Does anyone have any good ideas for Elvish Champion?

[Dune Echo]

Personally, this is the card green has been waiting for. White had Crusade and green only had Kaysa. Now it's time for an attempt to make a beatdown Elf/Rebel type deck.

I've come up with some stuff on my own and I saw a good Type II deck on Star City that great for casual. But has anyone come up with anything else? I keep trying to pack too many Elf cards in my deck and I have literally NO utility. I'm thinking if I can go white/green, I can use Llanowar Knight and Armadillo Cloak (or Rancor, not sure yet, depends on mono-green or not), which can help as utility and are very efficient cards. If I go dual colors, I also have access to Wax/Wan and Disenchant. Otherwise, mono-green has Emerald Charm which can be good with Priests of Titania and Gaea's Cradle which are a must have when I consider using Skyshroud Poacher (another good target for untapping).

So, is there any ideas anyone else has come up with that must be explored?

 

[arhar]

I honestly don't think this card can be powerful in the T2 environment. During Mogg Fanatic/Goblin Patrol/Goblin Cadets days, was Goblin King played? This is strictly casual card, in my opinion (a very good one, at that, though). If you are going casual, though, Coat of Arms! Seeker of Skybreak/Priest of Titania/Gaea's Cradle for insane amounts of mana, etc, etc. In this kind of deck, Elvish Champion could be some thing that makes it great.

 

[Zero]

I was making a Green/White/Small splash red speed elf deck, and it was looking good, but then I got discouraged and deleted it. I had both of the elf knights (2/2's from INV), burn from red, utility from white, creature elves from green, and creature pump from white and green. Hope this helps Dune Echo!

 

[Captain Caveman]

How about something like this?(casual Type II)

4 Llanowar Elves
4 Quirion Sentinel
4 Elvish Archers
4 Nomadic Elf
4 Llanowar Knight
4 Elvish Champion

4 Wild Might
4 Giant Growth
2 Wax/Wane

4 Tangle Wire

18 Forest
4 Brushland

 

[Purple_jester]

I think it be best if you go Green/White. Casual deck, huh? Just tweak this deck idea my friend is making:

Lands (20):
4 Elfhame Palace
3 Brushland
1 Gaea's Cradle
3 Plains
9 Forest

Elves (24):
3 Llanowar Elves
3 Priest of Titania
2 Rofellos
4 Elvish Archers
4 Llanowar Knight
4 Titania's Chosen
4 Deranged Hermit

Enhancers (8):
2 Elvish Champion
2 Rancor
2 Armadillo Cloak
2 Coat of Arms

Extras (8):
2 Wax/Wane
2 Disenchant
2 Skyshroud Poacher
2 Armageddon

 

[Darsh]

Elves
+
Priest of Titiania
+
Elvish Champion
+
Gaea's Cradle(Optional)
+
Verdeloth the Ancient
=
Elf Decks Wins 2001! Coming to a store near you!

 

[krichaiushii]

For a non-type 2 casual deck, why not add Taunting Elf? The Taunting Elf still dies while you attack, but should your opponent(s) not be playing forests, you can still get most of your pumped up elves through their defenses.

As people will likely target your Taunting Elf and/or Elvish Champion with direct damage, consider Avoid Fate from Legends. With the errata changing all interrupts to instants, Avoid Fate becomes a good way to keep your creatures around.

Again, this is for casual play...

Avoid Fate
G
Common, Legends

Counter target instant or enchantment spell that targets a permanent you control.

Happily spreading my mischief...

 

[Mikeymike]

4 Llanowar Elves
4 Elvish Archers
4 Nomadic Elf
4 Llanowar Knight
4 Elvish Champion
2 Skyshroud Poacher

4 Armadillo Cloak
4 Giant Growth
2 Wax/Wane

3 Mystic Compass (sneaky Champion tech)
4 Tangle Wire

4 Brushlands
11 Forests
6 Plains

I really like the Compass in here. Hold it back until you have a nice litte army, cast and use it on the same turn. Your opponent now wears a toe-tag that says "fatal allergic reaction to elves".

Here is another version, mono-green.

4 Llanowar Elves
4 Quirion Sentinels (if need be, mana sink into the Compass)
4 Elvish Archers
4 Nomadic Elf
4 Elvish Champion
2 Skyshroud Poacher (hopefully we get a new elf baddie in Planeshift to abuse this with)

4 Wild Mights or Seal of Strength (works better w/ the Sentinel)
4 Giant Growth
2 Collective Unc.

4 Mystic Compass
4 Tangle Wire

16 Forests
4 Land Grant

Cards that could work in here.
Llanowar Elite--Look you'll never pay his kicker. But that trample could be extremely useful with your boosters (and if you've got some champs out w/ no Compass)
Vitalize--More sneaky tech, this card works very nicely with Tangle Wire. Probably more of a casual combo though.
Stampede Driver--Booster and Trample, nice.

 

[Mikeymike]

64 cards

4 Llanowar Elves
4 Priests of Titania
4 Treetop Ranger (or Skyshroud Sentinel)
4 Multani's Acolyte
4 Elvish Champions
2 Masticore (sorry, there is too much mana not to use him)

4 Mystic Compass
4 Aluren
4 Pack Hunt-- Absolutely Ugly with Aluren
2 Hurricane

4 Rancor
1 Berserk
3 Overrun (1 might be a Vitalizing Wind)

2 Gaea's Cradle
2 Yavimaya Hollow
16 Forests

 

[krichaiushii]

Silly me... I forgot to recommend Llanowar Sentinels for casual play.

All that mana from the Cradles that people keep throwing in (if you add Verdeloth like Darsh does, why not Elvish Farmer too?) needs more uses. Vitalizing Wind might be a good use for the mana, too.

Now, WHERE did I put those Extinctions...

 

[Darsh]

Extinctions? There are much better options than Extinction.
Like this.
1st turn: Swamp, Ritual, Engineered Plague. elf deck falls over and dies. or you could use Tsabo's Decree.

 

[krichaiushii]

But it is sooooo much more fun to wipe out an army with one blow than it is to cripple an entire deck.

Players of elves will not be nearly as pissed, either. Eradicating the Champion could cause problems, though...

The Champion is a Lord, so elves will still live despite Engineered Plague should a Champion make it into play -- something a good black or black/blue deck would never allow anyway... at least not for long.

Speaking of elves, the Elvish Lyrist might be a good call in casual, if only to avoid the troubling enchantments that crop up, such as Engineered Plague and Propaganda.

 

[Mikeymike]

I'm going to have to agree with krichaiushii on this arguement. With the advent of the Champion, the Plague just throws a speed bump in your way until you get a champ out in play. However, the Plague has foiled me many times in the past (stupid hate cards!). Also, I like Tsabo's Decree better than Extinction for casual play.

I always thought that was rough though. Our group has an unspoken rule that we don't use color hosers (unless is part of a combo in some wacky deck). But the type-wipers hit THE THEME decks, how cruel is that? I'm no better though, I've wipped out the extinction to deal with Crystaline Slivers before.

Elvish Lyrist, good idea. Especially considering my casual deck has no removal exept for Masticore. I really do feel guilty using him (hey I could use 4), but their are far too many pinger decks and white "you can't slip through my army of annoying 1/1s" decks in my group.
Also, I've decided to take the Rancors out of the deck (when I get 4 Champs at least) b/c I hate them, I don't care how good they are. A victory with Rancor is a blemished victory. You ever beat someone to death with a 3/1 Lyrist, then a 3/1 Llanowar, and so on? Should have been a rare.

You Black Mages with your evil spells, stay away from my harmless little elves!

 

[Darsh]

Yes, we Black mages are evil and we will destroy all of your puny elves with spells like these:
Pestilence
Spreading Plague
Deathgrip
PERISH (MWAHAHAHA!!!)
Extinction
Engineered Plague
Ascendant Evincar
NO MERCY (Okay so I'm running short of idea's here, sue me, No Mercy is a GREAT card)
Plague Wind
Thrashing Wumpas (Pestilence on a stick)
Plague Spitter
And even more spells that I can't think of at the moment.....MWAHAHAHA!!!!!

BTW Spidersilk Armor will make your elves just a little bit tougher.

[Edited by Darsh on 11-11-00 at 10:03 PM]

 

[Mikeymike]

You black mages are evil, how bout these
Massacre
Well timed Living death
Plague Dogs
Hellfire

Spidersilk Armor is one of favorite commons ever, but I don't know how I'm going to fit it into the deck. Right now I have 3 combo elements: the Mystic Compass for the Elf Champ and
Aluren Pack Hunt for each other.

I have yet to build the deck but I like the surprise/speed factor it comes across with in multiplayer. Build up a little mana elf action, drop Aluren. At end of the opponents turn drop the champ (it can be played as an instant so you can play it in response to a red spell or a pinger to boost you elves). On your turn Pack Hunt the Champ and drop an army of boosters.

I also like the Avoid Fate card krichaiushii referred to, but coming across 4 Legends commons is tougher than it sounds.

PS-What does MWAHAHA come from? Didn't the boss character from Sonic the Hedgehog or Mega Man use to say that?

 

[krichaiushii]

As for finding Avoid Fates, just talk to your local card shop "elders". They either have a few, or no someone "who stopped playing" and still has his cards. If they put you in touch with that guy, you might have found a gold mine.
Your shopkeeper might even have some in an old box of commons (along with Aisling Leprechauns, most likely). Converesly, the shopkeeper might let you post a "want list" on his "gamer's wanted" board -- I don't recommend asking for anything popular, though, just the more obscure cards. You'd be surprised at what people leave at home in their "junk cards" box.

I have also found that many people only bring type 2 rares and a few choice uncommons in their trade binders, thinking that no one wants the older stuff. Ask around, trade phone numbers, and consider trading tournament-quality type 2 rares for stacks of the older commons and useful uncommons, and even the unpopular rares. The logic here being that you can either pull that rare you traded away from a pack, or just trade back for it should you need it. Dump foils the same way (unless you are a COLLECTOR).

Monetarily, you are probably getting the short end of the stick, but if you get cards necessary for the theme decks multiplayers are partial too, you shouldn't care too much. Besides, tourney players are always looking for the latest "tech". If it is really hot and hard to get (Blazing Specters and Undermines, for example), you might even get a bidding war started...

For example, the cards I got for a single Cursed Scroll formed the nucleus for two decks, and added to my stack of commonly used uncommons for use in other decks. The end result being that I don't have to constantly strip decks for the Propagandas, Massacres, and such that I am so fond of. Now instead of having three decks and a bunch of ideas, I have about 20 decks, already built, that fare between abysmal and extremely well in multiplayer games (not all my ideas are good ones, but at least I try...).

Lastly, you can always resort to Ebay, though finding people actually selling four commons of dubious use and little demand may prove difficult.

I hope some of these ideas help. Sorry about the length, though.