[Deck] Crystalline Elves

[Illissius]

*** ORACLE UPDATE ***

Eladamri, Lord of Leaves
Eladamri was never supposed to boost himself with his own abilities. When he became an Elf in the last update, however, he suddenly started affecting himself. This was an unintended functional change, and it's been corrected—he now affects "other" Elves.

http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x...m/feature/440a

YIKES!

Eladamri, Lord of Leaves

Legendary Creature -- Elf Warrior
2/2
Elf creatures have forestwalk.
All Elves have shroud. (They can't be the targets of spells or abilities.)

With the Lorwyn Oracle update, R&D updated Eladamri to be an Elf, but they didn't change the wording to say "other". This was probably a mistake which will most likely (but hopefully not) be fixed with Morningtide, but until then, it puts us in the unique situation of having a tribe with both a Crystalline Sliver and Goblin Ringleader in it, among many other things. I'm surprised no one has tried a deck yet.

Here are what look like the notable cards to consider:

Mana Elves
Elvish Spirit Guide
Llanowar Elves
Fyndhorn Elves
Elves of Deep Shadow
Boreal Druid
Priest of Titania
Rofellos, Llanowar Emissary

Card Drawing Elves
Sylvan Messenger
Wirewood Herald
Bloodline Shaman
Coiling Oracle
Multani's Acolyte
Masked Admirers

Token Producing Elves
Wren's Run Packmaster
Lys Alana Huntmaster
Wirewood Hivemaster
Deranged Hermit
Thelonite Hermit
Caller of the Claw

Elven Lords
Eladamri, Lord of Leaves
Imperious Perfect
Elvish Champion
Mirror Entity

Pump Elves
Gempalm Strider
Tribal Forcemage

Large Elves
Elvish Vanguard
Titania's Chosen

Combat Elves
Skyshroud Elite
Wren's Run Vanquisher
Thornweald Archer
Gaea's Skyfolk

Utility Elves
Elvish Lyrist
Elvish Scrapper
Viridian Zealot
Elvish Replica
Viridian Shaman
Glissa Sunseeker
Thornscape Battlemage
Lys Alana Scarblade
Wellwisher
Taunting Elf

Non-Creature Elves
Elvish Promenade
Prowess of the Fair
Eyeblight's Ending

Other Important Cards
Skyshroud Poacher
Aether Vial
Survival of the Fittest
Concordant Crossroads
Glimpse of Nature
Duress
Thoughtseize
Cabal Therapy
Winter Orb
Fecundity
Absolute Law

I'm not really sure how to build the deck, which is why I've provided this large reference of options. I think I'd start with something like:

4 Thoughtseize
4 Cabal Therapy
4 Llanowar Elves
4 Fyndhorn Elves
4 Eladamri, Lord of Leaves
4 Sylvan Messenger

...heavily considering
4 Aether Vial
4 Wirewood Herald
1 Caller of the Claw
1 Viridian Zealot
1 Eyeblight's Ending

...and then something like ~10 more nonland cards from the list above, including a way to deal copious amounts of damage (whether tokens, +1/+1 counters, lords, overruns, or whatever). Your Elves may be Crystalline, but they aren't blue, so you'd have a tough time using a blue disruption suite (no FoW etc), which leaves black. (And I'm pretty sure you want a disruption suite in a slower Elf deck like this one). Eladamri is Legendary, but he's so awesome (for now) that I'm fairly certain you want four. Besides the whole shroud thing, he also makes your army unblockable against Goyfs, which seems pretty huge (single handed game winner against Threshold like). Getting Eladamri and Messengers through is critical, which is why I'm inclined to use Vials, despite the temptation to just use more mana elves instead, which don't give you nearly as much resilience. Your main weakness which Eladamri doesn't deal with is Pyroclasm and other mass removal, hence the Herald-Caller package, though Absolute Law, Fecundity, and Prowess of the Fair can also help after boarding.

How would you build it?

[SuckerPunch]

I don't think it was a mistake. Lord creatures should belong to the tribe they help and should help themselves. So I doubt and hope that Wizards won't change the wording, esp given that elves isn't exactly breaking legacy in half.

That said, yes there's been work to get casual elves to be legacy viable.

I personally prefer the mono green builds. Yes, they're not disruptive, but they're a lot more broken.

And Lorywn added some other great eleves, both teh Wren's Run creatures for example that probably deserve to be played.

[Illissius]

I don't think it was a mistake. Lord creatures should belong to the tribe they help and should help themselves.

I happen to agree with this (the new Faerie lord being a 1/1 who only makes your other Faeries untargetable is retarded, and the difference between an awesome card and an awful one), but this isn't a consideration with the Oracle wording of existing cards. The only thing they care about is that they work as they were intended, say on the card, and within the rules, as far as possible. In this case, Eladamri certainly wasn't intended to make himself untargetable (just read the actual card), so it's definitely a mistake.

[satellites]

Here's a list I threw together today:

// Lands
3 [US] Gaea's Cradle
8 [10E] Forest (4)
3 [ON] Wirewood Lodge

// Creatures
3 [VI] Quirion Ranger
2 [ON] Wellwisher
4 [10E] Elvish Champion
2 [10E] Gaea's Herald
4 [ON] Elvish Vanguard
4 [UL] Multani's Acolyte
4 [IA] Fyndhorn Elves
3 [TE] Eladamri, Lord of Leaves
3 [EX] Skyshroud Elite
4 [LOR] Imperious Perfect
4 [10E] Llanowar Elves
2 [LOR] Lys Alana Huntmaster
4 [US] Priest of Titania

// Spells
4 [EX] Coat of Arms

// Sideboard
SB: 3 [TE] Choke
SB: 3 [VI] City of Solitude
SB: 3 [SOK] Pithing Needle
SB: 4 [PLC] Seal of Primordium
SB: 2 [UD] Compost


Eladamri is ultra-hot in the deck, but the only problem is that there isn't much disruption. Though, generally, you can get a pretty huge Coat of Arms by turn 4-ish.

[Pinder]

Though, generally, you can get a pretty huge Coat of Arms by turn 4-ish.

I'm not really sure that the Coat of Arms is needed in a deck like this, it can usually win off the back of a couple of flipped Tribal Forcemages (which also grant trample, which is incredibly relevant) and/or cycled Gempalm Strider. 6/6 is just as good as 20/20 when you have a ton of them on the table. And each of the aforementioned cards gets nabbed with Messenger, which is also incredibly relevant.

[Happy Gilmore]

Here's a list I threw together today:

// Lands
3 [US] Gaea's Cradle
8 [10E] Forest (4)
3 [ON] Wirewood Lodge

// Creatures
3 [VI] Quirion Ranger
2 [ON] Wellwisher
4 [10E] Elvish Champion
2 [10E] Gaea's Herald
4 [ON] Elvish Vanguard
4 [UL] Multani's Acolyte
4 [IA] Fyndhorn Elves
3 [TE] Eladamri, Lord of Leaves
3 [EX] Skyshroud Elite
4 [LOR] Imperious Perfect
4 [10E] Llanowar Elves
2 [LOR] Lys Alana Huntmaster
4 [US] Priest of Titania

// Spells
4 [EX] Coat of Arms

// Sideboard
SB: 3 [TE] Choke
SB: 3 [VI] City of Solitude
SB: 3 [SOK] Pithing Needle
SB: 4 [PLC] Seal of Primordium
SB: 2 [UD] Compost


Eladamri is ultra-hot in the deck, but the only problem is that there isn't much disruption. Though, generally, you can get a pretty huge Coat of Arms by turn 4-ish.

Seems like a perfect place to play Thorn of Amythyst, also with the new change to lords Elvish Champion seems better than Tribal forcemage by a long shot. Forestwalk is some kind of good against thresh.

[Aggro_zombies]

Ever thought about Silhana Ledgewalker? Unblockable and has Troll untargetability on its own, it's been some good in my casual elf deck. Btw, you can go for a combo finish with this deck by adding a single Wellwisher or the elf Soul Warden, then cast a huge Hurricane ftw. Bonus points for using Living Wish ==> Boseiju to do it.

[Wynk]

I've been tryin a list with Gaddock Teegs. A splash instead of can offer Cabal Therapy, Duress, and Thoughtseize, but offers Glowrider, Gaddock Teeg, and Mirror Entity.

//Mana//
3 chrome mox
4 savannah
4 windswepth heath
4 forests
2 land grant

//One Cost Elves//
2 Elves of Deep Shadow
4 Fyndhorn Elves
4 Llanowar Elves
4 Quirion Ranger

//Two Cost Elves//
3 Bloodline Shaman
3 Eladamri, Lord of Leaves
2 Wirewood Herald
4 Priest of Titania

//Three Cost Elves//
1 Caller of the Claw
3 Elvish Champion
4 Imperious Perfect
4 Mirror Entity

//Four Cost Elf//
1 Sylvan Messenger

//Utility creature//
4 Gaddock Teeg

// Sideboard
SB: 4 Glowriders
SB: 4 Viridian zealots
SB: 4 EE
SB: 3 Night Soil

The inclusion of 6 elves that grant your other elves forestwalk creates a positive game situation vs. Thresh.

The combination of Priest of Titiania, Elf pumpers, and Mirror Entity can create a reliable Turn 4 win.

If I can cast Gaddock Teeg by turn 1-2 it may buy me a few turns againt combo and control. The board includes Glowriders and possibly Thorn of Amythyst to further delay combo/control. These can reliably be cast 2.

Night Soil is jank, but it can be online by turn 2 and reliably get rid of dredgers, Ichorids, and Tarmogoyfs in Cephalid Breakfast.

[MasterC]

Why don't you consider Wren's Run Packmaster? This card offers everything an Elves Deck was missing until Lorwyn release. He is a huge beatstick by itself, he is a win condition that can abuse the sick amount of mana elf decks usually create and most important, he is not shuffled away by Messenger and Bloodline Shaman.

Wren's Run Vanquisher: Same Question.

3/3 Deathtouch for G1 is ridiculous. It can apply early Pressure and kills everything that tries to attack us without wings.


A rough list:

4 Bayou
4 Windswept Heath
5 Forest
2 Gaea's Cradle

3 Llanowar Elves
3 Fyndhorn Elves
2 Elves of Deep Shadow
4 Priest of Titania
4 Quirion Ranger
4 Sylvan Messenger
2 Eladamri, Lord of Leafs
4 Gempalm Strider
4 Wren's Run Packmaster
4 Wren's Run Vanquisher
3 Bloodline Shaman

4 Cabal Therapy
4 Duress / Thoughtseize

SB:
4 Krosan Grip
3 Planar Void
4 Leyline of Lifeforce
4 Engineered Plague

[Barook]

While we can agree about good Wren's Run Vanquisher is in an aggro approach of the deck, I wonder why Skyshroud Elite is so ignored. In the current meta, it's pretty much guranteed that it's Kird Ape.

@Wynk: You run Mirror Entity, lots of Elves and no Cradle? This just seems wrong...

[Mordenkain]

I have tried Elves! as a deck before, and the problem I usually face is that the deck is not fast enough to warrant playing it over combo nor is disruptive enough to warrant play over goblins.

To not roll over and die to combo decks, you either needs to be faster and/or disrupt them. Elves! do neither. You would need to add black for Elves! to be playable, cabal therapy and duress/thoughtseize is a barely enough.

Even though the "new" elf lord is cool and all, he doesn't really solve the problems Elves! have imo, mainly being raced by combo and being beaten to death by mass removal. As mentioned, a black splash seems to be a decent solution, however, I think it won't be enough.

Now, I think Morningtide and the following blocks/series/whatever it's called nowadays might bring us some more busted elves, so it could be good to test to find an optimal decklist and hope we get som solutions.

For reference, I have a list of a more agro/combo orientated version of Elves! lying around, maybe it can give some help.

// Lands
3 Gaea's Cradle
14 Forest

// Creatures
4 Fyndhorn Elves
4 Llanowar Elves
4 Quirion Ranger
4 Wirewood Symbiote
4 Priest of Titania
3 Wirewood Hivemaster
3 Fierce Empath
3 Skyshroud Poacher
4 Sylvan Messenger
3 Deranged Hermit
1 Brass Herald
1 Platinum Angel
1 Sundering Titan

// Spells
4 Food Chain

This is list was more a try of abusing Food Chain, a quest I have more or less abonded now though. However, Skyshroud Poacher + Deranged Hermit is savage.

- Mordenkain

EDIT: The most savage "elf" card I have ever played haven't been mentioned yet. Wirewood Symbiote is really crazy/retarded/stupidly good/<insert random expression here>. You should run it guys. Only downside is that it get shuffled away by messenger, however, the crazynes of the card more than makes up for it.

[Illissius]

The most savage "elf" card I have ever played haven't been mentioned yet. Wirewood Symbiote is really crazy/retarded/stupidly good/<insert random expression here>..

I intentionally didn't mention any cards which require you to target your Elves, seeing as the focus here is to try and build around Eladamri (there's already a thread for the "normal" Elves decks). Otherwise, yeah, Symbiote is amazing... maybe amazing enough to use despite the dissynergy, I don't know.

[Mordenkain]

I intentionally didn't mention any cards which require you to target your Elves, seeing as the focus here is to try and build around Eladamri (there's already a thread for the "normal" Elves decks). Otherwise, yeah, Symbiote is amazing... maybe amazing enough to use despite the dissynergy, I don't know.

Hmm, good call, I didn't even think about it needing to target an elf. I just have Wirewood Symbiote as an autoinclude whenever I make something with elves. Having a friend who played Survival Elves.dec for over a year I know the deadlines of the card.

Not to repeat my last post, but I think that excluding cards like Symbiote to include a stompy elf who saves doesn't solve any elves problems besides saving our dudes from Swords to Plowshares, which is a task Symbiote handles quite fatastic itself.

To make elves competive, you need to go AgroControl with it. It's not fast or resilient enough to stand on its own without disruptive backup. I think black is the best suited for this, and Lorwyn also indicates this with the printing of black elf cards. But at the same time, I think that Elves! are gonna need more "controlish" elves to be any good.

One thing I like about Lorwyn though, is the sexyness of a Sylvan Messenger grapping non-creature elf cards.

- Mordenkain

[Illissius]

Well, you can always target itself with the Symbiote if all you care about is the bounce, which could be, but that's not quite optimal.

[Kronicler]

I think the question is whether or not we use Aether Vial or just go the mana elf route. On one hand Vial is amazing because your creatures are uncounterable and can come into play at instant speed bla bla bla, but on the other hand it is actually pretty slow when compaired with 8 1cc mana elves and 4 priest. I guess I'll have to test a little bit.

Kronicler

EDIT: What do people think of the elvish harbringer? It does cost 3 and it puts the creature on top of your library rather than into your hand, but it still seems really good for finding Eladamri or a pump elf or forcemage to end the game.

[Tacosnape]

Every single list posted in this thread would be improved by adding 1 or more Pendelhavens.

[GreenOne]

IMO Elves can be pushed into 2 different ways:

The Combo:
A creature driven combo that makes loads of mana with Priest of Titania untapped multiple times by Wirewood Symbiote and Quirion Ranger, draws a lot of cards with Glimpse of Nature and Collective Unconscious, Living wishes for something like a "Fireball Guy" or a "Overrun Guy" and win. That can be done usually by turn 3-4, but the deck has no disruption at all and the goldfish is slower than Legacy standard combos. however, the deck can play like a so-so aggro deck as a plan B and a resolved draw spell is almost GG vs Control / Aggrocontrol. However, Pyroclasm etc. are almost GG for them.

The Aggro:
A version similar to goblins that abuses elves card advantage and has better beaters with Skyshroud Elite and the new 1G 3/3 Deathtouch, and that packs tribal removal and the same Mana Denial of goblins (4 Waste, 4 Ports).
This could be quite funny to try.

[Wynk]

@Barook Lol, I forgot all about the Cradles given that I don't own any.

Given the use of quirion rangers, I fell into the trap of avoiding non-forest lands. Pendlehaven may be a good choice, but given all the pumpers there aren't going to be lots of 1/1's on the table.

For the aggro version of elves, we could add 4 wastelands/4 ports, but given that goblins have problems with combo and is slowly being phased out of DTB status, Aggro elves has to either have better disruption or a faster clock.

[Kronicler]

Rangers target, so forget about them. Pendelhaven seem good in theory, but if we run 8 +1/+1 elves, which I definately think we should, then Pendelhaven will have pretty much 0 targets.

Here is what I think the core of the deck should be:

(virtual and actual) Card Advantage:
4 Bloodline Shaman (these guys seem incredible)
4 Sylvan Messenger
3 Eladamri (remember he is legendary)

Pump:
4 Elvish Champion
4 Imperious Perfect

Cheap Beats:
4 Wren Run's Vanquisher
4 Skyshroud Elite

Then we probably want to run the Harbinger from Lorwyn for tutor power and so that we can find Eladamri consistently. We also probably want some mana elves and 2 or so forcemages to finish off our opponents if the board is stalled. Wellwisher also seems pretty good against Breakfast as 1 or 2 turns with her online and a bunch of blockers on our side of the table and all of a sudden their ghoul isn't looking like such a great way to kill us. Finally we probably want Ports and Wastelands for disruption and Vials to go along with them.

My only problem with this deck is that it suffer's from Meathooks' problem in that it can easily be forced to over extend. Now granted this deck has infinity more card advantage than Meathooks which will allow it to recover much faster from a mass removal spell, but it still seems like a pretty big weakness.

Kronicler

[Illissius]

I'd much rather use Wirewood Herald (along with Cabal Therapy) than Harbinger (or, alternately, neither). Three mana for a 1/2 who doesn't even put cards in your hand is pretty weak. Wellwisher seems much better in a comboish version with haste and engines and untap effects and all that (might also apply to Bloodline Shaman), here I think it's just going to gain ~4ish life a turn which doesn't sound like enough to seriously hinder combo decks -- we're probably better off playing discard spells for against them.

I'm also pretty sure I'd use four Eladamri, even if he's Legendary. Much of the time I expect games could play out like resolved Eladamri = win, drawing an extra Eladamri after they stop the first = win, drawing an extra Eladamri and getting it stuck in your hand = still win. If we had an honest to God version of Goblin Matron I'd be open to considering less, but our options with Elven tutors suck in comparison.