Sacred Haven of Debauchery

Hmm... In my opinion, it's not elves in general that are cliché, but rather the canonical elves: wise, long-lived beings, creatures of the kindest soul, inhabiting forests, fierce protectors of nature, and essentially their own forests. They are a kind of standard of goodness, an ideal, in contrast to the malicious, selfish, and flawed humans. And so on, down the list. Tolkien was the first (or one of the first) to depict this type of elf. And after that, this stereotype became firmly associated with elves. In principle, I don't think it's bad, but at least it's not original. The elves in "Heroes of Might and Magic" are exactly this type, which makes them not very original in themselves.

And yes, even if someone claims that I'm just showing off: this is not a criticism of those who love canonical elves; rather, it's just my thoughts and attitude towards this.

In general, yes, pointing out the cliché nature of a particular phenomenon in culture is itself a cliché. Although, in one way or another, each of us is involved in pop culture.