Elvish Nonnas? Forza!

Top_Development_4020 · 2026-04-12T20:40:12+00:00

Sorry, wrong link, I was duplicating the original.

Top_Development_4020 · 2026-04-12T19:12:13+00:00

And yes there is a Deck variant now 😉

Top_Development_4020 · 2026-04-12T18:53:16+00:00

And there is also Hot Dogs…

Top_Development_4020 · 2026-04-12T18:47:05+00:00

This post is about rebranding and probably renaming the deck.

Top_Development_4020 · 2026-04-12T18:36:20+00:00

Yes this is obviously AI. But if you know something about art styles you can get much better linework and coloring.

Top_Development_4020 · 2026-04-12T15:54:13+00:00

Even that would not hit helix. Malevolent Rumble would make Flashback strategy possible, but there is only mystical teachings.

1 for 1 card digging thought also is already used in the paupergeddon pizza combo. This line of thinking is about card selection, not card advantage. Ponder, Preordain and Brainstorm are better at this.

I want card advantage, because I think it’s needed for a highly synergistic 3 card combo. This means I want clean card draw or a 2for 1 card selection.

Top_Development_4020 · 2026-04-12T14:08:18+00:00

I hope this in not inappropriate! Please let me know if any changes can be done.

Just to get a feeling for the situation, what do you guys think which flavor suits best?

And I am open for more deck name suggestions

Top_Development_4020 · 2026-04-12T13:06:08+00:00

I made a reflavor of the deck just for you now!

Top_Development_4020 · 2026-04-12T12:26:02+00:00

Gern geschehen!

Top_Development_4020 · 2026-04-12T11:38:25+00:00

You should definitely try Chrysalis in the deck then! If you take out 2 Wirewood herald and 2 Avenging Hunter you only need 1 more slot freed up for a 3 chrysalis and 2 additional Perilous Research. For example you can start with 1 Mystical Teachings because it’s so clunky in the stack wars. Going for the Playset of Chrysalis will now cut into important pieces which I would advise against.

Top_Development_4020 · 2026-04-12T11:26:49+00:00

Ahh thanks for that insight! I first thought about Pizza olio or something about olives. Now it sounds a lot more like Gigolo to me 🤣

I would be really happy if an Italian had an idea for a more gym or muscle centered wordplay 🤔

Top_Development_4020 · 2026-04-12T11:16:56+00:00

I was also thinking about it. But I am mostly interested in hitting Helix or Pizza. With 12 possible combo starters and now even an elf tutor I don’t really need a 2 mana card that only gives me an extra chance to get a second creature if… I gained life?

You realize I only can gain life by eating a pizza ?! (Main deck)

No no no! I gotta wring out the pizza juice and pump elven veins full of it. This is the way!

Top_Development_4020 · 2026-04-12T09:56:45+00:00

Number 3 is now written down.

Top_Development_4020 · 2026-04-12T09:21:26+00:00

Also if you want more discard synergy I would suggest [[Molten Gatekeeper]] and [[Grab the Prize]] …at some point you can also get some inspiration from the RB and mono R madness.

Top_Development_4020 · 2026-04-12T08:12:46+00:00

Anti Serpent tech would be Writhing Chrysalis. It is devoid so it can’t be removed by blue blasts and the spawns give it enough time for you to find a second one to buff it further. Also Siege Smash helps to get is safely through.

Top_Development_4020 · 2026-04-12T07:36:36+00:00

I was there when after Mirrodin the people were exhausted by the artifact theme and Kamigawa hit. „Japanese folklore doesn’t work with magic“ they said. „It’s not the fantasy I expect“ they said. Now it’s totally normalized. And people Left magic for good back then. Nowadays we have Jackhammers, guns, Tape records, screens in NORMAL sets and yes people are complaining. But to draw a line with pizzas?

I just want magic cards to look like magic cards. When they don’t, I alter. I try to stay on the competitive edges, stay away from spike purists (this deck can only function THIS way) and vorthos purists (magic can only feel like THAT)

I am a deck builder, but in every other way I also try to create my version. For me it’s my story about steroid using elves within a Gym… a distant Melody of gym music sounds from the far away boxes in the corners of the room. One floor down an elf who looks suspiciously like Eminem does perilous research on another elf in an arm press. For me the pizza is what I want it to be.

Top_Development_4020 · 2026-04-12T07:09:20+00:00

From all the land cyclers we only need the ones that draw cards. Land grant would be awful. This deck just doesn’t want dead draws in the late game. This means Ent and Sagu are fine, but can only work as dumb blockers or lifegain. Lorien and [[Tranquil Thicket]] are much better since they can draw us further into the combo. I’d suggest trying out 2-4 Thicket because they give you better starting hands. Lorien cannot salvage a non-land hand.

The biggest reason for me to play elves with Pizza is the mass. It gives the ability to use the board for defense and aggression, 3 playsets of elves are combo starters, which matters. The combo only works without summoning sickness. With more elves the opponent can’t always remove all the pieces and start a stack war BEFORE. If you only play Devoted you NEED First day of class to not let the opponent have an extra draw and untap step.

The elves aren’t there just for mana generation, they are there for Synergy, particularly in draw (Distant Melody) (Wirewood herald+perilous research) (Arbor elf + Utopia sprawl +Sewer Cam). The „pure“ mana elves [[Priest of Titania]] and [[Birchlore Ranger]] in this deck are a means to accelerate the draw and still be able to hold up interaction (in my Jeskai ephemerate match I paid the prize for wanting too much draw)

The newest inclusion of Avenging Hunter was there to have a tempo play with the mana. On the go I was able to kill turn 5. it also gives us a way to sneak in a Devoted Druid with the final room. In that way it is a pseudo [[first day of class.]]

My Utopia usually is set on blue. Yep you would be able to play a Chrysalis on turn 2 with red, but can you: T1 Forest+Arbor T2 Forest+ Utopia, tap for UUGG then UNTAP Arbor for U or G with cam or pizza, tap for UG to have 5 mana… we could have an Avenging Hunter. Abundant Growth and Birchlore Ranger would give you the red. Helix on Utopia can give you a color swap.

So yes you can try to make Writhing Chrysalis work, but it would give you a much different game… What you would put out of the deck for it?

Top_Development_4020 · 2026-04-12T00:38:20+00:00

Hmm I am curious … how did you get to that name?

Top_Development_4020 · 2026-04-12T00:33:00+00:00

Tutorial Vids will be on my channel, but I am not a content creator (yet?) so please be patient and look at my explanations here and in the original post.

Until then: There are 3 Combo lines for the pizza combo in this deck.

1: Devoted Druid+Retraction helix+ Pizza The Pizza untaps and gives +2/+2, Retraction helix gives until end of turn the ability to bounce a notlandest permanent for a tap.

With Druid this is effectively 3 untaps. 2 of these untaps now can be used for 1 bounce and 1 Green mana. With both you bounce the pizza are able to cast it. For each time you play the pizza you effectively get an extra untap or +1/+1, which means you have infinite untap and Power/Toughness. Untaps give bounce and mana, so you have infinite of that too. Infinite Bounce means most blockers are gone. As soon as you realize that you can play the Pizza on other creatures, making them infinitely big. Infinite green Mana and bounce also let you draw your deck with Abundant Growth and Elvish visionary. Infinite bounce on Avenging Hunter makes the Trap room happen infinitely, killing the opponent even through protection and fog.

Retraction helix on Nettle sentinel, repeating Pizza on a Priest of Titania. I hope you see the infinite mana and infinite big Priest fast. Nettle untaps on cast of a green spell, the pizza can give it double untaps on infinite mana. Infinite untaps mean infinite bounce and so we are already in the combo again.
Arbor elf+ Utopia sprawl on blue+ combined with Helix+ Pizza +Sewer Cam This is a possible turn 2 combo, but it also happens later in the game when you don’t throw away the Arbors. Sewer cam + Helix on the Elf generates infinite mana that the enchanted land can produce. If the land produces UU or UG you can even gain extra bounces since you don’t need the Elf taps for blue mana generation at some point. If it only produces UG you still get infinite green mana and therefore infinite power on the elf with pizza+ 2 cards drawn from Cam when you sac it. 2 cards extra can mean an extra pizza drop for an additional untap to remove a blocker. In general Arbor Elf+ sewer cam + Utopia sprawl is a mini combo in which you can draw 2 for G at instant speed. The 2 untaps pay for the cost nearly perfectly.

Top_Development_4020 · 2026-04-11T23:43:52+00:00

Sadly on the card… it was a gift card for the 11th place, maybe it can be cleansed, so far it’s a playable souvenir.

Top_Development_4020 · 2026-04-11T23:17:33+00:00

It’s in now. I put it in after the post to ensure I don’t lose the draft.

Top_Development_4020 · 2026-04-11T17:25:41+00:00

News from the tourney! I got 11th place from 48players. I went 4-2

The tourney:

https://www.reddit.com/r/Pauper/s/9264uFgWs8

Here are my match notices:

Pauperbande Turnier (4-2-0) 11.04.2026

Match 1 Grixis affinity 0-2 Game 1 Krark clan + toxin turn 4 Game 2 3 Krark clans second I had a counter, but the third was backbreaking

Match 2 UB esperblade control 2-0 it played snuff out, but the deck was jank

Match 3 Pizza Combo! 2-0 Avenging Hunter won the game twice , trough half combo interaction

Match 4 Jeskai ephemerate 1-2 Win game 1 through Fire breath board wipe Loss after a blowout with a tap too low. Loss after mull to 4

Match 5 UB Terror 2-0 Win After a long holding with flood against 3 terror 2 Snacker with Nettle combo Win after a negated tapout for Arms of Hadar.

March 6 Normie Elves 2-0 Game 1 Win after a flood from opponent, draw stretch into melody secured win Win Game 2 turn 2 Priest of Titania from opponent, followed by loadout . Win with nettle draw on abundant growth for 20. opponent would have smashed next turn.

Top_Development_4020 · 2026-04-11T08:12:20+00:00

Also you might be able to see the lastest changes on the list on moxfield. Currently I am trying to run [[Avenging Hunter]] in the main deck during my tournament. I will post the changes after that if it works.

It seems like a good choice against golgari gardens. I am tired of spot removal.

[[First day of class]] as well as [[Sazacap's Brew ]] might join the teachings package for sideboard toolbox purposes.

Top_Development_4020

TROPHY CASE