Elves aims to go wide and ramp into Natural Order or Green Sun's Zenith for a huge payoff like Craterhoof Behemoth or Atraxa, Grand Unifier. Strix Serenade is a cheap answer to creature spells they cast from hand, such as mana dorks, Formidable Speaker or Badgermole Cub, and it gives them only a 2/2 Bird token in return. It can't stop what Natural Order or Green Sun's Zenith fetch, because those creatures enter the battlefield without being cast. Allosaurus Shepherd can't be countered, and once it is on the battlefield their green spells can't be countered either. Fire Strix Serenade early, before Shepherd lands. Unholy Heat kills their mana dorks, Allosaurus Shepherd and Badgermole Cub for a single mana, which slows the ramp into their combo turn. Spell Pierce and Into the Flood Maw are weaker since their creatures are cheap and plentiful, making 2-for-1 bounce or pierce ineffective against a swarm strategy. Use Wasteland aggressively against Gaea's Cradle, and race with Dragon's Rage Channeler and Lightning Bolt before they assemble their combo turn.