Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Kaldheim. Today I’m looking at some of the best Elves cards we’ve seen so far in Kaldheim. The crazy part of it is that only one of the 3 cards is an actual Elf. (Technically two, but you will see shortly). Elves have always been a big part of Magic and are always a strong tribe in Green. Kaldheim adds to that legacy with some key cards and even Black is adding some Elves to help along the way. What Elves are currently in Standard that can help this new batch of cards?
- Wildborn Preserver – A Great 2/2 for two mana at instant speed that can grow larger for each Elf you cast.
- Tajuru Paragon – This 3/2 Elf can take the shape of any party member you want to give another subtheme to your Elf deck.
- Radha, Heart of Keld – This multicolour Elf can help you ramp up to play larger spells in the late game.
- Llanowar Visionary – This helps with ramp and replaces itself with a free card draw.
As you can see there are a few options already in Standard to help make an Elf deck. First off for the new cards from Kaldheim I want to talk about an “Elf”, but it can also be any other creature type you want it to be. Here is the Changeling Realmwalker.
Realmwalker
This Changeling is tailor-made to be in an Elf deck. Once you choose Elves with it enter the battlefield ability, you can start casting Elves off the top of your library. This could lead to a large card advantage and helps you fill your battlefield with creatures. Imagine combining this with Radha, Heart of Keld so that you can play both lands and Elves off the top of your library. This will allow you to play almost your entire deck without a card in your hand. Although Realmwalker can be used in many creature decks, being Green lends itself well to what Elves are looking to do.
Next up is a two-drop Elf that that can help build your Elf army. Here is Elvish Warmaster.
Elvish Warmaster
Elvish Warmaster is the kind of two drop Elf you want to have in your Elf deck. Although it doesn’t pump Elves up for less than seven mana, it can help build your Elf army. Getting an extra 1/1 Elf each turn will start to overwhelm your opponent in no time. It’s great that this ability triggers on an Elf entering the battlefield and not when cast. This allows you to get an extra Elf if you can find other ways to get Elves out (See next card). I don’t think you will be able to pump up your Elves for seven mana very often, but when you can there’s a good chance you will win the game on that attack, or at least clear out any opposing creatures thanks to the deathtouch added.
To top it off, if you want to build your Elf army, you must recruit the new planeswalker, Tyvar Kell.
Tyvar Kell
This four mana planeswalker starts with a solid 3 loyalty and has 4 abilities on it. Let’s break down the abilities of this planeswalker.
Elves you control have "T: Add B." – This static ability just provides extra value to all your Elves. It allows you to ramp up to larger spells and provides some mana fixing.
[+1]: Put a +1/+1 counter on up to one target Elf. Untap it. It gains deathtouch until end of turn. – This will allow you to grow your Elf army through +1/+1 counters, but more importantly, use an Elf’s ability twice in a turn. Whether that ability is for mana or something else. Giving it deathtouch also allows you to use its ability, untap it, make it larger, and then be an attacking threat.
[0]: Create a 1/1 green Elf Warrior creature token. – Zero loyalty make a creature abilities are strong. It helps protect Tyvar Kell and allows you to keep making them turn after turn, providing you more threats and more ramp for your spells as well.
[-6]: You get an emblem with "Whenever you cast an Elf spell, it gains haste until end of turn and you draw two cards." – This is a great ultimate ability that will help you refill your hand and get in for a finishing blow attack. If you don’t want to attack, use those new Elves for mana to help cast even more Elves!
Overall, this planeswalker is great for Limited and will be great in an Elf deck in upcoming Standard.
There you have it, folks, three cards to help you build your new Standard Elves deck. Hopefully, there are a few more to come to make this a viable and strong option for Standard. Thanks again for reading the Daily Dose of Kaldheim. Join me again tomorrow as we look at some more options for the new Standard set, Kaldheim.
