"Why I love this weekend(January 26-27 , 2019)"

"Why I love this weekend(January 26-27 , 2019)"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr. MD

It was a wonderful week and there were a lot of thing things that actually made it wonderful. There are indeed so many things to be thankful for and here are some of the things that made this weekend(January 26-27 , 2019 weekend) wonderful.

1) My whole family finally got outfits that made us look great. And there was no hitch , there was no mishaps in the whole process and my wife was happy with what she was wearing. I felt great in my outfit as well. Aven , well everyone can just see it in her pictures to know.

2) I got to hang out with my siblings Aj and Nadine. We don't often do but we got to do it on this weekend because of our Mama Rose and her 60th birthday. Nadine still loves dancing. 

3) Mama Rose and her 60th birthday. I was able to express my love toward this wonderful woman. And also my appreciation to my Uncle Sam and Tita Merly. I also got to see my cousin Chiririt before she officially moved to Japan the following day. I was able to hug everyone I have wanted to on this side of the family.

4) My brother from Another Mother Mark Anthony Abude and his long time girlfriend Kaye Ramirez officially is getting married with the "Pamamanhikan" that was done. My family and I are excited for this and look forward to attending it this year.

5) My friends from Eton officially held an out of office EDH meet up and despite me not being able to attend they made me feel that I am missed and that I should really make everyone's life miserable with some of my brews for the next meetings. Depende kung papayagan ako ng tunay kong Commander hahahha. Thanks guys.

6) I was able to keep a promise to my Aven to bring her to CNA , the Korean Merch store in Eton Centris. She was later screaming with glee after opening the album I bought her of BTS when she got her first photo card , Rapmon , who is her actual bias.

7)  My family officially met my long time friend ST Estrella and they hit it off instantly with all the Kpop news and rumors one can fit in a 30 minute discussion or so.Also in a sort of the universe calling me to NG Centris , Robert Flores and ST were just talking about me when I walked into the door. Hahahahahahha

8) To top the day off we were able to hang out with my Mama Lits and before going home I was able to see brother and sister kiss and hug after not seeing each other for quite some time. I think we need to bring Tim out more. It made me happy.

All in all there was so much love to share. I am really thankful for this weekend. And now looking forward the rest of the year.

"Death by Log: An inexplicable way to go"

"Death by Log: An inexplicable way to go"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

In one of the most bizarre things that one can witness in Valenzuela , a log from an 18 wheeler truck crushed the head of a driver and instantly killed him on the spot in front of the South supermarket. The sad thing is that the truck was in full stop and it seemed that the driver who rammed into the truck was not able to stop in time or even dodge the piece of wood that killed him.

It was one of those things that feature into dark jokes but something that you will never have the heart to tell the family of the deceased. You could probably understand if the chains of the log broke and your loved one was crushed by the rolling unencumbered logs. Or if there was a chain of collisions involved.

This was on a full stop. As sad as this event is one should always learn the lesson of resting properly and not pushing one's limit all the time. Was he not alert enough? did he not get enough sleep? was it a simple confused moment where he accelerated and not decelerated as he ought to? We will never know what happened. Only to learn from the tragedy.

"Phone Ban for Better Adults: Aftermath Week 2"

"Phone Ban for Better Adults: Aftermath Week 2"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

There are benefits to banning tech/cellphones during school hours. And my Aven told me a story that made me happy when she got home earlier this week. The kids at their school are playing games like Uno and Jenga once again and they are having more interactions with one another. They are talking more , strategizing to win games and even creating variations of the game itself as they go along.

While the internet may certainly hold it's own set of experience there are still things that are better left experienced in real life. Aven told me that she wants to buy her own Jenga and Uno so she can have games with her friends. This weekend seems like a good time to buy then.

I salute Notre Dame for doing this phone ban. While not all the kids are adjusting and still secretly play Mobile legends while pretending to poop during breaks there are at least kids who seem to be waking up to the fact that there is more to life than their own phones.

"Kayang Kaya ni Kaya"

"Kayang Kaya ni Kaya"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

Kayang Kaya ni Kaya or in English Kaya can really do it. I happen to just enjoy the play on words one day as I contemplated on the planeswalker who was instrumental in killing a Ghost King in another plane. 

Now this 3 mana costing planeswalker has a unique game play that circles around it. Her first two abilities concern exiling things from the graveyard and from the battlefield. 

Her +1 exiles 2 cards from the graveyard , hosing down reanimation shenanigans and you also gain life if at least 1 creature is removed this way.

Her -1 exiles a target nonland permanent with mana cost 1 or less. Might be that Sol ring  , might be that altar of the brood or a lone 1 mana creature just minding it's own business. Kaya can exile it.

And she loves exiling things. And in all of magic White seems to love doing this from Path to Exile , Final Judgement and even the various 3 mana "Police" cards that exile permanents like Oblivion Ring or Ring Warden.

So what does Kaya , Orzhov Usurper do about this exiled cards? Well she makes an opponent pay and gains an advantage. Her ultimate ability (-5) let's you count all of those exiled cards of a target player , that player loses life equal to the number of exiled cards and you gain that much life as well. A large swing in your favor.

So Kaya will be happy to just let all the armies build up around her , cast a Final Judgement, exiling a ton of creatures and then use her ultimate ability. Yikes. Some Eldrazi cards would really love her. Hmmmmmmmm

An Eldrazi- Kaya deck seems to be in order. Hmmmmmm

"Orzhov Afterlife"

"Orzhov Afterlife"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

The Orzhov believe in an afterlife , not the sort where you just sing and lounge around all day with your angelic wings. They believe that you need to pay them what you owe even in the afterlife.

And so their mechanic asks for their creatures to live and die and live again in their service in the form of spirits. It seems odd to me that one creature can have more than 1 spirit in them but then again for the Orzhov it just means more servants.

I instantly thought of the Teysa , Orzhov Scion EDH deck that has been dormant since forever in one of my Fat Bundle boxes. Teysa would like these new Afterlife creatures because they are both black and white as they should be.

The Orzhov decks can be a bit controlling having access to a lot of mass removal as well as the fact that even if they kill all their creatures they can still have a bunch of Flying Ghosts fighting for them in the next turn while all of your creatures just go to the graveyard.

Oh well. Quite unfair really but when you think about it almost everyone owes the Orzhov some coin. Chances are you will still see everyone in the Afterlife. 

"Rioters Riot! Smashers Smash!"

"Rioters Riot! Smashers Smash!"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

As many players have seen by now the Gruul are strong and fast. Their new mechanic Riot let's you choose between making something bigger so it can smash face later on with a bigger power or it can enter with Haste and do the smashing now.

The versatility of Riot is seen as an advantage on the battlefield as you can choose your edge against your opponents. The creature that embodies for me is the Ogre Warrior  , Gruul Spellbreaker who not only has Riot  but Trample and has hexproof as long as it is your turn. 

I could just imagine Unearthing this in a Jund Deck and setting it off to smash a few opponents. This is going to be good.

"Simic Pets Inc."

"Simic Pets Inc."

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

The Simic Soap...err...sigil is a proof or symbol of excellence. The Simic has improved on the frail body of mere humans and simply created more.

And if they can do that for humans , think of the benefits that they could give your pets by a simple rearrangement of their genetic code. 

I mean take the Sharktocrab! It makes me want to sing and dance. Sharktocrab du du du du du Sharktocrab du du du du.

Seriously though this is one pet that you really want to have on your side , Those tentacles are made for grabbing over long distance , those claws are for shredding and those razor sharp teeth is for whatever else that survives. At 4 mana and 4/4 the Sharktocrab is one FishOctupus Crab that is much better dishing out pain rather than being put in a dish. I can just imagine how that all tastes like. The cholesterol alone....

Anyway , Sharktocrab features the new Simic Mechanic Adapt. You can pay 2 mana of any color and Simic Colors and Adapt 1. You put a +1/+1 counter on the already big 4/4 and it also taps target creature that does not untap on it's controller next step. As if the prospect of being eaten by the Sharktocrab isn't enough , you now have been deprived of a blocker. 

Great. Thanks a lot Simic Pets Inc.

"Spectacle is Spectacular."

"Spectacle is Spectacular."

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

The Rakdos are getting an upgrade and the party is just starting. Their new mechanic Spectacle cares very much if an opponent lost life this turn because by then Rakdos Cultist can get certain discount of painful things that they can then impart to their opponents.

Cards like Skewer the critics is normally a 3 mana card for 3 damage. However it only has a Spectacle cost of 1 Red mana. So all you need to do is keep on attacking and then Lightning Bolt your opponents for 3.

Drill Bit is another piece of card that drills a bit to the bone and it makes sure that an opponent loses a non land card from their hand for a Spectacle cost of 1 black mana.

Blade Juggler is a common 5 mana card that turns into a 3/2 card drawer for it's 3 mana cost Spectacle. I love the fact that you could power this out on turn 3 and be assured to have someone damage.

The sequence of a Burglar rat , the same rat attacking and then a drill bit helps out a lot to decimate your opponents hands. Rakdos a lot of burn spells and creatures that can attack early as well so Spectacle will always be spectacular.

"Midweek Magic 2019 #5: As the turns turn"

"Midweek Magic 2019 #5: As the turns turn"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

When you make a deck you have a certain expectation and then you are either met with that expectation or let down by your own thoughts. And sometimes a deck just somehow grabs you by the throat and forces you to watch how awesome it would turn out to be cool ways that you would have a hard time figuring out. 

Such was the case with my Izzet Kenrith Twins deck. Having recently decided that I would make it focus more on Planeswalkers instead of the Storm build deck that I wanted it to be. In the process I wanted to take a couple of turns just in case I would not be able to do anything good on my turn or need an extra one to finish off an opponent.

I had no idea of the Time Displacement that would happen that night. It was our last game of the night and Pao and his Prossh deck was all but set to probably kill me before Yo and his Arahbo cat decks could. Having died to Prossh the previous game I was a bit wary of experiencing the same.

And so on my turn I was able to pull of something in our playgroup that no one has done as to my knowledge.I took 13 straight turns(or more) and never looked back.

How did it happen? I was able to use Will Kenrith's ultimate ability and cast a Time Warp with the mana from Primal Wellspring which gave me an initial 3 extra turns. I was able to cast get my Time Warp back with an Archeomancer and then it went all banana level Time manipulation when I was able to cast the Nivix Guild Mage. 

With all my accumulated mana I was able to cast Timewarp and gained 3 turns plus 3 more from the Nivix Guildmages 2nd abilitiy.

How did it end you might ask? I mean hypothetically one cannot simply just take extra turns aimlessly right? I was aimless alright and I was not sure how to end the game until I ran into Devil's Play and scorched Pao for about 80 burn damage. I asked Yo because I ran out of mana this turn and then went ahead and burnt him on my next turn for 80 mana as well with a flashbacked Devils play.

Whooooo. It was tiring but I have never experienced so much time manipulation like that. Insane.

"Addendum is a mess"

"Addendum is a mess"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

Maybe I am not just getting the point of all this but it seems that the Azorius has gotten the proverbial short end of the stick when it comes to the mechanic department.

Addendum is an added bonus on certain spells when you cast it on your turn or specifically on your main phase. What is annoying about this is that normally in control match ups you dont really want to spend that much mana on your own turn as much as possible. And what is the point if some of these cards are Instants , since you can only get the Addendum by playing it at the same time you could play a sorcery then it might as well have been a sorcery.

I don't know what happened when they were making this mechanic but it might be a new direction that the Azorius might be taking and that direction is toward Oblivion with mechanics such as this. But hey who knows in the next sets Addendum might be a thing and worth the investment. In the mean time I would rather play an instant at instant speed.

"Dovin , Grand Arbiter: Thopter Aggressions."

"Dovin  , Grand Arbiter: Thopter Aggressions."
by:
Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

Dovin Baan is one of those characters that you are not really sure of , I mean you know that he is all for order and whatnot but it seems that his actions leads to some confusion.

His latest planeswalker is no exception. Normally the colors of the Azorius(Blue and White) mean that you expect heavy control and will only attack when needed which seperates them from the smash face first  , ask questions later of the Boros Legion. However Dovin seems to bring other things and may herald a more aggressive Azorius Senate.

I say this because of his first ability. Until end of turn whenever a creature you control deals combat damage to a player , put a loyalty counter on Dovin , Grand Arbiter.

So that would be one counter per one creature. And this pushes me to conclude that you need to keep attacking with weenies to reach that Dovin ultimate.

If you don't have a creature to attack with then you could create a 1/1 Flying Thopter Artifact with his second ability to have one.

But you have to attack often and attack with a lot. And the pay off is in this ultimate ability where Dovin will let you look at the top ten cards of your library and you could then put 3 of them in your hand for future use. The rest will be put in your library in a random order.

So who benefits from Dovin? Weenies. Make sure you have attackers when he lands on the battlefield so you could draw cards on your next turn to give your hand more fuel.

"High Alert:Arcades toy"

"High Alert:Arcades toy"
by:
Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

When the Bant Colored Dragon Arcades was released I planned to make a wall deck but was beat to it by one of our play group mates Janry who made one and whom I dubbed Paderalismo. Being killed by walls was a treat. It was great to watch when it was pulled off properly. Arcades was always the key though and if the dragon was stopped or acquired then the whole deck grinds to a halt. However Bant players of this deck now have a redundancy that can still make the deck run.

High Alert is a 3 colored mana in the Azorius colors and one mana of any color.  This enchantment let's creatures you control assign combat damage equal to it's toughness rather than it's power.

And it also has Creatures you control can attack as though they didn't have defender. Which makes it Arcades on an enchantment!

And to top it all off the enchantment also has an ability that let's you untap a target creature for 4 mana. A very good target is Overgrown Battlements which taps for X which is the number of walls or defenders you control. You could actually go infinite mana with it assuming that you have enough wall/defenders already on the battlefield.

Arcades gives his thumbs up to this enchantment.

"Domri , Chaos Bringer: Doing the Will of Phyrexia."

"Domri , Chaos Bringer: Doing the Will of Phyrexia."
by:
Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

I have always wanted to make a Gruul Infect EDH deck. I mean with greens Ramp spells and Reds haste it was easy to power our a big Infect monster but somehow I felt that there was something missing , it needed that extra oomph. And that Oomph is Domri , Chaos Bringer.

In particular is this first ability. The one that gives you red or green mana and if this mana is spent on a creature spell  it gains Riot. And I asked myself what is better than the 5/3 Putrefax? Why a 6/4 Putrefax of course! And all the other Infect creatures that can now have the benefit of having a +1/+1 counter or Haste when they enter the battlefield.

If you don't have any creatures on hand yet for the first ability , you could go and use the second ability to dig in your library 4 cards at a time and you get to choose 2 creatures to put in your hand.

If I would use Domri , Chaos Bringer I would mainly focus on these first 2 abilities but that is not to say that the Ultimate ability should be dismissed outright. When you get an emblem from Domri , you get to create a 4/4 R/G Beast Token with Trample on the beginning of each of your end steps.

Now all that 4/4 token needs is a Grafted Exoskeleton attached to it and it becomes a 6/6 Infect Beast worthy of the lethality it inspires.

Who would have known it Domri , Chaos Bringer is doing the will of Phyrexia. Or will do it once I force him too. All will be one.

"Midweek Magic #4 2019: Bloodsoaked Champion for the win"

"Midweek Magic #4 2019: Bloodsoaked Champion for the win"
by:
Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

It seems that we are destined to go on individual games this year and this time around it was my first game of the year with Yo Castillo. The thing that I enjoy with Yo is that we can go all out with each other and I discover a lot of interactions in my deck that I usually can't since my opponent usually dies to aggro. Yo can take a beating and then see the combination going.

And the Champion of the evening was none other than Bloodsoaked Champion. The guy literally had to die an infinite amount of times and be brought back again and again. He really was a work horse and for that he gains a permanent spot in my Hunyo ni Kulto Deck.

The first interaction was when I had a Harvester of Souls , Descrated Tomb and Ashnod's Altar in play.Bloodsoaked Champion gets sacrficed , I get 2 colorless mana from the altar and draw a card from the demon , when I return the Bloodsoaked Champion to the battlefield  , making it leave the graveyard it returns with a 1/1 Flying bat. I think I sacrficed it enough times to finally use a 20 X Exsanguinate for the finish.

This recurring theme gets even better with a Blood Artist or Zulaport Cutthroat in play as it easily sucks the life out of your opponents. I was excited with this interaction that I made all the Swamps in this deck full art. For future Murder and Swag.

Thanks for the game Yo!

 

"Fan Chant"

"Fan Chant"
by"
Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

I
Barely breathing  , heart stopping
Your first move on that stage
Exploding in colors , lush in sound
That smile that starts to erupt

II
It must be hard to hear me
When everyone else shouts your name
Yet you look straight at me
And you remember , you remember my name

III
Then the snap where the music slows
And then your movement lands in that sensual sway
You are lost in this dream of mine
You are an enticing haze dragging me to this maze

IV
And I let you lead me with your hand
Though I know even your smile will do
And my breathing stops to receive it
My heart , my heart can no longer take it.

Shaw 500 Centrum ,Mandaluyong City , Jan 25 2019 , 11:16am 

"Cindervines: Ruric Thar Jr."

"Cindervines: Ruric Thar Jr."
by:
Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

This enchantment like Ruric Thar likes to punish opponents when they play non-creature spells like I don't , counter spells and card drawing? Though the 1 point of damage is miniscule when compated to Ruric's you could consider that you are playing this in a gruul deck. And normally the Gruul are not very tame and are on the aggressive side.

The new Riot mechanic is all the signal you will need that dealing with the Gruul and the damage they inflict will be hard at best. I mean even they even had a mana dork that tapos for mana and pings you 1 point of damage as well.

This 2 to cast enchantment also has another wonderful ability. You could pay one mana of any color to sacrifice it and it destroys a target artifact or enchantment and it also deals 2 damage to that permanent's controller. That is so Gruul!

"Free"

"Free"
by:
Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

I
The world continually pushes and pulls
And I stand here moored
The waves around me ebb and flow
and I am here standing unmoved

II
Storms keep on brewing on the horizon
And peaks that are willing to be conquered
Depths not giving up their long held secrets
And Shadows moving where light lingered

III
The ship sways to and fro,
 I stand and I hold on
Afraid of the dark waters
Afraid of the thunderous storm

IV
Yet somehow I find the courage
Looking at the peaks , the depths
Staring at the distant lightning
I whisper to the lingering shadows

V
My life is finally mine
And fear of the future will not slow me
The past may try and say things
I am stepping on the waters.

Shaw 500 Centrum ,Mandaluyong City , Jan 25 2019 , 11:12am 

"Captive Audience:Choosing your damnation"

"Captive Audience:Choosing your damnation"
by:
Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

Captive Audience is one of those cards just screaming to be played in a chaos infused edh game. A 7 mana of the Rakdos colors and 5 mana of any color this enchantment can mean the end of a player in the right conditions.

You could see all the faces in the crowd looking on at the grisly spectacle before them , you might probably see the same look on your opponents as you choose one of them for the slaughter. 3 damnations await for chosen player and they have the unfortunate task of choosing their pain.

The choices are as follows:

1) Have their life total reduced to 4.
2) Have them discard their hand.
3) Have them witness the emergence of 5 2/2 Zombie creatures on all of their opponents side of the board.

All of these choices are painful and you could see the creeping horror that would follow if they are not able to deal with this particular enchantment in the next 3 turns.

Losing your hand might not mean much when you are already running out of steam but would be excruciating if you already had your combo pieces and would not be unable to use them.

Being down to 4 life means that you can be within spitting distance to the grave with a 4 power creature pushing you there or a well timed burned spell doing the deed.

Or they could just be gnawed by zombies. Representing 10 damage if all their opponents attack.

None of the choices seem all that appealing. Fortunately it is your chosen opponent who would do all the thinking and dying.

"Midweek Magic #3 2019: KFC Thopter Massacre"

"Midweek Magic #3 2019: KFC Thopter Massacre"
by:
Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

Cheska and I decided to meet on a cold January night for our first EDH game of 2019. While I was eager to show the power of my improved Kulto ni Hunyo Deck ( Shirei + Shadowborne Apostles deck) I managed to win convincingly with it but not in the way that I wanted so I will not be writing about that here.

Instead I wanted to show the improvements on my Sai , Master Thopterist deck that was suggested by my friend Mark Abude. He suggested that I put a single Altar of the brood in the deck which can be seen here. Of course the insane interaction that I was able to pull off was when I had plopped down an unopposed Paradox Engine that had me untapping mana rocks and drawing cards with a Skull Clamp when I killed a Thopter that came into the battlefield. It was the beginning of the end , for each draw I got more mana rocks and soon after wards the Altar of the brood with a continuing stream of Thopters that milled Cheska down.

Dear Nabully,

Dear Nabully,

Nung una tayong nagkita ay tumaas ang BP mo. Minanage ka namin  at sinuring mabuti at sinigurandong stable ka na nung pinabalk sa floor. Tapos na sana ang kuwento natin ng gabing iyon dahil tahimik naman pareho ang ating mga duty(Salamat MLK!) kaso lang bumalik ka at nagpupumilt na magpauwi sa akin.

Ang sabi mo ay ayaw mong makita ang iyong manager na sinisigawan ka at nabubully ka kamo , na dahil sa iyong health ang dahilan. Ganito po kasi yan Sir , di na po kasi kayang ng clinic na manghimasok sa mga personal niyong alitan ng manager mo. At halos mag 50 ka na pero ang lumalabas pa din sa bibig mo eh nabubully ka. Wala na po tayo sa playground. Kung sinisigawan ka ng manager mo direkta mong ireklamo sa HR kasi di kayang pasukin ng Clinic yan.

Kung ayaw mong bumalik sa floor kasi ayaw mong makita ang manager mo di na po yata tama na sa clinic mo ikunsulta yan di ba? Personal issue eh di na sakop ng clinic.

Di natutuwa sa iyo,

Doc June

"V Stirs"

"V Stirs"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

V lay face down  , unmoving on the ground. Blue was concerned when his master would not budge from this position so she called the only person that could probably stir him.

"Are you asleep?"

V opened his eyes to see her face. Her brown eyes looked at him accusingly.

"You didn't show your face to me for weeks and I found you on this dirty floor. Don't you feel at least ashamed?"

V turned his head to the other side. YuuA placed her head to face him again. "So that is how you want to play this? Turning your back on me?"

V sighed. "Please leave me alone. Don't you have a ton of things to do? Idols rarely have breaks. What are you doing here?"

"Wow. If you have to ask me that then there really is no need for me to be here." YuuA looked at the concerned Blue who stood a good distance from them. "Sorry Blue , I tried but your master is being an idiot again."

"I'm hungry." V sat up surprising both women. "What do we have to eat?"

"What do you want to eat?" YuuA asked.

"Human flesh."

YuuA tapped the dragon lightly on his forehead.

"I can cook something for you if you want. Something burnt on the outside but still cold on the inside."

V shot YuuA a look and smiled. "Looking forward to your cooking as usual. Also don't forget the uneven cutting of the vegetables."

"Do I ever forget it?" YuuA turned to the Blue and took her hand. "Come Blue , help me in the kitchen. Your idiot master is hungry."

Blue complied with a look of relief. 

"Waking"

"Waking"
by:
Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

I
Fallen eyelids struggling from slumber
Sitting down trying to remember your number
Foggy memories of what happened last night
Did we end up loving or down in a fight?

II
Aching muscles too strained to stretch
Splitting headaches to go with this wretch
Annoyed because I didn't catch your name
Was too busy because my life was being changed

III
Through the haze a remembered smile
the movement of hands moving a hundred a mile
Lips locking , bodies embracing
And something else emerging.

IV
Eyelids opening for the first time
Still feeling that sense of loss
The door opened and there was that smile.
Maybe I won't be alone for some time.

Shaw 500 Centrum ,Mandaluyong City , Jan 25 2019 , 11:04am

"Mass Manipulation"

"Mass Manipulation"
by:
Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

"Those who cross the Dimir find enemies everywhere they turn."

The Deadeye Navigator along with his trusty Peregrine Drake reads this text from the card Mass Manipulation and begins to smile. For 4 Blue mana and X X , you can start gaining control of target creatures or Planeswalkers left and right and the best thing is that you don't have to return them after your turn. You control all these creatures and Planeswalkers for the rest of the game. Nicol Bolas also smiles at the possibilities.

With unlimited mana available to you via the Dead Eye and Drake you could acquire all available creatures and Planeswalkers from your opponents (or grab some of your own creatures and planeswalkers if your opponents were the first to grab things) and then put them into your service.

Mass Manipulation is a game changer or if the timing is right , a game ender. I mean with so many creatures and planeswalkers on your side of the board there is a significantly higher probability that you can win the game.

"Midweek Magic #2 2019 - Shirei Vs. Varina - Killed by the Damned"

"Midweek Magic #2 2019 - Shirei Vs. Varina - Killed by the Damned"
by:
Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

On our second game of the night I thought that I had Jus in the ropes as I was able to pull off a much smother transition and again got my Thrumming Apostles to bring out Razaketh and an Abhorrent Overlord which spat out 20 1/1 Flying Harpies.

All seemed lost.

Until Jus top decked an Army of the Damned and with a Wayward Servant already in play I took 13 points of damage when the tapped Zombie horde landed on the battlefield.

All was lost for me.

"Blues's Concern"

"Blues's Concern"
by:
Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

Blue looked on as his master displayed undisguised pleasure on his face. The object of his pleasure was the Dancer named YuuA who was now on stage and her outfit while not befitting a princess was good for the purpose that she was sent out tonight. To attract more fans , to expose her raw sexual beauty to a world who might still not know about her.

Blue who was also in charge of monitoring all media related to YuuA and her group Oh My Dolls saw the comments and Twitter feeds blow up with reactions ranging from Unabashed declaration of love to unabashed declaration of lustful things toward the shapely dancer.

Her Master V stood unmoving all through out the performance , she was worried that he was not even breathing. It was dangerous seeing like this. The Bloodlust in the dragon known as V could be triggered by intense emotions. He had locked himself for a decade in hopes of controlling these things but sadness , lust , anger all provoked him like any human. She thought that this debased him in some way until she realized that the master was in touch with these things and so was different from all the Creation dragons that went before him. He was Dragon and Human all at once. Falling prey to their own weaknessess as well as their joys. And there was no doubt that tonight he was feeling joy at seeing YuuA perform at this big stage. His dream was to see her here  , a place where she can be acknowledge by her peers and the world.

Blue scanned the crowd as she was supposed to looking at the reactions that YuuA was illiciting from the other groups. Once tried to act coolly but their Maknae , who was V's adopted daughter in real life was excitedly clapping. The Prettyz also were silent despite publicly being friends with Oh My Dolls as well. It was the senior boy groups who seem to be having a great time , singing to the song and trying to mimic the hypnotic dance. And at the center of it was YuuA who scrunched her nose making her look cute instead of sexy. Adorable instead of a sexual object. Blue felt her masters emotions spreading through her which was bad. He was not even trying to control it.

"You worry too much Blue. I am in control" Her Master said to her mind.

"I can certainly see it master , a few more notches of this emotion and we will have to deal with your bloodlust once more."

"I don't think that I would want to ruin for YuuA and the other girls don't you think?" V said with a reproach in his voice.

"I don't think you would endanger them Master but your Bloodlust has gotten the better of you in more ways than one."

"Look at your right. Seolhun , Kayz and Sinhee are all here.If you and Red are not enough there is also my daughter out there. Not to mention the Light Dragons of the Group Lunar. And Jisun and her Promised 9."

"Somehow with all of them here I am not assured at all. It might mean that I have to deal with than just you. Kayz even looks like she is about to control half of the time."

"You always were a worrier."

"You should know Master , you made me this way."

"Touche. I know you can handle things when they get a little tough."

Blue tried to picture the flames and bodies that normally comes after her master has "Tough" times."

"You know I will always try my best Master."

"That is my favorite Talon talking. Now get out of my head and let me enjoy the rest of this performance."

"Yes Master."

And with that Blue continued looking at the crowd who seem to be cheering the girls on the stage more. Blue clapped her hands.

"Up all night"

"Up all night"
by:
Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

I
My problem starts as simple enough
A simple thing because of my wants
Which turns out to be you
and all the problems that come with you

II
So I stare at the stars
And see your face there
barely holding on to my sanity
I try to look elsewhere

III
So I just hear your voice
whispering sweet things
So I turn the music loud
to drown out your soothing sound

IV
So I feel your hand on mine
and you place it on your chest
"You are just a man" , you say
You ask , "How can you resist?"

V
Because I know you are not here
and whatever this is is not real.
And as simple as it sounds
My simple problem disappears.

Eton Centris , Quezon City. Jan 8 , 2019 , 11pm.

"Nikya of the Old Ways: Gruul Tokenators!"

"Nikya of the Old Ways: Gruul Tokenators!"
by:
Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

Nikya of the Old Ways is one of those cards that could confuse me initially and then something in my brain would click and I will be able to use it properly.

This 5/5 5 mana costing Gruul Centaur openly declares that you cannot cast creature spells but he gives you a lot of mana to spend on other things. And what would be a Gruul deck without creatures right? Well normally what you do is use this double mana and create creature tokens. Lots and Lots of creature tokens like from Beacon of Creation or even fetch specific creatures and put them directly on the battlefield with cards like Green Sun Zenith or Birthing pod.

There might be a lot of creatures that you would not be able to cast but that does not mean that you cannot half a gazillion tokens on your side of the battlefield.

"Midweek Magic #1 2019 - Shirei Vs. Varina: The Thrumming Apostles!"

"Midweek Magic #1 2019 - Shirei Vs. Varina: The Thrumming Apostles!"
by:
Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

It was the 2nd week of the month and yet due to the busy schedules of players in my playgroup at Eton Centris there have been no games.

Until Finally Jus Puntay was able to come up and fight with my now improved Shirei AKA Kulto ni Hunyo EDH deck with his Varina Esper Zombies deck that was untouched during the holidays.

I was eager to battle test the deck which now had more sacrifice outlets for the Shadowborne Apostles that were pretty much willing to die for my cause and come back with Shirei in play.

Our first game was a slow one as both of us was unable to draw sufficient lands but in this scenario the early scrying from Viscera Seer was able to let me dig deeper into my deck even if Jus was able to board wipe all of my creatures with a Fumigate in the late game.

I was able to draw an Extraplanar lens and able to ramp enough mana to be able to cast a tutor for 3 cards. I played a Swamp , Thrumming Stone and the lone Shadowborne Apostle that I fetched triggering the stone until I was able to get 12 Apostles out and with the 2 mana from the Swamp I just played was able to plop a Rune Scarred Demon and Razaketh , the latter I was able to equip with a Lightning Greaves in play and so began my attacks.

Since Shirei was already in play all 12 of my Apostles came back on the battlefield and with the threat of more demons to come Jus had conceded the game. 

"Banning Phone Use: For Better adults in the future."

"Banning Phone Use: For Better adults in the future."
by:
Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

My daughter told me something interesting the other day. Their school rolled out a new policy just this week and it seems pretty life changing for most of them. And the reason I see this is that kids nowadays seem to be so attached to their phones and have become so dependent on them for everything. From simply telling the time to using it as a mirror , to watching kpop Idols to playing games  , from looking up things online to stalking their crushes online. Kids nowadays need that daily fix.

So it makes sense that my daughters school banned the use of cellphones for whatever purpose from 7am to dismissal time. Normally working adults won't even see the time pass by but since this generation has been so accustomed to checking their phones this becomes absolute torture for them.However I need to point out that it is really for their own good.

People are complaining that there are less interactions nowadays and children being exposed to concepts and thoughts that they are most likely not ready for. I commend the school for this move. Part of attending the school is learning to abide by the rules and get used to patterns there that can be beneficial in real life. Talking to people , dealing with difficulties, making memories and capturing memories with your mind. All can be done without the aid of machines.

So it has been a week and the mood seems of those going under withdrawal. Lethargy to downright anger or demotivation. However the children must overcome this and I hope that the school can maintain this rule for the years to come.

Technology in this sense no longer helps us.You see the effect it already exerts on these kids. Being without their gadgets for awhile just might be the thing we need to have better adults in the future.  

"3 things I have seen this week - Jungkook"

"3 things I have seen this week - Jungkook"
by:
Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

BTS has been a global phenomenon that is now being compared to the heights of Beatlemania.While all the members are known to their loyal fanbase there is one favorite who has been making the round of news in the country. He is the youngest member Jungkook who has attracted flocks of fans here.

So here are 3 things that I have read about the guy which have appeared on my feeds for this week.

1) Jungkook in Idol Tulfo's show.

Making the rounds in the internet is a video where Idol Raffy is trying to reconcile a couple with a Hongkong trip. And where the wife famously said that even if they are sent to South Korea or even have Jungkook beg to go that she will not go.

I don't know why Jungkook will do that but I guess it plays into her fantasy. Yeah it is going to remain like that. A fantasy.

2)  Jungkook and childhood friend

You know you are famous when people are promoting another group with you. Apparently there is a member in the FNC girl group Cherry Bullet who was a childhood friend of Jungkook and whoever is handling the company promotions for this group is showing childhood photos of them. It will certainly create interest in the group at least. Or it will make some BTS fans angry because there is actually another human being close to their beloved Maknae.

3) The Downy Incident

In a recent Vlive , Jungkook mentioned what kind of fabric softener he was using and the result was something unexpected.
Stores carrying the particular brand he mentioned sold out and had backlog orders for the next two months. It was just crazy right?

You could just imagine certain Army's rolling around in their newly washed clothes smelling of the guy.I smell a CF coming for him in the future. It seems that he will be Golden for the coming years.

"Prime Speaker Vannifar: Birthing Pod Magic"

"Prime Speaker Vannifar: Birthing Pod Magic"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

Prime Speaker Vannifar comes across as one of those weird card types. I mean Elf Ooze Wizard! Why not give her Changeling Status and be done with it as opposed to slapping in all of creatures types. I can understand how she can be a wizard who is also an elf and ooze but it seems pretty weird to me that she is an Elf and Ooze at the same time which makes her the first Elf to be actually be a ball in the Elf Ball.

Ok. Now that I have gotten out of my system Prime Speaker Vannifar is for all intents and purposes is the creature version of Birthing Pod but unlike the Artifact Prime Speaker Vannifar dies to removal. It's 2/4 frame may save it from the common burn spells but the common black removal will always do it in without proper protection.

Where do I see Prime Speaker Vannifar? Well in really powerful Simic EDH decks that are full of big creatures and lower mana costing creatures that are willing to die like Solemn Similacrum or Yavimaya Druid. And since we are talking about EDH most likely these decks will also have a Lightning Greaves or Swiftfoot Boots to give Prime Speaker Vannifar haste as well as protection. Making it almost certain that we can use her ability for that creature fetching effect that we want.

Now it is all up to you to abuse Prime Speaker Vannifar and you are also one step closer into getting that combo piece out. Now keep your fingers crossed that no one will attempt to assassinate her.