[Deck] Blue Zoo

[troopatroop]

Greetings! It's 11/13/2013 and I'm taking this opportunity to update this main post. This deck has been my pet deck for a long time, and it's only right that I update a 2 year old main post.

My current decklist, Blue Zoo 2014

4 Wild Nacatl
4 Delver of Secrets
3 Grim Lavamancer
4 Tarmogoyf
3 True-Name Nemesis

4 Lightning Bolt
3 Chain Lightning
4 Brainstorm
3 Ponder
4 Force of Will
3 Daze
2 Spell Pierce

2 Volcanic Island
2 Tropical Island
1 Plateau
1 Tundra
1 Taiga
4 Scalding Tarn
3 Flooded Strand
3 Wooded Foothills


SB


2 Pithing Needle
2 Flusterstorm
2 Sulfuric Vortex
1 Spell Pierce
1 Grafdiggers Cage
1 Red Elemental Blast
1 Pyroblast
2 Rest in Peace

This deck is very similar to RUG thresh, but its gameplan is more aggressive. Wild Nacatl is @ his best turns 1-3 where Nimble Mongoose is only 1/1, thus the deck runs about 1 turn faster. This can be critical against combo decks in Legacy. We also play Force/Daze/and Pierce for counters, something Zoo decks just don't support. True-Name Nemesis ends the game, and he's great in a fair deck like this, especially with Burn spells to nug people. He takes the interaction right out of the game, so we're either too fast for the opponent, or we have disruption to slow them down. When this deck is firing on all cylinders, it's got all the answers for your board, and you're dead on turn5 to 3 power 1 drops. Brainstorm and Ponder smooth your draws, and Grim Lavamancer is great right now. Tarmogoyf mucks the ground nicely, allowing our Nemesis/Lavamen/Burn to finish the game. Spell Pierce is somewhat debatable, but I've loved it. Pierce your Bolt/STP on my Nacatl/Delver, and be huge against combo. While the new 3 drop doesn't "speed us up", I think of it as a better Vendilion Clique. He blocks like a champion turn 3, and he will finish the game for you.

Step 1: start with a 3/3 or 3/2 flyer turn 1

Step 2: burn their creatures, counter their spells, play threats, and attack

Step 3: finish the line, win the game

Some look at this decklist and they think it's a joke. This is a stable deck, with realistic lines of play, in 3 colors of magic cards. It's like U/r burn with 8 incredible green creatures. Plateau taps for Lavamancer, and Tundra taps for blue. The requirements for growing Wild Nacatl are not hard to achieve, especially if you lead with Trop-> Nacatl. Daze and Force are exactly what this deck wants, and a huge boon to the Wild Nacatl deck. It's a miconception the cards can't be played in tandem. I think the main cause is the pricetag on a manabase like this. 0 Basic lands makes a wallet cry.

Merfolk 55%

This is the matchup I've tested the most. It sucks that we can't stop Vial, and we're vulnerable to Wasteland. When paired with counters, thats how you're going to lose. That being said, this is a favorable matchup, and a deck I'd want to sit across from. We have all the tools necessary to win this with efficiency, mono blue having almost no removal for our threats. Land an early Nacatl/Delver and pressure accordingly. 1/6 of my deck is burn, so it's pretty hard for them to pull out wins. Identity Nemesis is very good against us, and the primary Force target.

Miracles 45%

This is a bad matchup. Supreme Verdict and Terminus are the main problems, wraths always have been for Blue Zoo. Thankfully we have 18 threats maindeck, so it's somewhat hard to run out. Something like Sulfuric Vortex out of the side would been spiffy, these grindy control decks are definitely a problem. Sometimes we can cantrip into a finish, sometimes we peter out and die. It's worth boarding cards for this deck, because you won't be favored without them.

Combo (storm/sneakyshow) 55-60%

I'm lumping these together, because they're both great matchups. We have everything to stop them quickly, SB I bring in a bunch of cards. They have 0 wasteland or removal, so our powerful 1drops are perfect here. As long as you don't draw like dogpoop you should be okay. Obviously theres times combo just wins and you can't do anything about it, but it just doesn't seem like this deck can do any better here. Flusterstorm and Pierce after SB, possibly Thalia? These decks are everywhere, so practice up on sequencing. Leave mana open for counterspells, know what to counter, etc

that's all for now, more to come











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First, a rant. I've been playing Legacy for a while, and plenty of different decks along the way. I didn't always know if my deck was the "best" deck, but I knew that I wanted it to be. I sold my collection a few times, and always bought right back into what I thought was the best deck. I went to Zoo most recently, as it's so consistant and strong, and played the strongest low investment creatures. Zoo's popularity remains constant, but it's not putting up the numbers that it used to. Legacy remains a very random format, and you never really know what you're going to run into. Zoo is a consistent deck, so it's relatively strong against randomness, but things have changed. My logic behind leaving that deck was, "If these cards aren't good against everything (Path to Exile, Helix, Fireblast), then I can't be playing the best deck in Legacy." This lead me to blue, keeper of the best cards in legacy, and a slightly different approach

Naya Zoo is really good at controlling the board, and that's a fine strategy, but not without it's weaknesses. Show and Tell and Natural Order are good examples of popular spells that win the game when they're cast. These are fairly new additions to the Legacy scene, and primary win conditions for Combo and Control decks alike. This is not good for the Zoo deck, who already has problems with decks like this. Storm combo has become more consistent and remains blindingly fast. Painter-Stone is faster now with Mox Opal and LED. Zoo can't realistically race those decks, not that winning isn't possible, or that you can't board for those decks, but the problems dont end there. Combo Control decks can also win by resolving a single spell. That's too much of the metagame to lose to, or at least enough of the room to draw me away from that approach. I knew however, that I didn't want to give up on Wild Nacatl and Tarmogoyf, as they are the best creatures for power to cost in Legacy, and solidify your aggro matchups. Blue gives this deck a close to even matchup with everything, and it can still can beat Merfolk and Goblins.



U/R/G/w Blue Zoo (Updated on 6-1-11)

// Lands (18)
4 Scalding Tarn
4 Wooded Foothills
2 Misty Rainforest
2 Volcanic Island
2 Tropical Island
2 Taiga
1 Plateau
1 Savannah

// Creatures (16)
4 Kird Ape
3 Grim Lavamancer
4 Wild Nacatl
4 Tarmogoyf
1 Vendilion Clique

// Spells (26)
4 Brainstorm
3 Spell Snare
4 Mental Misstep
4 Daze
4 Force of Will
4 Lightning Bolt
3 Chain Lightning

// Sideboard (15)
1 Spell Snare
2 Submerge
2 Red Elemental Blast
1 Pyroblast
2 Path to Exile
2 Umezawa's Jitte
2 Krosan Grip
2 Tin Street Hooligan
1 Thrun, the Last Troll


Alot has changed in this decklist since previous builds. Stifle is gone, due to an inability to hold mana open. Wasteland also left with it, which really distinguishes this deck from Tempo Thresh. What we have here is a modern version of Blue Zoo, with a refined manabase and spell selection. Some things to take note of.

- 14 Cards requiring Red ims (4 Ape + Bolt, 3 Grim + Chain)
- 8 Cards requiring Green ims (Nacatl + Tarmogoyf)
- 8 Cards requiring Blue ims (Brainstorm, 3 Spell Snare, 1 Clique)

Force of Will is free, Mental Misstep is free, and Daze requires an Island in play. The manabase is not stretched nearly as hard as you would think, and the counters fit in with the creatures really well. Fetchlands work magic in this deck, and in return, you get the best of both worlds in cards. Counterspells really solidify your combo matches, and the creatures give you serious game against Merfolk, especially Wild Nacatl and Grim Lavamancer. The deck boasts positive to even matchups against much of the metagame, with only a few exceptions (MUD decks and Rockish midrange). Zoo is slightly unfavorable, but Merfolk is just as positive as Traditional Zoo, because you still have the tools to beat the snot out of them (Cats + Burn + Lavamancer).

Never before has 12 Free counterspells been possible in Zoo. 4 Force/4 Daze/4 Brainstorm is only 12 blue cards, and Fow demands a minimum of 16. Mental Misstep gets us to that number, fits perfectly into the deck with no stretch, and Vendilion Clique or Ponder get us to an even higher density of Blue cards. Couple that with Wild Nacatl and Kird Ape, and you have the scariest deck Storm Combo can imagine (save CB-Top, but it's debatable). Wild Nacatl can win the game in 6-7 turns by himself, which is blazingly fast for a "Blue" deck. Kird Ape also hits harder than Nimble Mongoose when it matters (early game), and still presents plenty of inevitability for decks who have to Swords it. They're both awesome at putting on pressure, and this deck should really start getting more attention because of them. While the prospect of Nacatl/Kird Ape + Blue spells may seem greedy, it's actually really easy to pull off, and extremely rewarding. You get Daze, Fow, and Mental Misstep active from turn 1 on with little to no effort, while simultaneously handling the attacking and removal in harmony. It's sick, really.

I would suggest this deck for any metagame with alot of the following decks

Merfolk
Painter-Stone
Storm
Dredge
Goblins
Spiral Tide

I would say the deck is about even against

U/w Stoneforge
Zoo
Team America

I would say the deck is unfavored against

Landstill
The Rock
Chalice Aggro
G/w Maverick

[Jabari]

You should read the Canadian Thresh thread, the lists are really similar.

[arwall]

You could always drop two Stifle and add in two Oxidize.

[sco0ter]

You should read the Canadian Thresh thread, the lists are really similar.

You should rather read this thread.

Blue Zoo went undefeated day1 in GP Chicago 2009.

[(nameless one)]

Wouldn't Nimble Mongoose better than Wild Nacatl on this deck?

[troopatroop]

Wouldn't Nimble Mongoose better than Wild Nacatl on this deck?

I don't think so. Getting Wild Nacatl big is much easier, cake with fetchlands. Nimble Mongoose needs 7 cards in the graveyard, at earliest turn 4-5 to not swing as a 1/1. That's not fast on offense or defense, plus I want to play Grim Lavamancer. That wouldn't work well with Mongoose. You'll call to the shroud, which is relevant, but Wild Nacatl eating an STP isn't the worst thing. He's faster, swings for 3 on turn 2, and gets big more reliably.

You should rather read this thread.

Blue Zoo went undefeated day1 in GP Chicago 2009.

I know all about that thread, it's over 2 years old tho, and Fire/Ice seems just okay.

Wake Thrasher was an interesting idea from Breathweapon

[perm]

You could always drop two Stifle and add in two Oxidize.

Oxidize is a SB card at best, and opponent life gain is bad in aggro

[Esper3k]

If you're considering Wake Thrasher, why not Coralhelm instead?

Cheaper to cast, gives you something to do with extra mana, better on defense, has evasion.

[troopatroop]

Wake Thrasher is more explosive than Coralhelm Commander. Say you've got a Wild Nacatl tapped from attacking on turn 3. You untap 4 permanents, and Wake Thrasher + Nacatl swing for 8. Coralhelm is a much more significant mana investment, which isn't good here. I like him best for being blue and 3cc.

[arwall]

Oxidize is a SB card at best, and opponent life gain is bad in aggro

Yeah, I meant as a SB card.

What does opponent life gain have to do with Oxidize?

[Infinitium]

Since you're ignoring mana instability as is, why not go the full ten yards and add in black for Tribal Flames and Dark Confidant? Also since your blue count is quite low and it doesn't really help you deal 20, why not cut Force (or put it in the sideboard) and simply rely on Daze (and mayhap Wasteland/Stifle) to slow the opponent down?

[trivial_matters]

Since you're ignoring mana instability as is, why not go the full ten yards and add in black for Tribal Flames and Dark Confidant? Also since your blue count is quite low and it doesn't really help you deal 20, why not cut Force (or put it in the sideboard) and simply rely on Daze (and mayhap Wasteland/Stifle) to slow the opponent down?

Tribal Flames seems bad in a deck like this. Screwing up the already strained mana base for Dark Confidant is quite dangerous. And you probably couldn't play Wasteland then. So Stifle gets worse. Also, I count 22 blue cards main which looks alright for Force of Will.

[troopatroop]

I have no desire to go into black for Dark Confidant alone. The manabase works well right now, and black would ruin that. I'm not ignoring instability, I'm keeping the manabase stable. I would sooner play Tin-Street Hooligan over Oxidize, and Krosan Grip bests them both. It's too narrow.


keep 'em coming!

[Qweerios]

I tried to make an updated list of the undefeated thread based on the idea of having strong 1drops with cheap counterspells.


Creatures (14)
4 Goblin Guide
4 Kird Ape
4 Tarmogoyf
2 Serendib Efreet

Spells (24)
4 Brainstorm
4 Daze
2 Spell Pierce
3 Spell Snare
4 Force of Will
4 Fire/Ice
4 Lightning Bolt

Artifacts (2)
2 Umezawa's Jitte

Lands (19)
4 Scalding Tarn
4 Misty Rainforest
2 Wooded Foothills
3 Volcanic Island
3 Tropical island
2 Taiga
1 Island


I cut the ponders for 2 Jittes and 2 Spell Pierces, Paths for Bolts, and traded Nacatl and Ranger for Guide and Efreet cutting white altogether. Looks a lot like a sligh canadian thresh deck now.

[arwall]

Running one-of of anything doesn't really hold much of a chance of pulling it, so if you really are having that big of a problem with artifacts, just run a one-of of Duergar Hedge-Mage.

It doesn't give them a draw like your other cards all seem to be wanting to have a commodity of, though.

[Grymer]

could Sygg, River Cutthroat be good in the deck?

[bganns]

Well this is the list i have testing and proved be really good

Lands
4 Volcanic Island
4 Scalding Tarn
3 Misty Rainforest
3 Tropical Island
3 Wasteland
2 Wooded Foothills
1 Island
1 Taiga

Creatures

4 Kird Ape
4 Tarmogoyf
3 Nimble Mongoose
3 Vendilion Clique

Spells

4 Lightning Bolt
4 Force of Will
4 Brainstorm
4 Fire/Ice
4 Daze
3 pell Snare
2 Umezawa's Jitte

Sideboard

3 Krosan Grip
3 Relic of Progenitus
3 Pithing Needle
2 Pyroclasm
2 Submerge
2 Pyroblast

[freakish777]

Troopa, your initial list looks very good. I don't really have a whole bunch of time to test it out at the moment, but it looks somewhat similar to Next Level Tempo (with much more focus on killing the opponent early instead of dropping Jace).

In any event, Daze, while good, can probably go to a 3 of, and then you could cut the 2 Spell Pierce and add 3 Spellstutter Sprite. There is very few things more frustrating than playing Path to Exile/Swords to Plowshares on a Goyf only to have your opponent respond with Spellstutter.

[troopatroop]

The problem with the lists above:

-Goblin Guide is basically unplayable. Grim Lavamancer is better, imo.
-Kird Ape is worse than Wild Nacatl. 3 > 2
-Stifle is amazing, and you should be playing it.
-STP is superior to Lightning Bolt. Knight of the Reliquary + Tarmogoyf are big problems otherwise.

I can see bringing Daze to 3x, but I don't think SSS is the card. Spell Pierce counters Jace, Counterbalance, Vial turn 1, etc. I've been looking at Basilisk Collar. While generally a bad card, it doesn't seem all that bad here. Grim Lavamancer loves it, and deathtouch + lifelink is saucey. Thoughts?

could Sygg, River Cutthroat be good in the deck?

This is interesting, although not good enough I'm afraid. The most common play is Tropical Island -> Nacatl. There's no way to attack for three without fetching the Plateau, which can't help cast Sygg. It's a great suggestion tho, thanks. Maybe after some tweaking, pitching to FOW is great.

Serendib Efreet is okay, but Wake Thrasher hits for alot more. I don't think the Efreet is quite powerful enough.

[troopatroop]

I've been playing with Green Sun's Zenith, and truly enjoying it. One thing this deck gives up by playing less creatures is threat density. You keep the strongest critters of the Zoo lot, but you play less of them. The plan is to play 1 creature and ride it to victory, much akin to Canadian Thresh, but it can be hard to stick/find one at times. That said, Grim Lavamancer is great at stopping tribal, but less so at winning the game on his own vs other decks. I like Knight of the Reliquary for his ability to get massive late game.

4 Wild Nacatl
4 Tarmogoyf
2 Knight of the Reliquary
1 Terravore
2 Green Sun's Zenith

3 Force of Will
4 Daze
4 Stifle
4 Brainstorm
4 Swords to Plowshares
2 Spell Pierce
3 Spell Snare
23 Lands

I've liked this maindeck alot more. It much stronger against Counterbalance and Landstill, because you just play more big guys. 3x Force of Will is controversy I know, but I'm loving it more and more! I draw way too many double force hands against decks I don't want it, and it's not always good to 2 for 1 yourself. Three yields much fewer multiples, yet lets me see it fairly often. I don't feel like this deck truly needs Force of Will, as generally you have other counters to stop unfair things from your opponent. Zenith has been stellar, even getting a 3/3 for 2 is solid. Terravore is there for Goblins and Merfolk, as the Trample just wins games. My side has also changed a bit as well.

2 Krosan Grip
3 Pyroclasm
2 Submerge
1 Gaddock Teeg
2 Enlightened Tutor
1 Ethersworn Cannonist
1 Umezawa's Jitte
1 Energy Flux
1 Crucible of Worlds
1 Wheel of Sun and Moon

I cut an Enlightened Tutor for a Gaddock Teeg. My reasoning is that I now have 6 bombs that win me the game against Combo, and 3x is enough redundancy against the fringe decks I'm targetting. Jitte has come back for being invaluable to the Merfolk and Goblins matchup, and because I have only attacking creatures now. Crucible of Worlds has been SICK against many manabases, and I absolutely adore it for the side. Pyroclasm remains neccessary without Grim Lavamancer, Submerge can be uber, and I like the new maindeck alot. Thoughts?