This is a deck I've been toying with for a long time.
The deck works by building up mana, killing creatures, and
putting down solid beaters. Almost every card in the deck is
a great card. Finding out the right number of each card is
tricky. For example, Rancor is an awesome card but you
really only need 1 in play for this deck. Drawing 2 might
not be so great since the deck wants a lot of creatures in
play and in the graveyard. Of course having a 6/1 Yavimaya
Elder isn't something I'd complain about either. The deck
has multiple ways to meet the mana curve to use all that
mana to your advantage. There are plenty of 3CC plays for
turn
2 to make the elves work for you.
Rend Flesh will just about kill anything you're up against,
as all the good spirits are Uncommons and Rares. Serrated
Arrows will take care of those troublesome River Boa's and
Fliers. Arrows also makes sure your Blastoderm surives their
blockers on occasion. Death Denied is best saved for late
game, and against Blue until they're tapped out (as a nasty
surprise). All together the deck gives an amazing amount of
card advantage. When you figure in drawing two cards from
Reach, drawing 3 from Y Elder, getting land from ST Elder,
getting back Rancor, and Death Denied the deck just goes
over the top. One thing that green doesn't have at the
moment is life gain in the form of a creature (Wellwisher
doesn't work outside of an elf deck).
I've adjusted the sideboard to help out against red burn
decks. Every time you gain life it negates two burn spells.
Your goal against that player will be to drop threats and
survive long enough to pound them into the ground.
Other sideboard cards are Duress (for forcing through Death
Denied against Blue), Naturalize (for dealing with
equipment/enchantments), and Matsu Tribe Sniper (for skies
type of decks). Notice that the deck is all common (and I
play it in an all-common tournament).
This makes it very easy to build.
