"Tiny Leaders: Anafenza and the Fallen"

"Tiny Leaders: Anafenza and the Fallen"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.

This is the first time that I would be writing about a Tiny leaders deck. A cool format that in my mind is a Mini-Commander/Mini-EDH format. I am happy with this particular format because this time it allows you to use your lower costed cards to create a 50 card deck.

My first deck was easy because I already had Varolz and my Relentless Rats with me. So it just took a little tweaking so to speak. Balthor the Defiled isn't really happy with almost all of his army going from his commander deck going to a Tiny Leaders deck but heck the particular oddity of the Relentless Rats was something that I wanted to explore in the new format.

This article however is regarding  my second Tiny Leaders deck because I had to wait for its particular commander to come out.You could say that I waited a thousand years for her to die and then live again so that she could be Anafenza , Kin Tree Spirit.

This is Anafenza and the Fallen. A Dedicated Soldier deck(which also has some other creatures that are not Soldiers but Fall just the same).I once told my friends that I wanted to make a Soldier deck that I would call the fallen , however these soldiers seem like a mighty tough bunch and could take care of opponents with an efficiency that rivals those of White Knights that are the more well known cards in weenie decks. 

Anafenza, Kin Tree Spirit was my chosen commander for this deck because of the Bolster 1(look for the creature with least toughness and put a +1/+1 counter on it.) she gives when another non-token creature lands on your side of the battlefield.

The lands are cheap because they are mainly basic plains and believe me there is nothing fancy about my mana producers. Evolving wilds to just thin out the deck and secluded Steppe for that extra draw when you already have too much land. The Flooded Strand is not to show off , I just happened to have one that wasn't being used in any deck.

17 Plains

1 Evolving Wilds

1 Secluded Steppe

1 Flooded Strand(kasi may extra ako na pakalat kalat)

Tutor:

Enlightened Tutor

Enablers:

Spear of Heliod

Crusade

Honor of the Pure

Glorious Anthem

Intangible Virtue

Adaptive Automaton(choosing Soldiers of course!)

Spot Removal:

Condemn

Path to Exile

Mass Removal:

Martial Coup

Spot removal creature:

Fiend Hunter

Banisher Priest

Court Street Denizen

Token Producer:

Shrine of Loyal Legions

White Sun's Zenith

Raise the Alarm

Herald of Anafenza

One of my all time favorites , Court Street Denizen makes an appearance in this deck to make your one on one opponents life miserable since every creature that you play would mean tapping a creature on the opposite side of the battlefield. Yup and then you get to chip at their life total at will even if you are not using big creatures. I mean a constant stream of weenie damage suddenly amounts to something very big and with just 25 life points every single bit of damage counts.

Glorious Anthem, Crusade , Honor of the Pure and Spear of Heliod all cost 3 mana or less and makes all your 1/1 creatures all the more tougher and meaner. Having all of them in play means that your 1/1 becomes a 5/5. Even just two of them in play will be enough to turn the tide of battle in your favor.

Martial Coup actually feels like cheating in this deck since you get to deal with your opponents army while leaving 5 Soldier tokens on your side of the board coupled with enablers like Spear of Heliod it is decidedly one sided(in your favor of course).

One of the oddities of this deck is the fact that while it has Anafenza , Kin Tree Spirit as its commander this is at its core a token filled deck. Anafenza doesn't look at token decks to bolster but in a setting(Tiny Leaders) where even one aggressive attacker could end the game in an instant it is important to have a lot of bodies clogging up the battlefield. All of these are white creatures mind you and could be a target for Anafenzas bolster ability.The whole deck is really built to attack and defend. 

There are still a lot of things to work through with this deck but I am confident that with the right balance of spot removal(tapping and instant spells) and a whole bunch of tokens this kind of deck could swarm through with its numbers and enablers for a win.

"Priest of the Blood Rite:Like A Splicer...Splicing for the very first time."

"Priest of the Blood Rite:Like A Splicer...Splicing for the very first time."

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr. 

It seems like Black has been getting a lot of loving lately and most of the cards that I would want to have are in this color. One card in paticular doesnt seem to generate enough buzz and that is Priest of the Blood Rite. A 5 to cast 2/2 creature that allows you to have a 5/5 demon token creature with flying unto the battlefield. This guy actually reminds me of the Splicers from the Scars of Mirrodin block. I would take a 5/5 Flying demon over a golem any day though. So of course my thoughts turn on how to abuse this guy for fun and profit.

1) Priest of the Blood Rite + Mimic Vat

The first thing that came to mind was this , imprinting it on a Mimic Vat. Since the token it produces does not actually go away when it dies you are still left with a tough 5/5 creature on the battlefield and when you activate the mimic vat at the end of your turn you get the 2/2 Priest and another 5/5 Demon token. 

All in all this is 12 points of damage on the upcoming turn. Then on the opponents next turn you could activate the mimic vat again to have yet another priest and another token which adds up to 17 points of damage. Granted that this strategy is powerful it is more of a mid to late game plan. The early part of this particular deck means a lot of early hand disruption via discard or very mean creature control.I don't think will have any problem in that regard.

2) Priest of the Blood Rite + Alesha , Who Smiles at death

Another great way to cheat the card into play is with Alesha. This one could actually work in Standard and since Alesha only cares about power 2 creatures the Priest of the Blood Rite is an ideal target and fits in her color scheme as well.So assuming that you already have the Priest of the Blood Rite in your graveyard you could pay 2 mana in any combination of black or white and then get it on the battlefield attacking with Alesha. Opponents would then have the choice of blocking it and then having it come into play again on your next attack. The really cool thing is that even if it dies you still have a 5/5 Demon as a blocker and another attacker on the next turn. Abusive!

3) Priest of the Blood Rite  + Gift of Immortality + Nantuko Husk

With Nantuko Husk being reprinted in Magic Origins we now have another sacrifice outlet for the Priest of the Blood Rite and with the Aura Gift of Immortality we could be producing a lot of 5/5 Demon Flying tokens. 

Simply put you enchant the Priest of the Blood Rite with the Gift of Immortality and sacrfice it to the Nantuko Husk. The Priest Returns instantly and gives you another 5/5 token. Wait for the end of your turn to have the Gift of Immortality return and enchant the Priest again. This particular combo is also impressive on your opponents turn since you could sacrifice the priest instantly and give yourself an extra blocker when it comes back into play. 

Given that the combo is not fool proof and a well aimed Ultimate Price could mess up your plans , it would still be impressive to pull off. Plus 5/5 creatures are always welcome on your side of the board right?

Oh and I would also like to add here that Blink effects that exile the Priest would work just as well. An example would be the Restoration Angel or if you want to play Blue/Black in EDH you might as well Soulbound it to a Deadeye Navigator for Multiple Activations for a much cheaper price.

Well that is all for today. Have fun. Keep on Splicing.

"The MRT games"

"The MRT games"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.

Yes for local commuters here in Manila the MRT has been the sight of so much strife , so much suffering and you don't even have to be inside the train station to feel it! Yup standing in line under the blistering sun is enough to whittle away at your sanity.

So I was looking at the long lines one day and I realized that we could market this as a tourist attraction. Something like the MRT experience or better yet , THE MRT GAMES. Something different for the 1st world country folks.I even came up with a few ideas regarding it.Some of the sights to see and experience.

1) The Uncertainty of trains...

Will the train actually stop? will the train be here on time? will the train work only to stop? Our trains would keep you guessing. Currently there less and less working trains to go around and pick up people. Some of these trains have been put through so much load that they just break down on their own. So that there will always be a delay somewhere along the tracks. Most probably our foreign visitors who are so used to efficient running trains in their own countries might get a kick out of the very unique experience of our own transit system.

2) The uncertainty of turnstiles...

One moment it lights up green , happily eating stored value cards...the next it has some red X on it like someone stabbed it! 

And lucky you . the next person who should have been the next to enter now have to transfer to another ever lenghtening line...

Yup , it is quite annoying when the person in front of you in the turnstile helplessly puzzles out why his or her card won't work but it is more annoying when the turnstile itself decides to call it quits and dies on you. You could just feel the dagger looks of all those people behind you as they are contemplating murdering you for causing something that you didn't even do.

3) Passenger Meltdowns!

People like Amalayer girl and that annoying person who wants the whole train to know that they are fighting with their significant other while talking on the phone would be another feature that trains in Manila would have. Some countries have people who ride the train in total silence. In Manila you have people talking over the noisy train. People reacting to every delay. People fighting over the mobile phones. And they are not afraid to share it to the world. Foreign visitors might also want to start their own fights in the train but that is highly discouraged. 

4) Flying Trains!

Not due to Maglev mind you but simply because the train brakes don't really work at all. And like a scene straight out of Speed you would be lucky to get out of train with only a few broken bones.

Yup. Be one of the lucky ones who get on the train whose breaks dont work and you might just find yourself at the groundlevel traffic of your next station. Sure beats walking! 

5) Decoupling drift!

Imagine watching the front part of the train...Now imagine watching it getting farther and farther as your own carriage slides away from it. True story.Happened more than once.

Yup the Decoupling drift is a real horrible way to start or end your day. MRT commuters have the distinct chance of experiencing it at least once in their commuting lives. 

6)To The Next Station Death March!

So you just squeezed through the train. You are inches from kissing the arm pits of the person in front of you and it seems he has forgotten to put any deodorant on , someone is moving behind you and it seems like they are taking advantage of you. Someone has been holding on your shoulders like their life depended on it...without your permission.

While enduring all this and thinking that you are merely a couple of stations away from your next destination...the train suddenly stops.The doors open and the muffled voice of the train operator mumbles an apology and that you need to walk all the way to the next station where another train might be waiting for you."Might" being the operative word here since (Check #1)...

Congratulations! The Next Station death march has begun!

Well nobody really has died due to this but you might feel like dying when you are late for an important meeting , wedding , graduation , presentation....especially if you are the one giving the meeting , getting married , going to graduate or giving the presentation. 

7) MRT presents Human snakes

Yes like that game where more and more pieces get added to the snake as you progress. Only this is not a game and it is an ever lengthening line that would soon stretch from your imagination and directly into your nightmares. Bladder control and anal sphincter control is important in times like these. Empty your bladder and stomach before joining the snake. You would be there for a while. This snake is part snail as well. Unlike the snake that strikes fast ,this one is content to move in a snails pace to make sure that when you finally get to the train you don't have enough patience to suffer any more indignities. 

8) The Herd...

Ever wanted to be treated like a cow going to the slaughter? Now is your chance! The MRT divides its loooooooooooooooooong lines of people by barring the way with thick ropes. Once a particular area/section is clear , the ropes come down and people stampede through to the next....to the next rope. Enjoy peoples groaning as they watch the 3rd train to skip the station or enjoy observing pickpockets taking out peoples wallets and phones with the skill of shinobi!

Yup , the MRT experience just might get off the ground with all the features that I mentioned here. Time to print the new tickets for the rides.

"In the Midst of them"

"In the Midst of them"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

I have written ghost stories before involving my mom but this is probably the first time that I will write a ghost story with her as the main character. I find it odd but here I am writing about it anyway. She may never get to enjoy my writing but I was able to make her proud when I was still the editor in chief during my college days.

The story involved the group that my mom established and for many years , lead and improved. This is the Dalisay Seafarers Allottees Association where she was President and continued to be a consultant even though she and dad already transferred to another company. 

On the 3rd day the DSAA ladies visited mom during her wake and decided to stay at the Garden of the Ascension Columbary. They sat around one table and enjoyed catching up ,talking about memories of mom and how she never wanted anyone of them to be sad. This went on for hours. In the middle of their table was a white monoblock chair. Nobody found it odd at first but no one sat at that chair. They would always sit near the back or near that center chair but never on it.Their chat continued but all of them stopped when my youngest sibling Nadine went near them and pointed at the chair and said. "Si Mommy oh!"

The talking stopped and the ladies discovered the vacant chair. I was not able to see mom in it but I believed that she was there. She probably missed the company of this group that she has guided and shaped all these years. She probably missed hearing the gossips and arguments. All I know for sure is that she is missed and she will always be missed by her fellow DSAA members. Fear is normally what people associate with ghosts but I believe that mom gave something more than fear that day. Maybe as a farewell to this group that was always looking for direction from her.A final blessing  , a final fellowship with the people whom she has been helping even on the final day of her life. 

"Mga Parang Bangungot sa 2 Pangungusap...Part 2"

"Mga Parang Bangungot sa 2 Pangungusap...Part 2"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

Kadalasan din naman natin hinahanap ang kadiliman ngunit ang kadalaman ay sadyang nakapaligid lang sa atin. Maraming sitwasyon na minsan akala natin ay inosente lang ay kung saan na napupunta. Halimbawa na lang ang blog post na ito na nagumpisa isang umaga nang marinig ko ang isang tao na kumakatok sa CR na malapit sa aking Examination room kung may tao sa loob nito.Simple lamang pero naisip ko kung paano ay may sumagot nga at wala naman talagang tao dun sa loob?

Kung nabasa mo ang orihinal na post ko tungkol dito ay salamat. Kung hindi naman ay puwede mo naman puntahan dito sa link na ito.

http://flightofideasver2.blogspot.com/2015/06/mga-parang-bangungot-sa-2-pangugusap.html

Masaya na din ako sa 6 na ito...Basahin mo para di lang ako ang may malikot na pagiisip paminsan minsan.Lights on or lights off?

1) Dahil sa tawag ng kalikasan , nagmamadali siyang tumakbo sa banyo sa dulo ng bahay at nang napansing nakasarado ang pinto , kumatok at nagtanong , "May tao ba?"... "Di ako tao" ang sagot ng malalim na boses sa likod ng pinto.

2) "Malulunod ka ngayon..." Ang nabasa niyang Horoscope sa Diyaryo."Di naman totoo yan" , ang sabi niya sa sarili sabay bunggo sa kanya ng isang truck na siyang dahilan kung bakit nahulog ang tricycle niya sa Ilog sa may Nagtahan.

3) "Parang May Mali" tanong ni Art sa sarili pagkagising sa kama kung saan di niya maigalaw ang kanyang buong katawan at tila ba may angulo na mali ang kanyang ulo. Sabay naalala niya na di siya nasalo ng kanyang kaibigan habang nagbabackflip...

4) Pinipilit niyang sumigaw sa mga nurse at doctor na nakapaligid sa kanya sa operating table , "Gising ako!!! , Gising ako!!!, Masakit!!! , Masakit!!!". Nagpatuloy ang operasyon ng 12 oras.

5) Nagtataka si Benito kung bakit napakabigat ng kanyang bentang taho ngayong araw ngunit inisip na lang niya na pagod lang siya at walang pahinga ng ilang araw. Laking tuwa niya nang may mga call center agent na papalapit at bibili sa kanya , binuksan ang mga lalagyan para tingnan ang taho kung saan isang ulong pugot ang siya namang tumitig pabalik sa kanya.

6) "Tama na yan Tony , wag mo nang dilaan ang kamay ni Mommy", kalahating gising at kalahating tulog na sinabi ni Sabel sa kanyang aso. Binuksan ni Sabel ang kanyang mga mata , si Tony ay nakatitig at nagagalit sa kung ano man ang dumidila sa kamay niya.

"The Spark Wars begins"

"The Spark Wars begins"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr. 

Spark Wars. A new format that has been discussed in the last couple of days in the Magic forums. Taking its cue from the last Commander 2015 products where Planeswalkers were being used as Commanders for the first time Spark Wars is taking the game into a more limited and challenging space. 

So to start things off this particular format only utilizes cards from these particular blocks as well as the core sets that were released in between them.

Lorwyn Block

Alara Block

Zendikar Block

Scars of Mirrodin Block

Innistrad Block

Return to Ravnica Block

Theros Block

Khans of Tarkir Block

The limit that was set here is to remove overpowered cards from the card pool. Legacy and Vintage cards adding into EDH and Tiny Leaders favors long time players or players who have the time and finances to acquire these strong cards. With the limitation set to Lorwyn to Khans of Tarkir some strong staple cards like the Pacts or Force of Wills are removed but this is not to say that there won't be any abusive combos still coming out of the wood works. There has been a banned list of sorts that have come out with the format but I expect that there will be more as Magic communities around the world build around this particular format. 

On a side note here Lorwyn was probably chosen because this was where the original planeswalkers surfaced. It seemed like a very unlikely block to have planeswalkers but it just went to show during that time that Planeswalker are everywhere even in a pastoral plane such as Lorwyn.

Now on to the format itself. Spark Wars is really like EDH and Tiny Leaders combined. The number you are looking for here is 61. 60 cards plus your Commander which should be a planeswalker. The rules are the same no cards with the same name except for basic lands and the color identity of the deck is based on the mana colors of your Planeswalker commander.

The other rule is that there should be no other Planeswalker in your deck.I think that this is a great rule because having access to different versions of one planeswalker means that you could take advantage of the latest Legendary rule. The one where you could cast a planeswalker , use an ability and cast another one to be able to use that "fresh" planeswalkers ability and let the other one explode. Since your Commander is a planeswalker you always have one handy and could be sacrificed if need be creating so many complications.

This format is exciting because it gives players another venue to channel their creativity. A limited card pool means that most of these cards are relatively cheaper to come by than cards coming from the older Blocks like Onslaught or Mirrodin. Players could also create new interactions based on the cards that they already have lying around their homes. Maybe even discovering new combos and interactions along the way which in my mind is one of the greatest draws of this game.

I guess the only downside that I see is that the new Flip Planeswalker cards are included in the banned list since their casting costs are way too cheap and are considered to be overpowered. I guess I would just have to put my PR foil Liliana , Heretical Healer in some other deck. So now it is time to ignite your spark , create your Planeswalker deck and on to the Spark Wars.

"Shaman of the Forgotten Ways:The tucked threat"

"Shaman of the Forgotten Ways:The tucked threat"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr. 

Biorhythm. One of those cards that I had the pleasure of owning even before EDH. And one card that I hoped that I could have put to good use before I found out that it was one of those cards that were banned in the EDH format because it proved to be too strong. I mean it could end the game in an instant. People who control the spell just need to make sure that they control at least one creature and then destroy the rest. Wrath of God + Indestructible creature + Biorhythm means that every one's life total because equal to the number of creatures he or she controls. So yes it does not end well for everyone else unless they decide to fling something your way before they die. So they decided to ban this awesome card because it makes game play a bit less exciting to those who die by it.

So imagine my surprise when they printed Biorhythm on a stick.This is in the form of Shaman of the Forgotten ways. I loved the card instantly but there was some concern that it too would get a banning. 

There are several reasons why this would not come to pass.

1.It is a freaking creature! One of the classic questions in Magic is...Can you Doom blade it? If so then no worries.

2. Formidable - Look at the amount of power that you need to amass in order to activate this ability. A prerequisite that may or may not win you the game. Since this will be a green EDH deck expect that the 8 power requirement will be negligible. Still. Can you doom blade it?

The Shaman is already 2 Power and because of the 2 mana that it adds you could be sure that you would be casting Atarka or even Surrak in no time at all.The question is while you have a 

3. 11 mana to activate!.... So let us say that you already have 8 power or more for the Formidable pre requisite. The question now is do you have enough mana to activate the the Shamans ability before someone can doom blade the hell out of it?

Unlike the cheaper costing Biorhythm which could also be cheated into play , Shaman of the forgotten ways will force you to play straight and narrow. 

With these reasons do you think I will dissuaded into not playing the Shaman? No way. I still think that this is a fun way to end the game and people will always be wary of that seemingly innocent 3 to cast mana producer that you have usually tucked in your lands. 

They would be counting lands and they would be counting creatures. Wary if you would be able to pull off a Biorhythm on them. This could prove to be a great diversion if you are actually planning to go all Aggro.Or maybe when they are not watching you could take out that tucked threat and just activate it.