Overview
Elven Empire is a pure Elf tribal deck. Lathril, Blade of the Elves has menace, and whenever it deals combat damage to a player you create that many 1/1 green Elf Warrior creature tokens. For a tap and ten other untapped Elves, each opponent loses 10 life and you gain 10 life, which an Elf deck with tokens can reach quickly.
The 99 cards are 40 creatures, 3 artifacts, 6 enchantments, 4 instants, 9 sorceries and 37 lands. 39 of the creatures are Elves, with lords such as Elvish Archdruid, Imperious Perfect, Dwynen, Gilt-Leaf Daen and Canopy Tactician, mana Elves such as Elvish Mystic, Llanowar Tribe and Marwyn, the Nurturer, and token makers such as Wolverine Riders, Lys Alana Huntmaster, Elvish Promenade and Elven Ambush. It also has drain such as Shaman of the Pack, Skemfar Shadowsage and Elderfang Venom.
Key Cards
Playing the Deck
The early game is about mana Elves. Elvish Mystic, Llanowar Tribe, Jaspera Sentinel, Marwyn, the Nurturer, Elvish Rejuvenator, Farhaven Elf and Wood Elves ramp you, and Sol Ring and Arcane Signet speed you up. Imperious Perfect and Lys Alana Huntmaster start the Elf tokens.
The middle of the game is about stacking lords and tokens. Elvish Archdruid, Dwynen, Gilt-Leaf Daen, Canopy Tactician and Pride of the Perfect make every Elf bigger, Wolverine Riders create an Elf every upkeep, Cultivator of Blades pumps attackers, and Beast Whisperer and Masked Admirers draw cards. Numa, Joraga Chieftain puts counters on Elves, and Harald, King of Skemfar finds Elves.
The late game is about a lethal Elf drain or a huge attack. Lathril, Blade of the Elves drains for ten, Poison-Tip Archer and Elderfang Venom drain whenever creatures or Elves die, and End-Raze Forerunners gives the team +2/+2, vigilance and trample. Eyeblight Massacre and Ruthless Winnower attack non-Elf creatures, and Casualties of War and Tergrid's Shadow remove opposing permanents.
Strengths & Weaknesses
Strengths: The deck is extremely consistent and explosive, with a huge amount of mana, many lords and a lot of drain, so it can win suddenly. It also has good removal and interaction, including Putrefy, Poison the Cup, Binding the Old Gods, Eyeblight Massacre and Reclamation Sage.
Weaknesses: A deck full of small Elves is vulnerable to sweepers and to damage-based removal, and it relies on its lords to be effective. The deck has only three artifacts, so it can be slow without a good start.
Want to improve it? See the Elven Empire upgrade guide: twelve swaps with the data behind each one.
Want to see what a fully optimised Lathril, Blade of the Elves build looks like? Try the Oracle.
✦ Build with The OracleFrequently Asked Questions
What cards are in the Elven Empire decklist?
The Elven Empire precon is a 100-card Commander deck led by Lathril, Blade of the Elves. The full Elven Empire decklist, with every card, current prices and a button to copy the list into your deck builder, is on this page.
When was Elven Empire released?
Elven Empire was released on February 5, 2021 as part of Kaldheim Commander.
Who is the commander of Elven Empire?
Elven Empire is led by Lathril, Blade of the Elves, a Golgari (B/G) legendary creature.
How many creatures are in Elven Empire?
The 99 cards besides Lathril, Blade of the Elves include 40 creatures.
How many lands does Elven Empire have?
Elven Empire has 37 lands in the 99 cards besides Lathril, Blade of the Elves, including basic lands.
Full Decklist
All 100 cards from the out-of-the-box Elven Empire precon, with current prices. Click any card to expand it.