I am playing elves this Saturday at the PTQ near me and hopefully should be good. I have an excellent board plan vs fae and u/w and haven't lost a match yet. Hopefully i can take this down.
@the fetchland discussion:
It's generally considered a bad idea to run fetches, even with something like LtS. We don't do it in Legacy Goblins, a format easily more cut-thoat than this one, and we utilize Goblin Ringleader. Legacy Elves uses Sylvan Messenger and still doesn't use fetchlands. Ultimately, the lifeloss hurts you more than what the slight difference in card quality is worth.
Ok, so, I am planning on bring this to a ptq, but I was wondering if you guys had any advice as to what I should take out/put in. I was kind of torn between the all-in beat down elf decks running bramblewood paragon, and the elf combo decks, which run things like primal command, etc. I tried to take the best of both, but I am not sure if I got it completely right.
I expect mostly fairies and scapeshift at my ptq, and some SoFaF decks.
I really like elves right now, it seems well positioned in the current meta. I'm testing this for the ptq in sac on march 26, and I'll be posting my list updates and testing results as I go along.
Elves
Creatures
4 llanowar elves
4 arbor elves
4 bramblewood paragon
4 imperious perfect
4 joraga warcaller
4 elvish archdruid
4 ezuri, renegade leader
4 heritage druid
4 nettle sentinel
2 wren's run vanquisher
Spells
4 lead the stampede
Lands
18 forest
Sideboard
4 great sable stag
3 nature's claim
3 leyline of vitality
3 obstinate baloth
2 sword of body and mind
Explanation of sideboard choices:
Stag: good for the fae matchup
Nature's claim: for decks with swords. Also, I bring in a few extra if they run blossom or omen. It can also hit random artifacts that you might come across. I'm still debating if this a worse choice than naturalize because it blunts your aggro plan. What do you think, is naturalize better?
Leyline: against the mirror or other creature decks
Baloth: against creature based decks
Sword of b&m: for the mirror
What do you think, what would you change, etc.
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I play Magic and fighting games competitively.
Standard: UW UW Pike
Mtgo Pauper: U Tempo
Mtgo Block: RW Aggro
I'm 14, shout-outs to all other young magic players out there!
Quotes:
Fiend Hunter is not a good answer to a Titan.... red will Shock it.
Here is my deck, which usually shines in a meta full of Blightning Deck Wins...
But a few newcomers tonight, and I got my ass handed to me by DemiGod of Jund.
I need something to stop Malestrom Pulse and Demigod.
Regarding the "non-creature" spells discussion, I'm currently using the 3 Lead the Stampede/1 Green sun zenith split, with great success. Zenith into heritage druid -> dump hand on the battlefield vs no-wrath decks is nuts. In the sideboard I preferred Naturalize over Natre's claim or Deglamer, i'll take some hit from Wurmcoil's tokens but I get rid of swords forever and ever (by the time they are casting white Titan, you sould have won already). I'll have a PTQ this weekend, let's see how it turns out.
EDIT: During testing i had some trouble against 4CC packing both Wraths and Fallout + Lightning bolt Any advice? (Beside not overextending obviously)
I'm more of a legacy elves player, but has anyone thought of Wolf-Skull Shaman in the deck? Considering that more competitive decks are going with a more full-on elves approach rather than the vengevine approach, I see it being a potentially decent play. Good with the Eldrazi Monument too.
As for recovering from sweeps, there's that new green card coming out in New Phyrexia that should help there.
will these types of elves deck be worth running in legacy?
since like majority of the cards are going to be rotating out of extended
Well, the Elvish Archrdruid and Imperious Perfect are staples in legacy elf decks, as are, of coruse, the Llanowar Elves. The Nettle Sentinel and Heritage Druid are generally more limited to a legacy combo elf deck, although they can be used in a more aggro elf deck as well. GSZ is also seeing some play now as well.
Well, the Elvish Archrdruid and Imperious Perfect are staples in legacy elf decks, as are, of coruse, the Llanowar Elves. The Nettle Sentinel and Heritage Druid are generally more limited to a legacy combo elf deck, although they can be used in a more aggro elf deck as well. GSZ is also seeing some play now as well.
Imperious isn't very good in Legacy. By the time you want to be comboing, it will have produced only one or two Tokens, which in turn only "pay back" the mana spent to make them.
*I think that GSZ should be played more, because it increases the chance of Heritage Druid, which is one of those cards that you almost need to win.
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"If you don't wear your seatbelt, the police will shoot you in the head."
- To my youngest sister when she was 6.
Everyone knows that good luck and good game are such insincere terms that any man who does not connect his right hook with the offender's jaw on the very utterance of such a phrase is no man I would consider as such.
@Yamikiri:
Imperious Perfect is used in NO Elves, which is arguably a different animal than combo elves. All the same, it is a staple there.
I wasn't specific, but Bako explained it. I didn't read the original question as specifying a particular legacy elf deck. That being said, GSZ has not been favored in combo elves as much as they have arguably faster options there with Summoner's Pact, which lets the deck go off sooner. GSZ has started to see a lot of use in NO Elves as a toolbox for the deck.
I should have added above that Ezuri is typically found in the NO Elves deck as a 1 off, and sometimes even in Combo Elves.
Ok, so, I am planning on bring this to a ptq, but I was wondering if you guys had any advice as to what I should take out/put in. I was kind of torn between the all-in beat down elf decks running bramblewood paragon, and the elf combo decks, which run things like primal command, etc. I tried to take the best of both, but I am not sure if I got it completely right.
I'm curious why so few in this thread are considering the Ezuri / Devoted Druid combo kill. Is it just too vulnerable to Cryptic Command? At the very least D.D. is another mana cranker that has a not-terrible synergy with Heritage D.
I expect mostly fairies and scapeshift at my ptq, and some SoFaF decks.
I was thinking of maybe putting in a 1-of Strength of the Tajuru. It could randomly win games with Bramblewood Paragon and Warcaller in play.
I really have a hard time seeing Vengevine working that well in this deck. Do you just pitch it to Blightning, is that the idea? Because if you're that afraid of big bad blights, just main the baloths.
Why only three Green Suns instead of the full boat? They're not ever actually dead cards, they're just "kicker 1: cast this spell from your library". doesn't seem bad to me. They *do* cause a bit of slowdown if you keep drawing all zeniths instead of creatures, though.
Another question: is there any infect presence right now in Extended that anyone's aware of? I can't decide whether it's really clever or really stupid to side one Melira to green sun for.
It's generally considered a bad idea to run fetches, even with something like LtS. We don't do it in Legacy Goblins, a format easily more cut-thoat than this one, and we utilize Goblin Ringleader. Legacy Elves uses Sylvan Messenger and still doesn't use fetchlands. Ultimately, the lifeloss hurts you more than what the slight difference in card quality is worth.
I expect mostly fairies and scapeshift at my ptq, and some SoFaF decks.
16 Forest
2 Oran-Rief, the Vastwood
Creatures: 36
4 Llanowar Elves
4 Arbor Elf
4 Nettle Sentinel
4 Heritage Druid
4 Bramblewood Paragon
4 Elvish Archduid
3 Joraga Warcaller
2 Ezuri, REnegade Leader
2 Imperious Perfect
3 Vengevine
1 Acidic Slime
1 Regal Force
3 Lead the Stampede
3 Green Sun's Zenith
1 Vengevine
3 Obstinate Baloth
4 Leyline of Vitality
3 Deglamer
2 Plummet
2 Scattershot Archer
I was thinking of maybe putting in a 1-of Strength of the Tajuru. It could randomly win games with Bramblewood Paragon and Warcaller in play.
Take a mechanic from the pre-mirrodin era, and a mechanic after the mirrodin era, and create a card that flavorfully melds both mechanics.
4x Arbor Elf
3x Bramblewood Paragon
4x Elvish Archdruid
3x Ezuri, Renegade Leader
4x Heritage Druid
4x Imperious Perfect
4x Joraga Warcaller
4x Llanowar Elves
4x Nettle Sentinel
3x Wren's Run Vanquisher
2x Genesis Wave
2x Primal Command
2x Primal Command
17x Forest
2x Tectonic Edge
3x Cloudthresher
4x Leyline of Vitality
4x Naturalize
4x Obstinate Baloth
This deck top 1st place in some sort of MTGO primer so I wanted to try it: http://magic.tcgplayer.com/db/deck.asp?deck_id=786608
How does this deck look? Looks competitive and since it got first I'm definitely going to try this out.
Hero of the Planes Studio.
Standard:
Caw-Blade - Record: 31-9-3 (Retired)
Jund - Record: 4-1-1
Legacy:
Combo Elves - Record: 5-5
Trade Thread
Elves
Creatures
4 llanowar elves
4 arbor elves
4 bramblewood paragon
4 imperious perfect
4 joraga warcaller
4 elvish archdruid
4 ezuri, renegade leader
4 heritage druid
4 nettle sentinel
2 wren's run vanquisher
Spells
4 lead the stampede
Lands
18 forest
Sideboard
4 great sable stag
3 nature's claim
3 leyline of vitality
3 obstinate baloth
2 sword of body and mind
Explanation of sideboard choices:
Stag: good for the fae matchup
Nature's claim: for decks with swords. Also, I bring in a few extra if they run blossom or omen. It can also hit random artifacts that you might come across. I'm still debating if this a worse choice than naturalize because it blunts your aggro plan. What do you think, is naturalize better?
Leyline: against the mirror or other creature decks
Baloth: against creature based decks
Sword of b&m: for the mirror
What do you think, what would you change, etc.
Standard:
UW UW Pike
Mtgo Pauper:
U Tempo
Mtgo Block:
RW Aggro
I'm 14, shout-outs to all other young magic players out there!
Quotes:
But a few newcomers tonight, and I got my ass handed to me by DemiGod of Jund.
I need something to stop Malestrom Pulse and Demigod.
4 Llanowar Elf
4 Heritage Druid
4 Wren's Run Vanquisher
4 Nettle Sentinel
4 Bramblewood Paragon
4 Imperious Perfect
4 Elvish Archdruid
4 Ezuri, Renegade Leader
2 Joraga Warcaller
Artifacts
1 Eldrazi Monument
3 Lead the Stampede
1 Green Sun Zenith
1 Genesis Wave
3 Path to Exile
4 Razorgerge Thuicket
4 Sunpetal Grove
1 Wooded Bastion
1 Oran Rief, the Vastwood
1 Plains
12 Forests
2 Dauntless Escort
3 Vexing Shusher
2 Oblivion Ring
1 Path to Exile
3 Naturalize
3 Obstinate Baloth (1 soon to be WLL)
1 Wilt-Leaf Liege
white splash for dauntless escort.
As for recovering from sweeps, there's that new green card coming out in New Phyrexia that should help there.
since like majority of the cards are going to be rotating out of extended
Well, the Elvish Archrdruid and Imperious Perfect are staples in legacy elf decks, as are, of coruse, the Llanowar Elves. The Nettle Sentinel and Heritage Druid are generally more limited to a legacy combo elf deck, although they can be used in a more aggro elf deck as well. GSZ is also seeing some play now as well.
Imperious isn't very good in Legacy. By the time you want to be comboing, it will have produced only one or two Tokens, which in turn only "pay back" the mana spent to make them.
*I think that GSZ should be played more, because it increases the chance of Heritage Druid, which is one of those cards that you almost need to win.
- To my youngest sister when she was 6.
Imperious Perfect is used in NO Elves, which is arguably a different animal than combo elves. All the same, it is a staple there.
I wasn't specific, but Bako explained it. I didn't read the original question as specifying a particular legacy elf deck. That being said, GSZ has not been favored in combo elves as much as they have arguably faster options there with Summoner's Pact, which lets the deck go off sooner. GSZ has started to see a lot of use in NO Elves as a toolbox for the deck.
I should have added above that Ezuri is typically found in the NO Elves deck as a 1 off, and sometimes even in Combo Elves.
I'm curious why so few in this thread are considering the Ezuri / Devoted Druid combo kill. Is it just too vulnerable to Cryptic Command? At the very least D.D. is another mana cranker that has a not-terrible synergy with Heritage D.
I really have a hard time seeing Vengevine working that well in this deck. Do you just pitch it to Blightning, is that the idea? Because if you're that afraid of big bad blights, just main the baloths.
Why only three Green Suns instead of the full boat? They're not ever actually dead cards, they're just "kicker 1: cast this spell from your library". doesn't seem bad to me. They *do* cause a bit of slowdown if you keep drawing all zeniths instead of creatures, though.
Another question: is there any infect presence right now in Extended that anyone's aware of? I can't decide whether it's really clever or really stupid to side one Melira to green sun for.
--Kurt Vonnegut, Jr., who is up in Heaven now. EDH WUBRG Child of Alara WUBRG BGW Karador, Ghost Chieftain BGW RGW Mayael the Anima RGW WUB Sharuum the Hegemon WUB RWU Zedruu the Greathearted RWU
WB Ghost Council of Orzhova WB RG Ulasht, the Hate Seed RG B Korlash, Heir to Blackblade B G Molimo, Maro-Sorcerer G *click the general's name to see my list!*