Elves

Premodern57.0% WR · 426 matchesBuy on Manapool
Meta % — last 8 weeks
0.0%5.7%11.3%2/163/164/13
updated 23h ago
14.9%

Goblins will try to race you with Goblin Lackey and Goblin Piledriver backed by Goblin Warchief haste, so early defense is critical — Wall of Blossoms and Wall of Roots buy time while you assemble your mana engine. Goblin Sharpshooter is your premier answer, as it can tap repeatedly with Wirewood Symbiote to machine-gun the entire board once your elf count grows, completely neutering their go-wide strategy. Masticore is too mana-intensive and conflicts with Survival of the Fittest, and Kamahl is too slow against a deck that can kill you on turn three. If you stabilize and generate a large board, Biorhythm is a clean one-card win since your elf token army from Deranged Hermit will dwarf their life total contribution — especially after Goblin Sharpshooter has cleared their small creatures.

Bring In
+1 Goblin Sharpshooter
+1 Biorhythm
+2 Wall of Blossoms
+2 Wall of Roots
Take Out
1 Naturalize
1 Tribal Forcemage
1 Yavimaya Granger
1 Kamahl, Fist of Krosa
2 Masticore
8.9%

Mono-Blue Stiflenought aims to land a Phyrexian Dreadnought by countering its triggered ability with Stifle, creating a 12/12 trampler for one mana while your opponent holds up Counterspell, Foil, and Gush to protect it. Your game plan is to go wide with tokens from Deranged Hermit and mana elves, making their counterspells inefficient against the sheer volume of threats — they can counter one Survival activation but not ten elves. Biorhythm comes in as a finisher that can steal games when you have a board advantage but can't attack through a 12/12; once they tap out or you have enough creatures, a resolved Biorhythm immediately kills them if they only have the Dreadnought. Cut the mainboard Naturalize since they have very few artifacts or enchantments game one (just a possible Powder Keg), and post-board watch for Tsabo's Web which can slow your Gaea's Cradle.

Bring In
+1 Biorhythm
Take Out
1 Naturalize
5.5%

Enchantress is a slow combo deck that wins through Opalescence (animating enchantments into creatures) or locking you out with Solitary Confinement, so your primary goal is to destroy their key enchantments before they stabilize. Bring in all artifact and enchantment removal — Naturalize and Tranquil Domain — to answer Solitary Confinement, Sterling Grove, Parallax Wave, and Enchantress's Presence before their engine gets rolling. Biorhythm is a powerful trump in the late game since you can go wide with Deranged Hermit tokens and use Biorhythm as a sorcery to reduce life totals proportionally to creatures, which wins immediately if they have no blockers. Masticore, Anger, Tribal Forcemage, and Kamahl are too slow or situational here — Masticore's upkeep cost strains your hand while you need answers, and the pump effects are win-more when Biorhythm and elf swarms already close the game. Watch out for Parallax Wave protecting their board and Seal of Cleansing coming in to answer your Survival of the Fittest.

Bring In
+3 Naturalize
+2 Tranquil Domain
+1 Biorhythm
Take Out
2 Masticore
1 Naturalize
1 Anger
1 Tribal Forcemage
1 Kamahl, Fist of Krosa
4.6%
4.3%
4.2%
2.9%
1.7%