[Primer] Elves!

[Kayradis]

@Tempus :
I don't know if the others will follow me on this one, but this is purely an opinion based on my experience with the deck.

Players are scared of 2 cards in the deck. DRS and Glimpse of Nature. Sucks to be them, they are not our wincons.
A well timed chaff as probably won me more games than a T2 Hoof with X guys on the table. Too often I've seen people forcing my DRS or Glimpse to open the field to a NO => Hoof or hardcasting Ezuri and Overrun 4 times.

Elves is not the deck it used to be. I remember playing it pre-RTR printing. It was simply a one-punch-kill involving a giant tentacle asian raping monster. Can you survive that giant monster butt raping you? No? I win.

@Lemnear :
Thanks. You're confirming my idea.

[Dice_Box]

Alright. Another week is opening to us.
Still grinding points for GP Washington DC.

Im still debating between the 19 or the 18 lands configuration.

Lemnear?
Dice_Box?

I run 18 with the same core as everyone else. My cut land is replaced with dedicated CotV removal that I would not play without. That said if I was going into a big tourney, I would not be expecting a lot of maindeck CotV and would switch it for a mana. The boost the extra Basic offers against a field of people running Wasteland or as painter showed today, bloodmoon to me highlights the need for that land.

Also the amount of times I have had my land wasted and board clear leaving me with only a cradle. It hurts. I would run the land. In a local store I would meta that slot but against 250 ish people, I would not want to risk being cut out of lands. Because you will have 5 mana you can't use turn one, buff your chances of having a better opener.

Also it's not like we need to worry about Glimpse draws, so that issue is somewhat lowered.

P.S. On my phone so if something looks strange or auto corrected, that's why.

Elves is not the deck it used to be. I remember playing it pre-RTR printing. It was simply a one-punch-kill involving a giant tentacle asian raping monster. Can you survive that giant monster butt raping you? No? I win.

Emrakul is best monster, 87% of Asian females tested agree.

[Kayradis]

Llanowar has already been cut.

4 Birchlore
3 Quirion
4 DRS
4 Nettle Sentinel
4 Heritage Druid
4 Elvish Visionary
4 Wirewood Symbiote
2 Craterhoof Behemoth

4 Glimpse
4 NO
4 GSZ
1 Crop Rotation

4 Windswepth
4 Verdant Catacombs
4 Cradles
2 Forest
2 Bayou
1 Savannah
1 Dryad Arbor
1 (Surprise Land?)

I'm still stuck at 61. I really want to jam in the Multani's Acolyte...

[Julian23]

I've also been on the 19 land configuration (counting Dryad Arbor) for quite a while now it feels fine. You sometimes still get sketchy hands but it's not like this deck mulligans too awkwardly. Still not as good as decks with real cantrips, but having the BFF or a GSZ already does a lot for us.

For any larger tournament, I'd advise anyone to not play less than 19 lands, especialyl when you want to make use of the power of 4 Cradles.

[Dice_Box]

1 (Surprise Land?)

I'm still stuck at 61. I really want to jam in the Multani's Acolyte...

Make it a basic. Also I really really don't like Acolyte. It's such a bad card to open with, only helps when you have Symbiote out and really is unnecessary now we are not dependent on Glimpse. Man don't go to 61 for that card.

[Kayradis]

Im already at 61 without that card.
If I really want to go down to 60, I'd cut the 4th NO, and I really dont want to go down that path.

[Dice_Box]

Yea man, don't cut a NO for it. That's more than hamstringing yourself for very little benefit.

[Kayradis]

I guess I'll run it at 61 and see where it leads.

[Lemnear]

Im already at 61 without that card.
If I really want to go down to 60, I'd cut the 4th NO, and I really dont want to go down that path.

Cut the Rotation. You won't need those with 4 Cradles and I like at least 9 Fetches.i don't think you need more than 1 Forest tbh and imo the deck mulls pretty solid with 19 lands and is imo a must with 4 Cradles

[Kayradis]

I guess I'll cut the Crop. It just makes some turn totally insane!

[Lemnear]

Just a repost of my list. It's unaltered since weeks and works flawless. 10 Fetches for 5 targets (including Dryad Arbor) is topend

4 Cradle
3 Misty Rainforest
2 Verdant Catacombs
3 Wooded Foothills
2 Windswept Heath
2 Bayou
1 Savannah
1 Forest
1 Dryad Arbor

4 Deathrite Shaman
4 Birchlore Rangers
4 Heritage Druid
4 Nettle Sentinel
3 Quirion Ranger
4 Wirewood Symbiote
4 Elvish Visionary
2 Craterhoof Behemoth
4 Natural Order
4 Glimpse of Nature
4 Green Sun’s Zenith

[Dice_Box]

That's a very greedy mana base, how often do you find Wasteland is an early game issue?

[Julian23]

Just a repost of my list. It's unaltered since weeks and works flawless. 10 Fetches for 5 targets (including Dryad Arbor) is topend

4 Cradle
3 Misty Rainforest
2 Verdant Catacombs
3 Wooded Foothills
2 Windswept Heath
2 Bayou
1 Savannah
1 Forest
1 Dryad Arbor

4 Deathrite Shaman
4 Birchlore Rangers
4 Heritage Druid
4 Nettle Sentinel
3 Quirion Ranger
4 Wirewood Symbiote
4 Elvish Visionary
2 Craterhoof Behemoth
4 Natural Order
4 Glimpse of Nature
4 Green Sun’s Zenith

-1 NO
-1 Birchlore Ranger

+1 Ruric Thar, the Unbowed
+1 Viridian Shaman

Is what I've been playing for 2 months and also really like it. Adimitedly, the Ruric Thar is sometimes pretty useless, maybe he will have to go at some point. I don't really want him in the sideboard as he's much stronger g1 than after sideboarding when facing combo. The Viridian Shaman is a current concession to Jitte, although not a very good one at that as you will most likely always lose your board before you get to destroy it. Symbiote and Ranger tricks are fine but you don't always get them to stick around. I used to run Ezuri in that slot before and she was also quite good at grinding it out...still undecided.

[Kayradis]

I've been using that config too for a while, but my meta adapted to me.

[Lemnear]

That's a very greedy mana base, how often do you find Wasteland is an early game issue?

Don't feel that I would consider 10 Fetches + 1 Forest "greedy" in regards to Wasteland because the deck operates well off a single Forest as long as you fetch it first. I think it's a lot more stable than 18 lands / 8 fetches

@Julian

As you mentioned: Thar and V.Shaman are situational and I step back from maindecking such cards maindeck, especially in my meta. I found Shaman to be too slow and too unreliable handle Jitte if you have to Tutor for it with 4-mana-sorceries (GSZ or NO) against decks which runs (taxing) counters and often, going for a Hoof instead just takes the game than only handling a single permament.

[Dice_Box]

Ok, counter argument is accepted. I can agree with that. I would not want to go lower than 2 basic but hay, I will give that a go and see how it works out. At worst I watch my Fetches turned to mountains.

[danyul]

Just top 4'd a 95 player Black Lotus event. Report incoming as soon as I find some time. Decklist here http://www.northwestmagic.com/forums...1502#post51502. I took some of your advice and upped the Birchlore count. I also ignored some of your advice and left in 4 Quirion/2 Arbor. I felt that gave me access to the best of both worlds.

[Dice_Box]

Golgari Charm is an interesting choice. I am very interested in your report. Well done and what did you win?

[Kayradis]

I can see uses in multiple situations. good call.

[danyul]

Golgari Charm is an interesting choice. I am very interested in your report. Well done and what did you win?

We split the top 4 and cashed out instead of receiving the card-prizes. We each got 540 cash.

My sideboard has essentially been 13 cards for the longest time because I always end up with 2 crazy cards in my flex slots that don't do much. Last time it was Reverent Silence. This time those slots were Golgari Charms. 10 minutes before decklists were collected I almost audibled into Winter Orbs. Charm did nothing for me. I kind of wanna try Cursed Scroll or something wacky like that and see how it plays.