How to beat Elves in Premodern
Over the last 90 days of recorded Premodern matches, the decks with the best results against Elves are Mono-Blue Stiflenought (83% over 6 matches) and Azorius Stiflenought (60% over 5 matches). Mono-Blue Stiflenought's 83% sits in a 95% range of 44%–97%, which is the range a 6-match sample actually supports. The decks with the best records against it most often carry Annul, Hydroblast and Blue Elemental Blast in the sideboard — those are their sideboards in general, not cards chosen for this matchup.
Best records against Elves
Matches played in the last 90 days, from events that publish round-by-round pairings. Ranked by the bottom of each 95% range, not by the headline percentage, so a small sample cannot outrank a large one.
| Deck | Win rate vs Elves | Record | Matches | Sample | 95% range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mono-Blue Stiflenought | 83.3% | 5-1 | 6 | Low sample | 44%–97% |
| Azorius Stiflenought | 60.0% | 3-2 | 5 | Low sample | 23%–88% |
- High sample · 20+ matches
- Medium sample · 8–19 matches
- Low sample · 5–7 matches
27 further pairings (35 matches) fall below the 5-match floor and are not given a percentage. Full history, retired archetypes included, is on Elves's archetype page and in the Premodern matchup matrix.
What the decks that beat Elves bring
Sideboard cards run by Mono-Blue Stiflenought, Azorius Stiflenought. This is not a sideboard guide for this matchup. We record who beat whom, not what either player boarded, so these are whole-sideboard frequencies across every matchup those decks play — a hint about the kind of card that punishes Elves, not a list to bring in.
| Card | Decks running it | Average copies | Which decks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annul | 2 of 2 | 2.4 | Mono-Blue Stiflenought, Azorius Stiflenought |
| Hydroblast | 2 of 2 | 1.8 | Mono-Blue Stiflenought, Azorius Stiflenought |
| Blue Elemental Blast | 2 of 2 | 1.8 | Mono-Blue Stiflenought, Azorius Stiflenought |
| Meddling Mage | 1 of 2 | 3.0 | Azorius Stiflenought |
| Essence Flare | 1 of 2 | 2.8 | Mono-Blue Stiflenought |
| Brain Freeze | 1 of 2 | 1.9 | Mono-Blue Stiflenought |
| Back to Basics | 1 of 2 | 1.6 | Mono-Blue Stiflenought |
| Exalted Angel | 1 of 2 | 1.2 | Azorius Stiflenought |
| Teferi's Response | 1 of 2 | 1.2 | Azorius Stiflenought |
| Circle of Protection: Red | 1 of 2 | 1.0 | Azorius Stiflenought |
| Chain of Vapor | 1 of 2 | 0.6 | Mono-Blue Stiflenought |
| Disenchant | 1 of 2 | 0.4 | Azorius Stiflenought |
Average copies is expected copies per deck — average copies played multiplied by the share of that archetype's lists running the card — so a 4-of in half the lists reads as 2.0.
Decks Elves beats
The other end of the same table. If you are choosing a deck to attack Elves with, the record argues against these.
| Deck | Win rate vs Elves | Record | Matches | Sample | 95% range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Selesnya Enchantress | 40.0% | 2-3 | 5 | Low sample | 12%–77% |
- High sample · 20+ matches
- Medium sample · 8–19 matches
- Low sample · 5–7 matches
Questions
What beats Elves in Premodern?
Across the last 90 days, Mono-Blue Stiflenought (83% over 6 matches) and Azorius Stiflenought (60% over 5 matches) hold the best recorded results against Elves. Records come from events that publish round-by-round pairings, and both decks in a match have to be identified for it to count, so these are the pairings we can see rather than every match played.
What should I bring in against Elves?
We do not have sideboard choices tied to individual matches, so this is not a sideboard guide. What the data supports is narrower: the 2 decks with the best records against Elves — Mono-Blue Stiflenought and Azorius Stiflenought — most commonly run Annul, Hydroblast, Blue Elemental Blast, Meddling Mage and Essence Flare in their sideboards. Those are whole-sideboard frequencies across every matchup those decks play.
What does Elves beat?
Elves's best recorded matchups over the same window are Selesnya Enchantress (60% across 5 matches). If you are picking a deck to attack Elves with, these are the ones the record argues against.
How reliable are these Premodern matchup numbers?
Not very, and the page says so per row rather than in aggregate. Every pairing shows its match count, its sample band and a 95% range; the strongest band we award is 20+ matches, which is still roughly a ±20-point range around the figure shown. Pairings under 5 matches are counted but never given a percentage — there are 27 of those for Elves right now. Rankings use the bottom of each range rather than the headline percentage, so a small sample cannot outrank a large one it has not earned.
What period does this cover?
Matches played in the last 90 days, filtered on when each match was actually played. Archetypes that have dropped out of the Premodern metagame are excluded from the ranking — their historical records are still on Elves's own archetype page and in the format matchup matrix.
What each number on this site measures, and where it is least reliable, is set out on the methodology page.