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The Forest Has Eyes!

Commander / EDH Aggro Casual Elves Infinite Combo Mono-Green

NV_1980

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Creature (32)

Land (35)

Enchantment (8)

Instant (6)

Commander (1)

Commander: Ezuri, Renegade Leader

Artifact (12)

Sorcery (5)

Planeswalker (1)

Welcome to The Forest Has Eyes!

Hi there! Welcome to the description of this mono-green, Elf-tribe/ball, combo deck, commanded by Ezuri, Renegade Leader. Do you have pointy ears? Are you immune to disease? Are you immortal? Can you move easily across terrain that would challenge other races? Do you have a natural affinity for handling a longbow and longsword? Then pick up arms and rise, child of the Ilúvatar, to join the most powerful commander the Eldar can field! Defend your kin and protect the living forest that is your home! This deck is meant to be played in casual formats. It’s not meant to be used in a competitive fashion, but of course anyone is welcome to try! Feel free to comment on anything you (dis)like throughout this description; hope you will enjoy it!

First off, Ezuri is an Overrun incarnate! Even better actually, since his ability can be used multiple times per turn, provided one can afford the mana cost (this deck contains several ways to generate infinite mana for specifically this purpose). This allows him to be an instrument of doom, especially with enough Elves around. Then there’s his ability to regenerate other Elves for just . This is crazy strong as it makes my key-Elves a lot harder to remove. Finally, at CMC3, he is cheap to cast and recast in case he expires.

The following ten parameters have been used to determine the strength of the deck. For each, a score of 5 (very good), 4 (good), 3 (mediocre), 2 (bad) or 1 (very bad) has been allocated; when totalized this score represents the power rating of the deck (maximum score is 50 points).

  • Mana: indicates the availability of energy-sources within the deck.
  • Ramp: indicates the speed at which mana sources within the deck can be made available.
  • Card Advantage: indicates availability of filter- and draw resources represented within the deck.
  • Overall speed: indicates the deck’s potential for pace, based on resource availability and mana curve.
  • Combo: indicates the measure of combo-orientation of the deck.
  • Army: indicates the deck’s creature-army strength.
  • Commander: indicates how much the deck is commander-oriented/dependent (less dependency is better).
  • Interaction: indicates how much this deck can mess with opponents’ board states and turn-phases.
  • Resilience: indicates whether the deck can prevent and take punches.
  • Spellpower: indicates the availability and strength of high-impact spells.

Mana: 4

One of green’s great strengths, is its ability to generate a ton of mana. Several creatures within this deck can do that (eleven creatures), some can even generate more of it based on the amount of elves on the field. Two artifact mana sources have also been included in this deck for some additional juice, as well as a single one to cheapen green casting. Let’s also not forget the creatures and artifacts that allow me to untap previously tapped creatures (and thereby possible mana sources).

Ramp: 1

A single ramping option has been added to this deck (which is not exactly typical for green).

Card Advantage: 3

In terms of card advantage, this deck is not too bad. Four cards will provide direct draw, two cards will allow to filter while four cards give the option to tutor for creatures).

Overall speed: 3

Filled with dorks and some other mana sources, a decent amount of card-advantage, a moderate average CMC and a single color to focus on make this deck relatively fast.

Combo: 5

Tons of infinite mana opportunities, mountains of elvish synergy (mana, attack-power, life-gain, card advantage, etc.) and even the possibility of an infinite Elf army; plenty of ways for this deck to combo off.

Army: 5

Thirty-five creatures, twenty-eight of them Elves, are featured in this deck. Out of these Elves, twelve either sport abilities that support directly all other Elves pitched onto the field of battle OR they harness powers dependent on the number of Elves available to us. Let’s not forget no less than thirteen opportunities (including Ezuri) the deck’s forces can harness to increase their attacking- as well as defensive abilities.

Commander: 4

Having Ezuri around will make this deck’s task easier for sure, but it is by no means dependent on him to pull in the win. The army strength (which can be bolstered in many ways) as well as the many infinite combos this deck contains are the true key to victory.

Interaction: 1

Not that much in here (just six cards) to mess with other people’s turns, casting, libraries/graveyards or permanents.

Resilience: 1

Aside from a few cards that grant protection to creatures, there’s not much here that adds to the resilience of the deck.

Spellpower: 2

Only a few high-impact spells. This deck can throw around a few inhibition options and some powerful tutoring casts to supplement its creature army, which represents most of its offensive capabilities.

Total power score: 29

Bit of mediocre power score on this one. It has a speed that’s slightly above average when compared to single-color decks. Its army is impressive, and it contains numerous avenues to combo-off, with endless streams of mana and/or an endlessly powerful army as a result. It doesn’t contain many interaction options though, and its resilience could be improved as well.

This deck’s primary mode of attack aims to create an army of Elves, summon Ezuri, use his 2nd ability to pump his brethren to new heights and then proceed to stomp opponents. Then there’s ways to invest this deck’s numerous ways to generate infinite mana into some alternative win-conditions that include pumping creatures through non-Ezuri ways, un- and re-summoning creatures, and benefit from ETB triggers, draw all cards from the library, summon all creatures simultaneously and milling everybody’s libraries.

At least three cards in the starting hand ought to be lands (or two lands and a Sol Ring or Emerald Medallion). It is recommended not to start a game without this hand (even if one has to mulligan down to three cards). The ideal hand would also contain some additional ramp and/or low-cost draw options.

This deck works towards a situation in which it can create infinite and power a nifty combo to close out the game. In the meantime, it attempts to create a high-powered army of Elves and hurl around some destruction of unnatural war-waging means. It is ok to cast Ezuri, Renegade Leader early; his regenerative powers can be a great boon. Do not worry about him getting killed a few times, the deck is aiming for infinite mana after all, and opponents will be hard-pressed to stop all possible avenues to that.

Start by prioritizing mana-resources and summon some dorks like Elvish Mystic, Fyndhorn Elves, Llanowar Elves, Priest of Titania, Marwyn, the Nurturer and Elvish Archdruid. Rocks and cheapeners like Emerald Medallion and Sol Ring also help. Do not forget ramp like Exploration either. An early Mirri's Guile, Sylvan Library and Scroll Rack all have the potential to yield a tremendous card-advantage.

Now that basic resources have appeared, it is time to build an army. Make sure to attack every turn from this point on, to keep opponents distracted while the steps are prepared that will eventually do them in. Ezuri should make his appearance in this phase; his regenerative abilities can make a difference in case someone tries to be cute by removing the deck’s elves. First, go for elves that can summon other elves quickly. Examples would be Fauna Shaman, Imperious Perfect and Skyshroud Poacher. Removal options are also brought into play at this stage to slow down opponents. Nullmage Shepherd is good at this. Finally, boosts that make all the deck’s elves stronger will make their appearance in this stage. For this, cards have been included like Eladamri, Lord of Leaves, Elvish Archdruid, Elvish Champion, Dwynen, Gilt-Leaf Daen and Asceticism.

While having fun with the army, look for cards that will undo the opposition permanently. These come mostly in the form of enchantments and artifacts. Staff of Domination, Sword of the Paruns and Umbral Mantle can all combine with mana-dorks in the deck to generate infinite amounts of green mana. Concordant Crossroads is important for some of these combos as well as boomerang enablers like Cloudstone Curio and Temur Sabertooth.

The combo cards chosen for this deck all interact well with one another. Hence chances of finding and using a game-winning combo are pretty good; without the use of tutors. Once the appropriate set has been acquired, let loose and unbalance the game in your favor. Winning with a booster can also be arranged relatively easy. Options to that end include Finale of Devastation, Joraga Warcaller and Pathbreaker Ibex.

This deck includes many combos that can generate an infinite amount of . Please note that for some of the following combos, one also needs 2 additional available mana for the initial activation of Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx. Please also note that these are not all the possible combos to infinite mana, but just the ones that felt worth listing:

  • Argothian Elder + Wirewood Lodge + Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx + Total devotion 4:
    1. Activate Nykthos to generate 4 green mana.
    2. Now tap Elder to untap Nykthos.
    3. Now use 1 green mana to activate Lodge and untap Elder.
    4. Use 2 green mana to activate Nykthos again. You should now have 5 green mana in your mana pool.
    5. Now tap Elder to untap Nykthos and Lodge.
    Rinse and repeat.
  • Argothian Elder + Staff of Domination + Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx + Total devotion 7:
    1. Activate Nykthos to generate 7 green mana.
    2. Now tap Elder to untap Nykthos.
    3. Use 3 green mana to activate Staff to untap Elder (and 1 green mana to untap Staff itself again). You now have 3 green mana in your mana pool.
    4. Use 2 green mana to activate Nykthos again.
    Rinse and repeat.
  • Argothian Elder + Sword of the Paruns/Umbral Mantle(equipped to Elder) + Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx + Total devotion 6:
    1. Activate Nykthos to generate 6 green mana.
    2. Now tap Elder to untap Nykthos.
    3. Use 3 green mana to activate Sword/Mantle and untap Elder.
    4. Use 2 green mana to activate Nykthos again.
    Rinse and repeat.
  • Argothian Elder + Sword of the Paruns/Umbral Mantle(equipped to Elder) + card+Itlimoc, Cradle of the Sun + 3 other creatures:
    1. Tap Itlimoc to generate 4 green mana.
    2. Now tap Elder to untap Itlimoc.
    3. Now use 3 green mana to activate Sword/Mantle to untap Elder.
    4. Tap Itlimoc again.
    Rinse and repeat.
  • Elvish Archdruid/Priest of Titania/Circle of Dreams Druid + Staff of Domination + 4 other creatures:
    1. Tap Archdruid/Priest/Channeler to generate 5 green mana.
    2. Use 3 green mana to activate Staff and untap Archdruid/Priest/Druid (and 1 green mana to untap Staff itself again).
    Rinse and repeat.
  • Elvish Archdruid/Priest of Titania/Circle of Dreams Druid + Sword of the Paruns/Umbral Mantle + 3 other creatures:
    1. Tap Archdruid/Priest/Druid to generate 4 green mana.
    2. Use 3 green mana to activate Sword/Mantle and untap Archdruid/Priest/Druid.
    Rinse and repeat.
  • Marwyn, the Nurturer(with power > 4) + Staff of Domination:
    1. Tap Marwyn to generate 5 green mana.
    2. Use 3 green mana to activate Staff and untap Marwyn (and 1 green mana to untap Staff itself again).
    Rinse and repeat.
  • Marwyn, the Nurturer(with power > 3) + Sword of the Paruns/Umbral Mantle:
    1. Tap Marwyn to generate 4 green mana.
    2. Use 3 green mana to activate Sword/Mantle and untap Marwyn.
    Rinse and repeat.
  • Any 2 of Priest of Titania/Marwyn, the Nurturer/Circle of Dreams Druid (one in hand, one on the battlefield) + Concordant Crossroads/Lightning Greaves + Cloudstone Curio:
    1. The dork on the battlefield can be tapped for mana. It must be able to generate at least one more mana than the casting cost of the other mana-dork.
    2. Summon the dork in your hand
    3. Use Curio to return the dork with which mana was generated to your hand as a result.
    4. Attach Greaves to the newly arrived dork, if that is the haste enabler.
    5. Now tap the newly arrived dork for mana. It must be able to generate at least enough mana to cover the casting cost of the dork you just returned to your hand.
    Rinse and repeat.
  • Cloudstone Curio + Elvish Archdruid + Concordant Crossroads/Lightning Greaves + 5 other Elves (of which one is CMC1 in your hand):
    1. Tap Archdruid to generate 5 green mana.
    2. Use 1 green mana to summon the Elf from your hand.
    3. Use Curio to return Archdruid to hand.
    4. Use 3 green mana to summon Archdruid.
    5. Now use Curio to return the 1CMC Elf back to hand.
    6. If Greaves are the haste enabler, attach it to Archdruid.
    Rinse and repeat.
  • Cloudstone Curio + Priest of Titania + Concordant Crossroads/Lightning Greaves + 4 other Elves (of which one is CMC1 and in your hand):
    1. Tap Priest to generate 4 green mana.
    2. Use 1 green mana to summon the Elf in your hand.
    3. Use Curio to return Archdruid to hand.
    4. Use 2 green mana to summon Priest.
    5. Use Curio to return the 1CMC Elf back to your hand.
    6. If Greaves are the haste enabler, attach it to Priest.
    Rinse and repeat.
  • Cloudstone Curio + Circle of Dreams Druid + Concordant Crossroads/Lightning Greaves + 5 other Elves (of which one is CMC1 and in your hand):
    1. Tap Druid to generate 5 green mana.
    2. Use 1 green mana to summon the Elf in your hand.
    3. Use Curio to return Druid to your hand.
    4. Use 3 green mana to summon Druid.
    5. Use Curio to return the 1CMC Elf back to your hand.
    6. If Greaves are the haste enabler, attach it to Druid.
    Rinse and repeat.
  • Temur Sabertooth + Elvish Archdruid + Concordant Crossroads/Lightning Greaves + 5 other Elves:
    1. Tap Archdruid to generate 6 green mana.
    2. Use 2 green mana to activate Sabertooth to return Archdruid to hand.
    3. Use 3 green mana to summon Archdruid.
    4. If Greaves are the haste enabler, attach it to Archdruid.
    Rinse and repeat.
  • Temur Sabertooth + Priest of Titania + Concordant Crossroads/Lightning Greaves + 4 other Elves:
    1. Tap Priest to generate 5 green mana.
    2. Use 2 green mana to activate Sabertooth to return Priest to hand.
    3. Use 2 green mana to summon Priest.
    4. If Greaves are the haste enabler, attach it to Priest.
    Rinse and repeat.
  • Temur Sabertooth + Circle of Dreams Druid + Concordant Crossroads/Lightning Greaves + 5 other Elves:
    1. Tap Druid to generate 6 green mana.
    2. Use 2 green mana to activate Sabertooth to return Druid to hand.
    3. Use 3 green mana to summon Druid.
    4. If Greaves are the haste enabler, attach it to Channeler.
    Rinse and repeat.

All this infinite can be used by Ezuri to pump the deck’s Elves into the stratosphere. Add Altar of the Brood to any of the above combos that use Cloudstone Curio/Temur Sabertooth to mill all opposing libraries.

Reliable sources of mana, and some utility:

The cards used to accelerate mana-availability:

Cards that enable that which is tapped to be used again in the same turn:

  • Argothian Elder: the ability to untap two lands can be surprisingly useful; especially in the case of some non-basic lands used with the potential to generate a lot of mana with every tapping.
  • Cloudstone Curio: unsummoning permanents for free has many great utilities.
  • Temur Sabertooth: combining unsummoning with haste enablers allow for some interesting shenanigans with mana-dorks.
  • Staff of Domination/Sword of the Paruns/Umbral Mantle: pieces of equipment used primarily to untap mana producing creatures.
  • Thousand-Year Elixir: brings haste to creatures that use active abilities and untaps one per turn as well.

The mechanisms that provide card advantage:

  • Beast Whisperer: excellent draw enabler in a creature-heavy deck. Gets even better when one can return creatures to hand and summon them again.
  • Fauna Shaman: discard for a tutor; very helpful in providing combo requirements.
  • Genesis Wave: one of the most powerful tutors in mtg-history; fantastic in this deck due to abundant mana resources.
  • Green Sun's Zenith/Worldly Tutor: superb, cheap-to-use tutors for any creature in the deck.
  • Leaf-Crowned Visionary: more draw with every Elf, for a small fee.
  • Mirri's Guile: gives options on what to draw every turn.
  • Scroll Rack: increases hand-size, allowing for more casting choices.
  • Shamanic Revelation: dependent on how well the deck is doing with army-building, this card has the potential to lead to a phenomenal draw.
  • Skyshroud Poacher: not as cheap to use as Shaman, but it does not require a discard.
  • Soul of the Harvest: draw on another creature’s ETB.
  • Survival of the Fittest: even more durable than Fauna Shaman, and just as effective.
  • Sylvan Library: additional draw at the cost of some life; great in a pinch, especially since it allows one to look at what one draws first.
  • Worldly Tutor: superb, cheap-to-use tutor for any creature in the deck.

The way in which the deck says ‘No!’ to opponents:

  • Beast Within: destruction of any permanent for the small price of granting someone a 3/3.
  • Krosan Grip: wipes out an enchantment/artifact without a chance for the opponent to counter.
  • Lignify/Song of the Dryads: beautiful ways to disable commanders.
  • Nullmage Shepherd: in a deck with this many Elves, this card becomes a very powerful tool of destruction.

Our army of forest-loving immortals:

  • Allosaurus Shepherd: one hell of an all-rounder that functions as an over-powered Gaea's Herald and an army booster of epic propotions.
  • Dionus, Elvish Archdruid: massive possibility to boost the entire Elf army.
  • Dwynen, Gilt-Leaf Daen: army booster and life-gain with every elven attack.
  • Eladamri, Lord of Leaves: makes the deck’s Elves almost untouchable by spells and defenders.
  • Elven Ambush: the Elvish attack just created an army that will attack you next turn!
  • Elvish Champion: army booster that makes all elves unblockable to green opposition.
  • Galadhrim Ambush: invulnerable attacking/defending Elves AND … more Elves!
  • Gaea's Herald: making all creature spells (including Elves) uncounterable is empowering for a creature focused deck.
  • Galadhrim Brigade: excellent token generator; works very well with an infinite mana combo.
  • Imperious Perfect: in here mostly for the tokens but the boost is a nice added bonus.
  • Joraga Warcaller: this deck is wonderful at generating large, even infinite amounts, of mana. Kicking this Elf to new heights is therefore not that challenging and will benefit the army’s strength a great deal.
  • Tajuru Preserver: stops stax decks dead in their tracks and is thus a great protector of the Elf army.
  • Tyvar, the Pummeler: sort of Ezuri’s brother, but with an added ability to grant indestructibility.
  • Yeva, Nature's Herald: granting flash to all the deck’s green creature spells can be of great use. She can be combined with Cloudstone Curio. A spell targeting one of your creatures can be made to fizzle, by summoning a creature as a response and returning the targeted creature to hand.

Miscellaneous creatures, spells and items that increase strategic opportunities:

  • Altar of the Brood: interesting milling option, especially when combining with returning combo’s.
  • Asceticism: superb army protection against targeted spells, and option to regenerate as well.
  • Banner of Kinship: potential for a lot of combat bonuses to all elves in this deck.
  • Concordant Crossroads: haste is such a precious commodity to green creatures, that it’s worth to pay the price that all other creatures gain it too.
  • Craterhoof Behemoth: a boost of strength like few others, and a strong creature to boot. And reusable as a booster when combined with a returner.
  • Finale of Devastation: one hell of a spell to cause some serious booster havoc with; a game-ender in its maximum capacity.
  • Ouroboroid: one of the best army boosters one could wish for.
  • Roaming Throne: double all the Elf triggers.
  • Triumph of the Hordes: a terrifying boost for all the deck’s elves that can immediately end an opponent (or maybe several).

Some cards that occasionally make the cut, when the situation calls for it:

  • Coat of Arms: this will be added instead of some of the more expensive-to-cast boosters (like Craterhoof Behemoth, if none of the opposing decks is token- or tribe-oriented.
  • Wrap in Vigor: can be added when facing decks that include lots of wipes.

This deck is still evolving. The following cards were considered but not added (yet):

Appreciate the time you took to read my description. Hopefully it was entertaining and useful to you. If so, feel free to leave a +1 and/or feedback of any kind in the comments below. Thanks again!

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96% Casual

Competitive

Revision 11 See all

(4 months ago)

-1 Growing Rites of Itlimoc  Flip main
+1 Nissa, Resurgent Animist main