So i wanted to brew an elf deck that has game vs fog decks (they look like they will be busted) but will still be nasty aggro break down the doors with lots of elves.

Here is my first draft.

Creatures (29)
4 x Llanowar Elves
4 x Elvish Clancaller
4 x Growth-Chamber Guardian
4 x Incubation Druid
4 x Thorn Lieutenant
3 x Marwyn, the Nurturer
4 x Steel Leaf Champion
2 x Grand Warlord Radha

artifacts (3)
3 x Vanquisher's Banner

Spells (3)
3 x Banefire

Enchantments (3)
3 x Rhythm of the Wild

Lands (22)
4 x Stomping Ground
12 x Forest
4 x Rootbound Crag
2 x Unclaimed Territory


The idea is to deal some early damage then make tons of mana and banefire right through a fog for GG. Thought about more Radha or adding Beast Whisperer or Growing Rites of Itlimoc. Probably will have to play it before I know what is right. Thinking about 2 guildgates instead of unclaimed territory...

Edit: droped the 1 copy of Song of Freyalise for a 3rd copy of rhythm.

-1 Banner
-1 Song of Freyalise

At least +2 Beast Whisperer, probably looking to make room for more.

The song combos with Radha, vigilance and indestructibly on its 3rd phase allows the mana dorks to attack with Radha and tap for mana mid swing.
You are probably right that the potential of beast whisperer is better but i disagree about pulling a banner. Banner is an anthem and more importantly hardly anyone is running artifact removal but near every deck can take down a 3 toughness creature. It's probably more right to max out banners or diversify with PW like domri or Vivian.

I can see going without song but the deck is designed to end the game with a banefire. With just 2 in a deck I would be afraid you might not draw it before a fog deck goes infinite. The card I'm least sure of is Rhythm of the Wild, that may be worth cutting but it's all meta dependent.

Bedevil is going to be everywhere, just sayin'

The argument I am making is creature removal is more prevalent than artifact removal. Bedevil is both so are you suggesting elves should rely on enchantments for draw?

I could see this as the main deck and just putting Radha and Banefires in a sb.

Creatures (29)
4 x Llanowar Elves
4 x Elvish Clancaller
4 x Growth-Chamber Guardian
4 x Incubation Druid
4 x Thorn Lieutenant
2 x Marwyn, the Nurturer
4 x Steel Leaf Champion
2 x Beast Whisperer

Artifacts (3)
3 x Vanquisher's Banner

Planeswalkers (1)
1 x Vivien Reid

Spells (3)
3 x Thrash // Threat

Enchantments (3)
3 x Rhythm of the Wild

Lands (22)
4 x Stomping Ground
12 x Forest
4 x Rootbound Crag
2 x Unclaimed Territory


If Maximum card draw is what you want I think you drop steel leaf and go all out on beast whisperers...

Creatures (27)
4 x Llanowar Elves
4 x Elvish Clancaller
4 x Growth-Chamber Guardian
4 x Incubation Druid
4 x Thorn Lieutenant
3 x Marwyn, the Nurturer
4 x Beast Whisperer

Artifacts (4)
4 x Vanquisher's Banner

Planeswalkers (1)
1 x Vivien Reid

Spells (3)
3 x Thrash // Threat

Enchantments (3)
3 x Rhythm of the Wild

Lands (22)
4 x Stomping Ground
12 x Forest
4 x Rootbound Crag
2 x Unclaimed Territory

I'm not sold on Radha. I don't know if he's constructed playable.

Radha is a 4 drop that as long as you can swing refunds her casting cost. Vs a fog deck Radha makes for some big mana turns.

If Radha goes into a deck this has to be it.

You remember that Elf who was +1/+1 for each Elf in play, and could tap to deal his power in damage to fliers? He was banned from Duels, but I want him reprinted. I feel we kind of lack a good Reach Elf currently, which is odd.

Jagged-Scar Archers. Not coincidentally, that was the last time I took elves seriously in Duels.

I’m surprised by the lack of Pelt Collector in these lists. It would add a significant amount of solid t1-4 paths for the deck to take. Love the idea of elves in standard. I think it could work, but I’m not sure the list has been solved yet.

Given the obscene amount of mana you can output - especially with Rhythm of the Wild giving haste - I'm a bit surprised that there's no consideration of End-Raze Forerunners. Craterhoof is amazing in legacy elves - which is a very different deck granted - it might be worth checking out.

Thinking of goldfishing without removal/sweeper interaction (which kinda hoses the deck either way):

t1 lanowar
t2 rhythm
t3 marwyn (haste), lanowar(haste) , incubation (+1/+1) -leaves 1 mana available or we get in for 1/put +1/+1 on the lanowar. Need more things to do with 1 mana maybe.
t4 - with a land drop we have 12 mana. Banefire for 11 isn't exciting, end-raze gets in for 13 and leaves a 7/7 but isn't game ending. Hydroid Krasis or Nexus of Fate+more elf drops are probably the strongest things we could do here.

t5 with a good draw End-Raze is going to be lethal, if not interacted with. Banefire probably isn't lethal, but does have the benefit of being uncounterable. Going more for the stompy 5/4s plan is a pretty fast clock too mind.

Not sure which direction to go, and not sure how much time we have, but I suspect that going past turn 5 isn't going to be a good idea given how much of a boost both burn and control get in the new cards. I think the deck needs to be able to t4 with some consistency.

One idea is Christmas Combo Elves.

Creatures (25)
4 x Llanowar Elves
4 x Elfhame Druid
4 x Incubation Druid
4 x Druid of the Cowl
2 x Silhana Wayfinder
4 x Marwyn, the Nurturer
3 x Hydroid Krasis


Spells (9)
4 x Stony Strength
3 x Gift of Growth
3 x Banefire

Enchantments (3)
3 x Rhythm of the Wild

Lands (22)
4 x Stomping Ground
4 x Breeding Pools
4 x Hinterland Harbor
6 x Forest
4 x Rootbound Crag



Other options would be going white for the untap from Rally to Battle or Rallying Roar or maybe going for Nexus of Fate though it doesn't seem great. Of the two I think going for the white untap/indestructible seems to have the highest payoff.

It's a very fragile and draw dependant deck though you could have a really wild sideboard. It's a shame Stony Strength doesn't cantrip. Maybe rhythm isn't good enough, more card draw seems needed.

I’m in favor of the End Raze finish, are there any cards that can tutor it? The deck should run at most 2 and it needs to find it early enough to finish the game.

Edit: Looks like a no to me. That’s a shame.

Yeah, no tutors, the closest I think is Hydroid Krasis which is very strong in it's own right. With Rhythm down it has haste and the card draw/lifegain are uncounterable. Casting a krasis for x=10 could draw into another krasis or an end raze and gives you a 10/10 flying trampler that might have haste.

Seems like a very strong card in a mana producing deck. But it's not cheap so it's a delay even if it hits and leaves you open to sweepers but at least you have a full hand again I guess. Primal command would be great for green, not going to happen though

It’s funny because I was also looking at Temur Elves. Not sure that’s the right way though. My temptation would be to build elves in Gruul with an earlier faster curve, and some red removal/direct damage.

Green doesn't have a mastermind's acquisition but it has a lot of card selection (some are even elves!) that could easily fit in temur or bant.
Silhana Wayfinder
Sumala Woodshaper
Vivien's Invocation
incubation // incongruity
You could even try to add more legendary cards and play a big Kamahl's Druidic Vow. Too bad manbearpig isn't legendary.

Nice post.

Banefire doesn't care about counters yes but it's also non-creature damage against bant turbo fog and it only gets better after a settle the wreckage. Would be easy to sb 4x rec sage and Cindervines is a pretty nice hate card vs turbofog as well.

Fog decks laugh at End-Raze Forerunners so since I was trying to aim for killing fog decks it wasn't considered. sb maybe?

I like the idea of running Nexus of Fate but vs other blue decks a counter will stop that noise. I prefer my bomb play to leave bant wishing they could interact.

I was considering splashing and having some deafening clarion in the sb for tech vs aggro/burn. Could also play assure // assemble if the deck has , seems pretty good in an elf deck..

Actually acquisition is a very good idea. Opting for GB makes a ton of sense, or possibly Jund, using acquisition as a means to pull the right win con out of the SB or the deck itself. It delays the win by a turn, but probably guarantees it.

Golgari Findbroker with The Eldest Reborn could also be a thing in that deck.

If the deck goes Jund/Golgari there is a reach elf that can be used in Poison-Tip Archer


Going golgari elves allows some other possible interesting elf additions with findbroker like Underrealm Lich, Swarm Guildmage, or Izoni, Thousand-Eyed. cost of findbroker and acquisition would require the mana base to warp heavily to black where my original deck idea was Green splash red that lets you play Steel Leaf Champion. You lose steel leaf but do the other additions make the deck better? How many acquistion should you run? Swap out all of the banefires?
Wish we could keep a card like skullcrack in the sb.