use these effects much earlier , oh and even if the Aura is gone the +1/+1 counters stay on the creature.

The rest of the guys here are early damage dealers. More bodies on the battlefield means that there are more creatures to grow and more creatures mean that it would be easier to overwhelm your opponents at the latter turns. Still no solid mass removal in the Silver Format so attacking with a lot of guys is still the way to go. 

Doom Blade is here for all the nasty Uncommon Fatties that would be emerging from the woodwork. And there are a lot of them.Not to worry though with early weenie damage and a mid-range pumped up army you might never need to use it at all. And if needed there is a set of Banisher Priests here to take on things that might be too big for your guys to chew on. 

It would be exciting to see the speed of this deck. Could it beat Red? Could it beat control? Only time and another Silver opponent can tell.