Hello everyone! I'm Levi from The Thought Vessel Show, and welcome back to Commander Kryptonite. This week we are looking at another typal archetype with Elves. Elves stand out as one of the deepest, most versatile, and fastest groups in the Magic and they are constantly getting upgrades, but Lathril, Blade of the Elves has proven to be an absolute problem to deal with. So, today we'll be going over what makes Lathril such a threat, strengths, weaknesses, and ultimately, how to kick the elfball.

The Commander

Lathril is the most popular elf commander for a couple of reasons. For starters, it adds access to a second color in Black, unlocking an arsenal of extra options in removal, card advantage, and even elves themselves. Secondly, the ability to connect with a player and flood your board with more elves is huge. They may not look like much at 1/1, but with the number of "Lords" that elves have granting +1/+1, those small creatures can quickly turn into a significant force. The additional creatures also assist with common win conditions in Green, such as Craterhoof Behemoth.

The Deck

As expected, the deck revolves around a singular theme: elves. Swiftly deploying elves and launching attacks to spawn even more elves is the name of the game. Some variations incorporate modifiers to boost Lathril's power, enhancing the output of elves each turn. Typical Green finishers like Coat of Arms or Craterhoof Behemoth seal the deal. Additionally, Lathril's often-overlooked ability to tap 10 elves, including herself, allows for a non-combat victory by draining opponents. However, in most games, that ability goes unused since it is usually more beneficial to declare Lathril as an attacker to generate additional elves.

Here is a basic example of an average Lathril Elves deck that you might run into.

Lathril Elves | Commander | EDHRec Average List

• Commander (1)
• 1 Lathril, Blade of the Elves

• Creatures (35)
• 1 Abomination of Llanowar
• 1 Arbor Elf
• 1 Beast Whisperer
• 1 Canopy Tactician
• 1 Circle of Dreams Druid
• 1 Dionus, Elvish Archdruid
• 1 Dwynen, Gilt-Leaf Daen
• 1 Elves of Deep Shadow
• 1 Elvish Archdruid
• 1 Elvish Champion
• 1 Elvish Mystic
• 1 Elvish Warmaster
• 1 Ezuri, Renegade Leader
• 1 Fyndhorn Elves
• 1 Harald, King of Skemfar
• 1 Immaculate Magistrate
• 1 Imperious Perfect
• 1 Leaf-Crowned Visionary
• 1 Llanowar Elves
• 1 Llanowar Tribe
• 1 Lys Alana Huntmaster
• 1 Marwyn, the Nurturer
• 1 Miara, Thorn of the Glade
• 1 Poison-Tip Archer
• 1 Priest of Titania
• 1 Realmwalker
• 1 Reclamation Sage
• 1 Rhys the Exiled
• 1 Ruthless Winnower
• 1 Shaman of the Pack
• 1 Skemfar Shadowsage
• 1 Timberwatch Elf
• 1 Wirewood Channeler
• 1 Wolverine Riders
• 1 Wood Elves

• Artifacts (7)
• 1 Arcane Signet
• 1 Banner of Kinship
• 1 Lightning Greaves
• 1 Skullclamp
• 1 Sol Ring
• 1 Staff of Domination
• 1 Swiftfoot Boots

• Enchantments (10)
• 1 Bounty of Skemfar
• 1 Crown of Skemfar
• 1 Elderfang Venom
• 1 Elven Ambush
• 1 Elven Chorus
• 1 Elvish Promenade
• 1 Growing Rites of Itlimoc
• 1 Guardian Project
• 1 Moldervine Reclamation
• 1 Prowess of the Fair

• Instants (8)
• 1 Assassin's Trophy
• 1 Beast Within
• 1 Casualties of War
• 1 Galadhrim Ambush
• 1 Golgari Charm
• 1 Heroic Intervention
• 1 Putrefy
• 1 Vitalize

• Sorceries (5)
• 1 Cultivate
• 1 Harvest Season
• 1 Pact of the Serpent
• 1 Return Upon the Tide
• 1 Shamanic Revelation

• Planeswalkers (2)
• 1 Tyvar Kell
• 1 Tyvar the Bellicose

• Lands (31)
• 1 Command Tower
• 13 Forest
• 1 Gilt-Leaf Palace
• 1 Golgari Rot Farm
• 1 Jungle Hollow
• 1 Llanowar Wastes
• 1 Myriad Landscape
• 1 Necroblossom Snarl
• 1 Overgrown Tomb
• 1 Path of Ancestry
• 1 Rogue's Passage
• 4 Swamp
• 1 Undergrowth Stadium
• 1 Wirewood Lodge
• 1 Woodland Cemetery
• 1 Yavimaya, Cradle of Growth

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Strengths

Elves shine in two key areas: speed/mana production and redundancy. The entire deck revolves around quickly replenishing the battlefield with new elves. Their rapid production takes advantage of the early turns, catching opponents still in the midst of setting up ramp or card draw. Lathril's menace proves surprisingly effective, creating opportunities to connect with opponents and produce more elves. The deck benefits from numerous "lord" creatures, amplifying the power of all other elves. Additionally, Lathril is not essential to the deck's functionality. It will perform just fine even if Lathril becomes unavailable for whatever reason.

Weaknesses

Like most elf decks, a well-timed board wipe poses a significant threat. While the deck is likely to run Heroic Intervention, its effectiveness against specific removals, bounces, exiles, or -X/-X effects is limited. The speed of the deck makes it susceptible to early-game removal; if disrupted, Lathril might run out of steam, allowing opponents to stabilize. In prolonged games, control, combo, or other archetype decks gain an advantage. Since this deck operates so quickly, if other players manage to get off the ground, there is a strong chance the table will team up against the elves to knock them out or remove their best pieces.

Kicking the Elfball

When going against elves, stabilization is key. Redirect early attacks away from yourself, deploy removal on Lathril, and search for board wipes. If possible, get some blockers out to avoid drawing undue attention, as the Lathril player will be looking to connect for damage and generate more elves. Keep your hand full, ramp efficiently, and prepare for the inevitable board wipe. Once the creatures are cleared, seize the moment to unleash your own threats--a second wave that may tip the scales in your favor since most early-game removal will target the elf threats, and elves will take some time to rebuild. The ideal scenario is that the Lathril player has been weakened or removed entirely, and the other players are more exhausted than you are. If you're able to hold onto some removal and value, this would be the window to strike.

Additionally, keep any card advantage engines off the table for Lathril. If Lathril is going to lose their board, we need the rebuild to be extremely limited by restricting their available cards. Since elf players are capable of producing excessive mana, the Lathril player might overextend their cards, leaving them literally empty-handed.

Here are some cards to be on the lookout for:

1. Marwyn, the Nurturer. Similar to other mana dorks like Elvish Archdruid and Priest of Titania, Marwyn can produce an incredible amount of mana. Unlike those other elves, Marwyn becomes less dependent on maintaining a wide board and can also be used as an attacker for large amounts of damage if needed.
2. Staff of Domination. With any of the elves in the deck that can generate at least five mana, this single artifact can produce infinite mana, card draw, and life. Additionally, by untapping Lathril and company, it enables infinite lifedrain. Destroy this artifact before it is too late.
3. Skullclamp. Not all elf decks will use their 1/1 tokens the same way. Some players will consistently trade them in for two cards repeatedly. The amount of card advantage this generates, combined with elf mana production, creates overwhelming value.
4. Cultist of the Absolute. This one is a bit more sneaky than the rest of the list, but it gives Lathril additional evasion, a +3/+3 buff (meaning more elves will be created on damage), and deathtouch to boot. It only costs one mana and requires a sacrifice on upkeep, but this is a card that usually gets ignored until it's too late.
5. Ezuri, Renegade Leader. This one may seem more obvious than others on this list, but its regeneration ability is very underrated against spot removal or even board wipes. With enough mana open, a Lathril player could save all their key pieces from removal, with the exception of Ezuri, since it can't target itself. Beyond that, giving all your elves +3/+3 and trample for five mana as many times as you want can make your attackers just as large as a Craterhoof Behemoth would.

Commander Kryptonite

Elves, like many other strategies, crumble in the face of board wipes. Their effectiveness hinges on larger numbers, making them vulnerable to mass removals. If elves are proving to be a thorn in your side, consider adding two or three additional sweepers to your deck for increased consistency. Something like Toxic Deluge or Farewell would be an excellent choice, as Heroic Intervention and similar cards would have no way to stop it.

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