[Deck] Zoo

[Oceanus]

I'm pretty new to Zoo but I've been thinking of running a set of Living Wishes in my Sylvan Library slot and dropping 1 Fireblast. I was going to put some mix of Gaddock Teeg, Faerie Macabre, Ethersworn Canonist, Kitchen Finks, Quasali Pridemage, Bojuka Bog and Maze of Ith in the board. Tell me what you think, I'm sure it's at the cost of effeciency and possibly a bad idea overall.

[jandax]

Pridemages should be maindecked, unless you're going about a metagame specific build. Kitchen finks just aren't what the deck needs for 3 mana, Maze of Ith too, unless agian, it's a metagame call.

[Oceanus]

Pridemages should be maindecked, unless you're going about a metagame specific build. Kitchen finks just aren't what the deck needs for 3 mana, Maze of Ith too, unless agian, it's a metagame call.

I'm planning on maindecking 3 Pridemages and sb 1 for the wish. Yeah, Kitchen Finks I'm not too sure about either. Maze of Ith is definately a metagame call. Right now I'm more concerned with the question if Living Wish is a viable option, at all. I've seen some builds running Survival of the Fittest recently, but I'd rather have a toolbox that won't affect the MD as much.

[jandax]

A deck's consistency might be more valuable than a toolbox. I eschewed my SFM toolbox for 3 REB's

You might as well run a Jitte instead of Wish, because that's 2 mana plus whatever spell you fetch to cast. Might as well have an immediate impact on the board

[Curby]

I too have been wondering about increasing the trickiness of the deck while minimizing the impact on its consistency and overall speed. The first option is to up Knight to three and have one each Karakas and Bojuka sideboarded. The other idea was to take out Library and add Fauna Shaman in its place. You're actually increasing threat density while adding the ability to field all of your Goyfs and Knights if you're behind on the field, or find Pridemages if you need removal. The problem is that you can't dig for burn if you need a direct solution, but then Library can only look three deep.

[keys]

A deck's consistency might be more valuable than a toolbox. I eschewed my SFM toolbox for 3 REB's

Are you SBing anything against the mirror/aggro?

[jandax]

Lynxs are great for those matchups. The mirror is so uncommon, and other agro matchups are assisted by removal that I wouldn't change anything in my 75 unless people pick up other decks en mass.

[from Cairo]

Lynxs are great for those matchups. The mirror is so uncommon, and other agro matchups are assisted by removal that I wouldn't change anything in my 75 unless people pick up other decks en mass.

Lynx is great against agro matches?

Where it dies to: a Lavamancer activation, a single Jitte counter, Gempalm w/ 1 Gob on board, and any traditionally used removal (Bolts, Plows, Paths). I'll admit Loam Lion and Kird Ape aren't astronomically better, but Lynx is at it's worst versus agro, your reply didn't make much sense.

I guess if you're just saying that you're the only agro deck in your meta, than I can see your logic in running Lynx and not devoting SB space to agro matches. In an unknown/diverse meta I don't think that's the best plan.

[jandax]

Lynx puts you as the aggressor from the start. All your creatures die to some common form of removal, so getting in there for 4 or 5 before they do is great. Obv they get worse on the draw but the principle is to fight fire with bigger fire. That's just me, though. No one I ever faced was like "Yay! Turn 1 Lynx!" Litterally. That is sort of suspicious...

[Nelis]

You're actually increasing threat density while adding the ability to field all of your Goyfs and Knights if you're behind on the field, or find Pridemages if you need removal.

Should you not call it threat quality (or something)? I mean you have to discard a creature, to get another creature.

And have you tested Fauna Shaman? Because you cant use the mana for other things like burning a creature or whatever i wonder if it wouldn't actually be bad for consistency.

@Jandax I see that you're from Utrecht and I know that Zoo isn't that popular in Holland. But in most metagames it is.
Nobody is happy about a turn 1 Nacatl either so thats not really an issue. A topdecked Lynx is terrible and lynx builds do not win from the non lynx builds.

[Loxodon Baileyarch]

So based on everyone's suggestion, we should start with this metagamed Zoo skeleton:
4x Living Wish
4x Fauna Shaman
4x Wasteland
4x Squadron Hawk
4x Fireblast
4x Stoneforge Mystic
1x Sword of Body and Mind
1x Jitte
1x SOFI

[jandax]

@Jandax I see that you're from Utrecht and I know that Zoo isn't that popular in Holland. But in most metagames it is.
Nobody is happy about a turn 1 Nacatl either so thats not really an issue. A topdecked Lynx is terrible and lynx builds do not win from the non lynx builds.

You got that right, I've been playing legacy for close to a year and I've never sat down across from another Zoo deck. And I never felt a Lynx was a bad topdeck, as I use fetchlands sparingly because i run it so having an extra fetch or two down already in the middle of the game makes it not so dead a draw. Never what I hope for, obviously, but I've been pleased with it so far. Zoo isn't popular here, nor can it sweep any given tournament. It is a deck I enjoy playing while I'm learning this format.

[JCrawl85]

So based on everyone's suggestion, we should start with this metagamed Zoo skeleton:
4x Living Wish
4x Fauna Shaman
4x Wasteland
4x Squadron Hawk
4x Fireblast
4x Stoneforge Mystic
1x Sword of Body and Mind
1x Jitte
1x SOFI

Why would you run Fauna Shaman when Survival of the Fittest strictly better? You can activate Survival more than once a turn, and it's not attached to a body so it can't be burned... I'm still trying to figure out if this post is a joke or not.

[Curby]

It is a joke.

By the way, I was referring to threat density in terms of more creatures to field, when considering Shaman vs Library. And no I haven't tested it. But I wouldn't use 4 in the deck either.

[troopatroop]

This list just got 1st in the Japanese Champs. Big Zoo /w Elspeth.


4xWindswept Heath
4xWooded Foothills
1xArid Mesa
2xTaiga
2xPlateau
1xSavannah
1xTropical Island
1xVolcanic Island
3xWasteland
1xSkarrg, the Rage Pits
1xForest
1xPlains

4xWild Nacatl
3xGrim Lavamancer
3xNoble Hierarch
4xQasali Pridemage
4xTarmogoyf
4xKnight of the Reliquary

4xLightning Bolt
4xChain Lightning
4xPath to Exile
2xSylvan Library
2xElspeth, Knight-Errant

SB:
3xTormod's Crypt
3xRed Elemental Blast
4xMeddling Mage
3xPyroblast
2xKrosan Grip


I think this is serious evidence of Elspeth's impact on the Zoo deck, note the other Zoo in the top 8 also played it. Noble Hierarch sticks out, but I think it makes alot of sense. Casting Elspeth becomes faster, Exalted "wins" the mirror, and Mana is always good. I can imagine him being much better than Kird Ape at least. I really like this list, it seems good in the Mirror and against Countertop. What does every1 think?

[jandax]

This looks like Rubin Zoo of last year's PT that Kibler won; making the main deck bigger and sideboard more resilient. It could be some good tech in a metagame full of ground pounders. Not much more I can contribute, I haven't played the list but I have saved it for future reference. Innovation is necessary

[Deady]

Deck list above looks like a weird shade of a Bant deck without blue I don't see any reasons for this change, since you're basically moving away from the real agressive strategy that Zoo is known for. I also don't see why you'd make your mana base even worse with a single tropical island for a SB Mage. Noble Hierarch for example is never going to be as great as she is in UGW bant/aggro decks where she gives way more options and where she fits perfectly in the whole strategy. I don't know, to me it seems like the above list prays for something that it just isn't.

[troopatroop]

Deck list above looks like a weird shade of a Bant deck without blue

Completely devoid of content.

I don't see any reasons for this change, since you're basically moving away from the real agressive strategy that Zoo is known for.

Again, no content. What changes? Elaborate, don't assume we know what you're talking about

I also don't see why you'd make your mana base even worse with a single tropical island for a SB Mage

There are two blue lands. Volcanic and Trop. Meddling Mage is at least a solid SB card. Do you think otherwise?

Noble Hierarch for example is never going to be as great as she is in UGW bant/aggro decks where she gives way more options and where she fits perfectly in the whole strategy.

Why? Apart from not tapping for Red mana, what is different? Getting more Exalted triggers in the Zoo deck is good, and she accelerates this deck just as well as Bant for the most part. I would contest that certain lines of play feature Hierarch helping this deck just as much as she does bant.

I don't know, to me it seems like the above list prays for something that it just isn't.

Winning a massive tournament in Japan proves that the deck is very good. Maybe you're just stuck in your ways.

[nodahero]

Actually it does not prove that in the least.

For simplicity sake let us imagine a meta game of 15 decks composed of all islands and this deck... clearly it will win... Yes I understand I am over simplifying it but the point is it really does not prove a single thing. It could easily be a statistical anamoly or he could have picked the right deck for the meta.... Simple as that.

[jandax]

Lesson to all those who want to improve their game: Don't think like Deady