Elves (Unpowered)

Hi Guys,

I am typically an Elves player in Legacy but am thinking of having another deckbox with a few cards in so I can make a transition into a Vintage deck when the opportunity arises, which is rare in these parts. I would love your input because I am inexperienced in the format:

4 Glimpse of Nature
4 Skullclamp
1 Grapeshot
1 Fastbond
1 Vampiric Tutor

4 Llanowar Elves
4 Fyndhorn Elves
4 Birchlore Rangers
4 Quirion Ranger
3 Wirewood Symbiote
4 Heritage Druid
4 Nettle Sentinel
2 Reclamation Sage
1 Elvish Spirit Guide
1 Craterhoof Behemoth

4 Gaea's Cradle
4 Forest
2 Bayou
6 Fetch
2 Cavern of Souls

SB:
2 Reclamation Sage
2 Abrupt Decay
3 Ravenous Trap
4 Grafdigger's Cage
2 Elvish Visionary
2 Nature's Claim

To Power up I would remove Vampiric Tutor and a Fetch to put in Black Lotus and Mox Emerald.

I have tried to focus the list on drawing most of your deck. Whilst drawing a second 'Clamp is a blank if the first hasn't been countered/destroyed I want to maximise having one of Glimpse or 'Clamp. I am toying with a couple of Visionaries in the board for when I do want to slow down a bit and grind, typically against Delver or BUG Fish but I want to be quick out of the gates G1.

Some of the match-ups (just theoretical at the moment):

'Shops
Recurring Rec. Sage with Symbiote seems like a beating and it is nice that Thorn does nothing here. Plenty of Basics should be strong and destroying artifacts can come almost incidentally to the game plan so I hope this would be a decent match-up.

Delver
Potentially problematic. To go fast I am trying to resolve a key spell and it doesn't help that the majority of the deck is 1CMC. My plan is to bring in Decays and Visionaries and try to grind.

Oath
The plan is Cavern > Rec. Sage. Unlike Legacy Elves, this deck isn't hampered by Cage so that becomes the go to here.

Dredge
Graveyard hate. Plenty of it.

Merfolk
Should be a decent match-up with my mono-Forests and Fog ability with Symbiote. Hammer home enough Glimpses / Skullclamps to get one through what countermagic they have.

I think you need some more interaction with blue decks. A lot of them are just going to sit back and counter your high impact spells while waiting to deploy whatever their win condition is. You can't stop storm or vault/key and mentors can still easily run you over. Not sure what would be good for an elves deck that accomplishes that. Defense grid is the best thing I can think of off of the top of my head but that really only lets you advance your own plan and it doesn't help protect you.

I think you want the full 4 caverns for chalice and misstep protection too. With 4 caverns I think you have a shot at a good shops matchup since it's very likely you will be able to deploy multiple chump blockers. If some of them survive they can even produce mana so you would be in a great spot compared to a lot of normal vintage decks as long as you don't get chalice'd out of the game.

Thanks Pineapple, exactly the kind of feedback I was looking for. Maybe I could run 2 Thalias in the board and a Sulfur Elemental for Mentor.

Add DRS and a taiga so you can cast grapeshot

Edit. This is the list I would want to try

8 Fetches
10 Lands

4 Deathrite Shaman
4 Llanowar Elves
4 Heritage Druid
4 Birchlore Rangers
4 Nettle Sentinel
4 Quirion Ranger
3 Wirewood Symbiote
1 Craterhoof Behemoth
2 Reclamation Sage

4 Glimpse of Nature
4 Skullclamp
3 Cabal Therapy
1 Grapeshot

I have been thinking of making a G/U/b elf list where the draw engine is based on Edric rather than Skullclamp. That way you get to run Force of Will, Mental Misstep, and Time Walk. Still fiddling with the list before i piece it together. Maybe your list would benefit from going that route, and we could compare notes in a couple of weeks.