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  1. #1
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    Zoo

    There's a modern 1K coming up, not sure if I want to go or not. The format doesn't interest me nearly as much as legacy, but I see an opportunity to take advantage of a shifting metagame with zoo. It's consistent and proactive, likely slightly faster than traditional burn but slightly slower than Prowess Red. The difference is resilience with a go-wide strategy. Heavy emphasis on 1-drops and blasting with Bushwhackers. Rancor is to make Lynx a 2 powered threat even without land drops and to make 1-drops huge.

    4x Wild Nacatl
    4x Loam Lion
    4x Kird Ape
    4x Steppe Lynx
    4x Experiment One
    4x Burning Tree Emissary
    4x Reckless Bushwhacker
    2x Goblin Bushwhacker
    4x Lightning Bolt
    4x Lightning Helix
    4x Rancor
    4x Windswept Heath
    3x Wooded Foothills
    3x Arid Mesa
    2x Scalding Tarn
    2x Stomping Ground
    2x Sacred Foundry
    2x Temple Garden



    Sideboard is a crap-shoot, probably something like this:

    3x Tormod's Crypt
    3x Destructive Revelry
    2x Grim Lavamancer
    3x Kor Firewalker
    4x Path to Exile
    Brainstorm Realist

    I close my eyes and sink within myself, relive the gift of precious memories, in need of a fix called innocence. - Chuck Shuldiner

  2. #2
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    Re: Zoo

    Uber-necro here, I haven't played Modern in 2020 yet...

    Looking at this dude and thinking it might be time to rebuild Zoo with possibly 8 Steppe Lynx. Being red is a pretty big upgrade, which means it can be played off Burning-Tree Emissary. The amount of absurd 1-drops will be incredibly powerful, blitzing for huge damage. I think this replaces Experiment One easily enough.



    Rough list:

    4x Wild Nacatl
    4x Steppe Lynx
    4x Akoum Hellhound
    4x Kird Ape
    4x Loam Lion
    4x Burning-Tree Emissary
    4x Reckless Bushwhacker
    4x Lightning Bolt
    4x Lightning Helix
    2x Rancor
    12x fetchlands
    6x shocklands (maybe 1-2 basics)

    Sideboard options (I have no clue what the format looks like right now...)
    Path to Exile
    Destructive Revelry
    Tormod's Crypt
    Deflecting Palm
    Ghost Quarter
    Cleansing Wildfire
    Stony Silence
    Ancient Grudge
    Blessed Alliance
    Surgical Extraction

    This guy *might* be good enough, haste is better than first strike like Plated Geopede. I don't think I want 2 mana dudes though unless it's BTE or Bushwhacker.
    Brainstorm Realist

    I close my eyes and sink within myself, relive the gift of precious memories, in need of a fix called innocence. - Chuck Shuldiner

  3. #3

    Re: Zoo

    Quote Originally Posted by Mr. Safety View Post
    Rough list:

    4x Wild Nacatl
    4x Steppe Lynx
    4x Akoum Hellhound
    4x Kird Ape
    4x Loam Lion
    4x Burning-Tree Emissary
    4x Reckless Bushwhacker
    4x Lightning Bolt
    4x Lightning Helix
    2x Rancor
    12x fetchlands
    6x shocklands (maybe 1-2 basics)

    Sideboard options (I have no clue what the format looks like right now...)
    Path to Exile
    Destructive Revelry
    Tormod's Crypt
    Deflecting Palm
    Ghost Quarter
    Cleansing Wildfire
    Stony Silence
    Ancient Grudge
    Blessed Alliance
    Surgical Extraction
    Narnam Renegade is a much better version of ape and lion when you are already playing fetches. This card is often overlooked whenever I see bushwhacker zoo variants list like these. Another thing to consider when playing zoo variant like this is Atarka's Command. Command can deal loads of unexpected damage in a single turn when combined with bushwahckers.

  4. #4
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    Re: Zoo

    I will get the ACommands in there, I can easily cut some number of Rancor/Helix.

    Narnam Renegade is ok, I might replace Loam Lion with that. The deathtouch is fine, but it will enter as a 1/2 a non-zero amount of times, and I don't know how I feel about that. Its greatest value is in being green so I can cast it off BTE. It's likely that Goblin Guide is actually a strict upgrade, but I am also eyeballing Pyroclasm as a potential sweeper.

    The real question: is an 8-steppe lynx deck viable in modern? I haven't played the format in over a year, so I don't know the answer to that.
    Brainstorm Realist

    I close my eyes and sink within myself, relive the gift of precious memories, in need of a fix called innocence. - Chuck Shuldiner

  5. #5

    Re: Zoo

    Quote Originally Posted by Mr. Safety View Post
    The real question: is an 8-steppe lynx deck viable in modern? I haven't played the format in over a year, so I don't know the answer to that.
    Various prowess decks are tier 1 so lava dart is one of the most played cards atm, you might be able to play around it or have a plan to board out your 0/1 and rely on bigger cards like tarmo etc but I think it's something that needs to be considered

  6. #6
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    Re: Zoo

    Thanks for the tidbit, being weak to Lava Dart would be very bad. Losing 2 creatures at instant speed for only R would be devastating. Mutagenic Growth could be an option alongside sandbagging fetchlands.

    I haven't tried Elvish Reclaimer yet, it could be pretty good alongside so many fetchlands. I don't think I would activate it unless it enabled 2+ Lynxes and wasn't already a 3/4, but the option is really sweet against stuff like Tron (grabbing sideboard Ghost Quarters.)
    Brainstorm Realist

    I close my eyes and sink within myself, relive the gift of precious memories, in need of a fix called innocence. - Chuck Shuldiner

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