So, boy are there alot of different types of elves in 5e across the PHB, MTF, DMG, ERLW, and EGW.

Which is your favorite and why? 

(forgive the error in stating 'subclass' in the poll)

Is it okay to say tiffle, even though tiffles are a totally different species*?

No?  I suppose that's fair.

I've got opinions on the over-proliferation of elves in D&D, especially since my favorite of the subspecies for elves is the one everybody hates/bags on.  I think the pallid elves from Wildemount are an interesting riff on the species, with lore I like more than typical elfdom and a species statblock good-bordering-on-overpowered.  I'd love the chance to play a pallid elf sometime, but many GMs I've spoken to on the subject consider pallid elves both wildly overpowered ("permanent advantage on two common sensory checks?!  Not in my game, missy! DX") and deeply boring ("Oh look, palette-swapped drow traumadonnas with species-wide naivete.  Nope.  All elves are immortal superheroes, I ain't having this refugee-culture shit in my game").  So yeah.  Sucks to be a fan of pallid elves.

I rather like the idea that Elves migrated from the Feywild at first, and the various different sorts kind of magically evolved from there.  It's too bad we can only pick one.

They all feel like humans, only long-lived, snooty, and each with one particular schtick that's supposed to suffice for racial identity. That kind of goes for all other humanoid races as well though, I'm not bagging on elves alone. If I had to pick one I'd be with Yurei and go for the Pallid ones, but I'd love to see D&D take a more hardcore, discerning approach to make races stand out in general before fretting over subraces.

I like high elves the best, because magic is everything.

Eladrin is a close second though. I like the ability to change your season and aesthetic, and you also get some cool effects when you teleport.

Eladrin, though it's very close for me. I'm currently playing an Eladrin Fey Wanderer Ranger and it's fun to have their seasons change every long rest. I've written down a list of personality traits that all the seasons share, as well as a few that change.

I can't decide between high elves, wood elves, and Eladrin. They're all so good!

I’m personally a big fan of the Shadar-Kai myself.

Avariel, 'cause they have wings and are extra pretty. Not on your list, but I think there's a UA on them, plus legacy editions of course.

Eladrin are both mechanically powerful and thematically distinct, because they're functionally playable fey without the weird cruft attached to having the fey type - roleplaying one straight means being fascinated with things most humanoids take for granted, like having a static body shape.  I think it's really cool when your race choice makes you feel genuinely distinct. 

Wood Elves.

Some are supposed to be xenophobic and reclusive.

My current character of choice is one whose tribe basically cast her out for being different, born prematurely whilst within the Feywild.

Such a birth is normally a momentous event to be celebrated, but her parents didn't want this child the mother didn't want marry the child's father and the father didn't want to lose the woman he loved.

Sadly he still did along with his own father who refused to let his grandchild be left to die and pursued by his furious tribe escaped with the sickly child into a prime material world with the aid of a Celestial Archon residing within an abandoned temple dedicated to Sehanine Moonbow.

The Archon sealed the portal behind them leaving their tribe to assume they fled into the Shadowfell, but raised by her elderly grandfather the child grew up far more slowly than a wood elf should have.

They kept moving to keep her secret as whilst he was clearly an elf, her deformities made her look like a plain human child rather than the wood elf she was thus explaining why her tribe spurned her claiming she was an abomination to them.

She grew up eventually her grandfather passed on, but she adapted making friends some of whom figured out her secret.

Some kept that secret given they were friends others took advantage knowing she couldn't reveal herself and claimed the credit for some of her actions or the man she wed dumping her and her child for the chance to inherit the family lands and titles he thought he would never claims albeit to do so required he spurn the wife and child he already had to marry someone more suitable to his new position.

Ironically although his wife bore two children neither were his and one day he met the son he cast aside and recognised the mistake he had made and then encountered his ex-wife and stared in shock as she having been almost 15 when they married looked not even 20 in age despite the 30 years since he last saw her.

Then he got to witness his only biological child die right in front of him defending one of his own children and the shock too much for him causing a stroke leading to a fight to succeed him as ruler of the city he had led for almost a quarter of a century.

Sorry you got me thinking and that's not a good thing with a thread like this!

Drow, eladrin, shadar-kai. Sea elves are cool too.

Drow, Eladrin, Pallid, Wood, and Sea are my favorite official ones.

High elves, despite most comments pitting them as the "most magical of elves", don't nearly stand toe-to-toe with the immense arcane power of the dark elves.  (1 mere cantrip vs. 1 cantrip, 1 1st-level spell and 1 2nd-level spell)

Quote from Yamana_Eajii >>

High elves, despite most comments pitting them as the "most magical of elves", don't nearly stand toe-to-toe with the immense arcane power of the dark elves.  (1 mere cantrip vs. 1 cantrip, 1 1st-level spell and 1 2nd-level spell)

Dark elves may get more spells, but high elves have choice. For just sheer number of spells though, I would go with Mark of Shadow elves and pick a spell casting class.

I have a soft spot for Goth characters, the Shadowfell, the Raven Queen, and bald elves (don't ask, I don't know why), so I've got to say the Shadar-Kai. 

This is a hard choice for me since I haven’t played all of the subraces. However, my current favorites are Wood elves and Drow. Not sure which I like better.

I like all the elves but I’m waiting for a FR supliment that has the true dark/returned Drow elves stated out.

It's so hard, but I have to go with eladrin. 

Driw are a close second. I love races that give you spells just because spells are awesome and I love the redemption story arch from the drow civilization. 

But eladrin are just so cool! Your basically playing 4 characters, and each get their own personality, flaws, and struggles!

Mark of shadow is an honorable mention. There pretty cool, and the only one I'm currently playing.

I picked wood elves, just always had a thing for the more untamed deep forest elves stalking you in the trees

I would of picked Eladrin normally because I play a buncha them but in our long running campaign we treat them as pretty far removed from elves so they don't typically come to mind when someone says "favorite type of elf"

Eladrin are the best from a min-maxing perspective.  Wood Elves are the best from a flavor perspective.