Magic: The Gathering - MTG Elves and Elf Decks

Elves have been a major part of Magic: The Gathering since the beginning. They've found their way into a lot of championship decks over the years, and it's hard to imagine a successful green deck that didn't have at least a few of these forest-dwellers in it. From the classic Llanowar Elves from Alpha up until present day, elves have been and will continue to be a major part of the game.

In the story-lines, elves are distributed widely in the MTG multiverse, with many different kinds of elves present: Llanowar Elves, Argothian Elves, Yavimaya Elves, and the Skyshoroud Elves just to name a few. They are almost always associated with green mana and forests, and are frequently called on to defend their forest homes.

I've always liked green decks, partly because I think they're fun to play, partly because I like the paintings of forests the best, and partly because it's really fun to beat an opponent using nothing but elves occasionally! I love how the game designers allow for great synergy between various elf cards (some of which we'll examine a bit later), and how reliable these decks usually are. There are no fancy combos to pull off (usually), and not many elves with large casting costs, so elf decks tend to play pretty well. Let's take a look at a few elves that you'll want in a good elf deck.

And don't forget to check out my articles on Dragons and Goblins too!