Soul Sisters isn't really common in my meta. It used to be full of the previous season's tier 1 decks, BGx Rock, WUR Control, Twin, Affinity, Burn, GR Tron, Scapeshift. But now it's a lot more diverse with a lot more random brews. Some of those include Affinity with Goblin token, this mono-black control deck with Phyrexian Crusader as the finisher, and this Tezzeret deck with mainboard Azorius Signet.
The deck is mostly just for local store / kitchen table (where Kitchen Finks fits very well, hehe). But anyways, here are my sideboard choices.
4 Destructive Revelry - Used to have a 2/2 split between Revelry and Ancient Grudge, and then I got owned by Bogles. So I figure to just up Revelry to 4 copies, to improve my Bogles matchup while still being decent against Affinity.
2 Kor Firewalker - For Burn and Storm, though with Helix and Finks, not sure if I need it
2 Rest In Peace - for Snapcaster, Goyf, graveyard shenanigans
2 Torpor Orb - for Twin, Snapcaster, Soul Sisters
1 Hushwing Gryff - Torpor Orb #3, not sure if it's worth being fancy flashing in a Hushwing in response to the opponent flashing in a Pestermite
4 Molten Rain - for Tron and greedy manabases. Might just swap those out for 2 Aven Mindcensor and 2 Fulminator Mage.
Your sideboard need some rework. Seems a bit random to me.
I had a smiliar change in my mind adding 3 Voices and 2 Wilt-Leaf Liege and cutting 3 Scooze and 2 Chandra, Pyromaster. Scooze hasn't been that impressiv for me, so Voice would make some aggro matchups better and is great against Abzan, Twin and Control. With Liege the deck would be more aggressiv and my Tarmos could fight my opponent ones without exalted. Smiter would just kill Rhino. Everything except Noble Hierarch would be out of Anger range.
What changes would you suggest for the sideboard? Also, should I just cut Ooze from the 75?
Speaking of Abzan Liege, my list is surprisingly similar to the list Jacob Wilson ran at the Pro Tour, except I'm using red instead of black as my third color. At this point, would it just be better off if I dropped red and splashed black? Basically I would be replacing Nacatl, Bolt, Helix, Restructive Revelry, and Molten Rain with Thoughtseize, Lingering Souls, Siege Rhino, Tasigur, and Abrupt Decay. Would that be worth the swap in colors?
Basic Mountains aren't necessary for Blood Moon insurance. I don't think I would bother with one. You'll probably always have to search for either G or W, just look at your initial fetches and lands, get a Stomping Ground or a Sacred Foundry and then fetch a Forest or Plains to round it out.
You could probably ditch the Temple Garden and the mountain and run two each Forest and Plains.
The basic Mountain is for point #3. If you're playing against Burn and you need a red source, it matters if you're fetching for a Mountain instead of a Stomping Ground or Sacred Foundry.
@LethalRayne
I would change your manabase to this for the following reasons.
1. Upping the fetchland count to 12 maximizes your chances of drawing an on-color land.
2. Spreading out your basics gives insurance for Blood Moon and takes advantage of Path to Exile, should you be facing either of these cards.
3. If you're playing again Burn, you should fetch basics instead of shocks whenever possible.
Again, the divide would only exist between aggro and midrange, but since we could aggro this deck and aggro zoo uses the same "core" (nacatl, path, bolt, goyf) it can be viewed as a veriation of the archetype, just a big one.
I for one thing its just something that should be in one thread.
Since we're discussing this topic I'd like to chime in. I think the following would be a good split for threads. I don't think there are enough Dark Zoo players to warrant its own thread so discussion on it can just go towards the thread for Kiblers Midrange or Domain Zoo. Basically I think the threads we have now are okay, with the exception that I think Domain Zoo should get its own thread, since it seems to have more success than the other types.
Small Zoo (Gruul, Small Naya)
Kiblers Midrange
Counter-Cat
Domain Zoo
In a vacuum, I would say that Goblin Guide is better. However, with how aggressive this deck is and how low the curve is, you should play both. 23 Lands is too many, the mid range decks only play 22 and our curve goes higher, even though we play hierarchs. I would say you cut the planeswalkers from this and add in some number of Ghor-Clan Rampagers, Goblin Guides and cut down to 21 lands
Thanks man. I guess I'll try out cutting the planeswalkers and adding Goblin Guide. I'll also see if Noble Hiearchs are good in this build. I really like Elspeth though.
I don't like Judge's Familiar. It is better in a D&T style deck where you are constantly denying your opponents resources. In a Zoo deck, Hierarch is just better
I'm waiting for Wizards to print a Naya version of Noble Hierarch.
So I was looking at 1-drops on Gatherer, and I was just wondering, is Warden of the First Tree a good 1-drop for Zoo? Also, would Basking Rootwalla be a good addition if it were to be made Modern legal?
3 rhino with 20 lands? or 2 rhino and 1 more land, like blood crypt?
I noticed that you had 2 Mutagenic Growth in the sideboard (for some reason I missed that). Tribal/Domain Zoo doens't really need Mutagenic Growth. I would suggest this.
4 Destructive Revelry - Used to have a 2/2 split between Revelry and Ancient Grudge, and then I got owned by Bogles. So I figure to just up Revelry to 4 copies, to improve my Bogles matchup while still being decent against Affinity.
2 Kor Firewalker - For Burn and Storm, though with Helix and Finks, not sure if I need it
2 Rest In Peace - for Snapcaster, Goyf, graveyard shenanigans
2 Torpor Orb - for Twin, Snapcaster, Soul Sisters
1 Hushwing Gryff - Torpor Orb #3, not sure if it's worth being fancy flashing in a Hushwing in response to the opponent flashing in a Pestermite
4 Molten Rain - for Tron and greedy manabases. Might just swap those out for 2 Aven Mindcensor and 2 Fulminator Mage.
4 Wild Nacatl
4 Noble Hierarch
4 Voice of Resurgence
2 Scavenging Ooze
2 Qasali Pridemage
2 Kitchen Finks
4 Loxodon Smiter
2 Wilt-Leaf Liege
Other Spells: 18
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Lightning Helix
4 Path to Exile
2 Elspeth, Knight-Errant
4 Arid Mesa
4 Wooded Foothills
4 Windswept Heath
3 Sacred Foundry
2 Stomping Ground
2 Temple Garden
1 Mountain
1 Plains
1 Forest
4 Destructive Revelry
3 Kor Firewalker
2 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
2 Hushwing Gryff
1 Torpor Orb
3 Molten Rain
I would change your manabase to this for the following reasons.
1. Upping the fetchland count to 12 maximizes your chances of drawing an on-color land.
2. Spreading out your basics gives insurance for Blood Moon and takes advantage of Path to Exile, should you be facing either of these cards.
3. If you're playing again Burn, you should fetch basics instead of shocks whenever possible.
4 Windswept Heath
4 Arid Mesa
2 Sacred Foundry
2 Stomping Ground
1 Temple Garden
1 Plains
1 Forest
1 Mountain
Small Zoo (Gruul, Small Naya)
Kiblers Midrange
Counter-Cat
Domain Zoo
Edit: Modified list to add Ghor-Clan Rampagers
With Goblin Guide
4 Wild Nacatl
4 Kird Ape
4 Goblin Guide
4 Voice of Resurgence
2 Scavenging Ooze
2 Qasali Pridemage
4 Loxodon Smiter
2 Ghor-Clan Rampager
Other Spells: 12
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Lightning Helix
4 Path to Exile
4 Arid Mesa
4 Wooded Foothills
4 Windswept Heath
3 Sacred Foundry
2 Stomping Ground
2 Temple Garden
1 Mountain
1 Plains
1 Forest
2 Destructive Revelry
2 Ancient Grudge
3 Kor Firewalker
2 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
2 Hushwing Gryff
1 Torpor Orb
3 Molten Rain
With Noble Hierarch
4 Wild Nacatl
4 Noble Hierarch
4 Voice of Resurgence
2 Scavenging Ooze
2 Qasali Pridemage
4 Loxodon Smiter
2 Ghor-Clan Rampager
2 Wilf-Leaf Liege
Other Spells: 14
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Lightning Helix
4 Path to Exile
2 Elspeth, Knight-Errant
4 Arid Mesa
4 Wooded Foothills
4 Windswept Heath
3 Sacred Foundry
2 Stomping Ground
2 Temple Garden
1 Mountain
1 Plains
1 Forest
2 Destructive Revelry
2 Ancient Grudge
3 Kor Firewalker
2 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
2 Hushwing Gryff
1 Torpor Orb
3 Molten Rain
-2 Mutagenic Growth
-1 Geist
+2 Rhino
+1 Blood Crypt