Saturday, March 31, 2012

MIXED BAG. TABLETOP TALES: THE HAUNTED WURMWOOD DECK: GRAVEYARD SHIFT EDITION

TABLETOP TALES PRESENTS:
THE HAUNTED WURMWOOD DECK: 
GRAVEYARD SHIFT EDITION

To check out my other decks, hit the links below:


HAKUNA MATATA DECK

WURMWOOD DECK V. 1 

 WURMWOOD DECK V. 2 

This article serves to update my Grave Power build deck into Block-Constructed limitations. All of the cards in this iteration of the deck, as well as its sideboard coming in the final update, are strictly from the Innistrad Block (Pre-Avacyn Resored). The real point of this article is to show how this deck is evolving for my goal to build a Innistrad Block deck.


Expect to see an update version of this deck after Avacyn Restored drops May 4th. Hopefully, the new expansion will support the mechanics I've built into my deck and allows me to build a strong Green-Blue Self-Mill deck. We'll have to wait and see.

Intro Pack: Dark Ascension, Grave Power, Cost: $13
Note: You can see the full decklist of the original to compare by clicking HERE.


I have probably spent about $10 dollars on singles for this deck (some of which don't even appear in the deck) and I've probably spent about $24 bucks on boosters since the block arrived so we'll tack on an additional cost. MISCELLANEOUS COST: $24

TOTAL COST: $37

You can find Magic Cards in super stores (Ex. Walmart, Target) but the best place you can buy your cards, meet other players, and play in events is at your local comic book store or hobby shop. I buy most of my cards at The Comic Cellar. Here is a link to its Google Maps location at 3620 Austin Peay Highway #2 Memphis, TN 38128.

Without further ado, with these purchases, I built...

THE HAUNTED WURMWOOD DECK:
GRAVEYARD SHIFT EDITION
The deck follows several themes including, but not limited to, : Treefolk, Wurms, Unblockable, and stealing power from beyond the grave. This deck is ultimately a G/Bl Self-Mill construction and, as this is not a popular mechanic, it has been a challenge to pull off.

Also, I only try to build and present decks that I can afford, this deck is still in a prototype phase, and I hope you will be able to enjoy it. This version of the deck only includes cards from the Innistrad Block and only includes cards I own physical copies of. The final version of this deck will be posted in May and will be titled, "The Haunted Wurmwood Deck: Loggernaut Edition".

UPDATE: The newest version of the deck and not necessarily final version is named "Mirror Mirror on the Wall!"

NOTE: This is the THIRD iteration of this deck. Please leave comments and suggestions on how to improve my deck. To compare it to different versions, check out the links near the top of the articles labeled as "Wurmwood Deck V. 1" and "Wurmwood Deck V. 2". Enjoy.

Please leave comments.

To check out the contents of the deck, click "READ MORE" below.

WORD OF THE DAY! 3/31/12.

devastation [dev-uh-stey-shuhn]
adjective
1 Destruction, desolation, etc.
2. The reduction of an object, idea, or state into a ruined or useless form.
3. To put an end to an object, idea, state, etc.
4. To defeat completely.

EX. "Prepare for a return to traditional values
         And prepare to focus on religious issues
        
         To protect America from devestation
         To enslave all pokemon within our nation
         To denounce the evils of truth and drugs
         To extend our reach to the Moon above
         Giovanni
         Meowth
         Rocket Party, steer the country to the Right
         In November vote for us before election night!
        
         Arceus bless America. "- A Message Brought to you by the Supporters of Giovanni-Meowth 2012.

As long as he keeps those darn Obamacare pokeman centers out of America, I'll be happy! Those things are death camps and..um...herp...Muslim! Yeah! Muslim!

Friday, March 30, 2012

WORD OF THE DAY! 3/30/12.

beauteous [byoo-tee-uhs]
adjective
1. Chiefly literary. Beautiful.

EX. Hobo: Took me a while to acquire a bush this beauteous. - The Legend of Korra, Book 1: Air "Welcome to Republic City"

Thursday, March 29, 2012

WORD OF THE DAY! 3/29/12.

grand dame [grand-deym]
noun
1. An older or elderly women of aristocratic or noble bearing.
2. A woman regarded as the most prominent, experienced, or venerable member of her profession.
3. A female expert.
4. A middle-aged or elderly woman who is stylish and highly respected.

EX. Pictured above, is a lovely portrait of several Disney princesses aged, gracefully, according to the age of their film's debut to 2012, and shows how classic Disney princesses would evolve into sophisticated grand dames from their humble roots.

"The brief was to portray Disney princesses enjoying a little tea party but they all had to be portrayed the same age as their respective movies (for example Snow White would be 75 years old, Aurora 53, Belle 21, Rapunzel 2 etc). " - Taija Vigilia

[ Via io9 ]

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

WTF WEDNESDAY! MAMESHIBA: THE DOG-FACED BEANS OF KNOWLEDGE

WTF WEDNESDAY JAPANESE EDITION PRESENTS:
MAMESHIBA!

豆しば / mameshiba [mah-mey-shee-bah]
noun
1. Japanese Pop Culture. A Japanese merchandise franchise focusing on a variety of beans and legumes, with dog-like faces, that tell trivia. Their name is derived from the Japanese word for "bean" (mame), a Toy version of the Shiba Inu (mameshiba), and the word for "trivia" (mamechishiki, literally "beans of knowledge".

Click the link below to enjoy about twenty minutes of short clips involving these adorable characters and their bizarre facts.

ALL MAMESHIBA EPISODES! with ENGLISH SUBS


WORD OF THE DAY! 3/28/12

coign of vantage [koin-uhv-van-tij]
noun
1. A convenient or good position for observation, judgement, criticism or perspective.

EX. The coign of vantage taken by the photographers is often used to create visual falsehoods and illusions. In the case of the above manga panels, it difficult to tell whether the artist meant for the reader mistake the girl's knees for a large bosom or whether it is an honest happenstance of the gutter perspective of the manga fan.

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

WEEKLY-ROUND UP! AVATAR THE LAST AIRBENDER WEEK! 3/19-3/25

WEEKLY ROUND-UP:
AVATAR:THE LAST AIRBENDER & LEGEND OF KORRA



Peter: Did somebody say "pie"?

In the very first edition of the Disney Files: Mars and Beyond, I decided to give you guys a sweet taste of buried Disney fun that is far from soured and far out there. If you enjoy dramatic narration, the science of our Universe and bizarre animation, this is a must-see.

Also, on last Wednesday, as part of Avatar:The Last Airbender / The Legend of Korra week, I decided to tackle another man worthy of your respect, Uncle Iroh. A mix of Gandolf the Grey, Yoda, and Danny Devito, Uncle Iroh (played by Mako R.I.P) was one of the character that gave the series an emotional core.

I also covered Prince Zuko this week. FUN FACT: The incredible voice work of Zuko performed by Dante Basco (Hook's Rufio) and Fire Lord Ozai was played by Mark Hamill.

Toph was definitely a lot of fun to analyze and I'm happy that so many people were pleased with the article. She is a fan favorite for several reasons.

Sokka is a better Renaissance man than Machiavelli, a better player than Casanova, and a better genius than Leonardo Da Vinci.

P. S. Cactus Juice, it's the Quenchiest.

Well, Nickelodeon felt sorry for us moochers and decided to post up the first two episodes of LoK online. If you haven't seen it yet, click the link to the article, or go to the link below, to watch the first forty minutes or so of the series. Then, make sure to check out my article and see if your expectations were as blown away as mine.


And that officially ends AtLAb & LoK week. Keep turned for future themed work
BONUS CLASSIC ARTICLE:  

WORD OF THE DAY! 3/27/12.

haute couture [oht-koo-tor]
noun
1. High fashion; the most fashionable and influential dressmaking and designing.
2. The fashions so created.
3. The leading dressmaking establishments in the world of fashion, considered collectively.
hepcat [hep-kat]
noun
1. Old Slang. A person who is hip; a hispter.
Ex. Check out those hip hepcats in their haute couture.
Pictured above and below is a high fashion redesign of favorites from Skeletor to Edward Scissorhands.


Check out the artist, Fab Ciraolo's blog, if you interested in seeing more nostalgic starscapes and patterned pastiches pulled across the veneer of childhoods abandoned.

Monday, March 26, 2012

MUSICAL MONDAY! SO LONG ANDTHANKS FOR ALL THE FISH!

MUSICAL MONDAY PRESENTS:
SO LONG AND THANKS FOR ALL THE FISH!


For today's Musical Monday, I decided to cover a song lost in the wash of a film that most people discount as a miserable flop or just merely don't know about it. Douglas Adams's Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy "trilogy"inspired one TV series and one film. The first is remembered fondly by some hardcore sci-fi fans and the latter has fallen into the wash of the obscure cult classics. Personally, I enjoyed the film.

The film, in my humble opinion, managed to tap into the dark quirkiness of Adams's satire and, considering I don't think such non sequitur ideas  transfer well onto the big screen, I think that is something admirable. The films true lasting power comes in its better ideas and expressions of Adams's universe- like Marvin the Paranoid Android and the dolphins's opening number linked above. The film is notable for a fantastic cast including, Martin Freeman (the new Bilbo Baggins), Zooey Deschanel, Mos Def, Bill Nighy, John Malkovich, Rick Allen, Warwick Davis, Edgar Wright, Jason Schwartzman, Stephen Fry, Helen Mirran, and Sam Rockwell.

If you're interested in some quirky British sci-fi satire and have a couple hours, the film is more than worth your time, especially if you've read the books.

P.S. "Don't Panic."


WORD OF THE DAY! 3/26/12.


skald [skawld]
noun
1. An ancient Scandinavian poet, storyteller and/or singer.
2. A bard, a storyteller, a singer, a poet, etc.

EX. The skalds will sing songs of this day. The day that the "Human-Named-Finn" pursued a dungeon delve into the Guyver's Reach and struck down the Queen of the Spiders. One day, Finn would become king.

But that is a tale for another time...

Sunday, March 25, 2012

WORD OF THE DAY. 3/25/12. & TOP 11 THINGS I LOVE ABOUT LEGEND OF KORRA

dynamo [dahy-nuh-mo]
noun
1. An electric generator.
2. An energetic, hardworking, forceful person.

EX. Korra is, in many ways, the polar opposite of Aang. Yes, they both have trouble taking things seriously, but if Aang is a feather that allows himself to go with the flow than Korra is a cannonball that, once it chooses its destination, it can't be stopped and someone is getting hurt. That is why the new Avatar is a dynamo. She lacks even the tiniest smidgen of discipline.

And while we're talking about The Legend of Korra, I'm going to stop being coy and get to the point of this article. To top off "The Last Airbender" week and celebrate March as my most successful blogging month, I am going to list off the Top Eleven Things I Love about the First Forty or So Minutes of The Legend of Korra.

If for some bizarre reason you haven't checked out the first two episodes of the series, you can watch it, legally, at the link below: