Bant Elves

Modern Beyond Horizons Competitive Elves GWU (Bant) Tokens

lukecwolf

LANDS (19-20) (20)

• 1x Boseiju, Who Endures
• 1x Breeding Pool
• 2x Cavern of Souls
• 2x City of Brass
• 5x Forest
• 2x Mana Confluence
• 1x Marsh Flats
• 1x Misty Rainforest
• 1x Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
• 1x Otawara, Soaring City
• 1x Pendelhaven
• 1x Temple Garden
• 1x Windswept Heath

CREATURES (27) (25)

• 3x Devoted Druid
• 3x Dwynen's Elite
• 3x Elvish Archdruid
• 3x Elvish Mystic
• 1x Eternal Witness
• 3x Ezuri, Renegade Leader
• 2x Heritage Druid
• 1x Imperious Perfect
• 1x Kogla, the Titan Ape
• 4x Llanowar Elves
• 1x Selfless Spirit

ENCHANTMENTS (1) (1)

• 1x Touch the Spirit Realm

SORCERIES (6) (4)

• 1x Eldritch Evolution
• 1x Finale of Devastation
• 1x Sylvan Scrying
• 1x Time of Need

INSTANTS (7) (7)

• 1x Beast Within
• 3x Chord of Calling
• 3x Mana Leak

Side (3)

• 1x Archon of Emeria
• 1x Portable Hole
• 1x Spellskite

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Sideboard

Other (15)

• 1x Archon of Emeria
• 1x Beast Within
• 1x Dismember
• 2x Haywire Mite
• 2x Phyrexian Revoker
• 1x Rest in Peace
• 2x Scavenging Ooze
• 2x Spellskite
• 3x Spreading Algae

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Maybeboard

Standard elves l (9)

• 1x Bristlepack Sentry
• 2x Genesis Wave
• 1x Ghalta, Primal Hunger
• 1x Lathril, Blade of the Elves
• 1x Overrun
• 1x Rampaging Baloths
• 1x Voja, Jaws of the Conclave
• 1x Wilt-Leaf Liege

Eh (4)

• 1x Burrenton Forge-Tender
• 1x Manglehorn
• 1x Mystic Reflection
• 1x Teferi, Time Raveler

Modern horizons bs (3)

• 2x Collector Ouphe
• 1x Sanctifier en-Vec

Power crept (4)

• 1x Growing Rites of Itlimoc  ^Flip
• 1x Reclamation Sage
• 2x Westvale Abbey  ^Flip

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ELVES: Breakdown and Decklist

Modern elves have been relegated to rogue status: other archetypes are just flashier, more colorful, or get more support. I've been playing elves since I started in 2014 but the only thing that gave it an overhaul is the first Ixalan set. The only upgrades I've made since then are just generic color adjustments. Never die, Elves.

The strategy that has worked for me since 2022 is play to tempo:

Turn guide:

1. Cast elf to ramp (try to get a couple in opening hand)

2. Figure out if you want to ramp further or hold control spells.

3. Solidify a game plan by this turn. Try to hold down the board or build up to a boss monster (one of the 3x Ezuri, Renegade Leader or a Kogla)

4. Go for the boss monster

5. Pray.

6. Play to attrition if needed.

The current deckbuild thins the elf package to its barebones and uses white and blue for protection and control respectively. More details below.

3x Ezuri . The classic miniboss of the game. Once you get him out, protect him and sink mana into him.; You don’t want to run 4 because of the legend rule, and there are ample ways to tutor him out. Some players who use white use Mirror Entity as Ezuri number 4.

Devoted Druid is card that always finds a way to be broken every year or so. In Elf decks, having two on the field with Ezuri and 5 mana open generates Infinite Mana and Infinite Power/Toughness. 2017’s Amhonket Set gaves White Green Elves a new way to break Devoted Druid with Vizier of Remedies. 2022’s Streets of New Capenna uses Luxior, Giada's Gift to get infinite mana. Whichever way you choose, play at least 2.

Elves are a tried-and-true classic Magic the Gathering archetype that hold relevance in all formats. They ramp fast and get a boss monster onto the field and attack for game. Unfortunately, modern elves pop in and out of relevance as new sets are released and generally relegated into a rogue tier status. They’re outclassed by more popular, powerful, or colorful archetypes and are just out of the price range of being a budget deck. They only get attention when something new gets released that increases the power of the deck. It’s quite upsetting because elves are still a functional relevant deck- if you build them right.

Elves being a rogue tier deck has the advantage of being a deck no one can really anticipate. There have been countless games where I’ve won because my opponent does not read Ezuri’s first ability to regenerate another target elf. Other times, you’ll win because of the varied strategies in this deck; genesis wave for game, pumping all elves with Ezuri, or simply punching enough times with Kogla. Play the deck to your strengths and adjust the sideboard to your metagame.

I'm not running any modern horizons cards here as I don't like them on the principle of forced power creep after MH2. But more importantly, few people in my area really play modern so I'm not buying a deck that I can't play.

Elf History

Elves have a strange history of popping in and out of popular consciousness with certain sets, at least since my introduction to Magic the Gathering in 2012.

• In the 2000s, Nettle Sentinel was a premier elf card for some time, comboing well with Heritage Druid. If Glimpse of Nature was legal, you could draw 1-5 cards off one mana, which is kind of insane.
• Magic Origins in 2015 gave elves a boost with Dwynen's Elite and black elves draining for life and using discard and removal shenanigans like the 2007 Lowyn block. Decks with a splash of white started mainboarding protection and counters like Selfless Spirit in 2016’s Eldritch moon.
• 2017’s Ixalan gave Elves a tremendous boost Growing Rites of Itlimoc   , giving elves the theoretical ability to win with a turn 3 Itlimoc, Cradle of the Sun   and Collected company. 2017’s Amhonket Set gaves White Green Elves a new way to break Devoted Druid with Vizier of Remedies.
• 2021’s Kaldheim brought new elves into the game but nothing that really gave elves a big boost. And by 2022, elves just became overshadowed by budget decks such as infection and burn or decks, control decks with all different colors, the two-years dominated by Companion/Yorion, and pure decks with much high consistency by themselves such as the Living End, Amulet Titan, Niv to Light, and Ad Nauseum// Angel’s Grace.

If it’s not evident from the brief history of elves above, elves do best when they’re splashed with different colors. The game has power crept past the point when mono green budget elves could do well at the competitive world stage. White gives Elves all the protection and stax they need for a good game two and three in the sideboard. Splashing blue gives the addition of counterspells. Black gives the ability to discard and use black elves that can remove more and eat at life. Red gives the ability to have haste and Bloodbraid Elves. Choose what you like best.

sample decklist

CREATURES (27) • 3Elvish Mystic{G} • 3Heritage Druid{G} • 4Llanowar Elves{G} • 3Devoted Druid{1}{G} • 3Dwynen's Elite{1}{G} • 1Elvish Warmaster{1}{G} • 1Selfless Spirit{1}{W} • 3Elvish Archdruid{1}{G}{G}

• 1Eternal Witness{1}{G}{G} • 3Ezuri, Renegade Leader ✶{1}{G}{G} • 1Imperious Perfect{2}{G} • 1Kogla, the Titan Ape{3}{G}{G}{G}

INSTANTS (7) • 3Mana Leak{1}{U} • 1Beast Within{2}{G} • 3Chord of Calling{X}{G}{G}{G}

ENCHANTMENTS (1) • 1Growing Rites of Itlimoc{2}{G}

SORCERIES (6) • 1Finale of Devastation{X}{G}{G} • 1Sylvan Scrying{1}{G} • 1Time of Need{1}{G} • 1Eldritch Evolution{1}{G}{G} • 2Genesis Wave{X}{G}{G}{G}

LANDS (19) • 2 Cavern of Souls • 1 Temple Garden • 5 Forest 1 Watery Grave x Breeding Pool • 2 City of Brass • 2 Mana Confluence • 2 Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx • 1 Pendelhaven • 2 Westvale Abbey • 1 Windswept Heath

2017 Modern Mono Green Elf

archival purposes only. The same elf principles apply: Flood a bunch of mana into Ezuri Renegade Leader or into Genesis Wave and go for game. A Sample decklist from 2017 tried to abuse Growing Rites of Itlomic to win turn 4. T1: Fetchland, Elf. T2. Land, Elvish Archdruid. T3, Dwyn's Elite + Growing Rites, Itlomic + Collected Company = Ezuri + another elf, t4 swing for game. I never got to pull this combo off, but it didn't stop the hype.

CREATURES (29) • 3Elvish Mystic{G} • 3Heritage Druid{G} • 4Llanowar Elves{G} • 3Devoted Druid{1}{G} • 3Dwynen's Elite{1}{G} • 3Elvish Visionary{1}{G} • 1Spellskite{2} • 3Elvish Archdruid{1}{G}{G} • 1Eternal Witness{1}{G}{G} • 3Ezuri, Renegade Leader ✶{1}{G}{G} • 1Imperious Perfect{2}{G} • 1Carnage Tyrant{4}{G}{G}

ENCHANTMENTS (2) • 2Growing Rites of Itlimoc{2}{G}

INSTANTS (6) • 1Beast Within{2}{G} • 3Chord of Calling{X}{G}{G}{G} • 2Collected Company{3}{G}

SORCERIES (4) • 1Finale of Devastation{X}{G}{G} • 1Sylvan Scrying{1}{G} • 2Genesis Wave{X}{G}{G}{G}

LANDS (19) • 2Cavern of Souls • 6Forest • 2Horizon Canopy • 2Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx • 1Pendelhaven • 2Temple Garden • 2Westvale Abbey • 2Windswept Heath

SIDEBOARD (15) • 1Nature's Claim{G} • 1Shapers' Sanctuary{G} • 1Veil of Summer{G} • 1Collector Ouphe{1}{G} • 1Melira, Sylvok Outcast{1}{G} • 1Phyrexian Revoker{2} • 1Scavenging Ooze{1}{G} • 1Spellskite{2} • 1Torpor Orb{2} • 1Dismember{1}{B/P}{B/P} • 1Elvish Champion{1}{G}{G} • 1Kitchen Finks{1}{G/W}{G/W} • 1Loaming Shaman{2}{G} • 1Manglehorn{2}{G} • 1Fracturing Gust{2}{G/W}{G/W}{G/W}

Date added	11 months
Last updated	1 month
Legality	This deck is Modern Beyond Horizons legal.
Rarity (main - side)	1 - 0 Mythic Rares 26 - 8 Rares 15 - 7 Uncommons 13 - 0 Commons
Cards	60
Avg. CMC	2.23
Tokens	Beast 3/3 G, Elf Warrior 1/1 G