[Primer] Elves!

[DarthObiwan]

Being an ETB trigger, Champion triggers after WRP has resolved. Also it does not target so an opponent cannot kill the creature you are Championing, ala you chose the creature upon Champion resolving.

Now if there is only one Elf in play when WRP is on the stack it sure can be killed causing the Champion ability to sacrifice WRP.

[Julian23]

Yes, we may need clarification.

No problem. Champion works the way you explained it, Dan. You choose the creature on resolution.

Here's a neat trick for you: assume you have two Heritage Druids in play and cast WRP. With the Champion-ability on the stack, you can tap all three Elves for mana and create a Wolf, before exiling one of the Heritage Druids.

Anothering thing you can do is to evade removal. Say you have 1 Nettle Sentinel and a Wirewood Symbiote, you can cast WRP; if they remove Sentinel in response, you can still put Champion on the stack, then bounce WRPs with Symbiote. This trick basically gives you the choice of what exactly to trade their removal spell for.

[MegaManR]

Wren's Run Packmaster is great. Played it in place of a Heritage Druid this past weekend at the SCG Open, in which there were probably at least 10-20 Elves Decks, probably more. Sadly, none of them placed.

WRP stole away so many games, specifically one against a TES player who got 12 Goblins on Turn 2. I had a few elves in play and had been slowly eating 10, then 6 damage each turn from the goblins, but blocking a couple and saving a couple of mine with Wirewood. He then wished for a Massacre. If I passed back to him without going off, he'd have Massacre'd my board away. Top deck WRP.
It was pretty awesome. He did a double take. I kept making Wolves with mana and then more mana from cradle. WRP helped in a couple other matchups (BG Rock) and is just great/fun to play in general.
I ended up 3-3 for the day and dropping, though. Round 5, I lost to a really great, friendly Elves player getting the high roll and Nut draws and I had to mull to 5, and then in Round 6, I faced Twelve Post and we went to game 3, he just kept assembling his pieces, I got a Sylvan Library, tons of DrS and Symbiotes out to activate DrS as many times as possible to go over his Glacial Chasm, got him down to 1 and on his turn with no more instants or sorceries in his graveyard, he got everything together to win. It really sucked after playing an extra 20-30 minutes over the round time with dozens of people around us. I fought as hard as I could.

Great time overall, and will definitely be keeping Packmaster (maindeck) and Sylvan Library (sideboard) in the 75.

[Lemnear]

WRP stole away so many games, specifically one against a TES player who got 12 Goblins on Turn 2.

I'm torn by this post ... Why I have suggested WRP here xP

[MegaManR]

I'm torn by this post ... Why I have suggested WRP here xP

Why are you torn by my post? I'm saying Thanks for the suggestion of Packmaster to whomever had suggested it first (you or Julian).

[danyul]

It's because Lemnear is also a big Storm guy as well as an Elves guy. He doesn't like when his two babies fight.

[MegaManR]

It's because Lemnear is also a big Storm guy as well as an Elves guy. He doesn't like when his two babies fight.

Ohhhhhhhh Derp. Now I see. Thanks.

[wynterweather]

Hey everyone. relatively new elves player here. I have been playing elves online in dailys for a couple weeks now and I seem to play against an inordinate amount of burn. now with 8 searing blazes and eidolon of the great revel i seem to have a lot of trouble with the matchup.

anyone have any ideas for possible sideboard cards or maindeckable hate cards for this matchup? I probably won't change my sideboard for opens but it seems people like to grind with burn online.

[Juice11]

Hey everyone. relatively new elves player here. I have been playing elves online in dailys for a couple weeks now and I seem to play against an inordinate amount of burn. now with 8 searing blazes and eidolon of the great revel i seem to have a lot of trouble with the matchup.

anyone have any ideas for possible sideboard cards or maindeckable hate cards for this matchup? I probably won't change my sideboard for opens but it seems people like to grind with burn online.

You could try Empyrial Archangel or elderscale wurm as NO Targets. Not sure exactly how good they are, but testing couldn't hurt if burn is really a problem for you.

[Said-In-Contest]

Lately I was thinking about winter orb on the side to improve the miracle match up.
Thoughts about it?
I mean, on paper seems good to let them untap only one land per turn, because even if miracle usually keeps plenty of mana open, any time they activate sensei's divining top they tap a land. So basically multiple top activations and/or Vendilion cliques, counterspells, brainstorm and so on will keep them off mana.
I don't know, I'm not sure yet but I'm not a great fan of choke and I was just trying to think about something they might not expect.
Has someone already tried winter orb? Is it decent or does it sucks?
Thank you guys!!

[Echelon]

I'd like to go as far as testing a Stasis-build for those already running Swan Song in the SB. Just keep bouncing your Tropical Island with your Quirion Ranger and you're good to go.

Though when going for Stasis you might up with a different deck entirely.

It could be something along the lines of this:
4 Quirion Ranger
4 Scryb Ranger
4 Deathrite Shaman
4 Noble Hierarch
4 Wirewood Symbiote
4 Coiling Oracle
4 Elvish Visionary

4 Stasis

4 Green Sun's Zenith
4 Natural Order
2 Craterhoof Behemoth

8 Fetch
2 Tropical Island
1 Bayou
1 Forest
2 Forsaken City
4 Gaea's Cradle

Stasis NO Elves without Glimpses or any tutors to find Stasis but with 8 Visionaries to fuel the BFF-engine to dig for it and 8 Quirion Rangers to bounce your Tropical Island.

[sawatarix]

choke seems better than winterorb and even choke is not perfect.
i would stay withPithin Needles and Null Rods against Miracle control

[ventouza6969]

I'd like to go as far as testing a Stasis-build for those already running Swan Song in the SB. Just keep bouncing your Tropical Island with your Quirion Ranger and you're good to go.

Though when going for Stasis you might up with a different deck entirely.

It could be something along the lines of this:
4 Quirion Ranger
4 Scryb Ranger
4 Deathrite Shaman
4 Noble Hierarch
4 Wirewood Symbiote
4 Coiling Oracle
4 Elvish Visionary

4 Stasis

4 Green Sun's Zenith
4 Natural Order
2 Craterhoof Behemoth

8 Fetch
2 Tropical Island
1 Bayou
1 Forest
2 Forsaken City
4 Gaea's Cradle

Stasis NO Elves without Glimpses or any tutors to find Stasis but with 8 Visionaries to fuel the BFF-engine to dig for it and 8 Quirion Rangers to bounce your Tropical Island.

I like the style of this deck both prison and aggro.
Have you tested it?
But I don't like the idea of order hoof or just the hoof, 8 mana are too much without heritage.
I would prefer some equipments like feast and famine(untap lands) and edric spymaster in order to use all these creatures.

[Echelon]

I like the style of this deck both prison and aggro.
Have you tested it?
But I don't like the idea of order hoof or just the hoof, 8 mana are too much without heritage.
I would prefer some equipments like feast and famine(untap lands) and edric spymaster in order to use all these creatures.

I don't see mana being a problem in this build. It runs all 4 Cradles and the Oracle helps you plop more lands on the battlefield. Also, having 12 untappers for your dorks helps...

Haven't tested it by the way, it was just something that popped up in my head.

[BJeagle]

I'd like to go as far as testing a Stasis-build for those already running Swan Song in the SB. Just keep bouncing your Tropical Island with your Quirion Ranger and you're good to go.

Though when going for Stasis you might up with a different deck entirely.

It could be something along the lines of this:
4 Quirion Ranger
4 Scryb Ranger
4 Deathrite Shaman
4 Noble Hierarch
4 Wirewood Symbiote
4 Coiling Oracle
4 Elvish Visionary

4 Stasis

4 Green Sun's Zenith
4 Natural Order
2 Craterhoof Behemoth

8 Fetch
2 Tropical Island
1 Bayou
1 Forest
2 Forsaken City
4 Gaea's Cradle

Stasis NO Elves without Glimpses or any tutors to find Stasis but with 8 Visionaries to fuel the BFF-engine to dig for it and 8 Quirion Rangers to bounce your Tropical Island.

Im gonna try it but change 2 NO for Kiora, the crashing wave.

[Echelon]

Im gonna try it but change 2 NO for Kiora, the crashing wave.

Cool! Perhaps Garruk Wildspeaker is pretty cool with Stasis too. Untaps a Tropical Island and a Cradle every turn to keep you going, poops a token or does a mini-Hoof.

[dte]

If you are playing 8 quirion ranger in your stasis build, you need a 3/4-of Skyshroud Ranger and 1/2 dryad arbor. I'll maybe remove 2 coiling oracle and 2/3 nobles to try that.

I even tried Skyshroud Ranger in the classic build (in lieu of a 1-of Llanowar elf), and it was pretty good. A litlle bit less reliable for going crazy turn 2, way better turn 3. It's less reliable when you mulligan (less lands in multiple), and when you are in trouble, so I kept the Llanowar. But with 8 rangers, it's a no brainer.

[Lemnear]

Wait! I'm off for one day and you decided that Elves should no longer be an aggro-combo but an aggro-combo-control deck and you want to support an UU enchantment among Arbors and Cradles? For what reason you want to torture the manabase and the decks already variable gameplan here?

P.S.: Reminds me why I usually have my thumb on the TES discussion unless people can argue for their ideas :/

[Dice_Box]

Wait! I'm off for one day and you decided that Elves should no longer be an aggro-combo but an aggro-combo-control deck and you want to support an UU enchantment among Arbors and Cradles? For what reason you want to torture the manabase and the decks already variable gameplan here?

P.S.: Reminds me why I usually have my thumb on the TES discussion unless people can argue for their ideas :/

Just ignore them man. After some testing, the idea will fade away.

[Lemnear]

Just ignore them man. After some testing, the idea will fade away.

My dear friend, I just have my problems with that style of discussion in general (not only here, but also at work): No conceptional or strategical reasoning or goal mentioned (that includes the manabase topic and a required analysis of interaction within the decks core), but only throwing cards and lists around without a single word on how that should improve the deck.

Basically the old "let's be different" instead of "let's get better"