I think that company is a bit too high cost for the standard zoo list. A 4+ drop in this deck has got to be a huge threat like siege rhino, thundermaw hellkite, or a planeswalker. I also feel iffy about atarka's command: it's important to have damage that can also dome creatures, so that our own guys can get through problematic blockers. I'm still pretty wedded to pillar of flame and the like.
-sorry to be negative, I just don't think dragons gave us the tools we need. Maybe if ire shaman and den protector didn't need to be cast as morphs before their effects would kick in...
Maybe, maybe not.
I think i'll test some things and finally report when i made my own mistakes
Got some ideas in mind and just need to figure out what's workin' and what's not.
Either way, Zoo Players have to work with Cards the Modern Pool offers.
I'll be happy as long as Zoo doesn't end like in Legacy Format.
For the $50.00 primer, i'm finding the white mana is not worth it. Cutting the white and going gruul allows for a much smoother mana base, without as many rare lands. it also makes the Flinthoof Boar more consistent.
cuts you off Wild Nacatl plus Path to Exile.
Gruul Aggro is straight dropping your Hand and goin all-In, which may work sometimes but more than not-so-often doesn't pay off.
Full Naya gives you more reach (Burn, Planeswalker, Dromoka's Command) and allows you to have Access to some powerful spells in Modern.
If your Mana Base doesn't Support 3-Color than Gruul is total valid, but inferior to RGW.
I see that Steppe Lynx and the pump spells aren't very popular. For me, I had to build the deck so that it goldfishes faster than Burn. If I'm going to play a similar game-plan, but be easier to interact with and more reliant on creatures, in my mind there has to be some kind of benefit for doing that.
Haven't played this one much, but seemed like a fun take. Obviously it's making strong use of spells to boost Swiftspear and just to help clear a path as needed.
Creatures: 24
4 G Experiment One
4 G Wild Nacatl
4 R Monastery Swiftspear
4 R Kird Ape
4 GW Fleecemane Lion
2 1GW Loxodon Smiter
2 2RG Ghor-Clan Rampager
Spells: 18
4 R Gut Shot
4 R Lightning Bolt
2 R Wild Slash
4 G Mutagenic Growth
4 G Rancor
I have no clue if I'm posting this in the right place, my build isn't "budget" per se, but rather it's just based on cards that I already own. I'm looking for improvements that could be made to this deck, but I'm not willing to invest in Tarmogoyfs right now or enemy fetch lands either (waiting for what I believe will be a Battle for Zendikar reprint and a massive price drop on them).
I feel like I need to get more shock lands to make the mana base work, or barring that maybe fast lands, check lands, pain lands? Not sure, and don't own any WR/WG/RG of any of those cycles right now.
I own a lot of cards, so any suggestions outside of the ones I mentioned above would be welcome and I may even already have something, or be willing to buy it if it's not too expensive.
Get up to 6 - 9 Shocklands, your Mana-Base isn't stable.
cut Hierarch and Birds for 4 Loam Lion, also Mandrills Need a lot of Input in the Graveyard.
He has a lot of anti-synergy with Knight of the Reliquary.
Cut the Quarter, it's rather useless in Zoo.
I don't like Finks either as a 1-of.
made a deck based off the $50 version and i think maybe boros reckoner would be good in that deck also a good sideboard card against burn for me has been feed the clan
So I'm building a zoo list without goyf because I'd rather use my $800 to pay my bills and not on 4 tarmo's (as much as I'd like to) and this is the list I came up with to make 'Little zoo'
The deck is just zoo with low costing creatures, 8 burn spells and 3 paths and then loxodon's at the top of the curve. (Ghor-clan rampager is basically a trample giving titanic growth :p)
My only problem is my SB. Not the SB itself I'm liking the looks of it, my only problem though is that I don't know what to cut from the mainboard in most matchups. I do know and have an idea of what I want to put in Game's 2 and 3 from the SB but I don't actually know what I would cut for them so I'm coming here asking what cards would you take out of the mainboard post board?
I'm new to playing zoo and I'm making this because I'm a merfolk player but don't always want to play merfolk at my LGS all the time and just want something else to play to mix it up a bit, as well as getting my dad to play some modern at the LGS as well.
after experimenting with some Zoo Builds (Big, Gruul, Company) i ended up with 4Color Zoo as
my primary budget build. It's working ou really decent (except for it's common weaknesses)
without Tarmogoyf because it's curving into bigger Dudes, most notably Siege Rhino.
This "Budget"-Build has the upside of using the advantages of a 4C-Build with really Big Threats and versatile answers
to problematic Cards. It's invention leapes the gap of not having a 2cmc Beater but owning a well-sorted Mana Base.
The number of Instants is variable, adding Abrupt Decay over Terminate maybe rigth,
also the numbers can vary.
What this deck does really well is curving out.
If you got a T1 Noble Hierarch a T2 Knight or Smiter feels alright.
Also a T2 Scavenging Ooze isn't the worst in the world, because it's giving you the chance of attacking the grave
early on.
A T1 Wild Nacatl gives early pressure while giving you options on T2.
Pridemage and Ooze are obvious, but also the removal & utility package provided with Lightning Helix
and Dromoka's Command are ways to buff out more damage or remove early threats.
I'd appreciate if someone tests this build further with me to keep up to a 300 - 500$ Zoo that is competitive.
A sidenote to the Manabase: Bloodstained Mire over Arid Mesa hasn't been an issue,
but i haven't come up to Blood Moon these days.
Mire lets you grab Tomb, Ground, Shrine and Crypt which felt alright in my testings.
Mesa allows fetching of a Plains, but Noble Hierarch fixes
a lot of Mana issues except having Black
The addition of Pridemage and Dromoka's Command may be enough to solve
enemy Moons. This problems needs further testings.
I'd appreciate if someone tests this build further with me to keep up to a 300 - 500$ Zoo that is competitive.
Hey Polymorph,
I'm new to the forums but I have been slowly picking up cards to transition to Zoo from Elves at local modern events. I have been thinking similarly to you: if we don't have a good 2 drop replacement for goyf it may be better to focus on hitting our 3 drops than trying to fill the gaps with utility 2s (which just don't have the same punch).
I'm interested by your choice of Siege Rhino. I'll see if I can pick up a fourth to test him out.
I have been planning to add a blue splash to run Geist of St Traft. The heavy focus on 3 drops just seems to beg for Collected Company, which Rhino does not synergize with.
Have you tried Voice of Resurgence at all? I've liked him so far in my XMage testing.
Birds of Paradise as a one or two of might be worth considering as well.
The 2cmc Spot is rather tough here because i don't want a lot of them. Ooze serves as a great mana sink and
Pridemage is a great Bear as well. Maybe a single Fleecemane Lion can fit here? Also Voice maybe
worth it...just needs a bit of testing
Decay is heading towards my deck, but i played w/o it.
BW Tokens
This MU feels like a MIdrange Battle.
'Seize and IoK stripped my hand but the marvelous Siege Rhino breaks
the Token Stallment every time. This MU improved from Small Zoo's 50/50 to 60/40 in
my favor. Maybe even better.
Bonfire of the Damned and Dromoka's out of the side felt like the right way
of dealing with the Spirits.
UR Twin Path to Exile and Dromoka's Command did there Job.
Sometimes i had been running out of answers and he was able to combo off.
This MU i was able to keep constant pressure with Rhino and Knight, which really
pushes my Opponent after a T1 Noble Hierarch sticks on the table.
Sideboarding: Boil as a 2-of. reason behind this is, that the Games tend to go longer than
the Small Zoo's. Many Players tap out for Cryptic Command and responding with no islands trades 2 for 1 or even better.
RUG Twin
It was a grindfest.
Post-Board we fought a Midrange Battle between Tarmogoyf, which beefed up to a
5/6, and my Scavenging Ooze + Siege Rhino with exalted Hierarch-Trigger.
This MU i felt like i wasn't in a sweet spot.
It broke down to a topdeck war, but he had the better plan in finding his combo pieces.
More testing has to be done here.
This is my first time really trying to plan and build deck instead of just picking cards without really thinking (and I suck even at that). I pretty much literally build everything from scratch since only useful cards I own are one copy of E1 and Lightning Helix.
Is this even anywhere near passable, or is it "what are you thinking!?" kind of deckidea?
Believe it or not, in a not-so-magical year know as 2013 when wild nacatal was unjustly under the banhammer this was THE zoo deck. Except it was only red and green, because like I said no nacatl.
First issue I see though is that you are lacking the manabase to support nacatal. You want her to always be a 3/3 by turn 2, otherwise you might as well be playing something else. You ideally want 10x Wooded Foothills/Windswept Heath/Arid Mesa and 5x Stomping Ground/Temple Garden/Sacred Foundry so that you can get your nacatal online by the time it's ready to attack.
If I was still playing this I might run something like this:
Maybe, maybe not.
I think i'll test some things and finally report when i made my own mistakes
Got some ideas in mind and just need to figure out what's workin' and what's not.
Either way, Zoo Players have to work with Cards the Modern Pool offers.
I'll be happy as long as Zoo doesn't end like in Legacy Format.
Green @ it's best
Gruul Aggro is straight dropping your Hand and goin all-In, which may work sometimes but more than not-so-often doesn't pay off.
Full Naya gives you more reach (Burn, Planeswalker, Dromoka's Command) and allows you to have Access to some powerful spells in Modern.
If your Mana Base doesn't Support 3-Color than Gruul is total valid, but inferior to RGW.
Here's my Budget List:
4 Wooded Foothills
4 Windswept Heath
2 Stomping Ground
2 Temple Garden
1 Sacred Foundry
1 Plains
1 Mountain
1 Forest
1 Kessig Wolf Run
1 Treetop Village
4 Kird Ape
4 Loam Lion
2 Flinthoof Boar
4 Knight of the Reliquary
3 Woolly Thoctar
4 Ghor-Clan Rampager
4 Atarka's Command
4 Path to Exile
4 Lightning Bolt
2 Vines of Vastwood
Green @ it's best
4x Windswept Heath
4x Wooded Foothills
2x Sacred Foundry
2x Stomping Ground
1x Temple Garden
1x Mountain
1x Forest
1x Plains
4x Monastery Swiftspear
4x Kird Ape
4x Wild Nacatl
4x Steppe Lynx
4x Lightning Bolt
4x Mutagenic Growth
4x Become Immense
4x Path to Exile
4x Atarka's Command
I see that Steppe Lynx and the pump spells aren't very popular. For me, I had to build the deck so that it goldfishes faster than Burn. If I'm going to play a similar game-plan, but be easier to interact with and more reliant on creatures, in my mind there has to be some kind of benefit for doing that.
Trade Thread
Modern
RWGBurnGWR
GUInfectUG
GRTronRG
UWGifts TronWU
URBGrixis DelverBRU
RGWZooWGR
Legacy
BUWTinFinsWUB
UROmniTellRU
BURTESRUB
GElves!G
GBPSIBG
RGBelcherGR
UBRGWDredgeWGRBU
UBAffinityBU
RBurnR
Vintage
UBGDoomsdayGBU
0Martello Shops0
GElves!G
UBTPSBU
UBelcherU
0Dredge0
Creatures: 24
4 G Experiment One
4 G Wild Nacatl
4 R Monastery Swiftspear
4 R Kird Ape
4 GW Fleecemane Lion
2 1GW Loxodon Smiter
2 2RG Ghor-Clan Rampager
Spells: 18
4 R Gut Shot
4 R Lightning Bolt
2 R Wild Slash
4 G Mutagenic Growth
4 G Rancor
Lands: 18
1 Forest
1 Mountain
1 Sacred Foundry
1 Temple Garden
2 Stomping Ground
2 Bloodstained Mire
2 Flooded Strand
4 Windswept Heath
4 Wooded Foothills
I feel like I need to get more shock lands to make the mana base work, or barring that maybe fast lands, check lands, pain lands? Not sure, and don't own any WR/WG/RG of any of those cycles right now.
I own a lot of cards, so any suggestions outside of the ones I mentioned above would be welcome and I may even already have something, or be willing to buy it if it's not too expensive.
Here's my first draft:
4 Wild Nacatl
4 Kird Ape
2 Loam Lion
4 Noble Hierarch
2 Hooting Mandrills
4 Knight of the Reliquary
1 Ghor-Clan Rampager
1 Birds of Paradise
2 Qasali Pridemage
1 Kitchen Finks
Spells (13)
3 Atarka's Command
2 Lightning Helix
4 Path to Exile
4 Lightning Bolt
1 Kessig Wolf Run
4 Wooded Foothills
4 Windswept Heath
1 Ghost Quarter
2 Sacred Foundry
1 Temple Garden
2 Stomping Ground
3 Forest
2 Mountain
2 Plains
3 Loxodon Smiter
1 Qasali Pridemage
2 Grim Lavamancer
2 Stony Silence
2 Ancient Grudge
2 Feed the Clan
1 Destructive Revelry
2 Dryad Militant
cut Hierarch and Birds for 4 Loam Lion, also Mandrills Need a lot of Input in the Graveyard.
He has a lot of anti-synergy with Knight of the Reliquary.
Cut the Quarter, it's rather useless in Zoo.
I don't like Finks either as a 1-of.
Maybe you go up to 3 Ghor-Clan Rampager or cut him completely for Burn.
Green @ it's best
Mondern: Mardu Aristocrats (link to my post http://www.mtgsalvation.com/forums/the-game/modern/deck-creation-modern/624899-goblins-and-kings-mardu-aristocrats-build)
Legacy: dead guy ale (B/W/G)
4x Battlefield Forge
4x Brushland
2x City of Brass
3x Forest
4x Karplusan Forest
1x Mountain
2x Plains
2x Flame Slash
Enchantment (4)
4x Rancor
Creature (20)
4x Dryad Militant
4x Experiment One
4x Loxodon Smiter
4x Monastery Swiftspear
4x Watchwolf
2x Advent of the Wurm
4x Boros Charm
4x Lightning Bolt
4x Lightning Helix
How is it ? Can it work ?
Using Lush Growth seems like a really interesting solution to the lack of shocks/fetches.
Another budget option is Crystallization which is an improved Pacifism.
http://tappedout.net/mtg-decks/animals-3/
The deck is just zoo with low costing creatures, 8 burn spells and 3 paths and then loxodon's at the top of the curve. (Ghor-clan rampager is basically a trample giving titanic growth :p)
My only problem is my SB. Not the SB itself I'm liking the looks of it, my only problem though is that I don't know what to cut from the mainboard in most matchups. I do know and have an idea of what I want to put in Game's 2 and 3 from the SB but I don't actually know what I would cut for them so I'm coming here asking what cards would you take out of the mainboard post board?
I'm new to playing zoo and I'm making this because I'm a merfolk player but don't always want to play merfolk at my LGS all the time and just want something else to play to mix it up a bit, as well as getting my dad to play some modern at the LGS as well.
Thanks for your input guys!
after experimenting with some Zoo Builds (Big, Gruul, Company) i ended up with 4Color Zoo as
my primary budget build. It's working ou really decent (except for it's common weaknesses)
without Tarmogoyf because it's curving into bigger Dudes, most notably Siege Rhino.
This "Budget"-Build has the upside of using the advantages of a 4C-Build with really Big Threats and versatile answers
to problematic Cards. It's invention leapes the gap of not having a 2cmc Beater but owning a well-sorted Mana Base.
Here is the list:
4 Wooded Foothills
4 Windswept Heath
2 Stomping Ground
2 Temple Garden
1 Overgrown Tomb
1 Blood Crypt
1 Godless Shrine
1 Forest
1 Plains
1 Mountain
22 Lands
4 Noble Hierarch
8 1Cmc Creatures
2 Qasali Pridemage
3 Scavenging Ooze
5 2cmc Hatebears
4 Loxodon Smiter
4 knight of the Reliquary
4 Siege Rhino
12 cmc3+ Beaters
3 Path to Exile
2 Terminate
2 Lightning Helix
9 Removal & Utility Spells
The number of Instants is variable, adding Abrupt Decay over Terminate maybe rigth,
also the numbers can vary.
What this deck does really well is curving out.
If you got a T1 Noble Hierarch a T2 Knight or Smiter feels alright.
Also a T2 Scavenging Ooze isn't the worst in the world, because it's giving you the chance of attacking the grave
early on.
A T1 Wild Nacatl gives early pressure while giving you options on T2.
Pridemage and Ooze are obvious, but also the removal & utility package provided with Lightning Helix
and Dromoka's Command are ways to buff out more damage or remove early threats.
I'd appreciate if someone tests this build further with me to keep up to a 300 - 500$ Zoo that is competitive.
Green @ it's best
Bloodstained Mire over Arid Mesa hasn't been an issue,
but i haven't come up to Blood Moon these days.
Mire lets you grab Tomb, Ground, Shrine and Crypt which felt alright in my testings.
Mesa allows fetching of a Plains, but Noble Hierarch fixes
a lot of Mana issues except having Black
The addition of Pridemage and Dromoka's Command may be enough to solve
enemy Moons. This problems needs further testings.
Green @ it's best
Hey Polymorph,
I'm new to the forums but I have been slowly picking up cards to transition to Zoo from Elves at local modern events. I have been thinking similarly to you: if we don't have a good 2 drop replacement for goyf it may be better to focus on hitting our 3 drops than trying to fill the gaps with utility 2s (which just don't have the same punch).
I'm interested by your choice of Siege Rhino. I'll see if I can pick up a fourth to test him out.
I have been planning to add a blue splash to run Geist of St Traft. The heavy focus on 3 drops just seems to beg for Collected Company, which Rhino does not synergize with.
Have you tried Voice of Resurgence at all? I've liked him so far in my XMage testing.
Birds of Paradise as a one or two of might be worth considering as well.
Birds of Paradise is just not what i want here because i got flooded sometimes and had no Sink like
Gavony Township or Stirring Wildwood that fits into the Deck.
The 2cmc Spot is rather tough here because i don't want a lot of them. Ooze serves as a great mana sink and
Pridemage is a great Bear as well. Maybe a single Fleecemane Lion can fit here? Also Voice maybe
worth it...just needs a bit of testing
Green @ it's best
My list for reference:
4 Wooded Foothills
4 Windswept Heath
1 Stomping Ground
2 Temple Garden
1 Sacred Foundry
1 Overgrown Tomb
1 Blood Crypt
1 Godless Shrine
2 Forest
1 Plains
1 Stirring Wildwood
22 Lands
4 Noble Hierarch
8 1Cmc Creatures
2 Qasali Pridemage
3 Scavenging Ooze
5 2cmc Hatebears
4 Loxodon Smiter
4 knight of the Reliquary
4 Siege Rhino
12 cmc3+ Beaters
3 Path to Exile
2 Terminate
2 Lightning Helix
9 Removal & Utility Spells
Decay is heading towards my deck, but i played w/o it.
BW Tokens
This MU feels like a MIdrange Battle.
'Seize and IoK stripped my hand but the marvelous Siege Rhino breaks
the Token Stallment every time. This MU improved from Small Zoo's 50/50 to 60/40 in
my favor. Maybe even better.
Bonfire of the Damned and Dromoka's out of the side felt like the right way
of dealing with the Spirits.
UR Twin
Path to Exile and Dromoka's Command did there Job.
Sometimes i had been running out of answers and he was able to combo off.
This MU i was able to keep constant pressure with Rhino and Knight, which really
pushes my Opponent after a T1 Noble Hierarch sticks on the table.
Sideboarding:
Boil as a 2-of. reason behind this is, that the Games tend to go longer than
the Small Zoo's. Many Players tap out for Cryptic Command and responding with
no islands trades 2 for 1 or even better.
RUG Twin
It was a grindfest.
Post-Board we fought a Midrange Battle between Tarmogoyf, which beefed up to a
5/6, and my Scavenging Ooze + Siege Rhino with exalted Hierarch-Trigger.
This MU i felt like i wasn't in a sweet spot.
It broke down to a topdeck war, but he had the better plan in finding his combo pieces.
More testing has to be done here.
My Sideboard:
1 Dromoka's Command
2 Feed the Clan
2 Slaughter Games
2 Bonfire of the Damned
2 Stony Silence
2 Lingering Souls
2 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
I'll try out 2 Kolaghan's Command but haven't decided what i'd cut right now.
The deck is pretty good and worked out competitive.
Siege Rhino is a Beast and if somebody can't afford Goofy, this looks like a promising start.
In the next couple of weeks i'm going to test Company Zoo w/o Goyf.
Reporting back ASAP
Green @ it's best
Believe it or not, in a not-so-magical year know as 2013 when wild nacatal was unjustly under the banhammer this was THE zoo deck. Except it was only red and green, because like I said no nacatl.
It's still probably the most explosive version of zoo, but also the most prone to blow-outs. Getting hit with Anger of the Gods is a blowup, but going: T1 Experiment One > T2 Burning-Tree Emissary + Flinthoof Boar is almost like playing affinity.
First issue I see though is that you are lacking the manabase to support nacatal. You want her to always be a 3/3 by turn 2, otherwise you might as well be playing something else. You ideally want 10x Wooded Foothills/Windswept Heath/Arid Mesa and 5x Stomping Ground/Temple Garden/Sacred Foundry so that you can get your nacatal online by the time it's ready to attack.
If I was still playing this I might run something like this:
2 Temple Garden
2 Stomping Ground
1 Sacred Foundry
2 Arid Mesa
4 Wooded Foothills
4 Windswept Heath
1 Forest
1 Mountain
1 Plains
4 Kird Ape
4 Stormblood Berserker
4 Goblin Guide
4 Ghor-Clan Rampager
4 Flinthoof Boar
4 Experiment One
4 Burning-Tree Emissary
4 Wild Nacatl
4 Lightning Bolt
3 Lightning Helix
3 Path to Exile
If the landbase isn't in you budget, then I'd cut white completely and just go RG. Which honestly might be more explosive anyways.
Here's an updated list based on a vague recollection of what I used to run:
4 Stomping Ground
4 Wooded Foothills
4 Copperline Gorge
3 Forest
3 Mountain
Creatures
4 Kird Ape
4 Stormblood Berserker
4 Goblin Guide
4 Ghor-Clan Rampager
4 Flinthoof Boar
4 Experiment One
4 Burning-Tree Emissary
2 Vexing Devil
4 Lightning Bolt
2 Rancor
3 Dismember
2 Mutagenic Growth
1 Pillar of Flame
WDeath and TaxesW
RWGBurnGWR
When I was playing this deck I actually had someone unironically suggest Simian Spirit Guide...