Home Strategy Magic 2014 Sylvan Might deck guide: Me and what army?

Elves, who doesn’t love them? Sneaky hordes of treehugging bastards using puny little bows as weapons, that’s what they are. Because there’s no fantasy that Tolkien didn’t think up, is there.

I’d say more about the deck itself, but really, what is there to say? As always, it focuses on flooding the board with little bastards until you have enough to just walk over your opponent. However, it’s not as aggro as you might expect, nor is it 6-mana-turn-3 rampy as Elves also like to do. Somehow, Wizards have created a decent midrange deck with lots of stalling and tons of spare guys to toss at removal until your opponent runs out or the universe runs out of energy, whichever happens first. (Likely the second option.)

Friendship is stoopid magic!

Well, Elves gonna do what Elves gonna do. That is to say, get ten guys onto the board by turn 5 (I’ve seen it happen) and run over your opponent with tons of tribal synergy. And by that I mean a lot. Seriously.

However, when your entire deck is composed of weenies with weeness no wee has ever had, board wipes sort of hurt you. So I guess it’s down to praying you’re not going to eat one of the 13 wipes the usual opponent packs.* Still, when that’s not happening, no one will mind if you sacrifice Fred or George to that Diabolic Edict. For the cause, right?

Despite how great it could have been though, I can’t muster the strength to hate Elves. It’s by far not terrible, but it’s not Izzet level either. It’s… fine, I guess. That’s a possibility in this game? If nothing else, it’s a deck that has fucking one-drops. You know how rare those things are in DotP14? That being said, it either snowballs or eats a board wipe and dies horribly. More than any other deck, it relies on its momentum, almost completely unable to regain it once lost.

Sylvan Might deck list (by mana cost)

60 cards, 24 Forest

1 CMC

  • 3 Joraga Warcaller
  • 2 Taunting Elf
  • 3 Essence Warden
  • 1 Gladecover Scout
  • 1 Copperhorn Scout
  • 1 Spire Tracer

2 CMC

  • 1 Fauna Shaman
  • 1 Elvish Vanguard
  • 1 Talara’s Battaillon
  • 4 Wellwisher
  • 3 Nissa’s Chosen

3 CMC

  • 1 Ezuri, Renegade Leader
  • 1 Imperious Perfect
  • 3 Timerwatch Elf
  • 1 Beastmaster Ascension

4 CMC

  • 2 Alpha Status
  • 2 Immaculate Magistrate
  • 1 Heedless One
  • 2 Sylvan Messenger
  • 1 Primitive Etchings

5 CMC

  • 1 Asceticism

Sylvan Might card-by-card analysis (by mana cost)

Joraga Warcaller: 4.0

Expensive? Yes. Game-winning? Absolutely. An unexpected +2/+2 boost for your entire army can already be enough for some games to end very quickly. Also note that, with how it’s worded, it doesn’t care how it got its counters. I’ll let you do the math on how to exploit that.

Taunting Elf: 3.5

Since very few creatures can block additional creatures while they’re busy eating a guy with a fruit basket, effectively makes your entire army unblockable for the winning move. Assuming, of course, that he doesn’t get instant speed zapped. Now if only there was some way to pump him in order to make him a one-sided board wipe…

Essence Warden: 3.0

Well it’s a first turn drop, and a great one at that. The life does more for you than you would expect, while the Warden sits around doing Elf things. What do Elves do when they’re not being OP, anyway?

Gladecover Scout: 3.0

Sure it’s hexproof, but it’s also a 1/1. Sure it can be buffed, but so can it die in a random Earthquake. Ultimately, too useful to pass up without consideration. At least there’s something that can receive buffs without dying in response.

Rancor: 2.5

Look, Rancor is powerful. I like it myself, a lot. Despite that, in a deck where its only purpose will be to create 3/1 guys, except directly going to the ‘yard thanks to instant speed burn, a bit wasted.

Copperhorn Scout: 4.0

Elves tap, whether it’s to attack or to give each other 10 +1/+1 counters. This little guy gives you pseudovigilance as well as the ability to tap your elvish beauties twice a turn. I think we can agree that 100% more tap per tap is a good thing.

Spire Tracer: 3.0

I’d prefer Silhana Ledgewalker, but I suppose no one runs Reach creatures anyway and cool shroud is for pussies. Don’t underestimate this, it can easily swing into a stalemate when fliers are scarce.

Insist: 1.5

So it’s a sorcery that does literally nothing against 86% of opponents instead of replace itself with something less terrible. How about: “No, and give me Savage Summoning instead.”
“But Toraka, it’s a one mana draw spell! Therefore it must be awesome!” you might call in the comments.
To which I’d reply with, “Be quiet, not in this deck it isn’t.”

Gaea’s Herald: 2.0

I was going to rate this worse than Insist, but at least it’s permanent and puts a 1/1 onto the board, so that its effect can die in an Earthquake. What are your options again? Nissa’s Chosen? Oh yeah, cards that DO SOMETHING.

Fauna Shaman: 4.5

If she stays on the board to tap, will allow you to transform that Essence Warden into a Sylvan Messenger or the sort. Magic is a game about minimising odds by getting the right mixture of cards doing the same thing. What if you always had the best card for the job?

Gempalm Strider: 2.5

Can end the game with an instant uncounterable effect. Doesn’t have to. Considering the likelihood of that scenario (approaching 0 very fast) and your other options to spend those 4 mana, not worth including.

Elvish Vanguard: 4.0

So a singleton Champion of the Parish which is strictly worse except in a mirror matchup is still an insane deal. Thanks for proving a point about that Angels deck, Wizards!

Talara’s Battalion: 4.5

It’s a 4/3 for two mana. With tribal effects. For two mana. With Trample. For two mana. Raised my point yet?

Wellwisher: 3.5

Like the majestic lifemoose in the Eldrazi deck, very deceiving. Even one can easily heal most, if not all, damage you’ll be taking in the earlier stages of the game, allowing you to ignore blocking altogether. Either it does that, eats removal the instant it comes down, or both. (Hint: Both are very good options for a 2 mana 1/1.)

Nissa’s Chosen: 3.5

Somehow, I despise this card. Certainly it can come back on top with a single shuffle, but how likely is that? Okay, it forms some infinite combos, but I’d still prefer to run guys who aren’t holding their sword by the edge. Despite that, it’s a 2/3 for two mana with no restrictions. No one can argue against that.

Ezuri, Renegade Leader: 4.5

Removal dies to him. He once did an Overrun while walking, at instant speed. He is the most interesting Elf in Mirrodin.

Imperious Perfect: 5.0

Just good. Just overall good, be it from buffing your guys into rather dangerous levels or from pooping out 2/2 Elves. A beautiful package.

Caller of the Claw: 2.5

Eeextra Liihife! That being said, it’s rare to have three mana open the moment that your opponent decides to wipe the board and doesn’t have a counter ready. If it produced Elves, maybe. Not with an army of bears that do absolutely fuck-all for your beloved tribal synergy.

Groundbreaker: 2.0

There’s a reason that this was only in Planar Chaos, and it’s not because green is known for bursts of self-destructing monsters. While this can inflict some serious damage, this is not really the sort of deck that could take advantage of it. Not to mention that a single Electrolyse or First Strike will send this back to its corner to cry.

Timberwatch Elf: 3.5

A repeatable Giant Growth would be nice for its cost. A repeatable, free +6/+6 starting on turn 4 and growing? Now you’re thinking true friendship power. Not Immaculate Magistrate, but also not Immaculate Magistrate. This survives, opponent dies. This dies, Immaculate Magistrate lives. Then opponent dies.

Beastmaster Ascension: 5.0

Seven attackers at once aren’t hard to reach, especially not when you can use Timberwatch Elf and its likes to continously swing with at least one guy until you’re ready for doom. Once it’s active, it’s a matter for Izzet to choke on its cleverness and die. (Or wipe the board at instant speed before its effect resolves. That’s also a thing.)

Elvish Branchbender: 2.0

Oh, dem abs. That’s about the only nice thing to say about him. His ability costs a net one mana for a temporary effect that at best allows your opponent to use those Doom Blades as land destruction and at worst turns your Forest into a 0/0 thanks to another instant speed board wipe.

Blanchwood Armour: 3.0

Can provide a good buff, but is sorcery speed, can’t switch targets, and something has probably gone horribly wrong if this gives more than +6/+6 for your to-be-chumped attacker at most.

Genesis Wave: 2.0

Wizards, why isn’t this in Eldrazi? Why the fuck is this not in Eldrazi? Oh yeah, it’d be slightly insane there. Now, I’m not sure about you, but I can imagine better uses of six or more mana in an Elf deck without any ramp than to maybe flip over two Forests and a Taunting Elf. Like something that wins you the game, for example.

Alpha Status: 3.5

Like Blanchwood Armour, but with more ridiculous. For three mana, in a deck like this one, even +1/+1 would be playable. Not good, of course, which is why the bonus was doubled.

Lead the Stampede: 3.0

Now, this choice will get me a lot of flak fire, and I agree, it can be argued into the deck. However, you don’t actually need that much fetching lest you’re going up against someone who constantly kills all your stuff. Do you really want to spend your third turn doing nothing except filling your hand to discard size? Good in certain scenarios, but those are very specific scenarios.

Heedless One: 3.5

As will this choice. If you really want, I suppose you can fit in another for Primitive Etchings or one Forest, but look at it this way: This is a lategame card that looks more powerful than it is and doesn’t do much unless your army is already strong. Now look at what fetching you have; You have Fauna Shaman, you have Sylvan Messenger, you have Primitive Etchings, even more if you want. When you need it, you’ll find it.

Sylvan Messenger: 3.5

Cast and let your opponent scoff at its 2/2 Trample. Then fetch four Elves off the top of your library and enchant with Alpha Status. It seems weird to praise a 4 mana card that’s basically the same thing as the one for 3 mana above, but that’s the thing: It costs 4 mana, meaning that it’ll come out when you actually can use it. Besides, you pretty much get a 1 mana 2/2 free with your card advantage, which is always nice.

Slate of Ancestry: 1.5

I sees some fishies and a camel and a sentient, bipedal yak thingy… okay, this art is creepy. Either way, do you really want to spend two full turns on a card that relies on you already winning to let you win more? All glory to the sentient bipedal yak thingy, though.

Primitive Etchings: 4.0

Shows your opponent what you draw. Therefore, terrible as is the Oracle of Mul Daya. Yeah, wouldn’t it be weird if I talked about my spouse like that? Since half your deck is creatures like a green deck should be, this is a one-sided Howling Mine every second turn. Last time I checked, that’s pretty cheap for green. Yes, it costs mana, a fair lot of it. But every turn it sits there, it glomps out card advantage, allowing you to recover from getting set back and push past stalemates.

Ambush Commander: 1.0

“Hey! You know what would be great? We’ll take this meta where the player who draws more removal and board wipes wins, and put in a card that allows all your lands to have summoning sickness and die in Earthquakes!”
Next up on Wizards TV, how to eat your coworker’s glue without him noticing.

Voice of the Woods: 2.0

He-Man wants YOU to believe in the power of friendship. You can use any five Elves for his ability, even himself and other summoning sick ones, and sure the token is big. Just riddle me this, when you’ve got five Elves on the board which you can afford to tap for another ability than their own, do you really need a 7/7 token without tribal synergy? When you really need a big token, how often do you find yourself with five spare Elves?

Seedborn Muse: 3.0

Gaining double life is nice, but that’s about all it’ll do; There are few to no instant effects in this deck and it’s impossible to use “Until end of turn” effect twice with her since no player receives priority between the cleanup step and the untap step. Also not an Elf

Weatherseed Treefolk: 2.5

Yay, infinite chump blocker! Okay, it does a little more than that, but for being top of the curve in a deck that can fetch just about anything except this, it could do a little more. If you’re continously using this one’s ability, you are losing and just refuse to admit it.

Coat of Arms: 3.0

Can win you the game very quickly. It better, too. Since DotP’s decks put more emphasis on scrambling together creatures with the same type than actually making good blends of cards, your opponent’s army will also be very big and very displeased once it untaps.

Verdant Embrace: 1.5

Blanchwood Armour will do more for you for two mana less. Yay, it gives you a chump blocker without the right type every upkeep. So fucking what? Without any real buffs, the Saprolings are irrelevant, so you’re only paying five mana to mark your guy as a target for the orbital Doom Blade cannon.

Asceticism: 4.5

Now that’s a stinky finger to Izzet if I’ve ever seen one. Fully deserved, too. Because that deck and any that play it smell.**

Enlarge: 2.5

This can do some serious damage when the conditions are right. I.e. when it’s in Garruk’s deck and not this one, because the same effect can already be achieved far cheaper. Too expensive, don’t bother.

Mythic Proportions: 1.5

Oh, speaking of too expensive to be played even in a stalemate. Why did it have to be rare, anyway? Damn wizards always ruining the easy jokes with their arm-waving and arcane babbling.

Biorhythm: 2.0

Well, at least it’s impressive as a “Screw you all, I’m taking the ball home”-move. Let’s face it, the only correct response to a Demons player casting Damnation without any creatures to follow it up. Just imagine the scenario. Now better savour that imaginary feeling, because it will never actually happen at 8 mana.

 

*Data source: Everybody is playing either Izzet or fucking Demons. Well, at least we know that those people smell and you’re the hero of mankind for not having to rely on such cheap decks.**

**Sorry Wing, but you have to admit it’s true. Perhaps you (unlike other Izzet players) smell of victory, but it’s true all the same. All glory to the sentient bipedal yak thingy.

34 replies to this post
  1. The statement from your intro, “More than any other deck, it relies on its momentum, almost completely unable to regain it once lost”, is only true of your build, not of the deck generally. If you add 2x Sylvan Messenger and 4x Lead the Stampede, recovering from a board wipe is not really an issue.

    I disagree with your claim that Lead the Stampede is situational (or that it’s ever really even a turn 3 play). While it is very helpful in the instance of recovering from a board wipe, there is almost no situation where it isn’t useful – the deck plays out its hand very quickly, and refilling your hand is essential in every game to keep up constant pressure on your opponent. I could see maybe dropping one for Primitive Etchings, maybe (but probably only if I were playing 2hg).

    Also – why not have the 4th Timberwatch Elf? It seems auto-include, one of the primary ways you can maintain constant pressure on your opponent.

    And, if you hate Nissa’s Chosen so much, why not replace it with Gempalm Strider? For the low price of 1 toughness, you gain a situational ability that is very useful late game – it makes the Strider a better late game draw than Nissa’s Chosen, and the early game difference is toughness isn’t huge.

    • Yes, the difference between 2 and 3 toughness is actually rather large. Obviously, your opponent will have to put in more to kill it, which is annoying when the rest of your guys have only 2 toughness. Just by having him on the board, you force your opponent into sorcery-casting their Sulfurous Blast, pumping three mana into Earthquake, et cetera. You can thus force them to use up more mana and/or cards to solve the same problem.

      Also, think of how abundant 2/2 creatures are. Is the same true for 3/2 or 3/3?

      • I guess I have two perspectives on the 2 vs 3 toughness issue:

        1. the deck where from where your examples come from – D&B – doesn’t really actually care about the difference between 2 and 3 toughness. An Earthquake for 2 vs. an Earthquake for 3, or a Sulfurous Blast at sorcery speed isn’t really that relevant. Sorcery vs instant speed matters for certain decks, but not against SM – not even a little – because if you wipe the board at sorcery speed, the SM player has to rebuild and has no threats that can’t be burned out instead of countered (except the hasty 6/1 I guess, but otherwise nothing is attacking the turn following the wipe). The D&B player will mostly ignore the Nissa’s Chosen anyway, and wait for you to play something more threatening, like a Timberwatch Elf or Wellwisher, before they decide to off it. Not to mention, D&B has an abundance of spells that kill 3 toughness creatures – really the only thing 3 toughness matters for is Volcanic Fallout. Also, this deck mostly folds to D&B even under the best of circumstances. I don’t think it would matter much even if Nissa’s Chosen had 4 toughness against that deck.

        2. while Nissa’s Chosen can survive against a 2/2 attacker or blocker, it’s not necessary to do so. First, generally you never have to block with this deck anyway, since you’ll be gaining enough life to compensate. Second, when you attack, you attack usually under the cover of Taunting Elf, Immaculate Magistrate, Gempalm or Timberwatch Elf.

      • Hmm he does have a point. You could argue the two pretty well. I’ve seen Nissa’s Chosen prevent quite a few attackers getting through but I guess Gempalm could be a decent alternative, at least he is an Elf if you chose to play him.

        Also DH50 about the board wipe recovery. It’s not necessarily (not) having cards in your hand that’s the problem, although it does help, it’s the fact that you just lost 10 or whatever Elves you just had. You have to start all over again putting them down to regain momentum whereas your opponent is starting to play a 6/6 Reaper from the Abyss or something which can handle a few Elves pretty well.
        As you did say “the SM player has to rebuild and has no threats that can’t be burned out”.

      • (You pulled me off of math for this – thanks.)

        When you have a 2/3 while your opponent has only a 2/2 (in an imaginary scenario which blurs out all tapped creatures etc), then you can also attack with a 1/1 despite having only one untapped Timberwatch Elf. Effectively, you get more damage by having a tougher guy.
        Also, Nissa’s Chosen doesn’t have to wait until the apocalypse for you to play it as a creature. Though the Gempalm is the only one of its cycle to be fairly costed, has to be said.

        Besides, when your opponent casts a wipe, you quit with or without fetchers. This deck relies on there always being a fair number of Elves on the board, starting anew while your opponent is casting bombs just seals your own doom. Even if you want to run it, eight cards to flood your hand are too many.

        Also, in case anyone finds fault with the title, I submitted it as “I and what army”. In case that’s the correct version, and I think it is, blame Wing.
        Top Tier Tactics grammar lessons. Now every Sunday.

    • Good review mostly, but DH50 is 100% right.

      Try playing ALL copies of Stampede and Messenger, it slows the deck slightly, but allows you shrug board wipes off like nothing.

      It’s incredibly frustrating for an opponent to take out 5 or 6 elves for 1 card, and STILL come back comfortably when your Messenger nets them 5 cards off the top (trust me, I’ve played this scenario from each end).

      • Forgot to mention, that like Joraga Warcaller, Lead the Stampede only LOOKS like a 3 CMC spell. What it actually is a spell you want to play turn 5 or after. You want to play elves for 4 turns, then refill your hand AND drop the cheapest elf you draw back out with the stampede.

        Seriously, recovering from board wipe is ENTIRELY and regularly possible with 2 of these and all messengers.

        I agree with Toraka about Nissa’s Chosen though, you need that meatier body early on to help stall the board till you go elf-critical, it’s not optional.

  2. Taunting Elf + Timberwatch Elf (or the likes) + Elvish Branchbender vs a green deck can be interesting, impractical but amusing weed killer.

  3. If you have Joraga Warcaller and Immaculate Magistrate out, then Ambush Commander is incredible. With Joraga and the Magistrate, the 1/1 Elves are likely at least 6/6 Elves the instant they come out and they will double the Magistrate’s bonus early game. I’ve had ten 20/20 creatures ready to attack on turn six.

    Granted, that was a nearly perfect draw. But late game, Ambush Commander can still turn a mediocre Heedless One into something large enough to end the game.

    • Granted, it can do that. It can also open your lands up to being destroyed by literally anything in the game, to being bounced, to being exiled, literally anything that can happen to creatures. (If you’re winning against a SM player as AG, firstly you smell and secondly Path his land. Because reasons.)
      Considering how much more likely the second option is, it’s not usually worth running.

  4. Re: board wipe recovery.

    I never quit in response to board wipes (or really anything else); I think the deck is resilient, that’s why I run all 8 recovery cards. On the one hand, yes, it takes a couple of turns to rebuild. On the other hand, whatever bombs they’re playing post-wipe aren’t necessarily game-enders. Wellwishers provide so much life gain that even 2 turns of activating them give you enough of a life margin to recover from a large number of threats.

    I personally think the resilience is this deck’s main strength. It recovers from wipes faster and more consistently than just about any other deck.

  5. Sooo… about creepy art. Wellwisher. What the hell was Wizards thinking? I can draw better than that and I’m not even good, what the hell. I almost wouldn’t put it in my deck just because it’s ugly as sin.

    • Might have something to do with that it’s a card pulled all the way from Onslaught, when everything still looked like absolute crap.
      You can recognise such cards by them counting ALL Elves. Ah, the days before Wizards took the excitement out of mirror matches.

  6. Not running all four Lead the Stampede and all four Sylvan Messenger is a mistake, IMO; CA wins games. Also, the Messenger has trample which Timberwatch Elf likes and, unlike Heedless One, she actually does something. Also regarding all the draw power, with only the Fauna Shaman for tutoring, digging is the other way we find the ridiculous combo pieces like Joraga Warcaller or Taunting Elf with Immaculate Magistrate. Beastmaster Ascension just isn’t needed and the creature enchantments aren’t either. Primitive Etchings is too expensive and too slow. Asceticism is okay, but I’d rather top out the curve at four and run 23 land. Basically I’m saying that Lead the Stampede and Forest should be the only non-creature cards in the entire deck.

    About Nissa’s Chosen, that three-toughness is stellar on T2, but Strider is excellent as well and replaces itself if you cycle it; why not include both?

    I’m not sold on Copperhorn or Gladecover either, but they aren’t terrible.

    • I should really stop copypasting my *cough* associate’s builds without improving them. (No, it’s not Wing.)
      Alright, I’ll work out an improved build, soon. I’m kind of working on something and it’s the start of the week again for me. Oh, the woes of college, studying twenty-four hours across four days…

      If we exclude Izzet, even though it’s literally the only deck that gets played online, Gladecover has no real use over other Elves. Copperhorn is really great though; Just think of using all those Timbertwat Elves twice a turn, not to mention the Magistrates, the Fauna Shaman, the Magistrates, the Wellwishers, the Magistrates…

  7. The chance to double-tap some Elves (hehe) when Copperhorn attacks is cute, but I find this deck doesn’t really start attacking until mid-late game when it’s already winning and it feels a bit win-more; that said, I should try her out. The strategy against Izzet is to play two-three creatures and chip; a lot of their draw-potential is stapled onto Remand, so if you decline to cast some they can’t get the cantrip. Then the tap out to sweep, and you resolve more dudes. Also, Timberwatch Elf exists to save your guys from burn; tapping him on offense for a few points of damage opens you up to blowouts. I think SM is one of the harder matchups for Izzet, personally, because they can keep up with the CA and resolve multiple spells per turn. Add in the self-inflicted damage from Fallout/Blast/Char, and it’s achieveable.

    • I’d argue towards Asceticism; Forcing Izzet to tap out for a sweep (cough cough sorcery Sulfurous Blast, IT MAKES A DIFFERENCE IN COUNTERSPAM!) then dropping it means you win unless they can race you down instantly.

      Otherwise, I’ll try and assemble something with 8 fetchers and topped at 4. After all, I still have six weeks before the AC4 rush. Thanks Ubisoft!

  8. I certainly don’t think Asceticism is bad, and running a single 5-drop on 23 land is definitely manageable. But if you’re running all 8 draw spells, you’ll often just ship it to the bottom. If you brew up and test a new build, I’d be curious to see it; this deck is extremely powerful.

  9. Constantly drawing creatures is good, no? Also beware of overextending against Bant because Martial Coup is a thing. And yeah, the deck can get pretty silly; it’s one of D&B’s worst matchups, IMO.

  10. I just wanted to share this story with Toraka.

    I just 5-for-1’d an elf player with an Electrolyze ;) FIVE.

    Gotta love buffs dependent on elf totals.

    That said, Elves vs Izzet is pretty much a coinflip if they’re running 7-8 recovery cards.

    • How? How does one go about such?

      I mean, kill two Elves, great. Draw a card, makes 3. Then… I guess a Branchbender must have been involved? I have set X to zero while a Branchbender’s abiltiy was on the stack myself before, it’s quite fun to do.
      Other than that, I wouldn’t know how a simple Electrolyse can net you four cards of advantage.

      • Hehe I’m glad you asked:

        He had an Essence Warden in play with a Heedless one enchanted with Alpha Status. So it’s a 4/4.

        He then tried to place Verdant Embrace on the Warden, so I responded with Electrolyze before it resolved; 1 damage to warden and one damage to Heedless, killing the warden, fizzling the Embrace and effectively giving the Heedless -4/-4.

        His 4 cards died, I drew a card. I count 4-for-0 as 5-for-1 :)

      • And that, kids, is why you don’t run Heedless One.
        Currently thinking about the Alpha Status as well. So much power, but so much depending…

      • I run 1 Heedless. They’re narrow and expensive, but sometimes you just NEED more trample, or a fatty that can be fat immediately (once you start chumping your elves things go downhill).

        That said, Elves is the overall more powerful deck than Izzet.

        Izzet can’t power out of situations once it’s ‘window’ is bypassed. If you think you can contain Chant, Guardians, or even AG once they hit 7+ mana, think again. Dumping your whole hand onto a baneslayer only to have “hallow” come down…ugh. Even the Demon deck can put you in a rough spot sometimes.

        Elves has the strongest inevitability of any deck in the season – if you’re in a board stall, elves wins. Every time. If you’re trying to go large, Elves wins. Oh, that 38/38 lifelink vigilance flying first strike indestructible creature thinks he’s relevant? Shame I’m on 150 life and about to swing for infinity.

        It may take 2 turns or it may take 7, but eventually you break through with some interaction that ends the game immediately regardless of your opponent’s life total.

        Except the Dawn-Pariah combo, for those who know how to assemble it. That sucks :(

    • Yeah, considering Izzet IS removal, it’s pretty amazing that the matchup is remotely close. Elves does well everywhere else though.

  11. I’d imagine he had creatures on the field then blocked and killed some Heedless Ones by nuking some of the weenies to debuff them. Maybe?

  12. 23 Forest
    3 Essence Warden
    3 Joraga Warcaller
    2 Taunting Elf
    1 Spire Tracer
    4 Wellwisher
    3 Nissa’s Chosen
    2 Gempalm Strider
    1 Elvish Vanguard
    1 Talara’s Battalion
    1 Fauna Shaman
    4 Timberwatch Elf
    1 Imperious Perfect
    1 Ezuri, Renegade Leader
    4 Lead the Stampede
    4 Sylvan Messenger
    2 Immaculate Magistrate

    Try it, it’s awesome.

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