The latest iteration of my Elf deck. This one is meant to be faster, more powerful, more reliable. This deck is explosive, with multiple combos and ways to win. I'll explain some of the pieces and how they fit together. As always, I'd be very interested in hearing some feedback, whether you test it or can point out something I missed. Thank you for looking!
It All Starts With a Seed: Mana
Mana. It's what makes this game happen. Mana powers everything in the Multiverse, and Elves are the queens of mana ramp. Nobody does it better or faster. We have many mana dorks in this deck (20 of them, to be exact). The ideal turn 1 play is any of Elvish Mystic or Llanowar Elves, followed by a turn 2 Heritage Druid and Dwynen's Elite. However, a turn 1 mana dork can easily move into a turn 2 Archdruid, so either way you're getting a lot of mana early. It's also why this deck can operate on 18 lands.
First Shoots
This deck thrives on getting more done early than many decks do during the entire game. The huge amount of mana dorks makes this possible. You need at least a turn 1 play, but after that the Elves explode quickly. Most ideal is one of the 1-drop mana dorks, but Heritage Druid works, too, if you can put out a couple more Elves on turn 2 (from Dwynen's Elite or a couple of other 1-drops). Ideally, and fairly consistently, your first couple turns look like one of these:
1) Forest, Elvish Mystic/Llanowar Elves
2) Forest, Elvish Archdruid
3) Lots of mana (put out more Elves first)
or
1) Forest, Heritage Druid
2) Forest, Dwynen's Elite, tap all three (Druid, Elite, token), Elvish Archdruid
3) Lots of mana
By turn 3 you should ideally be setting up for victory on the next turn or two.
Forest in Bloom
Here is where things get fun. You have several different ways to win.
Joraga Warcaller is a great lord for you to spend all that mana on. He can turn your 1/1 dorks into 4/4s easily. Cavern of Souls can help ensure he hits the field. He combos very well with Marwyn, giving her more mana to channel into Elvish power.
Ezuri, Renegade Leader is a must-have. I don't run Chord of Calling in this deck because you'd just use Chord to get Ezuri. I cut out the middle-man and just run 4 Ezuri, and plenty of ways to get to him. With all that mana, he easily pumps your Elves into combat supremacy. Reliably swinging for 60+ trample damage by turn 4 is decent aggro!
Marwyn, the Nurturer is a new addition to the deck. She's cheap, not seeing a lot of recognition, but in this shell I think she's quite fantastic. First of all, let's shoot down the shoot-down-drawback: none of these Elves are Bolt-proof out the gate, so she's no different. But Marwyn turns into a beater on her own with other Elves coming out, or produces a ton of mana with Elf lords out or because of getting counters (or both). The mana she makes can power Ezuri, Genesis Wave, a multi-kicked Joraga Warcaller, or hard cast Akroma's Memorial.
Collected Company needs no introduction. It's one of the most powerful cards out there. At instant speed, it can bring out Elves in response to a need. My personal favorite is an end-step CoCo to bring out Ezuri and an Archdruid to set up for your victory next turn.
Genesis Wave is also a new addition to this iteration, replacing Lead the Stampede, at least for now. Generally, you want X = 7, because that lets you look at the top 7, potentially putting out several Elves and the Akroma's Memorial, allowing all those Elves to immediately swing in through the air, then also potentially tap to pump mana into Ezuri's Elf Overrun ability, securing the win.
Branching Out
I'm not sure what to put in the sideboard. I put in some general removal and Melira, though I'm not sure--infect isn't that popular anymore, it seems. I'm considering mainboarding Heroic Intervention but not sure what I could cut to make room. It's very strong, and although Elves bounce back better than most from board sweeps, this prevents the board sweep from being a problem in the first place. I could use suggestions for the sideboard.
If you play the deck, or have any ideas, input, suggestions, let me know. As always, Elves are the best people in the Multiverse, so go out there and make everything Elfier!
