Elves of the Swarm (Budget)

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Temur with Hour of Devastation —July 7, 2017

I've made the first update to Energy Elves with new options from Hour of Devastation(HOU). It's still Temur with Skyrider Elf, keeping the energy theme with Elves. Two cards from HOU, Abrade and Driven / Despair have made the main deck and one, Hour of Devastation the sideboard. Yes, these two cards are in my opinion good enough in the main deck they give me an advantage in a number of matchups. Both give this deck main deck effects that it's lacked: artifact removal, trample/ menace and possible mass draw/ discard. These effects are very much needed especially artifact removal and trample against the newest player in Standard.

The biggest addition is Abrade which I'm using as a 4 of. It's replaced Magma Spray. It's a removal spell that completely stifles both Mardu Vehicles and new player Azorius Monument decks. Heart of Kiran can be a huge problem in the Mardu Vehicles matchup and Abrade can kill it or kill the creature that's going to crew it. Harnessed Lightning is also excellent in this matchup, but sometimes it just misses the first Heart attack. I need to have a turn one Attune with Aether or Aether Hub to realistically kill Heart with a four damage Harnessed. Most games I don't get either turn one which means I can't kill Heart with Harnessed having to take the first hit. My opponent also has to crew Heart to be able to kill it with Harnessed. If my opponent doesn't think it's safe to crew Heart they won't. Abrade doesn't have this restriction it can kill Heart at any time of the game especially in the early game even without it crewed and I don't need energy.

The newest player in Standard are Azorius Monument decks utilizing Oketra's Monument with a wealth of small white creatures to trigger it and Dusk / Dawn as a one sided board wipe and a way to recur the small creatures. Abrade can not only kill the Monument, but all other creatures in the matchup because all creatures are no more than two power and three toughness to survive Dusk and be recurred with Dawn. The Humans that Monument and Hanweir Militia Captain  ^Flip makes are 1/1s they're great blockers unless I'm attacking with trample. Trample lets my much bigger creatures bash through an army of 1/1s this is especially wanted with Bristling Hydra because when he has trample he can clear an entire board of 1/1s just by itself.

In my playtesting so far Driven and much more so Despair has given me a huge advantage. It's effects are excellent with Elves especially Skyrider Elf and Sylvan Advocate, but it's been best with Bristling Hydra. One of the downsides of Hydra is it doesn't have evasion. Hydra can get big really fast, but any simple 1/1 such as a Human can block it. Driven changes this because it can give Hydra trample and/or menace. These two abilities can be devastating to my opponent because as long as I have three energy I can protect Hydra when it gets these abilities.

Fliers such as Skyrider, Glorybringer and Aethersphere Harvester are great with Driven/ Despair not because it gives them trample or menace, but because it also gives them the ability to draw or make my opponent discard since they having flying they're much more likely to connect with damage to my opponent. I'm only using Driven as a 1 of main deck it's replaced Game Trail with a second copy in the sideboard because the card is terrible to draw if I don't have any creatures. I'm using it as a finisher once I have a some what established army Driven and/or Despair can make the army truly terrifying.

One the great things about Driven is I can cast it by itself for only two mana hopefully getting to draw a card or two from the trample attack and then my opponent has to be aware for the rest of the game of Despair in my graveyard because for only two mana I can give my entire army menace. Despair costs black mana to cast it only Aether Hub and Servant of the Conduit can be used to cast it, but so far this has been fine.

I haven't yet in a game faced Solemnity, been devastated by Hour of Devastation or seen a Chandra's Defeat. If Solemnity becomes popular I'll sideboard Natural State because it can also hit Heart of Kiran or any Monument. The 3x Negate in the sideboard are to combat the surge in board wipes from HOU which definitely includes Devastation. I like Devastation as a lone one of in the sideboard because it can do a lot, especially if I'm behind in the Temur Energy midrange matchup for five mana. I like that it can also hit Planeswalkers giving me other than Glorybringer a way to kill Planeswalkers. Defeat will become popular as a sideboard card if Glorybringer and Chandra, Torch of Defiance continue to dominate.

Jund Driven

See and playtest Driven Elves

Another version I've been playtesting is Jund. This version welcomes back the Winding Constrictor, Rishkar, Peema Renegade counter synergy and forgoes the strong energy theme with Skyrider Elf. Red replaces blue for Abrade. One of the appeals of this version in my testing is the curve of Constrictor into Rishkar into Driven/Despair. Turn two Snake, turn three Rishkar making a 4/5 Snake and 4/4 Rishkar and turn four Driven with Despair. This is a very powerful curve that can do eight trample/ menace damage while drawing two cards and making my opponent discard two cards turn four. I also really like Bristling Hydra with the Snake and Driven. Rhonas the Indomitable is much better in this version and he too can take great advantage of Driven. Jund might be well positioned right now to make a come back in Standard. Stay tuned as I continue to play this version it might just become the new Energy Elves.

Simic Monument

See and playtest Monumental Elves

Thanks to CloudThumper and his deck:elvish-menagerie-copy-2/ which is using the synergy of Rhonas's Monument with Vizier of the Menagerie he has opened my eyes to a possible Elf tribal version. I've been playtesting a Simic version using blue for Skyrider Elf and Unsummon. This version is my attempt to bring back tribal with Elves thanks to new Overcome from HOU as the curve topper. Monument is like a pseudo Elf lord who can pump other Elves while also giving them trample. One of the reasons I dislike Metallic Mimic as a tribal card with Elves is because it needs to be played in the early game and is just plain bad in the mid to late game, but Monument changes this because playing a Mimic can trigger Monument and if Mimic is in play it can get a pump from Monument.

I'm using a pure Elf core of Narnam Renegade, Mimic, Servant of the Conduit, Skyrider, Sylvan Advocate, Rishkar, Peema Renegade and Armorcraft Judge. Added to this core is Monument, Overcome, Unsummon Rhonas the Indomitable and Nissa, Voice of Zendikar. The energy theme is present thanks to Servant and Skyrider, but it's not the primary theme, +1/+1 counters are. Armorcraft is added to the Monument engine as a way to draw a lot of creatures who can then be played to pump Elves with Monument. Armorcraft's casting cost is reduced and it can trigger Monument which is very nice. Abrade is going to be played in Standard and it may single handedly stop all Monument decks before they can get going which might just put this version on the back burner. Stay tuned for more updates.