Lathril, Blade of the Elves costs {2}{B}{G} and is a 2/3 Legendary Elf Noble with menace. Whenever it deals combat damage to a player you create that many 1/1 green Elf Warrior creature tokens, and for a tap and ten untapped Elves, each opponent loses 10 life and you gain 10. The more Elves you control, the more tokens and the closer the drain.
The precon already has the Elf lords and the mana Elves, including Elvish Archdruid, Elvish Mystic, Imperious Perfect, Marwyn and Beast Whisperer. Each swap below pairs a cut with an add, and every card is scored with the same numbers the Oracle uses to build decks: synergy and inclusion from the Lathril decks, plus lift, which shows how much more often a card turns up in Lathril decks than in decks that could play it.
Looking for the unmodified list first? Read the Elven Empire precon guide.
What is holding the deck back
Not enough cheap mana Elves and lords
Priest of Titania, Llanowar Elves, Fyndhorn Elves and Arbor Elf ramp, and Morcant's Loyalist and High Perfect Morcant give the team bonuses. They are among the top-scoring cards the precon leaves out.
Cards that Lathril decks skip
Tergrid's Shadow, Cultivator of Blades, Elderfang Ritualist, Elvish Rejuvenator, End-Raze Forerunners, Eyeblight Cullers, Golgari Findbroker, Lys Alana Scarblade, Masked Admirers, Numa and Twinblade Assassins are not cards Lathril decks usually play.
Few payoffs for a swarm of Elves
The deck has 40 creatures, and Elvish Warmaster, Immaculate Magistrate and Champions of the Perfect make a swarm of Elves bigger, more numerous or card-drawing.
The 12 swaps
Each pair shows the numbers for the card coming out and the card going in. Click a card image to zoom.
Tergrid's Shadow is a five-mana instant where each player sacrifices two creatures. It is not a card Lathril decks usually play.
Morcant's Loyalist is a 3/2 Elf Warrior for {1}{B}{G}. Other Elves you control get +1/+1, and when it dies you return another target Elf card from your graveyard to your hand. A three-drop lord that replaces itself with an Elf.
Cultivator of Blades is a five-mana 1/1 Elf Artificer with fabricate 2. It is not a card Lathril decks usually play.
Priest of Titania is a 1/1 Elf Druid for {1}{G}. For a tap it adds {G} for each Elf on the battlefield. A two-drop that is the highest-scoring card the precon leaves out and ramps with the whole team.
Elderfang Ritualist is a three-mana 3/1 Elf Cleric that returns an Elf when it dies. It is not a card Lathril decks usually play.
High Perfect Morcant is a 4/4 Legendary Elf Noble for {2}{B}{G}. Whenever it or another Elf you control enters, each opponent blights 1, which puts a -1/-1 counter on a creature they control, and tapping three untapped Elves proliferates. A four-drop that weakens opponents' creatures with every Elf you cast.
Elvish Rejuvenator is a three-mana 1/1 Elf Druid that finds a land from the top five cards. It is not a card Lathril decks usually play.
Llanowar Elves is a 1/1 Elf Druid for {G} that taps for {G}. A one-drop mana Elf for a deck of Elves.
End-Raze Forerunners is an eight-mana 7/7 Boar with vigilance, trample and haste that pumps the team. It is not a card Lathril decks usually play.
Elvish Warmaster is a 2/2 Elf Warrior for {1}{G}. Whenever one or more other Elves you control enter you create a 1/1 Elf Warrior token, once each turn, and for {5}{G}{G} Elves you control get +2/+2 and deathtouch until end of turn. A two-drop that makes an Elf every turn.
Eyeblight Cullers is a five-mana 3/3 Elf Warrior that makes three Elf Warriors when it dies. It is not a card Lathril decks usually play.
Champions of the Perfect is a 6/6 Elf Warrior for {3}{G} with an additional cost to behold an Elf and exile it. Whenever you cast a creature spell you draw a card, and when it leaves the battlefield the exiled card returns to its owner's hand. A four-mana 6/6 that draws a card for every creature.
Golgari Findbroker is a four-mana 3/4 Elf Shaman that returns a permanent card from your graveyard to your hand. It is not a card Lathril decks usually play.
Immaculate Magistrate is a 2/2 Elf Shaman for {3}{G}. For a tap it puts a +1/+1 counter on target creature for each Elf you control. A four-drop that grows Lathril by the size of your Elf army every turn.
Lys Alana Scarblade is a three-mana 1/1 Elf Assassin that discards an Elf to shrink a creature. It is not a card Lathril decks usually play.
Skemfar Avenger is a 3/1 Elf Berserker for {1}{B}. Whenever another nontoken Elf or Berserker you control dies you draw a card and lose 1 life. A two-drop that draws a card from every dead Elf.
Masked Admirers is a four-mana 3/2 Elf Shaman that draws a card and can return from the graveyard. It is not a card Lathril decks usually play.
Fyndhorn Elves is a 1/1 Elf Druid for {G} that taps for {G}. A one-drop mana Elf that is also an Elf for Lathril's drain.
Numa, Joraga Chieftain is a three-mana 2/2 Legendary Elf Warrior that spends mana to distribute counters among Elves. It is not a card Lathril decks usually play.
Selfless Safewright is a 4/2 Elf Warrior for {3}{G}{G} with flash and convoke. When it enters you choose a creature type and other permanents you control of that type gain hexproof and indestructible until end of turn. A flash Elf that protects your team from a sweeper, and your Elves can help cast it.
Springbloom Druid is a three-mana 1/1 Elf Druid that sacrifices a land for two basics. It is not a card Lathril decks usually play.
Arbor Elf is a 1/1 Elf Druid for {G} that untaps target Forest. A one-drop mana Elf that doubles a Forest, and the deck has many Forests.
Twinblade Assassins is a five-mana 5/4 Elf Assassin that draws a card when a creature died this turn. It is not a card Lathril decks usually play.
Realmwalker is a 2/3 Shapeshifter for {2}{G} with changeling, so it is an Elf. As it enters you choose a creature type, you may look at the top card of your library any time, and you may cast creature spells of the chosen type from the top. A three-drop that casts your Elves from the top of your library.
The full swap list
Cut
- Tergrid's Shadow
- Cultivator of Blades
- Elderfang Ritualist
- Elvish Rejuvenator
- End-Raze Forerunners
- Eyeblight Cullers
- Golgari Findbroker
- Lys Alana Scarblade
- Masked Admirers
- Numa, Joraga Chieftain
- Springbloom Druid
- Twinblade Assassins
Add
- Morcant's Loyalist
- Priest of Titania
- High Perfect Morcant
- Llanowar Elves
- Elvish Warmaster
- Champions of the Perfect
- Immaculate Magistrate
- Skemfar Avenger
- Fyndhorn Elves
- Selfless Safewright
- Arbor Elf
- Realmwalker
What to keep
These cards are doing the deck's heavy lifting. Do not cut them.
- Elvish Archdruid$0.49
Played in 93% of Lathril decks. Gives other Elves +1/+1 and taps for {G} for each Elf you control. - Elvish Mystic$0.43
Played in 80% of Lathril decks. A one-mana Elf that taps for {G}. - Imperious Perfect$0.48
Played in 79% of Lathril decks. A lord that makes an Elf Warrior token for {G} and a tap. - Marwyn, the Nurturer$5.83
Played in 79% of Lathril decks. Grows with every Elf and taps for mana equal to its power. - Beast Whisperer$5.87
Played in 72% of Lathril decks. Draws a card whenever you cast a creature spell.
If you want to spend more
These are strong but sit outside a budget upgrade. Prices are the cheapest paper printing.
- Leaf-Crowned Visionary$5.08
A two-mana Elf lord that draws a card whenever you cast an Elf spell and pay {G}. It costs more than a budget upgrade should. - Elven Chorus$4.14
An enchantment that lets you cast creature spells from the top of your library and makes your creatures tap for mana. It costs more than a budget upgrade should.
Elven Empire already has the Elf lords, the mana Elves and Lathril's token engine. The upgrade is cheap mana Elves and lords that grow the team, in place of Elves and other cards that Lathril decks skip. These twelve swaps cost about $15 in total.
Want a full 100-card list built around Lathril, Blade of the Elves from today's data?
Build with The Oracle →Frequently asked questions
What are the best upgrades for the Elven Empire precon?
Using data from 36,329 Lathril decks, the highest-scoring additions are Priest of Titania (for Cultivator of Blades), Llanowar Elves (for Elvish Rejuvenator) and Elvish Warmaster (for End-Raze Forerunners). The full list has 12 swaps, each scored with synergy, inclusion and lift.
How much does it cost to upgrade Elven Empire?
All 12 swaps cost about $14.56 at the cheapest paper printings (TCGplayer market prices via Scryfall, 2026-10-28). If you want to spend more, the guide also covers Leaf-Crowned Visionary ($5.08) and Elven Chorus ($4.14).
What should I cut from Elven Empire?
The weakest cards for this commander are Tergrid's Shadow, Cultivator of Blades and Elderfang Ritualist. The guide explains the reason for every cut, and swaps each one for a card that scores higher.
Which cards should I keep in Elven Empire?
Keep Elvish Archdruid, Elvish Mystic, Imperious Perfect, Marwyn, the Nurturer and Beast Whisperer. These are the cards doing the deck's heavy lifting.
What does Lathril do?
Lathril, Blade of the Elves costs {2}{B}{G} and is a 2/3 Legendary Elf Noble with menace. Whenever it deals combat damage to a player you create that many 1/1 green Elf Warrior creature tokens, and for a tap and ten untapped Elves, each opponent loses 10 life and you gain 10. The more Elves you control, the more tokens and the closer the drain.
More Kaldheim Commander upgrade guides
How the numbers work
Inclusion is the share of Lathril, Blade of the Elves decks (36,329 of them when this was written, 2026-10-28) that play the card. Synergy is how much more often they play it than other decks in the same colours. Oracle score is synergy × 0.6 plus inclusion × 0.4, the same blend The Oracle uses to rank cards for a deck. Lift compares how often the card appears in these decks with how often it could, capped at 8× here; it is shown for context and does not change the score.
Two cautions. Players who run the precon unmodified count as Lathril decks, which flatters every card the precon contains. Lift is high for many Elf cards because few decks play them outside an Elf deck, so use lift to compare cards, not to judge one in isolation. A card the commander's decks do not usually play counts as 0 in the average score. Prices are the cheapest non-foil paper printing on TCGplayer (via Scryfall), in USD, and move daily.