"Dominaria Pre-release event at Spiral Valenzuela: When the famine is my card pool and not just Torgaar."

"Dominaria Pre-release event at Spiral Valenzuela: When the famine is my card pool and not just Torgaar."

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD 

It was another long week and the day seemed to be as long as the time that it took to reach the Dominaria Pre release Tournament @ Spiral Valenzuela. I looked at the clock and counted how long it was until 1 pm.

It was a hot summer and my car was even hotter since my Compressor broke down on me and it was hurting my pocket just to replace it. With that being said I was not going to let the heat and my lack of sleep ruin my Dominaria PR.

So when I arrived at exactly 1pm I got to cracking my PR kit. No Bombs or Planewalkers in sight as a I opened my last pack but I did get a black dice which was always a good addition to my ever increasing dice collection.

I initially wanted to do a Black/White sealed deck as I got an Evra and Torgaar as my PR rare cards but I opened a Slime foot and a bunch of saproling cards and enablers and so I fell to my old guild colors of the Golgari. I did not have enough card draw or removal but this was just playing into what I wanted which is to have a lot of saprolings die by blocking , attacking or sacrificing to another creature.

My first game was with Richard whose main interaction with me was to sell cards rather than as an opponent. We shook hands and we played a game where I was able to cast all the monsters in my mana curve from Baloths , Grunn the lonely king and even Verdant Force. This went my way at 2-0. 

I met Ankol and Joseph in my 2 games which were loses. I was tactically beaten by white cards by Ankol and I met more of the same against Joseph's deck which had a Azorius mix in it.

My last game was a fun one since we merely talked and traded.

I ended 2-2 and in the raffle I won a Buy a Box promo foil version of Firesong and Sunspeaker. I almost never win in a raffle but I won this one.

I did not get any planeswalkers. Or any thing that amounted to more than 3 bucks but I was happy as I was able to get cards at fair prices , interacted with fellow magic players , speculated on the cards that will spike in prices.And my brain still worked despite being on a 24 hour duty.

Oh and I ate pansit and toasted bread. I enjoyed that one too. 

I would like to thank Nino and the rest of the gang at Spiral Valenzuela for making it a safe and enjoyable atmosphere during these PR games. Till next time.  

"Heart beats"

"Heart beats"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

I

Heart beats are all the things we hear at first

They get louder or fade as time passes

It is a thundering roar

or a deafening silence

II

Life or death produces the heartbeats

The first and the last 

Our mothers as we swim in her womb 

Our own as we suffer alone

III

Heart beats that offer hope and despair

The times that you know that no one is there

And in the inevitable sorrow of this life

You look up to the sky and question why

IV

The heartbeats , the heartbeats are missing

And you keep asking why

and no one answers why

You look up and you see through the lies

4/10/2018 UHG Bldg.N , QC 5:51am

"Verix Bladewing: Twin Terrors"

"Verix Bladewing: Twin Terrors"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

One of my most favorite dragons come from Dominaria. Rorix Bladewing who became Bladewing the Risen and whom I have in one deck. I often ask how when Bladewing the Risen reanimates 

Rorix Bladewing does the latter feel knowing that you just raised yourself from the dead and then you exist in one place of existence together.

So I was excited to know that there was a new Bladewing coming out of Dominaria and I wonder if these twin dragons were the offspring of Rorix Bladewing. And when I add them to my dragon reanimator deck would they feel as fucked up when they get reanimated by an ancestor called Bladewing the Risen.

So the Legendary Creature Dragon has slightly weaker stats at  4 / 4 but this seems to be the norm for dragons nowadays. The unique thing about this particular dragon is that it has the Kicker mechanic and for an extra 3 mana you get another dragon on the battlefield called Karox Bladewing who is also a legendary 4/4 red Dragon creature token with flying. So it is a total of 7 mana for 2 4/4's.

You could just opt to go for a single dragon for 4 mana but then again why not go full kicker mode when you already have the mana right? Now I have plans of making a Brawl deck with this dragon brood as a commander. I wonder how it would go?

With enough mana it seems that Verix and Karox has several possibilities.

"The Long Road After Despair"

"The Long Road After Despair"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

I

I wish that things could have been different

that we would continue ignoring each other for now

that we would be cold and clash

at least there was hope in that

II

Death like a thief in the night

took you both from me 

long before reparations have been made

long before those beautiful days

III

I wish things to be different

but wishes are not meant to be heard

Only the long road from despair follows

The one that I must now retake

IV

I keep on expecting your voices to be scornful

and to judge me and to correct me

but none of those come

none of those and I am on my own

V

This is not what I wanted

I wanted you to grow old and be grumpy and to be you

calling from some part of the world

or arguing with me about this thing or that

VI

And that ender of things called death took you

No more sorrows , no more arguments

And the silence I hear is the one I must bear

I wish things were different but they cannot be.

4/10/2018 , UHG Bldg N , QC , 5:27am

"Thoughts on Living"

"Thoughts on Living"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

I am 41 years old and I have been through a lot in these 4 decades that I am on earth. I have learned a lot of lessons and there are things that I am still learning on the way. Here are a few of them. Some of the things that I wanted to say to my younger self.

#1

There are things that you cannot change , things that are beyond your control and the trick is to not let it bother you. Your mind , your feelings , your thoughts , how you react to things are all within your control. Learn how to control them because no one else can.

#2

You cannot change how people perceive you and the best that you can do is to be who you are because people can just come and go but who you are  , well you are going to be stuck with that for the rest of your life.

#3

Never push away the well meaning people in your life because even if they annoy you they are actually in your life because you need them even if you know it or not.

#4

Never hesitate to cut people out of your life who seem to be more interested in the things that you can give them rather than what they can do for you.

#5

Family are those who love you despite your imperfections and love you without judgement. Family are those who stick with you because they want to stick with you no matter how prickly you become. 

#6

People will love you in their own way and it might be different from what you expect. Let them love you the best way that they know how because you might also be loving them in the best way that you know.

#7

There are things that happen , we are often told that things happen for a reason and they might be a greater lesson or purpose for the things that happen. Dont seek that out , live your life and the answers will come to you. No point in dwelling on things that can only corrode your peace of mind.

#8

The Dead will remain dead. Remember their lessons. Remember their advise but live your live for the dead have no worries , no lives to live. You do  , however and being stuck in the past and not moving forward dishonors the dead who want you to move on and live.

"My DLSU Entrance Exam Experience"

"My DLSU Entrance Exam Experience"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

Someone on the internet wanted to ask people about their different experiences while taking entrance exams in the top colleges of the country. 

My mom back then wanted me to take all of the entrance exams that I could even if I already passed the UPCAT. So I did. This one is about that day that I went to Taft. 

Back in my day the Kenny Rogers in Pedro Gil just opened. The same day as my exam so some of the rich kids wanted to eat there for lunch and I dont know if I gave the impression that I like Kenny or that I was loaded but they asked me if I wanted to go.

I said that I wont be able to join them since I would be eating burger at Scott's. And their eyes opened really wide. "Oh wow another burger joint?"

"You could say that. They even have a buy 1 take 1 thing going on."

"Where is this place?"

The Scotts burger was under the LRT station I said near the new Kenny Rogers. We all went together but I guess it wasnt up to their tastes. I ate 4 burgers that day and didnt really have to wait in line all that long.

"Doc In , Doc Out Espesyal Letter to Patients:Sino ang umiinom ng Vitamins Edition"

"Doc In , Doc Out Espesyal Letter to Patients:Sino ang umiinom ng Vitamins Edition"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

Dear Patient,

Oo ikaw. Ikaw na nakasabay ko sa Elevator kanina. Ikaw na nagmamalaki na marami kang vitamins sa bag mo pero di mo iniinom. At ito eh para din sa kasama mo na di din nagpatalo na marami din daw siyang vitamins sa bag pero tinatamad siyang inumin.

Hmmmmm.Minsan may urge ako ng mangumpog ng mga tao. Ito yung isa sa mga moment na yun.

#1 Yung bag ba ang iinom ng vitamins?

Sana maging healthy ang bag mo. At sana ikaw naman eh di ko makita sa clinic kasi iniipon mo lang vitamins mo instead na iniinom mo.

#2 Gaano ba kahirap uminom ng vitamins? Kuha ng isang basong tubig , inumin ang vitamins , inuman ng tubig. Wala namang math involved. Once a day lang. So gaano kahirap yun?

#3 Sa susunod wag niyong ipagmayabang yung mga katamaran niyo kasi di naman talaga siya impressive.

Yun lang. 

Di masyadong Nagmamahal,

Doc June

"Demonlord Belzenlok: Last Demon standing"

"Demonlord Belzenlok: Last Demon standing"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

And so it has come to this , the last Demon master standing in the way of Liliana and her freedom. With the way the other demons have been dispatched so easily I would not even bother to wonder how this one will go especially how disappointingly Razaketh went on the plane on Amonkhet.

Demonlord Belzenlok is an interesting creature as he is the representation of cards Limdul's Vault or Demonic Consultation. Instead of being a sorcery or Instant though , this one comes in a 6/6 flying  , Trampling frame that can smash face when needed and also be your EDH and Brawl Commander.

So when he comes into play you can exile cards from the top of your library until you exile and nonland card. If the exiled card costs 4 mana or more then you repeat the process. Demonlord Belzenlok deals 1 damage to you for each card put into your hand this way. It probably won't let you dig further than Demonic consultation or Limduls vault as much but as a card in standard this is a great card to just get all of those pieces in your deck that you might need for a combo finish or maybe a mass removal spell that you can use later.

This guy might just represent a turning of the tides in your favor , unless you are probably dying to swarms of merfolk or pirates. In which case you might welcome his triggered ability to dig through your library.

"Karn, Scion of Urza: He is the Father"

"Karn, Scion of Urza: He is the Father"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

As a true blue Phyrexian , it always give me hope that Karn is in a set because he might usher in a great Phyrexian Return on Dominaria if he still have some of that great Phyrexian oil on his mechanical body.

There is much speculation on who really controls New Phyrexia now but there is no doubt in my mind that should Karn decide to go back there and wrest control himself he could. Or the Phyrexians could control him again and return him  to his rightful role as Father of the machines.

My salivating Phyrexian side aside I was excited about a 4 colorless Mana costed Karn , Scion of Urza included in this deck. He starts with 5 Loyalty counters on him and is within the reach of most creatures or burn spells.

His first ability is a +1 that Reveals the top two cards of your library. An opponent then chooses one of them. Put that card into your hand and exile the other with a silver counter on it. 

Now that is a very slippery slope to slide in when you think about. Opponents will most likely choose cards that might not give you an advantage now but the thing is that the card your opponent did not choose can still come back to haunt them since you are merely exiling it with a Silver counter on it. Like a silver bookmark on a page you want to go back to later.

And this leads to Karn, Scion of Urza's second ability.

A -1 That lets you put a card you own with a silver counter on it from exile into your hand.

"Where the heck is that spell in the aether? Oh yeah follow the silver counter and voila it can be put back into your hand and you can now cast. Think of the aether as an extended library where you can stash things and go back for it when it is useful later. 

It seems like Karn is a bit watered down here but heck for a 4 colorless mana I would still want him and that is because there are several EDH with full of artifacts just waiting for him like Daretti's and Admiral Beckett Brass's Treasure deck or my Blue Black Kaladesh Improvise deck.

It is Karn's last ability that I covet the most. If on the 3rd or 4th turn you have no creatures ,  for just -2 on his loyalty counters you can create a 0/0 colorless Construct artifact creature token with "This creature gets +1/+1 for each artifact you control."

The 0/0 colorless Construct artifact creature token counts as an artifact so it gets a +1/+1 right off the bat. In the EDH setting I see Karn plopping down on turn 2 with a Sol Ring and 2 lands in play or even maybe turn 1 with a Mana Vault and Sol Ring  in play. It gives me a 3/3 creature on turn one with the possibility of making it bigger.Now I can only imagine if I play 1 artifact land and a Chrome Mox , cast a Sol Ring and Manavault and play Karn , I actually get a 4/4 creature! 

I'm sorry.I just gushed a little bit there thinking of the headaches I could give my opponents.I don't really care if Karn is colorless but not an artifact. I am happy with just this ability. I could only speculate how much Karn will cost when he comes out. Pero sabi nga ng Cashier sa Jollibee "Willing to Wait" naman ako until the Hype passes and I can acquire the Father of the Machines again.

"Doc In , Doc Out Espesyal Letter to Patients:The Rarest Patient Edition."

"Doc In , Doc Out Espesyal Letter to Patients:The Rarest Patient Edition."

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr. MD

Dear Rarest Patient,

Para akong aatakihin sa puso nung nagpunta ka sa clinic , for once di nagpapauwi or acting na acting na gustong humingi ng rest ang kausap ko. 

After kitang kausapin kasi sabi mo sumakit ang ulo mo 2 days ago sinabi mo lang na may condition ka at ayaw mo namang umabsent talaga kasi kawawa ang team mo kasi nga negative na kayo.

Wala kang gustong kunin or ipagawa. Sinabihan mo kami para aware kami. Kung araw lang titingin ako sa labas at pakiramdam ko may dancing sun , nagcheck na din ako at baka dancing moon naman ang meron. Wala naman.

Pero natuwa lang ako kasi ngayon lang ako nakakausap ng patient na katulad mo. Sana dumami pa kayo. Pero di na ako aasa diyan. Masaya na ako na nakameet ako ng katulad mo in this life time.

Nagmamahal,

Doc June

"Oh My Girl - Banana Allergy Monkey MV reaction: A new minions theme?"

"Oh My Girl - Banana Allergy Monkey MV reaction: A new minions theme?"

by:

The Vole

And so the summer rush of Kpop songs is officially upon us and one of those leading the charge this month is Oh My Girl who fresh from their Music Show winning promotions of Secret Garden has gone up against Kpop Juggernauts EXID and Twice who will also be releasing new songs just this week alone.

So on to the title Track of Banana Allergy Monkey. Does it have a unique concept? Does OMG look cute in all of their shots? Does it have a fun , catchy choreo that might go viral at anytime? Does it have a lot of Arin face time? Does it change your mind about how human/monkey hybrids should look like? Do you have all those naughty banana jokes out of your system yet? If you find yourself saying yes to all of these questions and loving every minute of the danceable   , synth pop song then congratulations you are probably a Miracle.

Banana Allergy Monkey talks about a Monkey who is allergic to of all things...Bananas but finds solace in the fact that you can have Banana Milk that smells and tastes like a Banana but not cause you to break into hives. The dance step in the chorus is cute as a monkey scratching it's behind. Done cutely of course. 

This is the first sub unit coming out for this comeback and I believe that this is WM Entertainments ways of promoting the Maknae Arin who has been gaining a lot of brand popularity since they came back at the beginning of this year. This also showcases Binnie as well as she is one of those Singing Visuals that also need to be promoted. I usually don't like Hyojung's nasal voice but it works in this song somewhat and you can't help but sway to the song a bit. But make no mistake that this is an Arin driven MV. And Miracles have no  complaint about it as true Miracles will love any concept that these hard working girls will come out with.

Well it is officially summer and it is time to get the monkey moves on people. So head on to the Dance planet and dance with OMG. Oh and maybe keep hydrated with a lot Banana Milk too.