Deck 8 - Lathril Elves

This deck is part of the Two-Headed Giant Commander decks, these are designed to be played 2v2 or 3v3 in the Commander format, but can also be played 1v1. 

Certain decks have certain themes, and will pair better with other decks, which decks work best have been listed below. These decks are on a higher skill level than most of the other decks in the club, with a lot of interacting mechanics. This can be overwhelming to learn and master but it is a whole lot of fun when you do.

In the untamed wilderness beyond the kingdom’s borders, the Wild Outlanders thrive. These warriors, elves, and goblins live in harmony with the forest, their lives deeply connected to the natural world. Their leader Kresh, the exiled brother of King Kenrith, has forged a life of freedom and strength among these outlanders. As the kingdom faces the threat of the Villains, the Wild Outlanders must decide whether to join the fight for glory or remain hidden in their remote villages, untouched by the turmoil of the outside world.The theme of the Wild Outlanders box is a . The main theme for the Wild Outlander decks are +1/+1 counters, Warriors, Elves and Goblins. 

Lathril was the elf queen who became a blind Einir of Kaldheim. Lathril hails from ancient times, before the elven race was split in two, and represented the apex of elven glory. She was a natural leader and master tactician whose prowess kept the elves in a place of power for eons. Unafraid to wade into the battle personally, she often fought at the head of her forces, dealing death in all directions and rallying her troops to turn even crushing defeat into defiant victory.

Lathril's Chant, a favorite tale among the elves, tells of Lathril's birth, deeds, and later ascent to godhood after her battle with a mysterious Cosmos monster called Eidermaw. Some elves believe that her consciousness lingers in one of the Jaspera trees and pray to her faithfully in anticipation of the return of the Einir, who could unite the wood elves and shadow elves once again. Having given her sight for god-powers, Lathril saved one of Sarulf's children, the little wolf Kit, who had been kidnapped. Lukya, a copper wolf, daughter of Sarulf, was sent by Sarulf to Lathril and was the one who guided the elf through an Omenpath to the realm where her brother Kit was. To say thanks, Sarulf blessed Lathril and her people by allowing them to roam their territory and communicate with their beasts. Lukya also decided to accompany Lathril after saving her brother Kit.

Lathril, Blade of the Elves leads an aggressive Elves tribal deck that focuses on generating a wide board of Elves, buffing them up, and using their numbers to overwhelm opponents. Lathril’s ability to tap and drain life makes her both a powerful attacker and a direct win condition in grindy games. This deck uses mana dorks and Elf synergy to flood the board with creatures, generating overwhelming amounts of value and card draw to dominate both early and late game.

Key Cards:

• Lathril, Blade of the Elves: The commander’s ability to create Elves and tap to drain life from opponents is at the core of this deck’s strategy. Flooding the battlefield with Elves allows Lathril to drain life and generate a massive token army, which can quickly get out of hand.

• Elvish Archdruid, Priest of Titania, and Circle of Dreams Druid: These mana engines provide enormous amounts of green mana based on the number of Elves you control. They help fuel explosive turns, allowing you to cast large spells like Shamanic Revelation or use Lathril's ability multiple times.

• Imperious Perfect and Elvish Warmaster: These cards generate extra Elf tokens, giving you more resources for Lathril’s tap ability, while also buffing your board. Elvish Warmaster can pump your entire team, turning small tokens into threats.

• Tyvar, Jubilant Brawler and Lightning Greaves/Swiftfoot Boots: Tyvar allows you to activate Lathril’s tap ability immediately, accelerating your game plan, while Lightning Greaves and Swiftfoot Boots protect key pieces like Lathril and Marwyn, the Nurturer.

• Skullclamp: With so many 1/1 Elf tokens, Skullclamp becomes a massive card draw engine, converting excess tokens into new cards and maintaining a steady stream of resources.

• Immaculate Magistrate and Timberwatch Elf: These cards can turn a single Elf into a massive threat by pumping them with +1/+1 counters or boosting power temporarily. They synergize perfectly with Lathril and other Elves in the deck.

• Elven Ambush and Elvish Promenade: These cards create Elf tokens equal to the number of Elves you control, allowing you to double or even triple the size of your board. This is especially potent with Lathril’s ability or Throne of the God-Pharaoh in play.

• Throne of the God-Pharaoh: With all your Elves tapping for mana or combat, Throne of the God-Pharaoh deals extra damage to your opponents for each tapped creature at your end step, closing out games quickly once you have an overwhelming board presence.

Key Card Interactions:

• Lathril, Blade of the Elves + Throne of the God-Pharaoh: Each time you tap your Elves for mana or combat, Throne of the God-Pharaoh deals damage to your opponents for each tapped creature. With a wide board of tokens, this quickly becomes lethal.

• Elvish Archdruid + Shaman of the Pack: With a large number of Elves in play, Shaman of the Pack drains all opponents for each Elf you control, potentially ending the game outright.

• Elvish Promenade + Elvish Warmaster: Create a massive number of tokens with Elvish Promenade, then use Elvish Warmaster to give all your Elves +2/+2 and deathtouch, making your board lethal.

Strategy:

Early Game: The early game is all about ramping with your Elf dorks to get as many Elves and lands on the battlefield as quickly as possible. Cards like Elvish Mystic, Llanowar Elves, Fyndhorn Elves, and Priest of Titania accelerate your mana, enabling you to cast Lathril and start building a token army.

Casting Lathril, Blade of the Elves early is key, as you want to start attacking and making Elf tokens as soon as possible. Leaf-Crowned Visionary also provides additional card draw every time you cast an Elf, ensuring that you don't run out of gas.

If you have an early Skullclamp, prioritize using it on your tokens for card advantage. Ramping into Elvish Archdruid or Circle of Dreams Druid sets up explosive mana production, helping you overwhelm your opponents.

Mid Game: In the mid game, you’ll want to focus on building up your Elf army. Cards like Elvish Warmaster and Imperious Perfect create more Elf tokens, while Immaculate Magistrate and Timberwatch Elf can pump individual creatures to make them enormous threats.

At this stage, tapping Lathril to drain life from your opponents becomes a significant play. The more tokens you have, the greater the life drain and the closer you get to finishing off your opponents.

Moldervine Reclamation and Beast Whisperer help ensure you continue to draw cards and refuel your board, even in the face of board wipes or removal. Heroic Intervention and Golgari Charm provide protection against mass removal, allowing you to maintain your board presence.

This is also the time to play key synergy pieces like Elven Ambush, Elvish Promenade, and Wolverine Riders, which allow you to flood the board with tokens and set up a massive drain with Lathril or a lethal swing.

Late Game: In the late game, your goal is to turn your overwhelming number of Elves into a win. Throne of the God-Pharaoh deals damage to all opponents for each tapped creature at the end of your turn, turning your army into a direct life drain engine.

Using Elven Ambush or Elvish Promenade can create dozens of Elf tokens, allowing Lathril to tap and drain large amounts of life. Shaman of the Pack also becomes a powerful finisher, draining life from each opponent based on your Elf count.

If the game stalls, Casualties of War and Putrefy help control the board, while Tyvar, Jubilant Brawler allows Lathril to immediately activate her ability, potentially winning the game on the spot. Cards like Skemfar Shadowsage can deliver a final blow through life drain, while Canopy Tactician and Wirewood Channeler provide more mana to fuel big plays.

Mulligan Guide:

In your opening hand, prioritize mana acceleration and early Elf creatures. Cards like Elvish Mystic, Llanowar Elves, Fyndhorn Elves, and Priest of Titania are ideal for early game ramp, allowing you to cast Lathril and start building up your board quickly.

If you have Skullclamp or Beast Whisperer, keep those for early card draw, as they help you refill your hand while swarming the board with Elves. Having removal like Assassin’s Trophy or Putrefy can be important to handle early threats.

Look for synergies with early ramp and creature token generation. A hand with Lathril, mana dorks, and token generation like Elvish Promenade sets you up for an explosive mid-game.

Conclusion:

This Lathril, Blade of the Elves deck is a fast and powerful tribal deck that seeks to flood the battlefield with Elves, using their numbers to generate massive mana, card advantage, and overwhelming combat power. With Lathril at the helm, you can drain your opponents of life while building a wide army of Elves that can end games through both combat and life drain.