"Court Royalty"

"Court Royalty"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.

         The court was packed. It seemed unusual for a practice game. Women from all over the campus were turning their heads to and fro in hopes of catching his eyes. They wore their best tank-tops and had their hair all fixed up. They all knew he was available and it seemed he was the best prize on campus.

          When they called out his name some of the women fainted , as if a rock star had just entered the building. He looked sleepy , as if he had just woke-up and hadn’t been warming up. Opponents from the rival school saw this as a sign of weakness.

          The women cheered as he got hold of a ball and started to shoot. He ran and caught the ball. Without planting his feet on the ground he would shoot and the ball would go in. His team mates passed to him and he shot at every angle. Not one shot missing its mark.

          The rival school who were so serious in their warm-ups all stood amazed at what he could  do.  Their jaws dropped and their morale a little lower as each shot went in.

          The rival school had 2 seven footers in their roster and was expecting a rout against a team that mainly consisted of guards. Most of these guards had been rejected by most varsities. Spolarium University never even had proper training facilities but it did have Him. Pablo Roxas II , the son of a rich Shipping magnate who somehow chose to study here. He didn’t cause much ripples last year when he came , but when he played against the top-seeded La Signore he proved to be such an overwhelming opponent that he had all his guards foul out. They were forced to guard him with a much slower player which he took full advantage of and advanced Spolarium University to the finals. He was injured in the dying seconds of the first game of the finals and so had to sit out. Without him , the colleges hoop dreams crumbled but not without realizing that Pablo would be staying for 3 more years with them. So now was his second year and the start of his redemption.

          When the game started the starting center of the rival school obviously had the advantage over the much shorter player but the Spolarium defense never really relied on blocks and physical defense. It started with one steal and deft passing to runners who never needed to plant their feet on the ground like Pablo. There was no need to rebound for his shot was true. Their speed was amazing as they cut off their opponents veins of life , the passing lanes that would ensure a point. For every steal they took Pablo would shoot and get points. So it was natural that the game progressed in such a fast pace that the large centers never really had time to settle down their half court set up and the crowd had all sided to the smallest team in the country.

          They had ball thieves and a sure shot , that was all that mattered as the game ended with Pablo dunking and giving his team 134 points against the rival schools 86.

          The game was over and everyone was streaming out of the court. Some were streaming toward Pablo. Somehow he felt like he was a Nazarene Statue in Quiapo as almost everyone he passed by tried to touch him. All except his best friend Christina who was sitting at the back room of the gym. She was still fixing a few kinks in the website she had just set-up and was oblivious to the commotion around her.

          Pablo smiled at everyone because that’s who he was. Chris as usual had been in his game to support him but never really minded him. She didn’t even notice that he was all cleaned and changed when he sat beside her.

          “So you got the kinks ironed out yet?” Pablo started as he put down his gym bag to his left.

          “Hm?” was Chris’s response as if waking up just now to find that she was in a now empty gym. “Is the game over? Who won?”

          “What? You mean you were sleeping up here all this time?” Pablo said with an incredulous look in his eyes.

          “Well I did finish off a paper for my little neighbor last night…I mean it’s a good thing I’ve read most of Shakespeare’s works or I wouldn’t have been able to pull it off.” Chris said as she started rubbing her tired eyes. Pablo sighed. This was Chris , she can never say no to a soul crying out for help. Pablo somehow felt that the reason God gave her such a kind heart and wonderful mind was because there would be so many people that would need her.

          “So did we win?”

          “Yes , We did Chris we certainly did.”

“I bet you scored all the points again huh?”

“No , Albert and Nido got most of it”

“Only coz you let them probably….ahahahha”

“Chris , you know my team mates are very talented , they could go on scoring at will if they wanted to.”

“And you couldn’t? I mean Pablo you practically carry this team on your shoulders most of the time. I mean when will you ever get to join in the other Orgs? “

“Probably never, but I’m happy to be where I am. So are you hungry by any chance?”

“You know me ,I’m always hungry.”

The two friends burst out laughing. Pablo slinged his Gym bag across his shoulders and pushed Chris’s  wheel chair toward the exit he had the school made for her.

“You know Pablo , I can wheel out of here myself.” Chris stated

“Yeah , but who will hold  your laptop for you?”

“You got a point” Chris said as she looked at the pockets on the sides of her chair.

And so at the nearest McDonalds Pablo pulled up and they had an indecent dinner of fries , burgers and cokes.

“You know , this ruins my diet quite a lot. Wait. Let me rephrase that…this has obliterated all my efforts this past week to cut down on my calorie intake.”

“Chris , you don’t need to diet. I mean you diet some more , your probably going to float out in the next storm.”

“hahaha , very funny Mr. Roxas. But speaking of storms , isn’t there one just approaching the Philippines?”

“Yeah , I think I heard about that one , they says its going down south though.”

“So you are still pushing for that game there in Bacolod?”

“Yeah, I guess. Coach says it will be good if we go and play the team we have there. They have a big center that he wants me to learn how to defend.”

“I have a weird feeling about this , lets says you call in sick or something on the day of the flight?”

“Of course I can’t do that. That would be putting the team down.”

Chris munched on her burger and said nothing after that.

The trip to her house was uneventful but the silence was so thick you could have cut it with a knife. With a couple of knives really but even then you wouldn’t cut through it.

Pablo pushed Chris toward the door and she knocked on it. It was opened by a sultry looking woman , who looked younger than her years. She smiled at both of them.

          “Well it seems you two had a great time.”

Chris took her moms hand placed it on her forehead as a sign of respect and went through her without saying a word.

          “Hmmm , it seems one you didn’t have a good time at all then?” The woman said. “What happened?”

          “I don’t really know tita , she just went silent on me on our way here from McDonalds.” Pablo said eyeing Chris as she opened her room and slammed it shut.

          “Don’t worry about her Pablo” Chris’s mom patted him on the shoulder and turned him to his car. “You’ve been with her since she was a child , she’s like this at this time of the month”

          “I don’t know tita…I mean she has been acting really strange toward me lately”

          “Like I said , its her time of month kasi. Tell you what, why don’t you call her when you get home? I bet she may have cooled down by then and you guys can laugh about this again…like the other times she has done this to you.”

          “Thanks Tita…I think I will do that….” Pablo said then drove off.

          

"Ashiok, Nightmare Weaver : Ending Control"

"Ashiok, Nightmare Weaver : Ending Control"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.

In my experience when EDH games go on for a long time it always tends to favor the control players on the board. They always have their hands full , they always have an answer and players who have exhausted all of their tricks could only lower their shoulders in defeat. 

I took one good look at Ashiok and here was someone that could really help me out in the end. 

A blue black planeswalker costing only 3 mana , Ashiok enters the battlefield with 3 Loyalty counters which can be raised to 5 right away when you use his first ability. 

The +2 ability allows you to target an opponents library and to exile the top three cards. Hopefully this includes the land he needs , the combo piece he was looking for and removal that he needed to take care of your other threats. Let us also hope that you could have exiled at least one creature that could prove useful to you later on.Depriving your opponents of possible threats while increasing your own is really wicked which leads us to this planeswalkers second ability.

An -X(subtract loyalty counter) ability that allows you to put at least a 5 mana costing creature (if you use it on the following turn after you cast him) that was exiled by Ashiok on to the battlefield. Now this ability could be tricky because if you really do not need a creature on the battlefield right away then you are just wasting the loyalty counters. On the other hand if you have a useful creature that would turn the tide in your favor then by all means go ahead and use it. You could also exile more cards with the first ability until you could cast a really big monster from the the Ashiok created limbo. What is remarkable about this skill is that it is something that cannot be countered in the traditional sense. So you basically guarantee a quality creature on your side of the board.If that was not awesome enough Ashiok even has something to offer you for the end game.

And the last ability which is -10. Exile all cards from all opponents' hands and graveyards. Beautiful. I would buy Ashiok for this ability alone. Control would fear Ashiok for the simple fact that he could remove all of the Ace's up their sleeves and leave them open to all manner combos and creature attacks. Ashiok who in one swing will rid those pesky hands while leaving your own hand full and ready. Think about it. Wasn't he someone you have been waiting all your EDH life? Theros is shaping up to be an exciting set. I can't wait to get my hands on these new planeswalkers.

"Thassa , God of the Sea: Worth the Devotion"

"Thassa , God of the Sea: Worth the Devotion"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.

I once faced an EDH deck led by the Lord of Tresserhorn. Now this commander was someone that was really strong and it smashed face on a consistent basis. My friend Gino usually beats someone to death 3 turns after the commander has arrived on this side of the battlefield. Sadly this deck is now gone and he has laid low a bit in Magic. However the call of magic will always be strong and this particular card is something that will lure him back. The card is Thassa  , God of the Sea. 

How exciting is this card? Well it has all the upside and a very few downsides. Starting with the cards measly mana cost of 2 colorless and 1 blue . Thassa could easily be cast if she was your commander. There is a catch to maximizing her potential though , since she demands that you play mono blue. Aggressive Mono blue is not something new but when you consider the possibility that you have good defense and combined with this great offensive tool then mono blue is shaping up to be a real great treat. Now the Devotion mechanic is introduced in Theros and what this basically means is that you will need to count the blue mana cost on all your permanents. If you have 5 or more then you have a 5/5 Indestructible commander on your side , if it is less than 5 then you have an indestructible enchantment with some nifty abilities on your side. There is no downside at all!

"Damn you indestructible Enchantments!"

Since Thassa is Indestructible she cannot be dealt with using the normal Artifact or Enchantment destroying spells. A lot of the common spot removals will bounce off her as well. So you could be sure that she will be in the game for a long time.

Now on to Thassa's enchantment/ Creature abilities. One is at the beginning of your upkeep you scry for 1. You look at the top card of your library and decide if you need to keep that card where it is or to put it at the bottom because it is not beneficial for you at the moment. This effect is very subtle but when you analyze this it gives you a lot of card advantage since you have set up your next card draw.

The other ability that excites me is that for a small amount of mana. 1 colorless and 1 mana you could make any of your creatures unblockable! This is includes Thassa herself. If you prove your devotion to her and she manifests in creature form then it will only be a matter of time before you win the game. 5 turns if you plan on delivering a general damage kill.

What I also like is that even when Thassa does not manifest in creature form you could still use the unblockable ability to ensure enough damage for the win. My plan is to use it on a Phyrexian Juggernaut. 2 turns and bam! Infect all the way. It doesn't matter if I can control the Juggernaut's rampage all I need to do is make it unblockable and aim it at the biggest threat on the table. 

Till next time keep on brewing. 

"Theros Enchantments EDH:The Happy Enchantresses"

"Theros Enchantments EDH:The Happy Enchantresses"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.

A couple of years ago after acquiring a couple of Enchanted Evenings I decided to make an Enchantress deck that really made things big when played in multiple player games (This was before EDH and standard 60 card decks were still used). I once saw my Enchantress grow to 50/50 after all the permanents in play became enchantments. Talk about big and trampling. The only problem I had with playing with an enchantment deck is that they when my main Assaulter ( Yavimaya Enchantress) gets shall we say "taken cared of" I am left with nothing until I find another creature to attack with. When EDH came around I built an Enchantress EDH deck that though won games needed that extra push.

Fast forward to Theros and I know that the Enchantress EDH deck that will be happy knowing that there are a lot of Enchantments to support the concept. Theros will showcase a whole set of creatures that have the Enchantment Creature type.There are 4 Enchantresses that would be happy to see the gods of Theros and these enchantment creatures. The Yavimaya , Mesa , Verduran and Argothian enchantresses. Mesa, Verduran and Argothian for Card draw. Yavimaya Enchantress which actually grows for each enchantment in play will be very happy to add these creatures her enchantment plus count. Since the deck I made features a lot of Hex proof creatures with Sigarda ,Host of Herons at the helm as my General I could see the potential of the Bestow Mechanic. Celestial Archon , Observant Alseid and Leafcrown Dryad could make Sigarda much bigger as Aura cards and could also provide massive card draw advantage when you have the Enchantresses in play. And if for some reason Sigarda is "taken cared of" then there are still creatures that would be able to continue the pressure of attack.  

The Theran gods Heliod and Nylea are also cards that are enchantments. Sigarda could be pumped by Nylea's ability with a +2/+2 for each activation as well as give her Trample. Heliod could make her Vigilant. So you have a Flying  , Hex Proof , Trampling , Vigilant Commander who would swing in for General Damage and still be able to defend. It seems like the enchantresses are not the only happy kind of creatures to see Theros. There are other pretty exciting enchantments to use in Theros as well like Gift of Immortality that would forever ensure that Sigarda would stick around even after she has been mass removed.

Yes , Theros is almost here and the Enchantresses that I have are just as excited as I am. Now if they would only confirm that there would be Enchantment Lands.

"Xenagos , The Reveler EDH: Red Green Happiness"

"Xenagos , The Reveler EDH: Red Green Happiness"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.

After looking at Xenagos I was reminded of the original Garruk. Garruk could untap two lands for more mana , Xenagos could potentially do more. It has to depend on how many creatures you have on the battlefield though. At 4 mana , 2 colorless  , One Red and One Green this planeswalker is a perfect fit for a lot of the current Red Green EDH decks that also feature Garruk and Domri Rade. It is like a bunch of super friends of the Red/Green Variety. 

As I was saying about this new red/green planeswalkers ability you could have a lot of red or green mana depending on the number of creatures you have on the battlefield. It does not have to be a lot of creatures as even 2 or 3 more mana could accelerate you to the kind of mana production that you actually need to cast bigger and better spells. So it could be used in any Red/Green deck that has lots of creatures and needs mana acceleration.(which is a lot of decks)

I also see this as a great addition to Red/Green Land destruction EDH decks. Decks that are led by Radha ,Heir to Keld would get a great kick out of Xenagos. Crippling mana disruption is the key with these builds and with at least 1 land and 2 creatures you have enough mana to Land Ramp while your opponents struggle to more get more lands on their side of the board.

"Fine...Give me your mana..."

I am just talking about this guys first ability. The +1.His opening loyalty counter of 3 and then 4 if you use this ability gives him a 4 toughness that can't be killed right off the bat by little creatures.As for defending himself he is not a push off as well.

His 2nd ability , which is a 0 (neither adds or subtracts loyalty counters) allows you to have a 2/2 R/G Satyr Creature with Haste. If you have enough defenders when Xenagos comes into play you could use this Satyr to attack right away. This second ability also plays well with the first one since it will add to your creatures , it could also add to the potential mana that you could use later on. In EDH games where a lot of players just like to amass massive armies in the beginning Xenagos seems pretty good at recruitment when it comes to creatures (2nd skill) and mana to cast other creatures (1st skill). Mayael EDH decks would love this because you could use his first skill to use Mayael's skill without tapping for any mana(except for a single white mana). Mana that could be handy for using green instants like Beast Within for example.

"More mana for me? Yes..."

The last skill which costs a -6 of Loyalty counters would merely be icing on the cake at times. Exiling the top 7 cards and being able to play any number of land or creatures from them is really awesome. If you have Cream of the Crop in play and you have been scrying your deck for the power of any creature that comes in under your control then you would have a pretty good idea what the next two cards will be at least. Before triggering the ability it is always better to know or if you are like me , I like to play a little gamble. The wild factor. Not know what you will get is also fun and exicting. Land destroying creatures like Terastodon or Sylvan Primordial or Emrakul. Whatever creature lands on the battlefield , it is sure to help you. After all you were the person who put it in the deck. 

All in all Xenagos will make a fine addition to any Red/Green EDH or certainly will add more options in the creature casting department. I do not play a lot of Red/Green nowadays but I am thinking about it now. Xenagos thanks for changing my mind.  I could almost hear him say Your welcome.

________________________________________

Mayael the Anima by Kris Altered Art...makes me want to play...Simply Stunning.

   

"Elspeth , Suns Champion: Heliod's Chosen"

"Elspeth , Suns Champion: Heliod's Chosen"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.

Watching the Theros trailers gave me a great feel for this block and if Ravnica was Jace's time in the spotlight , Elspeth is now the chosen one for the block of Theros.(In my best Kung Pao voice) Elspeth is the chosen one.

The third reincarnation of this Planeswalker costs a bit more than those that went before her. At 4 colorless mana and 2 plains Elspeth offers an immediate impact when she comes into play. Starting with 4 Loyalty counters , The Sun's Champion has the +1 first ability of creating three 1/1 White Soldier to fight on her behalf. 

"Ready to serve...Yes Milady?"

Looking at her second ability which is -3 Destroy all creatures with Power 4 or greater. From these two abilities alone we could see that this Elspeth favors the Heroes of this world and works as a specific mass removal to the monsters that abound on the plane. Since the tokens she created are 1/1 they are not touched by her ability as well as the other 2/2 or 3/3 heroes that you might have cast before Elspeth. She can make an impact both in tipping the board position in your favor as you could easily use the second ability and get rid of those Monstrosities that have probably been giving you a beating in the earlier turns or you could just equalize the creature count with the 3 soldiers from her first ability.

As further proof that Elspeth favors the Heroes her final ability (-7) gives you an emblem that lets your creatures get +2/+2 and flying.

3/3 Creatures like the Boros Reckoner will have a grand time with Elspeth , Suns Champion and that is the key in playing with her. Keep the power levels low but the quantity of creatures high. If you would calculate the tokens that Elspeth creates alone on her way to her final ability (assuming that she goes unmolested in the suceeding turns) you would have at least 9 1/1 Soldiers that would instantly become 3/3 when her final ability is used up. These soldiers represent a massive amount of 27 points of damage. Talk about fielding Soldiers from out of the aether right? When it comes to defending Theros I tend to agree with Heliod on this one. Elspeth , Suns Champion is the right woman for the job.

" Rescue from the Underworld: To the Underworld and Back"

" Rescue from the Underworld: To the Underworld and Back"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.

Growing up I have read the greek myths and was excited about the new Theros block.  Imagine cards based on Greek Mythology! My inner Nerd was raging with glee. One card in particular that calls to my Necromantic heart is the reanimator card "Rescue from the Underworld." It has its origin from Orpheus going to the realm of Hades to regain Euridice his bride. I imagine the setting to be a hero standing on the banks of the River Styx and bribing/tricking the ferryman so that another hero could be released. And it is with this imagery that I begin imagining playing with this magnificent card.

At 5 mana cost with a single black mana added in the mix Rescue from the Underworld is different from most reanimating cards. While most cards in the employ of Necromancers are of the sorcery persuasion , this one is actually an instant. However there are 2 costs in using it. First you must have a creature to sacrifice and must wait until your next upkeep for both of them to return. Yup you read it right , the sacrificed creature and the target creature from your graveyard both return at the beginning of your next upkeep. Now that is actually a great deal when you look at it. All your creatures evade all manner of removal. And come back nastier with a friend in tow...preferably with a nasty comes into play effect as well. Your creatures would just snigger at any form of Mass Removal , even the instant variety Mass Removal since you could cast  Rescue from the Underworld at any given time. 

"Can't bounce , Can't spot remove , Can't mass remove? Now what?"

I imagine being in an EDH game playing a Jarad's Order and getting a Triskelion to my hand and Mikaues the Unhallowed to the graveyard. After playing my Triskelion most opponents are on to the fact that both the Zombie cleric and his pinging buddy should not be able to exist together on the battlefield. For sure when the Triskelion comes into play it is going to be targetted right away. With the  Rescue from the Underworld ( and it goes uncountered)  you are sure to have both of this bloody duo into play by the next upkeep. Your opponents would be pressured to come up with a way to beat you by then. Make sure that you survive. 

On the other hand , if you already have a full graveyard and your opponents are threatening to swoop down on you could cast a board sweeper , use  Rescue from the Underworld to sacrifice one of your big creatures , let us say a Sepulchral Primordial , and on your next upkeep not only do you have 2 of your creatures back but potentially 3 other creatures from your opponents graveyards and with none of them having a defender in sight. We all know what happens in the next couple of turns don't we?

Yup , I believe that  Rescue from the Underworld will make a big impact in EDH as well as in other formats. I look forward to the other things the gods will bestow upon in is Theros. Good times.