It feels like in order to win, I need to run at least blue. It makes me wanna make a blue deck or multi-colored deck with blue.
I'd have to agree with the previous advice. I debated running Mental Misstep as well, but instead opted to run more one drops and recently was able to start beating control decks that gave me trouble like UW Stoneblade.
I ran a list similar to Pat Cox's last iteration of Zoo, but changed the 4 Goblin Guides to 4 Qasali Pridemages main board since there are enough powerful enchantments in my meta. That's still Kird Ape, Wild Nacatl, Loam Lion and Grim Lavamancer for one drops though.
If I have one creature and the opponent has 2 and I attack with one and they only block with one creature if I lightning bolt their declared blocker does my creature still attacks the player and they cant declare another blocker correct?
If it's during/after the block phase, your creature is blocked but is dealt no combat damage from the blocker.
Related to the B&R discussion in the forum above, but how do you feel about Zoo running Mental Misstep to protect it's important one drops? I personally think it's better to just compensate with more aggro/creatures and tourney data seems to support it, but one could argue MM protects you from A) MM itself, B) StP/Path and can proactively stop C) Brainstorm/Ponder.
Not to derail the MM argument (which I find interesting since I am a Zoo player that's thinking of playing MM to protect my one drops and I find that sad), but why is Brainstorm restricted in Vintage and not banned in Legacy?
I won't say that I necessarily believe it should be banned in Legacy, but it seems odd that in a format that is even more powerful (with Power 9 and whatnot), Brainstorm was "too powerful" and thus restricted, but they left it alone in Legacy. Why?
You might want to log in and check your ratings history. Unless you are a few hundred ratings points higher than every one of your opponents (4-500 points higher), you would definitely have gotten at least one point from 4-0ing a 4 round event. It's much more likely that your local store just didn't submit the ratings in time.
"i won both my local gamedays only losing one round and mine didnt move."
This is entirely possible if your rating is few hundred points higher than each opponent. I've done 4 round tournaments where i've gone 3-1, gaining 1 point for each of my 3 wins, and losing the full 8 off my loss.
I think they submitted since the number of events went up by one. As for my limited rating, it's not that great (used to be my worst format) so I am pretty sure going down is pretty much impossible given that I went 3 - 0. Same with my Eternal Rating going down after 2 - 2 when my Eternal is not that high.
I'm not going to a GP or anything, but anyone notice any irregularities in their updated rating? I went 4 - 0 at a local FNM and my rating stayed the same. I went 2 - 2 in a Legacy tournament and went down significantly even though it's an 8k event and I figured I broke even given the relative rating/strength of the opponents I beat/lost to (i.e. no one was really low and tanked me).
It's not a huge deal since I don't play competitively that much, but still found it odd.
The list I posted a couple pages ago is closer to Big Zoo then Fast Zoo posts a positive percentage against aggro and control.
Big Zoo/Stoneblade Zoo are much easier for me to adapt to the aggro or control route so I don't think it works for everyone but I like utility so I like this version much better than the fast Zoo variants.
Thank you for the list. I currently do not own all those cards, but it'll be something for me to look for when trading. I've noticed in some SBs that people run cards to be able to transform from small/fast Zoo to a mid-range Zoo. Probably for mirror matches and Control as you say.
I wasn't aware that anyone was still trying to play a countertop build of any sort.
I just don't see them at all anymore.
Well each region is different. I thought the same thing, but this person consistently plays it and it does reasonably well since there is a lot of stuff run that is vulnerable to massive control (i.e. Hive Mind, Reanimator, NO RUG).
DYou need to go bigger to beat CounterTop, either by adding Stoneforge Mystic/Batterskull or the pre-Misstep Big Zoo decks that run Noble Hierarch, Elspeth, and more Knights/Green Suns. I don't know how good the Big Zoo decks are nowadays with Mental Misstep but I've done pretty well with Stoneforge Zoo vs control since T2 Mystic just makes life really hard for them, as well as Library/Green Sun.
I guess it's rock/paper/scissor then. I went more aggressive so I could start beating NO RUG, Hive Mind, Reanimator decks that put me under a more aggressive clock (i.e. game needs to be over or close to by turn 4). By going "Big Zoo" will I be hurting my chances against decks I currently beat or split with?
Then again, I guess that's the beauty of (balanced) Magic. There's no deck that can beat all decks. If it comes down to percentages I may just stay aggressive if it means I beat a larger percentage of decks.
I'm relatively new to the format, but I am wondering why I've seen Pridemage dropped from most lists (mainboard, at least). Has he currently lost his utility due to what other decks people are playing?
I just see a lot less Sylvan Libraries and Qasali Pridemages in current lists and I am wondering if there is a reason for it.
I've actually been wondering the same thing. My guess is people are taking out Pridemages and other utility to gain access to Teeg mainboard and other aggressive cards like Goblin Guide. Assuming there is a lot of NO RUG in these larger tournaments, it makes sense to have Teeg MB instead of SB. That's the only answer I can come up with though and was hoping others could chime in.
Anyway, I've currently been running a list similar to Pat Cox's (I run two less Fetches for two Wastelands) and noticed that recent Zoo decks that finish Top 8 have become more aggressive with their one drops (i.e. Goblin Guide) and taken out the utility cards such as Sylvans and Pridemages. My sideboard is different than his and I run 3 Krosan Grip in my sideboard, but it still means I usually lose the first match against decks like CounterTop since it can easily lock me down given how many one drops I have. It also means more targets for Mental Misstep.
With that said, in the meta I play in, there is a lot of NO RUG (3 - 4) and sprinklings of CounterTop, Affinity, Merfolk, Reanimator, Hive Mind and UW Landstill/Stoneblade. I beat Merfolk and Affinity outright and 50/50 Hive Mind, NO RUG and Reanimator, but CounterTop and UW always give me a lot of trouble. Does anyone have recommendations on what I should change in the above list to better deal with things or is playing super aggressively the way to go?
I'd have to agree with the previous advice. I debated running Mental Misstep as well, but instead opted to run more one drops and recently was able to start beating control decks that gave me trouble like UW Stoneblade.
I ran a list similar to Pat Cox's last iteration of Zoo, but changed the 4 Goblin Guides to 4 Qasali Pridemages main board since there are enough powerful enchantments in my meta. That's still Kird Ape, Wild Nacatl, Loam Lion and Grim Lavamancer for one drops though.
If it's during/after the block phase, your creature is blocked but is dealt no combat damage from the blocker.
Thoughts?
I won't say that I necessarily believe it should be banned in Legacy, but it seems odd that in a format that is even more powerful (with Power 9 and whatnot), Brainstorm was "too powerful" and thus restricted, but they left it alone in Legacy. Why?
I think they submitted since the number of events went up by one. As for my limited rating, it's not that great (used to be my worst format) so I am pretty sure going down is pretty much impossible given that I went 3 - 0. Same with my Eternal Rating going down after 2 - 2 when my Eternal is not that high.
Oh well. Not a huge deal.
I'm not going to a GP or anything, but anyone notice any irregularities in their updated rating? I went 4 - 0 at a local FNM and my rating stayed the same. I went 2 - 2 in a Legacy tournament and went down significantly even though it's an 8k event and I figured I broke even given the relative rating/strength of the opponents I beat/lost to (i.e. no one was really low and tanked me).
It's not a huge deal since I don't play competitively that much, but still found it odd.
Thank you for the list. I currently do not own all those cards, but it'll be something for me to look for when trading. I've noticed in some SBs that people run cards to be able to transform from small/fast Zoo to a mid-range Zoo. Probably for mirror matches and Control as you say.
Well each region is different. I thought the same thing, but this person consistently plays it and it does reasonably well since there is a lot of stuff run that is vulnerable to massive control (i.e. Hive Mind, Reanimator, NO RUG).
I guess it's rock/paper/scissor then. I went more aggressive so I could start beating NO RUG, Hive Mind, Reanimator decks that put me under a more aggressive clock (i.e. game needs to be over or close to by turn 4). By going "Big Zoo" will I be hurting my chances against decks I currently beat or split with?
Then again, I guess that's the beauty of (balanced) Magic. There's no deck that can beat all decks. If it comes down to percentages I may just stay aggressive if it means I beat a larger percentage of decks.
I've actually been wondering the same thing. My guess is people are taking out Pridemages and other utility to gain access to Teeg mainboard and other aggressive cards like Goblin Guide. Assuming there is a lot of NO RUG in these larger tournaments, it makes sense to have Teeg MB instead of SB. That's the only answer I can come up with though and was hoping others could chime in.
Anyway, I've currently been running a list similar to Pat Cox's (I run two less Fetches for two Wastelands) and noticed that recent Zoo decks that finish Top 8 have become more aggressive with their one drops (i.e. Goblin Guide) and taken out the utility cards such as Sylvans and Pridemages. My sideboard is different than his and I run 3 Krosan Grip in my sideboard, but it still means I usually lose the first match against decks like CounterTop since it can easily lock me down given how many one drops I have. It also means more targets for Mental Misstep.
With that said, in the meta I play in, there is a lot of NO RUG (3 - 4) and sprinklings of CounterTop, Affinity, Merfolk, Reanimator, Hive Mind and UW Landstill/Stoneblade. I beat Merfolk and Affinity outright and 50/50 Hive Mind, NO RUG and Reanimator, but CounterTop and UW always give me a lot of trouble. Does anyone have recommendations on what I should change in the above list to better deal with things or is playing super aggressively the way to go?