[Deck] RGW Muraganda Zoo

[TheDrunkDwarf]

I always liked the petroglyphs, but I haven't seen them used in any (even somewhat) competative deck so far. Heres my shot at it:

4 Savannah Lions
4 Isamaru, Hound of Konda
4 Blade of the Sixth Pride
4 Call of the Herd
4 Watchwolf

4 Muraganda Petroglyphs
3 Aura Shards
3 Orim's Chant
4 Lightning Helix
4 Lightning Bolt

3 Vitu-Ghazi, the City Tree
4 Wooded Foothills
4 Windswept Heath
1 Taiga
2 Plateau
2 Savannah
3 Plains
1 Mountain
2 Forest

So it basically plays like a fast weenie deck. A full 20 slots are devoted completely to fast, efficient creatures (1 or 2 cc), all of which benefit from the petroglyph.

The shards and chant I havnt gotten a chance to test very well, but they seem like they would help force down a glyph or stall combo, with the shards acting as utility (and card advantage in some cases). I run the helixes and bolts over swords for clock speed. This deck stomps random aggro decks, especially if they cant deal with a glyph (turning all your lions, herds and wolves into 4/3s and 5/5 is just about unstoppable).

The deck packs some card advantage in the form of the city tree (which will put out 3/3s with the glyph) and the herd.

At this point im looking for suggestions for the deck as well as some help testing.

PS: This used to be GW, running hurricanes and swords instead of the burn.

[boris23]

i like how you have the petrogyphs its the first deck i saw with one in there but i dont like blade of the sixth pride that much theres better 2 drops for that slot or ones i would rather play on turn 2

[Nihil Credo]

I'm not seeing the point of Aura Shards. Do you really expect to need multiple Disenchants each game? A better idea might be to run Enlightened Tutor (or even Sterling Grove) and throw in a Seal of Cleansing/Primordium in the maindeck.

Muraganda Petroglyphs costs 4, which is very high compared to your curve. Have you tried running some sort of accleration? I know Birds of Paradise and the like doesn't get the Petroglyph pump, but they're still good cards.

Since you already splash red, Kher Keep is probably worth at least one of the Vitu-Ghazi slots. You get 2/3s instead of 3/3s, but at almost half the cost.

And finally, morphs get the Petroglyphs bonus. Given that your curve already goes to four, Exalted Angel (and maybe even Hystrodon) could be worth testing. If you can flip it, great. If not, you still have a 4/4 for 3.

[TheDrunkDwarf]

boris: What 2 drop do you suggest? Blade seems nice to me cause its only 1 colored mana, its got a nice 3 power and its vanilla for the glyphs.

Nihil: Yes I see you point. I was actually already considering the tutor and maybe a small toolbox. I completely forgot about kher keep, which certainly seems better than the city tree.

[Iranon]

Maybe I'm missing something... but isn't this just a horrible, horrible way of obtaining oversized creatures, sort of a tribe wannabe?


A well-built zombie deck sports equally efficient weenies and Undead Warchief looks plain sweeter than the Petroglyphs. There's also a secondary mass pump in Lord of the Undead (it only gives +2/+1 but most of the zombies have a higher toughness than their equivalents here anyway). They could either splash to mimic the rest of this deck's functionality or stay in black for their disruptive elements.

Slivers have a large edge in versatility, and likewise don't need to give up threats for the mass pump.

[shteev]

boris: What 2 drop do you suggest? Blade seems nice to me cause its only 1 colored mana, its got a nice 3 power and its vanilla for the glyphs.

Raise The Alarm seems reasonable enough without the glyphs, and awesome when it's in play.

[TheDrunkDwarf]

Maybe I'm missing something... but isn't this just a horrible, horrible way of obtaining oversized creatures, sort of a tribe wannabe?


A well-built zombie deck sports equally efficient weenies and Undead Warchief looks plain sweeter than the Petroglyphs. There's also a secondary mass pump in Lord of the Undead (it only gives +2/+1 but most of the zombies have a higher toughness than their equivalents here anyway). They could either splash to mimic the rest of this deck's functionality or stay in black for their disruptive elements.

Slivers have a large edge in versatility, and likewise don't need to give up threats for the mass pump.
Now I dont have much experience with zombie tribal decks, but from what I can think of this deck would kill several turns faster. In addition to having more flexible burn (again, not sure if this zombie deck would be mono black or what) this deck certainly comes out of the gates faster, packed with many 1 or 2 drops (more efficient than any zombie counterparts most likley). Petroglyphs simply gives the deck some lategame by beefing up threats. Its a house against aggro that cant remove it, and can often act as a finisher by playing glyphs + alpha strike.

Maybe you could post the zombie deck your referring to?

[Elfrago]

Jitte

It turns vanilla guys into monsters.
Also tutorable with Enlightened Tutor

[Cavius The Great]

I like this idea. I have a deck that abuses Petroglyphs as well but it has a more combo approach to it. Everything in the deck looks decent except for one thing. Isn't Kjeldoran Outpost better than the City Tree? That's all I have for now.

[neoryujin]

The Populate mechanic from Return to Ravnica (and the 3/3 Centaurs) seems to be a good addition to this deck.

Call of the Conclave
Druid's Deliverance
Rootborn Defenses
Selesnya Charm
Wayfaring Temple (with Rancor)

Imagine them with:
Blade Splicer (the Blade Splicer needs to die for Muraganda Petroglyphs to pump the golem, but the golems can be populated as well. And Druid's Deliverance & Rootborn Defenses can make this pretty nasty...)
Call of the Herd
Echoing Courage! (with a couple of 3/3 Centaurs, Elephants or Golems. Sort of a cheap, one time Petroglyphs effect)

Just good:
Noble Hierarch (fix your mana, casting Petroglyphs one turn earlier + Exalted for your 3/3 Creatures)
Watchwolf
Leatherback Baloth
Swords to Plowshares


For the one drop:
Sarcomancy (also populatable. Splicing Black, though. Then again, you gain access to Abrupt Decay)


How's that? Does this make the deck any better?



EXTRA: SUBTHEME: Elf Tokens (Muraganda Petroglyphs pumps all the Elf tokens & Insect tokens)

LLanowar Elves
Wirewood Hivemaster
Imperious Perfect
Elvish Promenade
Hunting Triad
Elvish Archdruid
Timberwatch ElF
, etc.

[Richard Cheese]

Could also run GSZ + Dryad Arbor. This would provide you some amount of ramp, plus surprise 3/3 blockers.

The problem here is that you're assuming you have Petroglyphs in play to make a bunch of small to medium vanilla beaters into bigger vanilla beaters.

[neoryujin]

I think the vanillas are quite good by themselves (3/3 for two mana, 4/5 for 3 mana, Call of the Herd has flashback, Blade Splicer produce a 3/3 first striker + 1/1 chump blocker) with the Populate spells, perhaps it gains some more time (of course, if they don't remove your last token as a response)

Petroglyphs is on the top curve, if it comes & stays (note: can't be Abrupt Decayed), then your opponent's is in trouble. (even two 5/5s are no joke, right? Even less so with first strike (golem), I think?)

Of course, due to the many non-creature spells, this is weak against Thalia, so cheap removal is necessary.

[Darkenslight]

Could also run GSZ + Dryad Arbor. This would provide you some amount of ramp, plus surprise 3/3 blockers.

Doesn't work. the Arbor has a mana ability. Petroglyphs explicitly states "No abilities".

[slave]

Now I dont have much experience with zombie tribal decks, but from what I can think of this deck would kill several turns faster.

I've used quite a few black decks - and a simple suite of Cabal Therapy & another 4 to 6 of Inquisition of Kozilek/Duress/Thoughtsieze/Hymn to Tourach goes quite a long way to stripping their hand of threats, or forcing them to use up their counter. Considering creatures like Gravecrawler continually give you a sac outlet, Therapy can be a big speedbump to whatever their strategy may be, making zombies quite effective, even though they may be a little slower.

That said, RGW does have toys.
I LOVE Carpet of Flowers for the Sideboard against blue.

Also, although Aura SHards is a nice control card, I like Nature's Claim (maybe even Reverant Silence) as ways to surprise your opponent, and to be able to get around counter (think Daze, Spell Pierce).
Aura Shards comes in fairly late against combo decks like Omniscience, at which point their counter costs nothing....., and is much harder to play around Daze.
I'd want a way to nuke things that comes out 1st or 2nd turn - Aura SHards is gonna be killing stuff on 4th turn on most occasions, right when you'd rather be playing your own main threats.