"Impervious Greatwurm: Just so out there"

"Impervious Greatwurm: Just so out there"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

The moment I saw this all I could think of was...bakit nahiya pa ang Wizards of the Coast at di pa nila ginawang 20/20 with Trample and Hexproof para tapos na yung kalaban mo sa standard di ba? Di ba?"

Well sorry about that.I just had to let that out of my system. Impervious Greatwurm is a 10 mana monstrosity that you could help ease into play with the returning Convoke Mechanic from the every one's favorite Saproling loving nature cult  ,The Selesnya Conclave.

So you could tap 10 green Saprolings and have this 16/16 Indestructible monstrosity on the battlefield in no time at all. It is not one for intrigues because it is so out there. It is not one for subtlety either. I mean just look at the thing dwarfing all of those buildings right?

So get all of your token producers ready boys and girls we have another beastie to Convoke out. 

"3 things I have seen this week: 3 EDH deck project"

"3 things I have seen this week: 3 EDH deck project" 

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

And just like that my creative deck building slump has come to an end. After almost a month of not creating a deck I am back with 2 decks that I have wanted to create. And one that I was itching to improve the moment I got my hands on it.

1) Sai , Master Thopterist is my first deck I built from scratch before this months end and with all the self play testing I predict an orange alert of Thopters raining down on my opponents. Among other things that is but primarily small thopters becoming huge ones and then raining down.

2) Ever since I gave my Braids , Conjurer Adept to Cheska I have felt really odd. Maybe because I felt that I poured a little bit of myself into that deck and of course seeing someone else control it and alter it beyond my own recognition sort of rubs me the wrong way. So here I am rebuilding what I had but maybe putting in a little bit of improvement here and there. Time to play test Braids. Welcome back baby!

3) And the last of my ongoing projects is the current update to Estrid the Maskeds horrendous mana base. 6 freaking islands where you have an enchantment like Octopus Umbra that requires you to have double blue! I was staring at this aura which I could not by the way cast and still had the same freaking umbra when I started scooping in my loss. Well never again. Time to breka out those Azorius lands. Time to playtest Estrid! 

Time to playtest. I can't wait till Tuesday. I will make it rain of Thopters , Krakens and Auras!

"Macabre Hatchery: If you water down your wine , it is still wine."

"Macabre Hatchery: If you water down your wine , it is still wine."

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

The Golgari are a bunch who really care above what they bury in the graveyard. At this point people are still speculating if any of their old mechanics like Dredge or Scavenge will make it back.

One thing that is coming back at least is a little watered down Necromancy. I say watered down because when you compare Macabre Hatchery to Living Death for the same mana it does so much less. It does bring at least 3 different creatures back to the battlefield for you though and in certain games that can be important.

So for 5 mana you get to choose a 1 mana , 2 mana and 3 mana cost creature and put it on the battlefield. It might be a very simple thing to do with Buried Alive as you will get exactly 3 creatures for you to hatch back.

I thought of zombies and then I thought of these 3 guys.

Stitcher's Assistant , Metallic Mimic , Adaptive Automaton.

So basically if you choose Zombies Stitcher's Supplier can now become a 3/3  , Metallic Mimic is 3/2 and Adaptive Automaton is also a 3/3. Not bad right? Then again it seems a little bit underwhelming for that amount of mana.

So I thought of these 3 so that you could go big.

Death's Shadow is 13/13 assuming your life is down , Tempting Wurm is 5/5 and hopefully your opponents don't have anything from their hand to put into the battlefield and of course Master of the Feasts who will give your opponents free draw next turn. Hopefully you have something that gives these 3 haste so you can take advantage of them right away. You are looking at 23 points of damage for 5 mana right there. 

For a reanimator spell Macabre Hatchery is like a lot of water in your soda. You taste less but you still know that the dark magic can help you. I'm not sure if Soda has dark magic in it but at least with Macabre Hatchery and the right circumstances you will have 3 creatures fighting by your side.

"Lord Windgrace: Omnath's Enabler."

"Lord Windgrace: Omnath's Enabler."

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

When my friends told me that Omnath , Locus of Rage had a very high price spike I was curious as to why and as it turned out Lord Windgrace one of the 4 news Commanders that came out was causing it.

For today I would like to look at the commander that I openly called Lord Black Panther and his wonderful abilities as a planeswalker commander. 

For all intents and purposes this particular planeswalker has been dead for some time now but according to Magic lore his essence has joined with the land of Dominaria and has been protecting his people even if he has no body , much like Sauron would do if he was a good guy.

Of course this card represents Lord Windgrace before he met his demise. He comes with Jund colors and 2 colorless mana as a cost and chunky 5 loyalty counters for starters.

His +2 ability lets you discard a card then draw a card. A very red ability which reminds me a lot of Daretti but this one has an added bonus of caring if you threw a land card. If a land card was discard you get to draw an additional card.

Lord Windgrace wants you to load up all the lands in your graveyard.

Splendid Reclamation and World Shaper fits this deck quite nicely as well as cards like Dakmor Salvage. Fill up on lands and then reclaim for later! Yeah. In case you don't have these cards yet then you could check out his second ability.

And I guess this is the interaction that made Omnath increase in price overnight.

His -3  ability allows you to return 2 target lands in your graveyard directly into the battlefield. With Omnath in play and you are able to this targeting 2 fetchlands and you sacrifice those fetchlands to put another pair of lands into play then you are looking at 4 5/5 Elemental tokens because of Landfall! Since this does not count as your land drop for the turn assuming you have another fetch land (Evolving wilds or even terramorphic expanse). Then you could have another pair of 5/5 elementals that rounds it off to 6!

If you have Fervor in your deck or anything that can make your creatures have haste then you are looking at 35 points worth of damage! If you have a sacrifice outlet you can further convert your elementals into another 21 points of damage. Talk about squeezing value out of Omnath and this interaction.

If in case you don't need to abuse this second ability and you reach 11 loyalty counters on him then what you have is a targeted removal on up to 6 non-land permanents. You can remove those pesky things from your opponents side of the board , even use this as political tool to help an ally out but in each case you basically weaken your opponents while getting 6 2/2 Green Cat Warrior tokens with Forestwalk. 

Lord Windgrace can shift things in your favor in the right situations. I am excited to battle against this stock deck or even one of the improved ones that a friend might bring.

I might consider just buying a single and make my own deck here. I do have all the pieces after all. Hmmmmm

"Unwilling"

"Unwilling"

by:

Virgilio F.De leon Jr.

I

It is not like you force me

but I am here all the same

Like a Soldier on command

Running when you say my name

II

You sit there tucking a wayward hair

and your halfmoon eyes smile at me

And without a word you have slain me

Unbowed , Unbent , Unwilling but Enslaved

III

And despite my best reasoning

there is none that can explain

this feeling that has me trapped

that almost always drives me insane.

IV

I orbit you and you pull me even further

another meteor falling to your center

And despite my efforts to break free

I find myself draw. Unwilling.

5:13am August 28 , 2018 , UHG Bldg. N , Quezon City. 

"The Creation and Death Dragon"

"The Creation and Death Dragon"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

The Classroom was bright as the sun shone through the white curtains. There sitting on a desk was a girl with long brown hair reaching up to her curvy waist. He green pleated skirt folded a little a she looked at the man who entered the room and her face was framed by the light all around her.

"I have been waiting." She said as she smiled. " I was wondering how long it would take for you to figure out that I was here."

V scratched his head. He knew who exactly she was but could not exactly warn of everyone else in the school. This was Jisun , Princess of the Death Dragons , the same age as him. A fellow Ascendant to the Dragon Throne. While each dragon inherently carried danger for humans , Decay Dragons were unique in the sense that their mere presence can cause it. 

Jisun and her sleepy eyes looked at V. "No one is in danger here. I can contain the Radius if you are wondering."

"I have no doubt that you have mastered that since we last saw each other in Busan."

"That whole mess could have been avoided if you were willing to let go of me you know."

"Then what kind of dragon would I be letting you die needlessly?"

"Still holding on to that Utopian dream are we?" With this the smile on her face faded into something more sad. "When will you realize that we all have roles to play in the existence of this world. Some are meant to die for it and some are meant to live in their place."

"I thought I explained it better to you. I no longer desire any one's life for my Ascension. Not your life. Not YuuA's."

"So that is her name. YuuA from Oh My Dolls. I don't really understand this change. You are destined for this and yet you resist. Even the offer of a princess of her life."

"I want all of you to live your lives to the fullest. Not as a means for me. Not as a tool or a stepping stone. Your thoughts , your memories , your future. All of those belong to you and not some Dragon tradition that tells you otherwise."

"And what if we willingly give ourselves for you because we recognize the good in our sacrifice. You see even that human gets it. She has offered her orb on many occasions has she not? With that you could ascend. With my life you could ascend as well. All you need to do is choose."

"And my choice are none of those." V turned to face the door. Jisun grabbed his hand. Even among dragons Jisun was considered one of the strongest. Her human form may look cuddly but the strength that held V in place was unquestionable.

"You will have to choose at some point or another."

"I already have.Enjoy your lunch."

"Huh?"

And as V pulled away Jisun was left with a bento box that had little dragon shapes chasing each other. A playful reference to when they battled in the skies over Busan.

"How can I eat something so cute?"

"You'd figure out a way or you'll starve in your human form." V was out the door before Jisun could answer.

She would have to figure out a way to get closer to him. She knew just the thing but that can wait after lunch as the rumbling in her stomach interrupted her scheming.

"Loona - Hi High: Piecing it all together."

"Loona - Hi High: Piecing it all together."

by:

The Vole

If you have been following Loona for the past 2 years or so the MV for Hi High would feel really familiar as it brings back those scenes of the past individual , duo and sub unit MVs together particularly those that have some mystery to them as the appearance of the other girls in the other MVs.

The beginning of the MV shows all the girls looking upward. Being drawn by the moon. Like the tides. A powerful force that lets them gather as one.

At the center of all this is the Odd Eye Circle.The subunit that comprise of Kim Lip , CHoerry and my favorite Jinsoul Where they all split up and connect with other members of the subunits. The MV for Girlfront shows them running in different directions and it is not really shown where they are going it is referenced to have some connections but this is the first time where those connections lead. 

Choerry connects with Hyunjin of Loona 1/3 in the footbridge , this is in reference to the Cat sticker on a map from the Girl front MV and Kim Lip catches up to Heejin also of Loona 1/3. 

In essence the girls of Odd Eye Circle found the 4 members of Loona 1/3.

The whole reference from Egoist where Olivia Hye is surrounded by the 3 girls of Odd Eye Circle before she closes her eyes and joins the 3 other members of her Sub unit YYxY. She appears before the subunit leader Yves and completes that group as well. There is another reference with Egoist , the last single for the last member debuted where she meets with Heejin on the rooftop. After looking at the YYxY single of Love4eva one can also connect why Olivia Hye is so relieved to see the girls of her subunit , she thought that she had lost them at the end of the MV! 

In Choerry's Love Cherry Motion she wakes up in ruins and has a light shone on her face from the distance from what appears to be a blonde girl.This is at the 2 minute mark of her MV Initially you would think this is Jinsoul but the other blonde that is revealed is the YYxY member Gowon and you would see in the Hi High MV that Chuu and her does emerge in the same ruins.

Wow this is a lot of backtracking for just one blog post but at least I am now getting all of those scenes that did not make sense in the earlier MVs.

In the end what ties this visually is all of the girls running and jumping toward nothing else but the moon. With Haseul actually floating toward it in the very end.

One other thing I loved about this MV is the fact that I was pleasantly surprised at Chuu and her main vocal killing part. That really got me. 

I am happy that LoonA is already out as a full group and I am looking to more amazing things form them this year.

"Midweek Magic 2018 #33:Enjoying Daretti , Finally"

"Midweek Magic 2018 #33:Enjoying Daretti , Finally"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

Before I bought my Commander  Anthology 2018  Daretti I was able to purchase a non-foil one that I have been trying to complete for some time now. When I finally got around to it I ended up with 2 Daretti decks and while I found both decks exciting to play with I found that I was leaning toward the deck that I build from scratch myself.

In this particular game I was against Janry and Jus for a three EDH match that surprised even me. Jus was in a good mood because he wanted to do all of the combos on his new deck. And Janry was controlling with His Horobi deck threatening the existence of any creature on the battlefield.

Unfortunately one of the things that keep on recurring from my graveyard was Darksteel forge that made all of my artifact creatures Indestructible. I had it in my opening hand and as soon as I have activated Daretti's first ability it was the first to go to the graveyard.

It would be taken cared off at least 4 times in this game but it really did spell the difference in the long run as I was able to keep on the battlefield with all of my creatures such as 3/3 golems from Hammer of Purphorus and the Metalwork Colossus that just did not know when to quit.

It was my only win for the night but I really savored it and was happy with my initial Daretti investment.

"Subtle Glances"

"Subtle Glances"

by:

Alessandria Venice R. De leon 

I

Subtle glances, sudden trances

I look to you and you look to me

My mind goes blank and my heart dances

In that moment there’s nowhere I’d rather be

II

Subtle glances that seem to hold no meaning

But still I give you my smile that which is gleaming

Maybe you feel for me, no?

If so, then when will it show?

III

Subtle glances, my heart is on a pike

Isn’t it obvious it’s you that I like?

You look to me and I look to you

Every once in a while, I wonder if you knew. 

August 25 , 2018. Valenzuela City

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Editors Note:  I do not own the picture shown. 

"Under The Rain."

"Under The Rain."

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

The cobble stone path split the property in half and on each side were two towering buildings full of tenants who were unaware of what seemed to be a small house in the middle of this otherwise busy city center.On that path stood a man with a red umbrella shielding him from the Seoul rain.

V heard the constant patter of the rain on his umbrella.Normally no one would want to go out in weather like this but V felt happy being in this downpour. If the dragons of the West disdained the water , the dragons of the East loved it. He felt the power within him growing stronger the longer he stayed in the rain. The rumble of thunder in the distance and the strong winds make him smile even more and if the other dragons could see him they would think that his sentimentality is the only reason why he is not destroying the human world.

The real reason lay in the fact that she lived her. This was her world and if anything else he felt that he should let her live the life that she wanted even if it was a life that no longer included him. Dragons love and dragons move on with their lives too. Well a few more months and he will not even have to worry about that too.Such was the way with those who do not ascend. You become part of the cycle. You dissolve into energy that this world will be able to use for the future. Many of his own kind had debated the folly of him following this path. Surely the last Creation Dragon would have more sense than dying for a human. The thought had been festering for months now. Maybe he should go see her. Maybe it was time that he admitted how miserable he was without her. V caught his thoughts , normally if he thought about her like this she usually appeared. Mere coincidence he countered.

V was so lost in his own thoughts that he did not even notice the pair of green boots splashing toward him.

"It is just like you to be out here like this." YuuA said from behind. He might have been one of the fastest dragons to ever live but it seemed YuuA could defy all his senses. 

"What are you doing here? Don't you have work somewhere?" V asked not even turning around.

"As a matter of fact I do.It is in the concert hall down the road. Then again you already knew that didn't you."

"It is hard to not feel all of those increasing chants for your name and the number of people who have camped in the surrounding areas. Some of them have even asked some of my Scales if they can stay here while they attend your concerts."

"Exactly what I thought. Sensing and detecting but not able to see me at all. I am just down the road , in the same Concert Hall you wanted to be build so close here."

"Why should I go and see you? I haven't all these months. So why start now?" V felt that he was being more harsh than he meant. "Anyway what is it that brought you here?"

"This is our old house after all. I still have the keys and I wanted to know if you were home. One can never be sure where Creation Dragons go when they want."

The last sentence was a barb aimed at V and the times that he would be inexcusably absent in important times that they should be together. 

"Well you are here. I am here. Are you staying long?"

"Why? Am I no longer welcome here?" YuuA said in a voice that seemed to V something between a puppy dog and a pleading young girl.

"You are always welcome here. You are also welcome to come and go as you please. This is still yours after all. In a matter of months all that I have will actually be under your name and then you can continue being an idol or do what it is that you really want most in this world."

"At least turn around and look at me."

V did so and saw the tears that were now streaming out of her eyes. He did not like it when she was like this , not because he did not want her crying but because he felt that this made him the most vulnerable.He often wished he knew what to do when she cried like this.

"Don't talk to me about your death as if it is a foregone thing.I really hate it when you do that."

"I am already dead anyway."

"There is still time." YuuA pointed to her chest. "This orb. You can still claim it." 

"Now you are the one talking lightly about your death. You do know what it means when an orb is taken from you right?"

"What of it? I am dead as well."

"So we are a couple of dead people then?" V could not help but say it.

"Well not really but we are  just a couple of decisions closer to making it so. I don't want you to die V."

"The thing is as much as I don't want to die  , I don't want you dying in order for that not to happen. I am out of time now.The orb needs the maiden to love the dragon so the seals can be broken."

YuuA took V's hand and placed it on the middle of her chest and V was surprised at the ease that he could feel the orb within her , it was as if with a single pull it would separate and join his cells. But that can only mean...

"I haven't stopped thinking about you all this time. I actually can't stop and I can't accept a world without you in it. So I won't accept you just turning into dust without a fight. Let us look for a way together. We have in the past didn't we?"

V nodded.With her words who could move time itself he has no choice but to yield. The stubbornness of this woman knows no generation. Time to move forward and look for something else. YuuA took his hand and under the umbrellas they listened to the patter of the rain. 

"Aminatou , The Fate Shifter: Sa Iyo Na."

"Aminatou , The Fate Shifter: Sa Iyo Na."

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

Let us all welcome the youngest planeswalker and probably the most powerful one to date. The 8 year old Aminatou , the fateshifter who comes to us via esper colors of White, Blue and Black.

Her first ability let's you draw a card and allows you to put a card on top of your library. So I guess this is a watered down Brainstorm but it has great uses. It interacts well with setting up Miracle cards that you have already drawn. You could also put back a card from your hand , a card that you do not want to be discarded or wheeled away if your play group has a Nekusar or Locust God player. It simply is a great card draw.

Her -1 second ability allows you to flicker a permanent. exile and return to the battlefield under your control. I am thinking of something really bad about this 2nd ability but I would just be happy to flicker back a lot of cards with ETB triggered abilities like the Primordials of the Titans.

And her fate shifting ultimate ability of -6 is something that you can use as a political tool to have a potential ally or basically stave off a lethal attack on your person by stripping or giving an opponent all of the nonland permanents other than Aminatou to the next player in the chosen direction. Left of Right. And so the nonland permanent shifting happens. Some will win and some will lose with this ability.

The thing that I like is that it is not really a sure thing. Her fate shifting ability has so many variables to consider before triggering it. Of course it has to be advantageous to you like an opponent getting an Infernal contract or something that halves their lives like a Black Saga. 

So I guess unless an opponent will be taking control of Aminatou with a Silumgar or control enchanted permanent , you will always be the one saying Sa Iyo na as you change every ones fates.

"Doc In , Doc Out: Palabuan portion"

"Doc In , Doc Out: Palabuan portion"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

Patient logging medications that she took and she was holding the log book so close to her face:

Patient: Ano po itong nasa unahan doc?

Me: Date po.

Patient: Thanks po. Malabo na po kasi mata ko.

Me: May salamin na po kayo?

Patient: Di ko kailangan daw kasi near sighted ako.

Me: (Sobrang near sighted nga di mo mabasa yung nasa harap mo.Hay)

Umpisa na ng palabuan portion.

"Baon Solicitation letter"

"Baon Solicitation letter"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

"Maam Pasensiya na po wala lang akong baon."

Is what a note read when one teacher received it from a student. It was posted online and people were asked what you would do in a situation like this one.

First the premise is that the child has no funds for food and is in school hungry because financial wise or time wise his or her parent was not able to take care of this particular need.

If I were this particular childs teacher I would probably share my food or buy him or her a meal once or twice but that would be it. The next step is to actually talk to the parents or actual care givers to check and advise them that this is happening.

It makes sure that the parents/caregivers are aware while at the same time securing myself since there are people who will not even bat an eyelash when it comes to scamming you regardless of their age.

Once or Twice will be enough but if the parents keep on doing this to their own child I will be sad and probably just keep on buying something for this student of mine.

My wife is probably thanking her stars I am not teaching at the moment hahahaha. 

"LoonA - Favorite: Telling you , Asking you"

"LoonA - Favorite: Telling you , Asking you"

by:

The Vole

At long last after 2 years of waiting LooNa has finally released their first single in their final form. All 12 members unite and give such a powerful performance that will be sure to pull your into the orbit of their charms.

For me Favorite is a song about 12 voices choosing you as their favorite and those 12 voices also asking you to choose in not so simple terms your favorite among them as well.

I have to be honest when I say that the first LoonA member that caught my eye was the sultry Kim Lip and also the first LoonA member I wrote about. And her being the leader of the Sub Unit Odd Eye Circle she takes a bulk of the lead parts and face time with the rest of the other Leaders in Haseul and Yves.

I am also happy that my Favorite Jinsoul is prominently figured as the main 4 here. Chuu and Choerry at close 5th and 6th respectively. I was hoping that the others would also stand out for me but it was this 6 members that always caught my eye.

The choreography for this MV is really powerful. Adding a lot of sexy parts to form a beautiful tapestry of moving poetry. That part where Yves and a couple of others opened their legs in the middle of the song kind of bothered me a bit since they are going to show this in the major broadcasts and I don't know if that will be family friendly. As a guy I like it but I don't want LoonA to get a ban of sorts only in their first outing as a complete girl group.

There is so much to take in despite the bare surroundings. LooNA is all you need to focus on here. No stories. Just launching of their vocal identity and some signature moves that might also be identified with them such as the LoonA twerk.

2 years , a whole slew of MV's and Songs. Some members are shining through much more than the others but I will leave it to Blockberry to have the others catch up in this department.

The MV ends with LoonA kicking up dust in what seems to be their signature color of Turquoise. Congratulations on your debut and finally. 

"Midweek Magic 2018 #32 : Behold I have become the Threat"

"Midweek Magic 2018 #32 : Behold I have become the Threat"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

I actually wrote my Midweek Magic pieces in a span of days and this is actually from one epic game. The same one where my Beacon of Tomorrows was canceled. I have complained that I was not the threat because I was not doing anything and I was just allowing everything else to happen around me because I had a plan.

At the end of the table Ram was calmly piling up Loyalty counters on good old Liliana Vess and silently counting all the creatures on everyone's graveyards. Lili was now up to 8 and after patiently waiting for what seemed like an eternity , it also got worse that I was still fuming. I finally got to land Dragonlord Silumgar that was somehow not countered.

I suspect Ram had a counter but he did not do anything and so I was able to grab Liliana Vess from his control and I was the one who was able to use the ultimate netting me 23 creatures from all of my opponents along with their enters the battlefield abilities. And it was a great thing that I did not have haste for these creatures or I would have taken down 2 opponents at once.

It did give me the chance to say , "Ayan ako na talaga yung threat." And I could die happy in this game. Of course people will still have to bleed for the victory. At least now people knew I was always the threat. And as pissed off as I was with the earlier counter it proved right that she had to do it.

Sigh. Proven right by my own deck.Right to be a threat. Right to be countered and not allowed that extra turn. Sigh.

"Doc In , Doc Out: The Bread Feeling"

"Doc In , Doc Out: The Bread Feeling"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

Patient: Doc puwede po ba humingi ng gamot para sa likod ko?

Me: Ano pong nararamdaman ninyo Sir?

Patient: Ano po Doc eh...Parang nagkaCrumbs po?

Me: Crumbs?

Patient: Opo.

Me: (On the inside) Tinapay ka ba sir???

"Burning"

"Burning"

by:

Virgilio F.De leon Jr.MD

I

I ask that you don't look at me

while you dance where you are 

Sometimes it just proves to be too much

and I find longing for that touch

II

But I send these feelings way below

and I know that they become fuel

Outside I look so impassive

Inside I am burning like a coal.

III

You spark me without saying anything

all you need to do is exist

I sit here and look at you

and all these things just go and consume me

IV

And here I am burning

till I become a small ember

And the longing once again passes

only to return when I remember.

Optum Bldg.N , Quezon City 07/31/18 6:59am

"Midweek Magic 2018 #31: Sorin Markov Collective trauma"

"Midweek Magic 2018 #31: Sorin Markov Collective trauma"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

I would love to say that when you make a Nicol Bolas EDH deck that the thing that would be the scariest about it is Nicol Bolas himself. Oddly enough it is not any of the 5 Bolas in this deck but another old planeswalker in the form of Sorin Markov that has my play groupmates groaning when it lands on the battlefield. The reason is that this creased card that I bought for a mere 50 pesos somewhere in Greenhills can reduce even the life gainers in my playgroup to have 10 life points. 

From 60 life to 10 in what seems like a Thanos snap. It is normally hard to recover from this effect and so the group reacts when they see Sorin. Yo who had been the victim of the Vampire planeswalker recently even used a Stain the Mind to remove it from one of our EDH games. Out of all the cards that could have been his undoing or detriment it was always Sorin that stuck in his mind.

Another way that my playgroups Collective Trauma manifests is when people are given a choice to attack a Nicol Bolas planeswalker in play or Sorin Markov the latter would almost always be the one receiving the most attackers. Of course with cards like Eldest Reborn and Nicol Bolas , The Arisen I have no problem return Sorin for another round of life lowering.

This is also one of the reasons why I am the first to be eliminated in a non Archenemy game but then again as long as the Collective Trauma remains I am satisfied.

"Doc In , Doc Out - Pahingi po ng..."

"Doc In , Doc Out - Pahingi po ng..."

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

Patient:(rushes into the clinic) Doc...Pahingi po ng Sore throat.

Me: "Ay Sir Sorry po wala na kami ngayon niyan. Balik na lang po kayo next week."

Patient:(Looks dejected) Ok po.

Me: "What the hell did I just say?"

#Nagkaintindihankami

"Turning"

"Turning"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

I

I try not to look at your gaze

I know it will end up like always

Lost in those eyes for as far as I can remember

On and on and I am in that maze.

II

I try not to hear your sweet laughter

Because I know what happens after

It is the only thing that I could ever hear

And I will have nothing done till later

III

I try not to be overwhelmed by you

and Im sitting here beside you playing it cool

But I am losing it , I am losing it

when I am around you I turn into a gibbering fool.

Optum Bldg.N , Quezon City 07/31/18 6:54am

"Taunting the Guard."

"Taunting the Guard."

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

In a perfect world this kind of scenario would never happen but we are not in such a world. I am talking about a security who was caught on camera who shot a man who verbally assaulted him and constantly dared him to shoot him. In the end he did shoot the man and the video showed this bully lying down on his back as the security guard fled from the scene. 

In a perfect world the man who was bulging with muscles would not underestimate the guard and politely argue with him about the parking issue that he had. 

In a perfect world the guard would just have swallowed all the insults and be the better man even if he would feel abused by this person. 

Of course this happened. The Muscled man lost his temper and kept on taunting the guard , in the video several people could be seen trying to placate him , trying to pull him away from the guard but like some gorilla who had wanted to put on an aggressive display he kept circling back on the guard. The guard kept on moving back , retreating.

The muscled man could not be pacified and with his last taunt finally succeeded in persuading the guard to open fire.The guard is only human and he had a gun. Keep on poking a bear and you know you are bound to get its claws.

Most comments online actually show more empathy for the guard and his plight. The arrogant person got what he deserved. Sometimes just because you are bigger than someone does not mean that that person cannot fight back.

"Akala kasi niya di siya papatulan...Ayan pinatulan." Was one of the comments. Maybe if he could have controlled his temper or maybe if he had listened to the people who were trying to stop him then he would still be alive today. 

Sadly this is not a perfect world. And the guard with a gun did him in.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The Original link is here:
https://www.facebook.com/exone11/videos/263380967585513/

"Midweek Magic 2018 #30: When the Threat is not Bolas"

"Midweek Magic 2018 #30: When the Threat is not Bolas"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

I have always prided myself in making decks that are strong enough to have an effect on the battlefield and maybe win from time to time. My play groupmates have shown me respect and acknowledged the decks that I make as evidenced by the number of times that I have become the de facto Archenemy when I should not have been.

In the latest and I think would be the last deck that I would make in this vein the Nicol Bolas , The Ravager led deck that I have been developing for several weeks now. When it goes off I win in combos or if not I get eliminated really and rest while the rest of my playgroup mates try and destroy each other for the win.

Normally I don't mind all the team playing around me. I am usually the threat or they really don't want me to develop a board presence to be the threat. 

What I really do not get is when an extra turn is countered for the mere reason that a person should only be the one getting extra turns. What?

All I have on the board are lands and mana rocks. No planeswalkers or creatures.No combo pieces. There is actually no reason to counter an extra turn. An extra turn can only be a threat if you already have enough creatures to cause lethal damage to an opponent or if you need another turn to look for a final combo piece and kill everyone with it.

Yet there it was a Mana leak that cancelled nothing of value. It enraged me to no end since I knew that the guy next to me , Jethro already had a Blasting station out and needs only a creature or two to get off on a pinging massacre or Ram on the end of the table with a Circu  , Dimir Lobotomist and an abusive combo in his hand. And yet it was my extra turn that got cancelled! 

My deck is a threat yes but only if I have the pieces to threaten you with. An extra turn is not a threat. Those guys who already have a piece of their combos out are a threat. 

And of course it is nothing to be proud of if you read the situation all wrong and even shouted it to the entire  group. There were a lot of great plays that night but this was not one of them. Not in the farthest.

I know it is a game and I play it to enjoy it. I just have high expectations of people who I believe are intelligent and don't base their strategies on petty things like "Ako lang dapat may extra turn."

And now that I am able to purge this out of my system. Next time ayusin ang threat assessment.

"To the 2 A-holes...."

To the 2  A-Holes who sat behind me earlier,

I sincerely hoped that you would shut the hell up. It is hard to focus on listening to the lectures when you are discussing a freaking case that is unrelated to the topic.

If you need to discuss this case so badly why the hell don't you step out and do so the whole afternoon? You can do it in the quiet lobby or in the bathroom. Just don't do it behind me.

So help me God I am finding the extreme urge not to stuff down these croissants in front of me down your throats if you keep this "trying to whisper but fail anyway" discussion.

Not so happy with you,
Doc June

Doc in , Doc out: "Doc , Puwede na."

Doc in , Doc out: "Doc , Puwede na."

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

While taking a female patients OB history

Me: Nagkababy na po ba kayo Maam? (learning from previous experience)

Patient: Di pa po Doc. Single pa po. Pero puwede na.

(And then she gave me that look.)

Me: (Opens Door much wider)...Sige po , Moving on.  

#innocentquestions

#anobadiakoready

"Estrid The Masked: God Bringer."

"Estrid The Masked: God Bringer."

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

I took one hard look at the commander that was to be mine this coming August 10 , 2018 and all I could think of was all of the Theros Bestow creatures that I had that were in some box somewhere. I guess now is the time to thank myself for buying all of them on the cheap and getting to Estrid the masked as Commander.

This new planeswalker comes in the colors of Bant and a colorless mana. It comes in with 3 loyalty counters which can easily bumped up to 5 with it's first ability.

And for a dedicated enchantment deck this will be one good advantage. If you have been playing an aura to enchant a land and were able to get Estrid out then you can just go ahead and untap all of those lands. The same goes for creatures that have auras on them. 

So Mana dorks can untap , creatures with wonderful abilities can untap.

And what if you don't have anything with an aura on it? Well Estrid takes care of that too by giving it a Mask. A white Aura that attaches to another target permanent. So now you can actually protect one of your permanents. It can attach to that particular planeswalker that you like so much for example and if your opponents dare damage it you could just sacrifice the Totem Armor Mask and save it.

What intrigues me the most is the Ultimate skill of Estrid which allows you to dump the top 7 cards of your library into your graveyard.(this would be great if you already used a Sensei's divining top or Halimar Depths to see what is on top or maybe use a Courser of Kruphix or Future sight as well. Or maybe use Brainstorm first and put 2 mana costing Enchantments on top of that library).

After the cards fall to the graveyard you can then return all Non-Aura enchantments to the battlefield. The best ones should be the Bestow or God creatures from Theros. All of whom are non-aura enchantment creatures and then if you have Aura cards you could return them to enchant these creatures. I don't know maybe cards like Eldrazi conscription , Daybreak Coronet , Auramancers guise  , something something Godhead and a lot more.

The wonderful thing about this ability is that you could board wipe or even if your opponents beat you to that this will turn out to be a one sided reanimation technique. Much like what Bruna , Sovereigns of New Alara does and the new white Angel that is in the pre con deck of Estrid.

You could Traumatize yourself and then use this ability to maximize all of the Auras and Enchantment creatures.

Now imagine this scenario where Thassa , Karametra , Nylea  . Kruphix  , Ephara and  Heliod. These Gods could all be in your graveyard and they all could comeback with enough color mana count to be creatures! You just need to hope that you also have enough deterrents in play just in case you do not have the haste to attack like Sphere of Safety , Propaganda or Ghostly Prison.

Yup Estrid is shaping up to be the commander that I have always wanted for these enchantment Gods. I can't wait for August 10. 

"Saheeli The gifted: Phyrexian Metallic Victory!"

"Saheeli The gifted: Phyrexian Metallic Victory!"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

Saheeli has always been a favorite despite her having a limited role in the whole Kaladesh storyline. My hope is that we could still see Dinobots on Kaladesh when we return there someday now that she is friends with fellow planeswalker Huatli.

I never thought I would see her soon but here she is in commander 2018 with a version that is just begging for a Metallic victory.

So for 2 colorless and Izzet colored mana you can cast Saheeli the gifted and she enters with 4 starting loyalty counters which you can start to add +1 to right away.

You could create a 1/1 colorless Servo artifact token to protect her or if you do not have enough artifacts into play. 

Of course if you already have a Darksteel Citadel , The Great Furnace , Seat of the Synod , Sol ring and Izzet signet out you could also use her "limited artifact affinity" imbuing skill and cast a spell for 1 less colorless mana. With just those 5 artifacts out you could cast a 5 mana artifact like an Aetherflux Reservoir or Gilded Lotus or Thran Dynamo or Paradox Engine almost the same turn that you cast Saheeli. Or You could cast a Chain Veil for free! 

Saheeli and her last ability is just the piece the resistance here as you can win using a Mechanized production or if you ever want to use her in a grixis deck a Revel in Riches. You just need to have at least 5 treasures or Clues or Servos or Thopters and Saheeli can double them with her last ability.

What I was thinking is something more convoluted but deadly and it goes in conjunction with Brudiclad , Telchor Engineer. So if you managed to plop down a Blightsteel Colossus with a Quicksilver Amulet (which is the dream) and on the first main phase you use Saheeli's Ultimate ability. You now have a token of the BC. On your attack phase  , Brudiclad , Telchor Engineer , creates a 2/1 Myr token and you get to choose one of the tokens you have in play(choose the BC one) and you have 2 BC tokens and 1 regular BC that could attack(assuming you have a Lightning Greaves in play). If they all go unblocked watch as your opponents foam at the mouth from the poison counters. Of course that is the Phyrexian Dream.

Or if you have enough mana your could just do a Rites of Replication on the BC and spread the Phyrexian love around until all is One. Rites of Replication fits in to this deck as well.

I guess this is enough salivating about the possibilities for one day. Hopefully I can buy this card sometime soon.  

"Laboum - Between Us MV reaction: Parts Laboum , Parts Sexy. All hot."

"Laboum - Between Us MV reaction: Parts Laboum , Parts Sexy. All hot."

by:

The Vole

Laboum is back and this time the girls have opted for a more mature and sexy vocal approach. After Yulhee left them for motherhood and winning their first show trophies I wonder what was next for Laboum and then they competed in The Unit where members Yujeong  , Haein and ZN stood out the most in the sexy concepts with the latter joining in the hot girl group Uni.T. 

This new sexy side of Laboum is further shown in this comeback where the company capitalized on that growing image and with good effect. The refined vocals of Soyeon is showcased here as well the more mature look that Laboum is showing. It still feels like Laboum but with less of the cutesy ness that they have shown in the past. 

I wondered if the koreans have forgiven Solbin yet for that faux pas that she did calling a senior so informally. With all the strong fan chants it seems that most have fro given the beautiful Laboum member as well.

My favorite part of Between Us is that rising crescendo of the EDM in the chorus where they sing about touching and the scent spreading all over their bodies. This is also shown in the choreography where they make hand movements of wafting scents and the act of spreading perfume by rubbing their wrists.

The effect is both sexy and effective. I hope that they can win something this come back and I am looking forward to more mature songs from Laboum in the future. 

"About Korean Hate of Pinoys Videos: You find what you seek."

"About Korean Hate of Pinoys Videos: You find what you seek."

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

Lately there have been several videos being posted on social media about Koreans making fun of filipinos. One was an episode of Dear Counselor where a Korean who had darker skin was nicknamed Philippines growing up.

Another video is about an actress who was making English pronounciations using several nationalities like American and British until one of the hosts asked her to do an impression of A Philippine English teacher. They all laughed at the accent. 

So now you have all this hate and how these things are seemingly representative of how the Koreans view the Filipinos as a race. To be honest even among pinoys we exhibit high levels of bigotry. We say things like Probinsiyano or Yumaman lang. And yes we do make fun of other peoples accents. We make fun of Koreans themselves when they try to speak english when some of our country men struggle with the language as well. Even in the higher echelons of power where you assume that they had more time to practice.

All I am saying is that if you look for hate then you will find it. People need to grow up and not espouse hatred towards another race mainly because some of them said this and that against another race. There are still some Americans who think pinoys climb uptrees but we don't hate them right? Those we identify we boycott but heck we don't boycott their entire race.That seems simply insane.

It bothers me that people who are leaving videos like these on their feeds and saying things like "Ito ang tingin talaga sa iyo ng mga Koreans na gustong gusto mo" seem a bit misinformed or need to understand that every race might find something odd or disparage you in some way. The Koreans for example look down on dark skinned individuals because in their culture these are the peasants who grow darker working in the fields. Di high class kumbaga. Even pinoys have this impression of other dark skinned people. What do we often say about the Bumbays on their motorcycles? Mabaho yang mga yan. 

Let us not be hypocrites and say that we are above all of this judgemental crap. Do not go looking for hate because you will always find it. 

"Midweek Magic 2018 #29:There was dissatisfaction in my soul"

"Midweek Magic 2018  #29:There was dissatisfaction in my soul"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

It was one of those EDH games where you were not able to do anything. Do anything but die that is.

I was playing Trostani and then Muldrotha. I was not able to interact with any of my opponents tonight. I did not even get to develop my mana base and as consequence was not able to get anything going.

For the first 2 games I died to Jethro and his Xenagos led creatures. My Gruul(R/G) deck of choice was Omnath and Radha Heir of Keld which differed greatly from the Xenagos deck that killed me consistently. 

One of the things that probably hurt me more was that I knew I had the same cards that pummeled me to death , even Xenagos himself and I knew that I could come up with a better version of the deck if I wanted to. Those same pieces were languishing somewhere and maybe I should take them out of those places to see more play.

Time to dive into my piles once more.

"Doc In , Doc Out Espesyal Letter to Patients - Fiona 2"

"Doc In , Doc Out Espesyal Letter to Patients - Fiona 2"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

Dear Fiona,

Alam ko na medyo di maganda ang ating relasyon. Kailan lang ay nalaman ko na nangholdap ka pala ng taxi at nahuli ka pa at habang nasa presinto ay nagpakitang gilas ka sa mga pulis sa paggamit ng matatas nag ingles.

Di naman ako masyadong takot pero ko sa susunod na visit magpakapkap ka muna tayo magconsult ha. Baka mamaya kasi kapag dineny ko yung request mo for voice rest para sa pulikat sa paa mo eh bigla kang maglabas ng butter knife at maghostage. Tapos sasabihin mo na di mo dala yung butter knife at napulot mo lang bago ka pumunta ng clinic.

Kaya simula ngayon kapag ikaw ang pasyente ko eh magpapastandby ako ng guwardiya.Di naman talaga ako takot. I just want you to feel special. Not really.

Magrerequest ng Metal detector sa Clinic,

Doc June

"To Embrace death is to Embrace life."

"To Embrace death is to Embrace life."

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

I

I sit here alone

and I know that I am dying

I can deny the truth

but you know I would be lying

II

My cells degrade day by day

I have no call or say

I can only delay as I might

Still I grow old , weak and die

III

Yet I know there is a need

To Embrace this frightful truth

For in doing so I can enjoy

My life and Yours to the full.

Seda Hotel 12:45pm 06/21/2018