Chucktator, 9 years ago

There is also room for a collected company build, for when the main mana engine gets inevitably banned

Vraska and Friends (Updated)

jrl1020, 9 years ago

I've updated this deck to be legal in the modern format. Please let me know if I've missed any cards that aren't legal in this format, and I'm open to any suggestions that may improve it. Thanks.

Also, I'm already looking to get 1-3 more Diabolic Tutor, unless there is something better that can be used in it's place.

Big Update

SSBB-Slain, 9 years ago

Removed: Master of Waves, Riptide Laboratory, Snow-Covered Island, Into the Roil, and Foil.

Added: Jace, the Mind Sculptor, Brainstorm, Ponder, Preordain, and Arcane Denial.

I recently showed my decklist to my friend Brian Weissman, and he offered me some great suggestions. The best suggestions he offered to me that I decided to accept were to include the trio of Brainstorm, Ponder, Preordain, as well as a Jace, the Mind Sculptor. He also suggested I lower my land count to about 35.

The cantrips offer more consistency, improve starting hands, and dig for the combo. Jace, the Mind Sculptor replaced Master of Waves as an additional win condition. Jace, the Mind Sculptor can also disrupt the opponent and he draws better than Master of Waves was able to. All in all, these changes further reduce the deck's reliance on Azami, Lady of Scrolls.

I put in Arcane Denial over Foil because Foil has been inconsistent about being cast for free, and the four converted mana cost was too high. Arcane Denial is cheap, only has one necessary U in the cost, can cantrip, or if I do not want my opponent to draw, I could use Arcane Denial on the combo turn. The opponent will never get the chance to draw the cards.

Riptide Laboratory was just extravagance most games as well as not tapping for blue mana. I was able to cut one Snow-Covered Island thanks to the new cantrips. Into the Roil was never a dead card but never fantastic. I cut it in favor of one of the cheap cantrips. Additionally, Jace, the Mind Sculptor can bounce too as a replacement for Into the Roil.

Post-Shadows Musings

OptimusTom, 9 years ago

Overall I'm not 100% sold on any big cards from Shadows Over Innistrad in this specific list...the power is really an explosive Rock-style deck that runs people over with turn 3 Thought-Knot Seer / turn 4 Reality Smasher. However, it also plays the midrange grindy game. I'm foreseeing weakness against Collected Company decks in the pre-SB games though, as there isn't a ton of maindeck removal.

Was debating Deathcap Cultivator over Duskwatch Recruiter  ^Flip. Cultivator often lets any turn 4 plays become turn 3, where ask Duskwatch Recruiter is a threat on 2 that can flip and force the issue on later turns. Deathcap may be correct, but I'm trying both before I settle.

Another option is to remove the Matter Reshaper, and go for a split of more Deathcap/Duskwatch & Catacomb Sifter. Sifters make sure we have colorless (with the scion) and give us a scry to help our draws, it also lets us play Smasher on 4 without a mana dork in play. Matter Reshaper aligns well with Liliana of the Veil and Catacomb Sifter though, especially with Evolutionary Leap post-SB. But the synergy may be more gimmicky than worthwhile.

Westvale Abbey  ^Flip may make the cut over Ruins of Oran-Rief as well as maybe even Sea Gate Wreckage. The Abbey "mini-game" is strong, and the scions, low drops (& reshapers) can power of a powerful Demon relatively quick.

3-1 at FNM

bioshockerlol, 9 years ago

I took Elves to my first FNM and went 3-1! Here's the report: Match 1 vs. Emeria Titan: 2-0 Game 1: Nuts hand with Ezuri, Nykthos, CoCo, and Chord. Lethal on turn 4 Game 2: Opp is able to path my Ezuri, but can't handle double Shaman and some big combats Match 2 vs. BW Tokens: 2-0 Game 1: Opp paths 2 (TWO!!!) Ezuris but can't draw token makers Game 2: Tight race to see who can go wider the fastest, but Shaman seals the deal off a CoCo Match 3 vs. Junk Midrange: 2-0 Game 1: Opp gets hellbent early and relies on some Abrupt Decays and a Scooze to keep the board clear. It's close, but I'm able to get wide by turn 5 and beat him down Game 2: This was the tightest game of the night. My opponent gets 3 Scooze on the board, and is slowly picking up life and taking out my board state. I can't seem to stabilize, and now I'm hellbent facing lethal. Topdeck? SHAMAN OF THE PACK FOR EXACTLY LETHAL! WOO! Match 4 vs. 8 Whack Goblins: 0-2 Both of these games were me panicking and assuming the fetal position while my opponent rolls me for 32 damage by turn 3/4. I can't draw a single sideboard card that helps in game two (after a mull to 5) and get destroyed. My sideboard definitely needs some help, but overall, I feel like Elves is fairly resilient to hate and can win from out of nowhere! Excited to take it out for another spin at a different FNM.

Deconstruction

LordShadowZ, 9 years ago

This deck has never been as fun as my old 60 card elf deck. Since this is little more than the pre-con it would take too much money and effort to get this deck to that level of fun when I have other decks I would rather put my resources into. This also had a couple cards I needed for some of those other decks, so for those reasons I am taking this deck apart. However, I still possess all the cards required for the 60 card so I will be bringing Elf-drazi out of retirement.

cole178393, 9 years ago

Comment Clean-up

Sergal, 9 years ago

Top 8 First FNM

AndyReveler, 9 years ago

So My deck preformed more or less as expected with a few bumps in the road. I managed to get Top 8, and then lost due to some Mistakes on my end.I also found myself muligining a lot, because a fast start with a good curve is absolutely key and i didn't always get it (but still managed to win my matches). I'm gonna go through my experience with some of the cards, then edit my deck based on that.

Here are some notes about the cards:

1. Neglected Heirloom  ^Flip and Moonlight Hunt performed superbly for me last night. Once a single heirloom transformed, it was enough to get them worried and put me ahead. I think 3, or possibly 2 is good.
2. Arlinn Kord  ^Flip is a great card, but It either took a turn of damage and she didn't help my board state, or i was already ahead so her help didn't matter much. I may cut her out. Silverfur Partisan was also not particularly helpful and often ended up being just a 2/2 body for 3. I don't have enough triggers for it in my deck and even if I got a wolf token or two they still managed to come back.
3. Breakneck Rider  ^Flip was not as bad as people said it was, it at it's worst was a solid 3/3 body for 3, at its best it gave everything +1/0 and allowed me to swing for game. Having said that, I did take it out for more removal if i felt it was necessary since i didn't know what else to cut. Kessig Forgemaster  ^Flip was also pretty good, Its ability became pretty relevant as people either were afraid to attack, or attacked into it without fully understand its ability (it deals its damage before the actual combat). Hermit of the Natterknolls  ^Flip was interesting because it did perform well, but i always drew cards i didnt need with it, haha.

Now for the sideboard:

1. Fiery Temper performed as expected, skip turn, transform, remove a threat on their turn. Might swap it out for similar cards later. (Fiery Impulse)
2. Atarka's Command was almost useless, almost.
3. Act of Treason and Magmatic Chasm didn't get to be used.
4. Pack Guardian was great and really helped me out in a bind, I might keep it as a 2 of or mainboard it instead of the Silverfur Partisan. It mostly came out against decks with mass removal as it helps rebuild your army quickly or decks i knew would drag out.

These are the decks i played:

1. Vs Random Golgori 2-0: Kid was pretty new so it wasnt a fair match for him
2. Vs Elf Ramp 2-1: I lost the one match because of a horrible hand
3. Vs Izzet Artifacts 1-2: He just overwhelmed me with flying thopters
4. Vs Izzet Thing in Ice 2-1: I lost one mact because I wasn't fast enough

Then top 8:

1. Vs Rakdos...I honestly dont know, Vampires AND Demons? 1-2: I won the first match cause I quickly overwhelmed him with Heirloom. I lost the second one due to him casting a lot of spot removal. I lost the last match because:
   1. Sin Prodder (it helped out a bit because it got rid of some removal, but the damage quickly added up)
   2. I never drew my removal which would have quickly ended the game
   3. I chose to attack to get rid of some zombie tokens instead of hanging back and waiting to build up a small army, he drew chandra, made tokens and attacked for lethal
   This match showed me its okay to implement non-werewolf strategies and not need to attack so much.

I manged to score 3 Collected Company afterwards and am gonna place them in for my first change.

futuresiinz, 9 years ago

After the first FNM with the deck i decided the Mirror Mockery on the Reflector Mage is too gimmicky, and a set of Negate would allow for better control. also Shambling Vent could be a strong addition regardless of the twisting if the mana cost ratios. Linvala, the Preserver was a last minute sideboard change that i made that panned out well for me especially with the number of agro based decks i saw. Sphinx of the Final Word made a match win as well providing me with an answer to counters my opponent had.

moved from sideboard to mainboard: Negate

added to sideboard: Linvala, the Preserver, Center Soul, Learn from the Past

removed from mainboard: Mirror Mockery

added to mainboard: Shambling Vent

Random burst of inspiration

MorningRaven, 9 years ago

Was going through my cards and found Joraga Invocation. I immediately thought of this deck and how well it matches up. So i added it in and switched out a windstorm

All Hail the Hypnotoad

bswhite, 9 years ago

Big changes.

Out: Jace, Memory Adept, Lighthouse Chronologist, Lord of Extinction, Silumgar's Command, Wood Elves, Expedition Map Mirrorpool

In: The Gitrog Monster, Relentless Dead, Ulvenwald Hydra, Seasons Past, Drownyard Temple, Traverse the Ulvenwald, Westvale Abbey  ^Flip

Jace functioned as a rare win con in the mill department and a source of card advantage via self targeted +1s and 0s. Overall though I just found myself less and less happy to play him, and was considering replacing him with Tamiyo, the Moon Sage, or, as of Shadows, Jace, Unraveler of Secrets. I had so many cards to add though, I just cut him in favor of...probably The Gitrog Monster, as it functions as a card draw engine in his place.

Lighthouse Chronologist was an interesting experiment in having a high power replacement for Prophet of Kruphix, and, indeed, when you invest 9 mana you get more than 5 mana's power, but investing 1UUUUUUUU is a pain. Just for mana cost's sake, I'm saying this slot was taken by Relentless Dead, which functions swimmingly as a recursion engine that has synergy with Birthing Pod and Sidisi, Undead Vizier, as well as being insurance that I can stick Havengul Lich.

Lord of Extinction was massive every game. The real problem is that he didn't do anything else. He was huge and that was it. He was incredibly win-more as a power booster on The Mimeoplasm, especially since most of the time he gets through via Swampwalk from Filth or having Torrent Elemental run interference and doesn't usually need to rely on trample. Ulvenwald Hydra gets me some of that size, fetches me any land, and has reach, which while not a huge deal is still a keyword ability with some degree of relevance.

I liked Silumgar's Command, except when all four modes ended up not doing anything. No planeswalker to bust, -3/-3 wasn't relevant, the spell is uncounterable, and one thing to the hand wasn't going to change much. I was going to put Mystic Confluence or Wretched Confluence in this spot, but I wanted to give Seasons Past a go and there wasn't a lot of other locations to fit it in. As a deck running a pod with a decent range of mana costs, Seasons Past is going to reload my hand a large portion of the time, while being less finicky than my experiment with Nostalgic Dreams

Wood Elves is a strange decision, I'm aware. It's a ramp spell that hits two of my shocks, what's not to like? Well, for one thing, the 1/1 body was barely relevant except to feed into a birthing pod. Second, there were times where I draw it and I was cursing that I didn't draw a land instead. But I didn't want to lose out on ramp while fixing my slightly low land count. Enter Drownyard Temple. I wasn't thrilled at first, but the more I thought about it the better fit it seemed. In my graveyard it'll function as a ramp spell, paying 3 to get a land tapped. Sure, it taps for a colorless, but this deck needs some of that for Kozilek, the Great Distortion. And if I draw it, it's a land to play, for Azusa, Lost but Seeking or The Gitrog Monster to power out, or just to play. Speaking of the Gitrog, I can feed it this land pretty much indefinitely.

Traverse the Ulvenwald is better than Expedition Map most of the time. Either it's early enough I've got a basic to find, or it's later and I can find whatever I need. It's true that this isn't recurrable with Glissa, the Traitor *oversized*, but I found myself doing that very infrequently anyway.

Lastly, Mirrorpool just...didn't do what I had hoped. Westvale Abbey is a mana sink that can eventually turn into a very frightening threat, so I'm giving that a spin.

4-16-2016 Changes

JettTheDuet, 9 years ago

Moved Bribery to Maybe section Added Pendrell Mists I also got Rising Waters but I don't know where to fit it in this deck. I just got it just to mix the deck up a bit.

Tinkering...

Burgdawg, 9 years ago

Tinkering...

Burgdawg, 9 years ago

Deck Changes

Gulielmus, 9 years ago

After play testing with some friends the 3 Chandra, Flamecaller were removed as they were too slow for such an aggressive curve. Instead an extra land was added as well as 2 Thunderbreak Regent, after these changes the deck seemed to run a lot smoother

atAshenRiderat, 9 years ago

atAshenRiderat, 9 years ago

atAshenRiderat, 9 years ago

atAshenRiderat, 9 years ago

A visit to my long forgotten brew (sorta)

dilzzz, 9 years ago

It's been quite some time since I actually touched this deck. Thanks to the recent bannings of eldrazi crap, the word jund comes to mind when tackling a format which would be full of blue control decks and thopter sword decks. (Just kidding, I finally found where I kept all my old budgety jund crap)

Basically I rebuilded the deck, considering new stuffs to add and better replacement options to slot in.

4x Quirion Dryad OUT. 4x Sylvan Advocate IN.

This was the core of revolutionising the ways of budget jund. Advocate was the budget goyf we've all been looking for. It doesn't require casting spells or owning permanents to grow each turn(Quirion Dryad , Bloodhall Ooze). It doesn't require u to pay mana to transform into something bigger (Skinshifter). All it needs is 6 lands. And being a midrange / control deck, I don't see that being hard to achieve. Plus, this guy makes ur ravines unboltable lel

2x Courser of Kruphix \ 2x Phyrexian Arena OUT. 3x Asylum Visitor \ 1 Painful Truths in.

Courser was slow, arena was also slow. Visitor is a Bob given the right conditions. Truths is cost effective. Oh and visitor can be cheated out with kcommand. Ez

2x Huntmaster of the Fells  ^Flip OUT. 1x Goblin Dark-Dwellers \ 1x Kalitas, Traitor of Ghet in.

I have felt the power of a GDD flashing back a crackling doom in my standard deck and oh boy, it just feels so good. In this deck, all of our spells are 3cmc and below, So why not? Though I'm running only one due to him being a 5cmc guy. Kalitas is another great guy. The end. Huntmaster was OK but he's usually good when he could've flip. Idk. Just didn't have the feel in him.

2x Tribute to Hunger OUT. 2x Gatekeeper of Malakir IN.

The gain life part was usually underwhelming. 8/10 times I wished I had a body on the field after the edict took place.

That's it for updates folks, would bring this army to war when I'm free and update back here again :)

Needs more ramp

BeardedBandito, 9 years ago

Omnath was getting angry that he wasn't hitting the battlefield soon enough, so the solution is obviously to ramp even harder! Ashling the Pilgrim, Soulbright Flamekin, Fertilid, and Stalking Vengeance are hitting the bench for now, making way for Explore, Nissa's Pilgrimage, Drumhunter, and Skyshroud Claim.

FNM 2-1-1... =/

Dredarus, 9 years ago

Quick update from friday , my games went long and I even had a draw because we were 1-1 then went to turns. I noticed I need to make some changes so here they are as follows:

Lands:

I cut my lands down to 21 because I found myself flooded later in the game. My curve is around 3-4 and only my Sorin, Grim Nemesis and Archangel Avacyn  ^Flip are high cost. So I just dropped 1 swamp and 1 plains.

Creatures:

-Huge changes here because as much as I love Liliana, Heretical Healer  ^Flip she was not flipping that often and did nothing for my allies. She's a great card but I found myself dreading it when I drew her =(. I dropped 2 of her and threw in a 4th Drana's Emissary and 4th Kalastria Healer -I dropped 2 Kalitas, Traitor of Ghet because once again he is a great card but considering my removal spells are exile and not kills he has nearly zero value for me. I brought in a 3rd Lantern Scout and a 3rd Serene Steward. -I dropped 3 Zulaport Cutthroat and honestly he may come back but his triggers were not firing off as much because other players are using exile hate rather than kills and sweeps, now if I sideboard in my 2 Languishs with a few tokens out and a couple cutthroats out it can be a +9 for -9 exchange for a board wipe. In his place I brought in 2 Alms of the Vein and 2 Oath of Gideon with 1 space being used from my land I dropped earlier.

Spells:

-Unchanged Removal Options and Read the Bones still in -added 2 Alms of the Vein and 2 Oath of Gideon to the main board. this card came from side board to main board so I moved 2 Transgress the Mind to the side board in its place.

Overall:

More play testing needed and I'm open to any suggeations , Ty =)