Elves have been around since the very first MTG set back in 1993, with Llanowar Elves appearing in Alpha alongside such lesser-known cards as MTG Black Lotus
Similarly, in the Final Fantasy VII deck, there was a lot of contention on whether I could add Sephiroth or not, given the deck didnt have black in the color identity
And with Walking Ballista and Voracious Hydra giving the deck ample mana sinks that are fine in the early game and multiple planeswalkers to overcome removal, Mono-Green Devotion has to be considered the de facto "best deck" going into the Invitational
And then Blightsteel Colossus came along and it doubled down on the danger of Darksteel Colossus, killing in one hit with that infect nastiness
(Plus Merlin, Shapeshifter in his own human form.) Each of the shapeshifting Merlin cards offers a different boon when they first arrive on the table and when they leave, presenting the opportunity to combine them with cards that cycle them in and out of your hand to stack up the benefits
Some merfolk Commanders are also dual-color, allowing you to introduce an additional color if you want to branch out
