Originally Posted by
Obfuscate Freely
Those of us from NoVa who played Zoo in Philly (there were four of us in total) played a pair of Vines of Vastwood in the sideboard. They were primarily intended to be boarded in against other Zoo decks, and generally did their job pretty well.
The mirror match almost always revolves around drawing, and in turn removing, Tarmogoyfs, Thoctars, and Knights. This is because they are the only creatures large enough to attack profitably, and because they are difficult to remove with burn spells. This is why boarding additional Swords/Path effects is a viable way to improve the matchup.
Vines of Vastwood is another way to gain an edge on this front, since it protects your fatties from your opponent's removal spells. It can also act as a pseudo-removal spell itself, by buffing up a smaller creature to outmatch your opponent's fatty in combat, although such a play can open you up to a two-for-one.
When played intelligently, a Vines will at the very least draw out another removal spell, which will open the door for the next fatty you play. In the best case, an opponent will wait until your attack to attempt to remove your creature (after all, this is often the correct play), and a kicked Vines will totally blow them out. Either way, the card is relevant to what is most important in the matchup.
