Elves. They've been in Magic since (almost) the very beginning. With nearly 700 cards in total, it's no surprise that many of them have shown up in tournament-level decks over the years. In fact, there are so many elves that it's hard to narrow it down to just a few. And for that reason, I haven't put them in any particular order - they mostly show up together, wherever possible. Anyway, here are eight of the many, many powerful elves of Magic's history.

Llanowar Elves

A stone cold classic all the way from Alpha. One of the most iconic cards of all time, full stop, never mind just elves. Llanowar Elves is a mainstay of Elf typal decks in every format, and a regular piece of Green ramp decks in most. It's hard to say something new about this card in 2026, but it's been enabling Green creature decks for decades. Whether it's tons of lords and fellow dorks or accelerating a huge Green monster, Llanowar has you covered. It continues to see play in every format it's legal in and will continue to do so unless Wizards prints a zero-cost equivalent.

Glistener Elf

Before we continue down the long, long list of elves that have been staples in elves decks for years, here's one that's a little different. You're unlikely to see the glistener in a typical elf typal deck, but it is a pillar of infect decks across the board. In most formats, infect isn't a huge player nowadays, but it occasionally shows up to remind you how strong it can be. When it does, Glistener Elf is an extremely important piece of the puzzle. As there are only two 1-drops in all of Magic that give opponents poison counters, you could argue that this is more important to its archetype than any card here.

Deranged Hermit

Can we talk about premodern in an article like this? I'm not sure, but Deranged Hermit is seeing a lot of play there. He was a big part of elves decks for a long time, too, although his role as a finisher there has long since been usurped by Craterhoof Behemoth. This mad lad has been left behind in many formats at this point, but his Legacy (pun intended) is nothing to scoff at. If you do count premodern as a competitive format, Hermit is still showing up.

Nettle Sentinel / Heritage Druid

Since I had to trim this list from a much longer one, I think I'm allowed to combine entries. And since these creatures combine so well together in-play, why not here? The bit here is that you tap the Sentinel for the Druid's ability then use the mana to play another elf, which untaps the sentinel and allows you to go again. It's been the core of most Eternal-format elf decks since the duo was released in original Lorwyn block and was integral to standard and extended elf decks at the time.

Elvish Visionary

Another important part of elf combo decks for years. Clean and elegant, but extremely powerful in the right context. That context is often "untapping Nettle Sentinel" and "drawing multiple cards with Glimpse of Nature," both of which are important factors in Legacy elf decks winning games. For such an innocuous and inexpensive card, this has a huge tournament repertoire to be proud of.

Deathrite Shaman

The one-mana planeswalker. Its days as an Eternal-format all-star might be behind it, but that's partly because it's still banned in Modern and Legacy. It still maintains a presence in Vintage, and a decent amount of play in timeless. It isn't as ubiquitous in those formats as its ban in others might suggest, but almost 15 years on from its original printing, DRS is still going strong.

Priest of Titania

The best way to make unreasonable amounts of Green mana ever since Urza's Saga. Wherever there is a viable Elf deck, the priest is likely to be around. From Pauper to Legacy, she continues to be a crucial part of elf decks wherever she is legal.

Elvish Archdruid

It remains to be seen whether the elves of Lorwyn Eclipsed will be a player in Standard. If they are, though, Elvish Archdruid will likely be an important part of the deck. The old fella does almost everything elves want: pumps the team and makes silly amounts of mana. Like a lot of cards on this list, Archdruid has Eternal applications, showing up in almost every elf deck list you can find.