[Deck] Elves Combo

[KevinTrudeau]

Here's the sideboard I've been tinkering with on MWS (my maindeck is pretty much k^j's):

4 Leyline of Lifeforce- Amazing against Counterbalance/Chalice. I usually side out all four Glimpses and just try to beat down.

4 Thorn of Amethyst- You can outrace gy decks, so I decided to shore up the combo matchup because they're faster. You can drop this T2 rather easily and then try to race them while they scramble for Chain of Vapor.

3 Fecundity- Easily my favorite card in the sideboard. Lessons the blow from non-Swords removal mightily. Allows you to chump block Tarmogoyf all day while cantripping into combo pieces. Obviously good against Firespout. You can even cycle 1/1's against Engineered Plague until you find a lord.

2 Gleeful Sabotage- 2 CMC and better potential pushes this above Krosan Grip's consistency, although I can easily see why one would favor Grip.

1 Elvish Champion- MVP against U/G based tempo decks like New Horizons. Goes well with the beatdown plan against Counterbalance. Pact target.

1 Nullmage Shepherd- The best artifact/enchantment destruction Elf available in my mind since her ability is recursive and isn't too much harder to activate than Shaman/Zealot. Pact target.

[Koby]

How would you play this hand?

Turn 1: Villian
Villian casts Duress targeting Koby.
Koby discards Glimpse of Nature.
Koby reveals their hand, which contains: Elvish Archdruid, Forest, Fyndhorn Elves, Nettle Sentinel, Quirion Ranger, Summoner's Pact.
Turn 1: Koby

[KevinTrudeau]

T1 Fyndhorn Elves. Get out a T2 Archdruid via Fyndhorn Elves and Qurion Ranger. Pact for Regal Force on T3 after casting Nettle Sentinel, tapping Archdruid for GGGG, untapping Archdruid and returning Forest via Ranger, and tapping Archdruid for GGGG. Cast Regal Force and draw a minimum of five cards with G floating, an untapped Fyndhorn Elves, and no land drop for the turn. Depending on what you drew on T1, 2, or 3, you could also go for Joraga Warcaller with the Pact. This is, of course, assuming the opponent hasn't had any disruption whatsoever besides the initial Duress.

[k2thej]

T1 Fyndhorn Elves. Get out a T2 Archdruid via Fyndhorn Elves and Qurion Ranger. Pact for Regal Force on T3 after casting Nettle Sentinel, tapping Archdruid for GGGG, untapping Archdruid and returning Forest via Ranger, and tapping Archdruid for GGGG. Cast Regal Force and draw a minimum of five cards with G floating, an untapped Fyndhorn Elves, and no land drop for the turn. Depending on what you drew on T1, 2, or 3, you could also go for Joraga Warcaller with the Pact. This is, of course, assuming the opponent hasn't had any disruption whatsoever besides the initial Duress.

I agree pending anything new you drew that would change it.

[1maarten1]

Hello everybody,

I played this deck for a long time, took a break and now im getting back into it.

Some questions for k2thej

How do you like a singleton gaea's cradle? I never liked it without crop rotation, it always felt so unneeded.

Also, I never liked Leylines... whats your opinion on those vs something like choke?

Also: I see many people run emrakul as win-con, I prefer grapeshot/witness maindeck, and an emrakul side. This because people in my meta started running peacekeeper etc. And boarding emrakul vs show and tell decks has a nice surprise factor (eventhough the chances are small :P It has happened to me 1 or 2 times)

And why is nobody running a singleton Ezuri, renegade leader?? I really liked it when I played the deck.

My current sideboard (I believe I posted it a few pages ago)
4 choke
2 krosan grip
2 reverent silence
3 vengevine
1 emrakul
3 joraga warcaller/thorn of amethyst not sure on these slots.

~Maarten

[Koby]

I wanted to share a quick game I played with 3x Living Wish. It works so well!

Here's the changes I made:
-1 Viridian Shaman
-1 Eternal Witness
-1 Emrakul

+3 Wishes

Sideboard:
+1 Masticore (either variant works, I'm testing with Molten Tail)
+1 Emrakul
+1 Gaea's Cradle

(-3 Faerie Macabre in anticipation of a neutered Vengevival dominance)

[1maarten1]

I wanted to share a quick game I played with 3x Living Wish. It works so well!

Here's the changes I made:
-1 Viridian Shaman
-1 Eternal Witness
-1 Emrakul

+3 Wishes

Sideboard:
+1 Masticore (either variant works, I'm testing with Molten Tail)
+1 Emrakul
+1 Gaea's Cradle

(-3 Faerie Macabre in anticipation of a neutered Vengevival dominance)

This is interesting! I mean, I ran grapeshot mainly for creature based hate like peacekeeper, but you have masticore for that! Very interesting, I will try this out. (for me -1 witness, -1 grapeshot, -1 viridian shaman)

Sideboard:
4 choke
2 grips/2 rev.silence
3 vengevine
1 masticore
1 emrakul
1 gaea's cradle
1 viridian shaman

[GoldenCid]

Here's the sideboard I've been tinkering with on MWS (my maindeck is pretty much k^j's):

4 Leyline of Lifeforce- Amazing against Counterbalance/Chalice. I usually side out all four Glimpses and just try to beat down.

This card is probably the best card in the side!! Is awesome!

[k2thej]

Hello everybody,

I played this deck for a long time, took a break and now im getting back into it.

Some questions for k2thej

How do you like a singleton gaea's cradle? I never liked it without crop rotation, it always felt so unneeded.

Also, I never liked Leylines... whats your opinion on those vs something like choke?

Also: I see many people run emrakul as win-con, I prefer grapeshot/witness maindeck, and an emrakul side. This because people in my meta started running peacekeeper etc. And boarding emrakul vs show and tell decks has a nice surprise factor (eventhough the chances are small :P It has happened to me 1 or 2 times)

And why is nobody running a singleton Ezuri, renegade leader?? I really liked it when I played the deck.

My current sideboard (I believe I posted it a few pages ago)
4 choke
2 krosan grip
2 reverent silence
3 vengevine
1 emrakul
3 joraga warcaller/thorn of amethyst not sure on these slots.

~Maarten

The cradle is great mid combo but with the wishes I am testing I might remove the maindeck cradle.

Leylines. Destroy. Top.

Emrakul is the choice maindeck. Nobody runs peacekeeper in tournaments, and if they do, it would better to have the storm in the board. Again though, with the wishes I would put emrakul in the board.

I will post the new list when I get comfortable with it.

[NihilObstat]

Hi, I haven't had the time to read the whole thread through. I've been playing elves combo for a long time but without reading anywhere online, my list is recently looking like something like this, which is a list that won a 61 player tournament, by Darío González, on November the 28th, 2010:

Creatures [30]
1 Eternal Witness
1 Joraga Warcaller
1 Mirror Entity
1 Regal Force
1 Wirewood Hivemaster
2 Fyndhorn Elves
2 Llanowar Elves
2 Quirion Ranger
3 Wirewood Symbiote
4 Birchlore Rangers
4 Elvish Visionary
4 Heritage Druid
4 Nettle Sentinel

Instants [7]
1 Brain Freeze
1 Crop Rotation
2 Chord of Calling
3 Summoner's Pact

Sorceries [4]
4 Glimpse of Nature

Artifacts [2]
2 Cloudstone Curio

Lands [17]
1 Gaea's Cradle
1 Misty Rainforest
1 Verdant Catacombs
2 Bayou
2 Savannah
2 Windswept Heath
2 Wooded Foothills
6 Forest

Sideboard:
2 Relic of Progenitus
2 Umezawa's Jitte
2 Thorn of Amethyst
1 Dauntless Escort
1 Harmonic Sliver
1 Burrenton Forge-tender
2 Cabal Therapy
1 Yixlid Jailer
2 Krosan Grip
1 Imperious Perfect

Does this list bring any new ideas to you guys, or have all the cards previously been discussed here.

Do you all guys play Chord of calling or is anyone going with Worldly tutor? Do you go Brain Freeze, Grapheshot or Tendrils?
Until last week I was playing 4 Llanowar, 2 Fyndhorn and 4 Quirion, but this list runs a lot less, what do you guys do?

Thanks for all advice, I'll keep coming here ;)

[1maarten1]

Hi, I haven't had the time to read the whole thread through. I've been playing elves combo for a long time but without reading anywhere online, my list is recently looking like something like this, which is a list that won a 61 player tournament, by Darío González, on November the 28th, 2010:

Creatures [30]
1 Eternal Witness
1 Joraga Warcaller
1 Mirror Entity
1 Regal Force
1 Wirewood Hivemaster
2 Fyndhorn Elves
2 Llanowar Elves
2 Quirion Ranger
3 Wirewood Symbiote
4 Birchlore Rangers
4 Elvish Visionary
4 Heritage Druid
4 Nettle Sentinel

Instants [7]
1 Brain Freeze
1 Crop Rotation
2 Chord of Calling
3 Summoner's Pact

Sorceries [4]
4 Glimpse of Nature

Artifacts [2]
2 Cloudstone Curio

Lands [17]
1 Gaea's Cradle
1 Misty Rainforest
1 Verdant Catacombs
2 Bayou
2 Savannah
2 Windswept Heath
2 Wooded Foothills
6 Forest

Sideboard:
2 Relic of Progenitus
2 Umezawa's Jitte
2 Thorn of Amethyst
1 Dauntless Escort
1 Harmonic Sliver
1 Burrenton Forge-tender
2 Cabal Therapy
1 Yixlid Jailer
2 Krosan Grip
1 Imperious Perfect

Does this list bring any new ideas to you guys, or have all the cards previously been discussed here.

Do you all guys play Chord of calling or is anyone going with Worldly tutor? Do you go Brain Freeze, Grapheshot or Tendrils?
Until last week I was playing 4 Llanowar, 2 Fyndhorn and 4 Quirion, but this list runs a lot less, what do you guys do?

Thanks for all advice, I'll keep coming here ;)

Grapeshot is the best storm based combo, by far. But I think its useless to run mirror entity and another storm based kill, its just waste of slots. Go with one, or go with the other.

On the llanowar thing: 5 llanowars is fine, its a matter of how many empty slots you have left. 5-8 llanowar differs from the lists used.

Worldly tutor is bad because it places the card on top and not into your hand. Chord is fine, but in my opinion its too slow/expensive. I play a list with 4 pact and 3 living wish and it has been working awesome so far.

@the list
I find 3 wirewood symbiote weird, since it is probably the best card in the deck, I would also never run less then 3 quirion ranger. I'd cut visionary's over quirion rangers.

Ill post the list I'm testing soon when I get a little more comfortable with it.

[abel_lg]

I've been proving the list with Wish and I like a lot, but I find a little disappointing can't use Wish to tutor some combo pieces. Maybe a slot can be used to add a second Regal Force, or something like that. I know we can't cut the Nettle, but sometimes you've got the Wish and need a Nettle...

[k2thej]

Grapeshot is the best storm based combo, by far. But I think its useless to run mirror entity and another storm based kill, its just waste of slots. Go with one, or go with the other.

I have to disagree that grapeshot is the best. While I still think Emrakul is the best wincon, the 2nd best is def tendrils. Mana is NEVER a problem, but getting to 10 spells instead of 20 sure makes things easier, and it gets around damage prevention, and you can cast it for less and make a huge life spread.

[1maarten1]

I have to disagree that grapeshot is the best. While I still think Emrakul is the best wincon, the 2nd best is def tendrils. Mana is NEVER a problem, but getting to 10 spells instead of 20 sure makes things easier, and it gets around damage prevention, and you can cast it for less and make a huge life spread.

Being able to hit creatures when you fizzle with a smaller storm count is HUGE, and that is why I say grapeshot over any other storm based kill. But I agree on the fact that wish + emrakul & co is the best atm.

[k2thej]

For those of you using a version of my build with wishes, what are you taking out for the wishes besides Emrakul?

[abel_lg]

I'm hesitating between adding a second Regal Force in the SB or let the main Regal Force in the SB. I proved with -1 Emrakul, -1 Viridan Shaman and -1 Eternal Witness for the 3 Wishes as rukcus posted and sometimes you miss one part of the combo with a Wish in hand, sometimes a starter, so I would maybe SB the Regal Force for one more mana elf, maybe (sure) a Quirion. But with this change, in a lot of games we will to play 2 Wishes to get access to RF and Emrakul (so may we need a 4th Wish?). Then the deck will be something like that:

8 Forest
3 Windswept Heath
4 Wooded Foothills
4 Birchlore Rangers
2 Elvish Archdruid
4 Elvish Visionary
4 Fyndhorn Elves
4 Heritage Druid
1 Joraga Warcaller
3 Llanowar Elves
4 Nettle Sentinel
3 Priest of Titania
1 Quirion Ranger
1 Regal Force
4 Wirewood Symbiote
3 Living Wish
4 Glimpse of Nature
4 Summoner's Pact
SB: 1 Eternal Witness
SB: 1 Emrakul, the Aeons Torn
SB: 1 Faerie Macabre
SB: 2 Krosan Grip
SB: 3 Leyline of Lifeforce
SB: 4 Thorn of Amethyst
SB: 2 Viridian Shaman
SB: 1 Regal Force

What do you think about this change? I've cutted a Shaman in the SB for RF but I'm not sure about that.

[1maarten1]

I found viridian shaman just in the board to be working just fine. I did not find need to play an Eternal witness in the board, I advise you play a Masticore in that slot, to beat the creature-based hate (it has been working awesome for me).

Also, why is nobody using Ezuri, renegade leader as a 1 off in the maindeck? It has done sick things for me so far, for example: I cant combo off, but I drop 4-5 1 mana dudes, I go for a living wish into gaea's cradle, pact up ezuri activate his ability and smash with a 4/4 trample army. Sometimes I also pact into regal force but it depends on how the current board position looks.

Anyone saw the deck tech from Worlds? Combo elves was 4-0 (eventhough I find it a pretty weird list.) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LXAtTAmVw4g

~Maarten

[abel_lg]

¿Which list are you using? I'm only testing the list in pc not in real play and giving my opinion of how the deck works. Altough Eternal Witness is so useful, maybe you're right. Worst about him in this deck is the 3 mana cost, so added to the Wish cost, maybe a problem. Yes, best a Masticore in this slot. Also a second Joraga in SB for aggro mode? I mean, if you want put aggro mode and you don't find the maindeck one, wishing the SB one...

[1maarten1]

¿Which list are you using? I'm only testing the list in pc not in real play and giving my opinion of how the deck works. Altough Eternal Witness is so useful, maybe you're right. Worst about him in this deck is the 3 mana cost, so added to the Wish cost, maybe a problem. Yes, best a Masticore in this slot. Also a second Joraga in SB for aggro mode? I mean, if you want put aggro mode and you don't find the maindeck one, wishing the SB one...

Im using the following:
// land
14 Forest
1 Pendelhaven

// sorcery
4 glimpse of nature
3 living wish

// instant
4 summoner's pact

// creatures
4 Nettle Sentinel
4 Heritage Druid
4 Birchlore Rangers

4 Llanowar Elves
2 Fyndhorn Elves

4 Wirewood Symbiote
3 Quirion Ranger

4 Elvish Visionary

1 Ezuri, Renegade Leader
1 Regal Force
2 Elvish Archdruid
1 Elvish Spirit Guide

//sideboard
SB: 4 Choke
SB: 3 Vengevine
SB: 2 Krosan Grip
SB: 2 Reverent Silence
Wish targets:
SB: 1 Emrakul, the Aeons Torn
SB: 1 Masticore
SB: 1 Viridian Shaman
SB: 1 Gaea's Cradle

~Maarten

[Mr. Safety]

How many lands is everyone using currently? I've been using 15 forests (no fetchlands) and it's been working fine. What I'm thinking is that with a maximum amount of fetchlands, you can essentially dig out 2 lands every time you play one, making your combo turn go that much smoother.

Thoughts? Should I be using 8+ fetchlands along with my basic forests?