Elves of the Swarm (Budget)
Standard
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Battle for Zendikar -- Updated: Sept. 15, 2015 —Sept. 11, 2015
Cards Revealed:
145/274
Battle for Zendikar (BFZ) is slowly being spoiled. Each day more cards are being revealed. This update will be the place where I will talk about new cards that I think are interesting, including, but not limited to elves that might make the main deck or sideboard of this deck. I will post the most recent revealed card on the top.
Beastcaller Savant
A new mana elf in BFZ is finally revealed and it is a good one. As is expected he costs 2 mana instead of 1. Thankfully, he is green and not black. Savant looks to be a very good elf and a great replacement for either Gnarlroot Trapper or Leaf Gilder.
With the revealing of Savant elves can go in many different directions. Savant and Gilder gives elves two green mana elves this means the manabase can adapt to more green and less black; which would reduce the strain on the manabase by a lot. Less black means reducing or dropping entirely Gnarlroot Trapper.
With Chord of Calling rotating out of Standard this leaves a huge hole in the ability to directly tutor for and put Shaman of the Pack into play. The only option currently in a green centric deck is Woodland Bellower. Both Gilder and Savant can ramp into a Bellower.
Playing both Trapper and Savant gives elves an very fast way to fill the battlefield with creatures which is the primary strategy of this deck. This strategy with the use of Collected Company to hopefully find and put Shaman into play was going to be how this deck was going to perform after rotation. Now since both Trapper and Savant can't help to cast a Company; Company is not the best option.
Savant looks to be really good with both Skyrider Elf and Tajuru Warcaller since he is both an elf and an ally which can trigger Warcaller. So far, this gives elves 8x 2 mana allies that can trigger Warcaller not including Warcallers themselves. Savant will be excellent with creatures that have the new mechanic Converge. A turn two Savant can potentially give you a turn 3 4/4 flying Skyrider which is a creature that elves has never had before and is too good to not play. The synergy of these 3 cards is ridiculous.
As more cards are revealed including the new dual lands it is clear to me that Messenger Elves is moving into Sultai colors. Bloodstained Mire being able to fetch both Cinder Glade and Sunken Hollow will allow a Sultai manabase to hopefully run smoothly.
Mortuary Mire
Another card that is going into the main deck of deck:post-rotation-messenger-elves/. Mire is a very good land, probably the best one from the new common land cycle. This land is good because it can get a dead Shaman of the Pack, Sylvan Messenger or even a Nissa, Vastwood Seer
Flip and set it up so that you draw it or can get it with Messenger the same turn or the next. I will start off playtesting 1x Mire main deck.
Transgress the Mind
The first BFZ card that will replace a card in the main deck or sideboard of deck:post-rotation-messenger-elves/. Mind will replace 3x Despise or 3x Duress. Mind is very good for this deck because it can take and exile the most problematic cards: Siege Rhino, Deathmist Raptor, Dragonlord Atarka, Languish, soon to be Radiant Flames, all the new Planewalkers, soon to be Eldrazi Titans like Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger, Dragonlord Ojutai, Dig Through Time and any 3 or more casting cost counterspell that could stop Shaman of the Pack, etc, etc. I'm not sure if having a casting cost of 2 for a discard spell instead of the usual 1 will be that much of a downside, playtesting will decide this.
Kiora, Master of the Depths
Another card that would move this deck into Sultai colors; I'm starting to see a trend here. Kiora’s first two abilities can be very good for this deck. This deck is playing mana elves, Gnarlroot Trapper and currently Leaf Gilder. Kiora can untap one of these mana elves as well as a land which allows you to play many more elves a turn then usual. Kiora’s second ability is just as good because she can find Shaman of the Pack or Sylvan Messenger as well as a land and put both into your hand.
Ob Nixilis Reignited
All the Planeswalkers in BFZ are all really good. Ob can do two really important things for this deck; be a card drawing engine and unconditionally kill creatures. Having a card that can kill both of Siege Rhino, Dragonlord Atarka, Den Protector and colorless Eldrazi as well as being a Planewalker is ridiculous. I will start off playtesting 1x Ob main deck and 1x Ob in the sideboard in deck:post-rotation-messenger-elves/.
Bring to Light
Another card that would move this deck into Sultai colors. Light is a sorcery tutor spell that can get either Shaman of the Pack or Ruinous Path if 3 different colors of mana are used to cast it and then you can cast the card you tutored for, for free. This five casting cost spell seems like it could be ridiculously powerful maybe even broken. I'm just not sure if Light is for this deck or not. With the loss of Chord of Calling at standard rotation this deck loses the ability to tutor directly for Shaman of the Pack and put it into play. This deck benefits greatly from being able to do this. Currently Woodland Bellower is the only card that can tutor for Shaman and put it into play, but now so can this card.
Skyrider Elf
Playing Skyrider would require this deck to go Sultai colors and add blue. A flying elf would be a great addition to this deck. Even just getting a 2/2 flying elf for 2 mana with the possibility of getting a 3/3 is very good. Skyrider is also a low casting cost ally elf that can activate Tajuru Warcaller. Skyrider can't be put into play with Collected Company because it would be 0/0 and die, which is something to think about.
Tajuru Warcaller
Warcaller is definitely a powerful card when you are using a strategy of filling the board with little creatures. An elf body that gives +2/+2 to all your creatures, which scales and can be a recurring effect could be very good for this deck and compliment Dwynen, Gilt-Leaf Daen very nicely. The downside of Warcaller is the large casting cost of 5 and a fragile body of 2/1. It also requires you to play some number of other allies to activate its ability a second or more times. Warcaller can't be put into play with Collected Company, but can be found with Sylvan Messenger. If more low casting cost elf allies are revealed then maybe Warcaller can become an important card for this deck.