Elf Beatdown

Modern Vito1014

SCORE: 128 | 219 COMMENTS | 23453 VIEWS | IN 82 FOLDERS


Vito1014 says... #5

First 100 comments deleted.

February 25, 2014 9:53 p.m.

iamacasual says... #6

Constructive criticism (that you won't listen to despite it being the best advice you'll get for this deck):

  1. Run more lands because mana dorks are vulnerable and you can't hope to draw them every turn, nor have them in your starting hand every game.

  2. You need mana acceleration, not ramp. Courser of Kruphix / Explore / Sakura-Tribe Elder

  3. You don't need 4 of every creature, especially when most of them are dead cards until midgame.

  4. You need more draw spells, aka GAS. Harmonize / Collective Unconscious / Explore

February 25, 2014 9:55 p.m.

MissingNYC says... #7

I run a deck somewhat similar to this, they are fun, but they have hell against HARD control decks... or even burn decks.

February 25, 2014 10:02 p.m.

Vito1014 says... #8

lol presumptious as well. I said in a previous comment that I will keep all suggestions in mind. Thanks for your input.

February 25, 2014 10:02 p.m.

Flareking99 says... #9

iamacasual is right. While having mana ramp is good, being able to spit out land quickly is good because your opponents can't kill land until around turn 3-4-ish. At that point, you can spit out more creatures that can help you. 4 of every creature is a bit much because of the frequency of the creatures that you pull. More card draw is excellent because with cards like Oracle of Mul Daya , you can spit out more land than you need, allowing for more creatures and more card draw.

February 25, 2014 10:07 p.m.

iamacasual says... #10

MissingNYC that's impossible, this deck is amazing against control, or so the OP claims.

February 25, 2014 10:14 p.m.

Vito1014 says... #11

I never said he was wrong. 4 of each creature gives me consistency. I almost ALWAYS draw a win- con in my opening hand, or I get Elvish Harbinger to find it. 16 land is not supremely efficient. You're right. But with 20 land I found myself drawing way more land than I needed. So i took 4 out and filled that with Elvish Visionary . With the suggestions made I'm considering Harmonize or Lead the Stampede . If you would have paid attention to what I was actually saying instead of seeing what you wanted you would note that I never once said my deck was perfect. Nor did I say I can beat any deck made. Your meta at your shop can vary from the meta at my shop. There is always a common meta. Immaculate Magistrate is proving somewhat worthless to me, and being at the top of my curve it will be the first to go. But i'll start off by saying I have a life, I have priorities much higher than MTG and this deck is doing exactly what I want it to RIGHT now. Obviously 35 upvotes and ranked #12 for today means I did something right. This deck will not stay the same.

February 25, 2014 10:26 p.m.

iamacasual says... #12

And what is the "wincon" of a beatdown deck? What is your ideal "nut" hand?

Yes, there is a common meta: UR Tempo/Twin, WUR Tempo/Midrange, WUR Control, UR Control, Jund, Tron, Affinity, Selesnya Hexproof, Naya Midrange/Hatebears, Zoo. Out of those decks, anything with red kills you.

Those archetypes are the tier 1 decks that I am basing my assertions on. Those archetypes ARE the common meta.

And do you honestly think that 35 upvotes means that the deck is "good"? Just because people like it doesn't mean that it's competitive. They could like Elves, they could like mono green, they could like mana ramp, they could like the originality. That is not indicative of how good a deck is at all.

February 25, 2014 10:33 p.m.

Vito1014 says... #13

Thanks for the input.

February 25, 2014 10:36 p.m.

Sam_I_am says... #14

You're running plenty of lands. Now, you might want to run some Llanowar Elves to help with the curve, but nearly all decent elf decks run a small number of lands.

February 25, 2014 11:37 p.m.

robrone9 says... #15

Congratulations on the recent success with your deck! Stay positive and have fun Vito. Its just a game, and brewing is supposed to be fun. +1 because I like elves and I think it would be fun to play. I agree that faster is better in elf decks in general... But I would still try a Genesis Wave or Craterhoof Behemoth in the deck... Even if it's just for the fun of it. :)

February 25, 2014 11:39 p.m.

iamacasual says... #16

He has Llanowar Elves...

February 25, 2014 11:45 p.m.

Vito1014 says... #17

Thanks robrone9 ! Have a good one bud

February 25, 2014 11:50 p.m.

LtMiller117 says... #18

I think Gyre Sage would be pretty decent in this deck for both mana ramp and huge creatures late game.

February 25, 2014 11:51 p.m.

Vito1014 says... #19

Ok iamacasual doing this in a civilized manor. What would this deck look like if you were to change it without making drastic changes

February 25, 2014 11:53 p.m.

iamacasual says... #20

It's hard to do elves (or any tribal for that matter other than Faeries) in modern because the card support just isn't there--what makes it even harder is you want the WHOLE deck to be elves. However, if I was going to make an elf deck, this is how I'd do it.

It's more resilient to targeted removal and has a better mana curve. However, there are a few cards I'm not sure I'd keep in it which is why they're both singletons: Drove of Elves and Elvish Harbinger .

February 26, 2014 12:50 a.m.

iamacasual says... #21

If I was going to take those 2 out (and I think they should be taken out) I'd add 2 more Rancor .

February 26, 2014 12:53 a.m.

iamacasual says... #22

I might even cut some of the other, less ramp or pump creatures for Giant Growth , Groundswell , and Might of Old Krosa .

February 26, 2014 12:55 a.m.

Wolfsage13 says... #23

the way the deck is structured right now, you are going to get about 1 land and one 1drop mana ramp in hand. if you're lucky you will get the second land to drop a 3drop, but the 4drops are a little on the greedy side. Harmonize and some lands might be a good trade out. The draw will counteract the extra land you might draw, and it will give you a way to refill your hand should they stabalize. I've seen a few elf decks opting to splash blue for Beck so that they can combo out. -4 Elvish Promenade and +2 Elvish Champion +2 (Any protection Spell) is an easy change that would give your deck a little more consistency without sacrificing any power, because regardless of meta Lightning Bolt is a very real thing. Mutagenic Growth is a good way to protect your 3 drops, but it won't save your poor mana dorks though. Anger of the Gods has been seeing more play too as a result of zoo's revival, so Wrap in Vigor seems like it might be a good card to think about.

February 26, 2014 12:03 p.m.

Zerpha says... #24

"This deck is now 11-0 in 1v1 games."

Against which unlikely kind of unbalanced meta, exactly?

iamacasual and Wolfsage13 make some good points, your deck is freakishly fragile against removal.

Just running 16 lands and relying on manadorks instead is a terrible idea since you're not only likely to miss your land drops in the early game (and with that a lot of tempo), but also because you're screwed if you are left with one or two lands after getting board-wiped through Pyroclasm , Drown in Sorrow , Anger of the Gods , Damnation , Supreme Verdict etc.

Among all these mana-elves, Elzuri and Joraga Warcaller are the only cards that allow you to dump all your mana. As suggested, Harmonize would balance things out a bit, since card advantage is always a good idea to stabilize your deck.

Elvish Promenade is just a win-more spell that I'd cut completely.

February 26, 2014 12:34 p.m.

Vito1014 says... #25

I might check out all those options when i get home, thanks.

February 26, 2014 12:40 p.m.

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