Pauper Elves Deck Tech & Sideboard Guide

MTG Pauper Elves

When it comes to budget tribal decks in Magic: The Gathering, few archetypes are as explosive and consistent as MTG Pauper Elves. This green-based strategy has long been a staple of the Pauper format, known for going wide with small creatures, generating absurd amounts of mana, and closing out games with one massive swing. Whether you're new to Pauper or looking for a streamlined, synergy-driven list to master, Pauper Elves is one of the best options out there.

Built around cheap creatures and powerful engine pieces, this deck can easily go from zero to lethal in a single turn. If you've been asking yourself, “What’s the best Pauper tribal deck to start with?”, look no further.

MTG Pauper Elves Deck Overview

Main Deck
Forest
x13
Elvish Mystic
x3
Fyndhorn Elves
x4
Llanowar Elves
x3
Nyxborn Hydra
x4
Quirion Ranger
x4
Vines of Vastwood
x3
Masked Vandal
x4
Priest of Titania
x4
Wellwisher
x2
Winding Way
x4
Lead the Stampede
x4
Timberwatch Elf
x4
Generous Ent
x4
Sideboard
Relic of Progenitus
x2
Deglamer
x3
Ram Through
x2
Vitu-Ghazi Inspector
x2
Weather the Storm
x2
Wrap in Vigor
x3
Nylea's Disciple
x1
๐Ÿ›’ Buy from TCGplayer๐Ÿงช Rent from Manatraders๐Ÿ“„ Export Deck as .txt

The core strategy of Pauper Elves is simple but brutally effective: flood the board with cheap mana dorks like [card]Llanowar Elves[/card] and [card]Elvish Mystic[/card], then use explosive mana engines like [card]Priest of Titania[/card] to deploy your entire hand by turn three or four. From there, the deck overwhelms opponents by going wide, creating a massive battlefield presence, and closes games by pumping a single unblocked creature with [card]Timberwatch Elf[/card] for a lethal swing. This combination of speed, board presence, and reach makes Pauper Elves one of the most feared aggro-combo decks in the format. Let’s look at the main cards that make this possible.

Best Card Choices for MTG Pauper Elves

[cards]{{Llanowar Elves}}{{Elvish Mystic}}{{Fyndhorn Elves}}[/cards]

The backbone of this deck is the classic mana dork trio: [card]Llanowar Elves[/card], [card]Elvish Mystic[/card], and [card]Fyndhorn Elves[/card]. These one-mana ramp creatures help you explode out of the gates and chain plays faster than most decks can handle.

[cards]{{Priest of Titania}}{{Quirion Ranger}}[/cards]

At the core of your big plays is [card]Priest of Titania[/card], which often taps for five or more green mana by turn three. If left unchecked, it becomes your win condition disguised as a mana source. 

[cards]{{Timberwatch Elf}}{{Wellwisher}}[/cards]

Pair that with [card]Quirion Ranger[/card], which allows you to untap key creatures like [card]Timberwatch Elf[/card] or [card]Wellwisher[/card], and your board can spiral out of control in just a few turns.

[card]Timberwatch Elf[/card] is your go-to combat finisher. It can easily pump a creature for +8/+8 or more, often sealing the game with just one attack.

[cards]{{Nyxborn Hydra}}[/cards]

[card]Nyxborn Hydra[/card] is your alternate win condition and one of the best mana sinks available in Pauper Elves. With how much mana this deck generates thanks to [card]Priest of Titania[/card] and untap effects like [card]Quirion Ranger[/card], there will often be turns where you’re floating 8–12 green mana with nothing left to cast. That’s where this Hydra shines. You can bestow it onto an Elf for a sudden trample-and-reach lethal swing, or simply cast it as a massive creature that demands an answer. It gives you a way to close games even if [card]Timberwatch Elf[/card] hasn’t shown up and adds resilience against decks that rely on gumming up the ground.

[cards]{{Lead the Stampede}}{{Winding Way}}[/cards]

[card]Lead the Stampede[/card] and [card]Winding Way[/card] ensure you never run out of gas, refilling your hand with 3–5 creatures at a time in most situations.

[cards]{{Masked Vandal}}{{Vines of Vastwood}}[/cards]

Other key role-players include [card]Masked Vandal[/card] as flexible artifact/enchantment hate, and [card]Vines of Vastwood[/card] for protecting your board or pushing through extra damage with its kicker bonus.

Optimizing Your MTG Pauper Elves Sideboard

The Pauper meta is wide, and being able to adapt post-board is critical. Thankfully, Pauper Elves has access to a strong selection of green sideboard tools that allow it to shore up weaker matchups without diluting the deck’s synergy.

[cards]{{Wrap in Vigor}}[/cards]

You’ll often bring in sweep protection like [card]Wrap in Vigor[/card] against decks running [card]Electrickery[/card] or [card]Breath Weapon[/card].

[cards]{{Relic of Progenitus}}[/cards]

Graveyard-based decks can’t breathe easily once you side in [card]Relic of Progenitus[/card]. 

[cards]{{Weather the Storm}}{{Nylea's Disciple}}{{Vitu-Ghazi Inspector}}[/cards]

Against Burn, [card]Weather the Storm[/card] is a backbreaker, often gaining you 9 or more life. Meanwhile, [card]Nylea's Disciple[/card] and [card]Vitu-Ghazi Inspector[/card] give you solid bodies that stabilize the board while contributing to your life total.

[cards]{{Deglamer}}[/cards]

For opponents leaning on problematic enchantments or artifacts, [card]Deglamer[/card] neatly shuffles them away.

[cards]{{Ram Through}}[/cards]

If the meta favors midrange combat, [card]Ram Through[/card] acts as clean removal and gives you reach. 

Tips and Tricks for Playing MTG Pauper Elves in Pauper

Learning how to sequence your mana creatures and protect your payoff cards is key to mastering Elves. 

  • You’ll often want to sandbag [card]Priest of Titania[/card] until you can protect it or have no better play on turn two. Similarly, save [card]Lead the Stampede[/card] until after you've emptied your hand for maximum value.

  • Use [card]Quirion Ranger[/card] smartly. It’s not just for ramp—it can untap a summoning sick Elf to give it pseudo-haste if you return a Forest. That can be the difference between winning or giving the opponent one more turn.

  • Don’t overextend into open red or black mana. Keep [card]Vines of Vastwood[/card] up when you suspect removal, and learn when to pivot to a life-gain plan with [card]Wellwisher[/card] to stall long enough for a combo turn.

Elves Pauper Sideboard Guide

The following are suggestions on how to approach games with the deck, though they clearly reflect my own preferences based on my personal experience with the deck, so you’ll notice some different recommendations here than what you might be used to.

Mono Red Aggro

IN: 2 [card]Weather the Storm[/card], 1 [card]Nylea’s Disciple[/card], 2 [card]Vitu-Ghazi Inspector[/card]

OUT: 4 [card]Masked Vandal[/card], 1 [card]Winding Way[/card]

Mono Red is all about speed, and you won’t win the damage race without help. [card]Weather the Storm[/card] is your best card in the matchup—gain 9+ life, and you can swing tempo back in your favor. [card]Nylea’s Disciple[/card] provides additional lifegain with a body, and [card]Vitu-Ghazi Inspector[/card] helps block early creatures while padding your life total. You cut slower cards and conditional value pieces like [card]Masked Vandal[/card] or [card]Winding Way[/card] to reduce setup time.

Likely, you will also need to add [card]Wrap in Vigor[/card] if you see they start using soft boardwipes like [card]End the Festivities[/card], and if that’s the case, remove 1 [card]Vines of Vastwood[/card] and two more [card]Winding Way[/card], as afterall, adding more non creatures reduces the effectiveness of the latter.

Grixis Affinity

IN: 3 [card]Deglamer[/card]

OUT: 2 [card]Wellwisher[/card], 1 [card]Winding Way[/card]

Against Grixis Affinity, [card]Deglamer[/card] handles deadly cards like [card]Makeshift Munitions[/card] and indestructible lands that should be your main target in early portions of the game. [card]Wrap in Vigor[/card] can be clutch against red sweepers like [card]Breath Weapon[/card], but nowadays it's not seen much on their sideboards.

Dimir Faeries

IN: 2 [card]Ram Through[/card], 2 [card]Vitu-Ghazi Inspector[/card]

OUT: 4 [card]Masked Vandal[/card]

Dimir Faeries is a tricky matchup because of flying threats and tons of interaction. You want to overload their answers and stick one or two key pieces like [card]Priest of Titania[/card] or [card]Timberwatch Elf[/card]. [card]Ram Through[/card] deals with [card]Spellstutter Sprite[/card] trigger, while [card]Vitu-Ghazi Inspector[/card] exceeds at blocking them. Cards that don’t contribute much to board presence or tempo, like [card]Masked Vandal[/card], get cut.

Dimir Terror

IN: 2 [card]Relic of Progenitus[/card]

OUT: 2 [card]Masked Vandal[/card]

Dimir Terror is a powerhouse midrange deck built around cheap spells and huge threats like [card]Tolarian Terror[/card] and [card]Gurmag Angler[/card]. [card]Relic of Progenitus[/card] slows down their delve and shuts off recursion. You don’t want to waste slots on artifact hate or minor lifegain—this matchup is about surviving their removal with [card]Vines of Vastwood[/card] and winning before their threats become too big to handle.

Elves Pauper Sideboard Guide


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