Mana acceleration, a creature that's not behind the curve (the way MTG is heading this probably won't be the case in future), fills the turn 1 drop better than most cards and has two useful tribes. I never regret a turn 1 Llanowar Elves, even when I'm not playing elves. One of magic's original creatures has been balanced since day 1 and continues through today. Welcome back to 2011.
If you are playing green there is a good reason to run this.
Eternal_Blue
★★★☆☆ (3.3/5.0)(6 votes)
and once again the Fyndhorn Elves get the shaft. >:(
HairlessThoctar
★★★★☆ (4.7/5.0)(3 votes)
If the naming thing about having creatures with plural names depicting singular dudes was so annoying, I'm surprised they haven't commissioned new art for good ol' Llanowar Elves yet.
The art is amazing as it has always been, though he does look a bit more badass than his abilities would suggest.
TheMoustacheCame
★★★★☆ (4.3/5.0)(6 votes)
wow, thats a new card ive never seen before :D
MDStrawHat
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Good card and a true iconic cla$$ic. But I have more love for Heritage Druid and Joraga Treespeaker these days :) (as mana accelerators i even prefer those two to elvish archdruid)
boneclub
★★★★☆ (4.8/5.0)(3 votes)
What more can you say past "He's good"?
12345morgan
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
The best card ever in the game of Magic, and the most classic. With this guy comes infinite possibilities!
caldur06
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0)(7 votes)
change the art already, sheesh. if you're going to reprint boring crap, at least make it LOOK new.
RPGsr4me
★★★★☆ (4.7/5.0)(7 votes)
Yay, the elves are back! Too bad my deck needs Birds over them because, well, I can't bear to say it... I'm... I'm... splashing. Anyway good to see them back, automatic in any mono-green deck. 5/5
I love how badass he looks and how hardcore his flavour text is, and he's a 1/1. Even if he caught a Storm Crow, he'd get his butt whupped.
Laguz
★★★★☆ (4.5/5.0)(6 votes)
Desperately needs new artwork. Something more druidic and less warrior-like would be peachy.
I like how it has the mark on the side of his head like the original, but these are druids.
dragonking987
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
you see him is almost every elf deck and in a lot of non elf green deck it a nice card and is one of those cards that has been around so long and is in so many decks people dont even bother complaining about how broken he is.
DacenOctavio
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(3 votes)
He's such a threat on his own that he usually becomes Lightning Bolt fodder. Every discerning burn player knows this is worth 1-2 mana to snipe; if you wait 3 turns, he's already helped his elf buddies cross the hand/battlefield fence. He's cost-effective, inspires fear in anyone who has ever played against an elf deck, and lets you say 'i'm gonna float one green mana into my pool' whenever people say they're gonna Terror, Doom Blade, Fireball, or Bolt it. :)
allmighty_abacus
★☆☆☆☆ (1.0/5.0)(3 votes)
He used to be a staple in mono-green. Unfortunately there are now so many more specialized cheap mana sources, like the aforementioned noble hierarch, birds of paradise and joraga treespeaker. Even in mono-green, arbor elf is the better choice as you get the option of untapping something enchanted with trace of abundance or something similar. And you can always just untap a basic forest and get basically the same effect.
Not that ol' llany cares much anyway. Those cards will rotate out of standard eventually and in all likelihood not get reprinted, whereas llanowar elves will be reprinted in almost every core set that will come. He could use some new art though. I mean, for all his reprintings, there are only 3 different pictures.
regelr
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.9/5.0)(4 votes)
New to MTG, how do I use him? Tap + G mana to pool, making pool increase by one. Next turn, tap + G mana to pool, making pool increase by another making two mana? Or is he used as when tapped he makes a land for only that turn? Remember I am new so be easy on me guys.
ROBRAM89
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(4 votes)
Very few green decks have any reason not to run four of these out the gate.
Clavat99
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0)(3 votes)
An absolute must for any green stomp deck that plans to win. What can be better than this happening: "i play a forest, tap to play llanowar elves, tap that to play another llanowar elves, tap that to play another llanowar elves, tap that to play my last llanowar elves, and tap that one to play Arbor Elf. Next turn everything untaps and you can have a Thorn Elemental on turn 2. Sick of the old art though, the one with a bunch of scrawny elves surrounded by trees was way better.
Doom_Pie
★★★★☆ (4.2/5.0)(2 votes)
@Clavat99
So...Do you start the game with a Concordant Crossroads in play or something? Or did you simply forget about summoning sickness? And there are many better things than a "turn two" combo requiring eight cards to simply end up with a Thorn Elemental on the field.
kiseki
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(2 votes)
If you were to define green in one card, I would use llanowar elves. Arbor elf is less useful when your lands are destroyed or there are manabarbs out. And only equal until you get a wildgrowth on that forest. Sure there are rare cards that trump him, but to a new player who has a limited collection, this gets them 95% of the benefit.
RJ.693
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(9 votes)
Okay, this has bugged me since fifth edition. Why does a druid whose primary function is to produce mana have flavor text about torturing prisoners?
made4ipod
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
This is the best 1 drop ever made. This, or Goblin Guide which is completely broken
Concerned_Bystander
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
There is absolutely nothing whatsoever wrong with this card, a green staple. 5/5
Garfunculus
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Undeniably, a pretty handy and cheap card, but... how long has this thing been around?
HPS
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
This is the staple of all green decks. If this card is not printed or is not replaced by a similar card. Then green deck lovers would boycott MTG.
rinoh20
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
the only removal my llanowars still need to die by is hornet sting. they've been lightin botled, grasped, journeyed,mark of mutineyed and then saced, disfigured, arc trailed,forked bolt, shocked. stupid removal LET ME RAMP
DysprosiumJudas
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
For such a staple green creature as Llanowar Elves, it's surprising that it's yet to have decent artwork. The original was downright hideous, the second one was below average, and this one is just ridiculous. Come on, Magic, give THE iconic utility creature some decent art in Magic 2012. You owe it to him.
krauser-gogetthegirl
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
absolutely badass. turn two cultivate? yes please. turn two harrow and then explore? yes please.
Evelisk
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I love you llanowar elves you 1 cost mana producing cards of awesomeness! live long and prosper
tcollins
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Functional & efficient. As for naysayers claiming young whippersnapper cards like Joraga Treespeaker, Birds of Paradise and Noble Exarch are strictly better, might i point out:
1. Nothing stings more than dropping Joraga Treespeaker first turn, activating his Level Up ability second turn, only to have him meet his demise in response with a spell such as Lightning Bolt.
2. Sure, Birds of Paradise can block flyers, but sometimes that 1 power matters, and in an all {G} deck, or an elf deck, why not run Llanowar Elves? Also, comparing a common drop to a rare drop just isn't fair.
3. Noble Heirarch has its niche in exalted decks, can {T} for {U} or {W} in addition to the {G} provided by Llanowar Elves and effectively attacks as a 1/1 if necessary in such a deck, however the 0 power makes it more susceptible to removal like Inside Out or Twisted Image. Also doesn't fit into elf deck and like Birds of Paradise is a rare compared to a common. A playset of either would cost at least 4 times as much as the elves, and is much more difficult to find in boosters.
Pigfish99
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
If your green deck doesn't have 4 of this in it, you're doing it wrong.
Kindulas
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
at least this art is well drawn, even if they still have the stupid hair and is ugly looking. 7th didn't have the hair, but was also ugly in a very different way. And yes, the original was HIDEOUS.
Anyways, amazing card. especially now alongside Jorga Treespeaker
solidzaku
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
The bread and butter of the Green mana ramp. Actually, that butter greases the ramp to allow the BS to fly higher...
Comments (33)
If you are playing green there is a good reason to run this.
The art is amazing as it has always been, though he does look a bit more badass than his abilities would suggest.
Anyway good to see them back, automatic in any mono-green deck. 5/5
I like how it has the mark on the side of his head like the original, but these are druids.
Not that ol' llany cares much anyway. Those cards will rotate out of standard eventually and in all likelihood not get reprinted, whereas llanowar elves will be reprinted in almost every core set that will come. He could use some new art though. I mean, for all his reprintings, there are only 3 different pictures.
So...Do you start the game with a Concordant Crossroads in play or something? Or did you simply forget about summoning sickness? And there are many better things than a "turn two" combo requiring eight cards to simply end up with a Thorn Elemental on the field.
Arbor elf is less useful when your lands are destroyed or there are manabarbs out. And only equal until you get a wildgrowth on that forest.
Sure there are rare cards that trump him, but to a new player who has a limited collection, this gets them 95% of the benefit.
1. Nothing stings more than dropping Joraga Treespeaker first turn, activating his Level Up ability second turn, only to have him meet his demise in response with a spell such as Lightning Bolt.
2. Sure, Birds of Paradise can block flyers, but sometimes that 1 power matters, and in an all {G} deck, or an elf deck, why not run Llanowar Elves? Also, comparing a common drop to a rare drop just isn't fair.
3. Noble Heirarch has its niche in exalted decks, can {T} for {U} or {W} in addition to the {G} provided by Llanowar Elves and effectively attacks as a 1/1 if necessary in such a deck, however the 0 power makes it more susceptible to removal like Inside Out or Twisted Image. Also doesn't fit into elf deck and like Birds of Paradise is a rare compared to a common. A playset of either would cost at least 4 times as much as the elves, and is much more difficult to find in boosters.
Anyways, amazing card. especially now alongside Jorga Treespeaker