"Huatli , Dinosaur Knight:Adding Aggression to the Aggressive."

"Huatli , Dinosaur Knight:Adding Aggression to the Aggressive."

by:

Virgilio F.De leon Jr.MD

Before you continue please consider the following questions:

1) Do you love planeswalkers?

2) Are you playing a dino deck?

3) Are you playing an aggressive dino deck?

4) What the heck are you waiting for , buy the Huatli , Dinosaur Knight and add her to your Dino deck now.

All I can say is that you if you said yes to the first 3 questions then there should be no hindrance in adding this other version of Huatli in your decks. The fastest way to acquire her is to by the Ixalan planeswalker deck.

Granted that Huatli , Dinosaur Knight can only be valuable in dino decks or Changeling decks(which are also Dinosaurs) so I don't really expect her to raise in value as time goes on so if you are "willing to wait" then you can get her for a much cheaper price but if you are like me who is already running a Gishath EDH deck and still have a lot of dinos to spare to make another Dino deck then you might want to buy her now to complete your dino aggro EDH deck.

The great thing about Huatli is that she can be fetched by Sun-Blessed Mount and be cast on the following turn. Sun-blessed Mount is 5 mana and Huatli , Dinosaur Knight cost 6. All you need to do is not to miss a land drop and you will be able to play her. 

So why play Huatli , Dinosaur Knight?

Her first ability makes a Dinosaur you control bigger by giving it 2 +1/+1 counters like on Huatli's Snubhorn  for example which is also included in her planeswalker deck. So what would happen if you do not have a dino in play? That is ok too as you can target up to one dino , if you don't have anything to put the counters on you could still activate it.

Her second ability also comes in handy in a pinch as removal. All you need to do is have a dino handy to target. Let us say that your 8/8 Sun-blessed Mount can't attack due to another creature blocking the way? Use this -3 ability and it deals its power to a creature you do not control. The path is clear. Attack!

And the ultimate skill is the final attack skill which gives all dinos you control a 4/4 stat pump! All it needs now is trample and you are set but Huatli , Dinosaur Knight is just missing that green mana to pull that off. Who knows she might become a Naya aligned planeswalker in Rivals of Ixalan. Interesting.

So go and buy Huatli , Dinosaur Knight for that added aggression value. Thank you for reading and keep on brewing.

"Admiral Beckett Brass: Becky's gonna get ya!"

"Admiral Beckett Brass: Becky's gonna get ya!"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

"Do they teach catechism?" my friend  Ram asked me and this is in reference to that Pirate Educational film starring Jessie Jane where the response was, "I am not sure all I keep on hearing is Oh God , Oh God."

Well now that we have started on that note Admiral Beckett Brass or Becky as I would love to call her is all about getting what she wants and with the right amount of attacking pirates and combat damage she can get any opponents non-land permanent and keep it forever(or at least until the game ends). Talk about wanting something and getting it.

Admiral Becky comes in the Grixis colors and an extra colorless mana. The 4 mana cost and mix of colors is great in EDH as it allows you access to counters and great removal spells in blue and black as well as other good creature capturing or permanent capturing cards in Red like Hijack.

I just seemed to keep on opening pirates and cards that support them in my packs and so I finally decided that my 37th deck will feature them. Heck I got most of the great cards anyway . Time to make them a permanent EDH home.

Speaking of permanent did you know that once you acquire something with Admiral Becketts ability you don't have to give it back at the end of your turn? Or even if Becky isn't in the battlefield anymore? Just make sure to return any permanents you got this way at the end of each game. Para walang samaan ng loob.

So how do you do it? Make sure that you are attacking with a lot of pirates. You need at least 3 of them to deal combat damage to a player and to have Admiral Becky survive in order for the ability to trigger otherwise the attack is fruitless for stealing things.

At the end of your end step you get to decide which non land permanent you would be acquiring from this hapless opponent who has many good stuff lying around but with not blockers to defend his or herself. In one of my games I was almost able to steal a counter filled Ashiok that could have been used to debilitate my opponent but heck my plan was foiled by a single blocker and a depths of desire in my graveyard that he was able to use to return one of my attacking pirates.

Most people would be frustrated at his and don't have the chance to try and pull it off but for me that is the whole point of the deck , if I get to steal stuff from other players then it would not matter if I won or lost that game. It was part badge of honor and a testament that the deck and its kooky concept is feasible. And being feasible for me is better than being able to win.

I am just beginning my journey with Admiral Becky. All aboard me mateys. Time for us to reap.

"Jace , Cunning Castaway: Kage bunshin no jutso!"

"Jace , Cunning Castaway: Kage bunshin no jutso!"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

After the events of Hour of Devastation Jace finds his way planeswalking into the plane of Ixalan and into the Pirates life.Now sing it with me. "It's a pirate life for us , its a pirate life for us , come on now everybody."

Ok.Now that I got that out of my system time to look at this new version of Jace and the possibility that he can play along side the other versions of himself in EDH , Modern or Standard.

Jace , Cunning Castaway is a mono blue 3 CMC planeswalker that comes into play with 3 starting loyalty counters. Make fun of his choice of wardrobe or his tan lines all you want but this Jace will fit in with a lot of decks that have blue splashed in their.

His first ability allows you to draw cards when one or more creatures you control deal combat damage to a player. The sad part is that after drawing a card you get to discard one in turn. Great if you need to filter your hand . not so good if you want to keep everything already in your hand. So choose wisely. 

In case you don't have a creature to attack with or defend Jace , Cunning Castaway , then you can use his own 2nd ability to create a 2/2 Blue Illusion creature that gets scarified when it becomes the target of an ability.Now some of you might be thinking why you would want to have a creature with such an obvious flaw and the reason is that you might be forcing an opponent to expend a removal on it or maybe a G-growth like effect on it thereby robbing him or her the chance to use it to pump a creature on their side of the board. Illusion creatures are great even if they fold like a Makahiya when you target them with a spell. 

Now on to the main ability which is a -5. Jace , Cunning Castaway does the appropriate hand seals and splits into three , all of these planeswalkers can exist at the same time because they are not legendary. Only the original remains in that state. All this means is that you can then activate the other two to creature 2 2/2 Illusions or use the first ability. The potential for abuse is magnified by Anointed procession that allows you to have twice as many tokens. So that means that his ultimate ability now gives you a total of 4 non-legendary Jace , Cunning Castaways on the battlefield.

My friend ST told me about this particular tech a couple of days after the Ixalan PR and I promised not to write about it until another site spoiled the interaction. I was hoping to pull this off if I get a Jace , Cunning Castaway in my fat bundle but he proved to be elusive and the sole Anointed procession I had have been lost into the vortex of cards that I keep in my car. Some day I may find it. Or if I become impatient just by the combo pieces right away.

Well there you have it  , do you want to pull off a Kage Bunshin No Jutsu with a planeswalker? You might be able to now. 

"Vraska , Relic Seeker:Still up to her old tricks"

"Vraska , Relic Seeker:Still up to her old tricks"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

One look at Vraska , Relic Seeker and you would realize that she is a far cry from the Vraska of old. From fierce assassin to Relic seeking pirate  , Vraska has kept some of her charms and then some.

So this Vraska costs 1 colorless mana more that her predecessor but still comes in Golgari colors. Her first ability is great as she is able to create a 2/2 Black Pirate token with menace. That menace would come in handy for your end game but more of that when we get to her ultimate ability.

Her 2nd ability is a -3 that allows you to destroy a target artifact , creature or enchantment and (there's more!) gives you a shiny treasure that you could use to accelerate your mana count later. While this is a watered down version of destroying non-land permanents it will still come in handy as it does take care of most threats your opponents will throw at you except for other planeswalkers.

Now on to her final ability which is a minus two , since she comes in with a beginning loyalty counter of 6 , this ultimate ability can be used on the 3rd turn that she has come in. And while this does not create creatures that can kill a player with a single point of damage it does reduce an opponents life total to 1. 1. And guess who probably still has 2 Black Pirate tokens with menace? Why you of course since you have been activating Vraska's first ability for two turns now.

And well opponents need to have at least 4 creatures to stop the inevitable. Now smile and steeple your fingers in front of you. And watch as your opponents sweat out an idea of getting out of this predicament. It just goes to show that she might have traded in her assassin clothes for pirate garbs but on the inside Vraska will always be up to her old tricks.

"Pauper Kings: Pirates on a Train"

"Pauper Kings: Pirates on a Train"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

So I got to asking myself how cool it would be if a Pirate raiding party would get their hands on a vehicle and just run amok on Ixalan. Well I got my wish and it might seem that the Kaladesh vehicles would be out of place in Ixalan but since my common pirates do not have access to common ships at the moment I have decided that they could at least get to ride on this sweet common rides.

Again this would be a monoblack deck that focuses on the awesome concept of pirates riding a vehicle for a joy and probably running over a dinosaur or vampire or merfolk or two.So let us look at the deck that I would like to call "Pirates on a train."

22 x Swamps

___________

22 Lands

4 x Desperate Castaways

4 x Direfleet Hoarder

4 x Deadeye Tormentor

4 x Eager Construct

______________________

16 creatures

4 x Mobile Garrison 

4 x Renegade Freighter

2 x Sky Skiff

______________________

10 Vehicles

3 x Metalspinner's Puzzleknot

3 x Vanquish the Weak

3 x Costly Plunder

3 x Contract Killing

______________________

12 Other spells

It seems that when it comes to mass transit systems Kaladesh has gotten Ixalan beat and I would want to cram in as many pirates as possible on a Mobile Garrison or a Renegade Freighter.

All of the vehicles here have very low crewing costs of 2 or 1(for the Sky Skiff). And the pirates that we have along with Robodog Eager Construct is eager to try their hands on these contraptions. All pirates have a power of 2/2 which is perfect.

Desperate Castaways seems like the grumblers in this bunch will not be grumbling anymore and can attack because there are more artifacts than they could count here negating their particular drawback. 

There is card draw in Metalspinner's Puzzleknot and Costly Plunder as well as 6 removal spells that will come in handy in a world such as Ixalan that is teeming with oversiezed critters that want to chomp you up.

I mean when you think about it Ixalan and these vehicles can be a Jurassic park themed placed. The Renegade Freighter brings in the tourists while the Sky skiff and Mobile Garrison are a great way of moving around to enjoy these views.

And you can also use them to attack. So why not right? Excited to try Pirates on a train? This ought to be good.

"Niki - I like U MV reaction: Fine,Fine,Fine"

"Niki - I like U MV reaction: Fine,Fine,Fine"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

While enjoying music from 88rising I came upon one of their new up and coming artists. Niki as she is being packaged now has the voice of an angel that will bring you back to the great age of RnB when it was not all about the whistles and who could reach to the high heavens with their curling notes.

Niki or Nicole Zefanya does not growl or make you wish you had a set of earplugs to drown out the noise. Her song I like U is simple in both story and lyrics. It is pretty straightforward but you should listen to how beautifully she renders this song with sexy low notes in what I can only liken to fine wine or fine chocolate dripping down your ear. If your ear had taste buds or if you could taste sounds like some people do then your ears will surely thank you for listening to her.

In a world where the trapbeats are the main stars and hooks of songs , Niki just makes you want to listen to her voice and nobody has done that for me for a long time. When I asked my daughter to listen to the song someone else in the house noticed and while it already got my daughter declaring that "this will be my jam for the whole week" my wife actually asked me who the singer was and proceeded to buy her music online! Even creating a whole playlist of similar beautifully voiced artists like Shontelle and Jojo of the early 2000's.It is hard to impress my wife who is a singer herself and seldom gives a thumbs up to the singers I suggest she listens to with me. Niki was different though and we ended up with that great soundtrack while driving to and fro around QC.

The MV is actually pretty simple and involves Niki rolling around in bed for about 90 percent of the time. I guess no one can complain when she looks that pretty and sings that beautifully. The song is about a girl falling for a guy while the guy thinks that this is just a physical thing. Yeah it is a typical love song but believe me when I say that Niki just makes it all worth listening to.

"Ang sakit ng mga may sakit"

"Ang sakit ng mga may sakit"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

I

Ako po ay may sakit

Ubo ng mama

pagdurugo ng ale

pagpunta at balik sa banyo ni Ate

II

Gusto ko na pong...

...magpahinga 

...umuwi

...uminom ng gamot

III

Gusto ko na pong...

...huminto

...magpatuloy

...maging kapakipakinabang

IV

At ako ay may sakit din

Na naghihirap magtiwala

sa mga sinasabi na di tugma

di tugma sa sintomas ni Ate at Kuya.

V

So ano ang gagawin sa mga may sakit?

Na gawa gawa lamang para magpahinga

So ano ang gagawin ng di na nagtitiwala?

VI

Gusto ko nang...

...manakal

...mang alog

...mag tanong

VII

Paulit ulit na lang tayo

sa hinaba haba ng panahon.

Sinungaling ka pa din

at ako ay nagpupumilit huminahon.

TM Kalaw , 10/07/ 2017 9:26am

"3 things I have seen this week: Jeepneys"

"3 things I have seen this week: Jeepneys"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr. MD

There have been calls to change the existing jeepneys that ply our streets and this has been met with both positive and negative responses with some claiming that the jeepney as old and as inefficient as it is is part of our cultural identity and then there are those clamoring that the cost of updating the jeepneys will be too much of a burden to the common jeepney driver and their operators. 

It has been that kind of week.

1) 3 Jeepneys

With Piston declaring their transport strike early the government has responded with suspending classes and government work for two straight days. The result was that of a Manila that seemed like a ghost town and when my wife and I went out on our normal Monday date I counted around just 3 Jeepneys that did not join the call to strike of their brethren. The need to pay bills sometimes trumps the need to fight for principles.

2) The Lone Jeepney 

The transport strike was relatively quiet , at least where I lived. There was a single jeepney and several drivers with a single megaphone shouting things in front of the Valenzuela Town Center with 3 Red boys(Valenzuela's traffic police) watching them from a few feet. If people expected trouble it wasn't going to come from these guys who were just standing around and from time to time remember that they were on strike would shout one thing or another on their megaphone.

3) Jeepneys of the future

I have seen the future and most of them look like Mini-buses! So there was a show of sorts that paraded the jeepneys of the future. Some of the designs looked promising but I understand the alienation it must have caused because they tend to look like really small buses. If they wanted mini buses to replace the jeep then why not just increase the number of buses. Then again I don't claim to know everything. An efficient and dependable mass transport system seems to be in order but there seems to be a problem with providing just that.

3 different jeeps at 3 different times all spurned by the call to change and improve and the question is will there be change? will there be improvement? Only time will tell.And maybe a few more transport strikes will be in order.

"Midweek Magic October 2017 #39:Dino Terrors"

"Midweek Magic October 2017 #39:Dino Terrors"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr. MD

Ah the excitement of a new set and the cards that go with it. I have been writing a lot about Boros Dinos and I have been enjoying all the ways that Dino's could truly be terrorizing.

First there are two creatures that makes them much cheaper to cast in the form of Kinjalli's Caller and Otepec Huntmaster. The latter also has the distinct advantage of giving a Dino Haste. So a discounted Nest Robber(with Haste) and Territorial Hammerhead could come in and attack at the same time with just the Otepec Huntmaster in play. This is what happened to Janry and me who went up against his mono black modern pauper zombie deck who have awesome creatures like the Gray Merchant of Asphodel and Gurmag Angler. The Dino's were a bit faster though.

And one evil thing that I found in play testing was that Sun-crowned Hunters really had the potential of finishing off opponents in a hurry. Opponents cannot mass block it since any damage a creature would deal to it translates into 3 damage to an opponent. So let us say it gets mass blocked by 4 1/1 goblins , it then deals 12 damage to opponents choice and even when it is blocked it still gives value since it gives a lightning bolts worth of damage. Opponents may want to trade for that instead of getting the full 5 points of damage. The only thing that could ruin this for me is that is that blocking creature has death touch hahahaha.

Still seeing the Boros dinos in action makes me happy. Now time to play some more.

"Huatli , Warrior Poet: Poetry in blood"

"Huatli , Warrior Poet: Poetry in blood"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

Now that I have made my Gishath led dino EDH deck I turn my attention to the planeswalker that should make dinos even stronger but what does she offer that I will consider adding her? Or am I a fool for not already auto including her in the onset? Today we will see if Huatli deserves the slot.

The 5 mana cost planeswalker who has never left the plane of Ixalan is our main topic for today and let me just say that she could be used in other decks but she would be at the tail end of a very aggressive mana curve if used in other aggressive decks.

Looking at her first ability she can swing life in your favor if you have been taking potshots in the early game from fast attackers or direct damage. If you have at least one dino out then you are in luck. Her first ability lets you gain life equal to the greatest power among creatures you control. The more common dinos usually have 4, 5 or 6 power so she would do great with them already in play. Current Naya EDH decks also have big critters in them that could coincide well for this life gain. Think Krosan Cloudscraper levels.

Huatli's second ability gives you a 3/3 Green Dino token with trample which is great since it can protect her in the beginning and can be used to attack the following turn. Keep on creating these 3/3 tokens every turn and you'd have a dino army in no time.If you have no big creatures for her first ability then just create one and gain 3 life per turn if you want to.No cost to activate too. 

Now on to the last ability which is a -X. Reminiscent of the original Chandras burn abilities Huatli takes it a step further. You could outright kill a 3 toughness creature when she comes into the battlefield or you could deal 3 damage to 3 different creatures and let your dino's smash through for the win. Maybe she aims for the opposing creatures eyes to blind them so they won't be able to block.(that's just my theory though). I am not really sure how it works but with no blockers in the way and you have enough creatures to deal max damage one thing is clear. Opponents may need a fog effect to prevent the bloodshed you would be dealing.

And so I think I have convinced myself into adding this planeswalker into the Dino EDH deck I just made. Hay. Gastos ulit. I can't wait to see her write poetry for me. In the blood of those against me.

Thanks for reading and keep on brewing.

"3 things I have seen this week:Lyrics"

"3 things I have seen this week:Lyrics"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

One by one like a soundtrack being assembled I came by these songs and while I love the rhythm and style of each song there are particular parts that I particularly enjoy.

1) "Today more money to be made , there is nothing to explain"

- Rae Sremmurd - Black Beatles ft. Gucci Mane

After hearing Black Beatles in that Yatch party scene in the Ozarks this has been one of my favorite songs of the year. In particular is this line. I grew in a family that was close knit and every action or lack of attendance in family sanctioned gatherings were put under a microscope. I guess now that I am working as hard as I could and putting money where it should I don't really have to explain anything that I do.

2) "Worked so hard forgot how to vacation"

 - Post Malone - Congratulations ft. Quavo

Yeah this is me but my wife keeps reminding me that in the weekends I am not working and I am officially on vacation from making money. I am a dad and husband and I am on vacation with the most important people in my life. I do understand Post Malone's feeling of being underestimated and looked down on. So much so that you really need to work doubly to prove that what they say is just not what it is.

3) "If I'm gotta slap a pussy ass nXXXa , Imma make it look sexy. If I gotta go hard on a bXXXh Imma make it look sexy."

- Kendrick Lamar - ELEMENT.

Pardon the language but listening to this makes me think about my problems and whatever it is that comes my way I try to solve it as best as I could and make it look sexy. I am not literally going to slap someone but I will go hard on the problems that life has laid in my path. And I am still going to make it look sexy.

So there it is the three things I have seen this week. Awesome lyrics from awesome songs that I like. 

"Midweek Magic September 2017 #38:Reconsidering my EDH life Choices"

"Midweek Magic September 2017 #38:Reconsidering my EDH life Choices"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

It was my first match against Anton in years. We last faced off in a Standard Pauper tournament a couple of years back and it ended in a rather frustrating loss where he emerged on top and I was relegated to 3rd place.

I was looking forward to playing UHG midweek magic and thankful that I would have another group of players to play with. One can only be so lucky.

Of course when we started playing Anton would again show me that I was scattering all my strong EDH pieces into several places where they were weak. Maelstrom Wanderer opened me to a world of hurt and a lot reflection on my EDH life choices. Mainly why I have so many great cards and they don't all come together into a kick ass deck like the one I was facing.

And like something that has beaten me before I enter my borg mode , assimilating all that I can and then analyzing those pieces of information to come up with a deck that can actually compete. Yup I did get a beating but it was not all in vain. Bloodied heroes do not die. Bloodied heroes recover and return to save the day...well at least on a later date. (and also if the wound was not as fatal like a sword slash to the gut , I don't see how you walk out of a fight with a dagger through your heart or brain though).

So sorry about my mind wandering off like that. It does tend to happen from time to time after a beating.Hahahahha

Some of the combos that appeared were rather painful like "The Kiki Jiki + Zealous Consripts combo" that produced unli Zealous conscripts! Both Creatures had haste and therefore were a bane to existence. A turn killer. On one game they were even found by an Entwined Tooth and Nail. Brutal! 

Food chain appearing twice and twice killing me as well when there was always enough mana to go around and delivering a deathblow. I particularly liked the part that the double cascade from Maelstrom Wandered always made sure that you had something to exile to the Food chain. 

My own Food chain exists in a Vorel of the Hull Clade Simic EDH where my only dream of using it is to cast Mistform and Primordial Hydras for the win. It feels a little underutilized somehow. Time for me to show it in the way that it was supposed to be used.

Like any EDH game where the players are engaged we were not even able to track the time and when someone approached Anton to inform him that he overbreaked we knew that the game was at an end. It was bad timing too as I felt that the Brutalized Bruna deck that I was using this whole time could at least have dealt some damage.

I guess we will just have to see the next time. Always looking forward to it. Thank you for making me rethink my EDH life choices Anton. I hope to repay the favor some day. Hehehehehehe

"Doc In , Doc Out Espesyal Letter to Patients:Pahingi po ng tulog edition"

"Doc In , Doc Out Espesyal Letter to Patients:Pahingi po ng tulog edition"

by:

Virgilio F.De leon Jr.MD

Mga mahal naming Pasyente,

Magandang umaga!

Kung kayo po ay pupunta sa clinic dahil kayo ay inaantok ay wag na po kayong pumunta. Ito po ang sasabihin ko sa inyo , lahat po tayo ay napapagod at inaantok sa night shift. Kahit po ang mga pang gabi na Doctor at Nurse ay kulang din sa tulog pero tulad niyo kami ay pumapasok din para sa ekonomiya.

Kung ikaw ay napapagod sa mga personal mong inaasikaso nung may araw pa wag po nating ipasalo sa clinic ang ating pagod. Stimulant of choice po ang ating sagot dahil tayo po ay dapat papasok ng gising. Kung may mga aasikasuhin po ay mas maganda po na planuhing mabuti para di makaantala sa trabaho.

Kung may mga activity sa school ang mga bata o magpapakita sa DFA or magaayos ng mga papeles ay mas magandang magleave na lang. Sigurado naman na di emergency ang mga pangyayaring ito at may matagal nang abiso sa atin. Kung di talaga maiiwasan ay wag na talagang pumasok at magpahinga. Ang antok po ay di sakit. Kape po ang kasagutan. Tulog ang kasagutan. Sa pantry at sleeping quarters po matatagpuan yan. Hayaan niyo pong ang mga may sakit ang pumunta sa clinic. Wala pa kayo nun unless African sleeping sickness yan at kung ganun nga ang susunod ko na tanong kung nakakapunta ka ng Africa bakit nagtatrabaho ka pa dito ngayon?

Kaya mga minamahal na mga pasyente. Itulog niyo na lang po yan sa inyong mga higaan. 

Umaasang Masarap ang tulog mo,

Doc June

"Nakaligtaan"

"Nakaligtaan"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

I

Wala ka na naman

sa birthday , pabinyag at debut

ikakasal na lang ba

ililibing na lang ba

Wala ka pa din ba?

II

Umaasa na darating.

Pero wala pa rin.

Naospital at lumabas na

Di mo man lang napansin.

III

Ang oras mo ay lumilipad

sa pagitan ng mga trabaho.

Sa tulog nauukol

di nasasagot ang tawag sa cellphone

IV

Hanggang nawala na ang tumatawag

At naubusan na ng birthday

kasal , debut at libing

Wala nang graduation , despidida

napuno na , napuna na

kahit nagaabang

sa cellphone wala nang tatawag.

TM Kalaw , 10/07/2017 9:33am

"Pauper Kings: Black Dire Pirates!"

"Pauper Kings: Black Dire Pirates!"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

I never thought I would be playing Pirates but heck there were a lot of commons that had these scalawags that I just had to try my hand in making a standard pauper deck. I will start with the basic black version and while I want to complain about the lack of Ships in the vehicle slots , it seems that my poor pirates would have to go on their raiding on foot.

With this being said it would still be a kick ass deck that features this not so old tribe.So read on me mateys. Time for our pirate raid to commence.

22 x Swamps

____________________

22 Lands

4 x Direfleet Hoarder

4 x Desperate Castaways

4 x Deadeye Tormenter 

4 x Direfleet Interloper

____________________

16 creatures

4 x Duress

4 x Vanquish the weak

3 x Costly Plunder

3 x Contract Killing

3 x Mark of the Vampire

3 x Prying blade 

2 x Pirate's cutlass

_____________________

22 Other spells

First the deck offers disruption of your opponents hand by playing a set of the reprinted Duress and a set of the Deadeye Tormentor that also makes your opponent discard a card if you attacked with a creature this turn. With this deck we would be doing a lot of that. 

Then we have two creatures that seem to rely on each other. Both cost the same and have similar power but Dire Fleet Hoarder dies easier and gives you a treasure. Desperate Castaways on the other hand is a lot tougher but cannot attack without you having an artifact in play. Easily remedied with the treasures that will come out from the former creature and from Contract Killing which gives you a solid removal and 2 treasures as well.

I also included 3 Prying blades that could make a pirate stronger and also give you more treasure! Pirate's cutlass may cost 3 mana but it equips to target pirate when it comes in to play making it bigger by +2/+1. I imagine it attaching to a Dire fleet Interloper and this pirate going to town with Menace!

Costly plunder is here for instant card drawing.Vanquish the weak  and Contract Killing round out your need for removal.Mark of the Vampire let's you race with your opponent. A Menace creature with Lifelink usually signals the turn in your favor.

The deck has mana acceleration in the treasures itself. So card draw , removal and disruption. All that is needed is to test it now. So who wants to go on a pirate raid with me?

"Doc In , Doc Out Espesyal Letter to Patients:Dysmenorrhea edition"

"Doc In , Doc Out Espesyal Letter to Patients:Dysmenorrhea edition"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

Dear Beloved Patients,

Nais ko pong ipabatid na ako ay isang Doctor. Ako din po ay lumaki kasama ang aking nanay at mga tiyahin. Ako po ay may asawa at dalagitang anak.

Kaya kung sasabihin mo na di ko naiintindihan ang epekto ng dysmenorrhea sa katawan mo dahil ako ay isang lalaki ay isang insulto. Yung mga taon na nakita ko ang epekto nito sa mga babae sa buhay ko ay mga bagay na di mo alam kaya pinapatawad na kita.(after ko magfile ng IR).

Kung sabagay alam ko na sinabi mo lang yun nung nalaman mo na di kita pauuwiin dahil lang diyan at sa excuse mo na ayaw mong uminom ng gamot dahil pinagbawalan ka ng OB mo. Ang OB mo na di mo alam ang pangalan at wala ang number sa cellphone.

Bakit alam ko na gusto mo lang magpauwi? Aba ni wala kang dalang extrang damit. Kung buwan buwan mong nararanasan yan tulad ng sinasabi mo eh di ba dapat handa ka na para diyan? Eh hindi naman. So di ko alam kung sino sa atin ang di nakakaintindi ng kundisyon mo. Sa mga nakita ko sa mahal ko sa buhay parte na yan ng buwanang dalaw. Wala sa kanila ang nagpauwi o nagpaospital o nagsabi na di sila papasok ng opisina o eskwela. Pero iba iba naman tayo. At least alam ko yun.

Kaya Ate next time kung masama ang pakiramdam mo panindigan mo na masama talaga ang pakiramdam mo at wag kang pumasok. Imagine , naligo ka, nagprepare ng gamit , nagmake up , sumakay ng bus or jeep papuntang opisina at nilakad ang malalayong corridor papunta sa clinic. Parang di ata kayang gawin yun ng taong nasa 8/10 na ang pain scale.

So research muna ng kaunti or umattend ng mas magandaing acting workshop para sa susunod mas convincing. Ok?

Di masyadong nagmamahal sa kakulitan mo,

Doc June.

"Midweek Magic October 2017 #37: Strong to the Last"

"Midweek Magic October 2017 #37: Strong to the Last"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

By the time that I have written this my friend Ram has already come and gone by the office and we have had our last games together as officemates. Well him being from the company and me being in the company clinic.

It was a tough few days seeing him do his clearances and the thought that one of the best players I have ever faced will no longer be playing on the same table as me for awhile. 

So for his last day as an employee of the company I decided that I will not be the archenemy. I will be the Minion Support. We play a version of Archenemy where if there are 4 or more players we could have an ally that can be support or designated hitter for the Archenemy.

I guess I could not bring myself to fight against him for these last games so I opted to fight alongside him for a change. It was also an odd sensation fighting alongside him because we were so used to me being the receiving end of counters and attacking creatures. Tonight it was different. I wanted to send him off victorious in this field of battle.

And Victorious we were. 

And there were times in the games that I felt superflous as his deck and tactics seemed to be able to ensure of his win all by themselves. Like the time he pulled off everyone's "favorite control combo" the dreaded Stasis and then Capsized it back at the end of our opponents turns so that we would have the only permanents to untap on each of the succeeding turns. Locking down everyone else isn't a great feeling except for the one doing the Lock down.

I will always remember the stupidly strong combos and the oppressive ways that you torment us my friend. Another will rise to take your place but you will always have that spot reserved when you come back. Strong to the last. We will welcome you back on that day.

"3 things I have seen this week:Nurse offerings"

"3 things I have seen this week:Nurse offerings"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr. MD

And before this topic turns into dirty territory I would like to make clear that no nurse has offered herself to me. And I am not of the habit of taking if offered. So let us get our minds from the gutter and read the three things I have seen offered to me by the nurses that I work with this week.

1) Dark Goya Chocolate.

Goya Fun factory has been a part of my life growing up and so I ended up loving their chocolates. This week I was give 2 Goya Dark Chocolates by the same nurse because she said that it was her dead mothers favorite. While that sounds a bit creepy I guess this is part of her mourning process.Let us just leave it at that and I will not mention other creepy things.

2) Nuts and Rebisco 

On my 2nd day back at a company I used to work for in QC. I was given a paper plate full of nuts and  a single Strawberry Rebisco sandwich which I forgot to eat. I was grateful though because this nurse is helping me each day to transition back to my old job.

3) Gossips and Laughter

What does a man who has everything want? Appreciation of course and nothing says that you are appreciated like a good gossip and someone who laughs at your jokes willingly. I am glad that I am updated in the things at this particular clinic and that I am appreciated enough that I matter there.

See.There was nothing gutter like in this post right? Except maybe Mani and Pink Rebisco. I would let your minds ponder on that one.

"Where to?"

"Where to?"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

The post asked: "If you could just get up and leave where would you go?"

It was interesting to read what some people wrote. Some wrote places that they probably could not reach in a thousand years. Some wrote places on the planet like Stone Henge or Machu Pichu. Some wrote sa Puso mo like that is something that people can achieve.

When it was my turn I found myself freezing in front of my laptop. Surely there are things that I wanted to go. Places that I have been wanting to go since I was a small child and yet I could not type them.When I got home I realized why that was as my wife was asking me to go to sleep in the afternoon with her.

It was because I would be going alone. If I could leave all my duties behind , the life that I have now to just be in a place then I would not do it. People feel the loss of individuality when you get married or have children because it seems like you become one of the crowd. The Familial crowd who seems to conform to certain standards. I don't feel that way though. Being part of my family , Aven , Steph and Me is being part of an exclusive club. You either have to be married in or be born in this super exclusive thing. With no exceptions.

I cannot imagine going on a trip all by myself now. Yes it would be less stressful because I would just be taking care of myself. It would be a lot quiet too without the two women in my life with me. But these will be times that Silence becomes deafening for me because I will miss their voices and their arguments and complaints and requests.

If I would get up and leave I will not be leaving alone. I will be leaving with these two. So if the question was framed as "if you could just get up and leave with your family where would you go?" I would have to say Japan , Venice and Scotland. In that order.

Time to save up then.

"Ikot ng Paghahanap"

"Ikot ng Paghahanap"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

I

Naghahanap pa din ng sagot

kahit na alam nang wala

pinipilit na mayroon kahit

wala wala wala

II

At patuloy ang pagwawala

sa bawat kanto at tindahan

Tinda lang ng tinda

nagpapakita kung gaano kagahaman

III

Ang gahaman ay naninita

at nagagalit ang nasisita

At kahit na mali naghahanap

Naghahanap ng masasagot sa kanya.

TM Kalaw 10/07/2017 9:20am

"Mark and Kremont - Sad story(Out of luck) MV reaction: Boarding to the sunset"

"Mark and Kremont - Sad story(Out of luck) MV reaction: Boarding to the sunset"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

This particular song really confuses me in the sense that it makes me want to groove and sing to it but the topic being discussed is really sad.I mean the line that says "Grandma is left with everything , 2 grand kids and a daughters coffin." speaks volume as to how sad this song is but then again the singers convey this dark story with some hope of understanding the main character.

So I also find weird that the singers have a clear English accent and yet everyone in this MV is Korean. We get to see our favorite long boarder do her stuff here again and the MV opens to her being stopped by a tall man that will keep on appearing as the MV moves on. 

Our favorite lady boarder cruises through a crowded city seeing odd but it seems also familiar things at least to her. The tall , young man , the Asian nurse with a skirt that is way too short and 3 sexy girls that in my opinion are representing the brain with it's front face and Left and Right hemispheres. Also a student girl who drop kicks her.

As the song progresses we hear the story of a trouble young man who never seems to have the best of luck in the world. From his mother dying from a heroin overdose to an accident that would change him forever.

In the song he kills a man. In the MV he is the man who is the man who got drop kicked in the head. 

"He doesn't talk to much." the song says and that is because he is perpetually trapped in his head. The representation of his brain consistently wants to wake him and so gives him these jolts of memory. And the result is all to familiar as the boy in the MV is revealed. The long boarder representing him in his thoughts is actually the nurse that takes care of him.

At the end of the song the nurse hands him his mini skateboard and he goes off again. At the very end he/she long boards away either seeking solace in the silence or finding a way out in the city in which he is now trapped in.

"Loona - Odd Eye Circle - Girlfront MV reaction:Total Recall."

"Loona - Odd Eye Circle - Girlfront MV reaction:Total Recall."

by:

The Vole

There was a week before this MV came out that I asked myself has the company funding Loona finally run dry? did they run out of money midstream into promoting what could be the next generation super group in Kpop when everyone has debuted? The reason for my worry was that after the initial teasers there was nothing but silence and there were no updates on LoonA world for awhile. 

As it turns out my fear was unfounded and Odd Eye Circle promptly debuted and stole my heard. Consisting of Kim Lip , Jinsoul and Choerry this new trio from the 2nd Subunit of LoonA boasts of great vocals and visual. While Loona  1/3 boasted of the same the blond pair of Kim Lip and Jinsoul give off a more cuty sexy vibe while the presence of the innocent looking Choerry anchors everyone into the innocent and sweet territory that Loona has. Yup Choerry is there so that this unit doesn't turn out to be too sexy but fans might disagree that that same innocence fuels another aspect of their sexiness.(mainly me.)

The MV starts with Kim Lip playing a tape in reverse and the main theme of this MV is to look back and connect everyone to the past and present. Recall.

You would constantly see this as the trio turns around to look for the other members. In various spots of LA from the city to the desert they all turn around to look that the other members are there. That one long lingering shot of Jinsoul's face as she turns around with a smile on her face is worth the wait. She is so breathtakingly beautiful here. The theme of recall and a loop can also be seen near the end of the MV when the girls are reaching out or throwing paper planes and they connect with each other.

While this mainly focuses on the 3 Odd eye circle trio other members are also still present via the form of a map that has all their animal symbols meaning that they are part of something that is bigger. All those cute animal stickers. 

To reinforce the recall angle there are even some parts of the MV that mix and match from the previous MV of Eclipse , Singing in the Rain and Love Cherry motion. There are lyrics from the first song and last song. Jinsoul running around. Choerry using magic portals and Kim Lip being blonde and red and sexy. Hahahahahha

There was even a vehicle that was used that made you think of a similar yellow jeep that Loona 1/3rd used in their sub unit MV. The song is about a girl who breaks the mold and confesses first to a guy she likes. It is upbeat and easy to listen to. Jinsouls rapping is cuter than ever and the other two's vocals are confident and superb. Not like rookies at all.

All in all the MV wraps up with the same cassette player ending and rewinding. More Loona connections to come.