The Tribulations of Life...

More stuffs...

2010-01-29T14:07:00.003+08:00

I'm bored. So I'm going to revamp how I do my blogs a bit.

First up is a nice picture I found
Oh, how true...

Remember this when you get a job outside that requires you to run everything through your boss. Meaning that your studies probably didn't turn out well. So when you look up... heh. But when you climb to the top, however, everyone looks up at you. At your... *ahem*

Back to more mundane details about my life. Projects are being handed in left and right and I am simply dizzy with all the deadlines. thankfully, I am meeting them as they come, so I am not too worruied about not being able to complete it.

My group members rock.

Let's see... they are all hardworking and they always try to do their. Well, I'm the only guy there, so I can't really much... since I don't understand fashion talk and such. 0.0

24 people in my class and 4 boys out of it.

Ha Ha.

Will be in the same class as them for the rest of my poly life, so I am going to enjoy myself as much as I can without failing my subjects anymore.

It just ain't worth it.

Signing off,

Calvin.

P.S: I will be changing the schematics of things around soon, adding some music stuff. Nothing noisy, just some Saxophone music. :)

A new post!? Gasp

2010-01-15T11:07:00.003+08:00

Hey everyone.

Yes, I'm alive.

No, I was doing other things that required my attention.

School has beugn again, along with a slew of other stressful projects that are causing me headaches everyday. Still, I seem to be coping so I'll manage.

Things have more or less settled down over at my side. I feel a little less constrained, though a little sidelined since Vui Yang, Amoz and Vincent all have PSP's. And at every gathering, all they do is PSP. Like seriously.

I might as well not go if all I see are you all playing something that I don't possess. -.-

Like, hello, waste my time? I could have spent it studying instead of watching you 3 scream and yell at a game that seems to generate an exaggerated response. Not to say that I don't enjoy hanging out with you three, but when I'm sidelined, it seems...

Pitiful.

To me.

Yeah. On a sidenote, I'm getting a PSP too. Peer pressure? Most definitely.

Who likes being ignored eh? But I'll have to thank them for wasting a good portion of my GPT winnings on such a item.

Wait, back up: GPT winnings?

Right, that is a Magic: the Gathering event.

GPT means Grand Prix Trial, where players play for a 3 round bye (basically, in that huge event worth thousand of dollars, the actual GP, 3 free wins.) among other things. I went there and took the cash prize instead. The guy wanted the byes so badly that he made me an offer impossible to resist. I mean, covering entry fee plus whatever he wins?

Ok, the byes are yours man. Plus, your Total Rating is hugher than mine, so I don't lose much points either. Coming in 4th seems decent, seeing as I went undefeated in the swiss rounds.

So yeah, money got pumped into a second-hand PSP. I'm having a friend of mine look into it. Mitch, you'd better hurry LOL.

On yet another note... I'm going to start my old diet again. More apples, less rice, less fried stuff. I'll try to get my lazy body working again. The fats are pissing me off.

RAWR.

See you guys around.

Calvin, the massive elephant.

Restart

2009-12-01T15:40:00.000+08:00

Blog revival commencing soon. :)

Sorry for the disappearance.

:)

Tournament Report: Out of Depth

2009-03-16T23:36:00.002+08:00

14th of March. What a day. It was the Shards Block Constructed Big Event and the first place was a whooping $150 cash prize. Over 30 people turned up for the tournament. From Eunos WJJ sprouted about 7 people, including myself, that took part.

The decks were varied, with an unexpected surge in the number of Esper Control Decks.

Metagame Breakdown:

Esper Aggro: While few in numbers, Esper Aggro decks proved to be worse off than their control counterparts, in which two made it into the top 8. Esper Aggro depended on an explosive start to deal overwhleming damage within the first few turns. However, without card advantage or Planeswalkers, they quickly run out of steam and depend on luck to see through their matches.

Fast, but can be inconsistent.

Esper Control: The cream of the crop. Esper Control have decent match-ups across the meta, with Red-Black Aggro probably being their worst match-up and Five-Colour being their best. Jefferey piloted a highly consistent version of this, proving its nettle by plowing its way through to the Top 4.

Esper Control rely heavily on removal and permission to control the board till the 6th turn, where they begin to dominate. Most run on a Sanctum Gargoyle and Sharuum engine that allows them to recur a ridiculous amount of card advantge, enabling them to win.

R/W Exalted: Basically combines exalted with powerful beaters like Hellspark Elemental and Hell's Thunder for evasion, Ajani and Elspeth for board control and Banefire for the final blow.

Jund Tokens: An atrociously fast deck with decent match-ups and powerful cards like Sprouting Thiranx and Violent Ultimatum. Weak against Esper and Naya, however. Mark Tan piloted this deck and lost.

Naya Aggro: Considered one of the best decks in the current meta, Naya Aggro has decent match-ups across the meta, with access to 3 out of 5 of the Planeswalkers and immensely powerful tools like Martial Coup and Noble Hierach to win.

Naya Control: A less aggressive, more anti-creature Naya Deck, this deck relies heavily on accelerating into a Martial Coup and regain board position from there. The sheer power of this deck is ridiculous, especially against creature based decks.

Bant Aggro/Control: Considered a deck which has good creatures but lacks the necessary tools to maintain board control. Scoops to Goblin Outlander and Martial Coup. Victor ran a more life-gaining version of this deck, enabling him to make some ridiculous plays.

5 Colour Control: ....

R/B Beatdown: Having evolved over the last couple of weeks, R/B Beatdown can be incredibly fast, using cheap and efficient cretaures to quickly try and kill the opponent.

4 Colour Aggro: My deck. Insipired by a player called Mark Lee, I ran this deck due to its propensity to make some explosive starts, usually able to steal games by swinging in for 14 on turn 3 with Rafiq of the Many. Lacks a good overall board control though.

****

My deck list: 4 Colour Aggro

Lands x 23

Creatures: x 19

4 x Noble Hierach
4 x Wolly Thoctar
4 x Rhox War Monk
3 x Steward of Valeron
2 x Battlegrace Angel
2 x Rafiq of the Many

Spells:

3 x Ajani Vengeant
3 x Elspeth, Knight Errant
4 x Bant Charm
3 x Naya Charm
4 x Oblivion Ring
1 x Covenant of Minds

Sideboard: x 15

3 x Filigree Fracture
3 x Relic of Progenitus
3 x Celestial Purge
1 x Ajani Vengeant
1 x Elspeth, Knight Errant
2 x Telemin Performance
2 x ??? (Can't remember)

Matchups: Went 4-1 in the 5 round swiss, losing the first round to Jeff's Esper Control.

In the Finals, I defeated Mark Lee and won Jeff by pure, dumb, stupid and lame luck. Split with Chris in the Top 2 playoff as I was too exhausted to play on. I gave Chris the win and went home a happy man!

Thanks to:

Vui Yang for lending me his cards and being so supportive.
ZiXuan for being so friendly and lending me whatever I needed.
Kelvin Chew for his advice and cards.
Jefferey for his understanding.
Victor for his funny plays.
Mark Chen for his Rafiqs and sporting character.
Marc for his general good temper.

Thanks again guys.

More on my match-ups and what I thought about my deck next post.

Bittersweet

2009-03-09T00:43:00.002+08:00

First off, let me congratulate myself for turning 18 this year.

*Waits and notes the silence around him*

But nobody cares eh? Yeah, nobody bothered to remember my birthday. But, I'm chill about it. I'm doomed to be forgotten in everyone's mind anyway.

But enough on the emoing.

Everyone seems to love picking on me. To those 3 in my Cbox putting useless comments in, please stop. If my blog is dead, so be it. I rot away at home half the time anyway. And besides, who would care if I died?

I'm too insignificant.

Secondly, whoever wants to comment on my Cbox please don't do it secretly and hide your identity like a freaking ninja. Seriously, it's a pain in the ass. What, you're an escaped convict or something? Need to hide your name to avoid being threatened or what? Get a life and just put your real name there so I know who you are.

Other, just shut up.

_l_

Lastly, if I want to let the blog die, just let it die, ok?

Anyway.

I've been taking part in Shards Block Constructed Tournaments lately. I've done ok for the past few weeks, consistently ending up in the top 8. Due to money concerns, I was unable to build my preferred Naya Aggro deck and instead played a myraid of different decks over a few weeks.

Metagaming is difficult, and buidling an optimal decklist with limited cards is indeed quite challenging. Thus far, Epser Solar Flare has outdone itself in the tournament, losing only to Naya Aggro and a 4 Colour Beatdown deck with Rafiq of the Many.

The popular choice still seems to be Naya based and for good reason. Naya in block has access to 3 out of 5 of the Planeswalker's printed in Alara, and each are devastating in their own right. Add Ranger of Eos for card advantage and cheap beaters like Wolly Thoctar, Cylian Sunsinger and Wild Nactl and you have a very fast, consistent and sometimes monstrous deck.

The next favourite seems to be Bant. However, their numbers have effectively dropped over the weeks due to a surge of Martial Coups in main board (Devastating in Naya not only against Bant Exalted, but also in the mirror). Bant is fast, but lacks the tools needed to maintain board advantage.

The third favourite is, of course, Five-colour Control (5CC). 5CC boasts the ability to play every spell in the format. However, all the tap lands usually means they are active by only turn 4. However, due to cheap removal spells in the format right now, like Path to Exile and Celestial Purge, 5CC can usually survive long enough to drop Rhox War Monk or Broodmate Dragon to stem the flow while holding their life at safe levels with the increasingly popular Wall of Reverence, which saw Gabriel Nassif's 5CC (In Pro-tour Kyoto, Standard) to victory against veteran player Luis-Scott Vargas.

Esper, Grixis and Jund have popped out occasionally, but usually are defeated by Naya easily.

Despite this, however, I've been trying to optimize a decklist (from Esper cards) that can withstand the Naya Onslaught while similarly shining in a control matchup. It's no mean feat, but I've noticed the trends in the decklists and am preparing for the matchups. The big event is coming and I want to do really well this time.

*****

Bitter memories have left me being more tired than usual. I know I shouldn't be thinking about it anymore. But I can't help myself. Everytime I close my eyes, I'm reminded about how things could have turned out, if only I had the courage.

But I didn't.

I'm nothing but a coward. It's ironic, really. I've always envisioned myself to be tough but when it comes down to it. When it really comes down to it... I'm nothing. I couldn't take it. I felt as if I was torn to shreds as if something inside me twisted and cracked and ground into dust. How can I accept things like this?

But I'm powerless. Not just powerless, but because I want her to be happy. I can't give her that. I have nothing. How can I make her happy?

Everyday, I ask myself what I could have done. Eveyday, I see a failure reflected in the mirror. Everyday, I see the shades of grey.

I don't want to feel anymore.

It hurts so much.

It still hurts.

I hate it.

Why does it still HURT!

Why?

No more.

Please.

Fallen Knight

Like a wave...

2009-02-12T20:16:00.002+08:00

Life comes and goes. Ebbs and rises.

It's been a while since I was here. What was I doing? Thinking, I guess. Conflux prerelease has come and gone, and so has school. I've been busy lately, catching up, learning more and feeling less. I'm tired.

I'm still confused. Still lonely. Still sad. Haha, kinda pathetic right? I really have nothing to say. Nothing. So many things... but yet I can't say it. I don't know how. Haiz.

Going to the hospital for a checkup soon. Apparently, I had a sleeping disorder brought about by enlarged organs. Grr. Doctor says I might have to go for surgery. Oh, well. It's not as if I have anything to lose.

I guess I can stop here. I really don't know what to type.

Maybe next time?

My birthday is coming soon. I wonder if anyone will remember though?

Calvin

Revival in process

2009-01-18T11:25:00.002+08:00

Time to blogging. There was this one time I tried, but my computer crashed on me. -.-v . So now, here I'm back again.

Many things have happened. First off, its a new year. Yes, I know I'm weeks late. So sue me. Second, it's back to good old boring and intellectually stigmaed school. As usual, I feel suffocated. The only reason I'm even remotely unhappy with Singapore is it's education system. Seriously.

In Singapore, it's either you have a degree or you are a dead fish. But in all honestly, with all this competitiveness, the moment we start playing, we forget about everything. After all, playing is such a good way to escape from all this studying airs. In the end, it's all the hardworking and smart poeple that get the best jobs. Is this fair?

In a way, yes. But in my perspective, this is bullshit. So what, you have a degree and you've studied. So? Have you felt the hardships of life? Have you been scolded by a real life boss? Do you understand that the stress you feel now is nothing?

It's a big fat NO. In other countries, studies are not indoctrinated into your brain. Look at the most successful people in the world. Do they all have degrees? No. And are they rich? Oh hell yes. What does that tell us? That no matter how much you study, you need to go out there and survive. Then come tell people you're great.

The degree is just a stupid piece of paper. And yet, everyone lusts for it as it is the so-called "Scroll to success". Whatever.

I just want to live a life where I am happy. Maybe a small-time businessman, maybe something else. But I want to be happy. But to my parents, they want me to be so much more. I want to be that so much more. And yet, I've disappointed them so many times that I can't bear to see myself try anymore.

But they don't understand me.

No one ever did.

Who wants to?

No one.

None.

I'm tired of smiling. I'm tired of getting angry. I'm tired of being nice to everyone. I'm tired of helping everyone. I'm tired of being myself and I'm tired of being tired.

And yet I still care about everyone. Stupid me.

Emotions are so wasted on me.

Like always.

No matter where I go, people always hate me. Regardless if it's my looks or my attitude.

I'm sick of it all.

No more.

Calvin.

Tournament Report

2008-12-16T12:35:00.002+08:00

Ok, so two days ago, on a rainy Sunday, I went for the Bishan Junior Open Tournament. I went there with high hopes, only to make a stupid mistake by not accepting a draw. I still made it into the top 8 at 5th Place.

Without further ado, here's the deck I was piloting

Blue-White Fish.

24 Lands:

4 x Adarkar Wastes
4 x Mystic Gate
4 x Wanderwine Hub
2 x Faerie Conclave
2 x Mutavault
8 x Islands

Spells x 12:

4 x Cryptic Command
3 x Sage Dousing
2 x Mirrorweave
3 x Ponder

Creatures x 24:

4 x Stonybrook Banneret
4 x Silvergil Adept
4 x Merrow Rejerey
2 x Glen Elendra Archmage
3 x Reveilark
3 x Sygg, River Guide
4 x Sower of Temptation

Sideboard:

3 x Wrath of God
3 x Oblivion Ring
3 x Wake Thrasher
1 x Glen Elendra Archmage
2 x Jace Beleren
3 x Story Circle

Game 1: Vs Red-White Kithkin

Round 1: All I remember was that he stalled on land 3 for 6 turns while I beat with a River Guide, a Rejerey, a banneret and finally a Reveilark. He tried to Mirrorweave my banneret at fourth land to stall as I had a Glen Elendra Archamge on the field which had been exhausted stalling his Spectral Processions. I finally use Cryptic Command and its all over.

Sideboard time: I take out Sowers and replace with 1 x Glen Elendra Archmage, 3 x Wrath of God.

Round 2: I keep another decent hand, he keeps his. Surprisingly, he has no drops for the first 3 turns. This allows me to set up a field consisting of two Bannerets and a cheap Archmage on the 4th turn. This allows me to stall as I doused his previous Spectral Procession. He looks pained as he sees a Rejerey hit the boardthe next turn. Subsequent turns consisted of him spamming removal which my Archmage countered. However, the third Oblivion Ring finally got past.

I shrug, top-decking another Archmage which I slap down with glee, alongside a Reveilark. He sees and scoops, revealing a hand of removal which my Archmage can counter with a single blue mana.

Conclusion: Glen Elendra Archmage is tech. Game 1 for the win.

Game 2: Vengeant Reveilark

Round 1: This deck was tough. I was able to counter my way through, but he was able to set up his overwhleming amount of mana and simply overwhlemed me with 3 Siege-Gang Commanders and a Ajani Vengeant.

Sideboard: Wrath and Archmage and Story Circle in, Dousing and Sower out.

Round 2: Stalled on land 5, my sideboard fails to make an appearance and he simply walks over me like nothing.

Conclusion: Ajani Vengeant is powerful. Nuff said. Game Loss.

Game 3: Green-Black Elves

Round 1: He had a perfect curve: 1st turn Llanowar Elf, Second turn Vanquisher revealing another Llanowar elf and casting it out. He proceeds to cast out Imperious Perfect and Colossus and its all over... for him. I bounce back with Bannerets and Sowers, targeting Colossus and protecting it with Dosuings and Cryptics. I proceed to beat face, before Sygg came in and started making my armies a riduculous wall. He scoops after seeing that he's being controlled too much.

Sideboard: I took out the Dousings, replaced them Wrath of Gods. Archmage and a Faerie Conclave came out for Story Circles.

Round 2: He tries to overwhlem me again, but I quickly fake despair, and he overextends into my Wrath of God. He tries to cast colossus, which I allow and steal with my Sower next turn. He tries to halt my advance with another Colossus, which I answer via Reveilark. I spend the next few turns beating him with his own Colossus, before wrathing the field again to halt his Vanquisher and Perfect and bring my banneret and rejerey back. He sees and scoops after I cast out two more rejereys to tpa out his Treetop Villages.

Conclusion: Wrath is useful alright. And Reveilark is tech.

Game 4: Green-White Aggro

Round 1: Can't really remember much about this match other than the fact that we were trading blows left, right and centre. I finally overwhlem him with his own Colossus and an army of merfolk protected by my precious River, Guide.

Round 2: I know this guy's sideboard, so I proceed to take out all my blue instants 0.0 Yes, including CRYPTIC COMMANDS. It wa kinda funny.

Thing is, he stalled on land 2. So, yeah, I was feeling lamed out.

Conclusion: Dun keep 2-landers unless you have ponders.

Game 5: vs Faeries (the guy got 1st)

Round 1: I was already in top 8. Being ambitious, I wanted a box. So, I opted not to draw. Big mistake. This game, I was stuck on painlands and his Bitterblossoms finally overwhlem me as I take damage from prodcuing coloured mana. Damn.

Sideboard: Out came Sowers and Mirrorweaves, in went... Jace, Oblivion Ring and Archmage.

Round 2: I sweep his board with O-rings on all 3 Bitterblossoms, counter every of his spells and beat face with Mutavault. Glen Elendra killed his hand.

Round 3: It was an intense match, but I forgot to add in Wrath of God and his field of Faeries finally overwhlem me. Life Sux...

I really felt depressed after this round, but final standings revealed I was in 5th place. Not eligible for 4th place... yet.

Top 8 Elimination Round: vs Number 4 - Jund Token Ramp.

Game 1: Natuko Husk, coupled with Sarkhan Vol, ended up overwhleming me since he had Bitterblossom to chump out tokens.

Game 2: Died to Husk again, never saw my story circle. Gravepact killed me... Damn it man... why the hell did he top deck that 2 off card?

So... I lost and got Coldsnap boosters. Came in 5th... but wasn't really happy about it. I tried my best... and lost to luck. Damn it. I should have won that one. If only I had held back. Mirrorweave was pretty much a dead card. Should have went with condemns.

Guess that's that.

Till next time,

Fallen Knight

Welcome to my life,

2008-11-30T22:00:00.002+08:00

"Come, Naruto... I will personally sever our bonds!" - Sasuke Uchiha

My handphone's busted. Seems like the sound system has been screwed up. =/ Man... how can I listen to my songs now? ._.

Mama.

In any case, I've been busy doing a little playtesting of a deck I'm going to pilot at a junior tournament at Bishan on the 14th of December. The prize is attractive, and I'm paying through my nose to acquire the right components to complete my deck. It's expensive though.

I haven't really got the chance to test my deck out against the meta, but the designer of the deck (Not me) told me that Merfolk generally had a good matchup against the decks now. I'm not sure how it'll fare against Hellrazer or Elf explosion, so I'm doing very active testing to see how well I'll fare.

After thinking about it... I dunno. I just feel confused. But I will strive on. For what, I don't know. I just have to wait and see.

A little short on the sane side lately, but I'll live. Another thing: Introducing Vince to Facebook was such a bad idea...

*Insert long, exaggerated sigh*

Seriously, how do I get myself involved in such things?

Oh, and Tiberium Wars rock. I hope they hurry with the release of Starcarft 2. I can't wait. Haha. Till next time...

Fallen Knight.

Um... what?

2008-11-16T11:36:00.002+08:00

"I never go back on my promises! Just watch me, Sakura! I'll bring Sasuke back, believe it!" - Uzumaki Naruto

Erm, yeah. I'm back here blogging again. Life's been a little hectic, and I've been doing a reevaluation of my life for the past week. I've sorta been in a daze, not really knowing what to do with myself or my life nowadays.

So, I sorta came up with these few points about myself:

-Ve

Blur, thickheaded, a little fat, pimpled, a little selfish, not very committed to keep trying, pessimistic about matters relating to relationships, blunt, occassionally rude and short-tempered.

+ve

Try not to burden people with my problems, loyal, tries to help even if I'm powerless... and I dunno what else.

And I look at it and say: "Wow dude, no wonder you have so few friends."

Yep, "WOW" indeed.

I joined Facebook recently for kicks. It's quite ok, albeit a little weird to be in a online commnunity once again. Then, there's this guy I don't know at all that added me on Facebook. I did a little investigation, so I have a pretty good idea who he is.

Pft, I really didn't see the point in adding him as a friend, but whatever. Then again, I suppose he had convincing.

Meh.

School life is monotonous, as usual. Everything has been going up in price though, it's kinda annoying since I need to save as much as I can. Not to mention that I'm a total loser when it comes to resisting temptation of spending. Seriously, I suck at managing funds. That's why I need to train myself.

And train myself I will.

I feel really lonely at times. But no one likes to talk to me, after all. Who would listen to a guy rambling about his life? Me, I guess.

I dunno, I just don't know how to express myself, but I am good at listening to other people's problems. So, sometimes, when I give advice, I feel like such a hypocrite at giving advice that I don't apply at all.

Ironic eh?

I just feel like slinking off to a corner and just stay there.

But, yet, a part of me doesn't want to give up just yet.

And so I slumber, waiting.

Calvin.

Meh.

2008-11-01T23:07:00.002+08:00

Been a while.

School's been hectic. I failed my Econs overall, so I have to re-take that module this semester. To be honest, I hate econs, mostly cuz of all the brainpower I have to use to draw the graphs and remember how everything goes. Really tough and stressful at the same time.

I don't even feel like putting in effort this time.

Pft.

Coming back to school is ok. I missed the food, but not the lessons, for obvious reasons. But, I feel more alone these days. I basically isolate myself as I don't feel like interacting with anyone at all. Meh. I'm feeling emo I guess. Almost cried for no reason on the MRT ride today.

The people at Bishan Asia Card Shop are great though. Most of them are nice people and the Traders there are quite friendly. Managed to reign in my wayward emotions there. Going there every Saturday alleviates some stress, at least. It's great to see other people that play and trade cards and interact all day long.

It's a time where people come together and have fun.

Sighz.

I can't talk to anyone. The people I know are, well, just not cut out for my rants. Half are as stressed as myself or are just... sighz. And my parents...

Meh. My relationship with them was never that good after Primary School, anyohow. I really miss all that warmth that used to flow. Really. But they can never know that. I just can't bring myself to say it.

Ego, I guess.

Really, is there even someone out there?

Dark_Dragon

Pft.

2008-10-16T22:02:00.002+08:00

I have another job on tomorrow. It's a 12 hour job, and it ain't half bad.

I've been besieged by demoralizing thoughts lately, and I had a strange dream today. This makes me all the more certain that I'm very, very lonely.

Pft.

Anyway, since Karion has been introducing his main characters, why not me? I've created an organization within his story (It's probably not even in, I put it in for posterity) and have created suitable codenames for them.

They are the antagonists of the Order of Shadows and Anozhov, they are the Templars:

1) Scourge of Satan: This name strikes fear into the hearts and souls of the Ancient Evils. Known for his famous "Grand Cross" , the Scourge of Satan is said to have fought against Satan in a past long forgotten. The leader of the Templars, his power is godly. The exact capabilities of his power is unknown.

2) The Judgemaster: An indisputable gentleman. The fairness of a truly incorruptible Judge. This is the Judgemaster. With the power to bend the laws of the world and create dimensions with but a mere thought and the ability to render even the most powerful of abilities useless, the Judgemaster is a man of truly lofty heights. Undertakes missions pertaining to capture and retrieval.

3) Voidwalker: This lady has the uncanny ability to manipulate time and space. She's verified to have an absurd amount of control over time and has been shown to void others with time abilities as well. However, she does not like to fight, preferring to watch things happen rather than to participate in conflicts.

The rest will be revealed next time.

Job is over,,,

2008-10-10T19:29:00.003+08:00

"Do you wanna know why I use a knife? Guns are too quick. You can't savor all the... little... emotions. In... you see, in their last moments, people show you who they really are. So in a way, I know your friends better than you ever did. Would you like to know which of them were cowards?" - The Joker

From now on, I'll be typing quotes in to pass time.

My job assignment is over, and I have to say that it was a great distraction for me. I worked till about 11pm each night, barely taking time to rest. Pft, I dun really care about myself right now. Judging from how long I worked, CPF deduction is a definite.

Still, this gives me the capital I need to start building my competitive decks. And settle all my debts.

I also asked my agent to scour for weekend jobs for me. A little extra cash wouldn't hurt. Plus, I requested for an area near Bishan, which would be more convenient for me since I drop by Bishan every Saturday.

School's gonna begin in a week, so I'm gonna take a rest, and sort out my priorities. My drive to study is now gone. I feel absolutely redundant. Alone. All alone.

Sighz.

Looking through my past decklists, I remembered a deck I used to pilot that had great potential. It was tough, gave competitive decks a run for their money. The best part? It was all very cheap save for the mana-fixers.

Behold, my Elemental Deck:

Creatures: (19)

4 x Muldrifter
4 x Incadescent Soulstoke
2 x Horde of Notions
3 x Reveilark
4 x Smokebraider
2 x Shriekmaw

Spells: (20)

4 x Nameless Inversion
4 x Crib Swap
4 x Firespout
4 x Negate
4 x Makeshift Mannequinn

Lands: (21)

4 x Reflecting Pool
4 x Vivid Crag
4 x Vivid Creek
2 x Vivid Marsh
7 x Basic Lands

Sideboard:

Cloudthresher x 4
Spitebellows x 4
Wispmare x 2
Shriekmaw x 2
Primal Command x 3

***

The deck was relative simple. A beatdown deck with elements of control. Horde of Notions is easily my best creature, followed by Soulstoke and Reveilark.
Horde of Notions gave all my opponents a hard time. And no wonder! It had a good body, a 5/5 for 5 and had trample, vigilance and haste. Yongsheng hated playing against this deck.

Soulstoke allowed me to cheat huge creatures into play for the duration of 1 turn to enable a one turn kill, not to mention it made my other creatures so much better.

Reveilark... well everyone knows how good it is.

The true ace I had in my deck was : Negate svaed my ass in the metagame dominated by Profane, Garruks, Overruns, Cryptic Commands and several other cards.

It was always satisfying to see my opponent tap out to cast a counter, only to be negated. "Ha, I used a 25cent card to defeat your $23 one!

Meh.

Too bad I dismantled it. No one really wanted to play with it much after that, especially after I worked out the chinks in the flaws.

Till next time.

Calvin

Hn.

2008-10-04T09:32:00.002+08:00

Yeah, well, I'm back here again. Not that I really want to anyway. This blog still needs life even if it's owner is undergoing a rapid plummeting of spirits. Can barely feel anything much except for the taste of my mother's cooking.

I've been working for this week, working overtime till about 10.30pm everyday and getting only 6 hours sleep so that I don't have to THINK. Of course, this means that I'm now slightly unwell. Pft, whatever.

Might as well earn some money so I can spend it.

I'm spending more time looking up at the skies lately. Not lamenting, not complaining. Just doing it. Going through the everyday motions of life.

When asked, none of my colleagues thought I was depressed.

I'm quite impressed at my mask, actually.

That's all for today.

Calvin.

...

2008-09-27T21:59:00.002+08:00

Tired. I'm... I'm just so confused. I...

Urgh...

I don't know what I'll do anymore... Something inside me feels broken, somehow.

The Shards of Alara prerelease was over as fast as it began. I won a round, before losing two to one more experienced opponent and one who lucked out on his topdeck. I had no answers to his bomb, so I folded rather than stay on.

I couldn't conecentrate on the third match at all. I was sorta in a daze. Going through the motions, doing what I was supposed to do.

No one noticed my sudden droop in spirits, anyohow. Not that they ever could.

If they even cared.

Feh.

Maybe it's time for me to huddle in my bed and reflect upon my life.

It's all I can do.

Yawnz

2008-09-19T19:16:00.002+08:00

And yet another boring week has passed. Life's been the same, really, not much action and not much hoo-ha. Kiwi's promotional exams has begun, so here I am wishing her the best of luck (And health) in her exams.

Amid all these mundane stuff, I at least am doing something fruitful. I've started tutoring my younger brother. And am PAID to do it. =D More incentive if you ask me. My mum says I need to earn my keep. And if I can earn extra pocket money, heck, why not?

Don't say I'm greedy, my mum came up with the idea so I would not be a couch potato. Speaking of which, I'd better start exercising more vigourously, I'm gaining weight. Other than that, I'm kinda in a slump. My stories are at a standstill, and I've decided to give up on my DOTA fic, seeing as how clueless I am to even complete it. The blog will be deleted soon.

Unless I can find some way to recover my drive for writing my stories, I think I may be stuck in a depressed state for a while.

The only uppity thing in all this gloom was the fact that I won a draft recently. 1st place, with this draft being the first one I've participated in. Trip Noose and Gnarled Effigy FTW! (For the Win)

I really need to find someone to talk to. Share my sorrows and joy and him/her joys and sorrows in return. I think that'd be great. I used to do that with Bjorn and, for a limited (and wistful) time, Kiwi. Bjorn is kinda busy with his O levels, so I gotta wish him luck too. He's a very nice dude, I should introduce him to you all one day. =D

As I look into the skies, I wonder if I can really do it. Really become SOMETHING in my life. Maybe. Hopefully.

Anyway, one of my friends asked my what would be the first thing I would do with a girlfriend should I ever get one. Hmm... to that, I would bring her go see the sunset. No, seriously. No movies, no nothing. Just a day out walking and doing simple things. Sharing hopes and dreams over a sandy beach.

A simple life is the life for me. =)

Dark Dragon

A saint without a sinner...

2008-09-11T19:57:00.002+08:00

Is he still called a saint then? With nothing to compare him to?

Yo, guys and gals, I'm back.

As usual, my life is on a rocky low... The job assignment today was seriously tough. I think I cracked a few bones, 0.0. On the bright side, I got to see the inside of a Singapore Battle Cruiser, the Steadfast!

The ship is AMAZING. Nothing else to say about it. They wouldn't allow visual-capturing items, however, or I would have a few nifty pictures to regale you with. On the downside, we lifted over 60 items ,each of them wieghing near 50kg. OW. Talk about a knee sprain. Not to mention cuts and bruises. All for $42 bucks. Not very worth, but the experience was still valuable. Note to self that getting good grades equals to less gruelling (At least physically) jobs.

Teachers Day was... I dunno. I completely forgot about it in my zest for the holidays. The friend I hung out with didn't even bother to remind me, much to my chargrin, while I forgot to ask Mildred to sms me a reminder. Sheesh. Me and my stupid brain... This reminds me of a quote someone once said to me... "I can't believe anyone can be so dumb as to not realize what I'm trying to say..."

More unhappy reminders.

But heck, let's get on with it yeah?

So, I've been reading around, and I suddenly find that life is beyond unfair. Sure, life is unfair, but it's getting worse. Way worse.

I'm talking about guy-girl relationships.

The thing I don't get is how girls can change their outlooks on things so easily. Take Vince for example. Just cuz he told the girl he liked her, she completely blew him off, cut him off from her and started regarding him with hostility.

Why then?

When girls 'confess' their love/like/crush to guys and get rejected, they act like it's the end of the world. The shock, the sheer blasphemy of the guy not liking her is enough to render her into tears. So why doesn't it apply to guys? When girls get rejected, they cry. When guys get rejected, they must nod their heads and suffer in silence. Like it's a crime to cry out loud. Of course, I didn't exactly do that when Kiwi said "Let's be friends", but I was quite shaken by the experience. (Partly cuz she was so direct... which is something I realize about her when she wants to get to the bottom of things...)

Of course, I'm not saying all girls are like that, but there's actually quite a large number of girls (Kiwi, you know you're not in the group, so relax.) who are like that. (That I know, at least) And when a guy says "I think I like you," they go all "OMG, he's nuts. Who would like a guy like you? Stay away from me!" or "He likes me? OMG, don't tell me that's why he's been hanging around me" and stuff like that.

And of course, when a guy rejects them... words fail to come to mind as to how to describe their abject lack of sense. So, the girl can distance the guy and label him a Pariah while the guy can't and isn't even supposed to? What kind of reasoning is that?

Like I said, not all girls are like that. But heck, the minority of girls like that is enough to make a grit my teeth.

I understand that girls want to have boyfriends that give them a sense of security and warmth. I understand that. But we males want that too. Not all males are after a pretty face and a hot body. Or even just to get a good-looking girlfriend to show off.

Oh, and just to clarify things, I do not disrespect girls in any way. I do, in fact, respect them a lot. For the above reaction that I wrote about (the part about girls reaction to rejection), there's actually a simple explanation for other girls reacting like that. Security.

They feel that their sense of security and equaminity is being threatened. Thus, they seek to distance the source of discomfort, not thinking twice about the male's reaction. Which ends up having a negative impact on both parties. Not a good thing.

I admit, I pretty much evaded Kiwi for well over a month after that. Males have a simple way of reacting to rejections. They avoid it. They try to escape the pain. Such is the way of all things. Life ain't fair, and it doesn't always reward those who try.

Life's a pain, and I'm dealing with it with a heavy heart.\

Dark.D

And so once more...

2008-09-05T20:21:00.002+08:00

Hey, folks, how's it going?

Been a while, finally going back to regular blogging, I think. I've been kinda "out of there" lately. Maybe it's cuz of all the smoke I inhaled when I was at Bishan helping my friend sell cards. Really bad for the lungs, urk.

As a side note, I've just enudred one boring week of holidays. And I still have up to 19 Oct to yawn. Hopefully, I passed my exams so I won't have to go for supplementary paper. It's really screwy when I have to find a job to supplement my interest (or addiction?) in Magic: The Gathering. Haiz.

I've been in a bit of a dump lately. My fire for writing has dimmed significantly, bringing on a severe case of writer's block. Not to mention the fact that my creative juices has been squeezed to nothing but a mere trickle. And the fact that I'm having some weird nightmare that seriously unhinges my sleeping.

Urk.

I guess that, deep down inside, I'm afraid of being alone. I'm not really a people's person. My grades are mediocre, my attitude is just...

Never mind.

Anyways, oddly enough, Magic: the Gathering pre-releases is now being organized in small shops, which is like: What the F***

I liked it better when it was run in Suntec City. Seriously.

The design team really made a mistake this time.

Dragon

Is it true? ZzZ...

2008-08-26T18:13:00.002+08:00

Well, it's me again. I'm almost done with my exams, and then I'll have a short vacation. Then, semester 1.2 starts. I kinda flunked my Macroeconomics paper, so you can say I'm not exactly happy about it. And then, there are other things... Haiz. I'd better do well for my Business Accounting (BA).

Of course, going over to a recently entry in a place I log in to once every two weeks for god-knows-what, I see something that makes my heart plummet. I bang my head against the table and wonder how much more pathetic I'm gonna become. Seriously, speaking of improving and all... but if I lose my motivation, what goal would I have? Tribute's statement was fairly obvious though, unless you happen to be just skimming through. He put everything in capital letters! =.="

Binary Output Yeti Faintly Resembling Electronic Investigational New Drug = BOYFRIEND.

He's saying Kiwi has a boyfriend. Of course, I sincerely hope he passes his General Paper if he can't spell friend properly. Either that, or he's being deliberately misleading. Which is NOT convincing. Am I supposed to believe what he says?

ZzZ... I don't know why I still care. Maybe it is time for me to give up. Maybe. But then, I never do. What about her then, what would Kiwi feel about all this? I'm pretty much a footnote in her life. Could I have done more? Yes. Could I have tried harder in the past? Yes.

But, I can never change the past. Never.

*Sobs*

Urk. While I mend myself in order to prepare for the looming exams (Why do I even bother now?), here's a sneak peek at the new Planeswalker of Shards of Alara.

Ajani Vengeant. Boros Planeswalker. Anti-Green. Hmmm...

I think he's kinda broken though. Yeah, he is, isn't he?

See you all around next time.

Regards,

Dark Dragon/Kevin McCloud.

I can't think of any original headings...

2008-08-18T22:11:00.003+08:00

Oh look, an original heading! -.-" . Ok, that was dumb. All right, so I'm back here, once again, for the post that is as rare as a gold crow. Painting it gold doesn't count, so...

Yeah, lame things aside, it seems like Singapore has clinched Silver in the Olympic Table Tennis, so, congrats!

It's been over 50 years, I think, that Singapore has won an Olympic medal, so it is something to proud of, at least. Been busy this week, end-semester tests are coming, and my coursework is less than satisfactory. Apparently, because of my careless and so lazy attitude in class, I've scored a low coursework grade that pulled down my relatively good results. Which means I got a bunch of B's and C's. I think I have a 'D' for CSA, which I'm really chafing at.

Of course, some of my classmates are as dull as ever, saying that these lousy results are nothing and that they'd do better during exams. Of course, the teacher told me that most of our lecturers were actually being quite lenient. Which means that those jokers in my class better buck up.

One of my friends said I'm quite nice. Kiwi once told me I was kinda nice too.

To be honest though, I don't really think I'm nice. Something happened that made me reflect about this question on whether or not I'm really a 'nice' guy at heart.

I mean, I'm willing to go lengths to help the people that I feel are close to me and that I trust. But to strangers, well, I just don't know.

I mean, I've helped perpeptual strangers recover their belongings, pay for something, etc. In case you're wondering on the 'paying' part, I once helped a China dude pay for something he didn't bring enough cash for. Don't ask me why I did it, I just did.

But yet, I've jeered at people, fought with them over stupid and trivial things, bullied one or two even. I dunno, that is being a human, yes? And yet, I feel so conflicted sometimes... I remember I used to brush Kiwi off in Sec 2 despite the fact she was actually quite nice to me. I even fought with Yan Jun cuz I needed to get something done, and he just refused to let me copy his homework. And then of course, they were other things...

Haiz.

Life can be so confusing.

Regards,

Dark_D

Hey all...

2008-08-07T22:50:00.002+08:00

Good to be back.

Don't even think for a second that I'm in a good mood. Really. Don't. ... ... Kidding. =D . Alright, so I am in a rare good mood tonight. Been really busy lately. The person who said Polytechnic is easy is wrong about it in all the right ways. Poly is NOT easy. A) Wearing business suits is very uncomfortable. (A girl said I looked good in it, brrr...) B) Projects are a disaster with the wrong group members. C) The expectations are just too high.

Anyway, after a eating a nice round of Durians, which happens to be my favourite fruit, I'm here typing my guts out. Kiwi says typing on a blog is kinda difficult. Is it really? I think it's more of how much you want to express yourself in your blog, in words such that you are motivated to type. Without that motivation, well... you'd take an hour or so like you did on one of your entries. =D

Anyway, I've more or less slugged it out for my projects, so Monday is the last presentation for this semester! But my tests are 22nd August onwards. Joy.

As I sit down here, I suddenly feel kind of lonely. Sure I've made some friends there, but to really get to know them is... I dunno. Maybe I'm just being stupid.

I'm just tired of a lot of things. Hypocrites and bullies all over the place. It just makes me sick. I don't understand this world, really.

What got me into a really good cheer is that I teamed up with Vince's 'owner' and 'bullied' him back for the first time! XD . Haha. Hilarious, if I might say so myself. Vince has been defeated! And he went emo to the boot.

Haha!

Ok, Vince, you know I wasn't being serious right? ;)

Anyway, jia you Kiwi! Your promo exams coming up liaos right? I think 18th September if I remember correctly. Go for it!

See ya all around next time

Regards,

Dark Dragon

Tired...

2008-07-21T17:38:00.003+08:00

So here I am, in front of my school computer and lazily updating this blog. Not that I find this a chore, mind you... but I'm really tired. Like really, really tired. Things happen...haiz.

Anyohow, it all ends up to me having a test on a monday evening, yes: EVENING, till about 8 o'clock. Not to mention I have a swarm of projects being due and my slacking classmates are NOT helping. Talk about being annoyed at people who were once like you. Not that I'm very hardworking now, I do skip lectures once in while, but I make it a point to know what I'm supposed to know. That's why I can do my tutorials.

Of course, this comes across as being slack to my classmates since they think I don't atend lectures simply because I can't be bothered.

Whatever.

I really got to go back to school and collect my cert, I keep forgetting or am simply to engrossed in other things (FFTA2!) to try and recall. In essence... I'm really late in collecting my cert. And no one there to accompany me. Haiz.

Lonely life. I'm used to it.

Even in school, I don't really hang out a lot. I don't mix around, I keep to myself and work by myself. I'm not really a people's kind of person. They just think I am cuz I talk a lot when I need too.

And that classifies me as weird? Sheesh.

Of course, being the boring guy I am detracts bullies. They can't get a rise out of me. Frankly, I feel too dull inside to deal with those insecure, insensitive and pathetic people whose only goal in life is to make life miserable for others.

One day, your day will come.

ZzZ...

Anyway, back to Magic: The Gathering.

My second pre-release was quite interesting. I was at Suntec with Yongsheng, Dan and Vui Yang. Vui Yang's bro came along too. There were more players there this time, including the old regulars. I had quite a bit of fun, it allowed me to relax after a such of long time of being stressed. I fared better than last time: 2 out of 4 rounds won.

That earned me two extra boosters.

I was really disgruntled when they conducted a deck swap though, my starting pile was awesome. ZzZ...

Yongsheng and Dan each won 2 rounds too. Vui Yang and his bro was not so fortunate with only one win each.

That concluded Eventide pre-release for us. I had quite the time, haha.

Still, I'm kind of disappointed that WOTC will be revamping the format of the Global Pre-release. Sure, the pre-release maybe conducted near our neighbourhoods... but what about those people in the other areas? Will we never get to congregate and play together?

Haiz.

Well, enough of my ranting... I have to go now.

DARK DRAGON

Hn.

2008-06-30T20:42:00.002+08:00

Yo all, it's me again. Needless to say, I'm not feeling very upbeat right now. Guess I could shrug it off, but it still weighs upon me, ya? Since this is my blog, I might as well just get it off my chest. I dunno why I feel like this, but it's weird, I guess, emotions are. Of course, seeing as how last week Mun Wee went back to Chung Cheng and didn't invite me...

It's stupid, I know, she doesn't have to report to me right? And I'm not her boyfriend or anything, why tell me anything at all right? Now, if I were a cool and rational man, maybe I'd just give it up. Unfortunately, I'm not. I don't know why I feel this way, I just do. And it sucks. Maybe it's weird for a guy to be emotional, but this is me. I really thrive on emotions, it is what defines me as Calvin Ong.

I just wished that maybe, she could have told me she was going back in the afternoon and invited me along, but that is of course, just wishful thinking. I also need to get my testimonial, so it would have been convenient too... plus, I haven't seen her for so long... just needed to reassure myself she was still in one piece.

But more sad things aside, my mid-semester test results are out. My results per subject are:

- Organisational Behaviour: B
- Business Accounting: A
- Computer Skills and Applications: C
- Communication Skills: C
-Macro Economics: B

Very disappointing. I was hoping for more A's or B's. My Communication Skills took a big hit because of the recent upsets in my life. I dropped from a usual 'A' in english to a C. C! Haix, I'm getting worse...

Alright, now, 'll just put that aside and go on to more cheerful things before I just collapse.

EVENTIDE

The set rocks. About half the cards have been spoiled on MTGSalvation, so go check them out. The cards spoiled are incredible, to say the least. They're going to have a HUGE impact, I can tell you that. What with Deity of Scars and what not. It's amazing. Essentially a 5/5 trampler when it drops, it can defeat even Deus of Calamity in a tussle thanks to it's regenerative ability when it has a -1/-1 counter on it. It is immune to terror. Hot dang!

This here, is Ashling the Extinguisher. Look at her and drool at the art. It is AMAZING. The card isn't half bad either.

Go check the previews out at Magicthegathering.com

See ya all Singaporeans at the Eventide Pre-release at Suntec City International Convention & Exhibition Centre at Level 2, Room 208/209 on 12th July.

Eventide

2008-06-25T21:39:00.007+08:00

Eventide Minisite is up, and I have to say this: This block will bring a whole new meaning to Dredge and burn!

New mechanics have surfaced: Chroma, something which refers to mana symbols in your cards, Retrace, which allows you to play your spell from your graveyard by discarding a land card. All in all, this set looks to be a tournament heavy set, seeing as how even a common is powerful, and I do mean: POWERFUL.

Unmake is basically better than Crib Swap as it doesn't give your opponent a token advantage. Not only that, but it is remove, yes, REMOVE from the game. Mono-black control has a new removal even better than terror. Mono-White can throw Devouring Light in the dustbin. Better yet: It is a common. How broken is this? Bye, bye Doran... Bye bye Horde of Notions... Bye bye Tarmagoyf...

Yep, the Shapeshifters are back. This one looks to be a big bomb in limited format. It can be a two mana 5/3 trampler that is powerful to the boot. Unbelievable, but yes, this is a common.
Endless Horizons is deceptive, I can see a hell lot of promise for this card in Mono-white decks and decks that focus on Retrace. You'll never land screw again unless your oppoonent decides to get rid of this card, which he will. Thinning lands out, anyone?

Do you see what I see? Yep. No life gain for the rest of the game. And better yet: It's a shaman with only casting cost two. Thornbite Staff, anyone? Loxodon is now a useless card. Purity? Nah, forget it. Beacon of immortality? Shut up.

This card is amazing. I love it. I gotta get myself a playset of these! Mono-red burn rules!

See that? Yes, that is retrace. Dredge is going to see a resurgance. Ergh... Life from Loam is going to jump price again, methinks.

Till next time!

Hmmm...

2008-06-22T19:41:00.002+08:00

Righto, it's been quite a while since I last posted. Truly, I have been slacking off. And I didn't know what to post, seeing as how things have been getting out of hand... And I've decided to stop throwing my two cents about Magic: The Gathering, seeing as how unqualified I am to be giving advice about that incredibly deep game.

I recently re-downloaded a gameboy advance emulator onto my laptop. And I started on one of my favourite gaming titles: Final Fantasy. Square Enix hasn't failed to deliver since Final Fantasy VII, and Final Fantasy Tactics Advance is quite impressive for a Gameboy Advance game. It's great, the storyline entrancing and at times, hilarious.

Final Fantasy is definitely a great game to play. Up to this point, I think Cloud Strife has made the deepest impression on me.

Homework has been rather slow. My Excel project is not exactly wonderful and I've barely remembered how to do all the formulas and stuff. Haiz.

Eventide pre-release is coming soon on July the 12th and the focus is now on the enemy-colour cycle. I hope that the set will not disappoint and the mechanics will make a sufficient impact on the metagame itself.

Anyway, till next time...

More things...

2008-05-24T23:29:00.002+08:00

Ok, so... this is it, eh? Well, I got to admit... haix. Good luck to your JC, Mun Wee (Or Kiwi, from what I read), don't overstrain yourself. As for Tribute, well, you have A levels, so all the best to you. I have to put extra effort if I want to ace my Poly and secure my place in a University. Motivation, perception and projection. Organisational behaviour, lol. Core subject in Poly.

So, as the saying goes, never leave a work unfinished... thus, Kiwi and Tribute, you can stop reading here, cuz, now I'm going on to Magic: The Gathering.

Before I get on the Standard Championship Decklists, I'd like to comment on sealed deck format and throw in my two cents.

Sealed Deck Format is a playtype where you are issued a Tournament Pack of 75 cards, 30 of which, are lands, and 45 of which, are randomly inserted play cards; two to three booster packs of 15 cards each. What you are supposed to do, is to construct a deck with your limited deckpool. I'll say this, Sealed Deck is not as challenging as Draft.

But, I digress.

So, open your packs and look very carefully at your card pool. Sort them out by colour and look very carefully at the choices offered. Most of you have a preferred playing style. For me, Red and Green is my favourite colour. Why? Because I'd rather pound my opponent into oblivion fast and hard, which is Red and Green's specialty. I'm an aggro-beatdown guy. (Aggro stands for aggressive, FYI)

However, at times like this, you may have to use another style instead. Why? Limited card pool, that's why. Counter decks are extremely hard to find in Sealed Deck, unless the guy is really lucky. I mean REALLY. So, most likely, you'd go up against an aggro deck in most scenarios. Others are combo decks or lifegain, which are moderately common.

So, decide on your deck. Then, we build. Say you have a majority of Red and Black cards, so, you'd want to build a Red-Black deck, commonly known as the Rakdos deck or, as some call it, the 'Rack deck'. In cases like this, as creature removal is important in Sealed Deck formats, Red and Black offer you a couple of decent removal spells you can take advantage of.

Advantages, that's the point.

Often, you may have to forgo your preferred playing style as you need a card advantage, which means you need as many cards of the same colour to build a deck around it or them. And of course, a suitable mana curve so that you'd pull your creatures out fast.

I mentioned some points in my previous post, so, take a look at it too.

Typically, in aggro decks, you'd want to have 16 lands, 12 creatures and 12 spells. you can have more creatures than spells or vice versa, but make sure it fits into your curve like a jigsaw. One-drops (One mana cards) should be around 5. In aggro-control decks... Sorry, but I ain't a pro in that kind of decks.

Decent removal is recommended. Why? Decks in these scenarios rely on bombs ( Huge creatures or useful creatures that turn the tide of battle) that are imbal at that point. Having removal means one less threat, get it?

Ok, gotta go! Till next time.

Dark Dragon.

Opps.

2008-05-22T20:46:00.003+08:00

Ok, I don't know how he found my blog. Seriously. The mind boggles. Tribute, just want to say I'm sorry. If Mun Wee finds this blog, I'm gonna die a really horrible death. I mean... Urgh. If you already told her, I think she'll start ignoring me again.

I mean... how the heck did you stumble upon my blog! 0.0

Right. Just want to ask you to look out for her, you know? I really like her, but, now's not the time. I got to ace my Poly. And you're her senior, so...

Ok, till next time. Good luck to your A levels, by the way.

Damn it.

2008-05-19T21:04:00.002+08:00

Damn it indeed.

Ok, I'm not in a very good mood, period. I feel numb. Tired. Bitter. I don't even know why I work so hard anyway. Tch.

Mun Wee, why can't you just trust me more? But, yeah, maybe you shouldn't. After all, you don't know me very well. Why should you trust me right? I'm just a regular friend. Someone who you'll forget in years to come.

I feel like crying, really. I really want to withdraw into myself and be alone. Alone in my cold and emotionless world. Why be nice? Why be friendly? Why be warm and optimistic? She taught me all that! DAMN IT! WHY!

Why can't I give her up? Why...

I know I really shouldn't be torturing myself, but I just wanted to be someone in her eyes. Just someone special. I...

I'm useless.

Tribute, I know you're her senior. You'd better take care of her if you are involved with her. Even if you are not, I will keep track of your damn blog. Take good care of her. I don't want her to be unhappy. I care too much.

I'll return to Magic: The Gathering Tips and Strategies next time, along with a close up look at the Standard Decks, their strategies, bombs and aces.

On the road of life...

2008-05-10T00:07:00.003+08:00

One can get lost.

Yep, sucks, but it's true. Ok, not say anything, but I feel like I'm dying inside. Literally. I have internal bleeding. Keep it a secret, ok? Not even my parents know.

But, anyhow, seems like sins aren't leaving me behind. The kid whom VY and I sold cards to actually stole the money and were involved in the mass stealings taking place in Dunman High lately. I only just found out. Joy.

Why does one do such desperate measures to get what he or she wants? Psychology, I guess. VY wants a girlfriend, I want someone who can relate to me and Vince wants to be normal. Relatively simple desires that can spiral into something more if left to fester.

But, enough of that, my fingers ache.

My Shadowmoor Pre-release and Launch Party sucked. Sure, I did ok. but I lost 90% of the matches I played. I did gain loads of valuable experience that made it worth it though. Here are some tips for you newbies that are even noober than me, haha. Actually, it applies to all.

a) Always have a bomb ready: Having big, powerful cards can be just the thing to turn the tide in your favour. Always put about 3 bombs in your deck to make your opponent sweat and try to rid that creature with everything he has while you take advantage to press for the win.

b) Expect the unexpected. Sometimes, out of the blue, a pro takes advantage of the mindset of drafts and sealed deck formats on aggro-decks. Instead, he creates an aggro-CONTROl deck that totally ruins your plans and snags a victory. Counter cards are rare, but they do appear: On your bombs.

c) Lands is key. Have about 16 lands to even out the mana curve. Duo coloured decks are recommended. However, splashing clolours is always a good way to add some nasty tricks to the mix, like Thoughtweft Gambit in a Green-White Deck. Always look at the amount of cards of a certain colour, ponder about it, then decide the number of lands.

d) Be fast. Letting the game drag is the wrong thing to do. Always.

e) Minimize mistakes. Making one mistake can be fatal. Trust me, I know. I lost one match cuz I forgot to activate Smolder initiates ability, letting me lose by a narrow margin.

f) Respect all opponents. Even kids can be pros. Nuff said.

g) Swarming tactics are always the best in Sealed Deck and Drafts. Nuff said.

h) Having removal spells or disrupting cards in games like these are always the way to go. It can seriously screw the game up: For your opponent.

In the next post, I shall continue to elaborate on this. I may not be a pro, but, I am always willing to learn.