Date: Fri, 22 Jul 1994 08:36:29 -0400
From: The ELF <mblack@mdw015.cc.monash.edu.au>
Subject: ELF's Guide, Supplement 1 part III

                 === The ELF's Guide to the Forests ===
                  Supplement 1 : Revised Edition Cards
                          Part III: Rare Cards
                           v.1.0, July 22 1994

Once again, the ELF is awaiting those who would heed his words about the
power of the Forests. He nods to each who enters the glade, and whispers
greetings to those listening by more mystical means.

"I come now to the final set of spells which are distinguished by a white
 border. The Rare cards of the Forests. Most are limited in usefulness,
 and I hope to show the conditions under which you would wish to use such
 spells.

"Once more I will begin with the creatures, and move on to the other spells,
 mostly Enchantments, although another type of spell or two is included..."

                               -----------

RARE CARDS:

Creatures:
    Birds of Paradise
    Cockatrice
    Elvish Archers
    Force of Nature
    Fungusaur
    Gaea's Liege
    Timber Wolves
    Venduran Enchantress

After the lack of Uncommon Green creatures, it is a relief to find a large
number of Green Rare creatures - creatures are, after all, what Green does
best.

The Birds of Paradise are the Llanowar Elves of the air. Their rarity is
well deserved. They are not as useful as the Elves in a normal deck, due
to two reasons: They have a power of 0, and thus may not attack without
enhancement, and secondly, they fly.
    The special ability to produce one mana of any colour is extremely
valuable - especially in team games - but this ability is only more useful
than the Llanowar Elves ability if you are playing a multi-colour deck, and
generally if you are playing 3 or more colours. The chances of you not
getting the mana you need with 2 colours generally leaves the Birds as
almost useless - especially when instead of a mana source you want
something to attack with - and the Birds are almost useless as a defender.
    Why does flight make the Birds less useful? One reason - you cannot use
Hurricane if you wish them to survive, and often Hurricane is your only hope
of survival. The Birds are best used in 3-colour decks, in which you have
a predominance of forests over the other types of lands - so as to easily
summon them. It is not uncommon for a hand to have Elves & Birds in it,
but no forests on the table.
    * Use in multi-colour decks, especially 3+ colours
    * Vulnerable to Pestilence & Hurricane
    * At a last resort, may be used to block flying creatures.

The Cockatrice's rarity is also well deserved. Flight actually hampers the
effectiveness of this creature - normally a Basilisk is better. Lure cannot
be played on a Cockatrice to destroy all your opponent's creatures, as most
of those creatures will not fly and thus are unable to block & be destroyed.
    The Cockatrice is thus relegated to a blocker, or a small attacker.
It is a good creature to be enhanced by Aspect of Wolf, as few creatures
will be able to block it, and it will grow in power as the game progresses.
    On the other hand, it is the one green creature which unenhanced, can 
destroy the Sengir Vampire, even after the Vampire has fed.
    * Flight is normally a disadvantage with this ability. Use in combination
      with Thicket Basilisks for a terrifying defense.

Elvish Archers are a useful creature, whose full effectiveness is only
gained after they are enhanced. I recommend spells such as Unholy Strength
for this - although beware Control Magic, as this will turn this powerful
creature against you.
    They are also cheap to summon. A useful card, useable in a great many
situations. Unfortunately, with the advent of the Hornet Cobra from Legends,
which has the same powers as the Archers but one more Green mana to summon,
I believe the Archers will soon disappear from the list of active spells,
into the ranks of the retired spells.
    * Great card, best used enhanced. One Unholy Strength makes them 4/2,
      which will destroy most creatures in the game.
    * Vulnerable to all directed effects, however. Lightning Bolts, Tims,
      and Pestilence.

Force of Nature is the most potent Green monster. Expensive to summon and
maintain, it however is not that hard a creature to summon, especially if
using the power of the Forests as regards to mana.
    When combined with a Circle of Protection: Green, becomes even more
deadly. No longer you pay GGGG in upkeep, one mana of any colour will
suffice.
    * Fantastic spell, doesn't even need enhancing.
    * Expensive & costly to maintain. Don't play with 4 of these unless
      you have lots of mana or CoP:Green.
    * Requires a mainly green deck.

Fungusaur is something of an anomaly. A creature which is VERY hard to
use properly, but when set loose is hard to stop. In the first place,
you will want to enhance it in some way - Giant Growth comes to mind
as a useful spell, as your opponent is unlikely to block it without doing
lethal damage, and this will help the Fungusaur survive and grow.
    Fungusaur may also be used in decks with little Green mana, as unlike
some other Green creatures, it only requires one Green mana to summon, in
addition to the colourless component.
    Additional note: Beware the older type of Fungusaur. It is deadlier
than the current type by far.
    * Needs some form of enhancement to begin with.
    * Deadly if allowed to stay around for a while.
    * Cheap to summon.

Gaea's Liege, once again, is a very specialist creature. Expensive to summon,
but indispensable to certain decks, especially ones built around
forest-walking creatures.
    Keep in mind it's limitations: It power and toughness are dependent on
the number of forests in play, and the land's which were converted to Forests
by its powers will revert when it leaves play.
    Often best used in the mid-game. Too expensive to summon in the
early stages of the game, doesn't make a difference once the game is drawing
to a close. Requires time to work.
    * Expensive, can be deadly, but slow.
    * Great for Forest-walking decks: Cat Warriors & Shanodyn Dryads.

Timber Wolves, the only Green Banding creature, are an oddity among the
creatures of Green. Useful as an expendable creature when banded with a
Lured Basilisk, and as a defender, to distribute damage among many defenders,
something which Green should have a lot of.
    Become formidible after enhancements to their toughness - Highly
recommend the use of Timber Wolves with Jacques Le Vert, as he will make
them 1/3 banding creatures - very useful indeed.
    Regeneration is best used on a Timber Wolf, as it can band with many
creatures, while if a Terror is used to bury your only Regenerating Basilisk,
you lose two valuable cards intead of only one.
    * Cheap, limited in usefulness.
    * Best used in card combinations.

Venduran Enchantress is made most useful when Green combines with a colour
suited to casting many enchantments on its creatures. Red is probably the
worst choice for this, as most Red/Green mages concentrate on the destructive
use of Fireballs, Lightning Bolts and Disintegrates. Instead White and Black
are both useful sources of Enchantments.
    The Enchantress is also less vulnerable than most of the Forest's
specialist creatures, having a toughness of 2 rather than just 1.
    * Moderately expensive - two Green Mana is harder to gain than just one.
    * Use in decks with many Enchantments. White/Green & Castle will also
      make the Enchantress survive longer.
    * Truly interesting combination: V.Enchantress + Remove Enchantments.
      Use with a lot of mana spare to draw new cards.

Enchantments:
    Aspect of Wolf
    Fastbond
    Kudzu
    Living Artifact
    Living Lands
    Titania's Song
    Web

Finally, we gain most of Green's enchantments. All of them are specialist
in their uses, and most interesting to cast.

Aspect of Wolf requires many Forests to make it worthwhile. Fairly cheap
to cast, which is it's best feature, and is wonderful on trampling creatures.
Made absolutely useless by Armageddon - beware the White Mage who uses this
spell.
    * Moderately cheap, requires a long game to make it really effective
    * Requires a predominately green deck.

Fastbond is one of the more specialist enchantments I've yet seen. It
is effective in combination with White, in the following circumstances:
    * Save up your lands, and play Armageddon or Balance, use your new lands
      to summon creatures to take your opponent down.
    * In combination with Land Tax.
It is also cheap to cast, which means it is useful at the start of the game
when you want to get a jump on your opponent - however the odds against
you getting it and your lands are prohibitive - this is not a strategy that
will work often.
    However, very useful with a Howling Mine...
    * Cheap, good for multicolour decks.
    * Very limited usefulness.

Kudzu, the green land destroyer, is very specialist in usage. Probably best
used in multi-player games - as it will roam from player to player.
    As it stays around, can be very useful in destroying your opponent's
lands to prevent him from paying upkeep on creatures such as the Demonic
Hordes.
    Once all your lands are destroyed, the Kudzu will wreak havoc among
the remaining lands of your opponent - in combination with something such
as the Icy Manipulator can be very effective. And the Green mage should
have Elves and Birds if he uses Kudzu to provide mana which his opponent
is doing without.
    * Specialist strategy
    * Use with alternative mana sources for yourself.

Living Artifact is best used in games where your opponent is not going to
do a huge amount of damage to you at once, and in extended games. Very
useful in a White/Green deck. This enchantment is almost always best cast
on an opponent's artifact, as you gain the benefits, and they will be
reluctant to destroy their own artifact.
    Vulnerable to Tranquility, but still useful.
    * Cheap, best used on an opponent's artifact.
    * Long games will cause you to be healed of all damage - very useful
      in conjunction with spells such as Farmstead.

Living Lands should only be cast if you have thought about all the
ramifications of casting this first. As it turns your Forests into
Land Creatures, they now no longer may be tapped on the turn they are
brought into play to give you mana, and now you may lose massive amounts
of power to a Pestilence. On the other hand, there is no defence from a
Land Creature to my knowledge (no CoP's or Wards), and the creatures count
towards the power of your Kelden Warlord immensely.
    If you can, keep a Disenchant handy to destroy the Living Lands
enchantment if a Pestilence is used. As the lands are no longer creatures,
they will not die from the damage of the Pestilence.
    * Use with a lot of thought.
    * Gives many creatures, though.

Titania's Song is the bane of the Moxen, and turns Aladdin's Lamp into
something from your worst nightmares. As it also strips away the normal
powers of such artifacts, it is also an effective nullifier to such items
as the Icy Manipulator, the Black Vise and the Ivory Tower. In combination
with a spell such as Pestilence, can destroy all the artifacts held by
your opponent, freeing you from much torment.
    Of course you can play a Green/Red/Artifact deck yourself, and watch
your opponent's horror as your Keldon Warlord grows in stature immensely...
    * Artifact Creatures are immune to Fear and Terror
    * Will strip the artifacts of normal abilites.
    * No effect on Artifact Creatures, or Artifacts which have been Animated.

Web, last of the Green Rare Enchantments, is extremely useful, especially
when cast upon a Basilisk or Wall of Ice. The bonus to toughness is good,
but the ability to block flying creatures is even better.
    * Cheap, very useful.
    * Cast on creatures which (a) will survive, (b) will destroy what they
      catch.

Other Spells:
    Lifelace
    Natural Selection   (removed as of Revised)

Lifelace, the only Green interrupt spell, is best used in multi-colour
decks (of course). Most often you will cast upon your own cards, to make
such immune to Red/Blue Elemental Blasts, or to gain them bonuses such
as that of Jacques Le Vert.
    In a Black/Green deck, will cause your opponent's black creatures to
become vulnerable to Terror & Fear, or to make an opponent's spell 
vulnerable to Deathgrip.
    * Must be inventive with uses - a defence against certain countering
      magicks.

Natural Selection, now a spell of the past, I fear, is a spell of foresight
and planning. If you are not happy with the way your cards are coming out,
you could use this spell to change the way such worked. Extremely useful
now in conjunction with the Sylvan Library, as once the Library becomes
stale, you can reshuffle and learn something new.
    * Great spell, a great loss when it vanished.
    * Also can be used offensively to great effect.

                        ----------------------

At long last the ELF has finished his description of the White Bordered
spells of the Forests. "Hard to find, but not impossible, and restricted
in use, but useful all the same. I, of course, have a fondness for the
Elvish Archers, but all are interesting..."

"I will return to impart more of my knowledge of the forests, but until
 then, Traveller...

"May your forests preserve and protect you!"

As the travellers leave the glade, you look back at the form of the ELF.
He smiles and nods at you, and vanishes in the twinkling of an eye, off
to seek new knowledge and magicks... you wait for a while, listening to
the song of the trees as the wind rustle their branches:

    "We give the life, to all the beings
     Of all the worlds, whom walk in light.

     To us the knowledge, of all the beings
     Will come at last, in deepest night.

     The day may dawn, the night will sleep,
     As strong we grow, and wisdom keep.

     Now come to us, for tales of joy,
     For songs of days, and whispered nights.

     To you we'll grant, the knowledge deep,
     Of ages past, and stories long.

     Rest in our shade, and learn the tales,
     The day is long, and night will keep."
============================================================================
"The ELF's Guide to the Forests" is a document intended as an aid to new
and old players of Magic: The Gathering. It is written by The ELF, a.k.a.
Merric Blackman, who is very interested in people's opinions of the work,
and whether he should continue to revise and expand upon his examination
of the forests. He is quite happy to have people copy and use this document,
as long as his name is always attached to it. :-)


=== The ELF === mblack@mdw015.cc.monash.edu.au === The ELF ===
        "The forest's green, in beautiful spring,
         When all is good and all will be:
         A marvel to behold! A marvel to behold!"
