[Primer/Deck] Zoo

[feline]

Do you like to play fair decks? Take advantage of the combat step with the most efficient power & toughness -to- mana cost ratio creatures in the Legacy format? If your focus is to drop your opponent as fast as possible with combat damage, followed up by some of the most effective burn spells available that act both as the last points of damage against an opponents life total, or removal against vital creatures that may hit the battlefield, then this deck known simply as "Zoo" might be a deck for your avenue of play, on top of that, Zoo has a track record in Legacy that some decks can only envy, though it is no longer a regular deck to beat as of 2013, it is still a deck that has some level of success, & in a format so diverse, it will always have a home whether it's a tier 1, 1.5, or tier 2 strategy.

1) Playing Zoo
2) Successful decklists & trends
3) Card choices
3a) Maindeck
3b) Sideboard
4) Price guide
5) Awesome links
6) Previous Zoo thread http://www.mtgthesource.com/forums/s...12624-Deck-Zoo special thanks to Pulp_Fiction
7) 20 Match ups

1) Playing Zoo:
Basics: Your route to success is through the combat step & burn, in which, burn itself can act both as removal against opposing creatures, or direct damage to finish the game when the opponent gets low enough. Drop a creature, next turn, drop more creatures, sing in the combat step, repeat next turn, use burn to take out creatures accordingly, & when they are low enough, just finish them off with your remaining burn spells in hand for the win. Your goal as a whole doesn't get any simpler than that.

Mulligans: Because of the mana curve of most Zoo decks is so low, even being a 3 color deck, you are loaded with fetchlands & duals, meaning that you will start with mostly keepable hands, & even if you do have to mulligan, sometimes all it takes is 1 land & some 1 drops to get the game going, depending on the specifics of the match up also come into play, if you know what you're playing against or not of course, if not, then you just have to base it on your gameplan that is getting their life total to zero.

Burn: When to burn, & not to burn. Generally as a basic rule, the lower their life total, the more you might want to save your burn to finish them off, the higher their life total, then it's a lean toward removal against their creature, since removing it will allow your own creatures to get through and do more damage. A Wild Nacatl swinging at an opponents life total does 3 damage unblocked potentially several times, but a Lightning Bolt only does 3 damage to an opponent once. If your Wild Nacatl can be blocked & traded with another creature (as in they both die), then keep your recurring damage, as in your creature, alive, & let your one time use burn spell take their creature out instead so you can potentially keep recurring combat damage from that creature. Obviously the other example is if they are at 3 or less life & you can "finish them" off. The one exception here is against most combo decks, they don't typically use creatures themselves, & even when they do they are usually single target bombs that are not burnable. So focus on taking their life total out as fast as possible before they combo off, if you're knowingly playing against a combo deck, then drop your creatures fast, once your creatures are down, keep swinging & start unloading your burn on them.

Variants: From "fast zoo" to "big zoo", & even lesser common lists that splash for a 4th color, like "dark zoo" as an example. The majority of zoo lists however leaned toward fast zoo, running a host of one drops that start swinging fast, it's not uncommon for three 1 drop creatures to come down in the first 2 turns of the game for zoo, backed up by equally cheap burn spells, it is one of the fastest "fair decks" you can pilot, netting turn 4 kills uninterrupted are not uncommon (like "goldfishing" for 20 damage as an example) just by swinging creatures during the combat step & burning the opponent with your red spells when they get low. More recent Zoo success however has leaned more toward the "big zoo" variants since 2012.

Fast Zoo:
This version of Zoo was the more popular overall, running more 1 drops including Loam Lion & Goblin Guide in addition to staples Kird Ape & Wild Nacatl, attempting to kill the opponent as fast as possible, fast/early combat steps swinging, followed by burn spells to finish the opponent off when not used on opposing creatures. However, as of the more recent 2012-13 trends, it makes up the lesser half of Zoo strategies.

Big Zoo:
This version of Zoo is the other side of the deck, running bigger creatures, & even Noble Hierarch to drop things like Knight of the Reliquary on turn 2. This is also where you'll sometimes find the Grove of the Burnwillows + Punishing Fire combo, though less common than "Fast Zoo" during Zoo's peak in 2011, as of the more recent 2012-13 trends, "Big Zoo" makes up a greater half of Zoo strategies.

History:
Zoo decks have actually been around since an old Standard/Type II that is Return to Ravnica, cards in the original Zoo used to include things like Scab-Clan Mauler, Watchwolf, Isamaru, Hound of Konda, Savannah Lions & even Seal of Fire & Char as some examples. For the Zoo of Today however, we will only go as far back as 2009, shortly before the deck was simply called "Zoo", then listed as "Naya Zoo." Becoming a "Deck to Beat" in Legacy for a time, & peaking in 2011, before lowering down to a tier 2 strategy, Zoo has a massive track record of top 16 placings alone, all the deck references you could ever want:

2) Successful decklists & trends: from here http://www.starcitygames.com/pages/decklists/ & http://www.thecouncil.es/tcdecks/for...=Legacy&page=1
2009:
8th place - Brian Six - GP Chicago (1,230 players)
14th place - Matthew McGrath - SCG Boston (187 players)
4th place - Alix Hatfield - SCG Boston (187 players)
1st place - Alix Hatfield - SCG Charlotte (109 players)
3rd place - Julian De Los Santos - SCG Charlotte (109 players)
7th place - Jonathan Bode - SCG Charlotte (109 players)
9th place - Marsh Usary - SCG Charlotte (109 players)
14th place - Tim Furrow - SCG Charlotte (109 players)
13th place - Mitchell Reiners - SCG Philadelphia (147 players)
14th place - Robery Cusick - SCG Philadelphia (147 players)
16th place - Joe DiClemente - SCG Philadelphia (147 players)
4th place - Mark Larson - SCG St Louis (128 players)

2010:
2nd place - Shane Downer - SCG Los Angeles (142 players)
1st place - Tom Ross - SCG Dallas/Forth Worth (117 players)
14th place - Anthony Avitollo - SCG Dallas/Forth Worth (117 players) dark zoo
3rd place - Richard Bland - GP Madrid (1,116 players)
7th place - Alejandro Delgado - GP Madrid (1,116 players)
8th place - Sven Dijt - GP Madrid (1,116 players)
6th place - Alix Hatfield - SCG Richmond (236 players)
15th place - Matt Mancinelli - SCG Richmond (236 players)
16th place - Dominic Lodovichetti - SCG Richmond (236 players)
7th place - Joshua Adams - SCG Atlanta (200 players)
1st place - Matt Elias - SCG Philadelphia (205 players)
5th place - Asher Hecht - SCG Philadelphia (205 players)
7th place - Stephen Nagy - SCG Philadelphia (205 players)
11th place - Erick Nordstrom - SCG Philadelphia (205 players)
14th place - Robery Cusick - SCG Philadelphia (205 players)
2nd place - Matt Smith - SCG Seattle (191 players)
3rd place - John McFadden - SCG Seattle (191 players)
6th place - Daniel Marley - SCG Seattle (191 players)
7th place - Cody Damm - SCG St Louis (193 players)
10th place - Mark Larson - SCG St Louis (193 players)
15th place - Sean Mangner - SCG St Louis (193 players)
Banning of Mystical Tutor July 1st
6th place - Sarah Brennecke - SCG Minneapolis (170 players)
13th place - Kevin Kehoe - SCG Baltimore (233 players)
14th place - Vincent Lanceford - SCG Charlotte (218 players)

2011:
Banning of Survival of the Fittest January 1st
8th place - mishimakaz - Magic-League Legacy Master 1/1/2011 (111 players)
5th place - Issac Rancic - Cerro M MLL#5 (117 players) punishing
10th place - Stanley Smith - SCG Indianapolis (267 players)
4th place - Ivan Garcia Marin - Open City of Bridges, Spain (171 players)
7th place - Gines Valera - Open City of Bridges, Spain (171 players)
8th place - Cesar Morais Rubio - Open City of Bridges, Spain (171 players)
7th place - Kemper Pogue - SCG Washington (290 players)
8th place - Mary Jacobson - SCG Washington (290 players)
10th place - Stanley Smith - SCG Washington (290 players)
5th place - Jonas Barbulla - Wintermercadiade 2011 (123 players)
8th place - Simone Giaquinto - CerrorMagg (MI) MLL #7 AFCT (106 players) punishing
13th place - Shane Downey - SCG Edison (294 players)
11th place - Austin Beatty - SCG Forth Worth (157 players)
15th - Casey Steiner - SCG Forth Worth (157 players)
7th place - Pat Cox - SCG Atlanta (210 players)
16th place - John DeAngelos - SCG Atlanta (210 players)
3rd place - Cascella Tommaso - Dragonsleague/Tarmogeddon, Padova (125 players)
5th place - Mark Boeyens - Manila (108 players)
Debut of Mental Misstep May 13th
6th place - Rafael Garcia - Bazarr of Moxen V (633 players)
15th place - David Price - SCG Louisville (203 players)
1st place - Pat Cox - SCG Invitational Indianapolis (140 players)
8th place - Patrick Sullivan - SCG Invitational Indianapolis (140 players)
7th place - John Kubilis - GP Providence (1,182 players)
Day 1 undefeated - Jesse Hatfield - GP Providence (1,182 players)
10th place - Kemper Pogue - SCG Baltimore (318 players)
12th place - Thomas Evaristo - SCG Baltimore (318 players)
1st place - Caleb Durward - SCG Cincinnati (228 players) blue zoo
8th place - Andrew Boody - SCG Cincinnati (228 players)
11th place - Nick Colpron - SCG Seattle (184 players)
15th place - Joseph Naseef - SCG Seattle (184 players) blue zoo
2nd place - Dan Musser - SCG Pittsburgh (198 players)
10th place - Jacob Branstetter - SCG Pittsburgh (198 players)
6th place - Patrick Cox - SCG Richmond (164 players)
10th place - Joshua Cho - SCG Richmond (164 players)
16th place - Mary Jacobson - SCG Richmond (164 players)
9th place - Antonio Gonzalez - 2011 Spanish Nationals Legacy Championship (318 players)
15th place - Jonas Sinacola - SCG Boston (268 players)
7th place - Francisco Fernandez - LCL Lliga Catalana de Legacy 4, Agost, Castelldefels (114 players) punishing
3rd place - Josh Burgoa - SCG Atlanta (249 players)
6th place - Manuel Gomez - LCL 2011 #Septiembre, Ingenio (137 players)
Banning of Mental Misstep October 1st
15th place - Warren Connell - SCG Indianapolis (290 players)
25th place - Grzegroz Kowalski - GP Amsterdam (1,878 players)
15th place - Mark Hinsz - SCG Kansas (156 players)
11th place - Casey Steiner - SCG Las Vegas (168 players)
6th place - Giacomo Barberis - MLL#3, Legnano (MI) (129 players) punishing
5th place - Giacomo Barberis - MLL#4 Cardano al campo (VA) (104 players) punishing
7th place - Stefano Marangon - MLL#4 Cardano al campo (VA) (104 players)
2nd place - Dan Musser - SCG Charlotte (325 players)

2012:
4th place - Jesse McConahie - SCG Atlanta (191 players)
4th place - Albert Cuartiella - 1º Torneo Lliga Catalana Legacy 2012 (119 players) punishing
15th place - Gerard Coll - 2º torneo Lliga Catalana Legacy 2012 (109 players) punishing
8th place - Andrew Siebert - SCG Tampa (141 players)
13th place - Alberto Cuartiella - LCL 2012 #3 (131 players) punishing
15th place - Joel Regueiro - 4º torneo Lliga Catalana Legacy, Esplugues (103 playres)
11th place - Mary Jacobson - GP Atlanta (905 players)
2nd place - Ryan Lumpford - 2012 Gen Con Legacy Championship (350 players)
7th place - Rafael Garcia - III Open Legacy Mtg Cantabria (146 players) blue zoo
16th place - Chris Wynes - SCG St Louis (162 players)

2013:
24th place - Joshua Milliken - SCG Columbus (325 players)
5th place - Masato Ichige - GP Yokohama Side Event, Japan National Championships (384 players) punishing
2nd place - Manuel Gomez - LCL 2013 - Marzo (106 players)
8th place - Albert Cuartiella - LCL 2013 - Marzo (106 players) punishing
3rd place - Shawn Yu - Mirkwood Cup - (95 players) punishing
7th place - Shawn Yu - SCG Seattle (253 players) punishing

2014:

Trends: As you can see, while traditional Zoo is currently past it's prime as a tier 1 strategy in the format, it is still a deck that is played with some level of success in Legacy.

3) Card Choices: (Only cards included in decklists since 2012 will be noted here, with the most commonly ran linked in bold, & less traditional stuff noted in italic)
3a) Maindeck: (average # of more traditional cards)
Creatures:
~1 drops:
Kird Ape (4) cheap efficient beater
Wild Nacatl (4) cheap efficient beater
Grim Lavamancer (3-4) ping any target for 2 damage
Noble Hierarch (4) Exalted & taps for mana, found more in "big zoo"
Goblin Guide (4) found more in "fast zoo"
Loam Lion (4) found more in "fast zoo"
Granger Guildmage non traditional
Birds of Paradise non traditional
~2 drops:
Scavenging Ooze (1-2) efficient beater with graveyard hate/life gain, mostly "big zoo" lists
Tarmogoyf (4) Legacy staple, efficient beater
Qasali Pridemage (2-4) efficient beater with exalted & sac Disenchant effect
Gaddock Teeg (1-2) usually found in sideboard
Thalia, Guardian of Thraben non traditional
Stoneforge Mystic non traditional
Kavu Predator non traditional
~3 drops:
Knight of the Reliquary (4) efficient beater, also tutors for lands
Terravore uncommonly ran, found more in "big zoo" lists as a 1 of
Loxodon Smiter non traditional
Mirran Crusader non traditional
Eternal Witness non traditional
Kitchen Finks non traditional
~4 drops:
Thrun, the Last Troll (1) efficient beater, uncounterable, regenerates, found in "big zoo" more recently as a 1 of
Bloodbraid Elf uncommonly ran, though in a couple "big zoo" decks more recently
~bombs:
Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite non traditional

Spells:
~Burn:
Lightning bolt (4) Legacy staple, cheap efficient burn
Chain Lightning (4) cheap efficient burn
Lightning Helix (4) efficient burn with lifegain
Punishing Fire (4) recurring burn with lifegain, found more in "big zoo"
Price of Progress (2) found more in "fast zoo"
Fireblast (2) found more in "fast zoo"
Fiery Justice non traditional
~Other removal:
Path to Exile (4) cheap efficient removal, found more in "fast zoo"
Swords to Plowshares (4) Legacy staple, cheap efficient removal, found more in "big zoo"
Dismember non traditional
~Equipments:
Sword of Fire and Ice non traditional
Batterskull non traditional
Umezawa's Jitte non traditional
Sword of Body and Mind non traditional
~Planeswalkers:
Elspeth, Knight-Errant uncommonly ran as a 1-2 of, found more in "big zoo"
Anaji Vengeant non traditional
~Enchantments:
Sylvan Library (2) a way to draw additional cards, at the cost of some life, usually a 1-2 of.
~Other:
Green Sun's Zenith (4) tutor for any green creature paying X, found more in "big zoo"

R/W/G Lands:
Forest (1)
Plains (1)
Mountain (1)
Taiga (2)
Plateau (2)
Savannah (1)
Arid Mesa (3-4)
Wooded Foothills (3-4)
Windswept Heath (3-4)
~Other Lands:
Wasteland (1-2) Legacy staple, nonbasic land removal, target for Knight of the Reliquary
Karakas (1) Legendary creature bounce, target for Knight of the Reliquary, 1 of
Dryad Arbor (1) A target for both Green Sun's Zenith & Knight of the Reliquary, 1 of
Grove of the Burnwillows (4) recurring lifegain for Punishing Fire, found more in "big zoo"
Horizon Canopy (1-2) Card draw, target for Knight of the Reliquary, 1-2 of when ran
Maze of Ith non traditional
Stirring Wildwood non traditional

Non Traditional: (Older tech/Rogue strategies. These are less common in Zoo since 2012, most of this stuff is "older tech" not found in current decks, or "rogue strategies" like Dark/Blue/Natural Order Zoo)
~Older tech: (found in lists pre/during Mental Misstep only)
Creatures:
Figure of Destiny (pre/during Mental Misstep)
Steppe Lynx (pre/during Mental Misstep)
Mogg Fanatic (pre Mental Misstep)
Vexing Shusher (pre Mental Misstep)
Keldon Marauders (pre Mental Misstep)
Woolly Thoctar (pre Mental Misstep)
Burning Tree Shaman (pre Mental Misstep)
Spells:
Sword of Feast and Famine (during Mental Misstep)
Basilisk Collar (pre Mental Misstep)
Magma Jet (pre Mental Misstep)
Path of Anger's Flame (pre Mental Misstep)
Rift Bolt (pre Mental Misstep)
Reckless Charge (pre Mental Misstep)
Lands:
Treetop Village (pre Mental Misstep)
~Other variants:
Blue Zoo:
Delver of Secrets (post Mental Misstep)
Vendilion Clique (post Mental Misstep)
Brainstorm (during/post Mental Misstep)
Mental Misstep (during Mental Misstep) Currently banned in Legacy
Jace, the Mind Sculptor (during Mental Misstep)
Tropical Island (during/post Mental Misstep)
Tundra (during/post Mental Misstep)
Volcanic Island (during Mental Misstep)
NO Zoo
Natural Order (during Mental Misstep)
Progenitus (during Mental Misstep)
Dark Zoo:
Dark Confidant (pre Mental Misstep)
Badlands (pre Mental Misstep)

3b) Sideboard: (Again, trends of more recent decklists are linked in bold, & stuff found in sideboards only since 2012 will be listed)
Hatebears:
Ethersworn Canonist combo hate
Gaddock Teeg combo hate
Qasali Pridemage commonly found in maindeck as well
Aven Mindcensor can prevent tutoring
Other Creatures:
Wilt-Leaf Liege
Dauntless Escort
Phyrexian Metamorth
Removal:
Oblivion Ring nice against Show and Tell
Umezawa's Jitte great as removal against opposing creature based decks
Burn:
Sulfuric Vortex anti life gain
Pyroclasm cheap sweeper
Artifact/Enchantment hate:
Krosan Grip almost uncounterable
Ancient Grudge 2 for 1 against artifacts
Damping Matrix also works against creatures with non mana abilities
Graveyard hate:
Tormod's Crypt free to cast
Faerie Macabre free to play
Surgical Extraction "free" to cast
Ravenous Trap "free" to cast
Relic of Progenitus 1 colorless, cantrips
Rest in Peace 1-W
Wheel of Sun and Moon W/G-W/G
Blue hate:
Choke play against a tapped out blue player
Pyroblast Legacy staple in red sideboards
Red Elemental Blast Legacy staple in red sideboards
Volcanic Fallout uncounterable sweeper
Combo hate:
Thorn of Amnythest great against storm based combo decks
Mindbreak Trap "free" to cast
Lands & related:
Bojuka Bog Graveyard hate, 1 of for Knight of the Reliquary
Tower of the Magistrate Artifact protection, 1 of for Knight of the Reliquary
Crop Rotation "1 time use" Knight of the Reliquary ability
Life from the Loam can return lands against Land Destruction, & give an edge in a slower, grindy match like the mirror
Other:
Sylvan Library usually a 1 of
Elspeth, Knight-Errant usually a 1 of
Enlightened Tutor net any artifact/enchantment in deck for certain match ups where they're more vital
Leyline of Sanctity a strategy against both discard, burn, & combo decks that target you
Pithing Needle cheap answer for opposing planeswalkers, equipments, or creature activations
Blue Zoo: non traditional
Spell Pierce

4) Price Guide of more common Zoo cards, based on trends since 2012: As of March 2013 (For the most current prices, click on the link of each card) High-Mid-Low according to http://magiccards.info/ & http://magic.tcgplayer.com/all_magic_sets.asp
$50.00+ average:
Tarmogoyf $134.97 $114.42 $95.00
Karakas $118.97 $98.63 $86.50
Savannah $119.98 $87.93 $77.22
Taiga $79.98 $63.23 $54.17

$20.00 to $50.00:
Plateau $50.00 $43.73 $37.00
Wasteland $55.95 $49.46 $41.95
Windswept Heath $51.97 $45.80 $35.00
Wooded Foothills $41.18 $32.54 $36.50
Arid Mesa $39.98 $24.32 $20.51
Grove of the Burnwillows $24.98 $21.62 $17.73
Noble Hierarch $34.98 $29.48 $26.00
Scavenging Ooze $40.00 $32.46 $29.99
Elspeth, Knight-Errant $27.98 $23.41 $19.95

$10.00 to $20.00:
Horizon Canopy $14.97 $11.36 $8.47
Thrun, the Last Troll $15.00 $11.13 $7.55
Chain Lightning $16.03 $13.08 $10.49
Sylvan Library $14.97 $11.91 $9.78

$5.00 to $10.00:
Knight of the Reliquary $10.29 $8.00 $6.51
Terravore $12.34 $7.36 $5.07
Goblin Guide $8.98 $6.09 $4.51
Path to Exile $9.97 $7.29 $6.24
Ethersworn Canonist $10.99 $9.47 $8.00

$2.00 to $5.00:
Swords to Plowshares $5.30 $4.08 $3.22
Green Sun's Zenith $9.98 $4.59 $3.65
Gaddock Teeg $6.99 $5.21 $4.04
Lightning Helix $6.98 $4.37 $3.36
Price of Progress $4.11 $3.67 $3.00
Dryad Arbor $4.11 $2.87 $2.20
Krosan Grip $3.08 $2.19 $1.69

$1.00 to $2.00:
Grim Lavamancer $2.97 $1.85 $0.99
Fireblast $2.75 $1.35 $0.92

$1.00 or less average:
Lightning Bolt $1.99 $1.06 $0.66
Punishing Fire $3.00 $0.40 $0.15
Kird Ape $1.49 $1.00 $0.74
Wild Nacatl $0.79 $0.31 $0.15
Loam Lion $0.50 $0.33 $0.15
Qasali Pridemage $1.33 $0.93 $0.74
Pyroblast $4.11 $1.00 $0.29
Choke $1.53 $0.89 $0.49
Tormod's Crypt $1.02 $0.48 $0.14
Ancient Grudge $0.48 $0.15 $0.01

5) Awesome Links: In relation to Zoo & Legacy
Price trends of singles:
http://www.mtgprice.com/sets/Shards_...ra/Wild_Nacatl

Zoo articles/reports/etc:
2012:
http://www.starcitygames.com/article...n--Dallas.html Article, Zoo update for early 2012 (Pat Cox)

2011:
http://www.starcitygames.com/events/..._tony_chu.html Feature match, Zoo in the finals, SCG Charlotte (Dan Musser)
http://www.starcitygames.com/magic/l...Right-Now.html Article, Zoo during the height of Mental Misstep (Pat Cox)
http://www.starcitygames.com/magic/l...as_Rausch.html Feature match, Blue Zoo in the finals, SCG Cincinnati (Caleb Durward)
http://www.starcitygames.com/magic/l...-2-Legacy.html Tournament report, SCG Invitational Indianapolis 1st place (Pat Cox)
http://www.starcitygames.com/magic/s...eland-Zoo.html Article by SCG Invitational Indianapolis top 8 (Patrick Sullivan)

2010:
http://www.starcitygames.com/magic/s...yle_Boddy.html Feature match, Zoo in the finals, SCG Seattle (Matt Smith)
http://www.starcitygames.com/magic/l...s_Jim_Orr.html Feature match, Zoo in the finals, SCG Philadelphia (Matt Elias)
https://www.wizards.com/Magic/magazi...d10/welcome#22 Feature match, Zoo in the top 4, GP Madrid (Richard Bland)
http://www.starcitygames.com/article...ariations.html Article, different versions of Zoo (Doug Linn)
http://www.channelfireball.com/artic...cy-report-1st/ Tournament report, Zoo in the finals, SCG Dallas/Fort Worth (Tom Ross)
http://www.starcitygames.com/magic/l...s_Palaima.html Feature match, Zoo in the finals, SCG Los Angeles (Tom Ross)

Zoo decklist sources:
http://www.thecouncil.es/tcdecks/tip...&format=Legacy
Starcitygames Zoo decklists 2009-to-today

Legacy metagame:
http://www.starcitygames.com/pages/decklists/
http://www.thecouncil.es/tcdecks/for...=Legacy&page=1
http://www.mtgthesource.com/forums/s...(started-2012)

6) The previous Zoo thread: http://www.mtgthesource.com/forums/s...12624-Deck-Zoo by Pulp_Fiction, special thanks to Pulp_Fiction & every else that filled that thread with 4 years worth of Zoo discussion, including during Zoo's peak in 2011.