Usually electives aren’t the ones you just want to “get out of the way”. They’re supposed to be the fun-for-you classes. Taking them in place of cores, though, is indeed a mistake.
Four APs for a junior is fairly common in a lot of high schools for high-performing students. If you can qualify for them, and your guidance counselor gives a thumbs up, then give them a try.
If you want to keep as many doors open as possible, then you’ll want to take a close look at @MYOS1634’s list in addition to your own high school’s list of graduation requirements.