I love it when my tech catches on. :)
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I love it when my tech catches on. :)
the sideboard i ran for that tournament was:
3x EE
2x KGrip
3x tormod's crypt
3x Teeg
1x Jitte
3x Price of Progress
for the record lion designed the deck 75/75 i just ran it.
Official warning issued for failure to use capitalization. -zilla
my sb:
1 relic of progenitus
3 ravenous trap
2 faerie macabre
1 burrenton forge tender
2 pithing needle
2 krosan grip
1 jitte
3 mindbreak trap
i run 2 teegs main tho and meta has a lot of GY decks like reanimator and dredge.
obv is not the board id run at a major tournament
Official warning issued for failure to use capitalization. -zilla
Why do you run Teeg and Ravenous Trap instead of using Crypt? I mean Teeg shuts down your Trap...
When playing this list http://www.deckcheck.net/deck.php?id=31526 that won SCG Dallas how would you side against merfolks (monoblue)?
Sideboard:
2 Gaddock Teeg
1 Knight of the Reliquary
1 Ancient Grudge
1 Lightning Helix
3 Mindbreak Trap
2 Ravenous Trap
2 Red Elemental Blast
1 Tormod's Crypt
2 Umezawa's Jitte
I guess REB is obvious, Teeg shuts down Force, Helix is good, anything else? And what cards to you take out from the main deck? Apes?
I don't use Teeg vs. them.
I would use: 2 Jitte, 2 REB, and maybe a Helix, and/or grudge (to hit vial). I would remove things like POP and fireblast from the main. I would also remove any 3cc such as KoTR. I would then remove Kird Ape and FoD and/or lightning helix (2color requirements are not that cool).
You need to maintain a reasonable amount of creatures to equip with Jitte, and be easy on your manabase because they have waste/stifle/daze. Short of getting hosed by a vial standstill opening you should have a walk in the park.
EDIT: I always take out MD PoP's vs. them considering I normally have at least 3/4 cards I want to bring in.
+ 2 REB (obvious)
+ 2 Jitte (wins when unanswered and can Disenchant their Jitte)
- 1 Gaddock Teeg (only shutting down FoW is not enough, all of your creatures should run over Silvergill Adept)
- 1 Fireblast (they bring in 4 BEB and you also want to shoot their creatures not their head)
- 2 KotR (good but too tough to play against Stifle, Waste and Daze)
White Kird Ape
Loam Lion W
Gets +1/+2 as long as you control a Forest.
1/1
http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showthread.php?t=214957
Could this get any play at all?
I am currently with this build:
4 Taiga
3 Plateau
1 Savannah
1 Mountain
1 Forest
4 Wooded Foothills
4 Arid Mesa
3 Windswept Heath
4 Wild Nacatl
4 Kird Ape
4 Qasali Pridemage
4 Tarmogoyf
3 Grim Lavamancer
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Chain Lightning
4 Path to Exile
3 Lightning Helix
3 Fireblast
2 Sylvan Library
Sideboard:
3 Gaddock Teeg
3 Ethersworn Canonist
3 Sulfuric Vortex
2 Ravenous Trap
2 Tormod's Crypt
2 Krosan Grip
I'm not sure to swap Kird Ape for Steppe Lynx, anyone can explain their own experience. If finally I switch them up, would be necessary to add two or three copies of Knight of Reliquary? Thanks!
Im playing with the Steppe Lynx 12 Fetches, Lot of times when having the lynx in start hand the opponents have to take care of it by early removal for it or take lots of damage. He has been nothing but great for me. Taking peoples Hp far lower then anything else that could been drawn durring the early games. I dont run any Knight of the reliqaury or woolly Thocter but instead using Figure of destiny.
I think to make the Lynx extremely effective, you have to play Sylvan and be aggressive with it. Dropping fetches and swinging for 4 is something that Kird Ape never did for me. In testing against lands, Lynx has won me games by getting my opponent within burn range before they stabilize. I think the same holds true in some of the Counterbalance matchups. They are going to get Countertop online and it's almost impossible to sneak anything by a decent player, so we have to be as aggressive as possible with our builds. Lynx is the missing boost we needed for the first 3 turns.
Playing with Sylvan Library as well. Geting a Lynx and a sylvan in play is awesome. Keep geting the fetches for it to do 12+ damage.
I have been testing steppe lynx a little bit in the deck and I do really like the interaction between fetch + lynx + library as well. I concur with any others that have found the card to be great.
IMO Loam lion is not good. Maybe it is my playstyle, but I like to have my red mana available early for removal (as PTE is usually better late in the game, while bolt shines earlier). Loam lion encourages savannah, like others have said. If a deck kills a kird ape with BEB, it isn't an absolutely atrocious trade, as they both take a single mana. I believe that proper mulliganing decisions (such as making sure I have a plethora of threats in my opener against a BEB control deck like countertop) are better to learn than replacing ape with lion.
Steppe Lynx is risky but I think a very interesting spin on the deck. I don't think we should lie to ourselves, we will be in the aggro role most of the time, and steppe lynx gets your opponent frightened in a hurry. If your opponent ends up removing him, can you really ask for any more for a single W mana creature? If you have written the card off, I think now is the time to test it.
I've been playing with Lynx since it came out, and it's been better than Kird Ape. It wins games that Kird Ape wouldn't have. I also strongly encourage everyone to try Reckless Charge out with Steppe Lynx. It maximizes the number of Fetchland uses you get out of Lynx, which can be a huge problem if you're just low on lands. The increase in speed has won games for me against storm. It's better than burn in some matchups, because you get an extra attack step in with the creature, and a threat after the fact too. It works with Nacatl, Goyf, and Pridemage as well. I doubt many players would see it coming at all. I played a deck like this at a local tournament, faced two Dredge, Affinity, and Merfolk to go 4-0. Not terribly significant, but It's a welcomed increase in speed for Sligh. I've really enjoyed it.
I'll give Steppe Lynx a chance next time I play and post my opinion.
Quote:
I also strongly encourage everyone to try Reckless Charge out with Steppe Lynx. It maximizes the number of Fetchland uses you get out of Lynx, which can be a huge problem if you're just low on lands. The increase in speed has won games for me against storm. It's better than burn in some matchups, because you get an extra attack step in with the creature, and a threat after the fact too. It works with Nacatl, Goyf, and Pridemage as well. I doubt many players would see it coming at all. I played a deck like this at a local tournament, faced two Dredge, Affinity, and Merfolk to go 4-0. Not terribly significant, but It's a welcomed increase in speed for Sligh. I've really enjoyed it.
I really dislike the potential of getting card/tempo disadvantage from Reckless Charge, although it happen to work well in the match-ups you played probably due to their lack of spot removal (Dredge, Affinity, and Merfolk).
For example: I play a creature, Reckless Charge said creaturee, and the creature gets removed in response. Going 2 for 1 defines a big part of the game (this would technically 1.5 to 1 due to flashback).
I'll give Steppe Lynx a chance next time I play and post my opinion.
I see what you're saying, and the STP argument is obvious, but it actually assumes alot.
1. Your opponent has to be playing it
2. Your opponent has to draw it
3. Your opponent has to have mana to play it
4. You're playing into it
It's my opinion, that if you simply try to pick your spots well with Reckless Charge, you'll end up ahead in the long run. Getting an extra attack step in is amazing.
Maybe it has been discussed already, but I couldn't find entries to "mirror" in the search.
What is SB plan to mirror match? I mean, in a Zoo-heavy meta, what's best SB options.
I side in 3 EE and my second Jitte for 2 Kird Apes and 2 Chain Lightnings. Chain really blows in the mirror match since they can kill your guys too, and Kird ape doesn't trade with anything, so it's not really useful. For people who don't play EE on their sideboard, I'm going to assume you have STP on your board so you bring that in. It's not really worth it to bring in graveyard hate since you have your own goyfs and you want to minimize dead cards at all costs.
Edit//I've had some requests for my current list/board. It hasn't really changed since my top4 Vestal list, so here's that;
3rd Place - Harry Matten Gillen
4 Wild Nacatl
2 Kird Ape
3 Figure of Destiny
3 Grim Lavamancer
4 Tarmogoyf
4 Qasali Pridemage
2 Knight of the Reliquary
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Lightning Helix
2 Chain Lightning
4 Path to Exile
2 Sylvan Library
1 Umezawa's Jitte
3 Plateau
3 Taiga
1 Savannah
3 Arid Mesa
3 Windswept Heath
3 Wooded Foothills
2 Horizon Canopy
1 Plains
1 Forest
1 mountain
sb
3 Engineered Explosives
1 Umezawa's Jitte
3 Gaddock Teeg
3 Tormod's Crypt
3 Price of Progress
2 Krosan Grip
This is the basic list I almost always work from.
I still don't understand why people aren't embracing steppe lynx it is infinity better than kird ape early game. Although it is a bad top deck late game, kird ape really isn't much better.
Steppe Lynx is good only when you get a flooded draw, he sucks when you draw a good amount of gas (spells).
Kird Ape is almost always 2/3 and if he isn't you should not have kept that hand.
Edit: oh and Kird ape can occasionally block while Lynx cant even block a Lackey and survive (unless you're leaving it + fetchland back...)
Searing Blaze :r::r:
Instant
Searing Blaze deals 1 damage to target player and 1 damage to target creature that player controls.
Landfall - If you had a land enter the battlefield under your control this turn, Searing Blaze deals 3 damage to that player and 3 damage to that creature instead.
Has anyone tried this yet? Since people are moving towards running Steppe Lynx and building their lists to accomodate it, it seems like the Landfall wouldn't be hard to get. Kill your blocker and deal three to you seems incredibly strong. This has to be better than Lightning Helix, at the very least.
This is false. Steppe Lynx needs two fetchlands to deal 8 damage, for a 1 mana investment. If you're getting in there for that much damage with a one drop, its done the job already. Three lands isn't land flood. If anything, this a benefit to running Steppe Lynx. It makes land heavy draws less painful, and Fetchlands better in general.Quote:
Steppe Lynx is good only when you get a flooded draw
Okay? So what. This deck has a stellar Goblins matchup, and tons of other1cc removal to kill Lackey. Be reminded that Zoo is almost always the beatdown deck. I would gladly trade Kird Ape's abilities on defense for Steppe Lynx's abilities on offense.Quote:
Kird ape can occasionally block while Lynx cant even block a Lackey
It looks pretty good but I see 2 problems:
- You can't cast it when your opponent offers no target, that is bad against quite a lot of decks.
- I also can imagine that if you have a draw with T1 Nacatl, T2 Pridemage , T3 Goyf and only 3 lands it either screw up your curve or you won't be able to cast for the full 3 damage.
Your opponent having no creatures is an excellent position for you to be in. Searing Blaze is bad in good situations and good in bad situations. That's a pretty strong reason to run a card.
Obviously you board it out against creatureless decks.
If you have that hand, you probably don't need Searing Blaze to win. Zoo runs 20-21 lands, it's not like you're not going to draw them.
In your above example, you could always hold that third land until next turn since you don't need it to play goyf.
Most importantly if that third land is a fetch you can just not crack it. Why would you crack it anyway?
[QUOTE=Kuma;424477]Your opponent having no creatures is an excellent position for you to be in. Searing Blaze is bad in good situations and good in bad situations. That's a pretty strong reason to run a card.
I dont know about all that, The creatureless decks I run into are always nightmare match-ups :
Dream Halls - Storm combo (any kind almost) - Belcher - Enchantress (no targets besides Sigil tokens) - or 43/38 lands..
In all those match-ups Helix is far superior, I also would have to argue the mana base this card brings, My current zoo list is running 22 lands with 12 Fetchs , 8 Sources , and 2 Canopy.. and I still have trouble getting 2 red early in the game. This card is strong enough for extended, but even then, Punishing fire is more effecient..
Tendrils of Agony, Life from the Loam and Nimble Mongoose would like to have a word with you.
Especially with the Lynx in the deck, I think it'll be much harder to get the Landfall online, if you want to play it instant.
Nevertheless this card really is interesting, just because the effect is THAT powerful. In my opinion the problem is, that it's powerful in MUs that are already in Zoos favour (read: against decks that run lots of creatures with < 3 toughness). It doesn't help the XX.Lands/Combo/Prison MU at all, on the contrary, you now play more dead cards preboard. And I think those are the MUs one should focus on improving.
I didn't say that creatureless decks were good matchups, I said that your opponent not having blockers is a good situation to be in. These are two very different concepts. Like I said earlier, obviously you side out Searing Blaze against those decks. It's worth taking a small hit against already bad matchups to improve your matchup against most of the rest of the decks in the format.
Lightning Helix is better in those matchups, but to say it's far superior is disingenuous. Lightning Helix isn't doing anything to make those matchups favorable. You're losing those matchups whether you run Lightning Helix or Searing Blaze.
Are you serious?
You're telling me it's no problem to get :r::w: early in the game, but that :r::r: is hard?
*pfft*
Zoo's mana base is based around mountains and fetching cards with the mountain type. If anything, :r::r: should be easier to get.
And Lightning Helix does what about these cards?
Virtually every other creature in the format would like to have a word with you.
What are you talking about? You could easily use it to clear out blockers for your Steppe Lynx while hitting your opponent for even more damage. Or you could play a land in your precombat main phase and trade your Kird Ape for their Tarmogoyf in combat while bolting them. It suffers a little during their turn, but this is a proactive card, not a reactive one. It's also card advantage neutral in many situations unlike the rest of the burn in Zoo.
What does Lightning Helix do against any of those decks?
We're talking about a tiny hit to a few already poor matchups to improve nearly every other matchup we could face. If we were talking about taking a hit in matchups that are 50/50ish to improve a similar number of matchups that are 75/25, you'd have a case, but I don't think that's what is happening here.
Exactely what you would want any red spell to do in that MU: Speed up your clock. Should be good in an aggressive deck.
Yeah, my point is that the Landfall pretty much depreciates it to sorcery speed, if you`ve a Lynx. Furthermore if you hold back lands in your hand in case you draw a Lynx and you draw this burn, you'll have to play that land and consequently weaken all Lynx you might draw in the future. Bottom line: although it might seem counter intuitional, Lynx and Blaze are antisynergie.
That is IF you have a land drop, making the deck even more unreliable.Some peolpe refuse to play Lynx, because he makes the deck less streamlined and the cat is way more powerful than a burn spell. If you play up to 8 Landfall cards, you'll lose games, just because you didn't draw your fourth land. Hell, I lost games because I didn't draw my fifth land with a Lynx on the table.
So:
- Bad in already bad MUs
- Antisynergie with Lynx
- Makes the deck less reliable
- Usually a bad topdeck
I understand that.
My point is those matchups are awful and Lightning Helix does little to change that. If you were really concerned about making those matchups better game one, you'd maindeck Gaddock Teeg and/or Jotun Grunt.
I didn't know landfall and Steppe Lynx collectively stop you from playing a fully powered Searing Blaze in your combat phase. Good to know.
No, they're not antisynergistic. Both cards benefit from landfall triggers, and are actually fantastic when drawn together. What happens if you never draw the Steppe Lynx you're holding back lands for? If you run Searing Blaze, there are more cards in your deck that can make those held back lands useful.
I'm sorry, but the above situations are much more likely to happen than topdecking a Lynx and have it be slightly weaker because you played a Searing Blaze a turn or two turn before. The above situations are also likely to be much more beneficial than your worst case scenario is bad.
It's so hard to trigger Landfall in a deck with 21-22 lands, 12 of which are fetchlands.
What little you lose in consistency, you more than make up for in raw power. Also, you need one landfall once to make a Searing Blaze effective. Lynx requires lots of landfall triggers to be fully effective.
I'm sure you can appreciate the difference.
I've also never advocated running Searing Blaze in Zoo lists that don't run Steppe Lynx.
So what? Most cards in Zoo are bad in it's worst matchups. That's why those decks are the worst matchups.
Not true.
Barely. And it makes it a lot more powerful.
Really? The topdeck defense? There should be some sort of Godwin's Law equivalent for if your argument about why a card is bad is based on it being a bad topdeck. We could have an equivalent law for people arguing for cards being good because they pitch to Force of Will.
The funny thing is it isn't that bad of a topdeck, especially if you're holding back lands like you suggest. It's no Tarmogoyf, but still...
THANK YOU. This one of the most annoying fallacy-like things ever and people keep mindlessly repeating it like it makes any kind of sense. I was thinking of starting a thread.
That said, I don't see why this isn't a valid argument. Some cards are good when you topdeck them in the lategame, and other cards aren't. There's no reason why a card being bad in this situation shouldn't be a valid mark against it. Usually, cards which nonetheless end up being included counterbalance this by being very good in other situations. And that said, in this specific case, you can, as you said, just hold back some fetchlands.Quote:
Really? The topdeck defense? There should be some sort of Godwin's Law equivalent for if your argument about why a card is bad is based on it being a bad topdeck.
I should amend my statement to say "entirely" or "largely" based on the card in question being a bad topdeck.
Yes, being a bad topdeck is a mark against a card, but a small one. I'm just tired of seeing people dismiss cards because they're bad topdecks. If being a bad topdeck was enough reason to dismiss a card, well, could you imagine Survival without Squee, Goblin Nabob or Cephalid Breakfast without Dragon Breath?
How is it much more likely to happen, that you draw multiple of your 8 Landfall cards in the deck at the same time, than in a row? My point is, that the lands you're holding back are a resource. No matter on which Landfall card you spend them on, they are spent and thus weaken the other Landfall cards you might draw afterwards.
Even if you have Blaze and Lynx in hand and run out of lands, you might have to play the Blaze (because you have the Landfall right now), instead of spending the mana on a Goyf/Library... I think beeing dependent on Landfall limits your options.
It's not very hard to trigger Landfall, it's just hard to trigger it multiple turns in a row. Even with 21/22 lands. Especially if 12 of them are fetchlands.
True, but I'm not convinced, that the benefit in other MUs really is that heavy.
Yeah, same old reasoning =) And I see how that can be applied to CB (or any counter/discardspell, really). My point is, that Helix never is a bad topdeck (read: always does something), while the Blaze can easily be one.
Well, I'm going to test the Blaze intensely because the effect seems really powerful. Just don't see it working out, but I'll gladly eat my words! Whatever makes this deck more powerful is highly welcome.