[SCD] Steppe Lynx

[GGoober]

As bad as this may seem on paper, I advice people to test them out in a more aggressive version of Zoo/Sligh. There's been a recent thread on N&D that is talking about this card heavily and Goyf Sligh is experimenting this.

From my experience in playing (well not a ton of experience, but definitely enough), I would say that 20% of the time it's useless as a 0/1. It is prone to Fire//Ice and many other removals but as a beater, it's been brutal if you play a deck with 12 fetchlands.

Today when playing what I called Gato (Cat) Zoo, I kept a hand with 5 lands (4 fetches) a Lynx and a bolt against Merfolks. Resolved Lynx went in there for 4 damage a turn while I drew other burn/creatures. Having a potential 4/5 beater on turns 2-4 makes it seem that you're running 8 Goyfs.

The drawbacks of the card is its awful topdeck. However, depending on your playstyle, you can get around it. The Sligh list I played function many on 2 lands so any lands more than 3 in play, I keep in my hand to activate Landfall for Lynx.

The nice thing about the Lynx is that even as a late-game in multiples, you can potentially draw a fetch and beat in with a field of 4/5s, whereas Apes and other creatures will be unable to do this.

Discuss!

P.S
Here's the list that I ran today (could have been superly optimized but I didn't have the cards to finish it off. I'm mostly a blue/control player so aggro cards are hard to find for me lol)


GATO (CAT) ZOO
4 Windswept Heath
4 Wooded Foothills
4 Arid Mesa
1 Mountain
1 Forest
2 Plateau
1 Savannah
3 Taiga

3 Kird Ape (should have been Cursed Scroll/Jitte/Sylvan Library mix)
3 Grim Lavamancer
4 Steppe Lynx (kitty!)
4 Wild Nacatl (kitty!)
4 Pridemage (kitty!)
4 Tarmogoyf

4 Rift Bolt (I really like this and people don't but the 3 point of damage for 1 mana is critical at least for me for the speed and manacurve of the deck).
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Chain Lightning
3 Fireblast
3 Path to Exile (I don't like 4 in the MD)

[Forbiddian]

It has to be played in a purely offensive deck, because it will always be small as a blocker.

Another drawback is that it requires white on turn 1. I think it'll take a bit of time before people get better mana bases to fit the card.

One other drawback is the matchup against Canadian Threshold. I really don't play enough straight up Zoo to comment on the matchup beforehand, but Stifle or even bluffed Stifle can make it much more difficult to execute properly.


That said, this card is pretty amazing. I think after people figure out mana bases a bit better, zoo variants running this will supersede the classic zoo.

[Gocho]

This list is in another post, but there was a Boros deck in the Great Final of the Legacy Madrid League (Spain) with Steppe Lynx:

4 Goblin Guide
4 Grim Lavamancer
4 Steppe Lynx
1 Jotun Grunt
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Chain Lightning
4 Riftbolt
4 Magma Jet
4 Lightning Helix
4 Price of Progress
2 Fireblast
4 Wooded Foothills
3 Bloodstained Mire
4 Arid Mesa
4 Scalding Tarn
3 Plateau
3 Mountain

Side:
3 Duergar Hedge-Mage
3 Jotun Grunt
3 Sulfuric Vortex
3 Path's to Exile
3 ravenous Trap

Make Top4 loosing vs Burn. I test it a day and with T1 Lynx make Turn 3 kill easily but the lonely Jotun Grunt seems a little random.

In your deck, I wouldn't play 3 Fireblast with only 6 Mountain Lands.

[GGoober]

Classic Zoo has a much better early-mid game with Thoctar and Helixes. Lynx lists are more sligh Zoo list hybrids. I didn't play a list with Guides today because I wasn't going balls-to-the-walls with tons of burn. Hell Goyf is now slow if we refer to the Goldfish Zoo in the Goyf Sligh thread. Goyf only beats on turns 3, but in Goldfish Zoo feat. Lynx, Cat, Guides, Burn, you stop attacking on turn 3.

I decided not to go balls-to-the-walls because I don't think it's a good strategy, considering that burn is such a strategy. I should have replaced Kird Apes with something that benfitted the deck, cursed scroll. The nice thing with the Lynx list is that I can now play with just 2 lands, and any additional lands I draw, I keep in my hand bluffing burn, and baiting Wastelands to force them to offset their tempo thinking I'm land screwed, and saving lands for landfall.

Canadian Thresh is a problem and I think it'll beat this list very well. Fire//Ice + Waste can easily 2for1 our Lynx and Cat. The manabase IS very tricky. Most of the time, I would lead with Lynx instead of cat if I had a fetch to follow (assuming opponent is not playing Canadian Thresh). Canadian Thresh would greatly weaken Lyxn and I think against that matchup, you have to board them out for Relic. I haven't been too impressed with Goyfs. It's a 3/4, 4/5 and I'm consideirng playing something else instead. Maybe Jotun Grunt. I do want to play with Relics in the SB so a big beater at 2cc would be good in the deck. Maybe Rogue Elephant since the curve is pretty low :D

[Gocho]

I found the other post:
http://www.mtgthesource.com/forums/showthread.php?t=15306

In the Goyf Sligh thread there are some testing too:
http://www.mtgthesource.com/forums/showthread.php?t=7458&page=42

[Illissius]

A tension involved with Lynx is that it makes you want to speed your deck up, which involves lowering mana costs and cutting lands, which makes Lynx worse.

[umbowta]

A tension involved with Lynx is that it makes you want to speed your deck up, which involves lowering mana costs and cutting lands, which makes Lynx worse.

My tension involves wanting to Berserk the little kitty and having only Forests in Berserk Stompy. I think I may need to revisit Gwr Berserk Stompy for Wild Nacatl and Steppe Lynx. Having lands be pump spells in a deck like that is pure joy. :cool:

[Hanni]

Not sure if this thread is going to get more attention than the Goyf Sligh or LBoros Landfall threads, but I'll chime in just incase it does.

Steppe Lynx is very powerful in the right deck(s). The deck I've put him in is Sligh. Sligh has already gotten two very strong 1 drop creatures in Wild Nacatl and Goblin Guide, and Steppe Lynx just rounds out the package to the final 3 that it needed. Big/fact 1cc creatures are exactly what Sligh wants for gameplan/curve reasons, and Steppe Lynx delivers. Lynx averages the same 6 damage for 1 mana investment that both Nacatl Guide do, giving the deck the final piece it needed to maximize increased efficiency and consistency.

Each of those 3 creatures mentioned offer something unique and valuable to Sligh. In Lynx's case, it's his explosiveness. The ability to swing as a 4/5 on turn 2 is just huge, and the potential to swing as a 4/5 on turn 3 makes him invaluable. There is the chance that Lynx can wiff, i.e swing as a 2/3 on turn 2, and remain a 0/1 thereafter, but its worth the risk. As long as the deck is built to support it, Lynx should consistently do the same 6 damage for 1 mana that the other two 1 drops average.

Here's the list I've been running, with amazing results so far:

R/w/g Naya Sligh

// Lands
4 [ZEN] Arid Mesa
4 [ON] Wooded Foothills
4 [ON] Bloodstained Mire
1 [ZEN] Scalding Tarn
2 [A] Plateau
2 [R] Taiga
2 [RAV] Mountain (2)

// Creatures
2 [TO] Grim Lavamancer
4 [ZEN] Goblin Guide
4 [ALA] Wild Nacatl
4 [ZEN] Steppe Lynx

// Spells
4 [A] Lightning Bolt
3 [ZEN] Burst Lightning
4 [LG] Chain Lightning
4 [TSP] Rift Bolt
4 [FD] Magma Jet
4 [DLM] Incinerate
4 [VI] Fireblast

// Sideboard
SB: 4 [EX] Price of Progress
SB: 4 [CFX] Path to Exile
SB: 4 [SHM] Vexing Shusher
SB: 3 [TSP] Krosan Grip

I realize that Sligh, in comparison to Zoo, is looked at as the inferior version with a bunch of subpar cards. However, it's so much different than that. The cards, on their own, may be considered shitty, but combined together, create a very strong deck. The deck goldfishes turn 3 very consistently, and is by far the fastest aggro deck in the format. The large amount of burn makes opposing aggro matchups very good, and the large amount of burn gives the deck exceptional reach against everything besides Chalice and Counterbalance. Chalice and Counterbalance (when they resolve) are accepted as losses, and the deck moves on to sideboard games where it gains access to Vexing Shusher and Krosan Grip.

The lack of Goyf may be looked at as most as absurb, but the truth is, Goyf is too slow in Sligh these days 2cc creatures, in general, are too slow for Sligh these days. The soonest they can swing is turn 3 (which is typically the last turn you're worried about attacking), and Goyf often only swings for 3 damage (on turn 3).

Originally, Goyf was a huge improvement to Sligh by giving it some midgame strength to prevent running out of steam, and was (and still is) the most cost efficient p/t creature ever printed, but with the three 1cc creatures that have recently seen play, he's no longer needed for that purpose. The three 1cc creatures add more than enough steam to the deck, and are simply faster and more aggressive, which is exactly what Sligh is designed to be.

[Aleksandr]

I think that we've met each other on MWS.

The deck is insane. Lynx is insane. I won one out of.. nine (?) games, and only with extremely lucky Devastating Dreams. Goldfishing T3 or T4 was not uncommon.

I like the deck, even though the lack of Goyf is strange... But I believe that Goyf (as a creature that cannot attack before T3) is really redundant.

[Atwa]

I've played a few games with that list and I like it.

However, I think I am going to test it with another old favored deck of mine: Terrageddon.

Life from the loam gives you a nice way to ensure land drops every turn and and if you play a little with the Terravore/Knight configuration I guess you can make it even more devastating. Give Lynx +8/+8 every turn? Yes please :)

[Hanni]

I've played a few games with that list and I like it.

However, I think I am going to test it with another old favored deck of mine: Terrageddon.

Life from the loam gives you a nice way to ensure land drops every turn and and if you play a little with the Terravore/Knight configuration I guess you can make it even more devastating. Give Lynx +8/+8 every turn? Yes please :)

That sounds like a really cool deck.

4 Exploration
4 Steppe Lynx
4 Tarmogoyf
3 Terravore
4 Knight of the Reliquary

That looks like a really strong base to start from.

From there, I'd splash either black, red, or blue.

Each of the color splashes offer a tutor for Loam, and I've listed the colors in order of lowest to highest cost. Black offers Entomb, red offers Burning Wish, and blue offers Intuition. I'd limit the 3rd color splash to a very light splash.

Black is the fastest enabler, so if you're looking for the fastest route, blacks your color. You also get Raven's Crime, which is very powerful, and Entomb can also toolbox in Bloodghast/Gigapede/Worm Harvest if you wanted it.

Burning Wish is the middle ground at 2 mana, and can grab Cataclysms, Armaegeddon's, and so forth. This is probably the best option.

Blue is the strongest of the 3, but also the most expensive. Blue grabs your Loam and 2 additional cards, and since the graveyard is essentially your hand in an Intuition/Loam shell, it's a card advantage spell. Grabbing Loam and 2 cycle lands sets up a powerful card draw engine if you have no toolbox cards you want to grab, and Intuition allows the deck to minimize the numbers of certain spells like cycle lands and Wastelands, if necessary, to make room for other spells.

Aside from choosing the tutor option, choosing a disruption package could be important. Red offers very little here, while both blue and black offer disruption packages (discard or countermagic).

The final option to consider, is which color splash offers the best creature control options, outside of what G/W already offers. Red offers Firespout, which is going to be your best mass removal for [small] aggro. Black offers Maelstrom Pulse and Pernicious Deed. Blue... well, blue basically asks that you rely on white for Swords to Plowshares, Oblivion Ring, or Wrath of God.

Anyways, good luck with your approach, Atwa.

[Atwa]

I was actually thinking about the original approach. Keep it W/G, with almost no tutors, since every card will be a bomb. I am testing this list right now, but nothing is set into stone right now:

4 Savannah
4 Windswept Heath
3 Wooded Foothills
3 Forest
1 Plains
3 Wasteland
1 Nantuko Monestry
4 Tranquil Thicket
2 Secluded Steppe

4 Steppe Lynx
4 Birds of Paradise
4 Tarmogoyf
3 Eternal Witness
3 Terravore
1 Knight of the Reliquary
1 Geneses
1 Lotus Cobra (imagine how fast you can recover after an Armageddon)

4 Swords to Plowshares
4 Life from the Loam
3 Armageddon
2 Living Wish
2 Solitary Confinement

SB:
3 Krosan Grip
3 Null Rod
1 Armageddon
1 Solitary Confinement
1 Terravore
1 Knight of the Reliquary
1 Qasali Pridemage
2 Vexing Shusher
1 Wasteland
1 the Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale

I know this change (no mongrel) will make Loam a little slower, but getting Lynx in it's place to provide you with faster beats also gets you a win condition not dependent on the graveyard. I might want to find place for Pridemage MD, but for now I'm going with this list.

[Hanni]

Why Birds of Paradise instead of Exploration?

I really think a splash would be beneficial. I think red for Burning Wish is the route I'd go. Include the standard toolbox, Firespouts in the board. Hell, maybe even 1 Natural Order in the sideboard with 1 Progenitus in the maindeck, who knows (if you decide to play BoP instead of Exploration).

[Atwa]

Singleton Natural Order is actually a pretty good idea, would even be better if the deck still played Mongrel, but I still like it. Birds is purely for after an Armageddon. Most of the time, you won't have 2 lands in your hand when you cast it anyway, so the Exploration won't matter that much.

I am keeping all options open however.

[Atwa]

I've opened a thread about the deck here (http://www.mtgthesource.com/forums/showthread.php?t=15463), so we can keep this thread for purely discussing the card.

[BreathWeapon]

Has any one tried Lynx in a UGW Tempo Threshold shell? I was looking really hard at putting it into a Kurtis Zoo shell instead of Kird Ape or something like that. Maybe Witchbrew, where you could keep the kitty fueled off Top/Confidant.

[troopatroop]

Just thought I'd mention that this card is absolutely nuts with Reckless Charge.

Turn 1 Savannah, Nacatl

Turn 2 Steppe Lynx, Fetchland, Crack it (triggering Landfall twice), Reckless Charge, Attack for 10. You keep both your creatures, and still have a hand. I think Reckless Charge deserves another serious look with Nacatl and Steppe Lynx in the picture. It's a nice increase in speed.

[Forbiddian]

Just thought I'd mention that this card is absolutely nuts with Reckless Charge.

Turn 1 Savannah, Nacatl

Turn 2 Steppe Lynx, Fetchland, Crack it (triggering Landfall twice), Reckless Charge, Attack for 10. You keep both your creatures, and still have a hand. I think Reckless Charge deserves another serious look with Nacatl and Steppe Lynx in the picture. It's a nice increase in speed.

Turn 1 Swords to Plowshares.

Or Daze/Force the reckless charge and you end up way ahead, since he also lost -4/-4 on his Lynx.

It's probably better to lead with the Lynx in that situation, and far more probable. Turn 1 Savannah Nacatl is difficult (needs fetch or Savannah), but if you lead with the Lynx, you could have Savannah or Plateau (or fetch), and after the second fetchland still be able to play the Nacatl.

But either way, the card that makes the play is the (quite unlikely) turn 1 Savannah Nacatl/Lynx, turn 2 Nacatl/Lynx, fetchland. The fact that you reckless charged one isn't all that significant.

[troopatroop]

But either way, the card that makes the play is the (quite unlikely) turn 1 Savannah Nacatl/Lynx, turn 2 Nacatl/Lynx, fetchland. The fact that you reckless charged one isn't all that significant.

Sure it's significant, this is before the games even really begun. Sure they can have answers, STP being the biggest turn 1 worry, but the extra attack step you get in with the Steppe Lynx on any turn past the first is worth it. I realize that opening yourself up to a 2-1 isn't the best thing to do in the game of magic, but at some point it becomes worth it. This deck tends to run out of fetchlands for Lynx quickly, so allowing him to get in there on the second turn, and actually benefit from that turn 2 Fetchland, is tremendously valuable. For all the times your opponent DOESNT have the answer to a hasted Steppe Lynx, you're gonna catch them with their pants down, and begin the game with them at 9-12. Not everyone plays quick targetted removal, and alot of it can be countered with Vines of Vastwood. It makes me want to take another look at Berserk.