@Anaestheticz As much discussed, both main and side are very meta dependent, so it's difficult to say anything specific without more information. However, I don't see any GY hate in the side, which may be a problem.
What I like about the referenced list from Japan is 4 Lead the Stampede. I wish I could find room for a fourth one. It's also interesting how the mentioned deck runs 4 Dwynen's Elite and 4 Nettle Sentinel. It really makes use of the Bramblewood Paragons. I would really like to learn, how that version functions!
What I don't necessary like is the absence of Imperious Perfect. Even though you don't activate Imperious' ability too often, it is a threat that the opponent has to take seriously, since with Bramblewood on board it makes 3/3 tramplers (including Imperious' anthem).
Nettle's help elf-storming, but this is not usually the specific strength of Warrior-build due to lack of Elvish Visionary and Sylvan Messenger. That's why I don't run them. 4 Dwynen's instead of 2 makes Heritage druid combo on T2 more likely to happen. However, I prefer Imperious' anthem over this. Maybe 3/3 split between Dwynen's and Imperious is the most optimal version, who knows.
Dromoka's Command in the side is interesting, even the +1/+1 counter alternative has use. I don't know if a single Evolutionary Leap has any use.
Matches against Fish are usually very easy. We do what they do, but faster (Archdruid + Heritage) and can go longer and wider (CoCo + Lead), especially with Imperious. In my experience, Allies are also quite fast and we may have to take the control role at first. In this scenario, Imperious' ability may come into play. Regarding Slivers, I don't have any personal experience, but I would assume that the same applies as with Fish and Allies most of the time. We tend to be faster and more resilient.
@ScryHard Thanks for the feedback! I take Essence Warden into consideration. Although, against Living End and decks that sweep, Kitchen Finks seems better.
Nice to see that the new set and threats provoke some Warrior builds
Two things alerted me to change my SB somewhat radically after the FNM: matches against Storm and Living End and the fact that I hadn't sided in Phyrexian Revoker even once in all of my games. Storm and Living End especially use GY in their strategy and I noticed that my SB is not that great against them. Also Twin (which I faced) uses GY to a fair extent. I have two Scavenging Oozes to Chord for but that gives up the card advantage, since I basically have to side out Lead the Stampedes. I realized that in this build I need to always run Leads, since I don't include even Elvish Visionaries.
What do you think of these changes? I feel good about them myself, but that is the right time to ask for others' expertise to avoid overlooking better alternatives.
My meta includes at least the following decks, which change a little bit from FNM to FNM:
UR Twin
Living End
Infect (Mono-G)
Mono-G Aggro
Storm
Mono-U Tron (haven't faced yet)
Bant (seems like a random pile)
2x Bogles
Merfolk
Burn
Allies
Mono-B Aggro
R/W Warrior-Lifegain Weenie
Little Zoo
Thanks already in advance for the insight! I enjoy seeing the forum being very vibrant. I had some work to be done after the holidays catching up with the forum with a plethora of posts. Keep it up!
Went 3-1 and I'm very happy about it. I learned a lot, mostly about sideboarding and what to include in the board. As usual, lost all die-rolls but otherwise had lots of luck.
M1 Storm
G1 I was able to put so much pressure that he had to Grapeshot my elves sweeping me twice in the game. Leads and CoCos recovered me both times and opp ran out of gas before I did.
G2 In: 2 Scavenging Ooze, 2 Spellskite (not doing this again) and 3 Chord of Calling.
Opp sweeped me several times and the game went to time. Luckily, opp punted big time with his mana and I had elves inbound. He extends the hand.
1-0
M2 Living End
I regard this an awful MU for Elves (at least for me) so I was expecting a swift loss.
G1 Opp drew lands and cycled some creatures but never found a cascade card.
G2 In: 2 Scavenging Ooze and 2 Kitchen Finks
Opp had all the answers in his hand but never drew third land.
Despite these were no real games, I did realize not to extend too much.
2-0
M3 Mono-G aggro
G1 This is a pretty easy MU for us in general and everything went pretty much as expected: I was the faster of the aggros. In G1, I had a really fast hand. After dumping and playing maybe one more turn opp scooped before the inevitable.
G2 I thought a lot whether to sideboard or not. Finally decided not to and that was the correct decision. I got an Ezuri and opp had only 2 lands.
3-0
M4 UR Twin
G1 I had a great starting hand but opp wisely tapped my Archdruid on my upkeep with his Pestermite. He twinned me on T4.
G2 In: 2 Spellskite and 2 Dismember
Too much burnish control from opp. I played a Spellskite but he Roasted it, I think. I was able to hang on a little bit but opp pounded me with 2 Pestermites. I was able to stop Twin once with Dismember but died right after due to low life total.
3-1
I will continue with part 2) (sideboarding) later...
G1 Even with the lords, it is not easy to establish a board where the opp cannot wipe your board with a sweeper. However, in the long run, Leads and CoCos win the game. The opp is forced to deal with lords pretty fast, because he cannot burn them later. W
G2 In: 2 Kitchen Finks and 2 Spellskites. Out: something like 1 Bramlewood Paragon, 1 Elvish Champion, 1 Imperious Perfect, and 1 Ezuri, Renegade Leader. I'm entirely sure though. I had early Skite and Finks in play, but he tried to bolt one of my lords. I used Skite and he then used a sweeper. Finks and a pumped Dwynen's remained in play. I was able to regroup shortly after and won. W
M2 Same burn 2-1
Similar games. I lost one having to mull down to 5. My initial 7 had 5 lands, but maybe, and I mean maybe, I should have kept that. The burn player has Deflecting Palm in his deck. He said that this surprised a lot of people in the last FNM where he went 4-0.
M3 Bogles 2-1
G1 The opp outraced me Pathing my Ezuri. This time I didn't make the same mistake as with infect in FNM by playing Elvish Champion, since he had the hexproof-elf in play. L
G3 Very grindy game. He was able to beat me to 1 life having a huge guy in play. I managed to establish a board that was able to keep the opp at bay long to enough to top-deck a fracturing gust. I waited my moment and opp even over-extended by playing more and more auras having 4 Spiritdancers in play. I waited for his attack, blew his auras away and Chorded for Ezuri and overran him. W
@mightygomes I remember someone suggesting Elemental Bond here before (to someone else than me). It's not bad, but maybe too slow in the end. My build is not trying to have grindy matches, but it is equipped for them, if need be. Elemental Bond appears to me as a win-more card. Comparing to Lead the Stampede, Lead usually gives you ~3 elves with 3 mana, while spending 3 mana on Elemental Bond does not by itself do anything.
@Curbal Merfolk is usually pretty easy MU for Elves. I just got a bad opening hand in G1. So, Chameleon Colossus is unnecessary. Against Merfolk, it´s about being faster, which Elves usually excel at.
Went 2-2 overall. As usual, didn't win any of the die-rolls.
R1 Infect 2-1
G1 I had the game going my way, but made a hilarious mistake. I played Elvish Champion not realizing that I will also make his Glistener Elf unblockable with pumps L
G2 Sided in Chords, Spellskites and Dismember. Chorded for Spellskite and beat the opp up. W
G3 Played Spellskite which got Dismembered. I Dismembered his guy in turn. After 2x CoCo, including Ezuri, I ran him over. W
R2 Allies 1-2
G1 Before the games the opp and I discussed how being on the play in modern is not as vital as it is in legacy. Well, I lost both the games in which I was on the draw and won the one game in which I was on the play. In G1, I had more boardpresence, but opp played an ally that gave his dudes protection from green and he beat me up. L
G2 I established tempo he couldn't keep up with. As said, beginning the game was crucial. W
G3 The same as G2, but for the opp. Looking back, I think I should have sided in Chords and take out Leads. I was missing Ezuri, I think, in every game. It would have definitely given me the edge. L
R3 Bogles 0-2
G1 Opp had excellent draws in both games and mine sucked. In G1, I also fizzled Lead pretty bad by gaining only one creature. Opp played Spiritdancer with plethora of auras getting him bunch of life via lifelink. L
G2 Sided in Chords, Fracturing Gusts and Rec Sage. I'm not sure whether I sided in Dismember or not, expecting the Spiritdancer again, most likely not. Opp again had the nuts leading with Spiritdancer while I got a late Chord trying to surprise him with Spellskite. Opp pathed Spellskite and also my Ezuri later on. I never saw my other sidetech. L
R4 Merfolk 2-1
G1 I had a slow start and opp Dismembered my Archdruid. He kept the momentum by playing lords that were unblockable due to Spreading Seas. L
G2 Sided in Dismember, Choke and Rec Sage. I Dismembered away his lord and blocked his other diminished guy killing it. Opp never recovered while I played an excellent CoCo for the victory. W
G3 Same thing. I got a great CoCo and again Dismembered one of his lords. W
Overall, the deck functioned fine. I had a few mulligans but no lower than to 6 cards. Often times, my starting hands were not great but doable. In some matches, I couldn't find my sb-stuff and I missed Ezuri from time to time. Again, in the ally-MU I think I should have sided in Chords. Ezuri would have won me those games. I have no complaints about the deck itself. With a little more luck, Allies and Bogles would have been beatable.
I noticed that you would like me to add Elites, Visionaries, and Nettles. In this way, I would end up with the usual version of the deck, which I'm trying to take a break from
More seriously, Elites are something that I could add in theory, because they provide two warriors for Bramblewood to pump. I did put in two Elites for this reason but more importantly to ease the mana-curve and to give another line for an explosive start (T1 Heritage + T2 Elite).
Visionaries and Nettles would serve elf-storming, but this version is more about puffing up the existing elves. It is very rare that I would need Nettle's untap ability to continue producing mana. I see Visionaries and Nettles going hand in hand, but as said, the all-in-storming is not the point of my build. In the end, this version can storm pretty well also. I recommend you to try out and goldfish with the deck.
Taking out Joragas would be a mistake, in my opinion. If you have it in the opening hand, you can T1 dork/Heritage, T2 dork/Heritage + Joraga (for 1 mana), ending up with three 1CMC elves ready to produce 3 mana for a lord. If you draw it later, multikick it dumping all the excess mana. If you get it from CoCo, it is possible in rare cases to fizzle having a mere 1/1 Joraga. Usually, however, there is already a Bramblewood in play in which case you get once-kicked Joraga. Or you can CoCo for both Joraga and Bramblewood for the same result. Joraga is helpful in all stages of the game.
I'm fairly new to modern and to elves, but very enthusiastic about the format and about the glorious tribe. I have attended to couple FNMs and tomorrow will be a new one.
I've followed this thread for the last 10-15 pages and I've been inspired about the discussion so I thought it was time to take part. Until very recently, I had the 3 Leads / 3 Messenger -build, but I wanted to change gears a little bit. I think that the 3 Leads / 3 Messenger, even thought being resilient and consistent, lacks a good number of threats. That's why I've added more lords to the deck. In this way, the deck does not rely only on Ezuri or Shaman as win-conditions. In addition, the deck is more resilient against red removal (Pyroclasm, Anger of the Gods), if a couple lords hit the board empowering each other. Collected Companies also tend to produce more value by hitting lords more likely instead of dorks / Nettles or other small guys.
I have not yet tested this version of the deck in play, but I'm taking it to FNM tomorrow. I would appreaciate your feedback and ideas on the deck. If you have questions regarding any of my choices, I'm happy to share my thoughts. In any case, I will report back after the event. I play only paper magic, so I cannot report very frequently on matches. I'm also aware that the deck needs Caverns, and I will get them eventually.
Here's again my build for comparison/reference:
16 Forest
1 Okina, Temple to the Grandfathers
2 Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
Creatures
4 Llanowar Elves
4 Elvish Mystic
4 Heritage Druid
4 Joraga Warcaller
4 Bramblewood Paragon
1 Elvish Champion
4 Elvish Archdruid
4 Imperious Perfect
3 Ezuri, Renegade Leader
Spells
4 Collected Company
3 Lead the Stampede
2 Dismember
1 Choke
2 Scavenging Ooze
2 Relic of Progenitus
2 Kitchen Finks
2 Spellskite
2 Fracturing Gust
2 Reclamation Sage
What I like about the referenced list from Japan is 4 Lead the Stampede. I wish I could find room for a fourth one. It's also interesting how the mentioned deck runs 4 Dwynen's Elite and 4 Nettle Sentinel. It really makes use of the Bramblewood Paragons. I would really like to learn, how that version functions!
What I don't necessary like is the absence of Imperious Perfect. Even though you don't activate Imperious' ability too often, it is a threat that the opponent has to take seriously, since with Bramblewood on board it makes 3/3 tramplers (including Imperious' anthem).
Nettle's help elf-storming, but this is not usually the specific strength of Warrior-build due to lack of Elvish Visionary and Sylvan Messenger. That's why I don't run them. 4 Dwynen's instead of 2 makes Heritage druid combo on T2 more likely to happen. However, I prefer Imperious' anthem over this. Maybe 3/3 split between Dwynen's and Imperious is the most optimal version, who knows.
Dromoka's Command in the side is interesting, even the +1/+1 counter alternative has use. I don't know if a single Evolutionary Leap has any use.
Matches against Fish are usually very easy. We do what they do, but faster (Archdruid + Heritage) and can go longer and wider (CoCo + Lead), especially with Imperious. In my experience, Allies are also quite fast and we may have to take the control role at first. In this scenario, Imperious' ability may come into play. Regarding Slivers, I don't have any personal experience, but I would assume that the same applies as with Fish and Allies most of the time. We tend to be faster and more resilient.
That reminded me, I don't like the cuts on Llanowar Elves and Elvish Mystic on the Japan list.
Nice to see that the new set and threats provoke some Warrior builds
I had this SB in the last FNM
3 Chord of Calling
2 Fracturing Gust
2 Dismember
2 Spellskite
2 Scavenging Ooze
2 Kitchen Finks
1 Reclamation Sage
1 Phyrexian Revoker
Two things alerted me to change my SB somewhat radically after the FNM: matches against Storm and Living End and the fact that I hadn't sided in Phyrexian Revoker even once in all of my games. Storm and Living End especially use GY in their strategy and I noticed that my SB is not that great against them. Also Twin (which I faced) uses GY to a fair extent. I have two Scavenging Oozes to Chord for but that gives up the card advantage, since I basically have to side out Lead the Stampedes. I realized that in this build I need to always run Leads, since I don't include even Elvish Visionaries.
Consequently, I removed Chords and Phyrexian Revoker from the SB. I added two Relic of Progenitus to ensure GY hate, a second Reclamation Sage and a Choke to have against Twin among others.
2 Scavenging Ooze
2 Relic of Progenitus
2 Spellskite
2 Dismember
2 Reclamation Sage
2 Fracturing Gust
2 Kitchen Finks
1 Choke
What do you think of these changes? I feel good about them myself, but that is the right time to ask for others' expertise to avoid overlooking better alternatives.
My meta includes at least the following decks, which change a little bit from FNM to FNM:
UR Twin
Living End
Infect (Mono-G)
Mono-G Aggro
Storm
Mono-U Tron (haven't faced yet)
Bant (seems like a random pile)
2x Bogles
Merfolk
Burn
Allies
Mono-B Aggro
R/W Warrior-Lifegain Weenie
Little Zoo
Thanks already in advance for the insight! I enjoy seeing the forum being very vibrant. I had some work to be done after the holidays catching up with the forum with a plethora of posts. Keep it up!
@mikejudges Thanks for supporting CoCo-warriors (#4299)!
This post will consist of two parts:
1) Report from FNM 8.1.
2) Sideboard changes
First, the deck as a reference
4 Llanowar Elves
4 Elvish Mystic
4 Heritage Druid
4 Joraga Warcaller
2 Dwynen's Elite
4 Bramblewood Paragon
1 Elvish Champion
4 Elvish Archdruid
4 Imperious Perfect
3 Ezuri, Renegade Leader
3 Lead the Stampede
4 Collected Company
Lands
16 Forest
1 Okina, Temple to the Grandfathers
2 Nykthos, Shrine to Nykthos
3 Chord of Calling
2 Fracturing Gust
2 Dismember
2 Spellskite
2 Scavenging Ooze
2 Kitchen Finks
1 Reclamation Sage
1 Phyrexian Revoker
1) FNM
Went 3-1 and I'm very happy about it. I learned a lot, mostly about sideboarding and what to include in the board. As usual, lost all die-rolls but otherwise had lots of luck.
M1 Storm
G1 I was able to put so much pressure that he had to Grapeshot my elves sweeping me twice in the game. Leads and CoCos recovered me both times and opp ran out of gas before I did.
G2 In: 2 Scavenging Ooze, 2 Spellskite (not doing this again) and 3 Chord of Calling.
Opp sweeped me several times and the game went to time. Luckily, opp punted big time with his mana and I had elves inbound. He extends the hand.
1-0
M2 Living End
I regard this an awful MU for Elves (at least for me) so I was expecting a swift loss.
G1 Opp drew lands and cycled some creatures but never found a cascade card.
G2 In: 2 Scavenging Ooze and 2 Kitchen Finks
Opp had all the answers in his hand but never drew third land.
Despite these were no real games, I did realize not to extend too much.
2-0
M3 Mono-G aggro
G1 This is a pretty easy MU for us in general and everything went pretty much as expected: I was the faster of the aggros. In G1, I had a really fast hand. After dumping and playing maybe one more turn opp scooped before the inevitable.
G2 I thought a lot whether to sideboard or not. Finally decided not to and that was the correct decision. I got an Ezuri and opp had only 2 lands.
3-0
M4 UR Twin
G1 I had a great starting hand but opp wisely tapped my Archdruid on my upkeep with his Pestermite. He twinned me on T4.
G2 In: 2 Spellskite and 2 Dismember
Too much burnish control from opp. I played a Spellskite but he Roasted it, I think. I was able to hang on a little bit but opp pounded me with 2 Pestermites. I was able to stop Twin once with Dismember but died right after due to low life total.
3-1
I will continue with part 2) (sideboarding) later...
I have 19 lands now. In the Lead/Messenger -version 18 lands seems to be enough, but in this deck 19 appears to be the correct number.
In terms of sideboard, I took out Choke and added a second Dismember
16 Forest
2 Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
1 Okina, Temple to the Grandfathers
Creatures
4 Llanowar Elves
4 Elvish Mystic
4 Heritage Druid
4 Joraga Warcaller
4 Bramblewood Paragon
1 Elvish Champion
4 Elvish Archdruid
4 Imperious Perfect
3 Ezuri, Renegade Leader
Spells
3 Lead the Stampede
4 Collected Company
2 Dismember
2 Fracturing Gust
3 Chord of Calling
1 Reclamation Sage
1 Phyrexian Revoker
2 Kitchen Finks
2 Scavenging Ooze
2 Spellskite
Matches:
M1 Burn (slightly homebrew) 2-0
G1 Even with the lords, it is not easy to establish a board where the opp cannot wipe your board with a sweeper. However, in the long run, Leads and CoCos win the game. The opp is forced to deal with lords pretty fast, because he cannot burn them later. W
G2 In: 2 Kitchen Finks and 2 Spellskites. Out: something like 1 Bramlewood Paragon, 1 Elvish Champion, 1 Imperious Perfect, and 1 Ezuri, Renegade Leader. I'm entirely sure though. I had early Skite and Finks in play, but he tried to bolt one of my lords. I used Skite and he then used a sweeper. Finks and a pumped Dwynen's remained in play. I was able to regroup shortly after and won. W
M2 Same burn 2-1
Similar games. I lost one having to mull down to 5. My initial 7 had 5 lands, but maybe, and I mean maybe, I should have kept that. The burn player has Deflecting Palm in his deck. He said that this surprised a lot of people in the last FNM where he went 4-0.
M3 Bogles 2-1
G1 The opp outraced me Pathing my Ezuri. This time I didn't make the same mistake as with infect in FNM by playing Elvish Champion, since he had the hexproof-elf in play. L
G2 In: 3 Chord of Calling, 2 Fracturing Gust, 1 Reclamation Sage, and 2 Spellskite. Out: something like 3 Lead the Stampede, 4 Imperious Perfect, and 1 Bramblewood Paragon. I played dork, Archdruid, Archdruid, Chord for Ezuri and ran him over early. Guess the opp didn't have Path in hand. W
G3 Very grindy game. He was able to beat me to 1 life having a huge guy in play. I managed to establish a board that was able to keep the opp at bay long to enough to top-deck a fracturing gust. I waited my moment and opp even over-extended by playing more and more auras having 4 Spiritdancers in play. I waited for his attack, blew his auras away and Chorded for Ezuri and overran him. W
@mightygomes I remember someone suggesting Elemental Bond here before (to someone else than me). It's not bad, but maybe too slow in the end. My build is not trying to have grindy matches, but it is equipped for them, if need be. Elemental Bond appears to me as a win-more card. Comparing to Lead the Stampede, Lead usually gives you ~3 elves with 3 mana, while spending 3 mana on Elemental Bond does not by itself do anything.
@Curbal Merfolk is usually pretty easy MU for Elves. I just got a bad opening hand in G1. So, Chameleon Colossus is unnecessary. Against Merfolk, it´s about being faster, which Elves usually excel at.
15 Forest
2 Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
1 Okina, Temple to the Grandfathers
Creatures
4 Llanowar Elves
4 Elvish Mystic
4 Heritage Druid
4 Joraga Warcaller
4 Bramblewood Paragon
2 Elvish Champion
4 Imperious Perfect
4 Elvish Archdruid
3 Ezuri, Renegade Leader
Spells
3 Lead the Stampede
4 Collected Company
1 Choke
3 Chord of Calling
1 Dismember
2 Fracturing Gust
2 Kitchen Finks
1 Phyrexian Revoker
1 Reclamation Sage
2 Scavenging Ooze
2 Spellskite
Went 2-2 overall. As usual, didn't win any of the die-rolls.
R1 Infect 2-1
G1 I had the game going my way, but made a hilarious mistake. I played Elvish Champion not realizing that I will also make his Glistener Elf unblockable with pumps L
G2 Sided in Chords, Spellskites and Dismember. Chorded for Spellskite and beat the opp up. W
G3 Played Spellskite which got Dismembered. I Dismembered his guy in turn. After 2x CoCo, including Ezuri, I ran him over. W
R2 Allies 1-2
G1 Before the games the opp and I discussed how being on the play in modern is not as vital as it is in legacy. Well, I lost both the games in which I was on the draw and won the one game in which I was on the play. In G1, I had more boardpresence, but opp played an ally that gave his dudes protection from green and he beat me up. L
G2 I established tempo he couldn't keep up with. As said, beginning the game was crucial. W
G3 The same as G2, but for the opp. Looking back, I think I should have sided in Chords and take out Leads. I was missing Ezuri, I think, in every game. It would have definitely given me the edge. L
R3 Bogles 0-2
G1 Opp had excellent draws in both games and mine sucked. In G1, I also fizzled Lead pretty bad by gaining only one creature. Opp played Spiritdancer with plethora of auras getting him bunch of life via lifelink. L
G2 Sided in Chords, Fracturing Gusts and Rec Sage. I'm not sure whether I sided in Dismember or not, expecting the Spiritdancer again, most likely not. Opp again had the nuts leading with Spiritdancer while I got a late Chord trying to surprise him with Spellskite. Opp pathed Spellskite and also my Ezuri later on. I never saw my other sidetech. L
R4 Merfolk 2-1
G1 I had a slow start and opp Dismembered my Archdruid. He kept the momentum by playing lords that were unblockable due to Spreading Seas. L
G2 Sided in Dismember, Choke and Rec Sage. I Dismembered away his lord and blocked his other diminished guy killing it. Opp never recovered while I played an excellent CoCo for the victory. W
G3 Same thing. I got a great CoCo and again Dismembered one of his lords. W
Overall, the deck functioned fine. I had a few mulligans but no lower than to 6 cards. Often times, my starting hands were not great but doable. In some matches, I couldn't find my sb-stuff and I missed Ezuri from time to time. Again, in the ally-MU I think I should have sided in Chords. Ezuri would have won me those games. I have no complaints about the deck itself. With a little more luck, Allies and Bogles would have been beatable.
I noticed that you would like me to add Elites, Visionaries, and Nettles. In this way, I would end up with the usual version of the deck, which I'm trying to take a break from
More seriously, Elites are something that I could add in theory, because they provide two warriors for Bramblewood to pump. I did put in two Elites for this reason but more importantly to ease the mana-curve and to give another line for an explosive start (T1 Heritage + T2 Elite).
Visionaries and Nettles would serve elf-storming, but this version is more about puffing up the existing elves. It is very rare that I would need Nettle's untap ability to continue producing mana. I see Visionaries and Nettles going hand in hand, but as said, the all-in-storming is not the point of my build. In the end, this version can storm pretty well also. I recommend you to try out and goldfish with the deck.
Taking out Joragas would be a mistake, in my opinion. If you have it in the opening hand, you can T1 dork/Heritage, T2 dork/Heritage + Joraga (for 1 mana), ending up with three 1CMC elves ready to produce 3 mana for a lord. If you draw it later, multikick it dumping all the excess mana. If you get it from CoCo, it is possible in rare cases to fizzle having a mere 1/1 Joraga. Usually, however, there is already a Bramblewood in play in which case you get once-kicked Joraga. Or you can CoCo for both Joraga and Bramblewood for the same result. Joraga is helpful in all stages of the game.
I'm fairly new to modern and to elves, but very enthusiastic about the format and about the glorious tribe. I have attended to couple FNMs and tomorrow will be a new one.
I've followed this thread for the last 10-15 pages and I've been inspired about the discussion so I thought it was time to take part. Until very recently, I had the 3 Leads / 3 Messenger -build, but I wanted to change gears a little bit. I think that the 3 Leads / 3 Messenger, even thought being resilient and consistent, lacks a good number of threats. That's why I've added more lords to the deck. In this way, the deck does not rely only on Ezuri or Shaman as win-conditions. In addition, the deck is more resilient against red removal (Pyroclasm, Anger of the Gods), if a couple lords hit the board empowering each other. Collected Companies also tend to produce more value by hitting lords more likely instead of dorks / Nettles or other small guys.
I have not yet tested this version of the deck in play, but I'm taking it to FNM tomorrow. I would appreaciate your feedback and ideas on the deck. If you have questions regarding any of my choices, I'm happy to share my thoughts. In any case, I will report back after the event. I play only paper magic, so I cannot report very frequently on matches. I'm also aware that the deck needs Caverns, and I will get them eventually.
15 Forest
2 Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
1 Okina, Temple to the Grandfathers
Creatures
4 Llanowar Elves
4 Elvish Mystic
4 Heritage Druid
4 Joraga Warcaller
4 Bramblewood Paragon
2 Elvish Champion
4 Imperious Perfect
4 Elvish Archdruid
3 Ezuri, Renegade Leader
Spells
3 Lead the Stampede
4 Collected Company
1 Choke
3 Chord of Calling
1 Dismember
2 Fracturing Gust
2 Kitchen Finks
1 Phyrexian Revoker
1 Reclamation Sage
2 Scavenging Ooze
2 Spellskite