Ashling and the Elementals: How One Tribe Took Over Standard at PT Lorwyn Eclipsed
An inside look at the tribal synergy engine that dominated the Pro Tour field. Ouroboroid and Ashling form a card advantage loop that Standard can't yet answer.
When Lorwyn Eclipsed was first previewed, Elementals weren't on most players' radar. Faeries and Kithkin drew the hype. But the Pro Tour told a different story — Ashling-based Elementals decks made up nearly 30% of the Day 2 metagame and put three copies into the Top 8.
The key is Ouroboroid, a three-mana Elemental that generates card advantage every time another Elemental enters the battlefield. Combined with Ashling's ability to create Elemental tokens on attack, the synergy engine snowballs quickly. Badgermole Cub provides removal stapled to a tribal body, and Quantum Riddler offers a combo finish for the mirror match.
The deck's dominance has Standard players scrambling for answers. Graveyard hate and sweepers are seeing increased play, but the Elementals package is resilient enough to fight through most interaction. At $923 for the full tabletop build, it's also one of the most expensive Standard decks in years.
Looking ahead, the real question is whether Secrets of Strixhaven will provide adequate counterplay or if Standard needs an intervention from the ban list.
