If you’re excited about the new Elves from Kaldheim, you’re not alone. Prices for old school Elf cards have skyrocketed since the release of Kaldheim, which printed 16 cards with the creature type Elf. The renewed interest in Elves doesn’t surprise me as a longtime Elf tribal deck builder. There’s quite a few Kaldheim Elf’s I’m excited for.
While cards like Llanowar Mystic are reprinted all the time, it’s not often we see original Elf cards with relevant abilities printed. For this reason, Kaldheim is a very notable set for Elfball players. In no particular order, here are the 7 Best Elf Cards From Kaldheim For Your Elfball deck:
Harald, King of Skemfar
Sure, there’s Nath of the Gilt-Leaf, Glissa, the Traitor, and Jarad, Golgari Lich Lord in Commander, but none of them are particularly great Golgari Elf Commanders.
On the other hand, Harald, King of Skemfar makes a fine Elf Commander for Black/Green. Surprising for an uncommon.
While it is most useful for the given color combination, digging 5 cards for the best Elf provides consistent value. Nath, Glissa, and Jarad all have “build around” decks, but Harald actually works well in an Elfball style deck. It’s relatively cheap to casts and provides card advantage.
Don’t underestimate the Warrior subtype, which can be synergistic in Elves.
Skemfar Avenger
Say hello to Midnight Reaper for Elves!
One of the worst ways to lose a game with Elfball Commander is to get board wiped. Skemfar Avenger eases that pain. It doesn’t draw a card for itself, which makes it weaker to spot removal.
Important to note, Skemfar does not draw a card for Elf tokens and it does lose you life. So getting board wiped with 15 Elves out in play might lose you the game (better play Wellwisher!).
Canopy Tactician
The secret to Canopy Tactician is that it only requires one colored mana! Go ahead and play this on Turn 2 with Mana Crypt!
So why run Canopy Tactician? Because it is an Elf lord of course! Not only that, it adds 3 green mana a turn, so if you can play it early, you’re going to be ramping like crazy!
Jaspera Sentinel
It’s Springleaf Drum in Elf form!
Elfball Commander is already going to be filled with 1 drop mana dorks; but, there are only so many available to play. Jaspera Sentinel may not be the best Elf mana dork, but that doesn’t matter. You still want to play it!
Turn two, this is going to add mana. Not only that, it adds one mana of any color, which is fantastic if you are running Green/Black Elves.
Thornmantle Striker
At 5 mana Thornmantle is costly, but it’s a two-for-one removal spell, and since you are running Elfball, mana is generally not an issue.
What I like most about Thornmantle is it’s an Elf that can kill Planeswalkers on an enter the battlefield trigger. That’s fairly unique among Elf cards. It can also be used to remove counters from Ratchet Bomb and other pesky permanents.
Thornmantle has great versatility and can even destroy indestructible creatures like Stuffy Doll with its -X/-X ability.
If you’re looking for removal in your Elf Commander deck, Thornmantle Striker is a fantastic choice.
Skemfar Shadowsage
Skemfar Shadowsage is a way for Elfball to win the game for 4 mana!
Sure, you have to have a ton of Elf creatures in play, but that’s the goal of Elfball anyway. Skemfar lets you skip combat altogether. Not only that, it doesn’t target for damage and hits every opponent.
Elvish Warmaster
Last, but certainly not least, we have Elvish Warmaster. This 2/2 Elf Warrior can create an Elf every turn for free, which is pretty great in my book.
Mana generation in Commander Elf decks can go big, really big, and Elvish Warmaster gives us another way to pump everything for a lethal attack.
Tired of beefy blockers stopping your Elves? Elvish Warmaster can grant Deathtouch, something that will make your opponent think twice before blocking (even if you decided not to pay the mana).
I’m certainly going to be running this Elf Warrior in my Mono-Green Elfball Commander Deck. At 2 mana, he provides a win condition while also creating an army of tokens. Hard to beat that kind of versatility.
What is your favorite Elf from Kaldheim and which cards will you be adding to your Elfball deck? Leave us a comment!
