I'd find that remark easier to believe if Small Zoo didn't already have a revival and then die out again a year or less ago. From my testing, Burn would rather play Wayward Guide-Beast because it has Haste and therefore deals more damage on Turn 1, and as long as it bounces no lands on Turn 2 or it's not played on Turn 1, the Guide-Beast's drawback is quite ignorable. The Hellhound also has a toughness of 1 and is therefore vulnerable to Wrenn and Six, Gut Shot, and Lava Dart (all of which are currently reasonably popular in Modern; blame R(x) Prowess for the last 2). Using land drops to protect the Hellhound from them is like sandbagging and then using instants to protect Prowess guys from Bolt--you ain't using them to push through damage anymore. I find it tough to believe that Hellhound and other Zendikar Rising cards can make Small Zoo popular yet again; I believe Zendikar Rising will help more popular decks more prominently.
I'd find that remark easier to believe if Small Zoo didn't already have a revival and then die out again a year or less ago. From my testing, Burn would rather play Wayward Guide-Beast because it has Haste and therefore deals more damage on Turn 1, and as long as it bounces no lands on Turn 2 or it's not played on Turn 1, the Guide-Beast's drawback is quite ignorable. The Hellhound also has a toughness of 1 and is therefore vulnerable to Wrenn and Six, Gut Shot, and Lava Dart (all of which are currently reasonably popular in Modern; blame R(x) Prowess for the last 2). Using land drops to protect the Hellhound from them is like sandbagging and then using instants to protect Prowess guys from Bolt--you ain't using them to push through damage anymore. I find it tough to believe that Hellhound and other Zendikar Rising cards can make Small Zoo popular yet again; I believe Zendikar Rising will help more popular decks more prominently.