The Commander
Whenever one or more Elves you control attack, they gain deathtouch until end of turn.
Each creature you control has "Whenever a mana ability of this creature resolves, put a number of +1/+1 counters on it equal to the amount of mana this creature produced. This ability triggers only once each turn."
Guide
Gameplan
Build a wide Elfball board, use mana dorks and elves that tap for multiple mana to snowball +1/+1 counters every turn, then swing with a deathtouch-laden army that trades up against any blocker. You ramp explosively early, grow your creatures into threats while generating obscene mana, and convert that mana into game-ending payoffs or just a lethal alpha strike.
Strengths
- Turns every mana dork into a growing threat, so ramp is never a dead draw late
- Deathtouch on attacking Elves makes combat utterly one-sided, deterring blocks
- Explosive mana acceleration enables huge X-spells and overrun finishers
- Plays well with the deep, well-supported Elf tribal pool in BG
Weaknesses
- Heavily reliant on the commander; board wipes reset your counter engine and board state
- Vulnerable to graveyard and creature hate that punishes a go-wide strategy
- Counters and growth do nothing through fliers or evasion without help
- Slow to close if the deathtouch alpha strike is stalled by mass removal or fog
Key Cards
- Priest of Titania — Taps for tons of mana off your Elf count, putting a pile of counters on itself each turn.
- Elvish Archdruid — Anthem plus a big mana ability that snowballs into a massive creature under Tyvar.
- Craterhoof Behemoth — Your wide, counter-pumped Elf board becomes instant lethal with trample and a huge boost.
- Marwyn, the Nurturer — Already a mana-doubling growth engine; Tyvar adds another counter layer for absurd mana.
- Skullclamp — Refuels your hand off small Elves and turns counter creatures into card advantage.
- Wirewood Symbiote — Untaps your big mana dorks to retrigger value and protect them from removal.
Upgrade Path
Add the best mana doublers and finishers — Vorinclex, Voice of Hunger, Doubling Season, and Craterhoof Behemoth — to weaponize the mana you generate. Improve consistency with tutors like Worldly Tutor, Eladamri's Call, and Chord of Calling, and protect your engine with Heroic Intervention and Allosaurus Shepherd. Round it out with a strong dual-land base and fast mana (Ancient Tomb, signets) to deploy Tyvar ahead of the curve.
Core Cards
The most-played cards for this commander, built from aggregated deck data (the Mythic Graph). Build public decks to seed it.
Win Conditions
- ▸Craterhoof Behemoth or Overwhelming Stampede alpha strike with deathtouch
- ▸Sinking explosive Elf mana into a big X-spell like Torment of Hailfire or Exsanguinate
- ▸Combat damage from oversized, deathtouch counter-creatures grinding through blockers
- ▸Ezuri, Renegade Leader regenerate-and-overrun to push lethal trample
Archetypes
- Elf Tribal — Tyvar buffs Elves with deathtouch in combat and turns the tribe's mana dorks into threats.
- +1/+1 Counters — His second ability stacks counters on every mana-producing creature each turn.
- Big Mana Ramp — Elf mana engines plus counter growth generate explosive mana for X-spells and finishers.
- Aristocrats — BG access lets you sacrifice a wide Elf board for value when an attack stalls out.
Combos
No combos found for this commander on Commander Spellbook.
Related Commanders
Same color identity (BG), by popularity.
