[Legacy] Joraga Elves

[Falkenrath]

One of the biggest things I am worried about with your build is the reliance on straight draws.

I believe the only reason that legacy elf combo is able to exist in the current meta is because of the sheer draw power and synergy of Glimpse of Nature, Wirewood Symbiote, and Elvish Visionary. Elvish Visionary is probably the best elf in the deck. Drawing more cards in legacy is tantamount to winning in most cases.

A few well placed Lightning Bolts, Abrupt Decay, or Fatal Push on your lords will drastically slow you down. Toxic Deluge is also a card that can still wipe your field, leaving you with an abysmally slow recovery. While all of these cards will hurt me just as much, a Glimpse of Nature and a few creatures later will see me back in the action.

There is a new enchantment coming out in Ixalan: Shapers' Sanctuary. I have been thinking about adding to my sideboard, it seems like a wonderful addition. Legacy elves has already proven that a single copy of Leovold, Emissary of Trest is extremely potent in many match-ups as a Green Sun's Zenith target (I highly suggest you at least put him in your sideboard). Having a mini version as a back up could be a possibility.

Further more, I don't think Dwynen, Gilt-Leaf Daen is worth the mana to cast him. You would much rather be playing any of your other elves, or casting a Green Sun's Zenith for another Arch Druid. As they say, winning is winning. Having more life is nice, but winning with 10 life is the same as winning with 30.

Also, Deathrite Shaman should absolutely be a 4 count card. It is simply too useful in almost every match-up. The graveyard hate on your opponents is incredibly necessary, it helps protect from unwanted Flashbacks from a Snapcaster Mage (just exile the spell they target with Snapcaster before the ETB ability can resolve) as well as helping to keep those pesky Tarmogoyfs from getting too big. Lastly, you can pull any number of other pertinent cards such as re-animator targets, wastelands, or combo pieces .

[Borg]

@Falkenrath

Your post contains some spot on observations.
That's why it took me some time to review my deck and write this response.

The observation that needed heeding the most imo was this :

One of the biggest things I am worried about with your build is the reliance on straight draws.

This deck can empty your hand in a heartbeat and it can indeed be a problem if you can't play Emrakul or Joraga Warcaller at that point or if you're not able to tutor for them.

Something else I noticed as I scaled down the number of Emrakuls in the deck is that I don't have any quick threats. Something that can reliably come out T2 or T3 without needing to ramp up.

Another observation I made was that I put this deck under a lot of pressure by forcing it to ramp up to 15 mana.
If I don't get to 15 mana, Emrakul becomes a dead card.
So, I figured, if I remove the Emrakuls altogether I can remove some of the ramp, replace it by more threats and card draws and still produce plenty of mana for the Warcallers.

Between the Arbor Elves, Gaea's Cradle, Elvish Archdruid and Garruk this deck can still produce lots of mana in a hurry.
The ones I probably don't need anymore with Emrakul out are the Priest of Titania.

Going over the Elves database I found what I was looking for in the form of the Sylvan Messenger.

- ETB it will yield on average two extra creature cards
- It has built-in Trample which means once a multi-kickered Warcaller joins him he can probably hit where it hurts.
- Having this extra card draw in the form of an Elf means it also empowers the Archdruid & Cradle.
- Comes in at 4 mana but with an Arbor Elf / Utopia Sprawl potential opening I can play this as fast as T2
- You can Green Sun's Zenith them for 5 mana
- Drawback, you may skip a Green Sun's Zenith, Song of the Dryads or Garruk ... but the Fetch lands can let you shuffle.

Looking for additional threats, another potentially powerful card I came across was the hardest hitting 2 mana green Elf Talara's Battalion. She too comes with Trample which makes for a fantastic card to play early, then boost with the Warcaller. This card is dangerous enough to attract attention / removal spells and that is something the mana elves may benefit from.

In place of the Priest of Titania, I added Elvish Visionary for more card draw.

I also tried running 4 Deathrite Shaman but together with the Arbor Elves and Utopia Sprawl, that's 12 cards and that's too much cards invested there imo.
I could alternatively remove the Elf/Sprawl combo but that would severely hamper the mana production and explosiveness.
So ultimately I decided to go with 2 Deathrite Shaman, also because I still think I don't need 4 ( I leave that possibility still open )
With ten 1-mana drops I think I have the right amount here.

So, overall, I've reduced the pressure on the mana producers, added card drawing and more threats.


Revision 49

Added/removed cards:
-2 Abrupt Decay
-1 Dwynen, Gilt-Leaf Daen
-1 Emrakul, the Aeons Torn
-1 Ezuri, Renegade Leader
-4 Priest of Titania
-1 Wirewood Lodge
-4 Worldly Tutor
+3 Elvish Visionary
+1 Misty Rainforest
+4 Sylvan Messenger
+4 Talara's Battalion
+1 Windswept Heath
+1 Wooded Foothills

Changed amounts:
-1 Bayou
-1 Gaea's Cradle
+1 Garruk Wildspeaker
+1 Song of the Dryads

[Borg]

High time for an upgrade.
Vanquisher's Banner gives me the massive draw ability I was lacking before and Forestwalk means I don't need Trample to hit home.

Revision 61

Added/removed cards:
-1 Garruk, Caller of Beasts
-4 Sylvan Messenger
-4 Talara's Battalion
+1 Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
+4 Vanquisher's Banner

Changed amounts:
+2 Elvish Champion
-2 Forest
+2 Llanowar Elves
+2 Priest of Titania

[Borg]

Revision 62

Added/removed cards:
+2 (Main) +2 (SB) Reclamation Sage

Changed amounts:
-2 Llanowar Elves

[Borg]

Hunting Triad is perfect for this deck.
Allows me to add multiple Elves or can be used to pump up the Joraga Elf. win, win situation.

Revision 73

Added/removed cards:
-3 Llanowar Elves

Changed amounts:
+1 (Main) -1 (SB) Coat of Arms
+1 Elvish Mystic
+1 Fyndhorn Elves
-2 Priest of Titania
+2 (Main) -2 (SB) Sylvan Messenger

[Borg]

Revision 74

Added/removed cards:
-1 Coat of Arms
+1 Garruk Wildspeaker
+2 Green Sun's Zenith
+1 Scavenging Ooze
-1 (SB) Vanquisher's Banner

Changed amounts:
-1 (Main) +1 (SB) Eladamri, Lord of Leaves
-2 Hunting Triad
+2 Priest of Titania
-2 Sylvan Messenger

[Borg]

Coat of Arms outperforms Garruk Wildspeaker in this deck.
CoA is even more of a bomb in combination with Hunting Triad.
Had a T4 today with CoA and Triad for three tokens.
T5 attack with 5 8/8 creatures for 24 unblocked damage.

Revision 75

Added/removed cards:
-1 Garruk Wildspeaker
+1 Coat of Arms

[Borg]

Revision 79

Added/removed cards:
-1 Coat of Arms
+2 Walking Ballista

Changed amounts:
-1 Sylvan Messenger

[Borg]

Revision 80

Added/removed cards:
+2 Immaculate Magistrate

Changed amounts:
-1 Eladamri, Lord of Leaves
-1 Hunting Triad

[Borg]

Revision 81

Added/removed cards:
-1 Misty Rainforest
-1 Verdant Catacombs
-1 Windswept Heath
-1 Wooded Foothills

Changed amounts:
+4 Forest

[Borg]

Revision 82

Added/removed cards:
-2 Walking Ballista

Changed amounts:
+1 Forest
+1 Sylvan Messenger

[Borg]

Revision 84

Added/removed cards:
+3 Ezuri's Archers

Changed amounts:
-2 Elvish Archdruid
-1 Elvish Champion
-1 Gaea's Cradle
+1 Wasteland