Elspeth, Storm Slayer is one of those cards players keep asking about. Here is, in plain words, what its official text says, the rulings published by Wizards of the Coast, and the combos players actually run.
Official card text
If one or more tokens would be created under your control, twice that many of those tokens are created instead. +1: Create a 1/1 white Soldier creature token. 0: Put a +1/+1 counter on each creature you control. Those creatures gain flying until your next turn. −3: Destroy target creature an opponent controls with mana value 3 or greater.
Complete guide
Elspeth, Storm Slayer is a powerhouse of token generation and board presence. As a legendary planeswalker, she acts as a massive force multiplier for your army while providing essential utility against larger threats. Whether you are swarming the battlefield or boosting your current forces, Elspeth ensures your influence is doubled.
Doubling Your Army
The core of Elspeth, Storm Slayer is her static replacement effect. If any effect would create tokens under your control, you create twice that many instead. This applies to her own +1 ability, turning one Soldier into two, and any other card that generates tokens. Any specific instructions from the token-creating effect, such as being tapped, attacking, or having specific keywords, apply to the additional tokens as well.
Tactical Resolution
When you activate Elspeth's abilities, they follow the stack normally. For the 0 ability, the +1/+1 counters and the flying keyword are applied to all creatures you currently control at the time of resolution. The -3 ability targets a creature with mana value 3 or greater; if the target is illegal when the ability tries to resolve (for example, if it was sacrificed or its mana value changed), the ability will fail to resolve and do nothing.
Strategic Implementation
You should prioritize keeping Elspeth on the board to maximize her static ability. Use her -3 ability to remove blockers or threats that could attack her back. Her 0 ability is best used after a large token generation turn to push for lethal damage through the air, especially since the flying granted lasts until your next turn, providing defense against enemy flyers during your opponent's turn as well.
Interaction examples
Elspeth, Storm Slayer
Elspeth, Sun's ChampionWith Elspeth, Storm Slayer on the battlefield, you activate the +1 ability of Elspeth, Sun's Champion. Instead of creating three 1/1 white Soldier creature tokens, Storm Slayer's replacement effect triggers, and you create six 1/1 white Soldier creature tokens instead.
Ugin, the IneffableYou activate Ugin, the Ineffable's +1 ability while Elspeth, Storm Slayer is in play. You exile the top card of your library and create two 2/2 colorless Spirit creature tokens instead of one. When either of those tokens leaves the battlefield, you put the exiled card into your hand.
SoldierBy using Elspeth, Storm Slayer's +1 ability, you create two 1/1 white Soldier creature tokens. In the following turn, you can use her 0 ability to put a +1/+1 counter on both Soldiers, making them 2/2s, and granting them flying until your next turn to attack over ground blockers.
Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.
How it works : Elspeth, Storm Slayer
Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall
- #1· Wizards of the Coast
Everything that is specified by the effect creating the original token or tokens will also be true about the additional token or tokens created by Elspeth’s replacement effect. For example, if an effect tells you to create a token “tapped and attacking,” the additional tokens will also be tapped and attacking.
No other card is named in this ruling.
Popular combos
Real combos played by the community, sorted by popularity.
Gleaming Splendor + Smothering Tithe + Elspeth, Storm Slayer
- 1Activate Gleaming Splendor by paying
, causing two opponents to each draw a card. - 2Smothering Tithe triggers twice, creating four Treasure tokens due to Elspeth, Storm Slayer
- 3Activate three Treasures by tapping and sacrificing them, adding .
- 4Repeat any number of times.
- 5Once you have near-infinite Treasure tokens, you may repeat the loop targeting yourself as one of the players in step 1, drawing any number of cards.
Springheart Nantuko + Elspeth, Storm Slayer
- 1Earthbend a land that can tap to produce at least
, thus animating it. - 2Cast Springheart Nantuko for its bestow cost by paying
, attaching it to the animated land. - 3Play any land.
- 4When the land enters the battlefield, Springheart Nantuko triggers, causing you to pay to create two token copies of the land it is attached to due to Elspeth, Storm Slayer.
- 5When the land tokens enter the battlefield, Springheart Nantuko triggers twice.
- 6Holding priority, activate the two land tokens by tapping them, adding at least .
- 7Resolve the first Springheart Nantuko trigger, choosing not to pay and create two 1/1 Insect creature tokens due to Elspeth, Storm Slayer
- 8Resolve the second trigger, causing you to pay to create two token copies of the land it is attached to due to Elspeth, Storm Slayer.
Marneus Calgar + Ashnod's Altar + Elspeth, Storm Slayer
- 1Activate Marneus by paying
, creating four creature tokens due to Elspeth, Storm Slayer. - 2When the tokens enter, Marneus triggers, causing you to draw a card
- 3Activate Ashnod's Altar three times by sacrificing three creature tokens, adding six
. - 4Repeat.
Faerie Mastermind + Smothering Tithe + Elspeth, Storm Slayer
- 1Activate Faerie Mastermind by paying
, causing each player to draw a card. - 2Smothering Tithe triggers for each opponent you have, creating at least six Treasure tokens due to Elspeth, Storm Slayer.
- 3Activate four Treasures by tapping and sacrificing them, adding .
- 4Repeat.
Ghave, Guru of Spores + Ashnod's Altar + Elspeth, Storm Slayer
- 1Activate Ghave's first ability by paying and removing a +1/+1 counter from a creature you control, creating two creature tokens.
- 2Activate Ashnod's Altar by sacrificing a creature token, adding .
- 3Activate Ghave's second ability by paying and sacrificing a creature token, putting a +1/+1 counter on a creature you control.
- 4Repeat.
Chthonian Nightmare + Pitiless Plunderer + Elspeth, Storm Slayer
- 1Activate Chthonian Nightmare by paying an amount of
, sacrificing a nontoken creature and returning Chthonian Nightmare from the battlefield to your hand. - 2When the creature dies, Pitiless Plunderer triggers, creating two Treasure tokens due to Elspeth, Storm Slayer.
- 3Resolve the Chthonian Nightmare ability, returning another creature from your graveyard to the battlefield.
- 4Activate two Treasures by tapping and sacrificing them, adding
. - 5Cast Chthonian Nightmare by paying .
- 6When Chthonian Nightmare enters, it triggers, causing you to get .
- 7Repeat.
The Jolly Balloon Man + Restoration Angel + Elspeth, Storm Slayer
- 1Activate a permanent you control by tapping it, adding at least .
- 2Activate The Jolly Balloon Man by paying and tapping it, creating two token copies of Restoration Angel that are 1/1 Balloons with haste.
- 3When the Restoration Angel tokens enter the battlefield, they trigger, blinking the mana-producing permanent and The Jolly Balloon Man.
- 4Repeat.
Ghave, Guru of Spores + Pitiless Plunderer + Elspeth, Storm Slayer
- 1Activate Ghave's first ability by paying and removing a +1/+1 counter from a creature you control, creating two 1/1 Saproling creature tokens.
- 2Activate Ghave's second ability by paying and sacrificing a Saproling.
- 3When the Saproling dies, Pitiless Plunderer triggers, creating two Treasure tokens.
- 4Resolve the Ghave ability, putting a +1/+1 counter on it.
- 5Activate both Treasures by tapping and sacrificing them, adding .
- 6Repeat.
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