I think this makes a lot more sense than Llanowar flavor-wise.
Posted By:
lorendorky
(7/6/2012 2:40:13 PM)
Stay on the core set, please.
Posted By:
LordOfTheFlies87
(7/6/2012 5:25:27 PM)
If you have a forest out, it is basically a llanowar elf. However, I think it is actually better.
You can tap it to untap a forest. On your turn, this is basically a llanowar elf, but if you tap it during your M2, you have a land freed up. This means that if they play some removal or something on your arbor elf (such as one of the mass damage spells that can easily clear 1/1s) you still have a land untapped for something like Fog.
It makes you more vunerable to land removal, but less to creature. And land removal is less common.
4/5 here. I would only rate it a 5/5 if it had vigilance.
Posted By:
LeaPlath
(8/4/2012 5:20:21 AM)
Better than Llanowar Elves? Maybe. Different, yes. But not outright better.
Pros
Can be used to generate more than one mana if your forest taps for more than just one.
Can be used to generate more than one color of mana with dual lands and things like Abundant Growth
Cons
Can only untap forests (not useful with Cavern of Souls, Gaea's Cradle, etc.) Meaning that if you start with T1 Cavern and have no T2 forest, you haven't ramped at all.
Hurt by land destruction, not something Elves are normally vulnerable to.
All in all, I think in standard this may be more useful than Llanowar, but in Legacy I'll stick with Llanowar and Fyndhorn Elves
Posted By:
swords_to_exile
(8/16/2012 4:29:36 PM)
@lotsofpoopy Are there hidden abilities in invisible ink?
Posted By:
dlgn
(9/30/2012 10:59:55 AM)
Geniuses like myself see that this card can do much, much more than untap forests.
Posted By:
Lotsofpoopy
(9/1/2012 6:47:35 AM)
I would say almost as good as llanowar elves. almost
Posted By:
Hivis_of_the_Scale
(7/5/2012 4:20:06 PM)
The advantage of the llanowar elves towards this is, that you can use dual lands to put the llanowar elves into play, and they still produce mana. These arbor elves only do their job if you start out with forests. So in general I'd stick with llanowar elves. They might be better in team games though, if your teammate is playing forests, so that you can generate mana for your teammate. 3/5
Posted By:
majinara
(7/6/2012 2:29:49 AM)
turn one, drop forest, play arbor elf.
turn two:
i) drop another forest, tap to play utopia sprawl, on the untapped forest, choose blue.
manna pool:/
ii) tap the forest for GU, tap arbor elf to untap that forest and tap it again for GU.
mana pool:GGUU
iii) play freed from the real enchanting arbor elf for GGU.
mana pool:U
iv) activate freed from the real for U, untaping arbor elf, tap it to untap the forest, tap it for GU
mana pool: GU
v) repeat step 4 as much as you want:
mana pool: infinite G one U
go crazy.
Posted By:
xenofish
(6/25/2013 1:45:10 AM)
Manabarbs will demonstrate that he isn't quite strictly better than his Dominarian cousin that got gypped this year.
Posted By:
Totema
(7/5/2012 11:08:53 PM)