High Perfect MorcantHigh Perfect Morcant | Art by Victor Adame Minguez

Elf decks have been around since the earliest days of Magic: The Gathering, making players shudder in fear at the mere sight of a turn-one Llanowar ElvesLlanowar Elves. The same is true today, where Elf-Ball lists still have the ability to overwhelm the table with their raw woodland power.

Now, with Lorwyn Eclipsed on the horizon, it's time to welcome a new commander to lead your Elven forces. So, join me Tyler 'Savesya' Bucks, as we cover a budget 99 built around High Perfect MorcantHigh Perfect Morcant that you can pick up for about $45.

What Does High Perfect Morcant Do?

I love seeing new commanders bring different twists to classic archetypes, which is exactly what High Perfect MorcantHigh Perfect Morcant brings to Elf decks. The typical plan for that strategy has been to flood the board with as many Elves as possible, but this time around we're adding -1/-1 counters to the mix. Building out a big army, while shrinking the stats of our opponents' creatures is a brutal combo, and is sure to make people fear each creature we play.

So, let's take a look at some of the ways we can take advantage of this commander's abilities in order to add as much blight to the board as possible.

Blight Synergies

• Evolution SageEvolution Sage: Even though our commander has a way to proliferate stapled to her, adding even more of that effect to every land drop is brutal in this deck. Also, since it's an Elf, it'll cause our opponents to blight, and can be tapped in order to help proliferate all over again.
• Tromell, Seymour's ButlerTromell, Seymour's Butler: Not only does this legend add +1/+1 counters to our board when creatures enter, it also gives us a way to proliferate multiple times with just one activation if we're able to chain a few spells together in a turn.
• Pollenbright DruidPollenbright Druid: While this little Elf might not seem too impactful, a two-drop creature that enters, triggers Morcant's blight, and then proliferates more counters is exactly the kind of thing we need in order to make this deck tick.

• Copperhorn ScoutCopperhorn Scout: Since High Perfect MorcantHigh Perfect Morcant gives us the option of tapping three Elves to proliferate, having a way to untap y\our creatures can put us in a situation where we're able to possibly decimate our opponents' boards in one turn.
• VitalizeVitalize: One mana to untap our army of Elves is already strong, since we can attack all-out, and then be right back on the defensive at instant speed. Plus, this also sets us up to re-tap our creatures in order to add more -1/-1 counters to the board.
• Smell FearSmell Fear: This list is filled with cards that play double duty, like this sorcery that adds removal and more proliferation to the deck for only two mana.

Elf All-Stars

• Tyvar KellTyvar Kell: This planeswalker is a powerhouse in the deck. Giving all our Elves a way to tap for mana, while also adding counters to our board and untapping creatures, is just what this 99 needs. Plus, since there's so much proliferation going on, it's not unreasonable to think that we could get to Tyvar's ultimate -6 ability pretty fast.
• Elvish WarmasterElvish Warmaster: Here's a card that'll put in a lot of work as the game goes on. Getting this down on turn two will ensure that the first Elf we cast each turn will bring a friend, which adds even more blight with our commander. On top of that, it also gives our team a mass pump and deathtouch in the late game.
• Lathril, Blade of the ElvesLathril, Blade of the Elves: The current queen of the Elves on EDHREC is now here in the 99 of this deck. We'll have to wait and see who comes out as the top commander for this creature type, but as for now, Lathril's here to assist with building our board, while also lowering life totals.

• Skemfar ShadowsageSkemfar Shadowsage: Since this deck is already controlling the board with -1/-1 counters, there's a good chance that we'll be dealing a good amount of combat damage to our opponents as the game goes on. Which means that this creature could enter the battlefield and wipe a few players out of the game with that life drain effect.
• Elvish HarbingerElvish Harbinger: This list is filled with a lot of strong Elves that get better during different phases of a match, so having a creature like this that sets us up to draw the best card in the deck could be what wins us a game when all hope is lost.
• Dwynen, Gilt-Leaf DaenDwynen, Gilt-Leaf Daen: Elf decks tend to become public enemy #1 at a table, which may lead to players ganging up on us. Dwynen's life gain effect could be the thing that keeps our head above water long enough to take out our opponents.

Card Advantage

• Leaf-Crowned VisionaryLeaf-Crowned Visionary: In order to keep our game plan moving forward, we'll need to ensure our hand is filled with Elves that are ready to hit the board. Spending only one mana to draw a card whenever we cast an Elf spell is the kind of fuel that'll keep our engine rolling.
• Skemfar AvengerSkemfar Avenger: I like cards that put opponents in a tricky spot, which is just what this Avenger does. It'll make them think twice about removing our creatures, since we'll get to draw a card to replace what we lost when one of our Elves dies.
• Generous PatronGenerous Patron: This creature is a great inclusion for this deck, however there is one thing to keep in mind with it. When our commander blights, our opponents put the counters on their creatures, not us, which won't draw us a card in this case. However, when we proliferate, we're the one putting the counters on those creatures, which could refill our hand pretty quickly.

Ramp

• Priest of TitaniaPriest of Titania: This is an ideal creature to play on turn two, since it'll scale as the game goes on. Now every time we cast an Elf, we're also adding even more mana when the Priest taps.
• Elvish GuidanceElvish Guidance: Here's an older card that turns one of our lands into a supercharged Elf engine. Having this effect on an enchantment is great in case our board gets dealt with, because you'll still have this effect lying in wait for when our army is assembled again.
• Wirewood ChannelerWirewood Channeler: Even though this deck is green heavy, we still need to produce black mana, which is why this creature can be so useful here. Pairing this with all the other cards that create a large amount of green mana could set us up to dump our entire hand onto the table.

High Perfect Morcant Budget Commander Deck List

In Closing

So, there you have it, a full budget Elf deck for High Perfect Morcant that we can pick up for about $45. Stay tuned for all the new cards coming in Lorwyn Eclipsed, since I'm sure there's going to be some truly wild Elves coming our way that we haven't seen yet.

Also, be on the lookout for my upcoming Bulk Up article, where I'll cover the best commons and uncommons from the set!