"Magic 3 pack Experiment : Ixalan Edition"

"Magic 3 pack Experiment : Ixalan Edition"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

It was one of those drive bys that I like. I drove past Spiral Valenzuela just in time to see a 10 man draft pod begin. I was greeted by Nino who thought I would be joining but I was there to buy my first 3 packs of the just released Ixalan block for my 3 pack experiment.

I tried to write about my first 3 packs for Hour of Devastation but that was a bit too devastating for me so I opted not to and so here I am about to rip into the first 3 official packs of Ixalan.

It is no secret to my readers that I have been looking for Dinosaurs all this time. In the Pre release I looked for Dinosaurs and found pirates. Well I hit the jackpot and get me more pieces for that future Naya Dinos EDH I have been planning to build?

Well.No. I look for Dinos and I found Vampires! 

My first back held the Blood Crazed Paladin! With Edgar Markov recently banned I think this guy would be able to find a home in my Olivia Mobilized for War EDH deck. That is if I ever get around to finishing it.

My 2nd pack had me getting the 2nd version of the R/G land Rootbound Crag. The One with the dino roaring on a cliffside in the distance. I roared a bit too. I was done to my last pack and there was no rare or mythic dinos to be seen. 

My 3rd pack was a jackpot...if you want to play Vampires. It was Arguel's blood fast! And it had me thinking of playing it. The pack also included a foil Bishop of the Bloodstained. The "Hellrider" for vampires! 

3 black Vampires matter cards. I think this is a sign.I am never getting those dinosaur cards I want.(unless I buy the individually.Hehehehe)

I am going to brew my Olivia , Mobilized for war EDH though. So thanks for reading and keep on brewing.

"Doc In , Doc Out Espesyal Letter to Patients: Computer Extension Edition"

"Doc In , Doc Out Espesyal Letter to Patients: Computer Extension Edition"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

Dear Patients,

Ang clinic po ay di parang computer shop na kung di ka naging masaya sa iyong one hour rest ay hihingi ka ng 1 hour pa. 

Bago po kayo bigyan ng 30 minutes or 1 hour rest ay na-assess na po kayo ng ating mga magagaling na nurses at doktor kaya yun lang ang naibigay sa inyo.

Kung kayo po ay napapagod ang payo ko po ay wag na kayong pumasok para lubusan ninyo maipahinga ang inyong kapaguran.

Halos 5 taon din po ang aking karanasan sa mundo ng Call Center/BPO kaya alam ko na po ang ating ikot at galawan. Baka nga maturuan ko pa kayo ng mga bago na di niyo pa naririnig. Magpapablast ako ng email para sa inyo. 

Nagmamahal(ng di masyado) , 

Dr. June

"Matters"

"Matters"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

I

Knowing that in the end

the actions , the words

knowing till then

you are holding your breathe

II

A speck of dust

not accepting its fate

A dot in the scheme

waiting for things to change

III

And knowing changes nothing

And saying changes nothing

And acting changes nothing

But nothing changes with nothing

IV

So the dust still speaks

And  refused to accept

And the dot tries to grow

from its well-defined mold

V

Knowing that in the end

Breathing or not

The actions , The words

matter as much as each thought 

Shaw 10/02/2017

"Midweek Magic October 2017 #35:Bruna finally wins!"

"Midweek Magic October 2017 #35:Bruna finally wins!"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr. MD

I still am at a loss for words. I have often found that my decks have an almost equal win-loss ratio but lately I have been on the receiving side of really bad losses.

It came to a point where I had to question why I was the one who was always singled out for attack.Even in games that involved just 3 people and not even in an archenemy setting. Was I really that strong? Did I really threaten the board so much that I was always the magnet for such hate? Ancient Astronaut theorists believe that the answer is Yes.

Bruna was one such deck that I was excited to use and I wanted to prove that it could beat the fast metal pussies that Yo was running. However to be fair this win of Bruna was because Ram was unable to control me and Yo was not able to get any of the cards that usually destroyed enchantments. Without the cards I was finally able to with an all out Infect win with a Corrupted Conscience attached to a Bruna who also had an Eldrazi Conscription clinging too it when Ram was not able to counter my Three dreams for some reason.

I had to actually hold my breath for a couple of turns as I built up for the attacks. I kept thinking that Bruna would die to something white that made you sacrifice creatures when they attacked. Not a single defense struck it though.

And when the infect counters finally took hold of Yo I finally eased out a quiet breathe. After 6 straight losses. Bruna finally prevailed.

"Pauper Kings: Boros Dinopaupers -Going Small and Fast"

"Pauper Kings: Boros Dinopaupers -Going Small and Fast"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

In basketball certain line ups are made for blitzkrieg assaults to the basket and there are line ups meant for the long and slow game. While it is always tempting to play large Dino's for the end game they can be a bit hard to cast but I will still be trying making a big fatties Dino deck soon.

As an aggro player by heart though I wanted to try my hand at creating a Dinosaur deck that focused on speed and aggression. So here are the Boros Dino paupers.

4 x Evolving Wilds

9 x Plains

9 x Mountains

________________________

22 Lands

4 x Tilonalli's Knight

4 x Kinjalli's Caller

4 x Frenzied Raptor

4 x Nest Robber

4 x Territorial Hamerskull

4 x Raptor Companion

________________________

24 creatures

3 x Swashbuckling

3 x Magma Spray

4 x Djeru's Renunciation

4 x Cartouche of Zeal

________________________

To begin I would like to talk about the 2 non-dino creatures of the deck. The first is the Tilonalli's Knight who has a dino matters ability. It becomes a 3/3 fattie when it attacks and you have a dino in play. Not bad for 2 mana right? 

Also as you might have noticed the highest costed cards here are in the 3 mana range.The deck already has a low curve but this cost can even be lowered to 2 mana if you already have a Kinjalli's Caller played on your first turn.And so the 2nd non-dino creature of the deck.

While there are no 1 drop dinosaurs(so far) with the Kinjalli's Caller out you could cast 3CMC with 2 mana and 2 CMC with 1 mana. While the caller in itself is not aggressive having dinosaurs come in early might spell the difference in your victories with this deck.Nest Robber and Raptor Companion as 1 drops. Sarap!

With the exception of Nest Robber none of these other creatures have haste and what is an aggressive deck without creatures who can attack the moment they land on the battlefield right? So I included Swashbuckling and Cartouche of Zeal to make those dinos snap heads the moment they come into play. Oh and the +2/+2 and +1/+1 stat pump helps a lot too. Especially in the 4th or 5th turn when opponents could drop bigger creatures for defense.

There are also sligh elements incorporated here to ensure maximum damage from the Dino's each time. Magma spray for early blockers , Cartouche of Zeal makes sure one creature doesn't block(no matter the size) , Territorial Hammerskull  taps another creature when it attacks , Djeru's Renunciation also does the same thing to two creatures or if you do not need to use it can be cycled away to draw something a little more useful. Another dino perhaps?

All in all speed is the key to this deck so hit hard and hit early. I am looking to playing this soon. Thanks for reading and keep on brewing.

"Playground Hobby Cafe Ixalan PR Event: Looking for Dinos , Finding Pirates."

"Playground Hobby Cafe Ixalan PR Event: Looking for Dinos , Finding Pirates."

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

To anyone who has read any of my articles this month it was quite clear what I wanted to get out of this Pre-release. Dinos! and lots of them! But if there is anything that I learned in all of the PR's that I have attended  , it is to expect the unexpected.

I have been reading on all the things I can do about dinos ever since the spoilers came out but lo and behold all the ones that I got were all too few and was spread over all the colors that playing made them was absolutely not viable.

My PR card was the awesome Vraska's Contempt and so I said if I got a lot more of these cards then I might play Dimir. So I opened my packs and got a Walk the Plank and Contract Killing. My latter packs would give me 3 copies of Cancel and 2 copies Mark of the Vampire. So I had to look at the tribe that would take advantage of this most. Pirates.

Daring Saboteur , Fell Flagship and Search for Azcanta made their appearances.A pair of the new "Mesmeric fiend" in Kitesail Freebooter as well and single Duress.

I was feeling more like in my element as the cards kept on coming. Beside me was Aki who opened a mythic PR kit that had rares and mythics in each pack! He also had Gishath as his PR card! I had no time to be envious though as I was looking at the cards that was dealt to me and felt a certain excitement. In front of me was my friend Cesar from Medschool and he too was going the pirate route. Argh me mateys!

A few test plays with Aki revealed certain weaknesses of my 40 card deck , mainly it had the habit of dying to Boros Dinos that kept on coming. I wanted to see dinos , I just didn't want them to be snapping at my head. I encouraged Aki that despite the temptation to use all of the mythics at his disposal not to push it and stick with colors that he can support. I am glad he listened as I would observe his progress over the 4 round PR.

Round 1 - Azorius Dino Control vs Dimir Pirates.

I encountered a new player and he kept asking me questions if he can do certain things and his unfamiliarity with some of the cards in the set showed because he admitted that he started playing with an EDH deck. Although through out the game he would pressure me enough for those 2 games , I sense that the guy would be a lot better the next time we met.

He was frustrated with the 3 Cancels that I had because I was able to foil his plans. I was so happy for Search for Azcantan in this round as it appeared twice and I was able to dig through my deck for answers.

Result: Dimir Pirates in 2 games. 1-0

Round 2 - Merfolks vs. Dimir Pirates

It was Roger and me this time and I was in trouble. The tribal might of the merfolk would be seen here. Surviving through my removals and counters. 

I also drew walk the plank which the merfolk would just flip the finger to as they can basically swim away when you make them walk the plank.

Sensing defeat I just turned to asking Roger about card prices in the shop which was still better than the other shops that were neared to me in Eton. Plus they had 2 full binder of EDH staples that I wanted to raid. Sigh. Another time.

I shook hands with Roger who would eventually got 4-0 here and earn the shirt! 

Result: Merfolk flipping me their middle flippers - 1-1 

Round 3 - The Smiling One vs. Dimir Pirates.

I have to apologize my opponents as I do not really remember his deck. What I remember was that in Game 1 I was able to cast a Kitesail Freeboter curve to a One with the Wind and then to Mark of the Vampire which gave me a 5/6 flying Life linker and the game was over pretty much after that.

I still had bad memories facing Mark of the Vampire in a previous PR. Sleepy and annoyed at how strong it was back then. I learned from that though and would not pass this up as this was what a deck like mine needed. I can take as much damage as I want early but make up for it with a big creature like this in the end game.

I was able to control game 2 as well.

Result: Shoke hands with Smiling One. Dimir Pirates 2-1.

Round 4 - Boss round! Naya Gishath vs. Dimir Pirates.

If I keep on mentioned Kitesail Freeboter it is because this card has saved me a lot of times in the Pre release. And when I cast it to discover that my opponent can actually cast a massive Gishath on me I was so lucky to know about it but I felt kind of doomed. I had to see it through though and having identical 2-1 records only one of us would be 3-1 by the end of the round.

This time around no Search for Azcatan for me. Instead it was Opt that would allow me to save the game. I got hold of one of my Cancels and held on to it as my opponent curved into the Gishath. I breathed a sigh of relied when I was able to say no to the giant monster. I think my opponent was taken aback by this because I assume he used Gishath for his two wins. It was another workhorse of mine , Dire Fleet Interloper that did that trick as I was able kill his creatures with my removal efficiently.

Game 2 and a Duress showed me that Gishath was still coming for me. All my opponent was missing was a Forest and I would be in big trouble. I drew a Cancel. I waited as he knew that I would have the Cancel in my hand but he risked it after a few turns and I was still able to say no. Twice in the round. I can only be as lucky.

I was able to win with an unblocked Daring Saboteur with the Fell Flagship out as my opponent clogged his side his side of the battlefield with blockers.I had to kiss this card as I would not have won otherwise.

Result: Gishath Naya Dinos 2-2 , Dimir Pirates 3-1.

This was my best record in a PR for awhile and this really made my weekend. Working almost 16 hours a day and acquiring losing streaks in EDH games built up a lot of frustration and stress but at least today I can revel in my pirate victory.

Congratulations Playground Hobby Cafe for another successful PR event. I am looking forward to the next ones where we can just see familiar places in comfortable , well maintained surroundings. Even Plague Lords love playing in Finer places.

"Gishath , Suns Avatar: Naya Dinos Arise!"

"Gishath , Suns Avatar: Naya Dinos Arise!"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

Nothing makes you feel like a little boy again than the sight of dino's and those dino's fighting each other. Magic seems to have captured this very special moment for a little boy and have printed dino cards that have a lot of big monster fans anticipating Ixalan's release.

The quite impressive Gishath Sun's Avatar is perfect as the Dinosaur Commander for all these big fatties.

So for Naya colors (R/G/W) and 5 colorless mana you can summon the mighty Gishath. A looming 7/6 Dino Avatar that has Trample , Vigilance and Haste.

For Naya who has green in it's colors ramping up has never been a problem and the direct impact that Gishath brings to the battlefield is palpable. It attacks immediately with haste  , it can trample combat damage even when blocked and it also has vigilance meaning it can play defense after it has taken a big chunk our of your opponents life totals.

And it's triggered ability is a Dino lovers dreams come true. You get to look at the top of you library for each point of combat damage that was dealt to a player. So a maximum of 7 and a minimum of 1 if your opponent has blockers but cannot totally stop Gishath.

So you get to look at cards and put any number of dinosaurs into play from among them and the rest of the cards on the bottom of your library in any order.

A Strionic Resonator let's you do this revealing and putting on the battlefield a second time too so think of the possibilities. 

The other fun thing is that you could control the order that your dino's could enter the battlefield.

You could have  Verdant Sun's Avatar come into play first and all the rest of the dino's that follow it will give you a ton of life if you are in the red from all the other players attacking you.

Have Rampaging Ferocidon come into play as well you could trigger enrage when another dino comes in on Rampaging Raptors for card draw or Bellowing Aegisaur to make your dino's even bigger with a +1/+1 counter on them when it gets enraged.Ranging Raptors gives you more lands. Sun-Crowned Hunters burns each opponent for 3 every time you poke it.

And maybe have Raging Swordtooth enter too when you have Enrage dino's already in play. He gets to ping everyone of his kin for 1 of course. 

Thundering Spineback can also come into play giving other Dino's +1/+1 in buffs as a dino lord here and now you have a massive army at your disposal with just one Gishath attack.

Burning Sun's Avatar can also come into play and trigger one last dino. At this point each of those dino's that have come before it could be your target.And those are a lot of great targets. Dino torture for the win!

You should be able to look at your opponents faces and see the blood draining from them as you plop a Dinosaur one by one , each bringing something to the table. Until they can foresee the carnage that will be upon them on the next turn.A Regisaur brings haste to all of your dino's and a 3/3 "raptor" as well. So I am sure opponents would not be looking forward to your next turn. Especially if they do not have cards like Rout or Aetherize in their hands.

Now all we need is a some sort of Dinosaur "Recruiter" so we can stack our own libraries in our favor and we are all set.None has been spoiled so far as of this writing but I am keeping my fingers crossed for one. Are you doing it too? Good. The more the better.

So are you excited for Naya Dino's? I know I am.