[Primer/Deck] Zoo

[zulander]

Yeah I really like eidelon here. The only thing I'm worried about is the mana working. Maybe in the list I posted last page I'll replace main board Thalia with teeg since Thalia and eidelon are both good against the same decks

Maybe spirit of the labyrinth somewhere in here too actually. Dammit. Zoo has so many tools to work with. Why can't we make it work?

I have been able to make it work except against UW control. I've tried a few changes to my list to help against UW. Here's what I'll be playing this weekend:


//Mana: 20
4 Arid Mesa
4 Wooded Foothills
2 Windswept Heath
3 Plateau
3 Taiga
1 Savannah
2 Mountain
1 Forest

//Creatures: 25
3 Grim Lavamancer
4 Goblin Guide
4 Wild Nacatl
4 Tarmogoyf
4 Spirit of the Labyrinth
3 Qasali Pridemage
3 Ghor-Clan Rampager

//Other: 15
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Chain Lightning
3 Path to Exile
3 Sulfuric Vortex
1 Sylvan Library

//Sideboard: 15
3 Mindbreak Trap
2 Ethersworn Canonist
2 Gaddock Teeg
2 Grafdigger's Cage
2 Circle of Protection: Red
2 Electrickery
2 Council's Judgment



I've been playing super aggressive, even attacking with Lavamancers turn 2 if I have GCR in hand. Doing so makes the MD Vortex feel like a finisher, especially against Batterskul.dec

The board is pretty interesting, with the focus on combo (I'm actually 7-0 against combo if not better). Electrickery helps against the x/1 decks (UR, DnT, Elves).

CoP:Red is just the stone cold nuts against burn, and if you can race them game one (not too difficult) you can catch them off guard with it since they wont board in the pithing needles.

Council's Judgement is for the TNN.dec as well as SnT.

MBT/Canonist/Teeg all come in against storm combo (Canonist for elves), and Cage also comes in against PiF combo, making the deck have a total of 13 hate cards for the deck in g2/3.

I've still got some testing to do, and have thought of playing around with Voice of Resurgence since Treasure Cruise.dec seems to be on the rise.

[danpo]

I had a daydream where Zoo was awesome against a meta of Delvers, Monastery Swiftspears, Pyromancers, Deathrites and Moms. I figured I'd play lots and lots of stuff that killed these things, and also meow at my opponent during the attack step.

The original version of this daydream actually also involved playing Elvish/Simian Spirit Guide so as to power out faster hatebears (Aven Mindcensor was on the list) and I also at one point considered a Maverick-esque package involving GSZ and KotR. In the end though, I went the least-fancy/most run-screaming-directly-at-the-opponent's-face route and sleeved this up:

4 Kird Ape
4 Wild Nacatl
4 Tarmogoyf
4 Spirit of the Labyrinth
4 Qasali Pridemage
2 Gaddock Teeg
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Chain Lightning
4 Path to Exile
4 Lightning Helix
3 Wasteland
3 Taiga
2 Plateau
1 Savannah
2 Horizon Canopy
1 Plains
1 Forest
1 Mountain
4 Windswept Heath
2 Arid Mesa
2 Wooded Foothills

SB: 4 Oblivion Ring, 4 Pithing Needle, 4 Leyline of Sanctity, 3 Electrickery

The sideboard is basically a tiny poem I wrote about hating Sneak&Show and also Miracles and just just things. It has zero rational basis so don't even try.

-- Round one:

My opponent is playing RUG Delver with Treasure Cruise and Young Pyromancer in lieu of Nimble Mongoose.

Game one I am able to throw lots of burn around and carve in with a Tarmogoyf and Wild Nacatl. He eventually manages to Treasure Cruise and says G-Goyf ya (2x), but by this point has fallen to three and I topdeck burn.

Game two he has back to back Treasure Cruise and I draw an Electrickery that is worthless when I need to kill a flipped Delver, life sux.

Game three I see a one-land seven, no-land six and five, mull to four. My opponent then Wastes my Taiga and THEN HITS IT WITH SURGICAL EXTRACTION W436SE5RYDTUCGVHKJB

I scoop to Pyroclasm killing my 1/1 Kird Ape and Pridemage. Argh

-- Round two:

My opponent is known for saucy and unique brews centered on a theme of Reanimator and he does not disappoint.

Game one I get out a lot of fast dudes: Nacatl, Spirit of the Labyrinth and Tarmogoyf. My opponent has a fast Gristlebrand which, despite being a 7/7 lifelink, thanks to Spirit it cannot draw him cards. So I'm thinking: my opponent has already taken some beats, and if he tries to race me, I'm holding not one but two copies of Lightning Helix and might be able to bend the math in my favor, especially if I topdeck still more burn or a Path to Exile. Sure, my opponent's combo happened, but nothing is fucked here man, nothing is fucked! Maaaiiintaaaiiin.

So, this is when my opponent taps both his lands and plays Engineered Explosives X=2. My Goyf and Spirit are both very clearly going to die next turn and life sux. :(

But but but wait! On my turn I topdeck Path to Exile! I can kill his Gristlebrand, smash in for ten and sit pretty with two pieces of burn in my hand, right?! Wrong. My opponent is holding Misdirection. He redirects my Path to Nacatl. Mreeooow. Life sux.

Game two involved Pack Rat and me drawing back to back Paths and grinding my opponent down to three while sitting on an Oblivion Ring on the assumption he'd boarded in Show & Tell as an answer to graveyard hate I didn't actually have. Apparently Gaddock Teeg was keeping him off a Treasure Cruise for quite awhile but the turn before I finished the job he found an Exhume and wiped my board with Elesh Norn; life sux.

Then I went home and drank a beer. The end.

[Richard Cheese]

I had a daydream where Zoo was awesome against a meta of Delvers, Monastery Swiftspears, Pyromancers, Deathrites and Moms. I figured I'd play lots and lots of stuff that killed these things, and also meow at my opponent during the attack step.

The original version of this daydream actually also involved playing Elvish/Simian Spirit Guide so as to power out faster hatebears (Aven Mindcensor was on the list) and I also at one point considered a Maverick-esque package involving GSZ and KotR. In the end though, I went the least-fancy/most run-screaming-directly-at-the-opponent's-face route and sleeved this up:

4 Kird Ape
4 Wild Nacatl
4 Tarmogoyf
4 Spirit of the Labyrinth
4 Qasali Pridemage
2 Gaddock Teeg
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Chain Lightning
4 Path to Exile
4 Lightning Helix
3 Wasteland
3 Taiga
2 Plateau
1 Savannah
2 Horizon Canopy
1 Plains
1 Forest
1 Mountain
4 Windswept Heath
2 Arid Mesa
2 Wooded Foothills

SB: 4 Oblivion Ring, 4 Pithing Needle, 4 Leyline of Sanctity, 3 Electrickery

The sideboard is basically a tiny poem I wrote about hating Sneak&Show and also Miracles and just just things. It has zero rational basis so don't even try.

-- Round one:

My opponent is playing RUG Delver with Treasure Cruise and Young Pyromancer in lieu of Nimble Mongoose.

Game one I am able to throw lots of burn around and carve in with a Tarmogoyf and Wild Nacatl. He eventually manages to Treasure Cruise and says G-Goyf ya (2x), but by this point has fallen to three and I topdeck burn.

Game two he has back to back Treasure Cruise and I draw an Electrickery that is worthless when I need to kill a flipped Delver, life sux.

Game three I see a one-land seven, no-land six and five, mull to four. My opponent then Wastes my Taiga and THEN HITS IT WITH SURGICAL EXTRACTION W436SE5RYDTUCGVHKJB

I scoop to Pyroclasm killing my 1/1 Kird Ape and Pridemage. Argh

-- Round two:

My opponent is known for saucy and unique brews centered on a theme of Reanimator and he does not disappoint.

Game one I get out a lot of fast dudes: Nacatl, Spirit of the Labyrinth and Tarmogoyf. My opponent has a fast Gristlebrand which, despite being a 7/7 lifelink, thanks to Spirit it cannot draw him cards. So I'm thinking: my opponent has already taken some beats, and if he tries to race me, I'm holding not one but two copies of Lightning Helix and might be able to bend the math in my favor, especially if I topdeck still more burn or a Path to Exile. Sure, my opponent's combo happened, but nothing is fucked here man, nothing is fucked! Maaaiiintaaaiiin.

So, this is when my opponent taps both his lands and plays Engineered Explosives X=2. My Goyf and Spirit are both very clearly going to die next turn and life sux. :(

But but but wait! On my turn I topdeck Path to Exile! I can kill his Gristlebrand, smash in for ten and sit pretty with two pieces of burn in my hand, right?! Wrong. My opponent is holding Misdirection. He redirects my Path to Nacatl. Mreeooow. Life sux.

Game two involved Pack Rat and me drawing back to back Paths and grinding my opponent down to three while sitting on an Oblivion Ring on the assumption he'd boarded in Show & Tell as an answer to graveyard hate I didn't actually have. Apparently Gaddock Teeg was keeping him off a Treasure Cruise for quite awhile but the turn before I finished the job he found an Exhume and wiped my board with Elesh Norn; life sux.

Then I went home and drank a beer. The end.

Why would you run Kird Ape over Goblin Guide or Swiftspear in that spot?

[danpo]

Why would you run Kird Ape over Goblin Guide or Swiftspear in that spot?

Habit, I guess? The last time I can remember playing Zoo was more than two years ago, and I was hungover and literally layed down on the vile carpet of a comic shop in Tennessee on my way to going 5-0. Make of that what you will.

But also Kird Ape was a last-minute audible after I decided to not get fancy with some mixture of KotR/GSZ/SFM. I think that Kird Ape shrugs off Forked Bolt was also appealing in my imagination while I was busy decidedly failing to optimize the above list yesterday. Anyway yeah does that answer your question?

[Demonic_Attorney]

I had a daydream where Zoo was awesome against a meta of Delvers, Monastery Swiftspears, Pyromancers, Deathrites and Moms. I figured I'd play lots and lots of stuff that killed these things, and also meow at my opponent during the attack step.

The original version of this daydream actually also involved playing Elvish/Simian Spirit Guide so as to power out faster hatebears (Aven Mindcensor was on the list) and I also at one point considered a Maverick-esque package involving GSZ and KotR. In the end though, I went the least-fancy/most run-screaming-directly-at-the-opponent's-face route and sleeved this up:

4 Kird Ape
4 Wild Nacatl
4 Tarmogoyf
4 Spirit of the Labyrinth
4 Qasali Pridemage
2 Gaddock Teeg
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Chain Lightning
4 Path to Exile
4 Lightning Helix
3 Wasteland
3 Taiga
2 Plateau
1 Savannah
2 Horizon Canopy
1 Plains
1 Forest
1 Mountain
4 Windswept Heath
2 Arid Mesa
2 Wooded Foothills

SB: 4 Oblivion Ring, 4 Pithing Needle, 4 Leyline of Sanctity, 3 Electrickery

The sideboard is basically a tiny poem I wrote about hating Sneak&Show and also Miracles and just just things. It has zero rational basis so don't even try.

-- Round one:

My opponent is playing RUG Delver with Treasure Cruise and Young Pyromancer in lieu of Nimble Mongoose.

Game one I am able to throw lots of burn around and carve in with a Tarmogoyf and Wild Nacatl. He eventually manages to Treasure Cruise and says G-Goyf ya (2x), but by this point has fallen to three and I topdeck burn.

Game two he has back to back Treasure Cruise and I draw an Electrickery that is worthless when I need to kill a flipped Delver, life sux.

Game three I see a one-land seven, no-land six and five, mull to four. My opponent then Wastes my Taiga and THEN HITS IT WITH SURGICAL EXTRACTION W436SE5RYDTUCGVHKJB

I scoop to Pyroclasm killing my 1/1 Kird Ape and Pridemage. Argh

-- Round two:

My opponent is known for saucy and unique brews centered on a theme of Reanimator and he does not disappoint.

Game one I get out a lot of fast dudes: Nacatl, Spirit of the Labyrinth and Tarmogoyf. My opponent has a fast Gristlebrand which, despite being a 7/7 lifelink, thanks to Spirit it cannot draw him cards. So I'm thinking: my opponent has already taken some beats, and if he tries to race me, I'm holding not one but two copies of Lightning Helix and might be able to bend the math in my favor, especially if I topdeck still more burn or a Path to Exile. Sure, my opponent's combo happened, but nothing is fucked here man, nothing is fucked! Maaaiiintaaaiiin.

So, this is when my opponent taps both his lands and plays Engineered Explosives X=2. My Goyf and Spirit are both very clearly going to die next turn and life sux. :(

But but but wait! On my turn I topdeck Path to Exile! I can kill his Gristlebrand, smash in for ten and sit pretty with two pieces of burn in my hand, right?! Wrong. My opponent is holding Misdirection. He redirects my Path to Nacatl. Mreeooow. Life sux.

Game two involved Pack Rat and me drawing back to back Paths and grinding my opponent down to three while sitting on an Oblivion Ring on the assumption he'd boarded in Show & Tell as an answer to graveyard hate I didn't actually have. Apparently Gaddock Teeg was keeping him off a Treasure Cruise for quite awhile but the turn before I finished the job he found an Exhume and wiped my board with Elesh Norn; life sux.

Then I went home and drank a beer. The end.

Playing Wasteland and PTE together in the same deck does not make for good synergy.

Furthermore, 4x Lightning Helix is far too many even if you opt on playing it over much better and more viable options.

Lastly, no MBT, REB or Cages in the sideboard just seems inherently wrong!

[Richard Cheese]

Went 7-2 before dropping from Jersey with 1-drop Zoo. Report is here: http://www.mtgthesource.com/forums/s...-GP-New-Jersey

Deck isn't half bad right now.

[Pellefant]

Went 7-2 before dropping from Jersey with 1-drop Zoo. Report is here: http://www.mtgthesource.com/forums/s...-GP-New-Jersey

Deck isn't half bad right now.

Zoo kicking ass like this really warms my heart, congrats! The report was beyond awesome and the gibbons seem very interesting, I'm definitely going to try them out myself.

[aluisiocsantos]

Congrats man, pretty solid list. I love me some hidden cards, was running hidden herd last time I played zoo!

You totally shoulda done day two though!

[Richard Cheese]

Congrats man, pretty solid list. I love me some hidden cards, was running hidden herd last time I played zoo!

You totally shoulda done day two though!

I know, if I had flown by myself and just to the event, I would have just changed my return plans and stayed. But since we flew into LaGuardia and borrowed a friend's car to drive down from NYC, all my stuff was an hour away in Lambertville, and my wife had to be at work Monday, it was just waaaay to complicated to change at the last minute.

I'm not a competitive guy, so bowing out didn't really bother me. More than anything I'm just disappointed that I didn't have a chance to see how far I could push the deck. I really think the era of "Zoo is dead" has passed, at least for the time being. People are playing less StP, way less Snapcaster, and at least for a while, less SFM. We've also gotten a ton of good tools like Thalia, RiP, and Containment Priest that make beating the unfair decks at least a possibility out of the board.

[Megadeus]

Think dryad militant deserves a shot or no?

[Richard Cheese]

Think dryad militant deserves a shot or no?

I think in the SB if at all. I guess you could argue that it hurts the Cruise decks, but they have a ton of removal anyway. That, and our yard is more important now with Cruise around. One of the reasons I wasn't crazy about Mandrills when I tested it was that between it and Cruise, it usually came down to choosing between a big Goyf or the Mandrills, and I'd rather just dump my hand.

[Vandalize]

To the few out there who are rocking Zoo still, how has Path to Exile been working for you? I'm not impressed by it anytime I cast it, and it's pretty sucky against tier 1 decks like Elves and UR Delver. Moreover, the biggest creatures in fair decks nowdays are Batterskull and Tarmogoyf, which can be dealt with GCRampager.

Something like this:

Lands [20]
4 Wooded Foothills
4 Arid Mesa
3 Windswept Heath
3 Taiga
2 Plateau
1 Savannah
1 Mountain
1 Forest
1 Plains

Creatures [24]
4 Wild Nacatl
4 Tarmogoyf
4 Goblin Guide
3 Spirit of the Labyrinth
3 Grim Lavamancer
3 Ghor-Clan Rampager
3 Qasali Pridemage

Spells [16]
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Chain Lightning
4 Price of Progress
2 Sylvan Library
2 Forked Bolt

Sideboard [15]
3 Sulfuric Vortex
2 Pyroblast
2 Containment Priest
2 Gaddock Teeg
2 Umezawa's Jitte
2 Grafdigger's Cage
1 Ancient Grudge
1 Pithing Needle

Some board options would be:

Miracles:
+3 Vortex +2 Pyroblast +2 Gaddock Teeg +1 Pithing Needle +1 Ancient Grudge
-4 Price of Progress -2 Forked Bolt -3 Grim Lavamancer

UR Delver:
+2 Pyroblast +2 Umezawa's Jitte +2 Gaddock Teeg
-3 Qasali Pridemage -3 Price of Progress

Elves:
+2 Gaddock Teeg +2 Containment Priest +2 Umezawa's Jitte +2 Grafdigger's Cage
-4 Price of Progress -3 Qasali Pridemage -1 Sylvan Library

Sneak and Show:
+2 Gaddock Teeg +2 Containment Priest +2 Pyroblast
-2 Forked Bolt -3 Grim Lavamancer -1 Price of Progress

BUG Delver:
+2 Pyroblast +1 Pithing Needle
-3 Qasali Pridemage

UWR Patriot:
+3 Vortex +2 Pyroblast +1 Ancient Grudge
-4 Tarmogoyf (if you expect Rest in Peace) -1 Goblin Guide

Ad Nauseam Tendrils:
+2 Pyroblast +2 Gaddock Teeg +1 Pithing Needle +2 Grafdigger's Cage
-2 Forked Bolt -3 Grim Lavamancer -2 Ghor-Clan Rampager

Death and Taxes:
+3 Vortex +2 Umezawa's Jitte +1 Ancient Grudge +1 Pithing Needle
-3 Spirit of the Labyrinth -3 Price of Progress (if they play multiple Karakas/Flagstones, take out Goblin Guide instead)

[lordofthepit]

To the few out there who are rocking Zoo still, how has Path to Exile been working for you? I'm not impressed by it anytime I cast it, and it's pretty sucky against tier 1 decks like Elves and UR Delver. Moreover, the biggest creatures in fair decks nowdays are Batterskull and Tarmogoyf, which can be dealt with GCRampager.

I'm not playing Zoo anymore, but I ditched Path to Exile back in 2010. I think your plan looks reasonable for a small Zoo build.

[Megadeus]

When I was on zoo last year I had path and pfire. Looking back though, STP probably was right

[lordofthepit]

This ridiculous power creep may be enough to get to play Punishing Zoo again.

[enemyofarsenic]

This ridiculous power creep may be enough to get to play Punishing Zoo again.

What card is it? Image not showing up.

[lordofthepit]

What card is it? Image not showing up.

Monastery Mentor.

I doubt Zoo is the best shell for it, but it's enough to make me at least want to get back to brewing my favorite deck again.

[Kanti]

I was thinking more Boros when I saw it. 4 Pyros, 4 Mentors, SFM package, and fill the rest out with burn. Didn't think of PFire though. Could be some sort of Naya Zoo with Nacatl's, Lavamancers, YP, Mentor, full suite of maindeck Teegs, PFire, and maybe KotR to tutor for Grove/Waste?

[lordofthepit]

I was thinking more Boros when I saw it. 4 Pyros, 4 Mentors, SFM package, and fill the rest out with burn. Didn't think of PFire though. Could be some sort of Naya Zoo with Nacatl's, Lavamancers, YP, Mentor, full suite of maindeck Teegs, PFire, and maybe KotR to tutor for Grove/Waste?

To be honest, I think the best shell for Mentor will likely be some UWR aggro-midrange deck similar to the Pyromancer Stoneblade list that won GP NJ, but I'm also trying it in Enchantress (because I want to be a troll) and in Punishing Zoo (because it's my favorite deck). It wouldn't be bad in some kind of Deadguy shell with Lingering Souls and Cabal Therapies either.

[aluisiocsantos]

A big zoo (with pfire) approach with Monastery Mentor could be a sick thing. I'm excited :D