Hey guys I need some help. My girlfriend and I are prepping for a GP, doing GPT runs and so forth. She's a little new to Magic so I'm handling the deck tuning portion. (It's my fault really, I said I wanted to try and aim higher in life as well as in my hobbies and she said she wasn't gonna sit around a whole weekend while I play Magic, so she told me either we do this together or we don't.) Naturally, to ease her into the madness that is Modern, I built her a Zoo. It's been having some problems lately so I've been taking reigns of the tinkering now that I'm done tuning my Abzan/Jund. Here's the list I've fixed, hoping you guys could have a look:
Already the present fixes I'm implementing are 4x Burning Tree Emissary to 4 x Goblin Guide and 2x Loxodon Smiter to 2x Grim Lavamancer.
Now right off the bat we see some problems. 10 Fetches is due to present budget constraints as much has been siphoned off by my Abzan project. I intend to run 12 of course. Hooting Mandrills are something she's reluctant to part with because the Trample and Graveyard hate is relevant. Personally, I believe that with 12 fetches and plenty of Burn, 5 in the yard can be achieved turn 3 or so. Mandrills also act as a pseudo one drop against Chalice of the Void. I have a good half mind to run either Steppe Lynx or Ghor Clan Rampager, but am unsure as to how to proceed. Atarka's Command offers roughly the same damage as Rampager and gives us Skullcrack against Abzan. Steppe Lynx also seems to synergise with Atarka's Command and seems potentially explosive but I hate how it's value plummets after turn three. Are there any holes in my reasoning here?
I also have a good mind to switch Lightning Helix for Lava Spike to increase the speed a little.
The sideboard is similarly a mess. Hoping to hear some feedback on how to fix it. I fear we pack too much affinity hate but am unsure what to switch what out for. Thalia? Aven Mindcensor?
Can someone elaborate on the role of Dromoka's Command in the SB? I find it hard to believe that it is a better choice than a stronger hate card for a specific bad matchup. Is it just flexibility? are there specific matchups where it is brought in?
I wanted to try out command in the board. It is very powerful against twin and burn. It is also great against other aggressive creature decks that can act as a flexible removal spell and prevent their burn spells.
Ive been testing recently and have been thinking of cutting firewalkers and going back to feed the clans. I would like to think that company is bad vs burn and would like to board it out thus making firewalker less attractive
I have been testing with the typical list except ive been at
3 pridemage
2 ooze
2 finks
I see you only have 2 company. Ive been testing with 3.
Also against burn i like to board out my noble hierarchs. Them getting seering blazed is just the most unfun thing ever.
Im still up in the air on whether i should have finks or rampager. Im going to try to get to an event tonight and i think at this store rampager is probably better.
Round 1: **bye**
Round 2: Scapeshift 0-2. This was my first experience ever against the deck so I made a lot of misplays. We went through the matchup together afterwards and he kindly showed me a lot of the finer points of it.
Round 3: Storm 2-1 Game 2 I get the hatebear beatdown on. Game 3 he keeps a no-lander, and ramps up to four mana to wrath away my hatebear board. I topdeck goyf + goyf and get in there.
Round 4: Junk 2-0 I get fast starts both games with double GCR. Seems good
I mulliganed at least twice a match.
3 of my game 1 openers had 0 lands
Lost to Skred
Beat esper control
Beat restore balance
Lost to scapeshift
-game 1 mulligan a 0 land hand to a 1 lander(suprise loss there)
-game 2 keep turn 2 blood moon with a plains and fetch. Hierarch gets bolted afterwards. I discard 3 times and draw nothing but lands afterwards and lose to the batterskull that deservedly beats me bc i decided to board out pridemages all the while knowing he has batterskull in sb.
Just a bad night and all the mulligans really put me on tilt early on
GR tron - 2-0 - got faster fisrt game and got a blood mood t2 in 2nd game.
Grixis faeries - 2-0 - t1 hierarch followed with a t2 smither was enough for game 1. Game 2 i manage to land a choke while he was tapped out. He cannot recover.
UWR midrange - 2-1 - Those were hard fought matches that could have gone the other way.
doran junk - 2-0 - He didn't find removal for my pets and i had path to exile both games to remove his rhinos. This was easier than i expected.
Overall the deck felt really impressive and i wasn't even playing with goyf because they were sleeved in another deck ! still the deck performed really well. I was playing a collected company list similar to what was posted in the above pages.
4x Wooded Foothills
4x Windswept Heath
2x Arid Mesa
2x Stomping Ground
2x Temple Garden
2x Sacred Foundry
1x Mountain
1x Forest
1x Plains
Creatures 21
4x Wild Nacatl
4x Kird Ape
4x Loam Lion
4x Goblin Guide
2x Grim Lavamancer
3x Hooting Mandrills
4x Path to Exile
4x Lightning Bolt
4x Lightning Helix
4x Boros Charm
4x Atarka's Command
3x Destructive Revelry
3x Pyroclasm
3x Scavenging Ooze
2x Torpor Orb
2x Stony Silence
2x Kataki, War's Wage
Already the present fixes I'm implementing are 4x Burning Tree Emissary to 4 x Goblin Guide and 2x Loxodon Smiter to 2x Grim Lavamancer.
Now right off the bat we see some problems. 10 Fetches is due to present budget constraints as much has been siphoned off by my Abzan project. I intend to run 12 of course. Hooting Mandrills are something she's reluctant to part with because the Trample and Graveyard hate is relevant. Personally, I believe that with 12 fetches and plenty of Burn, 5 in the yard can be achieved turn 3 or so. Mandrills also act as a pseudo one drop against Chalice of the Void. I have a good half mind to run either Steppe Lynx or Ghor Clan Rampager, but am unsure as to how to proceed. Atarka's Command offers roughly the same damage as Rampager and gives us Skullcrack against Abzan. Steppe Lynx also seems to synergise with Atarka's Command and seems potentially explosive but I hate how it's value plummets after turn three. Are there any holes in my reasoning here?
I also have a good mind to switch Lightning Helix for Lava Spike to increase the speed a little.
The sideboard is similarly a mess. Hoping to hear some feedback on how to fix it. I fear we pack too much affinity hate but am unsure what to switch what out for. Thalia? Aven Mindcensor?
Legacy: Strawberry Shortcake, Aggro Loam, DnT+b
Modern: Devoted Karn
Vintage: Survival
Ive been testing recently and have been thinking of cutting firewalkers and going back to feed the clans. I would like to think that company is bad vs burn and would like to board it out thus making firewalker less attractive
I have been testing with the typical list except ive been at
3 pridemage
2 ooze
2 finks
Since Dromoka's Command could save me from being burn while doing other things such as killing of their creatures or pumping my creatures.
Modern : Huh?
EDH : UBGW Thrasios / Tymna Combo UBGW // GRW Mayael Big Stuff GRW // GU Edric Timewalkers GU
Also against burn i like to board out my noble hierarchs. Them getting seering blazed is just the most unfun thing ever.
Im still up in the air on whether i should have finks or rampager. Im going to try to get to an event tonight and i think at this store rampager is probably better.
List for lists sake:
4 Wooded Foothills
4 Windswept Heath
4 Arid Mesa
3 Stomping Ground
3 Sacred Foundry
1 Forest
1 Plains
1 Horizon Canopy
1 Tectonic Edge
4 Wild Nacatl
4 Kird Ape
4 Tarmogoyf
4 Eidolon of the Great Revel
4 Knight of the Reliquary
3 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
2 Scavenging Ooze
2 Ghor-Clan Rampager
4 Path to Exile
3 Dromoka's Command
1 Krosan Grip
1 Destructive Revelry
1 Ancient Grudge
1 Unflinching Courage
2 Feed the Clan
2 Domri Rade
2 Ethersworn Canonist
2 Gaddock Teeg
2 Rending Volley
1 Firespout
Round 1: **bye**
Round 2: Scapeshift 0-2. This was my first experience ever against the deck so I made a lot of misplays. We went through the matchup together afterwards and he kindly showed me a lot of the finer points of it.
Round 3: Storm 2-1 Game 2 I get the hatebear beatdown on. Game 3 he keeps a no-lander, and ramps up to four mana to wrath away my hatebear board. I topdeck goyf + goyf and get in there.
Round 4: Junk 2-0 I get fast starts both games with double GCR. Seems good
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21 lands
Creatures: 28/29
4 Goblin Guide
4 Kird Ape
4 Wild Nacatl
4 Eidolon of the Great Revel
4 Tarmogoyf
4 Keldon Marauders
4 Ghor-Clan Rampager
4 Lightning Bolt
3 Path to Exile
4 Atarka's Command
Need a collection tracker? Use EchoMTG here: https://www.echomtg.com/r/7bb6961d/
Join the Zoo Discord: https://discord.gg/Yu6eTSTrzA
4 Kird Ape
4 Loam Lion
4 Goblin Guide
4 Tarmogoyf
4 Ghor-Clan Rampager
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Lightning Helix
4 Path to Exile
2 Mutagenic Growth
2 Atarka's Command
3 Windswept Heath
4 Wooded Foothills
2 Sacred Foundry
2 Stomping Ground
1 Temple Garden
1 Mountain
1 Plains
1 Forest
1 Horizon Canopy
4 Kor Firewalker
3 Molten Rain
2 Blood Moon
2 Destructive Revelry
2 Boros Charm
1 Dromoka's Command
1 Volcanic Fallout
I'll write a report tonight once I'm at home. Was a turn away from finishing in the top 16.
I played a lot of games with finks and it was super unimpressive against everything other than burn.
Against burn I usually take out all 4 paths, I don't want to help them hit land drops and thin their deck.
I think collected company is fine against burn, it helps find your sideboard hate at instant speed.
Lost to Skred
Mulligan to 4 game 1
I saw, and im not lying, 0 lands in my 7, 6, and 5.
Game 2 i kept a 1 land hierarch which lived 3 turns, but i never drew another land.
It's nice to see how others are going with the deck =]
WGUBR 5c Humans
GWR Naya Zoo
Legacy:
GW GW Maverick
R Goblins
I mulliganed at least twice a match.
3 of my game 1 openers had 0 lands
Lost to Skred
Beat esper control
Beat restore balance
Lost to scapeshift
-game 1 mulligan a 0 land hand to a 1 lander(suprise loss there)
-game 2 keep turn 2 blood moon with a plains and fetch. Hierarch gets bolted afterwards. I discard 3 times and draw nothing but lands afterwards and lose to the batterskull that deservedly beats me bc i decided to board out pridemages all the while knowing he has batterskull in sb.
Just a bad night and all the mulligans really put me on tilt early on
GR tron - 2-0 - got faster fisrt game and got a blood mood t2 in 2nd game.
Grixis faeries - 2-0 - t1 hierarch followed with a t2 smither was enough for game 1. Game 2 i manage to land a choke while he was tapped out. He cannot recover.
UWR midrange - 2-1 - Those were hard fought matches that could have gone the other way.
doran junk - 2-0 - He didn't find removal for my pets and i had path to exile both games to remove his rhinos. This was easier than i expected.
Overall the deck felt really impressive and i wasn't even playing with goyf because they were sleeved in another deck ! still the deck performed really well. I was playing a collected company list similar to what was posted in the above pages.
Takes a lot of practice and a blind opponent !! hahaha.
It was an error of course. T1 noble.
It's the hot new tech, add in Simian Spirit Guides for those explosive starts