Deathmarked

Reminder Again of New Blog

2011-11-17T11:11:00.000+08:00

You must be wondering of no new posts on this blog. Well, I've continued updates on Deathmarked dot info. Just click on the link and see you on the other side. Thanks!

Magic 2011

2011-01-03T20:44:00.000+08:00

Just wanna say a Happy New Year of Magic: The Gathering to everyone. Hope your fingers are still complete. :)

An Instant Decklist for FNM

2010-08-25T22:11:00.000+08:00

Will be trying this one on Friday. What do you think? :D

UB Persecutor Control
Maindeck
4 Abyssal Persecutor
4 Vampire Nighthawk
2 Malakir Bloodwitch

4 Contaminated Ground
4 Spreading Seas
4 Jace The Mind Sculptor
4 Mana Leak
2 Cancel
2 Deprive
2 Into the Roil
2 Consuming Vapors
2 Infest

4 Drowned Catacombs
4 Jwar Isle Refuge
4 Creeping Tar pits
6 Island
6 Swamp

Potential sideboard could be:
- additional Infest
- Duress
- Negate
- Flashfreeze

Comments and Suggestions are welcome.

The Latest Trending Deck: Valakut Ramp

2010-07-23T13:20:00.000+08:00

It seems like Primeval Titan is proving its price worth. Valakut Ramp decks has been gaining top spots recently, both in online and offline. The recent PTQs in Japan and in the US shows at least four of these decks in the top 8. As of the build, they've removed the Bloodbraid elves and the bolts and replaced with the powerful green titan and the Avenger of Zendikar. Here's a list which got 1st from the recent Magic-League trial tourney.

RG Valakut Ramp by BarneyStinso
Maindeck
12 Mountain
6 Forest
4 Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle
3 Terramorphic Expanse
3 Evolving Wilds

4 Avenger of Zendikar
4 Primeval Titan
4 Siege-Gang Commander

4 Khalni Heart Expedition
4 Cultivate
4 Explore
4 Harrow
4 Rampant Growth

Sideboard
3 Cunning Sparkmage
4 Oracle of Mul Daya
2 Summoning Trap
2 Chandra Nalaar
4 Forked Bolt

What I Lack and What I Need at the Moment

2010-07-15T10:32:00.000+08:00

Watching this video inspired me to post this.

This site never fails to inspire on every new post. Seriously.

Let's Put Your Brilliant Ultimatums for Some Use

2010-05-06T08:32:00.000+08:00

Check out this list:

Brilliant Control
by Alex Viksnins
Standard - TCGPlayer.com $5K

Maindeck
4 Marsh Flats
4 Creeping Tar Pit
4 Glacial Fortress
4 Arcane Sanctum
3 Island
3 Plains
3 Swamp

3 Emrakul, the Aeons Torn
4 Wall of Omens

1 Path to Exile
4 Ponder
1 Smother
4 Spreading Seas
4 Esper Charm
3 Day of Judgment
4 Brilliant Ultimatum
4 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
1 Elspeth, Knight-Errant
1 Gideon Jura
2 Liliana Vess

Sideboard
4 Negate
4 Kor Firewalker
2 Kor Sanctifiers
1 Identity Crisis
2 Celestial Purge
1 Doom Blade
1 Duress

New Version of Boat Brew in Worldwake Standard

2010-03-15T13:34:00.001+08:00

I will be testing this list. Special thanks to kira for the suggestions.

Maindeck
4 Jungle Shrine
4 Arid Mesa
6 Mountain
9 Plains
2 Dread Statuary

3 Siege-Gang Commander
2 Captain of the Watch
2 Goblin Bushwhacker
1 Dragonmaster Outcast
4 Goblin Guide
3 Ranger of Eos

4 Lightning Bolt
3 Martial Coup
3 Marshal's Anthem
3 Everflowing Chalice
4 Path to Exile
3 Ajani Vengeant

PV's Blue Black Vamps in Post Worldwake Standard

2010-02-02T21:19:00.000+08:00

Check out PV's (Paulo Vitor Damo Da Rosa) interesting take on the blue back version of Zendikar Vampires with the addition of the powerful and new Jace Mind Sculptor and the blue-black manland, Creeping Tar Pit.

Main Deck
4 Jwar Isle Refuge
10 Swamp
2 Island
4 Drowned Catacomb
4 Creeping Tar Pit

4 Gatekeeper of Malakir
3 Vampire Hexmage
2 Kalastria Highborn
4 Vampire Nocturnus
4 Vampire Nighthawk
4 Malakir Bloodwitch

3 Countersquall
4 Urge to Feed
4 Sign in Blood
4 Jace, the Mind Sculptor

Sideboard
2 Agony Warp
4 Bloodghast
1 Countersquall
2 Fleshbag Marauder
3 Duress
3 Doom Blade

Black Red Vamps Deck Update

2009-12-16T10:57:00.002+08:00

Hi all. I've tested my first version of BR Vampires last Friday and surprisingly, it did well with 3-1 record. The matchups were 1 Valakut, 2 Vampires (mono black) and 1 Jund Sligh, which was my only loss. I guess I got lucky with the top card reveals with Nocturnus which most of the time were black cards. The only problem I noticed is the deck's frequent mana flood even though I fetched already with the flats. Anyhow, my changes would be the following:

1. Lessen the B. Blast into just 3 and add the fourth Gatekeeper of Malakir.

2. Replace the Blightnings with the Lightning Bolts. I'm still on the process of testing this.

3. Add more Sign in Blood.

By the way, my sideboard were:

3 Black Knight
3 Deathmark
3 Duress
4 Lightning Bolt
2 Marse Casualties

I'm looking to change this by adding Thought Hemorrhage and a fourth Duress. I will update you with further matchup tests on the next post. You might also want to see my build on the Mono black version of Vamps. Until next time.

Black Red Vampires v. 1

2009-12-09T13:30:00.002+08:00

Here's my take on the Red-splashed Vampires build as inspired by the decklist at NG forums.

Lands
10 Swamp
4 Marsh Flats
2 Savage Lands
4 Akoum Refuge
4 Dragonskull Summit

Creatures
4 Vampire Nighthawk
3 Gatekeeper of Malakir
4 Malakir Bloodwitch
3 Bloodghast
4 Vampire Hexmage
4 Vampire Nocturnus

Spells
4 Terminate
2 Sign in Blood
4 Blightning
4 Bituminous Blast

Looks impressive huh. I will be doing a playtest of this on our FNM this friday.

Worlds 2009 Deck Tech: Spread 'Em with Gerry Thompson

2009-11-26T13:12:00.001+08:00

Rob Dougherty's White Weenie at Worlds 2009

2009-11-20T11:18:00.001+08:00

Here's the deck tech vid of Rob Dougherty's version of White Weenie in Zendikar Standard.

Grixis Seas Initial List

2009-11-12T11:24:00.003+08:00

Here's my first version of the deck which is a Grixis version of the one played in our local tourney weeks ago. I favored red to utilize powerful Grixis spells like Double Negative and Cruel Ultimatum. Here's the list:

Grixis Seas version 1
by Mark Ian Alloso
Lands
3 Drowned Catacomb
5 Island
2 Swamp
4 Mountain
1 Akoum Refuge
1 Jwar Isle Refuge
3 Scalding Tarn
3 Dragonskull Summit
4 Crumbling Necropolis

Creatures
4 Sphinx of Jwar Isle
4 Goblin Ruinblaster

Spells
4 Jace Beleren
2 Earthquake
2 Pyroclasm
2 Cruel Ultimatum
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Double Negative
4 Convincing Mirage
4 Spreading Seas

This was made an anti on the current meta which is dominated by Jund. Do you think it can cope up? Hit the comments. :)

Jund Redux in Zendikar Standard

2009-11-04T08:51:00.003+08:00

Here's our update for Jund that has been doing great in our local tournament. For those who can't afford to buy Verdant Catacombs, this list is for you.

Deck Name: Jund Vengeant
Deck Designer: Oliver
Rank: 1st (Oct. 3 tournament)
Record: 6-0

// Lands
4 [ALA] Jungle Shrine
4 [ZEN] Swamp
4 [ALA] Savage Lands
4 [M10] Terramorphic Expanse
3 [M10] Dragonskull Summit
1 [ZEN] Plains
4 [ZEN] Forest
2 [ZEN] Mountain

// Creatures
4 [ALA] Sprouting Thrinax
3 [ALA] Broodmate Dragon
1 [ARB] Enlisted Wurm
4 [ARB] Bloodbraid Elf
4 [ARB] Putrid Leech

// Spells
3 [ALA] Ajani Vengeant
3 [ARB] Bituminous Blast
4 [ARB] Maelstrom Pulse
4 [M10] Lightning Bolt
4 [ALA] Blightning

// Sideboard
SB: 3 [M10] Duress
SB: 3 [ARB] Terminate
SB: 2 [ARB] Thought Hemorrhage
SB: 3 [ALA] Jund Charm
SB: 4 [M10] Great Sable Stag

5 Color Control Domination in Iloilo

2009-09-23T18:47:00.004+08:00

Hi guys, this is just an update of Iloilo Mtg community tournaments. The remaining two weeks of Lorwyn Standard here in Iloilo was dominated by Mark Anthony Co's 5-color control. Tonton, known to master the deck and has been using it for a months now, got back to back first place in the two previous weekly tournaments. His previous achievement was when he placed second in the Standard segment of MTG Philippine Open 2009 in Glorietta last July.

Here are the top four players of the recent two weekly tournaments here in Iloilo.

Standard (September 12, 2009)
First Place: Tonton (5 Color Control)
Second Place: Gian (Kithkins)
Third Place: Oliver (Jund Blood)
Fourth Place: Mark Ian (Kithkins) (me! ^^)

Standard (September 19, 2009)
First Place: Tonton (5 Color Control)
Second Place: Mao (Kithkins)
Third Place: John Paul (UW Lark)
Fourth Place: Jegjeg (Naya Aggro)

I'm sorry I didn't get to copy Tonton's 5CC list but I'll be posting it soon. Anyway, Zendikar Prerelease will be this weekend so I hope you, or we rather, will enjoy. You might want to check out my Zendikar posts in my other blog. Until next time y'all. :)

Updated Kithkins Build

2009-09-14T16:29:00.003+08:00

Hello. I've updated my build on my Mono white Kithkins by bringing back Goldmeadow Stalwarts maindeck and putting the Burrenton Forge Tenders in the sideboard. This is because the local metagame switched back to non-red aggro decks which made the pro-red kithkin irrelevant.

Here's the latest list. The cavaliers are in the main deck. I still lack the fourth Honor of the Pure so I substituted a 3rd Ajani Goldmane.

Maindeck
4 Cloudgoat Ranger
3 Figure of Destiny
3 Goldmeadow Stalwart
4 Knight of Meadowgrain
3 Stillmoon Cavalier
4 Wizened Cenn

3 Honor of the Pure
3 Ajani Goldmane
4 Spectral Procession
4 Path to Exile

3 Rustic Clachan
4 Windbrisk Heights
18 Plains

Sideboard
3 Burrenton Forge-tender
3 Hallowed Burial
3 Lapse of Uncertainty
2 Harm's Way
2 Oblivion Ring
1 Ranger of Eos
1 Unmake

This list got me on fourth place last Saturday. I'm pretty happy with the result despite of still having a lot of wrong decisions. Oh well.

You might be interested on my analysis of post Zendikar Standard decks. Visit my other blog.

Looking for the Best Web Hosting Providers?

2009-09-02T05:05:00.003+08:00

One of the backbones of a successful website is its site uptime and one in charge of that is the web host. Several web hosting companies today has a good reliability when it has a good performance of its uptime services on its costumers. Choosing the right one would be the question though. Questions you would need to ask like can the hosting space handle the files that you will have in your site? Is the bandwidth enough to handle the site traffic? Does the hosting have user friendly applications in the admin? These and several other important questions that the right web hosting company must comply with.

There is a site though that can help you deal with this hassle. The site called Web Hosting Geeks rates the best web site hosting providers based on your needs. You can find the best budget hosting, best blog hosting, best forum hosting and even platforms like Unix hosting and Windows hosting. They also have reviews on the top ten hosting providers so it will be easy for you to know the background of that hosting company before subscribing to them.

Check out Web Hosting Geeks today and select the best web hosting provider for your website.

Deathmarked Wallpapers is now Out

2009-08-29T02:40:00.002+08:00

No kidding guys, Deathmarked wallpapers are here! No, I was really kidding on the site wallpapers. Not the site but the card Deathmark from Magic 2010. Yeah, I was hoping I could have mine too. lol. Check out the wallpaper sizes to choose with on Friday's Magic Arcana.

The new art is cool but I'd still prefer the snow flake original card art version of Deathmark. Nothing beats the original you know hehe..

Top 4 again with Blightning Burn

2009-08-11T16:44:00.003+08:00

Here's the list I piloted last Saturday which gained me a top 4 slot in our local tournament.

Maindeck
4 Boggart Ram-gang
4 Demigod of Revenge
4 Figure of Destiny
4 Goblin Outlander

4 Blightning
4 Flame Javelin
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Terminate
4 Volcanic Fallout

4 Auntie's Hovel
4 Graven Cairns
1 Dragonskull Summit
3 Reflecting Pool
12 Mountain

Sideboard
4 Anathemancer
3 Chaotic Backlash
3 Doomblade
3 Infest
2 Pithing Needle

This is actually a last minute deck made by my card pool buddy Oliver. I got a final record of 4 wins, no losses and 2 draws. A detailed tournament report will posted soon on my other blog, Deathmarked V.2.

Drafting Mono Black in M10

2009-08-06T08:13:00.003+08:00

Here's what I've created from our draft yesterday at CCGDecks.com. Since I've been passed a lot of good black cards, and opened few bombs to support it, I decided to build this deck:

Main Deck
1 x Black Knight
2 x Drudge Skeletons
2 x Kelinore Bat
2 x Looming Shade
1 x Ornithopter
1 x Platinum Angel
2 x Relentless Rats
1 x Royal Assassin
1 x Vampire Aristocrat

2 x Assassinate
1 x Deathmark
1 x Duress
1 x Mind Rot
1 x Tendrils of Corruption
1 x Underworld Dreams
3 x Unholy Strength

17 x Swamp

The sideboard are the rest of my picks. Pretty cool option in drafting do you think? :)

Also checkout my other blog Deathmarked.info for the report on my tournament last Phil. Open.

Polymorph and Progenitus

2009-07-04T07:17:00.001+08:00

Since Polymorph is back again in M10, I was thinking of control deck that has only one particular creature which would probably be the big hydra Progenitus with a four copies of that sorcery spell and a lot of token producers (i.e. Bitterblossom, Spectral Procession, etc). The mana base would be Esper (Blue black core with White) and a few assembler and card drawing spells. The spot removals would be in-charged by black like Doom Blade and Shriekmaw and counterspells by blue (Cryptic Command, the new Remove Soul and Negate). For White, I’m still looking for cards other than Spectral Procession that could fill in the spot. The core cards so far are:

4 Polymorph
1 Progenitus
4 Cryptic Command
Bitterblossom probably (since I’m avoiding creature cards)
Liliana Vess (to tutor Polymorph)
Diabolic Tutor

I’m still browsing through the core set for other possible components and maybe come up with a complete decklist by Sunday. Feel free to leave your suggestions through the comment box below. :)

Web Hosting Guide

2009-06-25T15:26:00.001+08:00

Today’s blogging trend depends not just on the blog’s content and look. Although it is one of the main key of a successful blog, it is also an advantage to own a personal domain or web address. The next thing that comes in mind now is choosing the web hosting provider. Selecting the right web hosting service for your blog is not a walk in the park since there are things and features that you need to make sure of.

Is the disk space capacity enough to handle the files in your site? Is the bandwidth sufficient enough to handle the site’s traffic? Is there an easy access like cPanel and FTP for the site? Does the server have the right security for your online business site? These are just some of the many questions that you need to ask of your preferred web hosting provider. That’s pretty a lot you may say. The good thing is that there is a site that rates and reviews web hosting providers.

This site named Web Hosting Geeks can provide you with enough data on the reviews of the top ten web hosting providers of 2009. You can check not only the review but also the web hosts’ features and bonus features. They have also been giving awards for the best web hosts and categorized them like best budget hosting, best blog hosting, etc. You can check the complete list of awards here and the site's web hosting blog.

I suggest you visit Web Hosting Geeks now and get the best web host for your site.

Latest Electro House Craze

2009-06-25T02:42:00.005+08:00

I've been wanting to mix this one but I can't find a source to download online. Grrrr...

Chuckie Vs LMFAO- Let the Bass Kick In Miami Bitch (DJ Inphinity mashup remix)

Accor Hotels City Sale

2009-06-23T17:23:00.003+08:00

With the current work schedule that I have and the tasks I’m working on, I think I needed some time to relax and get away for a while. If given the time, I would really plan for a long and enjoyable vacation even just here around South East Asia. Or maybe just in our capital city Manila. I actually planned to go there this July to participate in a big tournament of my favorite trading card game, and also enjoy the favorite travel destinations of the city.

While looking online for a place to stay in Manila, I came upon this list of sale on hotel rates of Accor Hotels. The Accor Hotels City Super Sale offers the lowest hotel rates in 27 cities across the ten countries in Asia Pacific. These cities include Bangkok, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta, Hanoi, Manila, Mumbai, Sydney and Auckland.

Another good thing with this offer is that travelers can take advantage of up to 60% savings when they book online on the dates between June 23 to 29 and for stays between July 10 and September 30, 2009. Over 250,000 room nights will be on sale, with rates starting as low as US$25 per night. A very wonderful and cost wise offer indeed.

This sale is for a limited time only so I might get one now and I suggest you will too.

You can check out the full hotel rates here.

Budget Naya Deck for Alara Block

2009-06-23T04:29:00.007+08:00

An online buddy of mine (or should we say my apprentice haha) has created this budgeted list of Naya Aggro for Block constructed format. He posted this on our local Magic community forums. Check out the list below.

Main deck
4 WILD NACATL
4 CERODON YEARLING
4 STEWARD OF VALERON
4 WOOLY THOCTAR
4 GLORYSCALE VIASHINO
4 BLOODBRAID ELF

4 NAYA CHARM
4 COLOSSAL MIGHT
4 OBLIVION RING

Lands
4 NAYA PANORAMA
6 PLAIN
7 FOREST
7 MOUNTAIN

Sideboard
4 CELESTIAL PURGE
3 QASALI PRIDEMAGE
1 BEHEMOTH SLEDGE
4 VALERON OUTLANDER
3 SIGIL BLESSING

The deck costs around P1,358.00 or just about 28 dollars. Pretty small price but can compete in the format. You can see his card by card discussions here.

The Modern Lasik

2009-06-22T15:26:00.001+08:00

Did you know that spending over your contact lenses and eyeglasses can be very costly? As a matter of fact, an average 25 year old wearing extended wear contacts will spend upwards of $20,000. That would be very unwise especially with the current economic crisis.

There’s still hope though, with the new iLasik procedure. If you aren’t familiar, LASIK (which is an acronym of laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis) is the renowned vision correction procedure today. It is a refractive surgery that corrects most of the common eyesight defects. This combines Wavefront mapping technology with two lasers for a safe and completely tailor-made procedure. Cost wise, it will pay for itself in seven years and will eliminate the on-going cost of glasses, contact lenses and solutions. This can even get your vision back to 20/20 overnight which is very cost wise as compared to the years of wearing contact lenses and eyeglasses. The good thing with this is that it is covered by most of the health savings account, which lets you pay less with the tax deduction. More and more people are getting this done so why not be a part of it.

Take the take iLASIK procedure today and end the cost of those lenses and glasses.

New Blog is Up!

2009-02-06T02:03:00.005+08:00

Finally, its here! After a few days of working and a few tweaks on the new site, I've finally done it. Whew! Its somewhat enjoyable though because I get to explore a new Revolution template and test some Wordpress plugins. Here are the features I've considered adding to the site:

Three main categories – I've decided to just stick with the three categories instead of four or five. These categories are Magic the Gathering, which covers all the Magic topics, HQ and Office Affairs, which discusses about my life and happenings at work, and Random Stuff, just about any topic I can find or think about. The sub categories will just be located via tags of the posts.

About me page – Yep, I finally got one. Its hard to recall your Magic history if you can't get to the right mood to write you know.

Featured content – This is what I really like about the Revolution themes, its cool fading and rotating images. I also get to write a short excerpt about the post and present it in the plugin.

Featured Video – Every week I'll be posting videos related to Magic or any other video I find funny and interesting.

Online contest – This one is coming soon so just stay tuned for it. :D

Regarding the old site at Blogger, I'd still left it online. I have transferred a few post I think worth reposting on the new site, then hopefully I can get back to the daily blog updates. Oh, and the new site is located here:

CLICK ME!

This will hopefully be my last post for this blog so see ya there guys!

Try Acobay

2009-02-05T02:41:00.001+08:00

Ever wanting to try a new and unique way of a social networking site? Just check out Acobay dot com. It is more than just your average social site because of its one of kind stuff sharing features. You can share what movies you watch, games you play, places you have visited and much more, even your blog!

The good thing is that people can really interact with you because you are sharing interests with them. Also, the site features a Stuff Map wherein you get to look at other people's stuff and connections, much like a consumer network. This will let you know about the other users that has a common interest with you.

Another thing I like about Acobay is the Stuff Idea, a personalized recommendation engine in which you can get tips and reviews about a certain place, movie or gadget posted. So visit Acobay.com and register now. Also see a review page here.

Fun Weekend and New Blog To Watch Out

2009-02-02T01:30:00.003+08:00

Hey guys, how’s your weekend? I hope you had a great time at the Conflux prerelease, opening those Nicol Bolas, Progenitus, Thornling and other cool Conflux cards. As for me, I had fun too although I’m sick at the moment. We had no prerelease so I had time to do other non-Magic related stuff. We actually had a pauper magic tournament last Saturday but I didn’t join because I had to go to a friend’s place, who’s celebrating their barangay fiesta. It was worth it coz we were pigging out there. Lol. We went home at around 1 in the morning and I had to rest after that. It actually took a whole day yesterday to get rid of the headache (hangover) and get my mind back on track. Well, it still isn’t 100% back at the moment. A cup of coffee may do the trick.

Anyways, I would like to announce that I’m currently building the new home for my blog Deathmarked. I’m still finalizing the needed stuff on the site so I won’t reveal the link yet. This time, I’m planning to have topics not related to Magic and discuss stuff about my life and my work, somewhat to make my blog more interesting. Hehehe…

By the way, I’m in need of your suggestions on what other categories I will put on the site. Currently I have Magic the Gathering, HQ Affairs, and Random Rants. Just hit the comments on what you can suggest. Thank you very much.

I’ll just post some updates here on the status of my new blog soon. Until next time y’all.

Things Magic Players will do this Weekend

2009-01-30T23:20:00.003+08:00

Yes, its Friday once again! Time seems to fly so fast for me. Maybe its because of my work at night or maybe I'm just too busy thinking of what interesting topics to post each day. Lol. Well anyway, since its weekend once again and I know a lot of you have plans or gimmicks tomorrow or on Sunday, I decided to post a few things I assume you Magic players will do this weekend.

Join the Conflux prerelease events.

Participate in the weekly Mtg tournament. Non-prerelease related.

Register in Conflux Open Dueling events.

Horde the Scattershot Archers so that no one will use it against your Faeries deck. (This just popped up in my mind. Lol)

Spend time with their girlfriends this Saturday so that they'll let them play Magic on Sunday.

Create a limited deck out of Progenitus.

Sell their Nicol Bolas, Planeswalker cards at a somewhat “reasonable” price. I've heard he goes around $20.

Start selling their RDW components as the new spot removals from White are bothering them.

Enjoy Saturday night with Beer and Pizza as there is no Prerelease in their area.

Enjoy boozing to make up for their 0-4 record at the Prerelease (which I wish won't happen to anyone).

These are just some of the things I can think of. Whether you'll end up a winner or a loser, just always remember to enjoy every “Magic moments” you'll have and learn from it. If you would ask me, I think I'll be doing number nine of the list. Lol...

Till next post. Happy weekend guys!

My Conflux Top Five

2009-01-29T05:33:00.006+08:00

Since we are still into the Conflux fever which I'm not sure if all of you are feeling it, I've decided to share with you my top 5 cards of the new set.

Why only five? Its because I see Conflux as more on the Limited with all the five colors on most of the cards. Well, only Five Color Control can have a great benefit in Standard as they'll have enough options on what Mythic bomb in Conflux they want to use.

Okay now for my top five Conflux cards, I'd start off with my fifth choice which is Path to Exile. Honestly, I hate this card the first time I saw it. It just means goodbye to my Demigods and White just got another removal with a lot already existing in Standard. Oh well. Looking at the bright side, this card will definitely see a lot of play in other formats and it won't be a waste against control with its pseudo rampant growth effect at a cost of a creature.

For my fourth choice, I would go with Martial Coup. This sorcery is awesome. I really like its two benefits for one card. You won't see a lot of one sided Wrath in Standard. Its applications maybe are in 5CC, Boat Brew, some random Ramp decks and even Kithkins. I'd have a copy of this maindeck which can be very useful especially against the mirror.

Now for the third card of my list, I'll choose Volcanic Fallout. I am obviously a fan of Red you would say but what I'm happy about this card is that it is an uncounterable mass removal. Its an instant too and can also deal damage to your opponent. This card I think will make the Faes switch into an Esper build to have access to the pro-red Kithkin.

Now the lucky card to get the second spot of the list is the Vedalken from Esper named Ethersworn Adjudicator. A walking or rather flying 4/4 body with a built-in Mortify? What more can you ask for? He can untap too. Control will love this card and he could be one of the win conditions of Esper decks in Shards block.

Okay, my top choice and what I think will be the best card of Conflux is (insert drum rolls here) Banefire. As what I've said in my previous post regarding the Red decks after Conflux, this card is surely a good choice for anyone who is running red mana in their decks. I'm also glad that he's just an ordinary rare and not mythic, which means the price will be not that high. I'm planning to pre-order next week and it is the first on my list.

As for the other cards in Conflux, there's also some that I like but I'm still waiting if these cards can have their place in Standard. There are some I predict will have an impact but I won't mention it now. Just to lessen the hype. Hehe... Anyways if you won't agree with my top five and you think there's a lot better Conflux cards that deserve the top spot, hit the comments. I'd really appreciate them.

Foodtrip Gathering at the HQ

2009-01-28T07:11:00.006+08:00

A late post (blame it to the photographer guy) but I just want to share to you the latest events of our COP or Circle Of Peeps. Lol! We had agreed to have dinner at my place last Friday just as the Dinagyang Fever 2009 had started. The gatherers were Eaves, April, Cecille, Mao, Oliver, Jimmy, Rei, John Ross, Elena, RJ, John Ryan, Arni and yours truly. Here are some of the pics courtesy of Jimmy’s digicam:

Preparing dinner. Cilay really loves to pose.

The food, waiting to be devoured.

Eaves, Cecille and April: the team's Vendillion Clique

Let us attack

Group pics while eating

I call this the 'Magic' discussion part

The standard 'class pic' before we call it a night

Thanks for dropping by guys! Enjoyed it alot. Till next trip hehe...

Red Decks Post Conflux

2009-01-28T01:45:00.010+08:00

Hey guys, here we are now with my review of the effects of Conflux to the current builds of RDW and the like. As you may have noticed on my previous post regarding the effects of Shards in the current Standard build of red decks, there was a slight change on the list.

The addition of Magma Spray and Hell's Thunder were noticed on some builds and also the late addition of Vithian Stinger, which was specifically sideboarded for Boat Brew and B/W Tokens.

As for Conflux, you all know the talk of the town about two specific Red cards that they say will end the reign of the Faeries in Standard. Yep, that's Banefire and Volcanic Fallout. Here's my review of the two.

Banefire XR
Sorcery (Rare)
Banefire deals X damage to target creature or player.
If X is 5 or more, Banefire can’t be countered by spells or abilities and the damage can’t be prevented.

First off, Banefire is a really really powerful card if you get to pay 5 or more for X. It is a descendant of Demonfire and even outlasted it. This uncounterable and unpreventable spell makes me think that any deck with just a red mana source in it can use this. 5 Color Control, mana ramp decks and even boat brew. I just hope though that the card's popularity won't affect its price.

Volcanic Fallout 1RR
Instant (Uncommon)
Volcanic Fallout can’t be countered.
Volcanic Fallout deals 2 damage to each creature and each player.

Volcanic Fallout is one of my favorites. I like mass removal spells that are uncounterable and a bonus is that it also deals damage to your opponent. I see it as a 3 mana cost, 2 damage spell which won't be a waste on control decks with a few creatures.

The other Conflux red cards I think will have an effect are:

Hellspark Elemental 1R
Creature – Elemental (Uncommon)
Trample, haste
At end of turn, sacrifice Hellspark Elemental.
Unearth 1R (1R: Return this card from your graveyard to play. It gains haste. Remove it from the game at end of turn or if it would leave play. Unearth only as a sorcery.)
3/1

This older brother (I say older because of the mana cost) of Spark Elemental is a good choice for RDW builds that don't care about the late game and just focused on early damage. Its unearth ability makes him better. I'm predicting his appearance in Lightning Bolt.dec in Extended.

Voracious Dragon 3RR
Creature – Dragon (Rare)
Flying
Devour 1 (As this comes into play, you may sacrifice any number of creatures. This creature comes into play with that many +1/+1 counters on it.)
When Voracious Dragon comes into play, it deals damage to target creature or player equal to twice the number of Goblins it devoured.
4/4

He's pretty worth playing with his mana cost, although the additional damage effect when devouring Goblins is just okay. I think he'll be awesome when used it Goblin decks.

If you are running B/R Demigod like what I'm currently playing, here are some good additions.

Shambling Remains 1BR
Creature – Zombie Horror (Uncommon)
Shambling Remains can’t block.
Unearth BR (BR: Return this card from your graveyard to play. It gains haste. Remove it from the game at end of turn or if it would leave play. Unearth only as a sorcery.)
4/3

A cousin of Ashenmoor Gouger, this is definitely in for Blightning Beatdown decks and could also replace the spot of Boggart Ram Gangs. The 3 toughness though makes him vulnerable to most of the removals (Agony Warp, Incinerate, Nameless Inversion, etc).

Goblin Outlander BR
Creature – Goblin Scout (Common)
Protection from white
2/2

He's a good protection bear (2/2 for two mana) that can stop the early assault of Kithkins. I think he can take the spot the Blood Knights have left when they rotated out of Standard.

So that's about it for now. We'll see if the deck evolves into Black Red or Red Green or will just maintain its mono color status. As for me, I think I'll go for Black Red so that I can have access to Infest and other Black creature removals when dealing with the pro-red guys, not to mention the new pro-red human scout.

I hope this post helps you a bit on what red cards to look for in Conflux. Till next post guys, enjoy the Prerelease...

Edit: Check out part two of my article here.

Create Your Own Planeswalker!

2009-01-27T04:19:00.008+08:00

I am avid visitor of the Neutral Grounds forums, specifically at the MTG General Discussions thread and the Off Topics thread. Whenever I get bored working and our tech guy has turned off the web filtering software, I would go there, read and participate to the interesting and funny posts made there by my fellow Pinoy Magic players. One particular post that they have which got my attention was the Planeswalker Design Contest, wherein you'll post your own planeswalker design with matching card art. Here's a few I would like to share with you guys.

The first two made by Kira (click to enlarge)

Next are works of mabalasik_produktionz

This is my personal favorite. Lol!

You can check the actual post in the NG forums here. You just have to register first though.

Complete Conflux Spoiler

2009-01-26T23:33:00.001+08:00

Hey guys, the Conflux spoiler is now complete, just a week before its prerelease. You can check out the complete list of the cards at Mtg Salvation website here.

I got a few favorites but based on the overall list of cards, the playables or rather the cards that can compete in Standard can be counted with your fingers. Oh well, at least I'll be spending less in the new set.

Deck of the Week: The Extended Perfect Storm

2009-01-25T16:13:00.004+08:00

The deck I'm going to feature for this week is the first place deck of the recent Grand Prix Los Angeles and was piloted by Luis Scott-Vargas. The deck functions by using mana boosting spells such as Rite of Flame and Desperate Ritual, and card drawers like Ponder to setup a Mind's Desire with a high storm count and finish off with a Tendrils of Agony on the opponent. The deck list below.

Maindeck
4 Seething Song
4 Rite of Flame
4 Remand
4 Ponder
4 Peer Through Depths
4 Mind's Desire
4 Manamorphose
4 Lotus Bloom
2 Electrolyze
4 Desperate Ritual
2 Tendrils of Agony
2 Sleight of Hand

3 Steam Vents
3 Polluted Delta
2 Island
3 Flooded Strand
4 Dreadship Reef
3 Cascade Bluffs

Sideboard
2 Ad Nauseam
3 Brain Freeze
3 Echoing Truth
2 Gigadrowse
3 Pact of Negation
2 Shattering Spree

For the other decks featured on the previous weeks, see it here.

History of the Magic Term "Sligh"

2009-01-23T23:45:00.004+08:00

Every Magic the Gathering player is familiar with “Sligh” as the term pertaining to Red decks with two main purpose, fast aggro with cheap to cast creatures and quick burn. Ever wonder where the term came from? Here are some quick facts.

The term “Sligh” was named after Paul Sligh. However, he wasn't the one who made the deck. It was actually built by Jay Schneider way back in the summer of 1994 because he needed a deck that can beat the mono blue deck created by Paul. It was when Paul piloted the deck to a Pro Tour Qualifier in Atlanta and finished second that it became famous. Here's the list of the deck.

Maindeck
2 Dragon Whelp
2 Brothers of Fire
2 Orcish Artillery
2 Orcish Cannoneers
4 Ironclaw Orcs
3 Dwarven Lieutenant
2 Orcish Librarian
4 Brass Man
2 Dwarven Trader
2 Goblin of the Flarg

1 Black Vise
1 Shatter
1 Detonate
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Incinerate
1 Fireball
1 Immolation

4 Strip Mine
4 Mishra's Factory
2 Dwarven Ruins
13 Mountain

Sideboard
1 Shatter
1 Detonate
1 Fireball
1 Meekstone
1 Zuran Orb
3 Active Volcano
2 Serrated Arrows
1 An-Zerrin Ruins
4 Manabarbs

You maybe wondering why there are sub-optimal cards in the list such as Dwarven Trader. Its because the ruling that time was "five cards from each expansion" which means you had to have a minimum of five cards from each Standard-legal expansion in play at that time (which includes Fallen Empires, Chronicles and Homelands).

The mana curve breakdown of the original Sligh deck were as follows:
1 mana slot: 9-13
2 mana slot: 6-8
3 mana slot: 3-5
4 mana slot: 1-3
X spell: 2-3
Removal/Burn: 8-10

If you aren't following the breakdown above when creating a red decklist, then you won't call the deck Sligh. Based on the breakdown and comparing that with the current Demigod Deck Wins list, I have to say that the deck is a Sligh archetype. I think the mana curve breakdown is a good basis if you want the deck to be fast and efficient.

So there goes some history lessons on Magic: The Gathering for you. Till next post....

Five Things Newbies Should Remember When Joining a Magic Tournament

2009-01-22T05:14:00.004+08:00

Hey peeps. This topic came up in my mind and decided to write about it because I've noticed in our area that there's a lot of new Magic players who are afraid of joining our weekly tournaments. Yeah, I know they are still new to the game. I've been there too. That's is why maybe they're afraid of losing or committing mistakes or something like that.

Here are the five things or reminders I came up with that I think can clarify to the newbies, or what we call in gaming term as noob, why they shouldn't be afraid.

Experience is the best teacher – I think everybody will agree on this one. You won't grow in Magic if you can't experience the actual tournament, on how the matchup goes, etc. Just learn every new thing or play scenarios you encounter in every game. You will commit mistakes of course. Everybody does. But the experience will tell you that you'll be prepared for it the next time.

Its okay to commit mistakes – As what I've said earlier, its natural for newbies to commit mistakes. The reasons could be wrong decisions, intimidation with the pro opponent, wrong understanding of the rules, and much more. But you just have to embrace it. Embrace your mistakes because its a part of the learning process.

If you don't know it, call a judge – This one should be remembered always when you encounter complicated game states or card effects. Another thing is that don't ask your opponent. Remember that he is not a judge and he might explain things that will be in his favor. It's better to ask stupid questions than to commit stupid mistakes.

Don't get intimidated – Intimidation is one big factor or reason why they don't join. So what if he's the Champ of last week's tournament? Can he dodge a bullet? I think not. (Sorry I couldn't think of any other examples. Lol) Just think that he's just another player in the room and you will be able to beat him. Positive thinking helps I tell you.

Have fun and enjoy – This is the thing I think most players forgot when they are in big tournaments. You would say you are playing to win. Of course, I agree with that but don't forget the fun side. Magic is a game of tactics and strategies on building effective decks but the creativity and fun part is another factor. Don't frown if you lost because he outraced you before your Dominus Clouted Stream Hopper beat him to zero. At least you had fun.

To sum it up, actual Magic tournament games give much more and far better learning than casual ones. I hope these five reminders help or rather convince you now to join the Magic tournaments in your area. If you have any reactions (I hope it won't be violent), feel free to leave me a message below.

Until next time...

A Look at Magic: The Gathering - Duels of the Planeswalkers XBLA Gameplay

2009-01-22T00:05:00.001+08:00

This is a gameplay video of the upcoming MTG: Duels of the Planeswalkers in Xbox 360, scheduled to be released on June 30, 2009. The video started with the green player casting Overrun against the red player represented by Chandra Nalaar. Check it out.

Video courtesy of Ign.com.

Dinagyang Festival 2009 January Sked

2009-01-21T05:26:00.004+08:00

Since we will be celebrating our Dinagyang festival in a few days from now, I decided to post the event schedules for this month of January. Check it out below.

January 9, 2009 1:00 - 5:00 PM Ms. Iloilo Dinagyang 2009 Presentation of Tourism Advocacy Projects Iloilo Grand Hotel
January 10, 2009 Ms. Iloilo Dinagyang 2009 Talent Competition Robinsons Mall, Fountain Area
January 10-25, 2009 Dinagyang Tourist Assistance Center & Ms. Iloilo Dinagyang 2009-Photo Exhibit SM City
January 13, 2009 1:00 - 4:00 p.m. Ms. Iloilo Dinagyang 2009 Pre-Judging Iloilo Grand Hotel
January 14-22, 2009 Masses San Jose Parish Church
January 14, 2009 - Wednesday 5:30 P.M. Turning Over Ceremony for Incoming Hermano & Hermana Mayor San Jose Parish Church
January 16, 2009 - (Friday)

2:30 p.m. Mass for opening Salvo of Tribe Dancers San Jose Parish Church
3:00 P.M. OPENING SALVO Plaza Libertad to main streets in the City
5:00 P.M. Exhibit of Student-Generated Project WVSU Cultural Center
6:00 P.M. Multiple Intelligences in motion with PDA Winners Laarni & Bugoy WVSU Cultural Center

January 17, 2009 - Sunday 7:00 P.M. Coronation Night, MS. ILOILO DINAGYANG 2009 Western Visayas State University
CHEER LEADER CONTEST
SM Little, Warriors Dinagyang Costume Contest SM City
January 17-18, 2009 Warriors Festival Parade SM City around Mall
January 18, 2008 - (Sunday) 8:00 AM- 12:00 NN Medical Mission San Jose Parish Church
January 19, 2009 9:00 A.M. Healing Mass by Rev. Fr. Ramon Siquito San Jose Parish Church
January 19-20, 2009 - Monday and Tuesday) Night Final Rehearsal, Dinagyang Ati Tribes 2008 Dinagyang Parade Route
January 20, 2009 - Tuesday 10:00 AM Healing Mass for the Sick, Aged and Abandoned Children San Jose Parish Church
January 21, 2009 - (Wednesday) 8:00 a.m. Arrival of Pilgrim Image of Señor Santo Niño from Cebu City Iloilo Port Terminal
5:00 P.M. Coronation of Princess Isabel 2008 and Dinagyang Niño 2008 San Jose Parish Church
4:30 P.M. Coronation of Queen Juana 2009 and Niño Dinagyang 2009 San Jose Parish Church
Night Final Rehearsal, Kasadyahan 2009 Dinagyang Parade Route
January 22-25, 2009 - (Thursday-Sunday) 2:00 P.M.-12 MN Iloilo Hotel Resort & Restaurant Association Food Festival(IHRRA) Delgado St., Iloilo City
January 23, 2009 - (Friday)

8:00 a.m. DRUM AND BUGLE Freedom Grandstan
2:00 P.M. Dinagyang Kapamilya Dance Showdown, Grand Finals SM City Activity Center
3:00 p.m. FLUVIAL PROCESSION from Fort San Pedro Drive Inn to disembark in front of Customs House and followed by Solemn Procession to San Jose Church San Jose Parish Church
5:30 p.m. Santo Niño mass in English to be followed by blessings of children, pregnant mothers Santo Niño images San Jose Parish Church
6:00 PM GMA, Kapuso Night Freedom Grandstand

January 23-25, 2008 Warriors Festival Parade SM City around Mall
SM Street Party & Food Festival SM City Car Park
January 24, 2009 - Saturday 7:00 A.M. Mass for Kasadyahan San Jose Parish Churh
8:00 A.M. KASADYAHAN Competition Freedom Grandstand and other stages
SPONSORS MARDI GRAS Freedom Grandstand & other stages
7:00 PM LUCES IN THE SKY
7:00 PM Religious Sad-sad to Sr. Sto. Niño San Jose Parish

January 25, 2009 - (Sunday)

6:30 a.m Concelebrated high mass for devotees, Tribes, Gov’t. Officials, LOMAS in attendance San Jose Parish Churc
8:00 A.M. DINAGYANG CONTEST Freedom Grandstand and other stages
5:30 a.m. - 7:00 p.m. Regular Sunday Mass San Jose Parish Church
7:00 P.M. 2009 Iloilo Dinagyang Awarding Ceremonies Freedom Grandstand

January 26, 2009 - (Monday) 5:30 P.M. Thanksgiving Mass with all members of 2009 Iloilo Dinagyang Festival Working Committees San Jose Parish Church

Source

Magic Artwork and Signature Banners

2009-01-20T00:15:00.000+08:00

One thing I've noticed why people love Magic: The Gathering trading card game is its artwork. You would definitely agree to that whether you're a competitive player, a casual one, a collector or its your first time to see an actual Mtg card.

Its a nice thing that people with good graphic skills are creating beautifully combined Magic artworks. I also tried a bit of that but my skills just weren't enough. Luckily, I found someone or rather a group of peeps who would do the art for you at a little cost. No, not money but only post count. If you are an avid viewer of the MTG Salvation forums then you must be familiar with the Avatar & Sig Shops thread. There you can find people who will do the signature and avatar artworks for you.

Looking on which studio to do my first signature banner, I tried my request at High Light Studios, which is handled by Zaph, Spiderboy4 & Mr. Stuff. I told them about how my banner would look like and the result:

If you would like them to do you a banner or an avatar pic, then just pay a visit to their studio thread located here. I'm sure they'll accommodate you well. Oh, and they don't bite I promise. :)

How to Abuse Progenitus

2009-01-19T19:55:00.003+08:00

If you have been visiting the Rumor Mill and other related sites, it has been already revealed that Progenitus, the ancient Naya hydra, has the following abilities:

Progenitus - WWUUBBRRGG
Legendary Creature - Hydra (M)
Protection from everything (This creature can't be blocked, targeted, equipped, enchanted, or dealt damage.)
When Progenitus is put into a graveyard from anywhere, shuffle it into its owner's library.
10/10

A 10/10 power toughness is definitely a bomb and good game. I was shocked when I first saw the “Protection from everything” in this card. Now how can you deal with that? You probably would have Wrath of God but this hydra will just shuffle itself to its summoner’s library and come back to do the beatdown later.

Seeing how powerful Progenitus is, I thought of ways of sneaking it into play without paying its mana cost. Here’s a few of what I came up.

Dramatic Entrance – This card came first into my mind after seeing that Progenitus is also a green, well, a five color creature to be exact. Combined with green’s nature of mana acceleration, this I think will see into play in Mana Ramp decks.

Hideaway Lands – It is specifically Windbrisk Heights and Spinerock Knoll. These lands let you play Progenitus for free just by complying with the conditions. I’m really curious of what will your opponent’s reaction if you get Progenitus out in your Kithkin deck.

Deathrender – This equipment can do the trick, maybe attaching it to creatures who like to kill themselves like Mogg Fanatic.

Elvish Piper – If you want to go old school (I used to play this in my Reanimator deck way back in Urza’s Saga), this elf can do it for you. Just don’t let your opponent kill her.

Mindwrack Liege – Another possible way for Progenitus to enter play is through this liege. It probably won’t see play in competitive decks but would be fun in casual.

So there you have it folks. I hope these give you ideas and help you in your deck construction with Progenitus. And don’t frown if you opened it in your boosters.

Till next post and always remember to have fun with Magic. See yah...

Conflux Token Previews

2009-01-19T16:32:00.003+08:00

Today, Magic Arcana previewed to us the two tokens for Conflux. Specifically, these tokens are the 4/4 white flying Angel and the 3/1 red Elemental. See it below. (click to view large image)

You can check here for other Conflux topics.

Deck of the Week: Mono Black Aggro

2009-01-18T16:03:00.005+08:00

This week's deck feature is a Standard take of one of Magic's favorite decks: Mono Black. It was created by Jim Stafford and got 7th at State Championships 2008 in Wyoming. The list uses the powerful black creatures in Standard like Ashenmoor Gouger and Demigod of Revenge, and spot removals like Unmake and Nameless Inversion. It also uses Dusk Urchins, which served both as a beater and card drawer source.

What got me interested are the four copies of Fleshbag Marauder. I think its for Chameleon Colossus which is the bane of this deck. The decklist below:

Maindeck
4 Ashenmoor Gouger
4 Demigod of Revenge
4 Dusk Urchins
4 Fleshbag Marauder
4 Viscera Dragger

2 Infest
2 Loxodon Warhammer
4 Nameless Inversion
2 Profane Command
4 Thoughtseize
3 Unmake

23 Swamp

Sideboard
4 Bottle Gnomes
2 Corrupt
2 Infest
4 Rain of Tears
2 Raven's Crime
1 Unmake

For the other decks featured on the previous weeks, see it here.

Looking for Jund Deck Ideas

2009-01-17T03:05:00.006+08:00

While feeling bored at work again and my client hasn't been online for about 6 hours, I decided to brainstorm for decks I'm longing to pilot for our future tournaments and also in preparation for the arrival of Conflux in Standard. I've always wanted to create a Jund mana based list so I looked for ideas at Deckcheck.net. Here's a few of what I've found.

RGB Ramp by Gerry Thompson
Mainboard
4 Chameleon Colossus
3 Cloudthresher
4 Sprouting Thrinax

1 Loxodon Warhammer
4 Fertile Ground
4 Jund Charm
4 Resounding Thunder
3 Garruk Wildspeaker
3 Rampant Growth
3 Violent Ultimatum
2 Eyeblight's Ending

3 Forest
2 Mountain
2 Swamp
3 Fire-Lit Thicket
4 Reflecting Pool
4 Savage Lands
4 Treetop Village
3 Twilight Mire

Most of the list I've found are built around Jund Ramp, utilizing Rampant Growth and Fertile Ground to power up big spells like Violent Ultimatum and bomb creatures. I might consider a few test play for the list above.

The next one is from Magic: The Gathering Worlds 2008 and was piloted by Ji-Hoon Lee. The list below.

Jund Ramp by Ji-Hoon Lee
Magic Worlds 2008 - Top Standard Decks
Mainboard
2 Shriekmaw
3 Kitchen Finks
4 Cloudthresher
4 Chameleon Colossus
1 Broodmate Dragon

4 Rampant Growth
2 Resounding Thunder
2 Primal Command
2 Loxodon Warhammer
4 Jund Charm
4 Garruk Wildspeaker
4 Fertile Ground

2 Twilight Mire
2 Treetop Village
2 Swamp
4 Reflecting Pool
1 Mountain
2 Mosswort Bridge
1 Llanowar Wastes
4 Forest
3 Fire-Lit Thicket
3 Savage Lands

Sideboard
3 Firespout
3 Guttural Response
2 Mind Shatter
1 Naturalize
1 Razormane Masticore
3 Thoughtseize
2 Violent Ultimatum

Getting on the top standard decks at Worlds is a great achievement for this list. I like the two Loxodon Warhammers main deck, thinking of the Colossus swinging with it is equal to GG.

The third list is the latest addition that I found at the site. This one, named Fatty Burny by Matthew Keene, is the 5th placer of the The Eric Beck Invitational tournament. See the list.

Fatty Burny by Matthew Keene
Mainboard
4 Kitchen Finks
4 Chameleon Colossus
3 Cloudthresher
2 Broodmate Dragon
2 Shriekmaw

4 Fertile Ground
2 Rampant Growth
3 Firespout
2 Jund Charm
3 Garruk Wildspeaker
3 Eyeblight's Ending
2 Makeshift Mannequin
2 Loxodon Warhammer

4 Savage Lands
4 Treetop Village
3 Karplusan Forest
4 Fire-Lit Thicket
2 Llanowar Wastes
1 Twilight Mire
3 Mountain
2 Forest
1 Swamp

Sideboard
2 Primal Command
1 Eyeblight's Ending
3 Resounding Thunder
2 Jund Charm
3 Vithian Stinger
1 Cloudthresher
3 Liliana Vess

As you may have noticed, Matthew's list got an update with regards to the metagame with the inclusion of Firespouts, which I think is for Boat Brew and B/W Tokens, to backup Jund Charm. Also, the sideboard has three Vithian Stingers for use against the tokens. I was a bit surprised with his tech of sideboarding Liliana Vess. Maybe its for 5CC. I'm not sure.

All I need now is test play these three list and maybe make adjustments to suit the metagame in our area. I hope though that I can come up with a final list before buying the actual cards. I've been buying alot lately so I needed to tighten the money belt as Conflux will be arriving in two weeks.

I'm open for suggestions for the sideboard so feel free to leave a comment. Thanks for reading guys. :)

Make Money Online Through Blog Advertising

2009-01-16T02:36:00.002+08:00

The Internet has gone a really long way. It seems that it is evolving every year. People can now make a lot of use of it and they can make profit on it. Hence, the trend of making money online. I myself has been involve with gaining profits online which I started almost a year ago with my blog.

I thought at first that blogging is just one way of expressing myself, of letting out what I feel, but I was wrong. Its just not like that. You can actually optimize the full potential of your blog or your blogging skills by joining into blog advertising.

So how can you join? its simple. All you need is a blog which you can update always and an internet connection. Then you look for blog advertising networks and sign up your blog. Most of the networks as I have observed requires your blog to be at least three months or 90 days old from your first blog post. One network I would suggest is PayingPost.com. If your blog gets approved, then that's the time that you can start getting those opportunities like reviewing a particular site, product or services. I suggest you get at least three categories for your blog so that it will be open for more offers.

Aside from writing reviews, the advertisers in these networks are also paying you by placing their ads in your blog. Moreover, you get a bigger pay too if you get your visitors to buy their products through your site. This is via affiliate links that they provide. Cool ain't it?

Oh, and don't forget to have a Paypal account because most of the blog advertising networks are paying you through it. So what are you waiting for? Sign up now and get paid to blog!

Upcoming Mtg Web Comic: The Seeker's Fall

2009-01-15T23:29:00.004+08:00

Yep, you've read it right. There will be an upcoming web comic for Wizards entitled "The Seeker's Fall", which will be released next Tuesday. That will be on January 20, 2009. They already placed a thread reserved for the discussion of part one of that web comic in the Wizards Community forum. See it here.

As based on the title, the story I guess will focus on Tezzeret's search for power and discovering the secrets of the Etherium citizens of the Esper shard. I'm not sure though if this is related to the people that hired Jace Beleren to retrieve the artifact that Chandra stole. We'll just see on Tuesday.

Till next post... :)

Nicol Bolas Planeswalker Abilities Revealed

2009-01-14T22:33:00.004+08:00

I was reading some post at the Rumor Mill minutes ago when a person with the username jihadcw (don't know how pronounce it) posted the abilities of the planeswalker Nicol Bolas. His source was a friend who had acquired one of the tips and tricks cards from an opened Conflux box.

To recall, the first two abilities of Nicol Bolas were already revealed but not yet his ultimate ability. Here he is with the complete abilities. Behold!

Nicol Bolas, Planeswalker - 4UBBR
Planeswalker - Bolas
+3: Destroy target noncreature permanent.
-2: Gain control of target creature.

-9: Nicol Bolas, Planeswalker deals 7 damage to target player. That player discards seven cards, then sacrifices seven permanents.

5 Starting Loyalty

I don't know of his rarity but I'm pretty sure he is a Mythic Rare.

Edit: They've posted a video of the actual tip card, which confirms he is a reliable source. Check it out below.

Pauper Magic Deck Strategies

2009-01-14T01:27:00.006+08:00

My friends and day shift colleagues have been playtesting Pauper decks on MWS in preparation for our upcoming month ender Pauper Magic tournament. The five of them started playtesting last week, holding mini tourneys every afternoon. So far, they have come up with great deck ideas for the tournament. Check out some of their build below.

UB Midrange by Oliver
(3-0) Jan. 13, 2009 mini tournament
Maindeck
4 Terramorphic Expanse
10 Island
9 Swamp

4 Pestermite
4 Mulldrifter
2 Warren Pilferers
4 Festering Goblin
4 Phyrexian Rager
1 Fencer Clique
4 Spellstutter Sprite
4 Rendclaw Trow

4 Agony Warp
4 Nameless Inversion
1 Snakeform
1 Turn to Mist

Sideboard
1 Snakeform
1 Turn to Mist
4 Consign to Dream
3 Festercreep
4 Negate
2 Terror

This UB list seems to really abuse the true nature of Blue Black decks. A few card advantage, counters and creature kills can do the trick. Next is the UW Faes list created and piloted by Sarsi.

UW Faes by Sarsi
(3-0) January 7, 2009 mini tournament
Maindeck
4 Plains
2 Terramorphic Expanse
16 Island

4 Spellstutter Sprite
4 Silkbind Faerie
4 Mulldrifter
2 Fencer Clique
4 Pestermite
3 Cloud Sprite
4 Dream Thief

4 Cancel
2 Courier's Capsule
4 Recumbent Bliss
3 Ponder

Sideboard
2 Plains
2 Fencer Clique
1 Cloud Sprite
2 Courier's Capsule
1 Ponder
2 Dispeller's Capsule
4 Negate
1 Oblivion Ring

Finally, the Mono White Kithkins build by Oliver.

Kithkins by Oliver
(3-0) January 12, 2009 mini tournament
Maindeck
23 Plains

4 Order of the Golden Cricket
4 Burrenton Bombardier
3 Cenn's Heir
4 Ballynock Cohort
4 Mosquito Guard
4 Goldmeadow Harrier
4 Kithkin Zephyrnaut

2 Oblivion Ring
4 Unmake
4 Surge of Thoughtweft

Sideboard
2 Oblivion Ring
2 Barkshell Blessing
3 Recumbent Bliss
4 Fire at Will
1 Turn to Mist
3 Wispmare

*a big thanks to Mao for posting the decks at Magiciloilo.com.

Tournament Report: Red Deck Still Wins!

2009-01-13T01:22:00.008+08:00

We had another Standard tournament last Saturday. That was the second sanctioned tournament in our community for this year. I brought along the deck that I had been piloting for months. To be honest, I really wanted to try new decks. My target is to pilot Boat Brew and we had actually completed the list.

The problem though, is that the white components are being used in the Kithkin deck which my friend Masyong is piloting. Another thing is that our other friend Esteed had borrowed our three Siege-Gang Commanders like decades ago and always forgot to return it. I was pissed off because he's giving me a hard time to contact him and to tell him again and again to return the cards.

Well anyways, I had no choice but to pilot good ol' Black Red Demigod Deck and hope that I won't face my worst matchups. The deck is basically an RDW build except that I splashed black for the Infest and Shriekmaws in the sideboard, which I think is effective against BFT and token decks. The decklist below.

B/R DDW by Mark Ian Alloso
Maindeck
4 Ashenmoor Gouger
4 Boggart Ram-Gang
4 Demigod of Revenge
4 Figure of Destiny
4 Mogg Fanatic
4 Stigma Lasher

4 Flame Javelin
4 Incinerate
3 Puncture Blast
1 Profane Command

4 Auntie's Hovel
2 Ghitu Encampment
4 Graven Cairns
12 Mountain
2 Reflecting Pool

Sideboard
3 Everlasting Torment
3 Guttural Response
4 Infest
1 Loxodon Warhammer
2 Shriekmaw
2 Vithian Stinger

I haven't touched the deck for about a week. Because of playing it for too long, I thought that I already mastered it, but ended up a lot of errors on my previous tournaments. "This time it won't happen." I thought and wished myself goodluck when the first round pairings were announced. We had a total of 14 players that time by the way.

Round 1 – Raymund Minerva playing Esper Control
In game 1, I was a bit surprised when Raymund had an opening of an Esper panorama on turn two. This is a favorable matchup I say but when he started countering every spell I play and removing my threats from the game, I was like "WTF???" His Mutavault beat me to death on that game. On to game 2, I boarded in Guttural Responses for his Punish the Ignorance and other counter spells. This game was almost a close one. I topdecked a Demigod FTW. Game 3 was a fast beats for me with turn one FOD and turn three Boggart Ram-Gang while he struggled on his mana. He was lacking another white source for Wrath and was forced to play defense with Wispmare. I played a Demigod to seal up the game and the match.

1-0

Round 2 – PR Melo playing B/G Rogues
I thought PR was playing a control because he defeated 2-0 his previous opponent who was playing White Knights aggro. It was then that I remembered that he borrowed my Oona's Blackguard before the start of the tournament. He was playing the BG Rogues that he piloted before, this time splashing white for Wrath of God. In game 1, he wasn't playing any threats so I quickly dominated. I didn't sideboard this time, rather pretending to sideboard but didn't changed the maindeck. On Game 2, he was able to equip his colossus with Cloack and Dagger which made it hard for me to deal with. Fortunately, I was already ahead in the race and finished him with a Flame Javelin.

2-0

Round 3 – Mark Anthony Co playing 5CC
Finally, a worst matchup for me. To make it short, he devastated me on both games. I was able to get him close to a mere three life but he was able to stabilize/Cruel Ultimatum me. I was praying for a Demigod topdeck when he was tapped out but that wasn't answered. Not even a single Demigod showed up till the rest of Game 2. Oh well...

2-1

Round 4 – JR Burgos playing U/W Merfolks
This matchup had 60/40 advantage for me. Why? It's because the Merfolks can fish you on turn three if given the right play. Luckily, he changed his list a bit by adding Declaration of Naught. I was able to sneak in a few threats and my FOD went a long way.

I boarded in my Infests, Shriekmaws and Vithian Stingers for game 2. I never saw him play any threats. Instead he had three Declaration of Naught, naming Ashenmoor Gouger, Figure of Destiny and Flame Javelin. My first turn Figure took most of the job and he was forced to play defense again. I sneaked in my Stingers and they finished the job.

3-1

I finished at second place, winning an amount that could buy a booster pack of Shards. To sum it up, I think the deck can still compete to the current Standard despite its decrease of popularity among the players. I'm planning to tweak the sideboard again to increase the chances against 5CC. I guess maybe adding Mindshatters or Earwig Squads to prowl it via Mogg Fanatic. Who knows, maybe it'll work. Lol! If you have any suggestions for the sideboard, feel free to leave a comment.

By the way, here's a pic of the top 4 or rather the 2nd to 4th placer with Tournament Organizer Rei (the guy holding the beer).

I'll be posting an article about the red decks after Conflux so stay tuned for it. In the meantime, you can read my previous articles about RDW here.

Till next time y'all.

Conflux Prerelease and Release Cards

2009-01-12T18:06:00.005+08:00

It is finally confirmed that the cards for the Conflux Prerelease this upcoming January 31, 2009 will be Malfegor, the Legendary Dragon Demon from Grixis. As for the Conflux Release party promo card, it will be Obelisk of Alara. Check out the scan below, as posted by Coffee4am at Mtg Salvations Rumor Mill.

The topic post is located here. I do hope we could have both the two events in our area. (crosses fingers)

Deck of the Week: U/W Merfolks

2009-01-11T22:21:00.004+08:00

Hey guys. I was thinking of going tribal for this week's featured deck. I already mentioned tribal decks like Kithkins, Elves and Faeries on the previous weeks and this time I'll present to you the tribe where Ariel (the little mermaid) belongs. The people of the sea, the Merfolks!

The decklist is was piloted by Oliver Polak-Rottmann from the 2008 Magic The Gathering World Championships. What I like about his list are the four Wake Thrashers and three Reveillarks maindeck. These I guess is for straight to the point response for the deck's weaknesses, which is mass removal and lack of big threats. See the list below.

Maindeck
4 Adarkar Wastes
8 Island
4 Mutavault
4 Mystic Gate
4 Wanderwine Hub

4 Merrow Reejerey
3 Reveillark
4 Silvergill Adept
3 Sower of Temptation
4 Stonybrook Banneret
4 Sygg, River Guide
4 Wake Thrasher

4 Cryptic Command
2 Oblivion Ring
4 Sage's Dousing

Sideboard
3 Burrenton Forge-Tender
3 Flashfreeze
3 Glen Elendra Archmage
1 Oblivion Ring
1 Reveillark
1 Sower of Temptation
3 Wrath of God

As for his sideboard choices, it is also straightforward. Forge Tender and Flashfreezes for Red, Archmage for 5CC, and Wrath of God for random Aggro decks. For the other decks featured on the previous weeks, see it here.

The Magic of "The Gathering"

2009-01-10T03:03:00.005+08:00

While at work reading some tutorial lessons on effective blogging and browsing the PPC forums subscribed by my client, I was listening to the songs from the band called "The Gathering" and it seems that I can't get my ears off the headset. The sweet theatrical voice coupled with gothic metal guitars at the background has allured me. For those who aren't familiar, The Gathering is a Dutch band which came to fame in the early 1990s. Their music are mostly gothic metal themed, like the bands Theater of Tragedy and Elis.

I used to listen to this band before but I lost my copy of their songs when my workstation was changed. Luckily, I was able to find a site for free downloads of their albums and got myself some songs which I missed or has never heard yet. Sorry, I'm not into piracy but I just can't find their album in the local store so the Web is the last resort.

Anyways, as I was listening to the songs from their latest album release "Home" (2006), I decided to look for the latest news of the band. I was saddened to know that the woman behind that beautiful voice of their songs, Anneke van Giersbergen, had decided to leave the band to go into a new project/band named Agua de Annique. Oh well, just like most of the bands today. I hope her new group can still produce those same music as The Gathering.

They have several songs that I like and the video below is one of them. This is the live performance of the song "Strange Machines" from the album Mandylion. I can't find the original music video and I bet there's none yet since the song was released way back in 1995. If you are a fan of gothic metal music then I'm sure you'll love this one. Check it out.

*thanks to Wikipedia for the band's info.

Conflux Art Previews (Update)

2009-01-09T21:58:00.007+08:00

Here's an update of the Conflux art previews from Magic Tutor dot com. The latest batch seems to become cooler. I just hope though that it is the same with the actual card.

First in line is the art of the Legendary Dragon Demon Malfegor. You can actually see the hybrid between the two powerful creatures in Magic.
More card images after the cut.

Next is the art for Beacon Behemoth. See how big he is as compared to those trees. I predict his summoning cost is big as well. Lol.

The next one is the art of a Grixis vampire flying over a place in Jund. The card is Blood Tyrant.

The last one is the art of what they believe that belongs to the card Vedalken Outlander. I agree to that.

Magic: the Gathering Tutorial Videos

2009-01-09T03:26:00.000+08:00

For those who want to learn how to play or at least get familiar with Magic: The Gathering TCG in case you'll see people playing it, here's some step by step videos made by Wizards to help explain the game. I'm posting this because I know not all of my visitors are familiar with the game and I think these could help you clarify and answer those questions that keep on buzzing off your mind. Check out Part One of "Learn to Play Magic: The Gathering" below:

More tutorial vids after the cut...

Part Two

Part Three

Part Four

Part Five

Part Six

Playing the Pauper Magic

2009-01-08T01:02:00.004+08:00

Our MTG community had finally decided to have a pauper Magic tournament this last week or rather last Saturday of January. For those who aren't familiar, Pauper Magic is the game format in which only the common cards are legal. Which means we go to the cheap fun version and utilize common cards that we aren't using in our Standard tournaments. No rares and uncommons this time so we had to brainstorm again for deck tech and ideas.

Currently, the team Eversun had listed decks for Kithkins (mono-white), U/B Midrange, U/G Tempo and Sligh (mono-red). They have been undergoing test play to finalize the list. So far, the decks that are dominating are Kithkins and the U/G.

Just tonight, I've found a site (thanks Google) that's dedicated to Pauper Magic. Pdcmagic.com is a online community site that holds Pauper Magic deck challenges and events. It is a good source for Pauper Magic decklists and deck ideas. I'm thinking of joining there. Let's see if it fits to my sked.

(Looking at the site's FAQ)

Oh, they require Magic Online. Crap! Oh well...

Wordless Wednesday: Magic The Gathering Style

2009-01-07T02:58:00.006+08:00

Conflux Art Previews

2009-01-06T19:07:00.003+08:00

Here’s some art previews for Conflux courtesy of The Magic Tutor dot com. These arts weren’t actually new since they were earlier previewed at Worlds 2008 and on the Ultra Pro products. Check it out below with the names. (click to view larger image)

Apocalypse Hydra

Banefire

Rupture Spire

Vectis Agents

Two New Conflux Cards

2009-01-06T05:30:00.005+08:00

I checked out the Rumor Mill at MtgSalvations dot com for any new addition to the Conflux spoiler list and I was able to confirm two cards that was rumored earlier to have an effect on the Faes, as described on Zesty's riddles. The cards were Countersquall and Volcanic Fallout. See the card ability below.

Countersquall UB
Instant (U)
Counter target non-creature spell. That spell's controller loses 2 life.

Volcanic Fallout 1RR
Instant (U)
Volcanic Fallout can't be countered.
Volcanic Fallout deals 2 damage to all creatures and players.

That improved Negate card version is really a good addition to the sideboard of the Fae decks, replacing the actual Negate but I don't think it can replace Glen Elendra Archmage.

Volcanic Fallout makes me actually smile right now as I got another card to include to my Red deck. This card is very good against Faes and Merfolks. The bad thing is that its still a red card and Burrenton Forge Tender can still prevent the damage.

These two cards are my fave so far. The other three newly spoiled cards are like "uhmmm... ok."

Deck of the Week: Boat Brew

2009-01-04T23:00:00.004+08:00

My choice of the deck for this first week is the list named as "Boat Brew" and piloted by Aaron Nicastri that went undefeated in Day 1 at Worlds 2008.

The deck is basically a RW Midrange strategy that utilizes card advantage and uses powerful cards like Siege-Gang Commander, Reveillark, Ranger of Eos and Figure of Destiny. Not to mention the inclusion of the Red White planeswalker Ajani Vengeant. Here's the list:

Maindeck
4 Battlefield Forge
2 Mountain
5 Plains
3 Reflecting Pool
4 Rugged Prairie
4 Windbrisk Heights

1 Burrenton Forge-Tender
4 Figure of Destiny
4 Kitchen Finks
4 Mogg Fanatic
3 Murderous Redcap
4 Ranger of Eos
3 Reveillark
2 Siege-Gang Commander
1 Stillmoon Cavalier

4 Ajani Vengeant
4 Mind Stone
4 Spectral Procession

Sideboard
1 Burrenton Forge-Tender
3 Guttural Response
1 Stillmoon Cavalier
3 Vithian Stinger
3 Voice of All
4 Wrath of God

For other decks featured on the previous weeks, see it here.

A Late Addition For My Wishlist

2009-01-03T03:33:00.004+08:00

Master gave me this video of the product demonstration and I must say "OMFG, I'm gonna buy one of these!"

(drooling)

Work at the Moment: Affiliate Marketing 101

2009-01-03T02:16:00.003+08:00

My client has given me time during the holiday break to learn and study affiliate marketing through the coaching site that he recommended. This has got me interested but unfortunately I was only able to read a bit during the vacation period.

Based on the training videos, I was like astonished on how they can earn hundreds of dollars on the products they don't own in a few months time. What could be their marketing strategy? Hmmm... This got me really challenged to learn and to master the techniques that they do in the affiliate marketing business. I also added this one to be one of my targets to accomplish this year (a new year's resolution perhaps?). I think that should really motivate me. Plus the number of digits that they earn obviously. Hehe...

The coaching offers a step by step process which I bet anyone can easily learn to follow. At the moment, we are still starting the first month and just signed up for Adwords, Overture of Yahoo and MSN Adcenter. I hope we can start building the first affiliate site this week.

What Happens When Slivers Gather for the Holidays

2009-01-02T00:33:00.002+08:00

I found this funny web comic which got me really laughing from Breakingthemagic.com. It was actually an old post, dating back in April 10th, 2007, which got me thinking: what do slivers do if they have a family gathering? I guess you already know that a sliver’s ability affects all other slivers that are in play. What will happen if we apply this in a real life typical family scenario? What’s the result? See below. (click the image to enlarge)

As what the author says, "It sucks having boring and obnoxious relatives, it sucks twice if you’re a sliver!" LOL.

New Year, New Self, New Lifestyle

2009-01-01T21:17:00.002+08:00

Happy New Year once again peeps! I’ve been thinking about my plans for this year which I think should go for my self improvement. 2008 has been a great year, well, not quite great (due to same ol “bad” habits) but it was good.

As the blog title says it, I really needed a renewed self, like going into the next level in life. That doesn’t mean that I’ll get married, stop playing Magic or something but let’s call it self improvement. The term really suits me, as based on my observation on myself hehe… With that, I guess I’ll quit some old “bad” habits or at least limit some of them. Its one of our usual new year’s resolution which I hope I can achieve and resolve this year and as soon as possible.

I won’t list it out my resolutions here but you’ll know it soon as it is just easy for you to guess and notice in this blog or on my FS profile.

For a clue, let’s say it in this phrase:
"Focus on career. Cut the crap and get serious this time."

I hope... not that word, rather I can accomplish this and I know God will help me on this.

Wish me luck.

Happy New Year Y'all

2008-12-31T12:57:00.005+08:00

Let's just skip this week's Wordless Wednesday to greet everyone a Happy New Year! As a bonus, here's a land art of the playmats from the upcoming Conflux set. Thanks to the Rumor Mill.

Happy New Year!

Domain: The New Keyword Mechanic in Conflux

2008-12-30T03:43:00.005+08:00

Based on the current spoiled rumor cards for Conflux, I've noticed two particular cards with these keyword mechanics in the text.

From "Worldly Counsel"
Domain - Look at the top X cards of your library, where X is the number of basic land types among lands you control.

From "Might of Alara"
Domain - Target creature gets +1/+1 until end of turn for each basic land type among lands you control.

I'm guessing this keyword mechanic was based from the Domain theme deck way back in the Planeshift expansion set, wherein you use land fetching cards to complete the five basic lands and play cards that abilities are based on the number of basic land types among the lands that you control.

I think this would be very interesting and fun for the current non-basic land infested Standard metagame. It also makes me think that 11th ed will be reprinting the Ravnica shock lands. We'll see about that next year but for now, we will be going back to basics in Conflux guys. Wooot!

Implementing Scriptaculous Image Fading Script in Blogger

2008-12-29T00:00:00.012+08:00

I've been trying to do this one a few weeks ago but unfortunately I got busy at work so I had to leave it for a while, until today that I got the time now to finish and test it on this blog. Check it out below.

I hope it does work on other browsers, IE specifically. I'm planning to implement this on my client's web site and on the header of my other blog, Ad Nauseam.

*The girl on the pics is Ellen Adarna.
*Script source is found here.

Sidetracking and Getting Out Of It

2008-12-28T14:57:00.005+08:00

Lately, I'm feeling like being sidetracked and getting confused on my priorities. I can't get myself to just focus on one task or goal. Things are just coming in so fast that its really hard to know which one is right and I always ending up doing something useless and waste a lot of my time.

I think I need to rearrange my thoughts and priorities and start on which is most important (work/career? courting the girl? magic cards?). I decided to look for solutions at Google and here's something I found which I think would be a great help. It's from Simple Productivity Blog dot com and it is entitled 5 Ways to Get Back on Track. I'll quote below the 5 ways suggested.

Awareness
The first step to getting back on track is to know that you are off track. Usually if I am in the middle of something, I will take a deep breath and ask myself if this is what I am supposed to be doing at that moment. If it isn’t, the awareness can be enough to bring me back to where I need to be.

Wrap up in X Minutes
After I realize that I am sidetracked, and I am fairly close to being finished with the task that distracted, I tell myself I have 5 minutes to finish. I then set a timer. The timer keeps me honest, and puts a deadline on that allows me to finish quickly.

Wrenching Away
If I don’t realize that I have been sidetracked, and I have proceeded to use large chunks of time on something unplanned, I generally force myself to drop it where it is and move on. I also find that in order for this one to work, I must physically remove myself from the site of the distraction. For example, if I went to the computer to print out a list and 2 hours later I find I have spent the time surfing, I will stop, turn the computer off, and go to another room where I have something that needs to be done. This is not a gentle method, but I find it necessary to combat large amounts of lost time.

Write Up, Move On
In the case where I find myself doing something that has value, and would not be easy to get back to, but would take more than 5 minutes, I make some notes at the physical location I am at, and then walk away. For example, if I got sidetracked inventorying the freezer, I leave a sticky note on the freezer with the shelf I left off on. I can then go back to it easily after I have completed my other tasks.

Go With It
Sometimes (rarely), I will realize that I’m distracted, but the thing I am doing has value. I will assess what I need to do between the time and bed, and how much work I have to do. Then, if time permits, I will allow myself to go with the distraction. This method works well for me on weekends or days when I have large amounts of free time, and few must-do tasks.

I hope I can get myself to practice and apply this one. *Sigh*

Merry Christmas Y'all!

2008-12-25T17:21:00.006+08:00

In this season of merry making & endless parties, always remember.. "thou shalt not weigh more than thy refrigerator."

During the ESPC Xmas party.

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!!

Wordless Wednesday: Magic the Gathering Style

2008-12-24T07:01:00.004+08:00

Deck of the Week: B/W Tokens

2008-12-23T23:00:00.008+08:00

Here's a deck that is currently rising in popularity in the Standard metagame. This list was piloted by Anton Lunau at the recent Mtg Worlds Championship 2008.

Mainboard
2 Arcane Sanctum
4 Caves of Koilos
4 Fetid Heath
3 Mutavault
8 Plains
4 Windbrisk Heights

3 Cloudgoat Ranger
3 Kitchen Finks
4 Knight of Meadowgrain
4 Stillmoon Cavalier
4 Tidehollow Sculler

2 Ajani Goldmane
4 Bitterblossom
4 Glorious Anthem
4 Spectral Procession
3 Unmake

Sideboard
3 Burrenton Forge-Tender
2 Elspeth, Knight-Errant
4 Thoughtseize
2 Wispmare
4 Wrath of God

For other decks featured on the previous weeks, see it here.

Conflux Ultra Pro Product Images

2008-12-23T03:34:00.007+08:00

Here's some cool Conflux products (card albums and deck boxes) from Ultra Pro. How I'd wish they would be selling these in our local store.

*images courtesy of Mtg Salvation Rumor Mill.

Conflux Spoiling Begins

2008-12-22T06:29:00.004+08:00

My favorite part when a new expansion of Magic is scheduled to be released is its spoiled cards. As of the writing of this post, I’ve discovered on my favorite site for spoiling cards, the Rumor Mill of MtgSalvation.com, that they already have a card list for the upcoming Conflux expansion. Here are some cards from the list:

Sedraxis Alchemist
2B
Creature - Zombie Wizard
When Sedraxis Alchemist comes into play, if you control a blue permanent, you may return target nonland permanent to its owner's hand.
2/2

Fiery Fall
5R
Instant
Fiery Fall deals 5 damage to target creature.
Basic land cycling 1R

Exploding Borders
2RG
Sorcery
Search your library for a basic land card and put that card into play tapped. Then shuffle your library.
Exploding Borders deals X damage to target player, where X is the number of basic land types among lands you control.

Fusion Elemental
WUBRG
Creature - Elemental
8/8

I guess they’re going back to the Invasion set theme with these basic-land-based-spells, maybe because of too many non basic lands in the current Standard format. Which also means we will be getting less non-basic lands prints (unless they’re from the Ravnica block shock lands hehe..). What I also saw on the list are some reprints (Unsummon and Wordly Counsel) which Wizards shouldn’t have IMO. We’ll see and just wait what they’re really up to for Conflux.

The MTG "Card Wizard"

2008-12-21T14:24:00.004+08:00

A friend and fellow Magic player sent this video link from YouTube and I must say I was pretty shocked on how this person was able to know where the hard to find Mythic rares like Ajani Vengeant and Tezzeret are located in the Shards of Alara booster box. He said the reason was about a map which is some sort of a card printing pattern that he created and he is selling this ebook at a cost of about $15. See one of his videos below.

Does Wizards knew about this? And if they do, what would be their responsive action?

Red White Deck Option Completed

2008-12-18T00:00:00.000+08:00

Yahoo! we finally had been able to buy the card components to complete our Red White deck. A big thanks to Nong Lori for selling to us his Rugged Prairies and Ajani Vengeant, as well as Jace Beleren for our Faeries deck. Now our next stop would be looking for the perfect build of the R/W deck. We were thinking if we would go with the Aggro based list, popularly known as Vengeant Weenie, or go with the control version, known as the recent Boat Brew.

I was looking at different sites for the deck list, including the results from States and at the recent World championships and here are my choices (although I really want to create my own list, its preferable to use the tried and tested versions).

Vengeant Weenie by Corey Mann
1st Place, StarCityGames.com $5,000 Standard Open 12/08

Maindeck
3 Burrenton Forge-Tender
4 Cloudgoat Ranger
4 Figure of Destiny
4 Goldmeadow Stalwart
4 Knight of Meadowgrain
4 Wilt-Leaf Liege
4 Wizened Cenn

4 Ajani Vengeant
4 Spectral Procession

6 Plains
4 Battlefield Forge
3 Mutavault
4 Rugged Prairie
4 Rustic Clachan
4 Windbrisk Heights

Sideboard
1 Burrenton Forge-Tender
4 Reveillark
3 Stillmoon Cavalier
4 Unmake
3 Ajani Goldmane

Its the list I like because its Kithkin based although we are still lacking of Wilt-Leaf Lieges.

Vengeant Weenie by James Hess
Top 16, StarCityGames.com $5,000 Standard Open October 2008

Maindeck
4 Akrasan Squire
4 Figure of Destiny
4 Knight of the White Orchid
4 Sigiled Paladin
4 Stillmoon Cavalier

4 Flame Javelin
4 Incinerate
4 Puncture Blast
4 Ajani Vengeant
1 Elspeth, Knight-Errant

5 Mountain
6 Plains
4 Battlefield Forge
4 Mutavault
4 Rugged Prairie

Sideboard
3 Burrenton Forge-Tender
1 Loyal Sentry
2 Ranger of Eos
3 Wispmare
3 Runed Halo
3 Wild Ricochet

The first list of Vengeant Weenie way back in October. I like it for more burn it had on the list, which makes it more like RDW.

Vengeant Weenie by David Van Arnum
3rd place, State Championships 2008 - New Jersey

Maindeck
1 Burrenton Forge-Tender
4 Figure of Destiny
1 Goldmeadow Harrier
4 Goldmeadow Stalwart
4 Knight of Meadowgrain
3 Mirror Entity
2 Ranger of Eos
4 Sigiled Paladin

2 Ajani Vengeant
1 Crib Swap
2 Flame Javelin
4 Incinerate
3 Puncture Blast
2 Spectral Procession

4 Battlefield Forge
2 Ghitu Encampment
3 Mountain
6 Plains
4 Rugged Prairie
4 Rustic Clachan

Sideboard
3 Burrenton Forge-Tender
1 Goldmeadow Harrier
4 Manabarbs
4 Oblivion Ring
1 Ranger of Eos
2 Story Circle

This list is somewhat a breakdown between the Kiths and RDW which I think makes it more flexible.

Boat Brew by Aaron Nicastri
2008 World Championships, 6-0 Standard

Maindeck
4 Battlefield Forge
2 Mountain
5 Plains
3 Reflecting Pool
4 Rugged Prairie
4 Windbrisk Heights

1 Burrenton Forge-Tender
4 Figure of Destiny
4 Kitchen Finks
4 Mogg Fanatic
3 Murderous Redcap
4 Ranger of Eos
3 Reveillark
2 Siege-Gang Commander
1 Stillmoon Cavalier

4 Ajani Vengeant
4 Mind Stone
4 Spectral Procession

Sideboard
1 Burrenton Forge-Tender
3 Guttural Response
1 Stillmoon Cavalier
3 Vithian Stinger
3 Voice of All
4 Wrath of God

This is the list that got an impressive undefeated record at Standards in Day One of the Worlds Championship, thinking of it as a high level tournament. Based on the list, we can actually construct it lacking only of Wrath of God. I'm sure I can borrow from my fellow players but that would reveal the deck I will use on the tournament. Lol.

We'll see if which decklist I will decide to follow and build for this Friday's tourney. Till next time. :)

Wordless Wednesday: Magic the Gathering Style

2008-12-17T16:42:00.004+08:00

X-Men Origins: Wolverine Trailer

2008-12-16T22:44:00.002+08:00

Ok, we already know of the upcoming Marvel movie about the origin of Wolverine and I've found out through GM Tristan's blog about the movie's trailer that's just been recently released. Check it out below.

X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE HD

The movie will be showing on May 1, 2009.

Antti Malin is the 2008 Magic the Gathering Worlds Champion!

2008-12-15T09:38:00.006+08:00

Finally, after four days of grueling battle of Mtg players from around the world and in all the formats, it has been concluded. Antti Malin's (from Finland) Faeries deck defeated Jamie Parke's (a resident of New York, USA) Five Color Control in the Finals match, three games to one.

Before that though, he had to struggle till the deciding Game 5 with Hannes Kerem's Kithkins in the Semis and also had triumphed over Akira Asahara's Faes in a mirror match in the Quarterfinals.

Here's a few info of Antti Malin's record at Worlds and his Faes decklist:

Standard: 3-3
Booster Draft: 6-0
Extended: 5-1

Faeries by Antti Malin
2008 Worlds Champion

Maindeck
6 Island
4 Sunken Ruins
4 Secluded Glen
4 Underground River
2 Swamp
4 Mutavault
1 Faerie Conclave

2 Vendilion Clique
4 Spellstutter Sprite
4 Mistbind Clique
2 Sower of Temptation

1 Terror
4 Agony Warp
3 Broken Ambitions
3 Remove Soul
4 Cryptic Command
4 Thoughtseize
4 Bitterblossom

Sideboard
4 Flashfreeze
4 Infest
2 Glen Elendra Archmage
2 Jace Beleren
1 Mind Shatter
1 Ponder
1 Sower of Temptation

*photo courtesy of Magicthegathering.com

Mtg World Championships 2008 Started

2008-12-12T04:07:00.007+08:00

As of the writing of this post, its in Round 3 of the six rounds of Standard as the Magic players from all over the world gather and battle it out in Day 1 of the four day Magic: The Gathering World Championships 2008 event in Memphis. It will be 18 rounds of individual play, along with four team Constructed rounds spread out over the next three days.

This is gonna be exciting coz I'm sure new decks will be innovated and we will find out if the Faes will still dominate the Standard meta and also the same with the Elf ball in Extended.

I'm wishing good luck and God bless to our very own Team Philippines who qualified and joined the event. To Earl Cirujales, Joselito Alberto Jamir, and Ramon Allan Oca, let the world know that the Filipino Magic Player can do it. Go for gold guys! (olympics???) ^_^

Check out the full coverage here.

Nicol Bolas Planeswalker Art Finally Out

2008-12-11T23:08:00.003+08:00

As I was browsing the usual Magic sites I visit (while losing my focus on work and my tasks), I came upon this preview of a dragon in Conflux. I quickly checked the Rumor Mill at Mtg Salvation and its really true. According to Mohan, the art depicts the elder dragon Nicol Bolas, Planeswalker which was previously revealed to appear in Conflux. Here's the full and I must say a really cool artwork. (click to see the full version)

Duel Decks: Divine vs Demonic Announced

2008-12-11T01:10:00.010+08:00

Wizards has announced today in Magic Arcana about the next Duel Decks, which is to arrive in April 2009. It is named Divine vs Demonic, regarded as the battle between good (White) and evil (Black). The deck design and development will be Nate Heiss and Erik Lauer and the exact date of release is April 10, 2009.

They also featured an art of a demon in the announcement, which I believe resembles Lord of the Pit. See it below:

They will also include two alternate art foil mythic rare cards. I hope they are Conflux cards. It would be a good addition to the Standard decks and not only for collection purposes. Hehe... We'll just stay tuned for it. Check out the official announcement here.

Wordless Wednesday: Magic the Gathering Style

2008-12-10T04:53:00.007+08:00

Deck of the Week: Bant Aggro

2008-12-09T21:42:00.004+08:00

Its deck of the week again folks and my choice of deck for this week's episode is from the latest Standard Trial Tournament at Magic-League.com (November 26) which the deck got 2nd place. The deck utilizes the power of the shard of Bant, with creatures such as Jhessian Infiltrator, Rhox War Monk and the mythic rare Rafiq of the Many.

The deck also uses control and permission spells such as Bant Charm, Cryptic Command and Negate, and the Planeswalker, which is also a resident of Bant, Elspeth.

Here's the list created and piloted by flynnT.

Mainboard (60)
3 Yavimaya Coast
2 Flooded Grove
2 Mystic Gate
4 Reflecting Pool
4 Seaside Citadel
3 Treetop Village
3 Brushland
2 Adarkar Wastes

4 Birds of Paradise
2 Kitchen Finks
4 Jhessian Infiltrator
4 Rafiq of the Many
4 Rhox War Monk
4 Shorecrasher Mimic

4 Bant Charm
2 Broken Ambitions
4 Cryptic Command
2 Negate
3 Elspeth Knight-Errant

Sideboard (15)
2 Cloudthresher
4 Flashfreeze
2 Guttural Response
3 Wrath of God
4 Burrenton Forge-Tender

For other decks featured on the previous weeks, see it here.

Dealing with the Forge Tender

2008-12-07T12:18:00.003+08:00

I’m sure every red deck’s bane in the current Standard when facing the Kithkins or any other decks with white cards is the 1/1 pro red Burrenton Forge-Tender. This kithkin can really stop your early assault and can even prevent your last ditch burn or the damage of your Demigod. However, every problem has a solution so I was thinking of the possible card options in dealing with it and here’s what I came up with:

1. Everlasting Torment – This B/R hybrid enchantment nulls the red damage prevention of the forge-tender therefore making it vulnerable in combat. The problem though is that they are aware of this and they are boarding in Wispmares to deal with it. Right timing of the alpha strike is recommended for this scenario.

2. Moonglove Extract – If you are going mono red and not splashing black, then this artifact is the right answer for you and you can shoot your opponent for the win if there are no forge-tenders around.

3. Splash black – this is my preferred solution and I’m currently implementing it to my RDW deck. This gives you access to a lot of black removals, both spot and mass. My current black sideboards are Shriekmaws and Infest, which also deals with other weenie decks such as the Elves and Merfolks. You just have to adjust your manabase though to avoid the mismatching of your colors. I suggest you use Auntie’s Hovel and Graven Cairns.

That’s it for now and I hope this can be a great help to you. Now go forth and burn off those little white men. Just kidding… ^_^

Conflux Booster, Fat Pack and Intro Pack Images

2008-12-05T05:10:00.006+08:00

A big thanks for Coffee4am for posting this one at the Mtg Salvation forums. These packages are what we are expected to see in the coming release of Conflux in February 2009. See it below.

Conflux Fat Pack

Conflux Booster Pack and Intro Pack

If you'll notice, the fat pack included the planeswalker novel "Agents of Artifice". I'm glad they finally included a novel and not just some player's guide. I'm sure Conflux will be an exciting set, not only on the story but also on the cards.

Wordless Wednesday: Magic the Gathering Style

2008-12-03T01:23:00.009+08:00

Deck of the Week: Naya Aggro

2008-12-02T16:43:00.004+08:00

My choice of deck for this week is from the 2008 States Championship in Vermont. I refer to it as the Standard version of the Zoo deck in Extended, with the ideal one-two-three punch of Figure of Destiny, Rip-clan Crasher and Woolly Thoctar. In addition are the burns, with Flame Javelins, Puncture Blasts, Naya Charms and Magma Sprays taking the spot.

Here's the deck list piloted by Micah Rabin which got first place in the tournament.

Maindeck
2 Battlefield Forge
4 Fire-Lit Thicket
4 Jungle Shrine
4 Karplusan Forest
5 Mountain
1 Rugged Prairie
3 Treetop Village
1 Wooded Bastion

4 Figure of Destiny
2 Hell's Thunder
4 Ranger of Eos
4 Rip-Clan Crasher
3 Spark Elemental
4 Woolly Thoctar

4 Flame Javelin
4 Magma Spray
3 Naya Charm
4 Puncture Blast

Sideboard
2 Chaotic Backlash
2 Cloudthresher
3 Firespout
4 Guttural Response
2 Naturalize
2 Oblivion Ring

For other decks featured on the previous weeks, see it here.

Promo Cards for Pro Tours and Grand Prix in 2009

2008-12-01T20:56:00.005+08:00

Today's episode of the Magic Arcana revealed the promo cards that players and participants will be getting on next year's Pro Tour and Grand Prix season. For the Pro Tour, it will be Treva, the Renewer and for the Grand Prix, the promo card is Chrome Mox. Check it out below:

Pro Tour 2009 Promo Card

Grand Prix 2009 Promo Card

Football Web-TV-Channel

2008-12-01T01:57:00.002+08:00

For the football fanatics out there, here’s some latest football news for you. Now you can check out the latest about football on the football web-tv channel website, Partofthegame dot tv, which was recently launched by Carlsberg Brewery. These launched five Carlsberg web-tv channels are showing everything you need and like to watch on football, from your favorite classic football match, your favorite football teams and even the life of a football fan. Check out the site here at www.partofthegame.tv.

The Return to INCA, Lambunao

2008-12-01T00:10:00.010+08:00

I had taken two days of vacation leave from office last Thursday and Friday. Thinking of where to spent these days of rest, I decided to visit WVSU-CAF (formerly known as INCA), the school where I had my previous work as a part time instructor.

I arrived there at around 5pm and I'm happy to know that they were still able to recognize me despite that I left the place about two years ago. Memories just came flashing back as I get to meet some of my students and a few of the staff and teachers there.

Thinking like I have some travel blog or something, I decided to document my visit to INCA with the camera of my dont-know-what-kind-of-model Nokia phone. Here are a few of the pics that I took.

The rough road going to INCA from the town proper of Lambunao just got rougher. Why won't they ever get this cemented?? $%^& government...

A part of the circumferential road around the campus. This was where I do my usual morning walk to the college building.

The food they prepared for me, with the native chicken binakol as the main dish. Yum yum.

Of course, reminiscing our local routine after dinner. A few shots of beer to offset the coldness of the night. Hehehe...

I took this shot while we were walking to the Montillano falls. Time to burn some fat for me. Lol!

A shot of the river going to the falls. The falls is barely visible. Can you see it?

This is the upper part of the Montillano Falls. The water may look shallow but that's actually around 8 feet deep (we measured it with wooden branch).

This was an artificial dam the school created to supply water to the place. Unfortunately, it got destroyed together with the water pipes during the Typhoon Frank.

Finally, the Montillano falls! The water is so damn cold but I enjoyed the falling water hitting me. Its like taking a hard body massage. Hehehe... Btw, the falls looks like some Mtg card art. Can you guess it?

The road going back. Is it just me or is the route got a bit farther than the last time?

These are some of the native pigs bred at the college piggery...

This rabbit is for the Agriculture graduating students' thesis.

The same with these broiler chickens.

The jeepney I took when I went back home to the city. See you again next time INCA!

Personalized Holiday Gift Ideas

2008-11-30T15:21:00.000+08:00

The holiday season is coming a few weeks from now and people are now looking forward for some great and unique gifts for their loved ones. There are a lot of gift categories to choose from. One of which that is getting popular nowadays are personalized gifts. People love them, and I personally too, because they like to see their name or their favorite design on the gifts that they receive.

One cool site I would recommend when it comes to buying personalized gifts is PexagonTech dot com. They are currently offering not one but four personalized gift ideas this coming holiday season. You can choose from personalized thumb drives, where you can custom engrave your name for free and available in 14 colors with up to 16GB in capacity; personalized pens, with three unique styles, multiple colors and also a free line of personalized laser engraved text; business card flash drives, perfect gifts for your boss or business colleague, and wooden USB flash drives, which I find very unique and cute and you also get free 2-sided custom laser engraving/personalization.

Another good thing is that you get these gifts with no setup costs and no minimum order quantity. Sounds good, isn’t it? So check out the site now, learn more about these unique and personalized holiday gifts, and you better buy now as they are offering a 20% off on these holiday gifts.

Saturday Adventure at Guimaras

2008-11-27T06:56:00.014+08:00

It’s a bit late to post this one and the cause is that I'm freakin’ busy at work. Anyways, I better write this one before I suffer memory erosion.

Last Saturday, the team decided to go on a vacation trip to Guimaras Adventure Park to celebrate Ibos' (Eaves) birthday. I went there with lack of sleep coz I went to Smallville the night before (its Friday you know. Hehe) but the fun had really kept me awake. We did rappelling and damn, the experience is truly exhilarating. It was actually my first time to do that and I’m very proud I was able to go down the whole 30 feet. Wooot! I finally conquered my fear of heights. Haha! Anyways, after that we had lunch and played paintball. And yeah, that was a lot of fun too although my body was hurting after that due to a lot of hits from the other team. Lol!

Here are a few pics of our adventures at Guimaras, courtesy of Mark Archer. Thanks Bro!

Goofing around while waiting for the rest.

On the ferryboat going to Jordan, Guimaras. Korean peace!

Trekking and exploring the park

I was actually the last to rappel. Waaaa.. the pressure!

The birthday gurl with her cake

Tsibogan moments

Team Buok planning the assault

Looks like some Naruto uniforms. Lol!

The gals

The guys

Team Buok ready for battle

The battle begins

They didn't noticed each other. Lol!

Sidetrip to Alubihud beach

Rest mode

Wordless Wednesday: Magic The Gathering Style

2008-11-26T04:00:00.004+08:00

Deck of the Week: Razer Ramon

2008-11-24T19:18:00.007+08:00

It's deck of the week Monday once again. Its an unexpected change of schedule. Hehe.. Anyways, my choice of deck to feature this week is the one created by my friend and co-player John Rey Sequio. Its a Naya shard based three-color deck featuring mana producing Birds of Paradise and Bloom Tender to accelerate into an early Wooly Thoctar or Chameleon Colossus beats or the deck's superstar, the walking Armageddon Realm Razer. Not to forget the additional support of the two planeswalkers, Garruk and Ajani Vengeant.

Here's the decklist that he played which got into the top 8 of the Shards of Alara 5k Inaugurals.

Maindeck
2 Jungle Shrine
2 Wooded Bastion
2 Fire-Lit Thicket
4 Karplusan Forests
4 Brushland
2 Reflecting Pool
4 Treetop Village
1 Battlefield Forge
2 Forest

4 Wooly Thoctar
4 Realm Razer
4 Kitchen Finks
4 Birds of Paradise
4 Bloom Tender
3 Figure of Destiny
4 Chameleon Colossus

2 Garruk Wildspeaker
3 Ajani Vengeant
3 Magma Spray
3 Naya Charm

Sideboard
2 Condemn
4 Guttural Response
4 Gaddock Teeg
2 Cloudthresher
1 Naya Charm

For other decks featured on the previous weeks, see it here.

Cool Alternate Art for Alara Lands

2008-11-23T00:53:00.000+08:00

Hey guys, I've found from this post at Mtg Salvation forums about the alternate Alara lands for the MPS or the Magic Premiere Shops 2008 land sets. Here are the art for each basic land which is magnificently done by John Avon.

Naya Forest

Bant Plains

Esper Island

Grixis Swamp

Jund Mountain

A Glance of "The Mark Ian Show"

2008-11-20T02:43:00.005+08:00

I have been doing some "video coverage" of our local tournaments for my segment "The Mark Ian Show" at our Magic The Gathering Iloilo community site. This is made possible thanks to my friend, officemate and Magic Iloilo's official maniniyot JayR, who owns the cam and does the video editing.

The show is actually our version of Evan Erwin's (if you are a mtg player then I'm sure you are familiar with him) famous "The Magic Show", less budgeted, less effects and less talk. The latest so far is episode three wherein I covered the finals (Elves mirror match) last Nov. 8 between Oliver and Mao.

Presenting.... The Mark Ian Show Episode Three!

The Flat Belly Diet

2008-11-19T19:02:00.002+08:00

Getting a good exercise is one of my outlets whenever I’m not that busy at work. However, the only exercise that I got to do is walking from office to my boarding house in the morning after my shift. The bad thing is that the walking exercise is not enough to prevent me from gaining weight and having a big tummy. Sitting err working on a straight 8 hours in front of the PC is the primary cause of that. I tried minimizing and controlling my diet and do some quick breaks in between work but it was all in vain.

So I decided to look for diet programs that will suit my working style and I’ve discovered the Flat Belly Diet. This diet program was a result of a science-based solution that combines a cutting-edge nutrition plan with expert tips and advice. It centered on the research that discovered about eating healthy fats that they call MUFAs.

Currently, they are offering this program for free for a selected group of women. I just hope though that they’ll also have this program for men. For more info on the Flat Belly Diet program and if you want to participate, check out their site here.

Wordless Wednesday: Magic The Gathering Style

2008-11-19T03:10:00.004+08:00

(The succeeding sentences are an explanation of why I've created this post so just disregard them as words. Lol.)

Most blogs I've surfed have this segment called "Wordless Wednesday" in which they have, as the term says it, a wordless post on a Wednesday. (Do I have to explain it? Lol.) Me, being a follower of popular trends, decided to implement it on my blog. So without further ado, please welcome my first post for the Wordless Wednesday: Magic The Gathering Style.

Deck of the Week: Vengeant Weenie

2008-11-17T19:00:00.006+08:00

My choice of deck for this week is the one I'm planning to build by the end of this year. This deck combines the fast and aggressive beats of White weenie with the hard hitting burn spells of Red. It made its first top 16 appearance on StarCityGames.com $5,000 Standard Open Tournament last October. The deck focused on cheap and Exalted creatures such as Akrasan Squire and Sigiled Paladin to push early and large chunks of damage. It is also beautifully combined with Elspeth, giving the exalted attacker a +3/+3 pump and evasion.

Of course, the deck wouldn't be called by that name if not for its superstar Planeswalker, Ajani Vengeant. Its first two abilities of tapping down a large threat or Helixing a potential blocker are the key in getting the opponent to low life and within shooting range of the deck's burn spells. Flame Javelin? Incinerate? Puncture Blast? you name it. Here's the latest decklist that got 6th place from Alabama State Champs and was piloted by Brett Anderson.

Main Deck
4 Battlefield Forge
2 Mountain
4 Mutavault
10 Plains
4 Rugged Prairie
(24 lands)

4 Akrasan Squire
4 Figure of Destiny
4 Knight of Meadowgrain
4 Sigiled Paladin
4 Stillmoon Cavalier
(20 creatures)

4 Ajani Vengeant
2 Elspeth, Knight-Errant
4 Flame Javelin
4 Incinerate
3 Puncture Blast
(17 spells)

Sideboard
3 Burrenton Forge-Tender
2 Loyal Sentry
1 Puncture Blast
2 Ranger of Eos
2 Reveillark
3 Wild Ricochet
2 Wispmare

For other decks featured on the previous weeks, see it here.

My Magic: The Gathering Wishlist for Christmas

2008-11-15T00:50:00.008+08:00

Christmas is everybody's favorite holiday for the year and I'm sure alot of you already came up with your Christmas wish list. As much as I don't want to create my list (I'm expecting not to receive any gifts this year unless I get one for myself. Lol.), I may be forced to go with the flow.

Without further ado, here's my Magic: The Gathering "wish" list for this year's Christmas. Note: The items listed below are achievable if given the budget and the right person to donate. Lol.

1. First off of course, is what any Magic player needs, the cards! As for this year, I'll be looking to buy Jace versus Chandra Duel Decks. These two decks showcased the best control and burn cards in the history of Magic. Well, its not as best as Force of Will and Lightning Bolt but who cares. It got cool alternate art of the two Planeswalkers and what I'm after are the deck boxes. The product is already released last November 7. I just hope though that our local store will be selling this.

2. The second on my list are still, you guessed it, Magic cards! Haha. These are actually from my wants list as I am hoping to complete my deck before the card prices will sky rocket. Here they are:

- four Rugged Prairies (red-white filter land),
- four Ajani Vengeant (mythic planeswalker),
- four Stillmoon Cavaliers,
- four Sigiled Paladin,
- a set of Knight of the White Orchid and
- four Runed Halos.

Just give me a message if you have any of the cards listed above. Hehe...

3. I enjoy mixing house music in Virtual DJ (fyi, one of my future plans is to become a Dj. muahaha) so I just thought if I can do it in the actual CDJ Player and Mixer and also to become familiar with the functions and do some actual tricks in mixing. I didn't know the correct setup and what brand is ideal if ever I could buy one but my kumpare which is a Dj told me that the Pioneer brand has the best products.

4. A new cellphone. My current one really sucks coz the battery runs out fast even though its on standby so I had to charge it everyday. What a hassle. My price range would be around 6 to 10k and I'd prefer fast loading menus and with a high resolution camera. Oh, and Sony Ericsson or Nokia will do.

5. An iPod Nano. I love listening to music wherever I went, either at the office or in the HQ. I just turn on any device that can provide my ears some good ol' sound and what more can provide it other than an 8GB iPod Nano. That would be enough to store all of my House music collections and still have space for my favorite movies. Pretty neat, eh?

6. New batch of customized t-shirts. Its been a long time since I got to print my self designed shirts from my friend Meltoy and I'm hoping to get new ones this month. He has been quite busy with work so its hard for me to reach him and give my designs. I hope he can have the time to do it, if not, I'll look for other shirt printing store that's easy to access and offers affordable printing services.

7. Lastly, World Peace. Yeah, seriously. No kidding...

I can't get to think of other good stuff to include (which more likely will be cards and more gadgets) so that would be it for my list. I am hoping to get numbers 1, 2 and 6, and the rest are optional, especially number seven. Lol.