I was looking into a white splash for Ajani, Adversary of Tyrants. His plus helps the already aggro creatures while the minus brings back the amazing two drops elves have.
Clancaller seems really weak in such a whirl of chains. I tried a little bit with it and noticed that it actually pumped elves that you can't / don't want to attack with (mana dorks) and SL Champ doesn't really get much from it : it's either unblockabke or it still dies to a trade (opposing Champs, Gods, double-blocks...).
I think we miss 2 good elves to fill the weak slots. I'll pass for now and wait for the next set. W&S the ban announcement too.
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Pioneer - A bunch of stuff Modern - Humans Legacy - Grixis Phoenix / Death & Taxes
Armorcraft Judge refills your hand when the deck snowballs with all the one and two drops. Also, with all the mana floating around Adventurous Impulse really helps smooth things out in rough spots while building up the board. Cultivator of Blades sounds like it could do some work in the deck without having to rely on breaking out of the rhythm.
The one advantage elves have is even though they don't combo out as well as in modern or legacy, they have 3 toughness at turn 2, which is enough to wall a lot of early aggro drops. Dropping Oath of Ajani brings them up to 4 toughness and lets you get tons of draw power from Armorcraft Judge. The deck is still vulnerable to board sweeps like Fumigate, but at this point you can power out a Galta or Carnage Tyrant. I think Vivien Reid is good in the deck as a way to fight control. You don't get stuff back from the graveyard, but she draws you cards and can find creatures + lands. Either way the deck needs gas to function.
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1. (Ravnica Allegiance): You can't keep a good esper control deck down... Or Wilderness Reclamation... or Gates...
2. (War of the Spark): Guys, I know what we need! We need a cycle of really idiotic flavor text victory cards! Jace's Triumph...
3. (War of the Spark): Lets make the format with control have even more control!
From what I gather the general idea of elves in other formats is to power out a ton of elves quickly and then use their tribal ability to gain a winning leverage. Standard doesn't offer the same tribal payoffs (Shaman, Ezuri, and such), nor the same digging power (Collected Company, Lead the Stampede, etc.). We do have Walking Ballista, Lifecrafter's Bestiary, and a few similar wincons and draw spells. Cultivator of Blades might have some potential but because its ability is only active during combat I'm not sure I wouldn't have a different card in the same slow. Vivien Reid's ult is the sort of thing this deck definitely wants, but ulting her, like any planeswalker, is easier said than done. Another walker worth considering is Nissa, Vital Force, she can get back any permanent, and her ult turns ever land into a 0 mana draw spell.
Following the flood the board with elves concept, I think standard elves would work best by powering out as many mana dork elves as possible. The version I'm toying with started as mono green but has morphed into G/W simply because it opens up Shalai, Voice of Plenty. Not only does Shalai protect the board, she can pump the entire team. To achieve a critical mass of dorks though, we need serious draw power. That's where Bestiary shines, and having multiples only gets better. I'm toying with including one or two Vizier of the Menagerie but with 4 Bestiaries, it doesn't seem good enough to make the cut. With enough dorks, including a few cards like Grow from the Ashes or Harvest Season are worth considering but, again, I'm not so sure they'll pull enough weight to warrant watering down the deck.
Board wipes are a threat but we do have Heroic Intervention to protect against the likes of Fumigate, and Shalai to protect against Settle the Wreckage. Against control a wide field of creatures, even if they're small, is a nightmare for them. Against aggro it's tougher because they're fast and have creatures with more power, but being G/W allows us to run our own copies of Settle in the SB (I've also considered Approach of the Second Sun since they can't do anything about it and we can flood with enough chumps to stall until we re-cast it for the win). The hardest matchup for elves is likely Stompy, but they are such a small part of the field thanks to Control and Aggro that it's not a huge issue at the moment (and even then, against them the biggest issue is their Trample threats, the rest we can chump until we cast a wincon like we would against aggro).
Speaking of wincons, Ballista is the obvious one against all 3 of the "most common" matchups. I've already mentioned Approach as an alternative wincon, but there's also Throne of the God-Pharaoh which can quickly win games for us with enough dorks out. With the goal being to cast as many dorks as possible, Clancaller seems a good fit too; we can quickly power out multiple copies to buff the entire field. With the idea being to draw and cast as many creatures as possible, there's some argument to be made for Aetherflux Reservoir though I'm not sure it's good enough to make the cut either.
Other cards worth considering with this concept are the Vanquisher's Banner and Radiant Destiny, both can pump the team making them harder to kill. They both seem just okay though and I'm not sure they pull enough weight to be included either. Given the choice, I'd lean towards the Banner even though it comes down later, it's ability to draw us more cards can be incredibly useful.
"To keep things 100, anything I state is an opinion and not intended to be a fact. Any and all suggestions I give are a 100% opinion. If you need further clarification take the conversation to a PM. I am not in the business of assuming things. I'm only interested in 1 business and that business serves 2 things, Cold L's and Hot Dub's."
"To keep things 100, anything I state is an opinion and not intended to be a fact. Any and all suggestions I give are a 100% opinion. If you need further clarification take the conversation to a PM. I am not in the business of assuming things. I'm only interested in 1 business and that business serves 2 things, Cold L's and Hot Dub's."
This is very stock, adjustments come with more reps against other decks. Flyers are a big problem for the deck, so Vivien Reid may actually be a better maindeck top curve than Shalai (or the 4th copies of non-creature spells).
For now I avoid to add Conclave Tribunal because it's a reactive card, which wastes tempo, but once again, the meta may force this spell in the maindeck.
I'd like to give some feedback on your list D90Dennis14, because I feel like you miss very good cards from the new set, in favor of underwhelming ones.
- Early in the curve, I tried Druid of the Cowl before Pelt Collector was spoiled, and yes it played its role as a filler card. But Collector isn't a filler card, it's a staple for the archetype ! There's no incentive to play a bad dork over a good beater. Adding this 1-drop offers smoother opening hands and better aggro starts. Every elf deck will play it, I don't know why you should avoid it.
- Conclave Guildmage is an intriguing card. It looks like a sealed all-star, and it's clearly in the spot of Song of Freyalise in my list. Both cards have potential and if I prefer Song, it's because of the mana cost of Emmara & Cavalier to begin with, but also to give that trample ability Guildmage has. Your manabase plays only 8 white sources though, there's absolutely no chance you cast it on turn 2, while Song is no issue. I prefer Song over Guildmage for that reason too.
- Marwyn and Whisperer are suspicious choices. I played Marwyn, it's always been a filler card and now we don't need it anymore. A 1/1 for 3 mana is bad, and when it grows, you get to use it for its mana (Clancaller's ability for the most part) and not attack with it. Whisperer doesn't do anything when etb, it's a risky bet. At 4-mana, your opponent plays big flyers or 6/6 Hexproof dudes, you better have an impactful play instead. In those slots I have Cavalier. The card is no elf, but spawns elves, is good as a standalone threat.
- Vanquisher's Banner is an interesting card. Do you want 4 copies though ? I play Assure instead, so I can use it early in the game (feels like a waste sometimes, quite a tough card to play correctly). The 3 tokens are insane with Song or Clancaller though. You should give it a try ! Nullhide Ferox may be actually better, or played in conjunction. Hexproof is no joke.
I like this build. I think you should go down a couple of Vanquisher's Banners in the MB and put +2 Conclave Cavalier in their place. You never want more than two Banner's in your hand at any given moment and you have other pump effects built into the deck. I don't like Conclave Guildmage as a "4 of" because you're primarily using it for it's first ability to push thru damage on board stall. It's second ability will rarely see play unless you have zero cards in hand, or you have better options on spells to cast. Maybe go -2 Guildmage, +2 Emmara, Soul of the Accord like you mentioned for an even split and more bodies/mana.
Sideboard-wise, maybe go down -1 Seal Away and -1 Ixalan's Binding for +1 Vivien Reid, +1 Emmara, Soul of the Accord. Vivien is very strong in the upcoming meta, especially in G decks like Mono Green Stompy, or any deck running green creatures for that matter. She searches and she has removal. A third Emmara helps against aggro match ups, like anything involving boros or goblins.
I'd like to give some feedback on your list D90Dennis14, because I feel like you miss very good cards from the new set, in favor of underwhelming ones.
- Early in the curve, I tried Druid of the Cowl before Pelt Collector was spoiled, and yes it played its role as a filler card. But Collector isn't a filler card, it's a staple for the archetype ! There's no incentive to play a bad dork over a good beater. Adding this 1-drop offers smoother opening hands and better aggro starts. Every elf deck will play it, I don't know why you should avoid it.
- Conclave Guildmage is an intriguing card. It looks like a sealed all-star, and it's clearly in the spot of Song of Freyalise in my list. Both cards have potential and if I prefer Song, it's because of the mana cost of Emmara & Cavalier to begin with, but also to give that trample ability Guildmage has. Your manabase plays only 8 white sources though, there's absolutely no chance you cast it on turn 2, while Song is no issue. I prefer Song over Guildmage for that reason too.
- Marwyn and Whisperer are suspicious choices. I played Marwyn, it's always been a filler card and now we don't need it anymore. A 1/1 for 3 mana is bad, and when it grows, you get to use it for its mana (Clancaller's ability for the most part) and not attack with it. Whisperer doesn't do anything when etb, it's a risky bet. At 4-mana, your opponent plays big flyers or 6/6 Hexproof dudes, you better have an impactful play instead. In those slots I have Cavalier. The card is no elf, but spawns elves, is good as a standalone threat.
- Vanquisher's Banner is an interesting card. Do you want 4 copies though ? I play Assure instead, so I can use it early in the game (feels like a waste sometimes, quite a tough card to play correctly). The 3 tokens are insane with Song or Clancaller though. You should give it a try ! Nullhide Ferox may be actually better, or played in conjunction. Hexproof is no joke.
I don't think that Pelt Collector is good enough in this deck as it end up being a 2/2 most of the time without Steel Leaf as all the other elves in my list are 1-2 power. Druid isn't great but it is a servicable 2-drop which fills the curve, helps ramp me towards Banner or activating Clancaller/Guildmage.
I agree that Marwyn isn't a great card but it is probably servicable enough and I need to play elves and fill the curve.
It is also a must-answer card which can otherwise grow bigger and ramp me to either activate Guildmage/Clancaller (like you mentioned) or cast more elves which Beast Whisperer (another must-answer creature) and Banner can help draw into.
Conclave Cavalier is not an elf, costs WW and is just a 4/4 for 4 before it dies so it doesn't look particularly good to me.
If it gets removed by an exile spell it would provide no value at all and the deck doesn't have sac' outlets to trigger it at will so I'll pass on this one.
Vanquisher's Banner is main payoff of the deck and the reason to play tribal elves imho, and I absolutely want to play the full 4x.
Elves can actually cast it rather consistently with all the mana dorks and use the extra mana to cast the extra cards drawn with it later.
The core creatures imho should be:
Llanowar Elves, Elvish Clancaller, Marwyn, the Nurturer and Steel Leaf Champion with decent curve fillers like:
Narnam Renegade, Thorn Lieutenant (probably better than Greenwheel Liberator) and Rishkar, Peema Renegade.
Metallic Mimic is always an option as well but it doesn't seem necessary and is really easily removed.
The top of the curve can be either Verdurous Gearhulk or Vanquisher's Banner which should be pretty easy to cast with the ramp
(Llanowar, Marwyn, Rishkar) in the deck.
The core spells imho should be Blossoming Defense and Lifecrafter's Bestiary for protection and card advantage.
This leaves some flex slots which could either be:
Rhonas's Monument, more protection (Shapers' Sanctuary, Heroic Intervention), removal (Nature's Way/Ambuscade),
cantrips (Adventurous Impulse) or a vehicle (Aethersphere Harvester/Skysovereign, Consul Flagship).
Here is a potential list:
4x Llanowar Elves
4x Narnam Renegade
4x Elvish Clancaller
4x Thorn Lieutenant
2x Rishkar, Peema Renegade
2x Marwyn, the Nurturer
4x Steel Leaf Champion
4x Verdurous Gearhulk
3x Rhonas's Monument
3x Lifecrafter's Bestiary
Instant (4)
4x Blossoming Defense
Land (22)
4x Hashep Oasis
3x Desert of the Indomitable
1x Scavenger Grounds
14x Forest
2x Shapers' Sanctuary
3x Heroic Intervention
2x Reclamation Sage
3x Ambuscade
2x Aethersphere Harvester
3x Nissa, Vital Force
Can an Elves deck work in Standard now ?
Standard: BG Golgari Midrange
Modern: U Merfolk GWUBR 5 Color Humans UBW Esper Gifts GW Bogles
The mana isn't perfect, but Servant of the Conduit is an elf and you can play Aether Hub.
Standard: BG Golgari Midrange
Modern: U Merfolk GWUBR 5 Color Humans UBW Esper Gifts GW Bogles
I think we miss 2 good elves to fill the weak slots. I'll pass for now and wait for the next set. W&S the ban announcement too.
Also, Rishkar and Gearhulk (or Banner) take it out of Chainwhirler range.
I also think that Monument can really help with attacking favorably against opposing creatures and getting through chump-blockers.
The one advantage elves have is even though they don't combo out as well as in modern or legacy, they have 3 toughness at turn 2, which is enough to wall a lot of early aggro drops. Dropping Oath of Ajani brings them up to 4 toughness and lets you get tons of draw power from Armorcraft Judge. The deck is still vulnerable to board sweeps like Fumigate, but at this point you can power out a Galta or Carnage Tyrant. I think Vivien Reid is good in the deck as a way to fight control. You don't get stuff back from the graveyard, but she draws you cards and can find creatures + lands. Either way the deck needs gas to function.
1. (Ravnica Allegiance): You can't keep a good esper control deck down... Or Wilderness Reclamation... or Gates...
2. (War of the Spark): Guys, I know what we need! We need a cycle of really idiotic flavor text victory cards! Jace's Triumph...
3. (War of the Spark): Lets make the format with control have even more control!
Following the flood the board with elves concept, I think standard elves would work best by powering out as many mana dork elves as possible. The version I'm toying with started as mono green but has morphed into G/W simply because it opens up Shalai, Voice of Plenty. Not only does Shalai protect the board, she can pump the entire team. To achieve a critical mass of dorks though, we need serious draw power. That's where Bestiary shines, and having multiples only gets better. I'm toying with including one or two Vizier of the Menagerie but with 4 Bestiaries, it doesn't seem good enough to make the cut. With enough dorks, including a few cards like Grow from the Ashes or Harvest Season are worth considering but, again, I'm not so sure they'll pull enough weight to warrant watering down the deck.
Board wipes are a threat but we do have Heroic Intervention to protect against the likes of Fumigate, and Shalai to protect against Settle the Wreckage. Against control a wide field of creatures, even if they're small, is a nightmare for them. Against aggro it's tougher because they're fast and have creatures with more power, but being G/W allows us to run our own copies of Settle in the SB (I've also considered Approach of the Second Sun since they can't do anything about it and we can flood with enough chumps to stall until we re-cast it for the win). The hardest matchup for elves is likely Stompy, but they are such a small part of the field thanks to Control and Aggro that it's not a huge issue at the moment (and even then, against them the biggest issue is their Trample threats, the rest we can chump until we cast a wincon like we would against aggro).
Speaking of wincons, Ballista is the obvious one against all 3 of the "most common" matchups. I've already mentioned Approach as an alternative wincon, but there's also Throne of the God-Pharaoh which can quickly win games for us with enough dorks out. With the goal being to cast as many dorks as possible, Clancaller seems a good fit too; we can quickly power out multiple copies to buff the entire field. With the idea being to draw and cast as many creatures as possible, there's some argument to be made for Aetherflux Reservoir though I'm not sure it's good enough to make the cut either.
Other cards worth considering with this concept are the Vanquisher's Banner and Radiant Destiny, both can pump the team making them harder to kill. They both seem just okay though and I'm not sure they pull enough weight to be included either. Given the choice, I'd lean towards the Banner even though it comes down later, it's ability to draw us more cards can be incredibly useful.
4x Llanowar Elves
4x Druid of the Cowl
4x Elvish Clancaller
4x Thorn Lieutenant
4x Conclave Guildmage
2x Marwyn, the Nurturer
4x Steel Leaf Champion
2x Beast Whisperer
2x Radiant Destiny
4x Conclave Tribunal
Artifact (4)
4x Vanquisher's Banner
Land (22)
1x Arch of Orazca
4x Temple Garden
4x Sunpetal Grove
13x Forest
2x Shapers' Sanctuary
3x Seal Away
3x Reclamation Sage
3x Ixalan's Binding
2x Shalai, Voice of Plenty
2x Vivien Reid
Conclave Tribunal is a good new removal option, Beast Whisperer is a good (but fragile) draw-engine and Conclave Guildmage is an ok curve-filler (Emmara, Soul of the Accord is another option but is a legendary).
Radiant Destiny is an another anthem besides Banner and Clancaller.
-Stay Frosty
Pelt Collector is actually not great here so I prefer Druid of the Cowl instead.
Ajani might be a SB option as in the maindeck it would take away slots from: Banner, Whisperer or R.Destiny.
Another PW that might work here is Huatli, Radiant Champion for the card draw.
Unless you splash red and go Naya and pickup Grand Warlord Radha
and that probably wouldn't work since you would need Unclaimed Territory / Evolving Wilds
And Poison-Tip Archer doesn't and neither would Skyrider Patrol
Also there is The Immortal Sun which has an anthem affect and can probably be ramped into with Song of Freyalise, but it does affect your PW.
-Stay Frosty
4 Pelt Collector
4 Elvish Clancaller
4 Thorn Lieutenant
3 Emmara, Soul of the Accord
4 Steel Leaf Champion
4 Conclave Cavalier
2 Shalai, Voice of Plenty
4 Assure // Assemble
4 Unclaimed Territory
4 Temple Garden
4 Sunpetal Grove
2 Plains
9 Forest
This is very stock, adjustments come with more reps against other decks. Flyers are a big problem for the deck, so Vivien Reid may actually be a better maindeck top curve than Shalai (or the 4th copies of non-creature spells).
For now I avoid to add Conclave Tribunal because it's a reactive card, which wastes tempo, but once again, the meta may force this spell in the maindeck.
I'd like to give some feedback on your list D90Dennis14, because I feel like you miss very good cards from the new set, in favor of underwhelming ones.
- Early in the curve, I tried Druid of the Cowl before Pelt Collector was spoiled, and yes it played its role as a filler card. But Collector isn't a filler card, it's a staple for the archetype ! There's no incentive to play a bad dork over a good beater. Adding this 1-drop offers smoother opening hands and better aggro starts. Every elf deck will play it, I don't know why you should avoid it.
- Conclave Guildmage is an intriguing card. It looks like a sealed all-star, and it's clearly in the spot of Song of Freyalise in my list. Both cards have potential and if I prefer Song, it's because of the mana cost of Emmara & Cavalier to begin with, but also to give that trample ability Guildmage has. Your manabase plays only 8 white sources though, there's absolutely no chance you cast it on turn 2, while Song is no issue. I prefer Song over Guildmage for that reason too.
- Marwyn and Whisperer are suspicious choices. I played Marwyn, it's always been a filler card and now we don't need it anymore. A 1/1 for 3 mana is bad, and when it grows, you get to use it for its mana (Clancaller's ability for the most part) and not attack with it. Whisperer doesn't do anything when etb, it's a risky bet. At 4-mana, your opponent plays big flyers or 6/6 Hexproof dudes, you better have an impactful play instead. In those slots I have Cavalier. The card is no elf, but spawns elves, is good as a standalone threat.
- Vanquisher's Banner is an interesting card. Do you want 4 copies though ? I play Assure instead, so I can use it early in the game (feels like a waste sometimes, quite a tough card to play correctly). The 3 tokens are insane with Song or Clancaller though. You should give it a try ! Nullhide Ferox may be actually better, or played in conjunction. Hexproof is no joke.
I like this build. I think you should go down a couple of Vanquisher's Banners in the MB and put +2 Conclave Cavalier in their place. You never want more than two Banner's in your hand at any given moment and you have other pump effects built into the deck. I don't like Conclave Guildmage as a "4 of" because you're primarily using it for it's first ability to push thru damage on board stall. It's second ability will rarely see play unless you have zero cards in hand, or you have better options on spells to cast. Maybe go -2 Guildmage, +2 Emmara, Soul of the Accord like you mentioned for an even split and more bodies/mana.
Sideboard-wise, maybe go down -1 Seal Away and -1 Ixalan's Binding for +1 Vivien Reid, +1 Emmara, Soul of the Accord. Vivien is very strong in the upcoming meta, especially in G decks like Mono Green Stompy, or any deck running green creatures for that matter. She searches and she has removal. A third Emmara helps against aggro match ups, like anything involving boros or goblins.
EDIT: Card tags/spelling
I don't think that Pelt Collector is good enough in this deck as it end up being a 2/2 most of the time without Steel Leaf as all the other elves in my list are 1-2 power.
Druid isn't great but it is a servicable 2-drop which fills the curve, helps ramp me towards Banner or activating Clancaller/Guildmage.
Regarding Conclave Guildmage, I need as much elves as possible to make the anthems (Clancaller, Banner, Destiny) good and trigger Banner/Whisperer
so I prefer to avoid non-creature spells which aren't anthems or interaction (Tribunal).
I agree that Marwyn isn't a great card but it is probably servicable enough and I need to play elves and fill the curve.
It is also a must-answer card which can otherwise grow bigger and ramp me to either activate Guildmage/Clancaller (like you mentioned) or cast more elves which Beast Whisperer (another must-answer creature) and Banner can help draw into.
Conclave Cavalier is not an elf, costs WW and is just a 4/4 for 4 before it dies so it doesn't look particularly good to me.
If it gets removed by an exile spell it would provide no value at all and the deck doesn't have sac' outlets to trigger it at will so I'll pass on this one.
Vanquisher's Banner is main payoff of the deck and the reason to play tribal elves imho, and I absolutely want to play the full 4x.
Elves can actually cast it rather consistently with all the mana dorks and use the extra mana to cast the extra cards drawn with it later.