“What I Remember About College Entrance Exams Has Almost Nothing to Do With the Exams”

“What I Remember About College Entrance Exams Has Almost Nothing to Do With the Exams”

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr. MD

My wife and I recently found ourselves talking about college applications.

There are parents who simply don't have the luxury of having their children apply to several schools. Applications can be expensive, entrance exams take time, and sometimes you have to be practical about where you send your child.

And then there was my Mom.

My mother encouraged me to apply to all the Tier One schools—and then some.

Looking back, I realize she wasn't really interested in limiting my choices. She wanted me to see what was possible and give myself as many opportunities as I could.

Of course, when my wife and I started talking about college applications, it brought back memories of the entrance exams I took for schools I ultimately didn't end up attending.

And apparently, those memories have survived much better than the actual examination questions.

1. The Bathroom That Didn't Seem Like a Bathroom

My Mom took her master's degree at the Philippine Women's University in Manila, so naturally she encouraged me to take the entrance examination there.

During one of our breaks, I discovered something that immediately made me aware of just how much of a women's institution it really was.

I needed to use the restroom.

I asked where the men's bathroom was.

They pointed me toward something that I can only describe as a storage closet with a urinal.

I stood there thinking:

“This is the men's bathroom?”

Meanwhile, the women's restroom seemed to be this large, spacious facility.

The disparity was so obvious that it became one of the things I remembered most about the entire entrance examination.

To be fair, this was about three and a half decades ago, so I have absolutely no idea what the facilities are like there now.

I sincerely hope the men have graduated from the storage closet.

2. The Day I Discovered I Was Not Conyo Enough

I remember taking the La Salle entrance examination and apparently making an impression on quite a few people there.

During the break, I was invited to lunch by a group of students.

A lot of them wanted to go to the newly opened Kenny Rogers Roasters near the LRT station.

I had other plans.

I told them I was going to a place called Scotts.

Someone in the group, who looked like he had absolutely no business knowing what Scotts was, suddenly said:

“Uhm, yeah. I heard they have great burgers.”

And I thought:

Oh no.

Because, yes, I loved Scotts.

But not because of some sophisticated appreciation for its burgers.

I loved Scotts because they had buy-one-take-one.

That was my level of culinary sophistication at the time.

Needless to say, I did not make any more conyo friends after lunch.

I had apparently wandered into a different socioeconomic universe and exposed myself entirely by explaining that my restaurant preference was based on mathematics.

Two burgers for the price of one.

That was the deal.

3. The UPCAT and the Great Chips Ahoy Incident

Then there was the UPCAT.

That was probably the most important entrance examination I took.

And I came prepared.

My baon consisted of Striped Chips Ahoy and Coke in cans.

I have always been a fast test taker.

I answer everything I know first, go back to the questions I couldn't answer immediately, check everything one final time, and then pass my paper.

This usually resulted in me finishing about thirty minutes ahead of time.

During the UPCAT, we weren't allowed to leave the classroom during the break, so I was allowed to take my break at the back of the room.

All I wanted was to eat in peace.

That was apparently too much to ask.

My Coke had been shaken a little during the ride to UP.

I opened the can.

PSSSSSSSSSSSSS!

The Coke fizzed.

And suddenly, I could feel every pair of eyes in the classroom looking directly at me.

Not curiosity.

Not amusement.

Hatred.

Pure, concentrated hatred.

I mouthed:

“Sorry.”

Then came the Chips Ahoy.

I started peeling the plastic wrapping as quietly as I could.

Unfortunately, the plastic apparently had other plans.

CRINKLE. CRINKLE. CRINKLE.

More heads turned.

More eyes.

More judgment.

I mouthed another:

“Sorry.”

Then I tried to get another cookie.

Naturally, I attempted to do it more slowly and carefully.

This somehow made the plastic produce even more noise.

At that point, I was no longer eating cookies.

I was conducting a percussion performance.

I'm still not sure whether I caused anyone to fail the UPCAT that day.

I'm sure everyone was nervous enough already.

So, to everyone who was in that room with me:

I'm sorry.

But I did enjoy my break.

Daddy Lore

What's funny is that I don't remember most of the questions from those entrance examinations.

I don't remember what exact subjects came out.

I don't remember which questions were particularly difficult.

I don't even remember most of the rooms.

But I remember the bathroom.

I remember the burgers.

And I definitely remember the Coke and Chips Ahoy.

These are the things that somehow survived all these years.

And now I get to tell these stories to my wife and daughter.

They call them Daddy Lore.

I suppose that's what happens to memories as you get older.

The things that seemed important at the time slowly disappear.

The things that were completely insignificant somehow become family history.

I was trying to get into college.

My mother was trying to make sure I had every opportunity.

And somewhere along the way, I apparently became the guy who almost weaponized a can of Coke and a package of Chips Ahoy against an entire UPCAT classroom.

Honestly?

That's probably a much better story.

"Bloodline Recollector: Apparently I’m Reading a Different Card."

 "Bloodline Recollector: Apparently I’m Reading a Different Card."

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr. MD

Most of the time, I just listen to MTG influencers.

I find many of them amusing, and I don't really get into arguments with them on X or Twitter, or jump into comment wars, because they each have their own way of presenting cards and their own particular takes on the game.

That's part of what makes Magic content fun.

But every once in a while, I'll hear something that makes me stop and think:

“Wait… what?”

It baffles me when an influencer calls a card “mediocre” and then compares it to another card as if the comparison completely settles the argument.

I'm never quite sure whether they're deliberately rage-baiting players into reacting or whether they genuinely believe that the card is mediocre.

Case in point:

Bloodline Recollector.

Apparently, some people are disappointed that this is one of the headliners of Reality Fracture.

Some have even compared it to what people are calling its Multiverse counterpart, Emeritus of Ideation.

And apparently, some influencers believe the five-mana Emeritus of Ideation is simply the better card.

I'm sorry.

Did we read the same Bloodline Recollector?

Because if you haven't looked closely at what this card actually does, let me walk through one particularly ridiculous possibility.

You can literally cast Dark Ritual, use the mana to cast Bloodline Recollector, and because it is already prepared, you can immediately use the Ancestral Cravings attached to it.

On Turn One.

You draw three cards.

You lose three life.

And you can do it to a target player.

At instant speed.

So I'm sitting here wondering:

How exactly is Emeritus of Ideation better?

For one thing, Bloodline Recollector can fit into a whole range of Vampire decks.

And in colors that have some of the best ways of killing creatures in the game, getting three creatures to die in a turn doesn't exactly sound impossible.

Once that happens, Bloodline Recollector can be prepared again.

And then you get to do it again.

And again.

And again.

Sure, Emeritus of Ideation doesn't make you lose life.

I'll give you that.

But I don't think the life loss is necessarily a drawback when we're talking about Ancestral Cravings.

Because Bloodline Recollector doesn't just let you draw three cards.

You can also make an opponent draw three cards and lose three life at instant speed.

And suddenly, the life loss becomes part of the weapon.

Especially in a deck that is already good at whittling down an opponent's life total, three cards and three life could potentially be the last nail in the coffin.

It also reminds me of an older era of Magic, when cards like Ancient Craving and Sign in Blood could actually become lethal because drawing those cards wasn't necessarily a gift.

Sometimes the last three cards you draw are the last three points of life you're going to lose.

And that is what I think people are overlooking with Bloodline Recollector.

They're looking at it as another card-drawing creature.

I'm looking at it and thinking:

“How many ways can I abuse this?”

That's a very different question.

So, yes, I honestly don't know what that particular influencer was thinking that day.

Maybe it was rage bait.

Maybe they weren't in the mood to make content.

Maybe they simply evaluated the card differently.

And that's perfectly fine.

Magic is a game where reasonable people can look at the same card and reach completely different conclusions.

But on this one, I have to politely disagree.

Bloodline Recollector deserves to be a headliner.

Even if Reality Fracture has a whole lot more going on.

And if someone wants to call this card mediocre, that's fine.

I'll just be over here casting Dark Ritual on Turn One.

Draw three.

"Avacyn, Angel of Horror: Undying Was Apparently Too Fair."

"Avacyn, Angel of Horror: Undying Was Apparently Too Fair."

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr. MD

I have to admit that I am an old soul.

I was around when Magic: The Gathering first came to the Philippines in 1995. I wouldn't actually get into the game until much later—around the time of 8th Edition—but I was already watching what was happening in the game.

And some of the things I saw happening in Legacy were absolutely brutal.

One of the plays that stuck with me was the classic:

Dark Ritual → Entomb → Exhume.

And suddenly, on Turn One, there was an Akroma staring you down.

At the time, that was one of the nastiest things you could do.

The plan didn't stop there.

You could keep reanimating creatures like Iona to completely shut down a particular color, and eventually bring back Avacyn to make your permanents indestructible.

All of this could happen for a surprisingly small amount of mana.

That was perfectly fine in 60-card formats where you could build your deck specifically around making those plays happen.

But once Commander entered the picture, things became a little different.

If you wanted to reanimate some of those legendary creatures, you also had to deal with your commander's color identity.

Which brings me to Avacyn, Angel of Horror.

This might just be one of those creatures that is absolutely begging to be reanimated.

Sure, she costs eight mana.

But black reanimator decks don't necessarily care about that.

They simply look at an eight-mana creature and say:

“Oh, that's going into the graveyard eventually.”

And if you happen to have your reanimation spell ready?

Well…

Why wait?

An 8/8 flying creature with deathtouch is already pretty nasty.

But it is Avacyn's ability that really gets me excited.

If Avacyn or another nontoken creature you control dies, you get to return that card to the battlefield at the beginning of the next end step.

Just picture this.

You sacrifice something like Blood Pet for mana.

Then you sacrifice Fleshbag Marauder, which probably takes one of your opponent's creatures along with it.

Now those creatures aren't simply sitting in your graveyard.

At the beginning of the next end step, they come right back.

And suddenly you get to use them again.

Well damn.

In a Meren of Clan Nel Toth deck, this gets even more ridiculous.

Think about all those experience counters you're generating while sacrificing creatures.

Now imagine having creatures that can repeatedly sacrifice themselves, return to the battlefield, trigger their enters-the-battlefield abilities, and then get sacrificed again.

Over.

And over.

And over.

You just need to protect Avacyn.

Because as long as Avacyn stays on the battlefield, your graveyard has effectively become a revolving door.

In some ways, this feels like an upgraded version of Undying, a mechanic from the original Innistrad era.

Undying lets a creature come back once after it dies.

Avacyn doesn't seem particularly interested in limiting herself to one trip.

As long as she remains alive, your creatures can keep coming back.

And the really interesting part is that they don't necessarily have to return on your turn.

They can come back at the beginning of the next end step.

Which means you can sacrifice a creature during your turn, get it back at your end step, and then have it available again for the next round of nonsense.

Imagine doing this for three turns.

Your opponents aren't simply dealing with the same creatures over and over.

They're dealing with their enters-the-battlefield abilities over and over.

Spirited Companion can keep drawing you cards.

Solemn Simulacrum can keep finding you lands.

Fleshbag Marauder can keep forcing sacrifices.

And creatures that generate value when they enter the battlefield suddenly become repeatable engines instead of one-shot effects.

That is where Avacyn starts becoming really scary.

You're not simply reanimating creatures.

You're repeatedly reusing the best parts of your creatures.

And that's exactly the kind of thing a graveyard-loving Commander player wants to hear.

So yes, I think Avacyn, Angel of Horror is going into one of my Orzhov Reanimator decks.

Because apparently, in my version of Magic, death is no longer a permanent condition.

It is merely a scheduling issue.

And if Avacyn is around, apparently the graveyard has office hours.

(Insert maniacal laughter here.)

“I Admit It: I Love Watching MMDA Clearing Operations”

 “I Admit It: I Love Watching MMDA Clearing Operations”

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr. MD

There are probably many things a normal, well-adjusted adult should enjoy watching.

A good movie.

A beautiful sunset.

A sporting event.

Perhaps even a documentary about something educational.

Me?

I enjoy watching MMDA clearing operations.

I admit it.

There is something deeply satisfying about watching a tow truck arrive for a vehicle that has been illegally parked.

I know that sounds terrible.

But hear me out.

There is a particular kind of satisfaction that comes from seeing a rule actually being enforced in real time.

You see a car parked where it should not be. Traffic is already suffering because of it. Then, eventually, the MMDA arrives.

The tow truck appears.

And suddenly, the owner comes running.

That is when the entertainment begins.

Suddenly, the person who was perfectly comfortable leaving the vehicle wherever they wanted becomes very interested in explaining why the rules should not apply to them.

“I'll only be here for a few minutes.”

“I was just buying something.”

“May I explain?”

And, my personal favorite:

“Kilala ko si Mayor.”

Sometimes it is not the mayor.

Sometimes it is somebody from the barangay.

Sometimes it is somebody who supposedly knows somebody who knows somebody.

There always seems to be a mysterious connection somewhere.

And yet the tow truck remains.

That, for me, is the beautiful part.

Because the tow truck does not care who you know.

It does not care about your position.

It does not care about your explanation.

It is simply there to do its job.

And when the vehicle finally gets hooked up, there is this strange moment when the entire argument suddenly becomes much less philosophical.

The car is moving.

The law has been applied.

And everybody watching understands exactly what happened.

I think that is what I actually enjoy about these clearing operations.

It is not really about seeing someone suffer a consequence.

It is about seeing something that often feels absent from everyday life:

Accountability.

We encounter small violations everywhere. People park on sidewalks. They block intersections. They occupy spaces meant for pedestrians. They stop wherever it is convenient for them and expect everyone else to adjust.

And most of the time, nothing happens.

So when something finally does happen, it feels almost cathartic.

Of course, watching these operations also reminds me that there is another side to it.

These confrontations can become ugly very quickly.

People get angry.

Enforcers get shouted at.

Drivers become defensive.

Somebody inevitably starts recording.

Someone else starts invoking connections.

And before long, what began as a simple traffic violation becomes a full-blown argument about authority, privilege, respect, and who supposedly has the right to tell whom what to do.

That part is not particularly entertaining.

It is exhausting.

Which is probably why I have learned that this particular guilty pleasure is best consumed in moderation.

Still, I cannot deny it.

There is something satisfying about watching a tow truck arrive at exactly the right moment.

Especially when the person who parked illegally suddenly discovers that they have a very important phone call to make.

Maybe that makes me petty.

Maybe it makes me a terrible person.

Or maybe, after spending years watching people bend rules because they assume there will never be consequences, there is simply something reassuring about seeing a system occasionally work exactly as it is supposed to.

No shouting.

No connections.

No special treatment.

Just a tow truck.

And a very expensive lesson in parking properly.

I admit it.

I love watching MMDA clearing operations.

Just don't ask me to explain why.

I might have to call someone.

Preferably someone who knows the tow truck driver.

"The Longing of Miracles."

 "The Longing of Miracles."

by:

Virgilio F, De leon Jr.MD

I

After the Dark Winters , The Warm springs always come

Promises shouted in the quiet return as what they are

Emerging from the fervent dreams of Miracles

The 6 return with a blinding light that engulfs.

II

Hands reach out in the darkness , searching for answers

How long has it  been since you answered?

With every step toward that promised Mild spring

The thawing of once frozen hearts begin.

III

Longing to see you once more. Stand where you should be.

Along the dazzling lights and blazing sounds.

No longer in our dreams. No longer in our hearts.

But in the reality that we have long since wished.

McKinley West. September 24 , 2026. 11:44pm

“I Just Wanted to Play Tifa. Then the Math Happened.”

“I Just Wanted to Play Tifa. Then the Math Happened.”

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

I already understood that Reality Fracture was going to pour goodies all over Magic players.

That usually happens with the in-universe sets. Thankfully, WotC still hasn't forgotten that its core followers include those of us who still want cards that actually look and feel like Magic cards—and, more importantly, cards that will actually matter in our EDH games.

So when they announced that there would be a Green Valakut in this set, I immediately wondered what it would look like.

And sitting on my left is my Tifa Good Stuff deck, which I have been continuously improving as pieces for it appear, one set at a time.

Then I saw Roiling Canopy.

Every time a Forest enters the battlefield, as long as you control at least five other Forests, you get to give a creature you control +3/+3 until end of turn.

I could instantly see Tifa smiling.

Frankly, so could I.

And then I encountered the one thing every Magic player eventually fears:

Eww. Math.

Specifically, math involving potential combat damage.

I honestly just wanted a quiet night to write. Instead, this interaction sent me down a Tifa-shaped rabbit hole, trying to figure out exactly how far I could push her power for that glorious one-shot kill.

So here we go.

I started with Tifa, Azusa, Roiling Canopy, Yavimaya, Cradle of Growth, and five Forests.

I then decided to replace one of my original Forests with Yavimaya and see what would happen if I played three fetch lands, each one fetching another Forest.

And that's when I realized what Yavimaya was doing to the math.

Yavimaya makes every land on the battlefield a Forest in addition to its other types.

That means my fetch lands aren't just fetch lands anymore.

They are Forests.

So I play my first fetch land.

Tifa sees a land enter the battlefield and doubles her power:

1 → 2

But because the fetch land is also a Forest thanks to Yavimaya, Roiling Canopy triggers as well:

2 → 5

Then I crack the fetch land and bring a Forest onto the battlefield.

Tifa doubles again:

5 → 10

And Roiling Canopy gives her another +3/+3:

10 → 13

At this point, I'm already starting to suspect that I have made a terrible financial decision by owning this deck.

But I still have two fetch lands.

So I play the second one.

Tifa doubles:

13 → 26

Roiling Canopy:

26 → 29

I crack the fetch land and fetch another Forest.

Tifa doubles again:

29 → 58

Roiling Canopy adds another three:

58 → 61

Tifa is now sitting at 61 power.

And I still have one more fetch land.

So naturally, I play it.

Tifa:

61 → 122

Roiling Canopy:

122 → 125

Then I crack the fetch land and bring in my final Forest.

Tifa doubles:

125 → 250

And because that Forest is, obviously, a Forest, Roiling Canopy gives her another +3/+3.

250 → 253.

And there it is.

253-power Tifa.

The progression looks absolutely ridiculous when written out:

1 → 5 → 13 → 29 → 61 → 125 → 253

And that's when I finally understood what Yavimaya had done to this little experiment.

Without Yavimaya, my three fetch lands would give me three Tifa landfall triggers from the fetch lands themselves, followed by three more when they brought in Forests.

That's six landfall events.

But with Yavimaya?

Every fetch land is also a Forest.

So those same three fetch lands don't merely give me six landfall events.

They give me six landfall events and six Roiling Canopy triggers.

Every single land entering the battlefield is now contributing to the madness.

At this point, I am no longer playing a reasonable Tifa deck.

I am conducting a controlled experiment to determine exactly how many Forests it takes to turn Tifa Lockhart into a natural disaster.

Apparently, the answer is six landfall events.

253 power.

And somewhere across the table, my opponent is probably rereading Yavimaya, Cradle of Growth, Roiling Canopy, and Tifa Lockhart in exactly that order, trying to figure out where everything went horribly wrong.

Meanwhile, I'm just sitting there thinking:

I really should have gone to bed.

But at least now I know how hard Tifa can punch.

"Draconic Visitor: Because Apparently One Dragon Is Never Enough."

"Draconic Visitor: Because Apparently One Dragon Is Never Enough."

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr. MD

I am always on the lookout for new Dragons in every Magic: The Gathering set.

Aside from the fact that I collect them, I also enjoy upgrading my existing Dragon decks. And if a new Dragon is really good, there is always the possibility that I might just build an entirely new deck around it.

So, naturally, I was fairly disappointed when the opposite version of the Strixhaven founders gave us Sphinxes instead.

Yes.

Sphinxes.

I was looking for Dragons.

But then they spoiled this five-mana 5/5 flyer, and suddenly I became interested again.

Draconic Visitor has some serious potential.

Because apparently, this Dragon doesn't just want to join your Dragon deck.

It wants to make more Dragons.

All you need is one other Dragon on the battlefield.

And one particularly interesting candidate is Ganax, Astral Hunter, who already has a very useful relationship with Treasure tokens. Whenever Ganax or another Dragon enters the battlefield under your control, you get a Treasure token.

Now add Draconic Visitor to the equation.

Draconic Visitor turns those artifact tokens into 5/5 Dragon tokens.

Ganax sees the new Dragon enter the battlefield and creates another Treasure.

Draconic Visitor sees that Treasure and turns it into another 5/5 Dragon.

Ganax sees that Dragon enter.

Another Treasure.

Draconic Visitor sees the Treasure.

Another Dragon.

Another Treasure.

Another Dragon.

You see where this is going.

It's an infinite loop.

Of course, because Magic is Magic, you eventually need a way to actually stop the loop.

You need some way to sacrifice one of the Dragons or otherwise break the cycle.

But honestly…

Who cares?

If you've already created a million 5/5 flying Dragons, losing two of them seems like a pretty reasonable price to pay.

At that point, you're not exactly going to be counting your losses.

And this doesn't even have to stop with Ganax.

In a Jund EDH deck, you could also bring in Smaug, Wicked Worm, whose enters-the-battlefield ability can create a pile of Treasure based on the artifacts your opponents control.

If Draconic Visitor is on the battlefield, suddenly those Treasures aren't just sitting there waiting to be cracked for mana.

They're potential 5/5 Dragons.

And then there is Bootleggers' Stash.

This one gets particularly silly.

Bootleggers' Stash gives all your lands the ability to tap for a Treasure token.

Which means that, at the end of an opponent's turn, you can simply tap your lands and start producing Treasures at instant speed.

And if Draconic Visitor is sitting there?

Well…

Treasure becomes Dragon.

Dragon becomes more Treasure.

Treasure becomes more Dragon.

At this point, I am basically turning my mana base into a Dragon factory.

And maybe Old Gnawbone would fit right into this deck as well.

After all, Old Gnawbone makes sure that the damage your Dragons deal to your opponents comes back as Treasure.

Which means we have another way of generating the very resource Draconic Visitor wants.

So yes, I went into this looking for new Dragons because I am a Dragon collector.

I was disappointed when I saw Sphinxes.

And then Draconic Visitor showed up and reminded me of one of the most dangerous sentences in Magic:

“Wait… I think I can build a deck around this.”

Yup.

This one is pretty high on my list.