"Mga Local Magic Movie titles"

"Mga Local Magic Movie titles"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.

Kung makakagawa tayo ng local na movies tungkol sa Magic:The Gathering ano kaya ang mga kuwento at titulo na magagawa natin? At dahil di ako makatulog naisipan kung gumawa ng mga konsepto tungkol dito.

1) Punit - Ang kuwento ng isang player na nadisqualify dahil nakitang punit ang isang niyang sleeve.

2) Bakit ang labo mo? - Kuwento nang nagdeal sa internet pero nung magkikita na eh kung ano anong dahilan ang sinabi kaya di natuloy ang deal.

3) Smacker no Smacking - Tungkol sa karanasan ng isang magikero na nasmack sa unang pagkakataon at ang efforts niya na intindihan ang nangyari.

4) Ihuhuli kita. - Isip ng EDH player habang inaatake ng mga creatures ng paborito niyang kalaban.

5) Manood ka. - Isang boring na movie kung saan ang isang combo player eh nag tap at untap ng lupa para sa infinite mana at sa big finish na hinikaban lang ng mga kasama niya.

6) Di mo ako natalo , Nagconcede ako. - Naglaro. Naatake. Nagconcede bago damage dealing.

7) Mistrigger - Base sa isang tunay na kuwento kung saan di nakapasok ng 2nd round dahil natalo dahil nag miss ng trigger.

8) Kinamayan mo kasi ako - Base sa tunay na pangyayari kung saan di nagkaintindihan ang dalawang player sa outcome ng isang laro.

9) Bula , Bula - Isang araw sa buhay ng Infect player na nagpapabula ng bibig ng kalaban sa daming ng poison counters na tumatama.

10) Dumamage ka pero kulang - Pighati ng isang manlalaro nung nalaman niya na dapat panalo siya sa isang round at sa standings kung binilang lang niya ng mabuti ang tumamang damage sa kanya.

11) Judge! Judge! - Isang araw sa buhay ng isang Magic Judge. Pang Docu!

"Mga kasabihan ng Modernong Magikero"

"Basa..."

"Mga kasabihan ng Modernong Magikero"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.

Sawa ka na ba sa newsfeed na kung ano na lang ang lumalabas? Ako din. Kaya ito at magbasa ka na lang ng mga makabagong kasabihan na kung saan saan ko lang nakuha sa sulok ng aking isipan.

Palawakin ang ating kaisipan dito sa ating mga bagong kasabihan.

1) "Kung ano ang titan , yun ang broodline."

- Di ba? Di ba?

2) "Ano man ang panahon laging may deckbox na baon."

May kilala kang ganito. Pumunta ng birthday ng kaibigan nauwi sa magic hanggang umaga. Pumunta ng binyag nauwi sa magic hanggang umaga. Pumunta ng lamay...alam mo na.

3) "Siyang sumilip sa Binder tiyak madadali ni Commander."

- Kaya ayaw kong sumisilip sa mga binder. Numinipis lalo ang wallet ko tapos merong Senate inquiry kung saan napunta yung suweldo ko.

4) "Di bale nang walang isang kidney , naset naman ang Masterpiece."

"Dalawa naman daw eh"

- Para One time big time may Kaladesh Masterpiece ka na!

5) "Ang lupang nagkadikit dikit malamang dahil sa lamesang malagkit."

- "Kaya laging punasan ang lamesa para iwas mana drought" - Isang Paalala mula sa Konseho ng mga Magikero. Vote Straight. 

6) "Siyang nagnasa ng booster , nauuwi sa case."

- Isa na lang sure na may Exped ito...Isa pa...Ito last na talaga...

7) "Ang siyang di tumingin sa pinanggalingan...naiiwan ang binder."

"Ang binder ko....Ang binder ko..."

- Siguraduhin kumpleto ang mga dala dala kung uuwi na.

8) "Wag magtiwala sa mga regalo ng Phyrexia."

"Hot oil po sir? Libre na gupit."

- Lalo na kung hot oil ang gustong iregalo sa iyo.

9)"Aanhin pa ang dugo kung kulang ang fetchland mo?"

- Dugo napapalitan , Fetchlands kaunti lang yan.

10) "Ang magikerong sa piyesa nagigipit , sa Smacker kumakapit"

"Parang may mali."

- Kung may oras kang maghanap ng piyesa ok lang pero kung kailangan na kailangan mo na... Ito ang quote ng isa sa mga paborito kong card ngayon.

"Ang Presyo ay di na matatawaran nguni't alam mong ito ay patas." - Taga Traffic ng Sindikato

May mga sitwasyon ka na bang naisip na magagamit mo ang mga kasabihan na ito? May kilala ka bang mga ganito? Ako meron.

Maraming salamat sa suporta , pagbasa at pagshare. Gawin nating masaya ang ating mga communidad! Magandang Araw! 

"Dead Eye Navigator Interview:Choosing a Gearhulk"

"Dead Eye Navigator Interview:Choosing a Gearhulk"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.

I finally found the hidden cove near the shores of Nephalia where the locals told me where I could find a constantly cloaked person. And so I found him , the Dead Eye Navigator surprisingly not influenced by Emrakul and tentacle free despite having to fight quite a few of those tentacled wolves on my way here.

The Deadeye Navigator knows me so he gave me a nod as I approached. He waved an ethereal hand at me to stop.

I threw him 5 pictures on the ground , he picked them up with almost transparent hands and he inspected all of them. 

Deadeye Navigator(DN): So you have more of these?

Me: There are only 5 kinds. Read their abilities. I want to know which you like the most. I know they have no souls to soulbound but if you could which of the gearhulks would you choose?

The Deadeye Navigator took a couple of minutes.

Me:Are you ready?

DN: I have all the time in the world with all those tentacle heads out there.

Me: So tell me your favorite one.

DN: I would tell you my least favorites first.

Me: Ok.

DN: This would be the Cataclysmic Gearhulk. I Soulbond with it I blink it , it comes back and if we are the only two creatures in play one of us will bite the dust. Even if I am a spirit there are still ways to kill me. 

Me: I see.

DN: And the Cataclysmic Gearhulk is compared to the Sundering Titan , the former is a bigger asshole than the latter. At least Sundering leaves you a couple of lands and doesn't care about anything else. The Cataclysmic Gearhulk just leaves a couple of things in its wake. Leave it to White mana creatures to do that.

"Do not play unless you want all of your stuff to blow up." I wrote silently in my pad.

Me: What about the Torrential Gearhulk? You share the same color. You two should get along right?

DN: Whoever invented that one just wanted to control a lot of things. Allowing it to become an instant to let you cast an instant for free? It looks like a giant counter spell to me. I like things that produce when they come into play.

"Torrential Gearhulk is a gigantic counter spell." I wrote again.

Me: Produces things huh? Well these Gearhulks don't really produce anything. It was not in their designs to do so. Probably except the Verdurous Gearhulk that makes you tougher by giving you potentially 4 +1/+1 counters.

DN: It can be great to have this one especially if we are in a deck that has a lot of creatures out on the battlefield. A token deck that could easily be toughened because of those counters.

Me: I agree

DN: It can be counter productive though if it was just the two of us. I could blink the Verdurous Gearhulk but I could only be the target. I can still beef up but if you don't plan on attacking with me then what is the point of all that right?

"Verdurous Gearhulk goes with a lot of things it can toughen.Don't waste on decks that already big creatures in it." Scribbling as fast as I could before asking the next question.

Me: So where are done with 3 Gearhulks so which of the last two do you like?

DN: Noxious Gearhulk is my second choice because of the things that he can do. He can come into play bash a creature in the head and when it dies you gain life equal to that creatures toughness. I don't mind blinking that again and again.

Me: But it doesn't produce anything.

DN: Actually it does. It produces death.

"Keep Noxious Gearhulk away from Deadeye Navigator unless you really need it." My notebook was getting full now but at least we are now just down to one more Gearhulk."

DN: Yes. And I actually believe that you wrote about this Gearhulk. When it comes into play you could have a target opponent allow you to draw 3 cards of if not you self mill 3 cards to your graveyard. The Combustible Gearhulk is perfect for EDH games because people would always use high mana cost spells or creatures that they could not normally use in any other formats. So if they do not allow you to draw 3 cards they reach the potential of a massive amount of Damage. 

Me: They still have a choice at least.

DN: Not really. If let us say they do not allow you to draw and the 3 cards you put in your graveyard are land cards. They do not get any damage. Only...

Me: Only what?

DN: Only I am in play as well and with enough mana I could keep on blinking the Combustible Gearhulk to make him ask that question again and again. Burn now or Burn later?

Me: I didn't know you ready my articles

DN: Nothing much to do around here but read.

"Make Combustible Gearhulk ask his favorite question again and again. Burn now or burn later."

Me: Well I guess that is all that I came for today.

DN: Thanks for the visit..I guess. Call me when you have an EDH game set up?

With the the Deadeye Navigator went into his dark cave , contemplating on things that only he could understand.

"How Far is Jejudo?"

"How Far is Jejudo?"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr,

V was startled by the petite girl who blocked his path in the backstage.She was wearing the school girl uniform out of the group known as Sweethearts. And it was someone he was not really surprised to run into as they were promoting with Oh My Dolls today.

"V oppa!" she said as she tiptoed to reach his face for a small peck on the cheek.Taken aback V looked at the girl who seemed awfully familiar. "Eunji?"

"I thought you wouldn't recognize me. Do you like my short hair?" Eunji said as she twirled the sides of her black hair. "I didn't really want to cut it but they said that we need to have something new for this comeback. My hair was one of them."

"I like it." V said as he touched the sides of her hair in that familiar way that he used too when they were still together causing Eunji to blush despite her bold approach at him. "Don't cut it too short though or the boys would have very stiff competition from the girls who would be crushing on you."

"Yebin seems like the type for girl crushes." Eunji said mentioning one of her members who despite her cute appearance was still too boyish.

"You underestimate yourself. Everyone loves that pretty face of yours."

"Really?" Eunji blinked 3 times at V."How come you don't say that to me anymore?"

"V oppa?" Without even turning V knew that the voice belonged to a frowning YuuA. He had heard it too often to ignore.

"Yes?" He asked and turned around to see a smiling YuuA but he knew that the smile was a strained one and it was an anger she reserved when he talked to other pretty girls.

"I didn't know you knew Eunji but why am I not surprised." YuuA said her voice dripping with what seemed like poison.Eunji sheepishly waved and bowed at her sunbae. YuuA returned the bow but looked at V who seemed to look like a deer caught in a headlight all of a sudden.

"I am not sure if you formally met. This is Eunji from Sweethearts and this is YuuA from Oh my Dolls." 

The two women hugged briefly but V heard the exchange all the same.

"Stay away from my boyfriend. This is your only warning." YuuA whispered threateningly.

"No way. He was mine before you even met him. So consider yourself warned." Eunji responded. She looked at V after the hug from YuuA. "Call me when you are free."

YuuA glared at Eunji as she walked away with a suggestive glance at V.

"You are in big trouble with me Mr. Dragon." The OMD lead dancer said as she slapped V's muscular shoulders. "You keep running into your ex girlfriends so often that it bothers me."

"I think the only place where I don't have an ex is Jejudo. Oh wait. I had one there too."

"Jejudo? You even cross oceans to find girls? You are not helping yourself with me. "

"I don't think I can make it any worse."

YuuA sighed. 

"How Dragons Say Sorry."

"How Dragons Say Sorry."

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.

The dormitory building loomed in front of him. A white tall building that stood out from the surrounding buildings that were either brown or gray. She was there at the rooftop again waiting for him and today he finally decided to show up. With a boquet of flowers in one hand and enough chocolate to feed all girls V bent his knees and with one push went against gravity and leaped to where YuuA stood. She was startled as he shot past her and drifted slowly down.

"Hi" He said awkwardly.

"Hi? Is that all you are going to say after not showing up for an entire week?" YuuA had her arms crossed over her chest and was pouting like it was no one's business combined with her death stare it was something even an immortal dragon would fear. 

"You said you didn't want to see me for awhile." V stammered uncharacteristically. 

"And did you ask me how long I didn't want to see you?"

"No I did not but with the way you were treating me I could have been gone for a year and you still wouldn't miss me."

"You are an idiot. You were gone for just a week and I already feel this way. What will I do if you disappear for a year."

Silence followed the two lovers.And it would stretch on if not for YuuA herself who seemed to have softened in her angry stance.

"Are those for me?" 

"The flowers? Yes. The chocolates you could share with your members. Kpop groups that eats chocolates together gets fat together remember? V said with a small grin not knowing if this would end well for him.

YuuA smiled and then laughed that sweet laugh of hers. V let out a sigh of relief. She was motioning for him to come closer.And he landed on the rooftop. She came near and hit him so hard on his left shoulder. "That is for not showing up for a week." Then she gave him a long lingering kiss full on the mouth. "And that is for not showing up for a week.Think of how much you could have had if you didnt disappear." V was turning red and feeling all fuzzy inside. YuuA's effect on him was like fine wine. Even a small dose packs a punch and he felt a bit heady. 

"I am just going to sit here while you give the chocolates to everyone."

There were shouts of horror and delight as 7 girls were able to see the sweets for the first time and he knew they were contemplating on killing him because their diets would be ruined. They could not help themselves though and it was sure that today they would have gained a few more calories than they would have wanted. "I hate you V-oppa." someone shouted but it was drowned out by a mouthful of the delicious chocolates. 

Several minutes later YuuA came back with the empty heart shaped box. "You never want to see Idols on a heavy diet with a box of these. They rushed me and they all looked liked some crazed zombies!" YuuA laughed again.

"Am I off the hook YuuA?"

"You know what to do." YuuA pointed at the CCTV with pouty lips. V was tall enough to reach it and pointed it upwards.His girlfriend locked the only door leading up to the rooftop.

"I think we have 20 minutes before they recover from the sugar coma and start looking for us. Make every second count."

V did not even need to think about it and YuuA came closer.

"The Greetings."

"The Greetings."

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.

YuuA lay wide awake in the darkness. She tried to feel if Bee who slept on the top bunk was asleep by shaking the bed. Bee would instantly peek down to ask her to stop but this time there was nothing but silence. She waited a couple more minutes just to make sure before she felt for the one stuffed toy that she needed.Feeling for it's spiky tail and head she slowly brought down the gift that V personally gave her.She found it funny that in order to reach a dragon she had to dig inside another dragon's insides. Bringing out the phone that she had kept all these months she checked for messages from Family and friends.

There was one from her Aunt , asking her ,no ,commanding her to go back to the Shrine this Chuseok holiday. It would be a great plan if nothing else comes up for the weekend. A depressing plan to go back to the Shrine instead of being with V but he was a bit busy these past few days and she could not reach him.Even Blue was really mum about where he was and the sharp tongued body guard never left his masters side which YuuA found very odd. 

Probably because Blue could never keep a secret and often times she was her source , inadvertently spilling things about her own master so whatever it was that V was up to he wanted it to be kept a secret even from her but YuuA was never someone who wanted to wait long for anything and the lack of messages from V grated on her nerves. So She decided to do something about it.

"Hey. It's my birthday this weekend. Have you forgotten?"Normally V would answer her right away. She checked the digital clock that was on the table to her left. 2:34am.

2:39am

2:43am

2:50am

YuuA became angrier with each minute that passed. Was he ignoring her? Was he asleep somewhere? but V didn't need sleep. And the thought made her more mad 

that she was shocked when her phone vibrated. Her heart beat so fast to see that it was him calling her.

"Yes?" she whispered on her phone.

"Aren't you supposed to be sleeping?" V answered and he sounded like he was catching his breathe.

"Don't change the topic.Did you get my message?" YuuA let the annoyance in her whispered voice slip out and she sensed 

that V was getting it.

"Please open the window." He simply said.

"Are you crazy? You are outside the window right now?" YuuA stood and hit her head on the wooden top bunk and she had 

to restrain herself from crying out. 

There was someone floating out of the window and she could barely see the silhouette from the curtains. 

"I'm still waiting."

YuuA ran to the window and opened to see V standing there in mid-air as he slid a thumb on his phone to end the call. 

"I hope you are wearing warm clothes."

"Wait. What?" YuuA said confused at what V just said.

V reached out to her and touched her forehead to empower the orb that was within.

"We are going to try something different today because the sun will be rising pretty soon."

V waved his hand in a wide arc and they both blinked out of existence for a little while and reappeared high above a 

mountain side. Where the orb finally kicked in and allowed YuuA to float freely.

"Where is this?" She demanded and began to pout.

"Somewhere in the Ural mountains.I wanted to show you something before I completely destroy it." And V stretched his arms 

toward the mountain and the clouds behind him parted to reveal cuts in perfect hangul.

Happy birthday YuuA , it read.

"I would have been happy with a card."

"I know you wouldn't so here this is."

"Thanks. No one has ever done this for me before."

"How many other dragon boyfriends have you had before?"

"Zero. But you are not off the hook yet for not showing your face to me this whole week."

"Fine" V said. "Should we have some breakfast before we head back?"

"Your treat?"

"When has it ever been your treat?"

"Good point. Kekekeke. Now bring me some place nice."

"I know just the place."

"The One with the Pretty Liar"

"The One with the Pretty Liar"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr. MD

She wanted to look in the mirror but she just could not and she turned it down as she sat in front of the dressing table. Her make up was now ruined from all the crying she had down from the studio all the way here and no one could really console her as she remembered the cutting words from what she had read.

They were calling her a liar , a mythomaniac , a greedy bitch , pathetic when all she said was the truth. She took off the pins that held the long straight orange hair in place and she had placed them on the mannequin head to her right. She had taken out her contacts and walked to the bathroom to wash the rest of the make up from her face. She took a towel and dried herself.

She took off her clothes and wore the loose fitting ones that she could find and threw the tight fitting jeans and shirts to the hamper.She put on her large framed glasses and turned the mirror up.

Most people would not recognize the face in the mirror and there are days that she herself do not recognize it too but at the end of the day that really is her unpainted face.

She took comfort in knowing that she was playing a part and that the people on social media were actually trying to say something about the idol and not the YuuA who she see's now. So why the hell was she still crying?

"I see her too." She was not sure if she was really seeing him. He had been away for a long time. Her tears were blurring her vision but he was there behind her in a simple black shirt and jeans that he knew him to wear.

He had worn his hair long now , the silver streak of hair that undoubtedly confirmed he was an ascendant candidate was now visible. "I see the real YuuA and that matters more to me than anything."

"You dont believe anything that they see about me?" YuuA said taking off her glasses and drying her eyes with the long sleeves of her night gown.

"I am with you right now ain't I?" How can I believe anything they say when I see the truth. The face you show that is for them to love. Everything else well that is what you give...why should there be any complaints from me?"

YuuA pulled down one of her long sleeves.

And pointed to her face. "This unpainted face with the glasses?"

"You mean the face I want to wake up to every morning right?" V said.

YuuA could not help but smile at that. It has been another tiring day and right here , right now with V. She felt it slowly fading away. Like the truth melting away any doubt.And maybe tomorrow when she wakes up with him in her arms the world would make a little more sense than what it is now.

"The Monster"

"The Monster"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr. MD

I

Standing in front of the mirror

For a moment your image wavers

You smile and it speaks to you

You blink and hope it goes away.

II

"What shall we do today?"

You ignore the question

"Should we murder or pillage or rape?"

You look at the date

"So you forgot? Such a shame."

You look away.

"It's the day you killed her silly."

You hope it goes away.

III

You open your eyes

It is just you

And you finally see the monster

It is just you.

06/10/2016

"From the Screen"

"From the Screen"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr. MD

I

Slip into you dress of shimmering light

You are my angel for tonight

Dazzle me from the distance

I will watch for your dance

II

I ask why my eyes gravitate toward you

when there are 7 others on the screen.

All beautiful , All aglow

I still gaze upon you and not even know.

III

Maybe as you swayed your hips

you slayed me as well

And when you sing your pleasant lilt

You pull my heartsrings so well

IV

As if in the movements you appear

Time stand stills

Interrupted by the moments when you are gone

Until you reappear, time stand stills

06/10/2016

"The Poet in Darkness"

"The Poet in Darkness"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr. MD

I

The light touch of her fingertips

Sending shivers down my spine

I can't believe this is happening

I can't believe that she is mine

II

Hidden by the candlelight

I give out a sigh

Alone in this darkness

I claim you as mine

III

I glimpse you as you move

A poem I wrote in a mood

Even in the darkness you dazzle

I am engulfed by your every move

IV

The slight trembling of your lips

Your eyelashes flicker

The soft moans of the moments

as our night gets deeper and deeper.

V

Spent in this darkness

with the warmth of your breathe

I blow out the candle

And not want for the day.

06/10/2016

"Magikero.Nagmahal.Nasaktan.Nag..."

"Magikero.Nagmahal.Nasaktan.Nag..."

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.

Nagmahal.Nasaktan.Naging Plaguelord.

Nagmahal.Nasaktan.Nag Control

Nagmahal.Nasaktan.Nag Burn

Nagmahal.Nasaktan.Nag Discarder

Nagmahal.Nasaktan.Nag Miller

Nagmahal.Nasaktan.NagLand D

Nagmahal.Nasaktan.Nagreanimator

Nagmahal.Nasaktan.Nagstandard

Nagmahal.Nasaktan.Nag EDH

Nagmahal.Nasaktan.Nag Tiny Leaders

Nagmahal.Nasaktan.Nag Modern

Nagmahal.Nasaktan.Nag Legacy

Nagmahal.Nasaktan.Nag Draft

Nagmahal.Nasaktan.Nag Cube

Nagmahal.Nasaktan.Nag Two headed giant

Nagmahal.Nasaktan.Nag Sparkwars

Nagmahal.Nasaktan.Nag Zoo

Nagmahal.Nasaktan.NagTokenator

Nagmahal.Nasaktan.Nag Goblins

Nagmahal.Nasaktan.Nag Elves

Nagmahal.Nasaktan.Nag Zombies

Nagmahal.Nasaktan.Nag Vampires

Nagmahal.Nasaktan.Nagwerewolves

Nagmahal.Nasaktan.Nag Spirits

Nagmahal.Nasaktan.Nag Allies

Nagmahal.Nasaktan.Nag Eldrazi

Nagmahal.Nasaktan.Nag Sliver

Nagmahal.Nasaktan.Nag Affinity

Nagmahal.Nasaktan.Nag Infect

Nagmahal.Nasaktan.Nag Superfriends

Nagmahal.Nasaktan.Nag Mardu

Nagmahal.Nasaktan.Nag Temur

Nagmahal.Nasaktan.Nag Sultai

Nagmahal.Nasaktan.Nag Jeskai

Nagmahal.Nasaktan.Nag Abzan

Nagmahal.Nasaktan.Nag Azorius

Nagmahal.Nasaktan.Nag Dimir

Nagmahal.Nasaktan.Nag Gruul

Nagmahal.Nasaktan.Nag Simic

Nagmahal.Nasaktan.Nag Boros

Nagmahal.Nasaktan.Nag Rakdos

Nagmahal.Nasaktan.Nag Simic

Nagmahal.Nasaktan.Nag Izzet

Nagmahal.Nasaktan.Nag Golgari

Nagmahal.Nasaktan.Nag Orzhov

Nagmahal.Nasaktan.Nagmagic.Sumaya ulit.

"Question from the flames"

"Question from the flames"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

I

The flames roared

The shadows grew

And here I am

Just slowly thinking of you

II

If I build a fire

A big one all at once

Would you ever notice

The big shadow I would cast?

III

Will you love me?

Ask me to be yours?

Should the flames roar?

Should I grow?

IV

Or will I be consumed?

As men like me often do

burned by the same flames

burned by what we do.

06/10/2016

"Tolerance"

"Tolerance"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr. MD

I

The drugs don't work

And I am still here

Hoping that they would

Hoping you'd take me there

II

In the sweet time

that time with you

So still in the silence

So still in the madness

III

I keep taking

I keep hoping

but the drugs dont work

Why wouldn't it?

IV

Take me there I plead

Anywhere but here

This crushing reality

This cruel insanity

Work Damn it work

06/10/2016

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Editors Note:

When you meet someone that makes you feel so high but can never get that feeling back and you fall into a plateau where none of you rises.

I do not own the picture shown here.

"Metallurgic Summonings: So...Much...Abuse..."

"Metallurgic Summonings: So...Much...Abuse..."

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.

I always believed that the choices we make leads us into irreversible paths. And last Kaladesh PR I decided on running a Black/Green deck that had more efficient creatures and removal instead of going for a Blue/Red deck that would have centered around.Metallurgic Summonings. I wanted to abuse this card as much as possible and it meant that I would have to bide my time. Control the battlefield until I am able to catch this 5 mana enchantment that can provide a lot of pain in the mid to late game.

What I wanted to do was to wait for my opponents to cast their biggest , nastiest creatures and then....

I had 3 of these nasty things and in my card pool and I picture capturing a big creature like the 5/7 lonely Automaton and use this creature to deal damage to my opponent or to force my to block when his life points become critical.

In the process I would have a 3/3 colorless construct creature since Metallurgic Summonings allows you to put an X/X creature where is is the Instant or Sorcery spell that you just cast. So I grabbed me a Lonely Automaton , 5/7 creature until end of turn and got a 3/3 creature for later.

The great thing about this enchantment is that you could potentially get a massive X/X construct when you cast a big instant spell. You Counter something with a Last word? You get a 4/4 Construct. You draw cards with a Tezzeret's Ambition you get a 5/5. You untap every non-land permanent you control? You get a 2/2 from Dramatic reversal.  Chances are if you are playing control there might be  a strong probability that you are running empty by the late game and you have a graveyard full of things that you might want to use again.

Metallurgic Summonings could give you access to them again on the condition that you control 6 or more artifacts. With all those early activities you are bound to have a lot of these colorless construct s on your side of the battlefield. Simply pay 5 mana , Exile  Metallurgic Summonings and pray to whatever deity you believe in that you have a Spellbook or Reliquary Tower already in play for all the goodies you are about to receive.

Metallurgic Summonings could potentially work well with Sultai Cards with Delve. For Great sorcery and Instant spells but with reduced costs! The enchantment does not care how you paid for the spell it just looks at that pretty big casting cost and produces a monster of equal enormity for you. So Treasure Cruise means drawing 3 cards and an 8/8 monster!Temporal Trespass is an 11/11 monster and an extra turn! Set Adrift , Murderous Cut , Dig Through Time and Dead Drop are all helpful spells too. Murderous cut is a particular favorite of mine since you get to destroy an opponents creature and get a 5/5 fattie in the process. How abusive is this enchantment right?

At first glance it seems like Metallurgic Summonings and Delve would not really work with each other but Delve gives you another option by giving you big creatures that could help you or you could wait and control a little bit more by getting back your Instants and Sorceries from your graveyard.

Cards with the Rebound  mechanic would also love Metallurgic Summonings on their side of the board. Consider the following scenario.

You have cast a Void Squall to bounce a non-land permanent to an opponents hand. Let us say it was a creature and it was the only your opponent had on the battlefield. So now because of Metallurgic Summonings you have 5/5 Construct on the battlefield. Your opponent would logically cast the same creature but when your next upkeep comes around here comes Void Squall again due to the Rebound mechanic and you also get another 5/5 construct. The previous one you had could also attack this round. And next turn you have 2 5/5 Fatties that could help you win. 

Taigam's strike could also be a big finisher here with it pumping a creature you have for +2/0 and making it unblockable plus a 4/4 Construct and another one when rebound comes around.

Sight beyond Sight doesn't just give you scrying and a card draw. You also have a 4/4 Construct and another one with Rebound. How deadly is that right? Also before casting the card you could shout..."Sword of Omens give me..."And you could say that twice! Expect people to guess your approximate age if you do so.

I will always wonder if I used this other deck with Metallurgic Summonings and how things would have turned out. Probably not as much as I hoped since I only had a limited amount of spells at my disposal because of the glut of new creatures and vehicles in Kaladesh. There will always be EDH to test this in. I wonder if Narset would love this enchantment too.

"Why yes! Yes I would!"

"Combustible Gearhulk:Burn now? Burn later?"

"Combustible Gearhulk:Burn now? Burn later?"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.

I love it when you give your opponents a choice which doesn't seem like a choice at all. Browbeat a 3 mana sorcery card that came out in the Judgement expansion bullies opponents into choosing one of two difficult conditions(depending on that opponents situation of course.)

So the choice is to have to take 5 damage or allow a target player to draw 3 cards. Considering that this is a red card it takes out 1/4 of players life. If a player is allowed to draw 3 cards then that is card advantage that might hurt in the future. So burn now or burn later. That was the choice back then.

Nowadays in Kaladesh you get that choice basically on a stick and worse. The Combustible Gearhulk is a 6 mana costing 6/6 first striker that has an enter the battlefield trigger of making your targetted opponent face tough choices. It's either they allow you to draw three cards(burn later) or you could put the top 3 three cards of you library to your graveyard and deal damage to that player equal to the total converted mana cost of those cards. So if by some stroke of luck you discard the new reincarnation of the Eldrazi titans , Emrakul(13 mana) , Kozilek(10 mana)  and Ulamog (10 mana) to your graveyard which totals to 33 points of damage! Of course it is more realistic to have a couple of lands or some spells in there. So to deal maximal damage have big creatures in your deck and even in Kaladesh there doesn't seem to have a shortage of that.

I just love this particular Gearhulk that I would really want to have it imprinted on a Mimic Vat to have it ask the same question again and again. "Would you want to burn now or would you want to burn later?"

"Syndicate Trafficker:Always paying the price"

"Syndicate Trafficker:Always paying the price"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.

"The price isn't negotiable , but I'm sure you'll agree it's fair."

While dealing with the Syndicate Trafficker it is always in your best interest to nod. Pay the 1 colorless mana and sacrifice an artifact for his services.

A 2 mana 3/1 creature with the said ability that could be played as an instant usually takes players off guard since you could pump it's power level while it is attacking and as long as you have mana and artifacts other players would be wary of targetting the Syndicate Trafficker with a burn or removal spell because it will just gain Indestructibility when you activate it's ability.

The same could be said when it is blocking. It is a good deterrent when your opponent does not want to lose any of his good creatures by attacking needlessly and getting clobbered by an indestructible blocker.

Syndicate Trafficker was a real workhorse for me in the Kaladesh PR last Sunday and I was glad that I was able to pull him in the pack. So always keep in mind that when you sacrifice artifacts to this creature it best have effects when it dies or goes to the graveyard. Effects like it lets you get another artifact from your graveyard to your hand. Or you draw a card or you fetch a basic land. There are a lot of artifacts that would be dying to work with the Syndicate Trafficker and then they literally die when you sacrifice them to it. Pity. One artifact creature in point is the Workshop assistant who provided me with some serious recursion action during the Kaladesh PR. When it dies I could get back a spent Metalspinners's Puzzleknot when I really want to dig through my deck or a once Destroyed Fleetwheel Cruiser who could deal some serious damage because of the fact that it becomes a creature with haste and trample when it comes into play when it enters the battlefield.Having my hands on these two artifacts because of the interaction with Syndicate trafficker allowed me to win games.

Syndicate Trafficker reminds me of a smaller , watered down  version of Falkenrath Aristocrat but by the look of things there might be a place for him in standard only he has a thing for artifacts and demands payment in advance. So until next time. Pay him. Feed him. And he will serve you well. 

"Durable Handicraft: Made to Survive Hazardous Conditions"

"Durable Handicraft: Made to Survive Hazardous Conditions"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.

Once in awhile you go to a PR ,You open your packs and when you are at a loss for words since you did not open a Masterpiece , Planeswalker or any sort of Creature bomb you turn to your Uncommon pile and find a gem that is devastating in limited as you assume as it will be in some other formats like Tiny Leaders.

I am talking about Durable Handicraft , a 2 to cast green enchantment that allows you to pay an extra colorless mana so that the creature you just cast comes into play with a +1/+1 counter on it.It looks harmless when you put it on a 1/1 Servo or Thopter but heck you get 2/2 creatures for just a single extra mana. 

And in Limited formats like Sealed where the mana drops can remain more of less constant , a well thought out deck with a good mana curve could shell out bigger and bigger creatures each turn.

This happened to me in the recent Kaladesh PR on my last round.I was able to cast Durable Handicraft on both games and it shone through allowing me to win both of those games.

Imagine casting Fleetwheel Cruiser for 5 mana , making it a 6/4 creature with Trample and haste! This artifact is the only one of the vehicles who comes in with an Auto-pilot and becomes a creature so there is at least one blocker and some points of damage hitting your opponent.

I was also able to cast an Iron League Steed for 4 mana choosing to put a +1/+1 via it's fabricate ETB effect.Which made it a 4/4 creature with haste that smashed face the moment it came in.

I also got a 3/4 Prakhata Pillar-bug. With such consistent drops I was not able to use Durable Handicrafts Ultimate ability which is to add a +1/+1 counter on all the creatures you control at Instant speed. This final ability is great for all those attacking Servo and Thopter tokens or any other token for that matter.

"Gusto ko ng Counters , madaming madaming counters...Counters man!"

In Tiny Leaders I really plan on adding this to my existing Skullbriar deck. Imagine playing Skullbriar on turn 3 for 3 mana having this curve

Turn 1: Play land(Green) , Play Hardened Scales

Turn 2:Play land(Black) , Play Durable Handicraft

Turn 3: Play any land , Play Skullbriar paying 1 extra colorless mana , putting a +1/+1 counter on it triggering Hardened Scales and putting another +1/+1 counter on it. You now have a 3/3 Commander with Haste and if left unblocked could grow into a 5/5 Monstrosity.

So what happens if Skullbriar dies to removal? You just cast him again , pay the extra 2 colorless Commander mana cost + the 1 mana colorless cost of Durable Handicraft and you will always get 2 +1/+1 counters when you have the Hardened Scales in play!

And what other use could this Enchantment have? Why it can even save your creatures from Hazardous Conditions. A card that give -2/-2 to all creatures except to those who have a +1/+1 counter on them. And guess what Durable Handicraft will make sure that your creature has this needed counter so that it will survive this card.

So there you have it. A gem of an enchantment in uncommon. Funny when I think of Durable Handicraft I was thinking of this:

Pang export!

So what was the first thing that came to your mind when you heard about this enchantment? Thanks for reading and sharing. Keep on brewing!

"Inventors' Fair": On Metal crafting and Fetching."

"Inventors' Fair": On Metal crafting and Fetching."

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.

The first card I ever saw during the Kaladesh PR last sunday was my PR foil card. It was the Inventor's Fair. Was I disappointed that it was not a Masterpiece or a Planeswalker instead? Not really. Well maybe just a little but being a Phyrexian I loved that the first card I ever saw was the thing that set the plane of Kaladesh apart from all the others. The Inventors' Fair is a haven for new artifacts to be born and it gives off a very positive feeling. A very welcoming feeling. A place of possibilities. A place ready for Compleation. Oh wait sorry about that.

During the PR this legendary land was awesome. It has a similar condition as artifacts in the plane of Mirrodin. Something that we call metalcraft where you have to have 3 artifacts to have the effects of something. In this case this land looks for your metalcraft or if you have 3 artifacts during your upkeep and you gain 1 life. This is perfect for artifact decks that love to spew out other creature artifacts or just decks with a lot of artifacts in general. 

It gives you one colorless mana in the early parts of the game but it really shines when you are in a pinch and you need to look for a specific artifact in your deck. All you need is 4 mana and metalcraft to be online.And for you to sacrifice the land.

This is perfect for a Braids Conjurer Adept EDH deck where you sacrifice it at the end of an opponents turn and you have a really big artifact ready to be cast for free in your hand. Need to destroy something? Spine of Ish Sah. Need an Infect win? Blightsteel colossus. Need to destroy some lands? Sundering titan...Oh wait I think he is banned. Need to control your opponents turn? Mindslaver it is.

So why am I just a little disappointed that I did not get any planeswalker or a Masterpiece card? I was welcomed to the one place where Phyrexians would thrive the most in the distant future.The Inventors' Fair in the plane of Kaladesh.

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Editors Note:

I would like to apologize to all my opponents during the Kaladesh PR in Spiral Valenzuela for not having Metalcraft at times but still using the fetch ability of the Inventors' Fair. Masyadong naging excited at di ko na nacheck. Kaya from the bottom of my heart. Sorry.

"Pauper Kings: Red Pauper Sligh 2016"

"Pauper Kings: Red Pauper Sligh 2016"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.

It has been awhile since I made a Standard Pauper deck and after checking all of the Standard legal sets I tried to cram in as much low mana costing cards in this deck. This was written before Kaladesh but even if this set is almost out now I felt like the deck is much faster in it's current configuration.

So do you like low casting creatures? Do you like smashing face as early as you can? Then this might be a deck for you:

20 x Mountains

4 x Mage Ring Bully

4 x Sanguinary Mage

4 x Insolent Neonate

4 x Bold Impaler

4 x Bellowing Lizard 

________________________

20 Creatures

4 x Titan's Strength

4 x Tormenting Voice

4 x Expedite

4 x Infectious Bloodlust

4 x Fiery Impulse 

___________________________

20 Spells

Sideboard:

4 x Fiery Temper 

Mage Ring Bully and Sanguinary Mage are the main attackers of this deck because of their built in Prowess. There are 12 other 1 drop creatures here that could also attack early and Insolent Neonate could also be a card drawer when you are in a jam and can't attack a clogged up battlefield.

As I have pointed out earlier the Prowess creatures are the one's that you really want attacking here because they greatly benefit from the other half of this deck which consists of Instants , Sorceries and an Aura. Another point to consider when playing this deck is to always replenish your hand. Titan's Strength can pump up a creature and set up your next draw. Tormenting Voice and Expedite are cards that allow you draw more so that you could trigger your prowess creatures more. Fiery Impulse is the probably the only creature removal as most of the time you would have your creatures powering through. Infectious Bloodlust is a very great card that powers your creatures and in the sad event that it dies you get the chance to look for your library for a copy of Infectious Bloodlust and put it into your hand replacing the one that you just lost to the graveyard.

I may not have the chance to field test this deck but I am guessing that this will be one of the speedier Standard Pauper builds out there. There are copies of several 1 mana costing  cards that I did not use for the deck but feel free to tweak it a bit to make it faster or to suit your taste. 

Thanks for reading and long live Pauper!