This past weekend, Regional Championships in both Lille and Calgary took place as the first group of Regional Championships this season. Unsurprisingly, many of the best performing decks such as
Lotus Field
Lotus Field
Hexproof
This land enters tapped.
When this land enters, sacrifice two lands.
{T}: Add three mana of any one color.
combo and Rakdos variants have solidified themselves as Pioneer staples. However, for players looking to play something spicy, there were some interesting decklists that performed well.
Recently, we went over a unique Gruul combo deck built around
Bard Class
Bard Class
(Gain the next level as a sorcery to add its ability.)
Legendary creatures you control enter with an additional +1/+1 counter on them.
{R}{G}: Level 2
Legendary spells you cast cost {R}{G} less to cast. This effect reduces only the amount of colored mana you pay.
{3}{R}{G}: Level 3
Whenever you cast a legendary spell, exile the top two cards of your library. You may play them this turn.
that made use of
Ruby, Daring Tracker
Ruby, Daring Tracker
Haste (This creature can attack and {T} as soon as it comes under your control.)
Whenever Ruby attacks while you control a creature with power 4 or greater, Ruby gets +2/+2 until end of turn.
{T}: Add {R} or {G}.
as a new tool from Wilds of Eldraine. Today, we’re going to take a look at a cool typal strategy that got 2nd place in Sunday’s Magic Online Pioneer Challenge. This deck is none other than Abzan Elves, which also got a cool upgrade from Wilds of Eldraine. Elves has been relatively underrepresented in the Pioneer metagame, but the deck is very fast and good at punishing decks that don’t pack a ton of removal. Let’s take a closer look at how the deck is constructed.
Elf Mainstays
Most of the Elves in this deck fill one of two specific roles. The first are mana dorks in the one-drop slot. Cards like
Llanowar Elves
Llanowar Elves
{T}: Add {G}.
,
Elvish Mystic
Elvish Mystic
{T}: Add {G}.
, and
Jaspera Sentinel
Jaspera Sentinel
Reach
{T}, Tap an untapped creature you control: Add one mana of any color.
give this deck a mana boost that helps make casting multiple spells on the same turn easier. This mana also helps the deck cast some of its payoffs, such as
Collected Company
Collected Company
Look at the top six cards of your library. Put up to two creature cards with mana value 3 or less from among them onto the battlefield. Put the rest on the bottom of your library in any order.
, ahead of schedule.
Speaking of payoffs, the second group of Creatures in this deck are Creatures that reward you for sticking to an Elf-themed gameplan. Leaf-Crowned Visionary is a top-tier Elf lord, buffing your whole team for only two mana. That’s not all, though. Every time you play an Elf, you can pay a green mana to draw a card. This card is excellent in racing situations as well as grindy matchups, making it a great card across the board.
The next payoff, which helps give this deck a big boost of speed, is
Shaman of the Pack
Shaman of the Pack
When this creature enters, target opponent loses life equal to the number of Elves you control.
. Shaman of the Pack lets you win games without even entering combat. With a handful of Elves in play, getting to cast Collected Company and
Chord of Calling
Chord of Calling
Convoke (Your creatures can help cast this spell. Each creature you tap while casting this spell pays for {1} or one mana of that creature's color.)
Search your library for a creature card with mana value X or less, put it onto the battlefield, then shuffle.
to find multiple copies of these can potentially end games alone.
Finally,
Elvish Warmaster
Elvish Warmaster
Whenever one or more other Elves you control enter, create a 1/1 green Elf Warrior creature token. This ability triggers only once each turn.
{5}{G}{G}: Elves you control get +2/+2 and gain deathtouch until end of turn.
helps increase your board presence by providing additional Elf bodies. It’s very common to cast a mana dork on turn one, then cast Warmaster and another one drop on turn two, triggering Warmaster. It’s turn two, and you already have four Elves in play, making Leaf-Crowned Visionary and Shaman of the Pack extremely scary cards.
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Playing at Instant Speed
As scary as Shaman of the Pack is normally, this deck gets a lot of its power by being able to play cards on the opponent’s turn. After the first couple turns are spent building a board presence, you can now lean heavily on Collected Company and Chord of Calling to pull you further ahead. The simple threat of Collected Company or Chord of Calling being able to find Shaman of the Pack at Instant speed forces the opponent to play scared.
Chord of Calling in particular is a scary card to play against after sideboard, as there a bunch of utility Creatures that can be searched for in a variety of situations. Being able to search for
Selfless Spirit
Selfless Spirit
Flying
Sacrifice this creature: Creatures you control gain indestructible until end of turn.
or
Guardian of Faith
Guardian of Faith
Flash
Vigilance
When this creature enters, any number of other target creatures you control phase out. (Treat them and anything attached to them as though they don't exist until their controller's next turn.)
in response to a board wipe, for example, can be absolutely backbreaking for the opponent. Specific cards like
Yasharn, Implacable Earth
Yasharn, Implacable Earth
When Yasharn enters, search your library for a basic Forest card and a basic Plains card, reveal those cards, put them into your hand, then shuffle.
Players can't pay life or sacrifice nonland permanents to cast spells or activate abilities.
against Rakdos Sacrifice can singlehandedly win games, making Chord of Calling even more powerful than it may appear at first glance.
One of the downsides to playing Chord of Calling and Collected Company in a deck dedicated to Elves is that your room for removal is very limited. That being said, this deck got a very strong addition from Wilds of Eldraine that fits perfectly into the deck. This card is none other than
Werefox Bodyguard
Werefox Bodyguard
Flash
When this creature enters, exile up to one other target non-Fox creature until this creature leaves the battlefield.
{1}{W}, Sacrifice this creature: You gain 2 life.
. This card is quite similar to
Brutal Cathar
Brutal Cathar
Whenever this creature enters or transforms into Brutal Cathar, exile target creature an opponent controls until this creature leaves the battlefield.
Daybound (If a player casts no spells during their own turn, it becomes night next turn.)
, letting you exile an opponent’s Creature until it leaves the battlefield. Werefox Bodyguard, however, is an Elf, making it much more synergistic.
Additionally, it has Flash, which works quite nicely in a deck that already has Chord of Calling and Collected Company to cast at Instant speed. Getting to react to the opponent and cast cards as necessary depending on what the opponent does is very strong.
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Strengths and Weaknesses
The Elves deck certainly has a lot going for it against decks without a ton of interaction. This deck can effectively race decks like mono-green devotion. However, with cards like Leaf-Crowned Visionary, Collected Company, and
Vivien, Monster’s Advocate
Vivien, Monster’s Advocate
You may look at the top card of your library any time.
You may cast creature spells from the top of your library.
+1: Create a 3/3 green Beast creature token. Put your choice of a reach counter, a vigilance counter, or a trample counter on it.
−2: When you next cast a creature spell this turn, search your library for a creature card with lesser mana value, put it onto the battlefield, then shuffle.
out of the sideboard, this deck is surprisingly resilient to single-target removal spells. Chord of Calling helps a lot against board wipes in sideboarded games as mentioned too.
This deck is also relatively consistent. It has a high density of mana dorks and impactful spells. Despite being an Abzan deck, the deck is mostly green-centric, and cards like Werefox Bodyguard and Shaman of the Pack can be effectively cast using
Secluded Courtyard
Secluded Courtyard
As this land enters, choose a creature type.
{T}: Add {C}.
{T}: Add one mana of any color. Spend this mana only to cast a creature spell of the chosen type or activate an ability of a creature source of the chosen type.
and
Unclaimed Territory
Unclaimed Territory
As this land enters, choose a creature type.
{T}: Add {C}.
{T}: Add one mana of any color. Spend this mana only to cast a creature spell of the chosen type.
. The release of The Lost Caverns of Ixalan is also set to bring
Cavern of Souls
Cavern of Souls
As this land enters, choose a creature type.
{T}: Add {C}.
{T}: Add one mana of any color. Spend this mana only to cast a creature spell of the chosen type, and that spell can't be countered.
to Pioneer, which will provide this deck with another decent upgrade.
Despite being a bit more resilient than it looks against typical removal, this deck does struggle against decks like Izzet Phoenix that play a bunch of cheap removal alongside
Treasure Cruise
Treasure Cruise
Delve (Each card you exile from your graveyard while casting this spell pays for {1}.)
Draw three cards.
to refuel. While tutoring for Yasharn is powerful against Rakdos Sacrifice, quick draws with
Mayhem Devil
Mayhem Devil
Whenever a player sacrifices a permanent, this creature deals 1 damage to any target.
can be extremely difficult to beat, as Mayhem Devil can decimate a board of cheap Creatures in short order.
Given the rise in Izzet Phoenix, especially after Izzet Phoenix emerged victorious at the Regional Championship in Calgary, playing Elves definitely comes with a bit of a risk. Still, the deck is quite fast, and the power of Collected Company cannot be overstated. If you enjoy go-wide typal strategies, consider giving this deck a shot.
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