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View Full Version : [Deck Discussion]Making Vial Elves goblin good



morgan_coke
01-11-2008, 04:59 PM
With all the new stuff elf decks have gotten in Lorwyn and Morningtide, I figured I make an attempt to see if they were able to be shaped into a competitive Legacy decklist. There are two ways I see taking the deck. Route #1 is Mono-Green with Mana Denial, Route #2 is G/B with Discard.

Route #1
Mana Accelerators
4x Aether Vial
4x Llanowar Elves
4x Fyndhorn Elves

Mana Denial
4x Rishadan Port
4x Winter Orb
4x Wasteland

Beats
4x Wren's Run Vanquisher
4x Wolf-Skull Shaman
4x Skyshroud Elite Pump
4x Imperious Perfect
4x Eladamri, Lord of Leaves

Removal
2x Viridian Zealot

Lands
13x Forest
1x Pendelhaven

Sideboard
4x Primal Order
3x Krosan Grip
4x Thorn of Amethyst
4x Wellwisher

The maindeck Zealots help with things like opposing Vials, Moats, etc. Grips are in the board to deal with things like Plague and Humility that Zealot can't kill. The Thorns are for combo decks, and the Primal Orders are for things like Dirt and Survival that run very few basics but lots of lands and tricks. Wellwisher + Eledamri = gg burn and most other aggressive strategies.

Route #2
Acceleration
4x Aether Vial
4x Llanowar Elves

Beats
4x Wren's Run Vanquisher
4x Skyshroud Elite
4x Wolf-Skull Shaman

Pump
4x Imperious Perfect

Draw/Search
4x Sylvan Messenger
4x Wirewood Herald

Tutor Targets
1x Viridian Zealot
1x Caller of the Claw
1x Eladamri, Lord of Leaves
1x Rhys, the Exiled
1x Eyeblight's Ending Discard
4x Cabal Therapy

Lands
1x Pendelhaven
4x Wooded Foothills
4x Bayou
2x Swamp
4x Bloodstained Mire
4x Forest
2x Gilt-Leaf Palace

Sideboard
4x Thoughtseize
4x Duress
4x Smother
1x Prowess of the Fair
1x Wellwisher
1x Eladamri, Lord of Leaves

This version goes for more flexibility and card advantage to couple with it's beatdown strategy, however, only four discard spells make this version a bit weaker than it could have been. Something probably needs to get cut to fit some Thougthseizes in here, and some Mutavaults most likely wouldn't be out of place either.


On some general notes, Eladamri just gives "Shroud" so stuff like Timberwatch or Symbiote or Ranger (or, disappointingly, Rancor) would be kind of pointless imho, and there are lifegain elves in the lists because burn is a factor as is other aggro, and you should be able to just "outlife" things like goblins until you can just swarm them with giant elf and wolf tokens or something. None of the Elf champion-ability creatures are in here, though there are some interesting possibilities with them and Vial and stuff on the stack.

I think these are solid, if unspectacular starting points for this discussion and would love to hear what everyone has to say and contribute. Together I think we can push elves up to something approaching goblins' level of competitiveness. Maybe.

TeenieBopper
01-11-2008, 05:14 PM
Soon as there's an elf warchief that gives them all haste, you'll be golden.

edit: and Elvish Lackey. But the first one is really more important.

Nihil Credo
01-11-2008, 05:23 PM
1) Elf thread already exists.

2) If Eladamri does not get errata'd back into suckitude, then Elves is already entirely viable. Lacking Warchief and Lackey stops it from being an explosive aggro deck, but having access to Crystalline Sliver and a bear-generating Lord in addition to their Ringleader gives the tribe unique resilience.

morgan_coke
01-11-2008, 05:33 PM
didn't know there was already an aggro elf thread, thanks.

mods, please close this.