[Casual Deck with Potential] Combo Elves - New Take

[snare]

ok, i know the whole combo elves thing has been done to death. BUT, undisrupted, this build has been getting third turn kills A LOT. It actually has many possible thrid turn kill mechanisms, and all three synergize well together. Even if disrupted, fourth turn kills are extremely common.

Glimpse of nature + Cream of the crop + mana elves= GG
Intruder Alarm + Imperious Perfect + mana elves = GG
Staff of domoination + Titania's Priest + mana elves = GG
Intruder Alarm + Staff of domionation + Quirion Ranger + mana elves = is tech
Concordant Crossroads + Cream of the Crop + mana Elves = is tech

but yeah, its pretty easy to dump your whole deck by turn 3, flame away :)

1cc
3 Concordant Crossroads
4 Glimpse of Nature
4 Llanowar elves
4 Fyndhorn elves
4 Birchlore Rangers
4 quirion rangers
2cc
1 Brain Freeze
3 Cream of the crop
4 Priest of titania
3cc
3 Staff of Domination
3 Intruder Alarm
4 Imperious Perfect

Mana Sources
4 Elvish Spirit Guide
4 Land Grant
4 Tropical Island
5 Forest
2 Yavimaya coast

[SuckerPunch]

This strategy looks like it does have potential. Not neccesarily to combo out but to speed up elves in general.

Crossroads + Glimpse of Nature + Intruder Alarm are very solid cards that accelerate elves.

I'm not sure you should play many non elves beyond that though. And Intruder Alarm is also questionable because you have to splash an entire color just for that one card.

If you're looking for a neat combo with Priest of Titania, I think Umbral Mantle might* be faster than Staff of Domination. I'm not sure though.

I play elves a lot, and I honestly think there are many elves in general that are superior to Birchlore Ranger. If you keep Intruder Alarm, then yeah, keep the Rangers because they have good snyrgy, otherwise, cut it.

[Skeggi]

I'm not sure you should play many non elves beyond that though. And Intruder Alarm is also questionable because you have to splash an entire color just for that one card.

Well, looks like the kill is Brain Freeze.

[Kuma]

I'm not sure if Intruder Alarm helps or hurts the deck. On one hand it can lead to absolutely sick turns, but so can Glimpse of Nature with Wirewood Symbiote. Do we want to make a deck that's already vulnerable to Counterbalance and removal even more vulnerable? Glimpse of Nature plus eight untappers is sickness enough.

This deck is screaming for Wirewood Symbiote. Run four.

Heritage Druid > Birchlore Rangers. Mono-green is the best way to play this deck.

Better than Brain Freeze is playing every elf in your deck, tapping all blockers, and swinging for ~30. Brain Freeze is a dead card unless you've comboed.

Land Grant isn't worth it. It's not worth showing your opponent your hand to thin your deck by one card.

Run some Gaea's Cradles and a Pendelhaven.

You've got to have Caller of the Claw in here somewhere, the deck needs answers to mass removal.

I'll post my list when I get home.

[snare]

I'm not sure if Intruder Alarm helps or hurts the deck. On one hand it can lead to absolutely sick turns, but so can Glimpse of Nature with Wirewood Symbiote. Do we want to make a deck that's already vulnerable to Counterbalance and removal even more vulnerable? Glimpse of Nature plus eight untappers is sickness enough.

This deck is screaming for Wirewood Symbiote. Run four.

Heritage Druid > Birchlore Rangers. Mono-green is the best way to play this deck.

Better than Brain Freeze is playing every elf in your deck, tapping all blockers, and swinging for ~30. Brain Freeze is a dead card unless you've comboed.

Land Grant isn't worth it. It's not worth showing your opponent your hand to thin your deck by one card.

Run some Gaea's Cradles and a Pendelhaven.

You've got to have Caller of the Claw in here somewhere, the deck needs answers to mass removal.

I'll post my list when I get home.

at first, i agreed that mono greem was best, but after adding in the intruder alarm i found that i had so many possible ways of comboing out i couldnt say no.

the point of this deck is synergy>focus.

there are so many combos going in this deck i sometimes need to play each turn really slowly just to make sure i don't miss anything.

Staff of domination>umbral mantle, simply cos staff is good with or without the priest, and is far better if the game reaches past turn 6

you are definately right about land grant, its too much.

brain freeze is a great one off. the point of this deck is that I am not even going for a specific combo, theres heaps of combos that all synergize, any of them might be the one i draw.

I agree with you on the symbiotes though, but they are not elves... and I don't know what to take out for them???

As for mass removal, the deck comes back from a board sweeper extremely fast. one elf and a glimpse will often refill your table.

definately agree on the cradle and a haven too.

but yer, the reason this deck has been having looking good is;
- too many options, versatility
- opponents dont know what to destroy/counter
- VERY consistent goldfish speed

[Illissius]

Is there a way to make this deck work with Birchlore Rangers/Heritage Druid plus Nettle Sentinels without relying so much on things like Crossroads?

[MTG Guru]

Is this combo any better than Wirewood Channeler and Pemmin's Aura plus Stroke of Genius?

[Sims]

Is this combo any better than Wirewood Channeler and Pemmin's Aura plus Stroke of Genius?

Or Glimpse + elves => Tendrils.

[snare]

Is this combo any better than Wirewood Channeler and Pemmin's Aura plus Stroke of Genius?

Yes
- faster due to lower casting cost, channeler costs 4cc
- less fragile (they cant nuke two combo pieces in one go like with the pemmins aura combo, kill the creature in response to casting the aura, bye bye both cards)
- harder to splash for pemmins, its has UU in the casting cost


Or Glimpse + elves => Tendrils.

It essentially has that combo in there anyway (brain freeze instead of tendrils), it just runs better with cream of the crop added in to make sure you always draw the cards you want off the glimpse


Is there a way to make this deck work with Birchlore Rangers/Heritage Druid plus Nettle Sentinels without relying so much on things like Crossroads?

I dont see how nettle sentinels are any good unless you have two or more in play in play. But 2x Nettle sentinel plus birchlore would be an ersatz intuder alarm... so it might add in even more random combo synergy to the deck.

[xsockmonkeyx]

Wow, Ive been working on this too.

Here's what I got so far:

Draw
4 Glimpse
3 Harmonize
4 Sylvan Messenger

Engine
4 Birchlore Ranger
4 Heritage Druid
4 Nettle Sentinel

Elves
5 Llanowar Elf
4 Quirion Ranger
4 ESG

Not an Elf
4 Wirewood Symbiote

Kill
2 Wirewood Herald
1 Caller of the Claw
3 Goblin Bombardment

Lands
8 Green Fetches
2 Taiga
4 Forest

So basically you use the engine and draw spells to dump ~9-10+ elves into play, then drop Bombardment. You can either pass the turn and try to kill them when you untap, or, if you have it, throw all your elves at them, then play Caller and throw all your bears at them. It goldfishes pretty consistently at turn 3-4, and Ive pulled off a couple turn 2 kills.

The Tendrils idea is intriguing. I imagine the BB would be awkward, but manageable.

EDIT: Cream of the Crop is worthless without an Imperious, or some other power booster, and a bunch of 1/1 elves.

From the oracle rulings for CotC:

4/1/2008 If the creature has 1 power, this ability lets you look at the top card of your library, then you'll have to leave it there.

[Browncoat]

Ever thought about Vitalize to keep things going?

[xsockmonkeyx]

Ever thought about Vitalize to keep things going?

Ha! Thats one of the cards I was going to test soon. Good thinking.