Long time lurker, first time poster. I've been playing Zoo ever since the Nacatl unban a year ago and ever since I read Pat Cox's article on Tribal Zoo a couple months afterwards, I've been hooked since. I took the following list that my buddy and I tuned the night before to a PPTQ yesterday at my LGS and went to the finals and split, going 4-1-1 in 6 rounds of swiss.
R1: Grixis Control
Nothing special here, just played dudes and turned them sideways and made him have all the removal, which he didn't.
In: Crackling Doom, Lingering Souls x1
Out: Lightning Helix x2
1-0 (2-0)
R2: G/R Tron
G1 is pretty much Nacatl into Hierarch into Geist into Rhino and he doesn't assemble tron. G2 is a slower hand and t4 tron into Ugin gets met with a good ol Force Spike (Note: I love me some Stubs), however I draw lands and no action and two wurmcoils and a spaghetti monster later, I scoop. G3 he mulligans to 6 however hierarch into Geist doesn't let him do much when he assembles tron, and a stony silence stops his O stone.
On the draw: In: Stubborn Denial x2, Destructive Revelry
Out: Dromoka's Command, Lightning Bolt x2
On the play: In: Stony Silence x2
Out: Lightning Helix x2
2-0 (4-1)
R3: Grixis Control
I step into the office of my buddy I play at FNM and go to events with and G1 he does not bolt the bird and his fear of T2 geist takes me the game. While we're sideboarding he told him if he had the bolt he would've done it. G2 is me flooding the board and eating his removal before landing a Geist who connects once then eats an Anger. A Rhino then hits the board and he extends the hand when it swings.
R4: UR Twin
Again playing another buddy of mine I play with at FNM, go to events with and who helped tuned this list! G1 is very grindy with him landing twin when I'm holding a land in hand. G2 I have a better start and he lands a Blood Moon when I have a forest in play with Hierarch and Nacatl in play, however I top deck the plains and play the two goyfs in my hand and on to G3 we go. G3 is more back and forth with him resorting to exarch and snapcaster beatdowns while I'm holding twin removal. I do find creatures to block and when he is forced to twin it's met with Dromoka's Command with no counter and a couple turns later he extends the hand.
R5: Grixis Twin (ID)
Round 5 my opponent is supposed to be a local player who has attended the Pro Tour a couple times, but we ID so we can solidify our spots in Top 8 and so we can get food and eat.
4-0-1 (8-2-1)
R6: Grixis Delver
This round, after talking to people, I decide to make my opponent and I play so I can try to get the higher seed. G1 is very grindy, fair magic and a clogged up board, but double tribal flames for 5 steals me the game. G2 is much like game 1 however I remember I drew a fair amount of lands and I die to a bunch of creatures. G3 the board gets flooded with a bunch of tokens and a tasigur and zombie fish on his side to my rhino, nacatl, hierarch and goyf. He then plays a delver when I'm at 5 and he flips it to a bolt and kills me.
4-1-1 (9-4-1)
Top 8
Quarters: Burn
I knew i was playing burn and I knew I had to fight an uphill battle to win. G1 however did not start well. Had to mull to five to Rhino, Rhino, Overgrown, Forest, Geist, and on the draw I had to keep it. He bolts himself to Bolt me and I draw a land. He then plays eidolon and I'm looking a bit better. Another draw and another land, I play it and say go. He proceeds to shock himself to helix me at end step and passes turn again. I play my fourth land and play rhino. No skullcrack makes me smile. He Boros Charms me and again passes the turn. Second Rhino and my victory is pretty much secured. He draws the skullcrack he needed two turns ago and scoops. G2 is better when he mulls to 5 and I play nacatl, goyf, goyf and he can't answer it.
In: Timely Reinforcements, Kor Firewalker x2, Stubborn Denial
Out: Geist of Saint Traft x 4
Semis: RUG Delver
I've played with this deck before and I know what tricks he could have. G1 he goes t1 delver and passes. I know there's a shoal in his hand but I had to try to kill the delver anyway with a bolt and he does have it. Delver flips and swings. Main phase path is met with thought scour into stubborn denial when I didn't play my land for turn (oops). He swings with delver again and passes. I play a geist and it resolves. Another delver attack and pass, and my top decked bolt kills the delver and geist steals the game. G2 goes great until I fetch into blood moon and scoop. G3 I play around blood moon the best I can while answering his goyfs and delvers. There is a moment when I have 4 lands that can cast rhino and a fetch and I know he has the blood moon, but I test my luck and play the rhino and pass. He vapor snaps it and Blood moons and i get my basic forest and hope for the best. Top decked nacatl is my finisher and a top deck plains seals it.
Finals: Grixis Control
My buddy again from the swiss. I particulary did not want the invite to the RPTQ, so I ended up conceding to my opponent and splitting prize.
Overall, the deck felt great and variance did not show its ugly head in force like it did while I was at GP Charlotte. I've played Naya Company Zoo and while it is more consistent and redundant, it did feel less powerful and I was always craving removal when I had a company in my hand. I did not sideboard in fiery justice once, which i probably should've done against the grixis delver player, nor did I play against Abzan CoCo so I did not see how Anafenza would do in that matchup. Maindeck feels solid, Dromoka's command did work and Kolaghan's command returned a geist and a goyf so I can't complain. I would want to switch out the overgrown for a blood crypt, as I did not fetch overgrown that often, but maybe an extra green source is okay.
1
Long time lurker, first time poster. I've been playing Zoo ever since the Nacatl unban a year ago and ever since I read Pat Cox's article on Tribal Zoo a couple months afterwards, I've been hooked since. I took the following list that my buddy and I tuned the night before to a PPTQ yesterday at my LGS and went to the finals and split, going 4-1-1 in 6 rounds of swiss.
4 Arid Mesa
1 Forest
1 Godless Shrine
1 Hallowed Fountain
1 Overgrown Tomb
1 Plains
1 Sacred Foundry
1 Steam Vents
1 Stomping Ground
1 Temple Garden
4 Windswept Heath
4 Wooded Foothills
4 Noble Hierarch
4 Wild Nacatl
4 Tarmogoyf
2 Qasali Pridemage
2 Snapcaster Mage
4 Geist of Saint Traft
4 Siege Rhino
Spells (15)
4 Lightning Bolt
3 Path to Exile
4 Tribal Flames
2 Lightning Helix
1 Dromoka's Command
1 Kolaghan's Command
2 Anafenza, the Foremost
1 Crackling Doom
1 Destructive Revelry
1 Fiery Justice
2 Kor Firewalker
2 Lingering Souls
1 Rending Volley
2 Stony Silence
2 Stubborn Denial
1 Timely Reinforcements
Here's just a brief summary of my rounds:
R1: Grixis Control
Nothing special here, just played dudes and turned them sideways and made him have all the removal, which he didn't.
In: Crackling Doom, Lingering Souls x1
Out: Lightning Helix x2
1-0 (2-0)
R2: G/R Tron
G1 is pretty much Nacatl into Hierarch into Geist into Rhino and he doesn't assemble tron. G2 is a slower hand and t4 tron into Ugin gets met with a good ol Force Spike (Note: I love me some Stubs), however I draw lands and no action and two wurmcoils and a spaghetti monster later, I scoop. G3 he mulligans to 6 however hierarch into Geist doesn't let him do much when he assembles tron, and a stony silence stops his O stone.
On the draw: In: Stubborn Denial x2, Destructive Revelry
Out: Dromoka's Command, Lightning Bolt x2
On the play: In: Stony Silence x2
Out: Lightning Helix x2
2-0 (4-1)
R3: Grixis Control
I step into the office of my buddy I play at FNM and go to events with and G1 he does not bolt the bird and his fear of T2 geist takes me the game. While we're sideboarding he told him if he had the bolt he would've done it. G2 is me flooding the board and eating his removal before landing a Geist who connects once then eats an Anger. A Rhino then hits the board and he extends the hand when it swings.
In: Stubborn Denial x2, Crackling Doom, Lingering Souls x2
Out: Lightning Helix x2, Lightning Bolt x 2, Kolaghan's Command (not sure if thats correct)
3-0 (6-1)
R4: UR Twin
Again playing another buddy of mine I play with at FNM, go to events with and who helped tuned this list! G1 is very grindy with him landing twin when I'm holding a land in hand. G2 I have a better start and he lands a Blood Moon when I have a forest in play with Hierarch and Nacatl in play, however I top deck the plains and play the two goyfs in my hand and on to G3 we go. G3 is more back and forth with him resorting to exarch and snapcaster beatdowns while I'm holding twin removal. I do find creatures to block and when he is forced to twin it's met with Dromoka's Command with no counter and a couple turns later he extends the hand.
In: Rending Volley, Destructive Revelry, Stubborn Denial x2
Out: Lightning Bolt x2, Lightning Helix x2
4-0 (8-2)
R5: Grixis Twin (ID)
Round 5 my opponent is supposed to be a local player who has attended the Pro Tour a couple times, but we ID so we can solidify our spots in Top 8 and so we can get food and eat.
4-0-1 (8-2-1)
R6: Grixis Delver
This round, after talking to people, I decide to make my opponent and I play so I can try to get the higher seed. G1 is very grindy, fair magic and a clogged up board, but double tribal flames for 5 steals me the game. G2 is much like game 1 however I remember I drew a fair amount of lands and I die to a bunch of creatures. G3 the board gets flooded with a bunch of tokens and a tasigur and zombie fish on his side to my rhino, nacatl, hierarch and goyf. He then plays a delver when I'm at 5 and he flips it to a bolt and kills me.
4-1-1 (9-4-1)
Top 8
Quarters: Burn
I knew i was playing burn and I knew I had to fight an uphill battle to win. G1 however did not start well. Had to mull to five to Rhino, Rhino, Overgrown, Forest, Geist, and on the draw I had to keep it. He bolts himself to Bolt me and I draw a land. He then plays eidolon and I'm looking a bit better. Another draw and another land, I play it and say go. He proceeds to shock himself to helix me at end step and passes turn again. I play my fourth land and play rhino. No skullcrack makes me smile. He Boros Charms me and again passes the turn. Second Rhino and my victory is pretty much secured. He draws the skullcrack he needed two turns ago and scoops. G2 is better when he mulls to 5 and I play nacatl, goyf, goyf and he can't answer it.
In: Timely Reinforcements, Kor Firewalker x2, Stubborn Denial
Out: Geist of Saint Traft x 4
Semis: RUG Delver
I've played with this deck before and I know what tricks he could have. G1 he goes t1 delver and passes. I know there's a shoal in his hand but I had to try to kill the delver anyway with a bolt and he does have it. Delver flips and swings. Main phase path is met with thought scour into stubborn denial when I didn't play my land for turn (oops). He swings with delver again and passes. I play a geist and it resolves. Another delver attack and pass, and my top decked bolt kills the delver and geist steals the game. G2 goes great until I fetch into blood moon and scoop. G3 I play around blood moon the best I can while answering his goyfs and delvers. There is a moment when I have 4 lands that can cast rhino and a fetch and I know he has the blood moon, but I test my luck and play the rhino and pass. He vapor snaps it and Blood moons and i get my basic forest and hope for the best. Top decked nacatl is my finisher and a top deck plains seals it.
Finals: Grixis Control
My buddy again from the swiss. I particulary did not want the invite to the RPTQ, so I ended up conceding to my opponent and splitting prize.
Overall, the deck felt great and variance did not show its ugly head in force like it did while I was at GP Charlotte. I've played Naya Company Zoo and while it is more consistent and redundant, it did feel less powerful and I was always craving removal when I had a company in my hand. I did not sideboard in fiery justice once, which i probably should've done against the grixis delver player, nor did I play against Abzan CoCo so I did not see how Anafenza would do in that matchup. Maindeck feels solid, Dromoka's command did work and Kolaghan's command returned a geist and a goyf so I can't complain. I would want to switch out the overgrown for a blood crypt, as I did not fetch overgrown that often, but maybe an extra green source is okay.
Oh, and so much for a brief summary