Friday, April 30, 2021

"Here Lies April's End"

"Here Lies April's End"
by:
Virgilio De leon Jr.MD

I
My Muse has come and Gone
And I am here left wanting
I am drained but happy
I am collapsing but smiling

II
Why do I need this pressure?
When I have been producing  Diamonds all along?
Why do I need to be on the Brink?
When all I need to do is drink.

III
Drink from the cup
The poison and the cure
The Muse that was missing
Is the musings of the Unsure

IV
And so here ends the April Runs
And begins another labor of Fun
May it be the same
May it be the same

Quezon City , April 30 2021 ,  5:19am

"Jinyo Wakes"

 "Jinyo Wakes"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD


Jinyo woke up clutching her head , the sun was shining directly on her forehead for sometime now that it began to feel dry. By the look of things it was already mid day. Well no one said that there would be guests here today so she guessed that she could take her sweet time.


Her stomach made that gurgling sound that it usually makes when she has had less and less to eat. Her trainee days were long over but she could still remember those periods of starvation and it seems every month she still cant stop herself from not eating anything at all during this day. Her body expects a weigh in! She laughed at how absurd that sounded. Well at least I can decide to look for food if there was anything in the Inn.


Her Mother had told her that she would be alone at the place as other staff were busy in the other locations and this one was at least a few kilometers from the nearest big hotel. People used to love going here when her Dad was alive partly because the man knew how to treat guests. Her mom seemed like she would fit in into one of those cyborg movies where humans were being hunted down to extinction.


Another absurd thought. At least all her thoughts were turning to other things. All except for that person. But then she realized that it was turning into that space again and she swerved it right at the thought of looking for food. She forcefully jumped to her feet from the bed and regretted it a couple of seconds later when she felt that wave of vertigo hit her. 


"You can be such a stubborn headed idiot you know that?" She remembered him saying. "The Doctor said no more dancing but that also means no more sudden jerking movements like that as well."


She knew he wasn't here but why did those words still sting her? Probably because he was right at that moment. She let the wave of dizziness pass while sitting still and closing her eyes. "Breathe slow and deep" he told her again. And she did."See. It will pass soon. Hang in there."


She remembered crying the first time she realized that she was so helpless in this condition but he just smiled at her during those times. He would sit just a little further away and look straight at her as if gauging something. And when the unsteadiness passed he was there to offer his hand. The same hand she was reaching out for now.


She felt a tear drop and as if ashamed hurriedly wiped it away but she felt another and another until her hands were not fast enough to keep them from dropping on the brown carpetted floor. She sat there on the bed looking at the door that seemed to be miles away though she could have easily crossed that distance and be on her way out. 


She gently shook her head , "I can't let that idiot win. If I begin to miss him again..."




"Strixhaven Stadium: Toppling an opponent!"

 "Strixhaven Stadium: Toppling an opponent!"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD



I always like finding cards to build around and well Strixhaven Stadium surely is an interesting way to win the game.


The way I see it you can attack with smaller creatures until you get to 10 counters on Strixhaven Stadium and kill an opponent or you could wait until there are about 9 counters on this artifact before attacking. 


It can be done by tapping it to add one counter or even proliferating it with cards Contagion Clasp. In doing so even a small  force of weak 1/1 creatures can secure you a win. 


Hmmmmm. Another worthy goal.


Of course to make sure that no one is attacking you to deplete any of your Strixhaven Stadium counters build in a lot Vows as mix in Propaganda and Cage of Hands in the mix. 


Time to attack and use this mana rock for the win! 

"Callous Bloodmage: Mimic Vat Me!"

 "Callous Bloodmage: Mimic Vat Me!"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD


I remember those horrible times that an opponent or in this case Jack Rivera was able to put a Liliana's Spectre on a Mimic Vat and had the same annoying creature attack for 2 and as it's ETB effect make me discard a card. It was such a pest but Callous Bloodmage might even be a bigger pest.


This is actually a very nice utility creature, token generator, card drawer and Bojuka bogger? all in one card. Just the thing the Phyrexians ordered for their Mimic vat shenanigans.



I mean ff you need blockers you are in luck buddy , you have a 2/1 and a 1/1! And willing to die too. You can churn out some more later when you need them.


Still digging for your combo pieces? have a card that you badly need right now? Choose Card draw!


Is there a  Liliana Vess about to go ultimate and reanimating all graveyards? Bojuka Bog the juiciest one hahahaha


Time to be an annoying pest like the one on this guys shoulder.

"Scholarship Sponsor: The Human Adjusted Balance"

 "Scholarship Sponsor: The Human Adjusted Balance"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD


Normally it would take a couple of years or sets to have a copy or version of an existing card on a creature , artifact or land. There is a design space where you can move abilities of an artifact to a land for example like Sol Ring to Ancient Tomb or Call the Gatewatch to Arena Rector. 


Sometimes the effect is watered down or has a consequence. Now like I said it takes time for Wizards of the coast to decide on things like this because it would mean that having a creature version and sorcery version of a card means that you will essentially have 8 copies of that strong effect in a regular 60 card deck or 2 copies in the 99 of an EDH deck. 


Case in point is this guy right here which is basically the creature version of Adjusted Balance. Now with all the great new cards that they have been pumping out for Strixhaven (and there is really some powerful cards I am excited about). This seems like a lazy way of doing things. 


I mean someone probably said , how do we make Silverquill or even Monowhite stronger this time around? I know make 2  versions of the same card and release them on the same environment. Really no harm in that right? People can take care of this creature right? they can counter Adjusted Balance too.


Hooobooy. Wotc. There is a reason why you did not do things like this before. I don't know why you decided to do this now.

"Ano ang Apelyido ni Deekah?"

 "Ano ang Apelyido ni Deekah?"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD


Deekah Gon

Deekah Hon

Deekah Nadala

Deekah Natuto

Deekah Navata 

Deekah Nakasya

Deekah Naabot 

Deekah DaNobenta

"Galazeth Prismari: The Oddity of Choices"

 "Galazeth Prismari: The Oddity of Choices"

By:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

The Prismari Founding Dragon makes an odd choice for an EDH Commander. On one hand it wants you to have a lot of artifacts in play since it enters the battlefield to give you a treasure token as well as make all of your artifacts mana producers.

The only problem is that this mana from the artifacts can only be spent to cast instant and sorcery spells. So Play a lot of Artifacts , Instants and Sorceries.

I am sure someone will figure it out when they are drowning in mana producing artifacts and taking extra turns...