[Primer] Elves!

This is what I'll likely be running for Eternal Weekend since I cut the blue splash thinking its not needed for a more general meta can't decide if I want to go up to 4 Decays or run a 2nd Reclamation Sage in the board there so many targets after board and lots of people are boarding Cages for Elves.

Creature (30)
2 Birchlore Rangers
2 Craterhoof Behemoth
4 Deathrite Shaman
4 Elvish Visionary
3 Heritage Druid
3 Nettle Sentinel
4 Quirion Ranger
1 Reclamation Sage
1 Ruric Thar, the Unbowed
1 Scavenging Ooze
4 Wirewood Symbiote
1 Wren's Run Packmaster

Spells (11)
4 Glimpse of Nature
4 Green Sun's Zenith
3 Natural Order

Land (20)
2 Bayou
2 Dryad Arbor
2 Forest
4 Gaea's Cradle
1 Pendelhaven
1 Misty Rainforest
4 Windswept Heath
4 Wooded Foothills

Sideboard (15)
4 Abrupt Decay or 3 Abrupt Decay and 1 Reclaimation Sage.
1 Elderscale Wurm
1 Natural Order
1 Progenitus
2 Pithing Needle
1 Null Rod
1 Sylvan Library
4 Thoughtseize


@ESG
I ran Ezuri for awhile but it relies on having multiple elves out plus decent amount of mana to shine. Packmaster is better in grindy match ups.

@apon
Zealous Persecution you don't have a way of tutoring for it so would take a few slots plus you have to run Savanah.

@DarthObiwan
Your list is pretty similar to what I am running but I have Pendlehaven instead of Taiga and 1 more fetch instead of a Forest. I cut the blue splash recently, used to have a Tropical to support some Swan Songs in the board. Might go back to it. I like Swan Song against the blue based combo decks with Brainstorm and Ponder like Storm and Sneak and Show which are fairly common in my local meta but of unknown quantity at larger events.

Ruric Thar is just so good against Storm and RU Delver. Decent against burn as well. I find you can cast Ruric Thar off Birchlore, Deathrite or Zenith for it that you don't really need the Taiga. The Pendelhaven really helps against Miracles and control.

I think Julian cut Natural Order and Progenitus from the board in favor of extra Null Rod/Choke for Miracles.

Not sure Melira is worth it unless Infect is really popular. Seems very narrow. 4th Abrupt Decay just seems better in other match ups.

I actually think Elderscale Wurm is better for the current meta then Worldspine. Expect more RU Cruise delver and Burn then Show and Tell decks.

@Krasman
eeeeew white border. I dislike white border but nice eraser work. Issue with many of the white sleeves is you can see the backs through most of them.

I definitely love Ruric Thar. But doesn't having 61st card and extra "non-elves" result in clunky hands?

Thought you guys would like this as well (xpost from Pimp Thread):

http://i2.wp.com/itsjulian.com/wp-co...4/10/Elves.png

Too foil, would not buy.

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Originally Posted by Krasman

May as well share here as well.

http://i62.tinypic.com/2pzl4dj.jpg

http://i57.tinypic.com/2wc2yax.jpg

http://i59.tinypic.com/24bpy7b.jpg

http://i59.tinypic.com/33vj9rr.jpg

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Can't unsee...


Btw Is that a NES playmat?

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Originally Posted by .Ix

Can't unsee...


Btw Is that a NES playmat?

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Yes it is a NES controller.

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Originally Posted by Arianeira

@DarthObiwan
Your list is pretty similar to what I am running but I have Pendlehaven instead of Taiga and 1 more fetch instead of a Forest. I cut the blue splash recently, used to have a Tropical to support some Swan Songs in the board. Might go back to it. I like Swan Song against the blue based combo decks with Brainstorm and Ponder like Storm and Sneak and Show which are fairly common in my local meta but of unknown quantity at larger events.

Ruric Thar is just so good against Storm and RU Delver. Decent against burn as well. I find you can cast Ruric Thar off Birchlore, Deathrite or Zenith for it that you don't really need the Taiga. The Pendelhaven really helps against Miracles and control.

I think Julian cut Natural Order and Progenitus from the board in favor of extra Null Rod/Choke for Miracles.

Not sure Melira is worth it unless Infect is really popular. Seems very narrow. 4th Abrupt Decay just seems better in other match ups.

I actually think Elderscale Wurm is better for the current meta then Worldspine. Expect more RU Cruise delver and Burn then Show and Tell decks.

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I've had a few times where the Taiga allowed me to cast Thar, that being said it would be nice to go back to 9 fetch lands as Deathrite fodder. I have found the 3 Forest to be very valuable in the local meta as Blood Moon is quite common.

I was contemplating cutting Progenitus, I still like the 4th NO when I get into the match ups where I'm going to want to find Ruric or Hoof as fast as possible. Plus Progenitus seems to end up in my hand way more often than in my Library when I'm ready to get him on the table.

Miracles hasn't shown up huge around here, I only know of 2 people that play and as you mention RU Cruise seems to be becoming the flavor of the day. I feel like the 2 Needles and 1 Null Rod can be my hedge against Miracles, Painter and Mud.

I can see running Elderscale over Worldspine. I've never come across Sneak and Show outside of playtesting. Plus in that testing, I found Discard + Needle were more important than having a winning fatty to show off of Show and Tell.

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Originally Posted by DarthObiwan

I've had a few times where the Taiga allowed me to cast Thar, that being said it would be nice to go back to 9 fetch lands as Deathrite fodder. I have found the 3 Forest to be very valuable in the local meta as Blood Moon is quite common.

I was contemplating cutting Progenitus, I still like the 4th NO when I get into the match ups where I'm going to want to find Ruric or Hoof as fast as possible. Plus Progenitus seems to end up in my hand way more often than in my Library when I'm ready to get him on the table.

Miracles hasn't shown up huge around here, I only know of 2 people that play and as you mention RU Cruise seems to be becoming the flavor of the day. I feel like the 2 Needles and 1 Null Rod can be my hedge against Miracles, Painter and Mud.

I can see running Elderscale over Worldspine. I've never come across Sneak and Show outside of playtesting. Plus in that testing, I found Discard + Needle were more important than having a winning fatty to show off of Show and Tell.

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UR cruise doesn't play spell pierce. NO is so good right now.

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Originally Posted by Blastoderm

UR cruise doesn't play spell pierce. NO is so good right now.

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Good point. Just need watch for Will and Daze

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Originally Posted by Krasman

May as well share here as well.

http://i62.tinypic.com/2pzl4dj.jpg

http://i57.tinypic.com/2wc2yax.jpg

http://i59.tinypic.com/24bpy7b.jpg

http://i59.tinypic.com/33vj9rr.jpg

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White-boardered Elves is hawt! How long did it take to alter those?

Promo Visionary Art > All.

Promo of any card is always just a proxy card if the original is available in foil.

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Originally Posted by Julian23

Promo of any card is always just a proxy card if the original is available in foil.

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Meh, I actually like the foil "FNM" in the text box, and the art is far and away better.

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Originally Posted by Julian23

Promo of any card is always just a proxy card if the original is available in foil.

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If the rest of your deck is foil and the promo isn't, then yeah. But as someone who isn't foiled out, the promo reclamation sage is so so much better art.

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Originally Posted by ESG

White-boardered Elves is hawt! How long did it take to alter those?

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Two long nights whilst streaming tv shows and Legacy.

So this may not be "useful, for you all, but it may be interesting. Tournament report from a month ago (life has been busy). This was an east coast SCG IQ, and my first time playing legacy off the kitchen table.

My deck list was...special. I am on a budget, so only had 3 cradles (I have since gotten the fourth) one bayou (that's a long term goal to get a second) and very few, and awkwardly colored, fetch lands (with khans here I am working to fix that) so few fetches makes death rite less reliable, so I wasn't playing a full set. That will be fixed soon. Also, some cards I was trying to get and couldn't, I was lent the day of, so made some literal let second swaps...shows the importance of playtesting, I knew the cards were good, but I didn't know how best to use them yet.

The deck list:

1 bayou
3 gaeas cradle
3 overgrown tomb
6 forest
2 dryad arbor
1 Polluted delta
1 marsh flats
1 misty rainforest

1 ruric thar the unbowed
2 crater hiof behemoth
3 birch lore ranger
1 reclamation sage
3 quirion ranger
3 nettle sentinel
3 heritage Druid
4 wire wood Symbiote
4 green sun zenith
4 elvish visionary
2 death rite shaman
2 crop rotation
4 glimpse of nature
3 natural order
1 abrupt decay

Scavenging ooze (last minute addition)
Wrens run pack master (last minute addition)


Sideboard:
Progenitus
Maelstrom pulse
2 Thought seize
2 abrupt decay
3 cabal therapy
Null rod (last minute addition)
2 pithing needle
Meek stone (last minute addition)
2 choke (last minute addition)


Game one: elves. 1-2

Game one I won with a standard and relatively quick dogpile on board into cratterhoof. He was surprised and thwarted by my main board abrupt decay, which looks like it has gained traction. Game two he got the combo off two three. Game three we were pressed for time, and I lost due to a mistake. I cabal therapied and saw a bunch of small guys and a glimpse. I thought I could race as I had a good hand, so didn't flash back the therapy for the glimpse. Next turn he glimpse combos half his deck and wins. To be fair, he needed some lucky draws, but it wasn't unreasonable and it happened. He might of won anyway, but I count that as a player error.

Game two: show and tell 1-2

I didn't see enough to know just what type of show and tell it was, but one game I comboed out, another he had a turn 1 show and tell that I surviced a while after, having dropped an impotent cratterhoof off his show and tell (you may say I should have held it, but getting a guy on board helped a bit, and he never would have come down if I held him back). Game three was actually just a mess. We were very short on time, and I let that get to me. He was new to the deck. I dropped ruric thar off his show and tell, and after he narrowly won, we realized we had missed one rubric trigger that would have damaged me, and then two that would have damaged him....it was far to late and again, user error due to time constraints (this is a trend).

Game 3: jund 1-2

So engineered plague on elves.....burn willows combo....yeah.. Once again I won a game where my deck worked and lost a game where theirs did. Once again game three was very very pressed for time. Each of us had little hop of making top 8, but a draw would kill both our hopes. Death rite in death rite action with an engendered plague making them both 0/1, she had a dark confidant. I made a mistake, and would have survived my mistake if not for my budget deck. So she swung with dark confidant and ?blood braid elf? I blocked with...something..to trade with the confidant. Big mistake. I had two natural orders in hand, and my losing that guy, I had to wait an extra turn to get the second natural order up...and that turn meant I was not fast enough. I would have still gotten there, except on the last turn of overtime I needed one more mana and drew my polluted delta. My bayou was already on board....so I had to get an untapped overgrown tomb. If it was a bayou, OR if the fetch could have just gotten a forest, I would have won, but as it was, I put myself down to 2 with her death rite active, knowing that I had no other way to win that turn except hope she forgot. I played to that out, but she remembered and took the win.

Game 4: 2-0

Biggest success/luck sack of the day. He was on the draw and got a turn one chalice. A turn two trinisphere, and a turn three blood moon. Luckily, I had two basic forests and a cradle. I had no creatures, but he was kind enough to make my crafle Ito a mountain, letting me play reclamation sage. I forget the rest of the game, but I ground it out and he scooped. When wrens run came down after I had already worn him down with symbiote, visionary, and reclamation sage.

So, first the elephant in the room. Budget decks will always be weaker. Anyone who says a shock land is almost as good as a duel is 100% right...but that almost will get you and you will lose sometimes.

Also, while the last minute additions were cm great cards, they rarely were drawn and rarely helped. Lack of experience with a card means do not play the card until you test it.

Next, I did not know you could have cheat sheets for side boarding. My side boarding took three times as long as it should have and was sub par because I was trying to do it all from memory. Blindly following a cheat sheet is bad, but oh gosh should you use it for the first few tournaments at least. Not knowing what to side in was compounded by having cards I hadnt tested with...when to take out the ooze or the pack master.....I didn't know. And that leads me to...

Going to time. I am frustrated and also heartened by my play. I went 1-1, 1-1, 1-1, and 2-0 if you exclude the matches I was feeling rushed during. Every game 3, I can point to exactly when I hurried and stopes thinking ahead. It was addressed earlier to me that slow play is a problem, and that's true, but I think it better to concentrate hard on the fundamentals and technical play first, then speed up, rather Han play fast and try to then get the skills. ( getting technical play down, not missing triggers, etc. was my number one goal of the day, and when I want rushed, I succeeded). So staying calm under pressure and saving time in games 1 and 2 would have maybe let me win each of my matches.

Last parting thought. Every. Single. Time. When I sided in progenitus, I drew him turn 2-4. I hate him so much. I believe in statistics so havnt cut him yet, but even in playtesting, he has never once helped.

I hope the report is interesting, even as it won't help those who are already at pro level. Advice is welcome, though having a better deck (working on it) and playing better and faster (working on it) are the obvious things.

Cheers!

A good read.

You have a great attitude, man. And you know exactly what you need to do to improve. I applaud you, sir!

And yes, Progenitus is a curse. I cut him months ago because I couldn't handle the rage of drawing him. I've lost more games to Prog-mulligans than to a lack of access to Progenitus.

So I ran into that "monoblack" reanimator again, this time with 3 extractions in the SB. Won game 2 off a T1 DRS on the play. Lost in game 3 due to running a 2-2 Therapy/Seize split for no reason. If I had Thoughtseize instead of the Therapy in hand, I would have taken the game. Still, this matchup is damn near impossible due to being forced to interact on t0 sometimes, and t1 most of the time.

Funny enough, I actually beat 2 All Spells decks before this guy, getting turn 1'd on G1 every time, but taking back games 2/3 off discard and pithing. It was halloween graveyard combo day, not a good time for elves to be flapping their pointy ears around.

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Originally Posted by .Ix

So I ran into that "monoblack" reanimator again, this time with 3 extractions in the SB. Won game 2 off a T1 DRS on the play. Lost in game 3 due to running a 2-2 Therapy/Seize split for no reason. If I had Thoughtseize instead of the Therapy in hand, I would have taken the game. Still, this matchup is damn near impossible due to being forced to interact on t0 sometimes, and t1 most of the time.

Funny enough, I actually beat 2 All Spells decks before this guy, getting turn 1'd on G1 every time, but taking back games 2/3 off discard and pithing. It was halloween graveyard combo day, not a good time for elves to be flapping their pointy ears around.

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Sometimes, giving them a 2/2 Bird ain't the worst idea in the world.

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Originally Posted by danyul

A good read.

You have a great attitude, man. And you know exactly what you need to do to improve. I applaud you, sir!

And yes, Progenitus is a curse. I cut him months ago because I couldn't handle the rage of drawing him. I've lost more games to Prog-mulligans than to a lack of access to Progenitus.

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Taking out progenitus gives me easy sideboard room for my sylvan library, but where do you recommend siding that in? I looked at all the sideboard advice I could find but didn't see much on when you want it or how best to use it. My gut tells me I will rarely be drawing extra cards off it except against dedicated combo decks, instead useing it along with fetch lands to get great draws (like a divining top) and also peeking ahead before trying a glimpse of nature chain. Am I right?

I have already swaped one of my crop rotations out for the fourth cradle. I love crop rotation and in testing it wins me a lot of games as a green ritual, and eeks advantage against those with wasteland. If I ever find a karakas lying go in the sidewalk it will go in too. Maybe a bajuka bog in the side? Not sure it's worth it off just one cradle though.

A passing thought I just had, has anyone tested coat of arms? Would make punishing fire and engendered plague look silly, and would straight win some games. Probably a bad idea since it costs a lot and isn't a creature, but has it been tested?