It's time to dust of my old elf deck just because my buddy HATES elves with a passion.
I really want to abuse Shaman of the pack who obviously shines in SP mode. I think he's good enough for a 4-5 man MP metas as well.
So let's break this guy wide open. Budget is whatever, I have the shocks and duals for golgari decks but I don't need an all star mana base to destroy the table. I can use Cradles as well, but again, is it really necessary?
Here is what I came up with off the top of my head. Will update as suggestions come in
I don't understand the question about Cradle. The card is bat***** insane in Elf decks. There's any number of financial/practical/power-level/fun factor reasons that could justify their omission but there's no possible way to argue that it isn't powerful/consistent/worthwhile to run in a vacuum. Cradle is straight-up broken 8-ways from Sunday in swarmy ramp decks. It's not a question of "do I run them?" it's more of "how soon can I acquire 4 and blindly jam them in here."
Genesis Wave is absolute gas and does crazy stupid things in Elf decks. Barring mass removal it's difficult to lose if you can resolve one at X=5 or greater.
Dwynen's Elite is more of an EDH card than anything else. I've tried the thing in Heritage Druid decks with the obvious "nut draw" being turn 1 Druid turn 2 Elite but it hasn't impressed me nearly enough to justify their inclusion. When Elf decks win they win by A LOT and when they lose it's because their engines get picked apart and they fail to mount anything significant. The Elite does very little to improve your good draws and does actual nothing when your stuff is dying and so I haven't seen anyone playing it in a "competitive" deck for some time.
Would your Elf-hating friend be Snobby? Man, I'm totally up for this.
From other threads all over this forum, I've been running a 100-card Elfpile for a long time, and I recently stripped the red out of it to turn it from Jund Elfball into Golgari Shaman of the Pack kill (the Shaman doesn't target like the red X spells do, so it's a more efficient means of kill, in a way).
The discussion on its current form is buried in this thread. For those who can't be stuffed making the jump, the current 100-card decklist looks like this:
Does it need to be 100 cards? No, probably not. It's a long story as to why it clocks in at 100.
But I will tell you that you probably don't want it to be 60... the mana acceleration and the ability to Wave for obnoxious amounts sees this thing go close to decking itself on occasion.
I don't think I've ever lost a game if I've resolved a Genesis Wave for 10+ with this deck.
Good cube session. We played a few games with the elf brew after.
I forgot how good Genesis wave is in this kind of deck. I tried out 2 copies of Oversold cemetery and was able to recycle it a couple of times for the win. Definitely better than asceticism which loses to sweepers anyways.
I lost when spot removal took apart my engines and I lost against a discard deck which also stripped me. Those are typical loses that elves face.
I would always play Quirion Ranger over Thousand-Year Elixir. Your deck is land-light even by Elf Standards so rebuying a Forest will almost always generate mana and being an Elf herself is a huge game for your synergy cards. It's also 1 CMC vs 3 so whereas TYE is "your turn" the Ranger is typically free assuming that you have a Titania/Archdruid. While it's true that she doesn't grant haste I think that her pros massively outweigh the one and only con.
Sorry to necro, but prowess of the fair is pretty good here. It keeps ur elf count up and counts as an elf in relation to heritage, archdruid, and shaman. Tapping fair with heritage is a nice feeling. I run joraga warcaller, inb4. Better as a Scaleable lord Mana sink,
With genesis wave if you pull two shaman of the pack will one see the other ? ..... Like if you genesis wave for 10 and pull two shaman of the pack will one deal 10 and the other one deal 11 damage or both be 10 ?
The Shaman's ability counts elves as it resolves. So not only will each Shaman see the other when brought out with Genesis Wave, you and your opponents all have the opportunity to change that number up (activating Mutavault for example) and down (killing elves) after the Wave has resolved but before any of the shaman triggers resolve. Barring any interference and with 9 other elves out, both triggers will make the opponent lose 11 life. Note, that this is not damage, so it cannot be prevented by damage prevention or recdirected, etc. by anything manipulating damage. Damage may cause loss of life (usually, but not always, like with infect), but loss of life never constitutes damage.
I really want to abuse Shaman of the pack who obviously shines in SP mode. I think he's good enough for a 4-5 man MP metas as well.
So let's break this guy wide open. Budget is whatever, I have the shocks and duals for golgari decks but I don't need an all star mana base to destroy the table. I can use Cradles as well, but again, is it really necessary?
Here is what I came up with off the top of my head. Will update as suggestions come in
4 Llanowar Elves
4 Wirewood Symbiote
4 Priest of Titania
4 Elvish Visionary
4 Imperious Perfect
4 Elvish Archdruid
2 Ezuri, Renegade Leader
4 Shaman of the Pack
3 Sylvan Messenger
4 Genesis Wave
Artifact
2 Thousand-Year Elixir
1 Eldrazi Monument
Enchantment
2 Oversold Cemetery
Land
8 Forest
2 Oran-Rief, the Vastwood
2 Wirewood Lodge
2 Gilt-lief Palace
4 Woodland Cemetery
Thought about Genesis wave and I think I like it better than Collected Company
I'm not sold on Dwynen's elite. Was thinking it could provide bodies if my draw engines aren't quite working out.
Genesis Wave is absolute gas and does crazy stupid things in Elf decks. Barring mass removal it's difficult to lose if you can resolve one at X=5 or greater.
Dwynen's Elite is more of an EDH card than anything else. I've tried the thing in Heritage Druid decks with the obvious "nut draw" being turn 1 Druid turn 2 Elite but it hasn't impressed me nearly enough to justify their inclusion. When Elf decks win they win by A LOT and when they lose it's because their engines get picked apart and they fail to mount anything significant. The Elite does very little to improve your good draws and does actual nothing when your stuff is dying and so I haven't seen anyone playing it in a "competitive" deck for some time.
Guilds of Ravnica - Commander 2018 - Core 2019 - Battlebond - Dominaria - Rivals of Ixalan - Ixalan - Commander 2017 - Hour of Devastation - Amonket - Aether Revolt - Commander 2016 - Kaladesh - Conspiracy 2 - Eldritch Moon - Shadows Over Innistrad - Oath of the Gatewatch - Commander 2015 - Battle for Zendikar - Magic Origins - Dragons of Tarkir
Green - Blue - Red - White - Gold
From other threads all over this forum, I've been running a 100-card Elfpile for a long time, and I recently stripped the red out of it to turn it from Jund Elfball into Golgari Shaman of the Pack kill (the Shaman doesn't target like the red X spells do, so it's a more efficient means of kill, in a way).
The discussion on its current form is buried in this thread. For those who can't be stuffed making the jump, the current 100-card decklist looks like this:
2 Elvish Lyrist
4 Joraga Warcaller
4 Priest of Titania
4 Elvish Archdruid
1 Ezuri, Renegade Leader
4 Imperious Perfect
4 Jagged-Scar Archers
4 Shaman of the Pack
2 Viridian Shaman
1 Heedless One
4 Immaculate Magistrate
4 Lys Alana Huntmaster
4 Wirewood Channeler
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Diabolic Intent
4 Genesis Wave
4 Rings of Brighthearth
4 Elvish Promenade
1 Nevinyrral's Disk
4 Thousand-Year Elixir
1 Tower of Calamities
Land - 38
2 Overgrown Tomb
2 Golgari Rot Farm
4 Terramorphic Expanse
1 Gaea's Cradle
25 Forest
4 Swamp
Does it need to be 100 cards? No, probably not. It's a long story as to why it clocks in at 100.
But I will tell you that you probably don't want it to be 60... the mana acceleration and the ability to Wave for obnoxious amounts sees this thing go close to decking itself on occasion.
I don't think I've ever lost a game if I've resolved a Genesis Wave for 10+ with this deck.
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Seriously though, MY version of elves runs Triumph of the Hordes Joraga Warcaller and fully charged Beastmaster Ascension
I think a good card for this deck is No Mercy and Oversold Cemetery
Alright, back to cubing and losing, it's not my night
I forgot how good Genesis wave is in this kind of deck. I tried out 2 copies of Oversold cemetery and was able to recycle it a couple of times for the win. Definitely better than asceticism which loses to sweepers anyways.
I lost when spot removal took apart my engines and I lost against a discard deck which also stripped me. Those are typical loses that elves face.
Will update the first post
Still looking for other ways to make this deck even nastier!
Bl00m going to check out your thread
Guilds of Ravnica - Commander 2018 - Core 2019 - Battlebond - Dominaria - Rivals of Ixalan - Ixalan - Commander 2017 - Hour of Devastation - Amonket - Aether Revolt - Commander 2016 - Kaladesh - Conspiracy 2 - Eldritch Moon - Shadows Over Innistrad - Oath of the Gatewatch - Commander 2015 - Battle for Zendikar - Magic Origins - Dragons of Tarkir
Green - Blue - Red - White - Gold
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My meta: 3 or 4 player free for all, anything goes but boring games or broken decks cause a vote to end that game.