[Modern] ZOO A brief tutorial on Modern Zoo deckbuilding. v1.3.0
Updated 9/8/2011
More updates coming soon...
"Meow"
INTRO:
Traditionally, Zoo is a hyper-aggressive build that abuses the potential of undercosted, self-buffing weenies alongside burn and utility. Naya Zoo (the core of a Zoo build) is among the fastest aggro archetypes in the Modern format, and it almost certainly has the biggest toolbox. Thanks to the Ravnica Shocklands and Zendikar enemy Fetches, nothing substantial is lost from Legacy Zoo builds. One of the key components to Zoo's success is the general lack of a single, game-breaking card to draw hate, but rather a team of incredibly effecient creatures that maintain board advantage. With Zoo, efficiency is the name of the game.
THE CORE:
There are 6 creatures that essentially make up the core of Naya Zoo in this format.
It’s easy to see what these cards have in common: they have built-in growth or utility. They do not require the use of pump spells, equipment, or auras, because they take care of it themselves in combination with Fetches, Duals, and Burn. The best thing about that? You want to play all of those cards, anyway. There’s absolutely no downside.
As a result, you’ve got plenty of room in your deck for utility. Most utility cards in Naya Zoo are meant to be flexible: Deal with blockers/threats or smack your opponent’s dome. This is best accomplished through the use of burn, and most commonly:
Important Note:
There's a little combo, perhaps you've heard of it, known as Punishing Grove. It is a 2-card combo (Punishing Fire and Grove of the Burnwillows) that functions as a never-ending weenie-removal engine, or a continuous net dmg to player of 1 per use. You will see this combo in a variety of Zoo builds, including many of the most successful.
And since we have White, many like to include the removal staples:
Some prefer Tectonic Edge to Ghost Quarter because of tempo loss. Because Zoo runs on a low curve, I find the latter to be slightly better, particularly against decks like 12-post.
Purely aggressive builds work best with 26-32 creatures, 7-12 burn/utility, 21-22 lands including each of the Naya Shocklands, 2 playsets of Naya-colored enemy fetchlands, and a combination of Naya basics.
Mid-range builds (really on the low side of mid-range) work best with 22-26 creatures, 12-14 burn/utility, 22-24 lands.
THE WIN:
The goal is to sneak in with your 2/3, 3/3, 4/5 self-buffed critters turns 2-5 while your opponent is scrambling to set up his/her board. Clear out blockers with removal/burn and bolt your opponent’s face for the win. The clock is usually 4-5 turns. Your strategy is simple; your method is as visceral as the feral creatures in your zoo. Me smash things. If you prefer long, cerebral, soul-searching games (See Death and Taxes), this deck is not for you. It wins or it runs out of gas.
The following cards represent the makeup of flexible slots in Naya Zoo decklists.
WWW Ranger of Eos - Some swear by this card, I find him too little too late. Turn 4 is generally the kill turn. I like him sideboarded for slower matchups or against removal/sweep-heavy decks.
Steppe Lynx - Seems to make a good deal of sense in Zoo, but can be less reliable than Kird Ape, Wild Nacatl, Loam Lion. When he connects with a couple of Fetchlands/KotR, he is deadly.
Isamaru, Hound of Konda - Ehh, no. If he wasn't Legendary, yes. Even then he's actually weaker than Nacatl/Ape 90% of the time.
RRR Goblin Guide - Looking to fill that last 1-drop slot in Zoo? Sure, why not Goblin Guide? He's everything you want in hyper-aggro. Downside is barely a downside. 2 damage on turn 1 is nothing to scoff at, and he sticks around to continue beating, unlike, say, Bolt.
Grim Lavamancer - Has proven success in Legacy, so he deserves consideration. I generally prefer aggro 1-drops, but with all the fetches, burn and removal hitting the yard, I imagine he won't run out of gas. Synergy with KotR is good and bad. More food for lavamancer, less power for knights.
Punishing Fire While Lightning Bolt and Lightning Helix are (generally) non-negotiable, Punishing Fire is often used in combination with Grove of the Burnwillows. A powerful combo that further prohibits opponents' board development, clears blockers, and nets 1 dmg per use.
Rift Bolt - Not a bad play, necessarily. More damage than you could incur on turn two with a creature, but substantially weaker than traditional Bolt or Helix. This could see play in mid-range decks or decks that lean toward RDW. Sorcery means likely +1/+1 for yer goyf
Tribal Flames - Used in 4c or 5c Zoo lists where it really shines. Most commonly found in Dark Zoo lists.
Lava Spike - Closest you can really get to another Lightning Bolt, though it lacks instant speed and doesn't target creatures. Much like Rift Bolt, when this hits the yard, it's likely going to pump your goyf. Most utility cards in Zoo are Instants.
Noble Hierarch - Mana-fixer and ramp, exalted, 1-drop. Turn 2 kotrs, makes bloodbraids more accessible.
Skinshifter - Possible budget replacement for goyf or KotR in more casual builds. Possibly more effective because of his evasion in SFM variants as a sword-carrier where he can benefit from protection. He turns into a Rhino, a Bird, and a Plant, so I want very badly to put him in my Zooo, but the fact that you have to invest mana into him each turn to make him effective makes him less appealing than goyf. Nevertheless, I'm going to test a Naya Cage-blade Zoo variant. (Because he looks like Nick Cage, duh)
Lotus Cobra - Fetches + KotR = lots of ramp. But where to put all that mana? Probably better in Big Zoo.
Beast Within - This card has superior alternatives in White, and fortunately we're playing White.
123 Aether Vial - Controversial. Many would include this card, but many others believe it's less effective than a Nacatl turn 1. Because this deck can effectively be played with 1-3 lands on the board, Vial is, in many ways, unnecessary, and it can actually slow you down or clog up your hand. The card's purpose is to A: Free up mana (less useful in a format with fewer outlets), and B: Allow one to cast creature spells at instant speed. Both of these advantages can be considered defensive, and the deck is predominantly an offensive one. Pro results beg to differ with me in some cases, and, while I defer to them, I want to see how Modern develops before I put it into my decklists. This card is a target, and you can count on meta hate piling up on it.
RGW Figure of Destiny - Excellent, versatile 1-drop. Probably the most common alternative in his slot. Permanently and instantly makes himself bigger and better. Great place to put extra mana, and because Zoo has such a low curve, there's often extra mana.
Gaddock Teeg - Has a good deal of built-in utility for a 2-drop, but feels better in sideboard against controllish decks, much like Dauntless Escort.
Kitchen Finks - Extraordinarily resilient and useful card. Negates effects of Shocklands, which can be helpful against other aggro decks. Almost always nets the full 4 life and squeaks in an attack or a block or both.
Land: Ghost Quarter - As I've been looking around at decklists, and playtesting it a bit myself, this card is better than Tectonic Edge in this deck. It stops land-based combos, it can create mana-fixing issues for opponents running 3-colors, it feeds KotR, it doesn't discriminate based on type, it can be a Strip Mine in some cases because most competitive decks in the format are running, oh, 5 or so basics. It's downright good.
Grove of the Burnwillows - This card is a beast in combination with Punishing Fire, and it is frequently maindecked. In Zoo it should never be used without Punishing Fire. Ever.
BBB Dark Confidant - Bob, as he is usually called, generates card advantage very early on, and swings for 2. He fits Zoo for a couple of reasons: He's incredibly efficient, and he fixes the stalling issues that most Zoo lists face around turns 4-5 in the event that the game hasn't ended yet. He is good enough to be worth building around, and found in many competitive lists.
BUDGET ALTERNATIVES:
Courtesy of kidlantern
Below is an explanation of the value of Tarmogoyf in Zoo, budget replacement options we have at our disposal, and why they're all worse than goyf...
I'm tempted to call the 8/9 goyf Captain Planet, actually.
VARIANTS:
***Courtesy of slipknot72102***
Please note that many of these decklists have not been updated from their pre-banlist forms (most notably the presence of Jitte in just about every list.) Decklists will be modified as testing results come in. Updates coming...
Here is the deck that made Top 8 in PT Philly 2011, Modern. Mid-range with control elements, notably Bant Charm and sideboard. While the deck runs only 18 creatures, that number is really 22 with 4 copies of GSZ.
there is a loam list, and shift zoo can be removed because it is now banned.
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In life all we can do is try to make things better. Sitting lost in old ways and fearing change only makes us outdated and ignorant.
Peace cannot be kept by force. It can only be achieved by understanding.
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Millions of innocent men, women and children, since the introduction of Christianity, have been burnt, tortured, fined and imprisoned; yet we have not advanced one inch towards uniformity.
What card was banned? And can you post a Loam list if you know one?
Here's a Loam list I saved when I was reviewing some MTGO DE results maybe about a week ago, but it's really not a Zoo deck. I have seem some variants that add typical Zoo creatures like Wild Nacatl and even KotR, but I think most Loam Aggro builds tend away from splashing white since Loam often goes with cards that have RR in casting cost like Seismic Assault and Countryside Crusher.
Standard Mono-Green Aggro Modern :symb::0mana: Dark Affinity | :symu::symr: UR Breach | :symb::symr: Dark Burn Casual :symw::symu::symb::symr::symg: Bruna Reanimator (Standard) My LGS is Asgard Games in Houston, TX.
Ok, thanks guys. What version do you all like the most? I'm partial o Charming because of the sb options v combo, but I also really like Punishing Groves
Ok, thanks guys. What version do you all like the most? I'm partial o Charming because of the sb options v combo, but I also really like Punishing Groves
The CHF-type Charming Zoo build is certainly best suited to the current, combo-heavy metagame especially with 12post being hated out of the format (e.g., PT Philadelphia Day 2 results; only 2 12post decks 4-3 or better in the MTGO Modern "Championship"; etc.). Bant Charm provides an incredible amount of utility and the deck is more consistent than other builds. I was really disappointed I didn't get a chance to play in the MTGO Modern "Championship" as I knew Charming Zoo would do well, and the 3 slots in the Top 8 and 6 slots overall in the Top 16 showed that.
As far as moving forward, I think that the MD can see some revisions as 12post declines in relevance. I also have little doubt that we will see more control in the metagame as time goes on so will have to pay attention to that in future builds.
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Standard Mono-Green Aggro Modern :symb::0mana: Dark Affinity | :symu::symr: UR Breach | :symb::symr: Dark Burn Casual :symw::symu::symb::symr::symg: Bruna Reanimator (Standard) My LGS is Asgard Games in Houston, TX.
Ok, thanks guys. What version do you all like the most? I'm partial o Charming because of the sb options v combo, but I also really like Punishing Groves
Has anyone tested the Punishing Grove mana-base with the blue splash for Bant Charm?
It seems like that deck, with a slower clock than combo and post, is sort of playing a control role against it - a control deck with such a fast clock that it forces storm/twin players to try to go off before they should. It seems pretty effective, and maybe the deck could shift more into that role if it didn't have to worry so much about other aggro. And with added control options like Punishing Grove against affinity and the usual suspects, it might free up room in the deck to battle combo even more. I don't know, maybe with Vendilion Clique, Meddling Mage or something like that out of the sideboard.
I'm currently testing with the following cards rotating in and out of that deck - Clique, Cryptic Command, Punishing Grove and Oust w/ singleton Kavu Predator, Sword of Feast and Famine, singleton Cole-Eyed Selkie and Meddling Mage in the sideboard. Mixed results so far, but it seems to have gained ground against both UW combo decks, remained about where it was against 12 Post, but lost a bit of ground on other aggro, especially Dark Confidant Zoo, Jund, etc. Mana base seems no more sketchy than before as well, but I certainly don't have a large enough sample yet?
What card was banned? And can you post a Loam list if you know one?
Well scapeZoo is essentially just a more aggro version of the scapeshift + valakut combo, but valakut is banned.
Loam zoo is pretty close to boom//bust zoo. It doesn't have to run life from the loam to be considered loam zoo. Loam zoo is essentially a LD deck or a zoo decks that runs things like Countryside Crusher. or seismic assault. Essentially its a land themed zoo deck. I have also seen several over the years that run thoughts of ruin as a pseudo Armageddon a la WW decks from back in the day. You essentially drop a few threats then resolve thoughts of ruin/bust and continue to win the game with a very angry opponent.
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In life all we can do is try to make things better. Sitting lost in old ways and fearing change only makes us outdated and ignorant.
Peace cannot be kept by force. It can only be achieved by understanding.
Albert Einstein
Millions of innocent men, women and children, since the introduction of Christianity, have been burnt, tortured, fined and imprisoned; yet we have not advanced one inch towards uniformity.
Only change we really need is to pull GSZ from Charming Zoo. Guess I'm not surprised that aggro was almostly completely unaffected by the bannings, but jeez. Seems like Zoo is going to be in a really, really good position moving forward.
Why is Tarmagoyf $100? Like, wtf.... I've been testing this deck out online a lot and they rarely help me, I just kill my opponent with my $.40 commons that get big with a land or two...
Tarmogoyf is a 2 mana 3/4, 4/5, 5/6 as early as turn 2 or 3. He's a vanilla beatstick for a ridiculously tiny mana investment who gets bigger on autopilot. The reason he is $100 and not $20 is because he's splashed in decks across the board. When it comes to creatures, there is nothing a control player likes more than a creature he buffs with his spells and doesn't have to pay attention to, and there is nothing Zoo likes more than pure efficiency.
*EDIT* Hate having to start over with all this stuff. Can't we just move my entire primer thread over here? I can't edit RaggedJoe's copy even though I authored it. I doubt he wants to deal with it when I'm perfectly willing to do so. It's frustrating.
*EDIT* Hate having to start over with all this stuff. Can't we just move my entire primer thread over here? I can't edit RaggedJoe's copy even though I authored it. I doubt he wants to deal with it when I'm perfectly willing to do so. It's frustrating.
Maybe talk to a mod about it? You could even just start a new Primer thread if the mods are fine with it. No point having a Primer that isn't getting updated.
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Standard Mono-Green Aggro Modern :symb::0mana: Dark Affinity | :symu::symr: UR Breach | :symb::symr: Dark Burn Casual :symw::symu::symb::symr::symg: Bruna Reanimator (Standard) My LGS is Asgard Games in Houston, TX.
Why is Tarmagoyf $100? Like, wtf.... I've been testing this deck out online a lot and they rarely help me, I just kill my opponent with my $.40 commons that get big with a land or two...
Because he's the most powerful 2 mana creature ever printed. He's run in any type of deck you can think of that runs green, and he's popular in every format he's legal in. This translates to lots of people needing Goyfs. He was also in the final set from the block, which means less Future Sight boosters were printed/purchased/drafted. He's one of the most in-demand Magic cards in existence and the supply is not that high. High demand + low supply = high prices. This is the same reason any other card in Magic costs what it does in the second hand market. Economics is your friend
Can you suggest me few budget replacements for Tarmogoyf?
While nothing compares to an ACTUAL Goyf. Some other 2 drops can be decent in Zoo:
Kavu Predator can get decently big. But ONLY if you're running Grove of the Burnwillows...in which case you should also be running 3-4 Punishing Fire.
I haven't tested this, but Skinshifter might work as a budget Goyf. You have to invest mana every turn, but that might not be a HUGE problem with Zoo's low curve and the fact that you often burn through your hand fairly quickly.
Qasali Pridemage often sees play as a 2-3 of in zoo decks. Although it's more of utility than a beater.
Gaddock Teeg and Ethersworn Canonist also deserve honorable mention as good 2-mana sideboard options.
Not really, Zoo is primary an aggro deck, sacrificing late game for superior early game. The enters the battlefield tapped drawback is very damaging to the gameplan.
Also alot of the core creatures depend on land type, wild nactl, kird ape, loam lion, and running these is probably at the expense of shocklands or fetchlands that should make up most of the manabase.
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Smile your day could be worse, so I did smile and it was worse.
I haven't played for a while but in the 2009 PTQ i was running naya zoo and had a lot of success with wooly and so did many of the other decks. though i'm not sure if the meta game has changed.
Woolly Thoctar – The reason for running him is similar to that of KotR. The weakness of Thoctar is that he can't ever grow beyond his base body and his mana cost is hard to pay. His advantage is that he is an unconditionally large creature.
Taken from the Legacy zoo page. The problem here is bolded. the deck really doesn't have room for more than one three drop. KoTR should be at least a 4/4 when you drop it. and It along with goyf is what gives Zoo it's best lategame potential. Turn 13 after you just pathed a KoTR only to have your opponent topdeck one is devasting. by then the knight is an 11/11. he stays relevant all game. topdecking a Woolly Thoctar turn 8 means he can't take on a titan :/ and thats a big deal lategame.
Taken from the Legacy zoo page. The problem here is bolded. the deck really doesn't have room for more than one three drop. KoTR should be at least a 4/4 when you drop it. and It along with goyf is what gives Zoo it's best lategame potential. Turn 13 after you just pathed a KoTR only to have your opponent topdeck one is devasting. by then the knight is an 11/11. he stays relevant all game. topdecking a Woolly Thoctar turn 8 means he can't take on a titan :/ and thats a big deal lategame.
Ahh i see; however i would argue that the mana cost isn't that prohibitive. Would Thoctar be better than KoTR in a more aggro zoo? to me it seems that <Turn 6 Thoctar will have a beefier body.
And to run KoTR i assume you'll have to run 8+ snaps?
Proclamation of rebirth is in my sideboard as an answer to Esper gifts trying to stabilize with a turn 4 wrath effect, as well as dealing with jund's post-sideboard removal suite.
Dungrove Elder seems like an amazingly good replacement for 'goyf. I've been using it to good effect in my tournament tests on MTGO.
The hexproof on Elder seems well worth it for the +1 CMC over goyf. In a deck with a full compliment of Rav block dual lands and some fetchlands his p/t numbers are solid. With a KotR in play he will continue to grow late-game.
All in all, the power difference between a $75 'goyf and a $1-5 Dungrove Elder seems very reasonable to me.
I think Dungrove Elder should be considered a highly viable alternative to Tarmogoyf in Modern Zoo decks.
ZOO
A brief tutorial on Modern Zoo deckbuilding. v1.3.0
More updates coming soon...
"Meow"
INTRO:
Traditionally, Zoo is a hyper-aggressive build that abuses the potential of undercosted, self-buffing weenies alongside burn and utility. Naya Zoo (the core of a Zoo build) is among the fastest aggro archetypes in the Modern format, and it almost certainly has the biggest toolbox. Thanks to the Ravnica Shocklands and Zendikar enemy Fetches, nothing substantial is lost from Legacy Zoo builds. One of the key components to Zoo's success is the general lack of a single, game-breaking card to draw hate, but rather a team of incredibly effecient creatures that maintain board advantage. With Zoo, efficiency is the name of the game.
THE CORE:
There are 6 creatures that essentially make up the core of Naya Zoo in this format.
1 Loam Lion
1 Wild Nacatl
1 Tarmogoyf
1 Qasali Pridemage
1 Knight of the Reliquary
It’s easy to see what these cards have in common: they have built-in growth or utility. They do not require the use of pump spells, equipment, or auras, because they take care of it themselves in combination with Fetches, Duals, and Burn. The best thing about that? You want to play all of those cards, anyway. There’s absolutely no downside.
As a result, you’ve got plenty of room in your deck for utility. Most utility cards in Naya Zoo are meant to be flexible: Deal with blockers/threats or smack your opponent’s dome. This is best accomplished through the use of burn, and most commonly:
1 Lightning Helix
1 Lava Spike
1 Incinerate
1 Punishing Fire
Important Note:
There's a little combo, perhaps you've heard of it, known as Punishing Grove. It is a 2-card combo (Punishing Fire and Grove of the Burnwillows) that functions as a never-ending weenie-removal engine, or a continuous net dmg to player of 1 per use. You will see this combo in a variety of Zoo builds, including many of the most successful.
And since we have White, many like to include the removal staples:
1 Oblivion Ring
1 Temporal Isolation
And the mana base consists of a combination (some optional) of the following (in addition to a small number of basics)...
1 Misty Rainforest
1 Arid Mesa
1 Marsh Flats
1 Stomping Ground
1 Temple Garden
1 Sacred Foundry
1 Grove of the Burnwillows
1 Horizon Canopy
1 Dryad Arbor
1 Ghost Quarter
Some prefer Tectonic Edge to Ghost Quarter because of tempo loss. Because Zoo runs on a low curve, I find the latter to be slightly better, particularly against decks like 12-post.
Purely aggressive builds work best with 26-32 creatures, 7-12 burn/utility, 21-22 lands including each of the Naya Shocklands, 2 playsets of Naya-colored enemy fetchlands, and a combination of Naya basics.
Mid-range builds (really on the low side of mid-range) work best with 22-26 creatures, 12-14 burn/utility, 22-24 lands.
THE WIN:
The goal is to sneak in with your 2/3, 3/3, 4/5 self-buffed critters turns 2-5 while your opponent is scrambling to set up his/her board. Clear out blockers with removal/burn and bolt your opponent’s face for the win. The clock is usually 4-5 turns. Your strategy is simple; your method is as visceral as the feral creatures in your zoo. Me smash things. If you prefer long, cerebral, soul-searching games (See Death and Taxes), this deck is not for you. It wins or it runs out of gas.
Sample Decklists:
4 Kird Ape
3 Loam Lion
4 Wild Nacatl
4 Tarmogoyf
3 Qasali Pridemage
4 Knight of the Reliquary
2 Ranger of Eos
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Lightning Helix
3 Path to Exile
4 Verdant Catacombs
2 Misty Rainforest
3 Marsh Flats
2 Temple Garden
2 Sacred Foundry
3 Stomping Ground
1 Plains
1 Mountain
2 Gaddock Teeg
3 Stigma Lasher
3 Dauntless Escort
2 Vexing Shusher
1 Tormod's Crypt
2 Oblivion Ring
2 Ghost Quarter
4 Noble Hierarch
4 Tarmogoyf
4 Knight of the Reliquary
1 Gaddock Teeg
2 Kird Ape
2 Qasali Pridemage
2 Bant Charm
3 Lightning Bolt
4 Lightning Helix
3 Path to Exile
1 Voidslime
2 Spell Pierce
2 Elspeth, Knight-Errant
4 Verdant Catacombs
2 Misty Rainforest
1 Island
1 Mountain
1 Plains
2 Sacred Foundry
1 Hallowed Fountain
2 Stomping Ground
1 Breeding Pool
2 Temple Garden
1 Tectonic Edge
3 Unified Will
2 Meddling Mage
1 Grim Lavamancer
1 Ghost Quarter
1 Qasali Pridemage
3 Molten Rain
2 Tribal Flames
2 Oblivion Ring
1 Dryad Arbor
1 Forest
4 Grove of the Burnwillows
1 Mountain
1 Plains
2 Sacred Foundry
1 Sejiri Steppe
1 Stomping Ground
2 Temple Garden
1 Treetop Village
2 Verdant Catacombs
4 Kavu Predator
4 Knight of the Reliquary
4 Noble Hierarch
4 Qasali Pridemage
2 Ranger of Eos
4 Wild Nacatl
2 Fiery Justice
2 Green Sun's Zenith
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Path to Exile
4 Punishing Fire
3 Ancient Grudge
1 Bojuka Bog
4 Ethersworn Canonist
2 Fiery Justice
1 Kitchen Finks
4 Thoughts of Ruin
1 Gaddock Teeg
4 Knight of the Reliquary
4 Noble Hierarch
1 Qasali Pridemage
4 Tarmogoyf
4 Wild Nacatl
[20 other spells]
3 Bant Charm
2 Elspeth, Knight-Errant
4 Green Sun's Zenith
4 Lightning Bolt
3 Lightning Helix
4 Path to Exile
[22 lands]
4 Arid Mesa
1 Dryad Arbor
1 Forest
1 Hallowed Fountain
1 Horizon Canopy
2 Marsh Flats
4 Misty Rainforest
1 Plains
1 Sacred Foundry
1 Scalding Tarn
1 Steam Vents
2 Stomping Ground
1 Tectonic Edge
1 Temple Garden
3 Aven Mindcensor
3 Flashfreeze
2 Gideon Jura
1 Grim Lavamancer
1 Qasali Pridemage
1 Rule of Law
1 Tectonic Edge
3 Unified Will
FLEX CARDS:
The following cards represent the makeup of flexible slots in Naya Zoo decklists.
WWW
Ranger of Eos - Some swear by this card, I find him too little too late. Turn 4 is generally the kill turn. I like him sideboarded for slower matchups or against removal/sweep-heavy decks.
Steppe Lynx - Seems to make a good deal of sense in Zoo, but can be less reliable than Kird Ape, Wild Nacatl, Loam Lion. When he connects with a couple of Fetchlands/KotR, he is deadly.
Isamaru, Hound of Konda - Ehh, no. If he wasn't Legendary, yes. Even then he's actually weaker than Nacatl/Ape 90% of the time.
RRR
Goblin Guide - Looking to fill that last 1-drop slot in Zoo? Sure, why not Goblin Guide? He's everything you want in hyper-aggro. Downside is barely a downside. 2 damage on turn 1 is nothing to scoff at, and he sticks around to continue beating, unlike, say, Bolt.
Grim Lavamancer - Has proven success in Legacy, so he deserves consideration. I generally prefer aggro 1-drops, but with all the fetches, burn and removal hitting the yard, I imagine he won't run out of gas. Synergy with KotR is good and bad. More food for lavamancer, less power for knights.
Punishing Fire While Lightning Bolt and Lightning Helix are (generally) non-negotiable, Punishing Fire is often used in combination with Grove of the Burnwillows. A powerful combo that further prohibits opponents' board development, clears blockers, and nets 1 dmg per use.
Rift Bolt - Not a bad play, necessarily. More damage than you could incur on turn two with a creature, but substantially weaker than traditional Bolt or Helix. This could see play in mid-range decks or decks that lean toward RDW. Sorcery means likely +1/+1 for yer goyf
Tribal Flames - Used in 4c or 5c Zoo lists where it really shines. Most commonly found in Dark Zoo lists.
Lava Spike - Closest you can really get to another Lightning Bolt, though it lacks instant speed and doesn't target creatures. Much like Rift Bolt, when this hits the yard, it's likely going to pump your goyf. Most utility cards in Zoo are Instants.
GGG
Scythe Tiger - Major tempo problems.
Noble Hierarch - Mana-fixer and ramp, exalted, 1-drop. Turn 2 kotrs, makes bloodbraids more accessible.
Skinshifter - Possible budget replacement for goyf or KotR in more casual builds. Possibly more effective because of his evasion in SFM variants as a sword-carrier where he can benefit from protection. He turns into a Rhino, a Bird, and a Plant, so I want very badly to put him in my Zooo, but the fact that you have to invest mana into him each turn to make him effective makes him less appealing than goyf. Nevertheless, I'm going to test a Naya Cage-blade Zoo variant. (Because he looks like Nick Cage, duh)
Lotus Cobra - Fetches + KotR = lots of ramp. But where to put all that mana? Probably better in Big Zoo.
Beast Within - This card has superior alternatives in White, and fortunately we're playing White.
123
Aether Vial - Controversial. Many would include this card, but many others believe it's less effective than a Nacatl turn 1. Because this deck can effectively be played with 1-3 lands on the board, Vial is, in many ways, unnecessary, and it can actually slow you down or clog up your hand. The card's purpose is to A: Free up mana (less useful in a format with fewer outlets), and B: Allow one to cast creature spells at instant speed. Both of these advantages can be considered defensive, and the deck is predominantly an offensive one. Pro results beg to differ with me in some cases, and, while I defer to them, I want to see how Modern develops before I put it into my decklists. This card is a target, and you can count on meta hate piling up on it.
RGW
Figure of Destiny - Excellent, versatile 1-drop. Probably the most common alternative in his slot. Permanently and instantly makes himself bigger and better. Great place to put extra mana, and because Zoo has such a low curve, there's often extra mana.
Gaddock Teeg - Has a good deal of built-in utility for a 2-drop, but feels better in sideboard against controllish decks, much like Dauntless Escort.
Kitchen Finks - Extraordinarily resilient and useful card. Negates effects of Shocklands, which can be helpful against other aggro decks. Almost always nets the full 4 life and squeaks in an attack or a block or both.
Bloodbraid Elf - Great alternative to Ranger of Eos in mid-range decks. Better in many cases.
Land:
Ghost Quarter - As I've been looking around at decklists, and playtesting it a bit myself, this card is better than Tectonic Edge in this deck. It stops land-based combos, it can create mana-fixing issues for opponents running 3-colors, it feeds KotR, it doesn't discriminate based on type, it can be a Strip Mine in some cases because most competitive decks in the format are running, oh, 5 or so basics. It's downright good.
Grove of the Burnwillows - This card is a beast in combination with Punishing Fire, and it is frequently maindecked. In Zoo it should never be used without Punishing Fire. Ever.
BBB
Dark Confidant - Bob, as he is usually called, generates card advantage very early on, and swings for 2. He fits Zoo for a couple of reasons: He's incredibly efficient, and he fixes the stalling issues that most Zoo lists face around turns 4-5 in the event that the game hasn't ended yet. He is good enough to be worth building around, and found in many competitive lists.
BUDGET ALTERNATIVES:
Courtesy of kidlantern
Below is an explanation of the value of Tarmogoyf in Zoo, budget replacement options we have at our disposal, and why they're all worse than goyf...
I'm tempted to call the 8/9 goyf Captain Planet, actually.
Tsuyoshi Ikeda
Pro Tour–Austin Top 8, ExtendedMagic OnlineOCTGN2ApprenticeBuy These Cards
1 Forest
4 Marsh Flats
2 Misty Rainforest
1 Mountain
1 Plains
1 Sacred Foundry
1 Stomping Ground
3 Temple Garden
1 Treetop Village
3 Verdant Catacombs
22 lands
4 Knight of the Reliquary
4 Qasali Pridemage
4 Tarmogoyf
4 Wild Nacatl
20 creatures
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Lightning Helix
4 Path to Exile
2 Timely Reinforcements
4 Spectral Procession
18 other spells
2 Countryside Crusher
2 Flashfires
1 Ghost Quarter
2 Otherworldly Journey
3 Ravenous Trap
2 Riftsweeper
3 Volcanic Fallout
1 Dryad Arbor
1 Forest
4 Grove of the Burnwillows
1 Mountain
1 Plains
2 Sacred Foundry
1 Sejiri Steppe
1 Stomping Ground
2 Temple Garden
1 Treetop Village
2 Verdant Catacombs
4 Kavu Predator
4 Knight of the Reliquary
4 Noble Hierarch
4 Qasali Pridemage
2 Ranger of Eos
4 Wild Nacatl
2 Fiery Justice
2 Green Sun's Zenith
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Path to Exile
4 Punishing Fire
3 Ancient Grudge
1 Bojuka Bog
4 Ethersworn Canonist
2 Fiery Justice
1 Kitchen Finks
4 Thoughts of Ruin
Here is the deck that made Top 8 in PT Philly 2011, Modern. Mid-range with control elements, notably Bant Charm and sideboard. While the deck runs only 18 creatures, that number is really 22 with 4 copies of GSZ.
1 Gaddock Teeg
4 Knight of the Reliquary
4 Noble Hierarch
1 Qasali Pridemage
4 Tarmogoyf
4 Wild Nacatl
[20 other spells]
3 Bant Charm
2 Elspeth, Knight-Errant
4 Green Sun's Zenith
4 Lightning Bolt
3 Lightning Helix
4 Path to Exile
[22 lands]
4 Arid Mesa
1 Dryad Arbor
1 Forest
1 Hallowed Fountain
1 Horizon Canopy
2 Marsh Flats
4 Misty Rainforest
1 Plains
1 Sacred Foundry
1 Scalding Tarn
1 Steam Vents
2 Stomping Ground
1 Tectonic Edge
1 Temple Garden
3 Aven Mindcensor
3 Flashfreeze
2 Gideon Jura
1 Grim Lavamancer
1 Qasali Pridemage
1 Rule of Law
1 Tectonic Edge
3 Unified Will
Extended – Winner, PTQ for PT–San Juan Magic OnlineOCTGN2ApprenticeBuy These Cards
4 Bloodbraid Elf
4 Knight of the Reliquary
4 Noble Hierarch
2 Qasali Pridemage
4 Tarmogoyf
4 Wild Nacatl
[16 other spells]
3 Blood Moon
4 Boom // Bust
4 Lightning Bolt
2 Lightning Helix
3 Temporal Isolation
4 Arid Mesa
2 Forest
2 Marsh Flats
3 Misty Rainforest
1 Mountain
1 Plains
2 Sacred Foundry
2 Stomping Ground
2 Temple Garden
1 Treetop Village
2 Verdant Catacombs
Pro Tour–Austin 1st place, PT AustinMagic OnlineOCTGN2ApprenticeBuy These Cards
1 Forest
1 Ghost Quarter
4 Grove of the Burnwillows
2 Marsh Flats
4 Misty Rainforest
1 Mountain
1 Plains
1 Sacred Foundry
2 Stomping Ground
1 Temple Garden
2 Treetop Village
24 lands
4 Knight of the Reliquary
3 Noble Hierarch
3 Qasali Pridemage
4 Tarmogoyf
4 Wild Nacatl
21 creatures
1 Elspeth, Knight-Errant
4 Lightning Bolt
2 Lightning Helix
4 Path to Exile
4 Punishing Fire
15 other spells
3 Ancient Grudge
3 Blood Moon
3 Ghost Quarter
1 Hallowed Fountain
1 Kataki, War's Wage
4 Meddling Mage
15 sideboard cards
Pro Tour–Austin Top 8, ExtendedMagic OnlineOCTGN2ApprenticeBuy These Cards
1 Forest
1 Mountain
1 Plains
3 Sacred Foundry
4 Scalding Tarn
3 Stomping Ground
1 Temple Garden
1 Treetop Village
4 Verdant Catacombs
23 lands
2 Knight of the Reliquary
4 Plated Geopede
4 Steppe Lynx
4 Tarmogoyf
4 Wild Nacatl
22 creatures
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Lightning Helix
4 Molten Rain
3 Path to Exile
15 other spells
2 Ancient Grudge
1 Duergar Hedge-Mage
4 Ethersworn Canonist
3 Gaddock Teeg
2 Kitchen Finks
3 Ravenous Trap
Pro Tour–Austin Top 8, ExtendedMagic OnlineOCTGN2ApprenticeBuy These Cards
1 Blood Crypt
1 Godless Shrine
4 Marsh Flats
1 Mountain
1 Sacred Foundry
4 Scalding Tarn
1 Steam Vents
1 Stomping Ground
1 Temple Garden
2 Verdant Catacombs
21 lands
4 Goblin Guide
4 Kird Ape
4 Steppe Lynx
4 Tarmogoyf
4 Wild Nacatl
23 creatures
4 Lightning Bolt
2 Lightning Helix
3 Might of Alara
3 Path to Exile
4 Tribal Flames
16 other spells
1 drop zoo: runs 12+ 1cmc creatures. technically GWR sligh. Wrecked by chalice. Big time.
4 Loam Lion
4 Kird Ape
4 Wild Nacatl
4 Tarmogoyf
4 Qasali Pridemage
4 Knight of the Reliquary
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Lightning Helix
3 Lava Spike
4 Verdant Catacombs
1 Misty Rainforest
1 Marsh Flats
3 Sacred Foundry
3 Stomping Ground
3 Temple Garden
1 Plains
1 Forest
2 Pithing Needle
3 Dauntless Escort
4 Path to Exile
2 Oblivion Ring
3 Ghost Quarter
1 Surgical Extraction
Higdur's Dark Zoo list, taken from Modern Daily results: 4-0
1 Blood Crypt
1 Forest
1 Godless Shrine
2 Marsh Flats
1 Mountain
1 Overgrown Tomb
1 Plains
1 Sacred Foundry
1 Steam Vents
1 Stomping Ground
1 Temple Garden
4 Verdant Catacombs
4 Grim Lavamancer
4 Kird Ape
4 Qasali Pridemage
4 Tarmogoyf
4 Wild Nacatl
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Lightning Helix
4 Path to Exile
4 Tribal Flames
4 Chalice of the Void
2 Gaddock Teeg
2 Kitchen Finks
3 Might of Alara
4 Molten Rain
Level 1 Judge
Currently Playing:
W Death and Taxes
BGR ScapeWish Nic Fit
BGR Punishing Nic Fit
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What card was banned? And can you post a Loam list if you know one?
Level 1 Judge
Currently Playing:
W Death and Taxes
BGR ScapeWish Nic Fit
BGR Punishing Nic Fit
Here's a Loam list I saved when I was reviewing some MTGO DE results maybe about a week ago, but it's really not a Zoo deck. I have seem some variants that add typical Zoo creatures like Wild Nacatl and even KotR, but I think most Loam Aggro builds tend away from splashing white since Loam often goes with cards that have RR in casting cost like Seismic Assault and Countryside Crusher.
4 Bloodbraid Elf
1 Duergar Hedge-Mage
1 Qasali Pridemage
1 Sun Titan
4 Tarmogoyf
Other Spells (23)
4 Ajani Vengeant
4 Boom/Bust
3 Flame Jab
3 Life from the Loam
4 Lightning Helix
2 Path to Exile
2 Thoughts of Ruin
1 Worm Harvest
3 Arid Mesa
4 Flagstones of Trokair
2 Forest
1 Ghost Quarter
1 Horizon Canopy
2 Plains
4 Sacred Foundry
4 Stomping Ground
1 Tectonic Edge
4 Temple Garden
1 Boseiju, Who Shelters All
2 Creeping Corrosion
2 Day of Judgment
2 Gaddock Teeg
4 Leonin Arbiter
1 Path to Exile
3 Tormod's Crypt
BTW, I don't even recall seeing Life from the Loam in any other recent DE results.
Ya, I don't think Scapeshift is viable in Zoo variants without Valakut.
Modern :symb::0mana: Dark Affinity | :symu::symr: UR Breach | :symb::symr: Dark Burn
Casual :symw::symu::symb::symr::symg: Bruna Reanimator (Standard)
My LGS is Asgard Games in Houston, TX.
Level 1 Judge
Currently Playing:
W Death and Taxes
BGR ScapeWish Nic Fit
BGR Punishing Nic Fit
The CHF-type Charming Zoo build is certainly best suited to the current, combo-heavy metagame especially with 12post being hated out of the format (e.g., PT Philadelphia Day 2 results; only 2 12post decks 4-3 or better in the MTGO Modern "Championship"; etc.). Bant Charm provides an incredible amount of utility and the deck is more consistent than other builds. I was really disappointed I didn't get a chance to play in the MTGO Modern "Championship" as I knew Charming Zoo would do well, and the 3 slots in the Top 8 and 6 slots overall in the Top 16 showed that.
As far as moving forward, I think that the MD can see some revisions as 12post declines in relevance. I also have little doubt that we will see more control in the metagame as time goes on so will have to pay attention to that in future builds.
Modern :symb::0mana: Dark Affinity | :symu::symr: UR Breach | :symb::symr: Dark Burn
Casual :symw::symu::symb::symr::symg: Bruna Reanimator (Standard)
My LGS is Asgard Games in Houston, TX.
Has anyone tested the Punishing Grove mana-base with the blue splash for Bant Charm?
It seems like that deck, with a slower clock than combo and post, is sort of playing a control role against it - a control deck with such a fast clock that it forces storm/twin players to try to go off before they should. It seems pretty effective, and maybe the deck could shift more into that role if it didn't have to worry so much about other aggro. And with added control options like Punishing Grove against affinity and the usual suspects, it might free up room in the deck to battle combo even more. I don't know, maybe with Vendilion Clique, Meddling Mage or something like that out of the sideboard.
I'm currently testing with the following cards rotating in and out of that deck - Clique, Cryptic Command, Punishing Grove and Oust w/ singleton Kavu Predator, Sword of Feast and Famine, singleton Cole-Eyed Selkie and Meddling Mage in the sideboard. Mixed results so far, but it seems to have gained ground against both UW combo decks, remained about where it was against 12 Post, but lost a bit of ground on other aggro, especially Dark Confidant Zoo, Jund, etc. Mana base seems no more sketchy than before as well, but I certainly don't have a large enough sample yet?
Anyone else testing the blue variant?
Well scapeZoo is essentially just a more aggro version of the scapeshift + valakut combo, but valakut is banned.
Loam zoo is pretty close to boom//bust zoo. It doesn't have to run life from the loam to be considered loam zoo. Loam zoo is essentially a LD deck or a zoo decks that runs things like Countryside Crusher. or seismic assault. Essentially its a land themed zoo deck. I have also seen several over the years that run thoughts of ruin as a pseudo Armageddon a la WW decks from back in the day. You essentially drop a few threats then resolve thoughts of ruin/bust and continue to win the game with a very angry opponent.
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Curse Premium*EDIT* Hate having to start over with all this stuff. Can't we just move my entire primer thread over here? I can't edit RaggedJoe's copy even though I authored it. I doubt he wants to deal with it when I'm perfectly willing to do so. It's frustrating.
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Maybe talk to a mod about it? You could even just start a new Primer thread if the mods are fine with it. No point having a Primer that isn't getting updated.
Modern :symb::0mana: Dark Affinity | :symu::symr: UR Breach | :symb::symr: Dark Burn
Casual :symw::symu::symb::symr::symg: Bruna Reanimator (Standard)
My LGS is Asgard Games in Houston, TX.
Because he's the most powerful 2 mana creature ever printed. He's run in any type of deck you can think of that runs green, and he's popular in every format he's legal in. This translates to lots of people needing Goyfs. He was also in the final set from the block, which means less Future Sight boosters were printed/purchased/drafted. He's one of the most in-demand Magic cards in existence and the supply is not that high. High demand + low supply = high prices. This is the same reason any other card in Magic costs what it does in the second hand market. Economics is your friend
While nothing compares to an ACTUAL Goyf. Some other 2 drops can be decent in Zoo:
Kavu Predator can get decently big. But ONLY if you're running Grove of the Burnwillows...in which case you should also be running 3-4 Punishing Fire.
I haven't tested this, but Skinshifter might work as a budget Goyf. You have to invest mana every turn, but that might not be a HUGE problem with Zoo's low curve and the fact that you often burn through your hand fairly quickly.
Qasali Pridemage often sees play as a 2-3 of in zoo decks. Although it's more of utility than a beater.
Gaddock Teeg and Ethersworn Canonist also deserve honorable mention as good 2-mana sideboard options.
Hope this helps!
My Trade Thread
Decks:
EDH:
:symg::symu::symb: Damia, Sage of Stone :symg::symu::symb:
:symw::symu::symg: Angus Mackenzie :symw::symu::symg:
:symr::symg::symw: Uril, the Miststalker :symr::symg::symw:
Legacy:
:symb::symg::symw: Junk Depths :symb::symg::symw:
:symw::symu: Kor Tribal Stoneblade :symw::symu:
Modern:
Standard:
:symu::symw: Delver Blade :symu::symw:
Not really, Zoo is primary an aggro deck, sacrificing late game for superior early game. The enters the battlefield tapped drawback is very damaging to the gameplan.
Also alot of the core creatures depend on land type, wild nactl, kird ape, loam lion, and running these is probably at the expense of shocklands or fetchlands that should make up most of the manabase.
I haven't played for a while but in the 2009 PTQ i was running naya zoo and had a lot of success with wooly and so did many of the other decks. though i'm not sure if the meta game has changed.
Taken from the Legacy zoo page. The problem here is bolded. the deck really doesn't have room for more than one three drop. KoTR should be at least a 4/4 when you drop it. and It along with goyf is what gives Zoo it's best lategame potential. Turn 13 after you just pathed a KoTR only to have your opponent topdeck one is devasting. by then the knight is an 11/11. he stays relevant all game. topdecking a Woolly Thoctar turn 8 means he can't take on a titan :/ and thats a big deal lategame.
My Trading Post
http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showthread.php?t=226506
Ahh i see; however i would argue that the mana cost isn't that prohibitive. Would Thoctar be better than KoTR in a more aggro zoo? to me it seems that <Turn 6 Thoctar will have a beefier body.
And to run KoTR i assume you'll have to run 8+ snaps?
Proclamation of rebirth is in my sideboard as an answer to Esper gifts trying to stabilize with a turn 4 wrath effect, as well as dealing with jund's post-sideboard removal suite.
The hexproof on Elder seems well worth it for the +1 CMC over goyf. In a deck with a full compliment of Rav block dual lands and some fetchlands his p/t numbers are solid. With a KotR in play he will continue to grow late-game.
All in all, the power difference between a $75 'goyf and a $1-5 Dungrove Elder seems very reasonable to me.
I think Dungrove Elder should be considered a highly viable alternative to Tarmogoyf in Modern Zoo decks.
perhaps everlasting torment?
Kavu Predator is always pretty fun against life gain, otherwise Sudden Shock is a good option and it's still reasonably efficient