"Storm the Vault: Artificers rejoice!"

"Storm the Vault: Artificers rejoice!"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

Admiral Beckett Brass , Memnarch and Tezzeret all looked at this card and all nodded their approval. I am running a pirate EDH deck that has Mechanized Production and Revel in Riches as it's win conditions so I am running all kinds of excited faces as I write this. 

This Izzet colored Legendary enchantment allows an aggressive deck like Pirates to get even more treasures on to the battlefield. It gives them incentive to attack  , get more plunder and if at the beginning of your end step  you have 5 or more artifacts , transform Storm of the Vault. 

We just came from a very artifact heavy plane in Kaladesh and it is quite easy to get 5 artifacts in play in EDH. Mana rocks account for a lot of those as well as the Pirates we will be playing along side this enchantment. The thing is Storm of the Vault is versatile enough to be included in other artifact centric decks but it surely will shine in a Grixis colored deck. 

So what happens when Storm the vault transforms?  It turns into the Vault of Catlacan. A legendary land that can give you colorless mana or Blue mana for each artifact you control. For those of you who have been in magic long enough this is Metal worker on a stick or Tolarian Academy 2.0! Just think of all those thing you can cast with all that blue mana and all the things that Memnarch could steal on your behalf. Sorry for drooling but I really could imagine my opponent conceding as I begin to Capsize all of their permanents and just pay buyback. And if there was something I would really want to enchant from freed from the Reel it would be this card so that I could have infinite blue mana. Maybe so I could have an opponent psychic drain or consume spirit or Blue sun Zenith them to oblivion.

Yup. Storm the Vault is now on my wish list and hopefully I can get one in my PR Kit. It would be a nice birthday gift. Let's see. Hehehehe

"Hydradoodle: Let's roll a 20."

"Hydradoodle: Let's roll a 20."

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

As a Simic player I have always been fascinated with Hydras. In real life I am a biologist that was once interested in genetic experimentation. Of course I would probably not have the funding or specimens to create a hydradoodle but I might get the card and enjoy it's benefits. More for attacking and less for cuddling I suppose. I am allergic to fur.

The Hydradoodle is 2 green mana and X and X. So you basically you pay 2 mana to roll a die. That is actually not bad for 4 mana when you consider it. The hydra hound comes into play with +1/+1 counters on it equal to the results of all your die rolls. I mean even with just one die roll you could probably get a gigantic 20/20 creature! Or you could just get a 1/1 creature that is just disappointing. This creature also has trample and Reach. Good abilities to have but what I like about it is that your opponents would be at the edge of their seats praying to unknown gods for you to get a bad die roll.

Heck Hydradoodle might increase their faith in their deities or lessen it depending on your die roll and that makes it worth it.

I imagine that several rolls would yell bigger counters for you. If you roll a die 20 perfectly for 3 turns you get a whopping 60/60 critter that you can fling or attack with! Always remember to have Krark's other thumb to increase your chances of getting better results.

I hope I get a hydradoodle.That name just rolls off the tongue. Haha.

"Better than One:Consripting Coach"

"Better than One:Consripting Coach"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

If you have been playing any format of magic for any amount of time in public or in a group setting then you probably have experienced people whom I have called Coach Jawo in a previous article. These are people who seem to hover behind your back , tsk tsk tsk when you make a bad move, give unsolicited advise about how you should proceed with your game or even give you advise about your deck...while you are in a game. You know most of these people by their opening statement , "Alam mo dapat may..."

Magic is full of well meaning people and Coach Jawo types really do have a lot to share , of course it is great to get advise but sometimes you just want to say to that person. "Ok. Eh di ikaw na maglaro." Up until this point there has not been a card that lets you do that. Until this card was printed.

Better than One let's you tap that annoying Miron at your back who seems to want to pilot your deck more than you do. So for a green and white mana , a person from outside the game becomes your teammate. You can give any number of cards from your hand , library or permanents you control on the battlefield and they become his hand, library and permanents respectively.

You can enjoy a game with them or better yet , you want to play with my deck so badly , go ahead play with my deck. That didn't seem to come out right. So let me say it in Tagalog, "Gusto mong tumira. Ayan. Ikaw na tumira."

Still didn't seem right but then again you already know what I mean right? So all Mirons beware. We can conscript you now. And like good old Sonny J. You could also be our playing Coach.

"Midweek Magic November 2017 #45 - The Locust God vs Lyzolda"

"Midweek Magic November 2017 #45 - The Locust God vs Lyzolda"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

It was one of those epic last games with the Locust God already in play and a lot of Locusts already on the way. This last game started out to be a frustrating one as I drew land after land but didn't get anything meaty to put on the battlefield. 

I did manage to put in the following cards in order and on curve , Skull Clamp , Impact Tremors , Propaganda and Bident of Thassa. All the while I was taking damage from the aggressive Lyzolda Rakdos deck but my time came when I was able to resolve my Locust God and the following turn Clamped 1 locust to become 2 and 2 to become 3. All the while damaging with Impact Tremors.

I was able to draw a Collective Brutality and discarded my 8 card hand to again deal 8 damage. Janry my opponent waited patiently as I exhausted all my mana and he was reduced to 6 life. 

He then sprung the Rakdos Charm in his hand that could have ended me if not for the Thwart that I was able to draw with the last mana I had. With the Rakdos Charm countered and disaster averted I was able to go in with 18 Locusts and their god.

Sweet.

"Doc In , Doc Out Espesyal Letter to Patients :"To my Conio patients"

"Doc In , Doc Out Espesyal Letter to Patients :"To my Conio patients"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

Dear Conio patients,

I have nothing against you really. You just really annoy me. How do I know you are a conio? When you come into the clinic and start speaking like Kris Aquino or Bimby. Oh my god , so grabe ka naman , I need that pa ba?  I went to the ER and like the doctor did like nothing. And so on and so on. (Check the above chart for reference if you are still unsure)

I have nothing against your twangs and maybe you might also be a good person on the inside but it does annoy me. You would know that I am annoyed with your english speaking manner when I speak to you purely in tagalog. Formal tagalog. 

Yes. I will take your medical history and diagnose you purely in tagalog and instruct you in taking medicines in tagalog. And that is how you will know that you annoy me to no end. Pray that we will not need any suppositories.

I am not asking you to change. You annoy me just the way you are.You help me keep in touch with my language skills. So thanks for that.

Not really a fan,

Doc June

"3 things I have seen this week: 3 Deaths"

"3 things I have seen this week: 3 Deaths"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

It will just be a couple of months now before I turn 41. 2 months to be exact and nothing reminds me of my own mortality than death. 2 of them from people almost the same age as me and one is a family friend who you always expected to be in family gatherings forever but who was taken oh so suddenly as well.

1) The Childhood Crush  

Isabel Granada is a fit and beautiful woman in her early 40's. She had been a childhood crush and I was so thrilled to have stood next to her in the airport. I was so choked up that I never had the courage to talk to her. And so when the news broke of her suffering an aneurysm it bordered on the surreal. She was more fit than the women in our age group and yet she was revealed to be a ticking time bomb.

2) The Childhood Bridge

When my Dad and I talked the other he mentioned than one of our neighbors had died and when he described it I instantly remember who she was. She was Erlinda Fernandez , a friend of one of my exe's who had served as a bridge since she had no problem talking to me. She had been diagnosed with cancer and had left two young children. She was also in her early 40's. And it seems that all those childhood memories also passed with her.

3) The Ever Present Tito Rene

Since I could remember Tito Rene was at every major family party that I went to and so I was taken aback when I heard the news of his passing. A heart attack on a plane going back to Manila. It will be sad for his family as the Christmas season goes into full swing. I know that he still had a lot of plans as he would often go to and fro.

These deaths remind me that work should not be the only thing that should occupy my time. Family is the most important and the things that I have been ignoring like eating right and sleeping right or even that novel that has been in the back burner for some time. I am alive. I can still do these things. No need to hold back.

"Over my Dead bodies:Let the bodies hit the floor"

"Over my Dead bodies:Let the bodies hit the floor"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

As a necromancer in the game of magic I have had the experience of having creatures fall into my graveyard , it is not a question of how as there are a myriad number ways of getting them there like Buried alive in Black , Mulch in Green or even Traumatize in Blue. If you noticed that I mentioned Sultai colors of getting things in the graveyard then you are very sharp. I might have found something for that Damia Sage of  Stone deck I wanted to do or maybe include it in a Jarad deck.

I do not really know of the legalities of using this card in the EDH setting and who knows if it might prove too powerful later and get banned but for now I am excited with the possibilities. 

This 6 mana enchantment can easily be cast in an EDH setting and without a doubt instantly have an impact in everyone's battlefield scenarios. This enchantment let's all the creatures in your graveyard attack or block. Not only that , it gives your creatures the new Undeathtouch mechanic. Deathtouch merely sends creatures to the grave. Undeathtouch exiles them to the great unknown. Probably where Eldrazis dwell in that expanse of space. Oh and all the creatures in your graveyard are all zombies so any stat bonuses from the various zombielords can affect them too.

Just one more thing. All creatures in the graveyard have haste so you can go all out the moment you have enough creatures in there. Just cram them all in there and release. I never thought I would say it but Traumatizing yourself might be good in situations like these. Imagine half of your deck in there with all of your big guns breaking free toward your opponent. Reminds me of that zombie rush going toward Emrakul in Innistrad. Only some of these zombies might be bigger than those measly 2/2's hahahahaha. 

So if you want to play this enchantment here are a few things that you may want to do:

1) It pays to have a well stocked graveyard before you play it.The more things in there the better!

2) Be careful of Bojuka Bog and that person who always seems to have Leyline of the void in all of his or her decks. Yeah it is a necromancer's nightmare but you just have to give them nightmares first is what I always say.

3) All creatures in graveyards are affected by this so it is to your advantage to have more creatures that can attack or block. Don't worry about undeathtouch as this will clear your opponents creatures too but if you have a lot more bodies hitting the floor than your opponent then you can overwhelm them as some point.

I know that this is supposedly a funny set but this card just demands serious attention. And I am serious about graveyard shenanigans. Let's have more bodies hitting the floor running. 

"Ph-1 feat Jay Park -Donut MV reaction:The Sweet life"

"Ph-1 feat Jay Park -Donut MV reaction:The Sweet life"

by:

The Vole

It is no secret that Jay Park , since creating Higher Music and signing up different rappers under the label has been quite busy in promoting. Seemingly with each of these acts. Notably with Sik-K and Ph-1.

There is a actual small joke among AOMG artists that when rappers need a singer for their track they usually ask themselves  , "I wonder if the CEO is busy and if he'll do it." And it seems the answer is usually yes. All the freaking time.

I first saw Ph-1 in a collaboration with one of my favorite rappers Sik-K and you guessed it Jay Park was in it too. A track called Iffy.And they were really all good in that that I actually noticed Ph-1. 

This new song called Donut is set in a Donut factory which looks like a lawsuit waiting to happen since it kind of uses the same font and logo design as Hewlett Packard , only that it is reversed to show Ph , the rappers name. This ph logo is emblazoned on all workers vests or shirts and products. You could probably guess by now who guests in this MV as CEO. Well AOMG CEO Jay Park himself. Yup good ol Jay. The song brings out Ph-1's distinct rapping style though and it seems that he even created the rap guide for Jay to follow.

"My life is sweet like Donut" sings Ph-1 in this song and with all that sweet dough about to roll his way Life will be sweet indeed. 

"Three-Headed Goblin: Instakill?"

"Three-Headed Goblin: Instakill?"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

Magic now has three types of damage , First strike , Regular and Last Strike. We had Double-strike  , now let us officially welcome Triple Strike. And on a 3/3 Goblin too with the same cost as your Siege gang commander.

The thing that I like about three headed mutant is that it can actually end a players life with one swing. How you ask? Then read on.

All you need is to have this on the battlefield , hopefully it can attack with haste and an open black mana source. You attack. Your opponent in an EDH game counts his or her life total and realizes that they could survive the attack. Be calm. Don't look all excited. Just cast this.

And that is a total of 12 Infect Damage. One opponent down.Or game over if you were playing 1v1 EDH. Hopefully your opponent hasn't read this yet and I did not ruin the surprise. Now time to see if you can pull it off. 

"Bloodcrazed Paladin: Feeding on death"

"Bloodcrazed Paladin: Feeding on death"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

In one of my most favorite dreams I was against an EDH player who used Tooth and Nail to get a Kiki-Jiki, Mirror breaker out and a Zealous Conscript that produced a gazillion tokens.

This player then declared his attack with all these haste creatures and with a smile on my face I casted Rout that destroyed his gazillion tokens and before he could even recover I then cast Bloodcrazed Paladin making it a Gazillion/Gazillion power and toughness creature.

A single bead of sweat fell down my opponents forehead as he realized what had happened. I then cast Fling and threw my Gazillion/Gazillion power toughness vampire at my opponent.

In my dream I laughed a maniacal laugh for a long time.

Then I woke. And I started making my Licia Mardu EDH vampire deck with BloodCrazed Paladin , Rout and Fling. Now all I need is someone who loves making gazillion tokens.

(Insert Maniacal laughter here) 

"Sunbird's Invocation: Not just for the birds."

"Sunbird's Invocation: Not just for the birds."

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

My friend Mark Pm'ed me the other day and asked if I already have this card. Probably a sleeper card that no one is really talking about at the moment and one look at it I understood the possibilities of what having this enchantment meant.

So Sunbird's invocation is a 6 mana enchantment that let's you do things with X. So what it wants is for you to cast the biggest possible spells that you could and see the magic happen! So let us say you cast the 8 mana CMC Gishath in your EDH deck  , the Sunbirds Invocation will now let you look at X cards from the top of your deck based on the spell you just cast(8 CMC in this case). So now that you have seen the next 8 cards of your deck  , you can now choose one of those 8 cards with a CMC 8 or less and then cast it for free! Free! Let that sink in for a moment. You just casted a monster and now here you are probably getting another monster of the same or less mana cost! I mean in EDH (which this card just really screams about) there are tons of creatures that I am sure you would enjoy casting for free.

And since this enchantment only has a single red in it this can easily be splashed in with other colors such as Gruul(R/G) and Izzet(U/B). In Izzet Colors imagine casting a Baral's expertise of 5 CMC , aside from the 4 mana CMC that will be free cast from the spell you also have a potential spell that can be cast for 5 CMC or less for free! Talk about a bargain! 3 spells in one! And I am sure that if you pull this kind of combo together it won't really be all that long before you start attracting the hate of all your opponents.  

So Invoke that Sunbird now! At your own risk of course. The only downside is the hate you will attract but hey if you win all the better right?

"Doc In , Doc Out Espesyal Letter to Patients - Bonus edition"

"Doc In , Doc Out Espesyal Letter to Patients  - Bonus edition"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

Dear Beloved patients,

Ngayong Nobyembre na marami sa inyo ang makakatanggap ng inyong mga 13 month pay. Ang payo ko ay magingat dahil marami din ang nakakaalam na may 13th month pay na kayo.

Ilang pasyente na din ang nakita ko sa clinic noon na may laslas ang bag at kamay dahil nakipaglaban sa mga holdupper. Kaya magingat at wag magdala ng pera na malaki kung di naman kailangan. Mas magandang sa mall na lang mag withdraw or kung uuwi man na may perang malaki eh siguraduhing may kasama para di napapahamak.

At kung kayo man ay manlilibre ng mga kaibigan o kamag anak ay wag kalimutang inumin ang mga gamot at maghanda na din sa pagtaaas ng inyong mga cholesterol ok? Wag na kayong mabigla.

Pero kung nahilo man kayo eh andito naman ako sa clinic. Dalaw lang. Dalhan niyo na lang din ako ng something. Kayo na ang bahala. Di naman ako choosy.

Advance Merry Christmas.

Di pa din masyadong nagmamahal,

Doc June

"Bish - My Landscape MV reaction"

"Bish - My Landscape MV reaction"

by:

The Vole

Around this time of the year(November) Bish comes out with a new song and I have not even noticed that it was that time of the year again.

My landscape features the same Orchestra like accompaniment to Bish's music interspersed with sonic guitars. As usual I am trying to find something weird or creepy in their MV. 

This one is set in an airplane graveyard that is in the middle of nowhere.I think this place and it's desolation would make a great hide out in case of a zombie apocalypse. As I am writing this I have not determined if this place is in Japan or somewhere else but by the looks of the desert and some of the planes it seems to be in the states.

The only creepy thing that I can see here are the individual shots of the members prostrating and circling. Like some sort of odd ghost. Aina the End , Chihiro and Ayumi D take the lead once more. Visually Ling Ling probably improved the most here. 

Speaking of Ling Ling that fork stabbing gesture is probably the second creepiest thing here.

There is something majestic about the great expanses that are shown in this MV and the girls of Bish moving on top of derelict planes.I don't get that dinner setting in the middle of nowhere but ok.

My Landscape is another great addition to the other Bish songs that you already like but I wish that they could have shown something more in terms of vocals. While the girls have maintained their own sound they might become a little stale if they keep the same formula. And I don't really want Bish to go the same route as their older sisters Bis. I want them to keep making music. 

"3 things I have seen today - Aven and Lyrics"

"3 things I have seen today - Aven and Lyrics"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

My daughter has often been the source of a lot of the things that I post online. She is both my pride and headache at times especially when she and her mom clash. Both are turning out to be as stubborn as the other. One of the things that binds Aven and me is our wider range in music. I have found someone to share Japanese , Korean and Chinese songs. Some odd and old pinoy songs as well.Aven seems to lap it all up and then discard the things that she does not like.

This is already a long intro. This is mainly things Aven has sung around the house that I found really funny.

1) Despacito

"Despacito...I don't know the words so I sing burrito..."

Yes , leave it to Aven to put in a food reference in their somehow.

2) Black Beatles 

"That girl is a real round pizza..."

I am not sure if she was hungry when she heard this.

3) Autumn Breeze by Jida

She didn't really mess up the lyrics to this one but I was happy that she liked this song that I recommended to her when we were driving in the car.

Yup I hope that Aven and I will continue to bond over music in the future. 

"Twice - Likey MV reaction - Me likey"

"Twice - Likey MV reaction - Me likey"

by:

The Vole

There are songs that you instantly like just by hearing the first beats. Likey is simply one of those songs.Twice has been rotating their visuals and vocals a bit and this time it is the Japanese lines turn to shine. (not that they haven't been shining in their other songs).

This song just brings so much energy and the steps are both easy to follow and pleasing to the eye. Some have commented that it looks like a reverse TT dance which in my book makes it a much happier dance.

The girls are shown in various parts of the city dancing their hearts out and again professing love to someone. Momo's BB Cream and Lipstick line is actually cute and who can complain about that dance break! It harkens back when I first saw her in Ooh - Ahh and got wowed by her dancing skills. This was like that feeling all over again. Momo Stans were slain and resurrected after the dance break to watch some more.

Sana's new physique it drawing much attention and for good reason. I still like chubby Sana but this sexier Sana is not at all bad!

The rappers have upgraded too. Dahyun and the more charming Chaeryong are getting their time in the sun as well. 

With all the arm lifting in their steps there was a recent poll as which member had the best armpits. I know who I am voting for. 

I have said it before and I will say it again there is no stopping Twice. They are simply a juggernaut and represent this generations best girl group. It pains me to say that since my own biases have not even won anything but there is no escaping this fact anymore.

Twice is here and me Likey. 

"Midweek Magic November 2017 #43- The Locust God vs the curse"

"Midweek Magic November 2017 #43- The Locust God vs the curse"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr. MD

Too often when you play test a deck and strategize it is much to realize that you cannot plan for everything.Even in a small play group where you pretty much know the kind of cards that your opponents play.

Yo who has a trademark curse card from Amonkhet was the one to spoil the fun of my Locust God this night as he was able to cast the 2 to cast Trespassers curse that deals 1 damage every time a creature comes into play under the cursed players control. And hooobooy was I creating a lot of creatures this night.

With the Locust God and Teferi's puzzle box already out in play I was creating 4 or 5 Locusts per upkeep. Of course I was also taking 4 or 5 damage because of the trespassers curse. Ouch.

So needless to say I was destroyed by own devices. Time to look for that Capsize now.

"Epik High w/ IU - Love Story MV reaction - History Deletion"

"Epik High w/ IU - Love Story MV reaction - History Deletion"

by:

The Vole

I don't really know what they are saying at this time and I am not finding any translated lyrics so I will just have to react to this concept MV that they came out with.

It shows the memories of a young girl who was in love and fell out of love with a guy. She is shown to be alone in bed , drowning her sorrows with drink and crying with dramatic tear drops. Her memories usually exist in her smart phone where she has compiled a lot of videos of happier days with her ex.

Judging by the videos they have really funny and loving moments with each other.There are hints that all is not well when the guy becomes sulky in one of the videos. I guess being sulky is a sign of falling out of love. I must be the kind of guy who falls out of love a lot as I am constantly sulky but enough about me and more about this video.

The girl deletes one happy memory after another. Tear drops falling and in one scene the glasses on her phone actually shatters giving the MV more drama.

In the end the girl actually decides to delete everything. Now I know what cancel and yes looks like in Korean. She did a lot of deleting that day. Hopefully they don't get back together because by then she would only have all these memories in her head.

"Ghalta , Primal Hunger: Power Affinity!"

"Ghalta , Primal Hunger: Power Affinity!"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

The first cards for the Rivals of Ixalan expansion have been spoiled for the Halloween period and one of them in particular fits into one of my definition of horror.

Imagine a gigantic creature biting into your flesh with a hunger that cannot be sated and you have Ghalta , Primal Hunger.

Look at it's jaws , full of razor sharp teeth and please ignore the small arms that probably do nothing. It's jaw is probably all it needs to inspire terror in you or your opponents. 

Ghalta comes in with a hefty mana cost of 12. 10 colorless and 2 Green which might as well be just 2 green. At least that is all I am saying since Ghalta will be an auto include in my existing Gishath Naya Dino EDH deck and with the amount of power in that deck the cost reduction will be often be fast. 

Ghalta cost X less to cast where X is the total power of creatures you control. I mean just have a Rampaging Ferocidon and Gishata out and Good ol Ghalta becomes just a 2 Green mana costed 12/12 Legendary trample. Power Affinity is now a thing and I am excited to know how many other creatures will have this in the new set.

Yes a doomblade can take care of him but come on. He is surely worth the addition and risk not only to dinosaur decks but other decks that also feature a lot of powerful creatures. Who doesn't want a 12/12 for 2 mana right? 

Now all I need is to wait for January 2018 to roll over and hopefully get him in my pre-release kit. Dino Gods be kind to me.

"Midweek Magic November 2017 #42 - The Locust God V Nekusar"

"Midweek Magic November 2017 #42 - The Locust God V Nekusar"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

The Halloween period over in DXC was a quiet one so I was able to finish a lot of EDH decks but among the 4 that I was able to complete I have been very excited to try out my Locust God Deck. And so when Thursday rolled in and Jus and Janry came in to work I could do just that.

My opponent was Nekusar and it was a 1 v 1 of interesting levels that kept me awake even if I had no decent sleep in the past 24 hours.  The Locust God is naturally foiled by Nekusar since every time I draw something the Lich king deals 1 damage to me and my deck was meant to draw my whole deck.We ended up in a draw with 3 wins each. Jus and I aim to settle the score after some tweaking and retooling. There have been interesting developments as I played but here are the things I was able to do in these 6 games. 

Extract - I was able to Extract Underworld dreams the 3 times I have been able to cast the spell. Underworld dreams has not been played in the other 3 games.

Corrupted Consciousness - During those times that I was being threatened by Nekusar I was able to grab him in 3 games with a Corrupted Consciousness. 2 of those games I was able to win with him.

Forced Fruition - Jus and I talked about this particular card and it was a late addition for me. The first time I was able to play it was a painful turn for Jus as he kept on being damaged with a Psychosis Crawler in play.The other time it was countered.

The Locust God + Impact Tremors + Fascination = In one of our multiplayer games with Janry  , Jus had a 15 life total  , Janry was at 7 life points. I was able to let everyone draw 7 cards with Fascination , Pinging everyone for 7 with Impact Tremors , this killed Janry then I attacked Jus for 7 Locusts reducing his life to 1. I am not sure if I used Jace Beleren to draw 1 more card to ping him with the Impact Tremors or attacked on another turn. I can't remember but at least I won this one. Heheheheh

The Locust God + Skull Clamp + Ashnod's Altar = I was particularly happy that I was able to pull off this combo where there was an almost never ending supply of Locusts and colorless mana when Jus tapped out.

Rolling Thunder - Our last game I was able to reduce Jus life total to 6 with 6 1/1 Locusts and I had a misplay of epic proportions when I plopped down Teferi's puzzle box that got him a Whelming Wave that reached my flying Locusts. Grrrr. It was a good thing that I drew Rolling thunder and had enough mana to finish things off.

There are still a lot of things that I want to add and improve in the deck. I had a lot of trouble dealing with that Dragon Janry had that made him the Monarch simply because I had no way to mass remove all of those things and eventually succumbed.

Jus could easily kill me especially with the massive rock accelerations that he has. Like he said the shell must be solid. Looking forward to more Locust God V Nekusar moments.I don't think we exhausted all of them for now.

"Doc In , Doc Out Espesyal Letter to Patients "Di ko po alam ang gamot ko" edition"

"Doc In , Doc Out Espesyal Letter to Patients "Di ko po alam ang gamot ko" edition"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

Minamahal na patient,

Gusto ko pong sabihin na importante na alam natin kung ano ang mga gamot na ating iniinom. 

Kapag sinabi niyo po na meron kayong maintenance na gamot at iisa lang naman po siya siguro naman na medyo nageexpect kami na alam niyo po ang inyong iniinom na gamot.

Sasabihin niyo po na araw araw niyong iniinom at araw araw po ninyong dala pero pagtinanong ko kung ano po ang gamot ninyo ay di niyo alam? 2 taon niyo na pong sinasabi na iniinom ninyo pero di niyo po alam? Hmmmmmm. Maniniwala po ba ako?

Feeling ko hindi. 

Importante po na malaman namin ang mga gamot ninyo para A) alam namin ang ibibigay naming gamot dahil may mga gamot na di puwedeng magsabay sabay. Para po matulungan namin kayo ay tulungan din po natin ang ating mga sarili.

Di po puwede ang di ko alam. Isang gamot lang po yan. Paano pa po kung isang dosena na?

Di masyadong Nagmamahal,

Doc June

"3 things I have seen this week November 2017 #2: The Inevitable"

"3 things I have seen this week November 2017 #2: The Inevitable"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

Have you ever had that sinking feeling that things will happen regardless of your wishes or your fervent prayers? Well this week things just sort of fell off the wagon and I have lost a little more faith in the systems that are in place to safeguard us.

1) Moving the Whistle Blower

There is nothing worse than being caught red handed with something. Even with the proper channel to complain to and enough evidence it has been months and there have been no action with the authorities involved. Meanwhile the whistleblower that I know of has been removed  , her story twisted around so much that she is now at fault and lucky that she has not been fired. While I still like working for the company I work it gives me pause as how they have dealt with this particular case.

2) Delayed Payments

I have always known that when it comes to adjusting to changes

one of the companies I work for always has troubles. Much more so this payday where the delay was more pronounced as there could have been things that were paid earlier and done with but instead had to be put on hold because of an unknown error that seems to be only affecting several doctors. Convenient.

3) Frayed patience 

And today I knew that when I texted me clinic mate and HR there would be that time that they would not say Ok to when I actually say that I would not be going to work. There was an awful amount of silence as I have been cancelling work from them at almost the last moment for 2 weeks straight. Oh well. I have my options. They have theirs. It was only inevitable that in this time where things are happening rapidly and piling on that patience will be frayed. Time to find out how frayed it really is next week.

Out of these 3 things I saw the worst in the things that companies and employees do. I find myself in these situations and find that I too am just human. The company that I work for as big as they are worry me at the moment because no one can really know the future.And of course the future is just as inevitable.

"Midweek Magic November 2017 #41 - SkullBriar Returns"

"Still hurting people and feelings all around the table"

"Midweek Magic November 2017 #41 - SkullBriar Returns"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr. MD

When I started my EDH restoration project I could not understand why I just feel really lazy when I got around to restoring my Skullbriar EDH deck , my first real commander and something that I have been writing about since I got into EDH.

It was easy to do , all the pieces were already in play and I just had to do some tweaking and just sleeve it voila. Back to the first real commander that I played with extensively.

I must admit that my first build of SB was merely to abuse the Nercomantic colors of the golgari. Big creatures in the graveyard which I can reanimate on the cheap. I didn't really focus all the much on giving counters on SB but that is something I changed this time around. Sort of. Am I still playing the nercomancer game here? yes. but I also added things like Hardened Scales and Dreg Mangler to make sure that SB is strong enough to finish opponents.

Jus and I ended playing a couple of rounds of 1v1 where he played Niv Mizzet. SB was bounced around a couple of times with a well timed Capsize and Whelming wave but even if he was returned to my hand with a Hardened Scales in play it was quite easy to make him grow again , more so when I was able to Scavenge a Dreg Mangler and he grew to an 8/8 creature.

I was extremely happy that the deck still works after all this time and I am looking forward to continue improving it this time around.

"Until 1 day"

"Until 1 day"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

One day he said 

I will bury it deep

This thing that I hate so much

This that I will keep

And everyday it reaches out

from within him to be released

and he ignores it's cries

and he answers with silence when it begins to scream

Each day is another day denied

To this thing that wells inside him

Yet he weakens from the anger

And so becomes blind to it's danger

Until One day

The day of all days when he finally remembers

that what he hates most wants to be free

it is neither danger or fear but just to be.

Letting his guard down

embracing it finally

It stabs his heart.

And as he falls he only hears its maddening laughter echo.

Optum Technohub 10/31/ 2017

"Silvergill Adept: Draw!"

"Silvergill Adept: Draw!"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

Having just finished an Azami , Lady of Scrolls Mono Blue EDH deck I was on the look out for more wizards that I could add to the deck and lo and behold I managed to scroll to this gorgeous looking card in my newsfeed. A Merfolk wizard.

Silvergill Adept only costs 2 mana but it has an added cost of either paying an additional 3 colorless mana or revealing a merfolk in your hand when you play him. This is reminiscent of the mechanics like prowl from the Lorwyn block.

This suggests that Silvergill Adept will be great in Merfolk decks so that the additional cost can easily be paid off. The price for that is to draw one card from your library and one thing that blue is great for is for drawing more cards when you play the color.

In the EDH setting Silvergill Adept can still be played later even when you don't have a merfolk available since the additional 3 colorless mana can easily be covered. In my Azami EDH deck Silvergill Adept will pull a double duty by drawing me a card once it enters the battlefield and when I tap it to draw a card with Azami's ability.

The 2/1 is not bad as well. He can skill a 2 powered creature or block a bigger creature without trample. His work is considered done since he can replace himself in your hand with the card draw. 

I really am looking forward to Rivals of Ixalan and seeing what other cards have this alternate cost.

"Doc In , Doc Out Espesyal Letter to Patients - Wag na po tayong humabol ha edition"

"Doc In , Doc Out Espesyal Letter to Patients  - Wag na po tayong humabol ha edition"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

Dear Patients , 

In the spirit of the Halloween season ang gusto ko lang sabihin ay magbago na kayo para di na kayo humabol sa araw ng mga patay. Yup. I actually care for you.

Ito po ang mga tips para wag po nating makasalamuha kaagad ang ating mga yumaong mahal sa buhay.

1) Mag ingat po sa pagmamaneho o pagtawid sa kalsada. Minsan sa pagmamadali mong wag malate o umuwi ay nadadale ka ng isang sasakyan na nagmamadali din para di malate or uwing uwi na. Look before crossing.

2) Inumin na nating ang ating mga maintenance na gamot. Aminin na natin na tayo ay may sakit o nagkakaedad na at kailangan na talaga ng mga gamot na ito para makita pa natin ang kinabukasan. Kahit na sabihin mo na malayo pa ang mga komplikasyon ng mga sakit mo maiisip mo na pag dumating na yung mga komplikasyon na yun eh sana binatukan mo yung batang sarili mo na uminom ng gamot kaso di mo na magagawa. Walang time space warp pabalik sa nakaraan.

3) Kung may sakit ay may sakit at wag nang pilitin pang pumasok. Di ako naniniwala sa binat. Naniniwala ako sa paglala ng mga sakit na dapat ay pinahinga na lang pero tumindi kasi gusto mong makaambag sa ekonomiya. Tandaan ang mga patay ay di na umaambag sa ekonomiya. Wag ka na munang magpamember sa kanila ok?

Oh ayan. Hanggang dito na lang kasi naghahanda na akong umuwi. Promise I will look both ways before crossing. Siyempre kailangan mo ako next time. 

Nagmamahal ng tunay,

Doc June

"Midweek Magic November 2017 #40 - Rampaging Gishath"

"Midweek Magic November 2017 #40 - Rampaging Gishath"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

I just would like to say that Gishath is a beast. Well , he is a dinosaur but he does know how to rip a new one on your opponents. I was finally able to put together my Dino EDH deck this week with the recent gift from my friend ST Estrella. I was still lacking the major dinos like Carnage Tyrant and the Regisaur Alpha but I already had a hard time filtering the existing dinos so that I can come  up with a dino deck that would be able to compete with the really good decks of my play group.

I was able to play a little one on one with Jus and the decks mana acceleration kicked it and I was able to cast Gishath in no time. It made me realize that I had put in a lot of haste enablers in the deck when Gishath never really needed it. I was happy with the first test play since it turned out to a win. 7 commander damage per turn and is just wonderful and even if the dino terror gets taken cared off by spot removal the haste it has and the added commander cost is negligible in a Naya deck that has green for mana ramp.

I would still want a chance to put the expensive dinos in this deck but for the mean time I am happy that every one is able to do their job.

"LoonA Odd Eye Circle - Sweet Crazy Love MV reaction: Ghosts! "

"LoonA Odd Eye Circle  - Sweet Crazy Love MV reaction: Ghosts! "

by:

The Vole

I was really surprised when I saw the trailer for this MV and it was a great treat when it came out. I mean after coming out with a mini album of 5 great songs their produces decided to spring this on Loona fans.(Loonatics?) A repackaged album with 2 new songs!

It features the trio back in school girl uniforms and opens to gritty black and white footage and tries to invoke a little horror feel to it with Kim Lip walking in misty alley ways , Jinsoul riding a train all by herself and Choerry dancing in some abandoned building somewhere. I have a theory that they represent spirits in all these places. Ghosts in all the empty places that start dancing. I mean this could be the only explanation why there are no other people around right? Or maybe the Odd eye circle just really wants their alone time that badly.

Let me just say that those black and white scenes of this sub unit dancing are just gorgeous and they really seem to pop out of the screen with the stark white contrast. 

The first color on this MV appears at the 2:54 mark when Jinsoul decides to remove her eyepatch. I don't know why that is but girls with eye patches are becoming a thing. I for one like it and Jinsoul really looks like a manga character coming to life. I guess it represents the sort of awakening of the odd eye circle that connects all three girls. 

The horror elements that are at play here is one about ghosts , coming off focus like when Choerry is walking in a corridor or when someone yanks the earphones that Jinsoul has and it falls to the side of that fish she had.My theory is that the fish wants to listen to whatever it is Jinsoul is listening to. And why the hell is this fish still alive? She has been running with it since the Singing in the Rain MV which solidifies my theory about Ghosts. This is actually a ghost fish!

This song talks about a girl wanting to be with a guy and all the time that they are together she can't notice anything else but his lips. Hmmmmm. That sounds a little hungry to me. 

They keep on mentioning come come come a lot and Cherry motion. I don't know what cherry motion actually means. I must ask the girls in one fan sign event soon. 

The dance track is easy to follow and of course you will be carried away by Loona Odd Eye Circles inherent sexiness. I really must be getting used to the concept of cutie sexiness by now but I still can't. Not that I will ever complain of it now or in the future anyway. 

LoonA has done a great push for the final quarter of the year and I hope that they get more recognition when they reveal their full line up some time next year but in the meantime I will keep on enjoying the content from Odd eye circle. 

"3 things I have seen this week November #1 :Ghosts"

"3 things I have seen this week November #1 :Ghosts"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

Halloween has come and gone and so have the costumed weirdos who revel in it. Me included but only on the inside as I don't think people in the places I work for would have confidence in a doctor who would dress in one of the characters I liked. Especially if the characters I admire had well toned bodies that I obviously lack but enough of me and more of the things I have seen this week.

1) Ghost of the past

It has been 2 years since my mom passed away but her memories linger and when I went back to our old house I cannot help but feel a little bit sadder since the place seems like a gloomier place without her and Nadine there. All those memories of great things in that place. Ideas and dreams and joy. Those are dead and buried. Only her ashes remain.

2) Ghost of the present

It has been awhile since I saw a ghost and yes I did see one for the first time in the current clinic that I worked with. Is it because my third eye is once again opened or is it that in that particular day the ghosts really could manifest themselves more strongly? I don't even know how to feel about the ghost only that I was not surprised that on Halloween I would actually get to see one.

3) Ghost of the future

I looked at my bank account. And then look at my bills. I mourn early for my dearly departed money.

Ghosts. An ever present thing in our lives. We may like it or not but they will always be there to remind us of the life that we had , have and will have. Now this is a bit early for Christmas tales.

"Little Stranger"

"Little Stranger"

by:

Alessandria Venice R. De leon

I

When I saw you for the first time,

It should’ve been a crime, 

To look as beautiful as you were,

Little Stranger.           

II

Who are you?

I’m afraid I’ve got no clue.

Why do you always look so blue?

Oh I wish I knew.

III

What’s your name?

I’d ask you face to face,

Yet to approach such a dame,

My heart will be sure to race.

IV

I find myself in daydream

Thoughts of you in my head,

Thinking of your eyes that gleam

All the while lying on my bed.

V

Your beauty is breathtaking

So much so that my heart is aching.

You are like no other,

I’d be happy to be your lover.

~Who are you?

Valenzuela , 10/27/2017

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Editors Note:

Aven said that she drew inspiration for this poem after watching Titanic where Jack saw Rose for the first time.