First of all, the elves absolutely cannot afford to be affluent and provoke the humans. This would be an idiotic idea that needs a thorough check-up by a psychiatrist. Their political, economic, and military strength is notably weaker than the humans, meaning their current strategy can only be a counter-offensive one. The key consideration is "how to defeat the enemy under defensive circumstances." However, passive defense is not the solution either. Under strategic defensive conditions, a proper deployment of troops is necessary to deal a heavy blow to the enemy.