Tae'rin Terror (Elf Zerg)

Legacy Aggro Combo Elves Mono-Green

Apollo_Paladin

Creature (32)

• 3x Ambush Commander
• 2x Elvish Archdruid
• 2x Ezuri, Renegade Leader
• 2x Heedless One
• 2x Imperious Perfect
• 2x Jagged-Scar Archers
• 4x Llanowar Elves
• 2x Marwyn, the Nurturer
• 4x Priest of Titania
• 2x Steel Leaf Champion
• 4x Sylvan Messenger
• 3x Wellwisher

Instant (11)

• 2x Heroic Intervention
• 2x Krosan Grip
• 2x Tribal Unity
• 3x Vitalize
• 2x Wirewood Pride

Land (18)

• 18x Forest

Enchantment (4)

• 2x Alpha Status
• 2x Helix Pinnacle

Artifact (5)

• 2x Throne of the God-Pharaoh
• 3x Vanquisher's Banner

---

Sideboard

Sorcery (7)

• 2x Corrosive Gale
• 2x Enshrined Memories
• 3x Stream of Life

Instant (2)

• 2x Heroic Intervention

Land (3)

• 3x Wirewood Lodge

Creature (3)

• 3x Regal Force

---

Maybeboard

Creature (8)

• 2x Beast Whisperer
• 3x Wildborn Preserver
• 3x Wren's Run Vanquisher

Land (1)

• 1x Wirewood Lodge

---

Overview:

I named this deck after a famous Elven forest in one of the longest-running D&D games that I ran (Tae'rin Forest, as it were); and similarly this deck is also by far my oldest M:tG deck that I still have going & still play (it probably started its first incarnation around 2001). I've continued to update things here and there as new sets come out, but the theme of the deck has remained pretty much the same, it has just certainly become a lot more efficient than when I originally built it.

The deck relies on Elf-count, in most cases even going so far as to include any Elves an opponent may have in addition to the ones I control. It also plays through the library rather quickly, and the numerous card draw options really ramp up the more creatures I can play, so I've done this as a 70-card build instead of the traditional 60.

I feel it gives it a lot more variety and options given the frequency/quantity of drawing with this build and with the deck's ability to play many spells per turn. I also play in a group where Mill mechanics aren't uncommon, so a little buffer is nice to have on a deck that speeds through its own library. The card synergies work so well together that there really aren't any "weak point" creatures for an opponent to target. There are so many different ways to ramp this deck up that literally every single creature has the potential to become a devastating threat. (Even tokens!)

Other Thoughts:

• The creature composition may seem muddled and overkill in some departments at first, but between Vanquisher's Banner and Sylvan Messenger (both of which are easy to play out early since it also grossly overproduces mana for the Tribal Unity finisher) the card draw in this deck can get insane; and I've regularly had turns where I play 4-6 creatures so some diversity only increases the synergies and combos going on.

• At first I thought that 18 mana in a 70-card build was WAY too little, but the synergy in this deck is so awesome that I can make do with a single Forest in play if need be. It is not difficult at all with this deck to count on having around 5 or 6 mana on Turn 3 with the inclusion of Llanowar Elves and Priest of Titania, which opens up even the more mana-heavy inclusions (such as Vanquisher's Banner, Ambush Commander, and Sylvan Messenger) to very early drops, even if I can't get much actual Land early on. Additionally, running so little Land really increases the chances of drawing Elves to continue casting spells in later turns.

• Ambush Commander is a long-time favorite of mine, and he pairs extremely well with the many 'Elf count' cards in the deck: Wellwisher, Priest of Titania, Elvish Archdruid, Heedless One, Jagged-Scar Archers, Wirewood Pride, and Alpha Status. If he's on the board then playing Forests also triggers Marwyn, the Nurturer.

• Vitalize is a card that I don't feel gets enough credit in Casual/Legacy builds anymore. With all of the tap mechanics in this elf deck, it's stupidly overpowered and effectively grants double turns (minus a double attack phase, obviously) with this build. I'd imagine the same could be true of a lot of newer-card decks considering the prevalence of creature tap abilities in more recent releases than most of what I use here. In this construction though, the double gains on Wellwisher, Priest of Titania, and Elvish Archdruid are ridiculous; not to mention the other tap-mechanic elves in the deck such as Jagged-Scar Archers and Imperious Perfect. This allows for Ambush Commander to come out really quite quickly despite his somewhat high mana cost. So far, my life-total record with this deck is 137. It could have gone much higher obviously, but I try to finish games as quickly as possibly and don't milk them out just to raise record totals such as this (it could definitely go much higher though potentially). Most of the time, my defensive strategy is just to eat damage without blocking at all for a turn or two; until the deck & life total explode to the point where attackers are virtually obsolete.

• I don't feel like Alpha Status gets enough credit anymore either. It's essentially like a single-target (but DOUBLE POTENCY) Coat of Arms! It's an excellent one to include to toss on my Trample creatures. A real beauty of a fit in a deck that runs on Elf-count. I thought about including Coat of Arms actually, but this deck already has enough power/toughness ramp from Imperious Perfect, Elvish Archdruid, and the various Instants and X/X Creatures that beef up with more Elves in play. Furthermore, the Card Draw from Vanquisher's Banner gives it a clear advantage imo (at least in this deck construction). Sometimes this deck can just go, and go, and go, and go...so long as you keep playing Elves & not ending your Turn Step.

• I'm also still adding in a couple new cards from the newer sets and making adjustments as I get more cards. For example Steel Leaf Champion is a card that'll retain or even increase its value as time goes on (playable value at least, not dollar-value necessarily). He's incredible. Throne of the God-Pharaoh is so uniquely powerful given this deck's mechanic that it's ramped up the win speed considerably. Couldn't believe my eyes when they threw that one at me TBH.

• I also don't play much multiplayer, but there's been a game or two where tossing in Stream of Life from the sideboard has done really well at keeping a team-mate alive. (Once healed him for 29 life in one shot) It's generally a waste though unless a situation requires "target player", since the Wellwishers keep me up more than sufficiently.

Finisher/Primary Win-Condition Cards:

• 1) Throne of the God-Pharaoh literally can let me just tap creatures for mana you don't use & win if I prefer. Have any creature that can tap be tapped/re-tapped each turn regardless of usefulness and just whittle away life totals. Plus, it'll do damage throughout the game as creatures just become tapped normally to cast.

• 2) Heedless One and/or Sylvan Messenger for innate Trample combined with Wirewood Pride to just bum-rush enemy defenses early-on.

• 3) Ezuri, Renegade Leader to grant Trample to all creatures & attack en masse; potentially even firing his Elf Buff ability multiple times in a turn.

• 4) Tribal Unity can get pretty insane with the mana generation in this deck. It's not unheard of while playing this build to be able to get (at least) +15/+15 for all Elves by the time it gets played. Do have to watch out against other Elf or Elf-containing decks though as it's not restricted to "Elves you control". This is the only card in this deck though that isn't insanely more powerful if the opponent controls elves, so it's not too much of a risk.

• 5) Wellwisher as I consider massive defense to be almost a Win-Condition on its own. It's pretty easy with this build to gain 10-15 life out of each of these anytime they are tapped; even by turn 4 or 5 sometimes. Even with minimal creatures in play it's fairly easy to defend against attacks by not blocking and just eating the damage to get healed away later. The double gains on all of the tap-elves in this deck is quite awesome with Vitalize, but these guys in particular are just especially wicked IMO. Having multiples out is just silly good.

• 6) I'm testing out Helix Pinnacle for a win condition simply because I'm already tapping my mana-producing creatures out each turn for Throne of the God-Pharaoh. I can't see a reason why feeding counters into this thing with leftover mana each turn is a bad idea.

Sideboard:

• I've chosen to splurge and add a couple Heroic Intervention to the sideboard in case I'm up against creature board-wipe effects (particularly nasty since I run Ambush Commander). There were a couple of other choices on the Maybeboard here previously, but I feel this is enough deterrent for the effect should I run up against it. I acknowledge that this inclusion is largely playgroup-based and may not be ideal depending on the decks it plays against. Only playtesting will tell I suppose. If they're effective and relevant enough, a couple of them may even make the Main Deck.

• With how much mana this deck cranks out, Corrosive Gale can be absolutely brutal in the right circumstances. I've been able to use it with devastating consequences against Thopter decks, Dragon decks, Angel decks, and many others. Mass Dragon/Angel smite has proven especially useful with some of the token creation options available to those deck types in particular. That makes this an essential Sideboard addition imo.

• The good ol' Elvish Herder is a card that I used to run in the Main Deck but since took out since I have Heedless One and Sylvan Messenger with innate Trample already, plus Ezuri, Renegade Leader who can give all elves Trample if need be, but I've decided to include him again on the Sideboard because I think with the right build (or against the right deck) it could secure a quick win by offering Trample for much less mana & therefore having it become a factor earlier. Going to playtest with this one quite a bit I think.

Wishlist Cards:

• Concordant Crossroads is my #1 Wishlist card for a reason. This card is silly out-of-era with its ability, and it would speed up my mana generation VASTLY. Being able to play a Priest of Titania when I already have elves in play and use her the same turn is a small dream of mine. Plus, the idea of springing a powerful trap card from back in Chronicles/Legends era is very appealing to me. The downside is that even a heavily-played "cheap" version of this card costs around 15-17$ US, and as of now that exceeds my M:tG budget since I'd want a few copies to really rely on the mechanic.

• Staff of Domination generates an infinite mana loop with Priest of Titania, Elvish Archdruid, and even Marwyn, the Nurturer under the right conditions. I honestly don't see a need for it since it ramps up so brutally already without it, but it would be neat to Sideboard and throw around occasionally. Downside is similar to Concordant Crossroads in that they're quite expensive and not even available in any real quantity off some M:tG Singles-buying sites.

Date added	5 years
Last updated	1 year
Legality	This deck is Legacy legal.
Rarity (main - side)	20 - 4 Rares 16 - 8 Uncommons 16 - 3 Commons
Cards	70
Avg. CMC	2.71
Tokens	Elf Warrior 1/1 G
Folders	Decks to Watch, Decks to build, Legacy, cheap modern, Decks suggestions, Other users' Decks I like