This week I decided to get back to my roots in a way with G/U Elves combo in Modern. This deck became a consideration with the printing of Beck // Call in Dragon’s Maze but then got another serious upgrade from M14 with Elvish Mystic and Scavenging Ooze.
Scavenging Ooze in particular I think is an important addition to this deck. I’m only playing one in my maindeck but have another three in the sideboard, and they’re not just there to fight graveyard decks. There are a variety of blue/red/x decks with counterspells and burn, and in those matchups, you don’t really expect to be able to combo. Instead, you’re looking to get Elves killed off while you build up mana and fill your graveyard with creatures; then, when you’re out of elves, you play a Scavenging Ooze and eat enough Elves that they can’t burn it out. This gives you a powerful endgame threat that you can cast without needing your Elves to live, which gives you a great plan B against the various attrition decks in Modern.
My current list:
Creatures (32)
- 4 Llanowar Elves
- 4 Heritage Druid
- 4 Nettle Sentinel
- 2 Regal Force
- 4 Elvish Visionary
- 4 Arbor Elf
- 1 Scavenging Ooze
- 1 Craterhoof Behemoth
- 4 Deathrite Shaman
- 4 Elvish Mystic
Lands (14)
Spells (14)
Sideboard
I think I got pretty lucky that match, particularly drawing the Creeping Corrosion when I did in game 2.
That first game was pretty close. With no flying blockers, Cranial Plating can definitely be a problem, but that matchup seems pretty good if you’re willing to devote some sideboard space to it since the sideboard options are so effective.
In hindsight, I think I misplayed in the first game by playing into Spellstutter Sprite instead of just playing Lead the Stampede and making him have Mana Leak. In the second game, my Lead the Stampedes were incredible, but the game was still closer than I’d like. In the third game, Delver flipping on turn 2 on the play just put me on too short a clock even though we were both a little mana-light.
I approached game 1 badly in this match. I should have just cast both Lead the Stampedes without playing other creatures on turns 2 and 3 and discarded my biggest and best creatures to better prepare for a Living End.