I'm excited for Gruul Spellbreaker, I think it'll be great. I do have some thoughts on Zoo in the current and post-Grull Spellbreaker meta.
Current Meta Zoo
In it's larger form, it currently is pretty bad as it seems most, if not all midrange strategies are too far behind. This is primarily due to the pushed power levels of other decks that force midrange strategies to be too inherently weak by comparison. This type of metagame forces us to either play a weaker deck against the field, or adapt. In the past it's either been small zoo via Bushwhackers or more naya burn-ish style variants with Kird Ape/Ataraka's Command. There was something recently that caught my eye, Domain Zoo. I think this is the best Zoo deck in the current meta for a few primary reasons:
It is actually fast enough to beat the combo decks, especially after you slow them down post-board.
There aren't a lot of cards that punish it. Blood Moon and Anger of the Gods are some of the best cards currently, but post-board you get answers in the form of Dromoka's Command and other cards.
Going forward
I firmly believe there are 2-3 cards that will be banned in the upcoming modern ban-cycle. Those cards are Ancient Stirrings, Faithless Looting, and Mox Opal; with the latter having less of a backing to be banned in modern. While I do not believe Stoneforge Mystic should be unbanned, and not due to it's power level but due to the deck building impact, that is a card that realistically has a chance of coming off the ban list. I think GSZ also has a chance, but I'm not sure that would be a smart move either. In the past however, Wizards has shown a preference of banning engines instead of the cards that make them powerful, ala banning Survival of the Fittest in legacy as opposed to banning Vengevine. This helps make the case of keeping GSZ/Stoneforge banned as opposed to unbanning them and then banning the card that makes them "oppressive", so I don't think we'll see them come off the banlist and then ban Dryad Arbor and Batterskull. Let's break these possible changes down.
Bannings:
Ancient Stirrings decks:
1. Tron
2. KCI
3. Eldrazi variants
4. Amulet Titan
5. Hardened Scales Affinity
I think Zoo has a legitimate weakness to 4 of these 5, with the exception being midrange Eldrazi variants. Overall, seeing this card go would be very beneficial for Zoo decks.
The decks that this card enables are less problematic as a whole for Zoo, but can are not necessarily the "good" matchups for the deck.
Having these two cards leave the format open the metagame up drastically, as almost every single one of these decks is considered in the top 1 - 2 tiers of the current meta.
Assuming these changes, with zero unbans, and with the printing of Gruul Spellbreaker, Naya Zoo (larger variants) as we know it would become an incredibly viable strategy again. However, with the possibility of unbanning two cards on-color, it would behoove us to shift strategies again as GSZ would be the best card in the deck, essentially allowing us to play 8 of our best creature in any given matchup with a silver-bullets for added flexibility. I think this would lend Zoo to a much more midrange deck, if not even push these naya strategies into a completely different archtype.
Stoneforge Mystic would be a completely different subject. It's inclusion in the format would lend UW decks a much faster finisher, while also powering up Abzan builds even more than Jund. This is of course as long as it's power level is as insane as it's original inclusion to the banlist would make it seem to be. This would be a large inconvenience for Zoo decks, as one of the best ways we beat these style decks is doing so in a quick and efficient manner. Batterskull forces us to either show up with an answer in the main or be behind. I would not want this card to be unbanned.
Grull Spellbreaker
This card seems to be the other three drop that larger Naya variants have always wanted. Even in a Liliana of the Veil meta, I still think that this card is more powerful than Smiter. It's ability to stress the opponents Path to Exiles is an added feature to the clock that this can add to the battlefield, especially when combined with a more aggro-control package including Bloodbraid Elf, Dromoka's Command, and Domri Rade's into the maindeck. I've already brewed up a list that would love to facemidrangedeck.meta, presuming the bannings of Stirrings, Opal, and/or Looting actually take place:
While this entire post is hypothetical, I think it's definitely not too far off from what is actually on the horizon for Modern. Thanks for reading this giant block of text.
I finished 3-0 at FNM tonight with this decklist. I am more than happy with the deck, as I feel it has game against most decks I encounter at my local game store.
We should be looking at this card in our sideboards of Big Zoo as a one-of and replacing some of the clunkier cards we're trying to sneak underneath Cryptic Command.
Very good against Snapcaster decks.
Tarmogoyf always did need haste come to think of it.
2/2 haste or 3/3 do nothing for 2mana is not where I want to be with Bushwhacker Zoo. I'd probably take the 4/3 trample energy guy over it and that didn't make the cut. I've tried it.
The next addition to the deck should be more pushed.
We should be looking at this card in our sideboards of Big Zoo as a one-of and replacing some of the clunkier cards we're trying to sneak underneath Cryptic Command.
Very good against Snapcaster decks.
Tarmogoyf always did need haste come to think of it.
Seems good but not sure if good enough. It's going to be difficult to find the right timing for playing this out. Optimally we need to get this down before we get terminus-ed, but we also need to be presenting threats to tax their spells.
We keep getting cards like this and the new Domri
These value type cards are great against midrange and slower decks. Problem being those decks aren't seeing play. Big Zoo just isn't well-positioned and I can't see this changing unless we see some bannings.
Guys please opinions on japanese cards. Lost a 3/3 creature against Japan celestial colonade. This guy played all creatures and spells in english cards, but some cards in his manabase was japanese. I dont registrated this really ( my brain say its all fine and all english to me lets attack his empty board)...and i am sure it is a Kind of legal cheating. It is not ok, but i know legal. I Hate such people. I never forget colonade normally, but with this Tricks it can happen one time in 3 years and such people take advantage of this
If I am a customer spending premium amount of dollars, I expect a premium service. Jund falls into the category of a premium deck costing more dollars than a majority of the rest of the format. I'm not getting the desired performance ratio per dollars spent out of the Jund deck because WOTC decided to make the format more diverse.
Seems good but not sure if good enough. It's going to be difficult to find the right timing for playing this out. Optimally we need to get this down before we get terminus-ed, but we also need to be presenting threats to tax their spells.
Dredge is a deck you need to get multiple reps in to figure out when you need to turn the corner -- I'd chalk that up to inexperience with the matchup rather than it actually being a bad matchup. I've found the matchup to be favorable once you stabilize with a goyf or knight.
You can also cut a Bloodbraid Elf or two -- oddly. Their bodies are not good (trades with an attacking Bloodghast lol) so the only upside is their cascade.
Alright, thanks for the tips. It's certainly going to help me approach the matchup differently.
Another question, do you shave Lightning Bolts in games 2 and 3 or do you keep the full 4?
Well, they're not great. However, if you do get "rushed" on turn 2 or 3, they can keep you alive.
Basically, focus the game around sticking a Goyf, Scooze, or Knight and riding them out -- they'll be your route to victory. All other cards are marginal.
Now that I think about it, Shalai, Voice of Plenty could also be good since it favourably blocks all their creatures and protects against Conflagrate to a certain extent. I'd take out a Bloodbraid Elf for her in games 2 and 3, and it wouldn't affect the mana curve.
Hello everyone. I took basically my old Small Zoo list to a local tournament with 26 players and got some very decent results. I managed to get under the top 8 but losing to UR Phoenix in the final. All in all the deck felt quite flexible and powerful.
Round 1 Jeskai Tempo (?) 2:0
Didn't saw much of his deck. The 2nd game was quite exciting because he had a Geist of Saint Traft and I was on 7 live while he was on 15. So, I basically had to win on my turn and deal 15 damage. Fortunately, I draw a fetchland to feed my Knight and could also sacrifice my Horizon Canopy to get him up on 5/5. Then, I attacked with my 5/6 Goyf and the Knight, he didn't block and I've been able to give doublestrike to my Goyf with my Boros Charm to finish him.
Round 2 Eldrazi Thron 2:1
This was a long match going into extra turns. He drew perfectly into his lands the first game but it took him quite a long time to finish me. The other games were better for me – outracing him the 2nd game and having good answers for his threats the 3rd game.
Round 3 GW-Combo 2:0
He didn't got his combo to work and my creatures were bigger then his.
Round 4 Death Shadow ID
We played the match for fun without sideboarding and holding risky hands. I lost both games but it was quite close.
Round 5 WR Allies 1:2
This deck really was a surprise. I had a lot of removal for his creatures the first game, but not so much in the other games.
Quarter-Final UW Spirits 2:0
I had removal for his creatures, so he couldn't really stabilize himself.
Semi-Final RB-Burn 2:1
These were pretty close games. Lightning Helix came in handy.
Final Jeskai Phoenix 0:2
Thing in the Ice was annoying and he had quite a lot of them. I nearly got him in the first game when he tried to use lightning axe on my Goyf but I bloodrushed Ghor-Clan Rampager in response. Unfortunately, he still had two Lightning Bolts in response.
I built the sideboard with cards I had but I might rebuild it with some newer cards in the future. I'm also not sure about the distribution of my 3 mana creatures and the Voice/Qasali split.
This place has been pretty quiet recently, which is a bit surprising considering all the new cards we got in RNA as well as the banning of KCI. Anywho, here's the most recent list I'll be trying out:
Zulander, how has Thrash // Threat been for you? Are you playing it in place of Lightning Helix? I've tested with it a little and I don't know if it takes the place of helix or not.
I have, however, been very impressed with Gruul Spellbreaker and Rhythm of the Wild. While Rhythm might look slow, the ability to give all of our creatures off the top of the deck haste has been very relevant in the games where I have had it.
I would also like to hear other people's opinion of the cards they've tested.
It's been pretty flexible so far. This past week I've also cut my Bloodbraid Elfs for a set of Huntmaster of the Fells. It's much better in the Burn matchup and is still 2 bodies for 1 card against control/midrange. Still testing it out though so far.
Current Meta Zoo
In it's larger form, it currently is pretty bad as it seems most, if not all midrange strategies are too far behind. This is primarily due to the pushed power levels of other decks that force midrange strategies to be too inherently weak by comparison. This type of metagame forces us to either play a weaker deck against the field, or adapt. In the past it's either been small zoo via Bushwhackers or more naya burn-ish style variants with Kird Ape/Ataraka's Command. There was something recently that caught my eye, Domain Zoo. I think this is the best Zoo deck in the current meta for a few primary reasons:
Here's a list that recently 5-0'ed
2 Grim Lavamancer
4 Mantis Rider
4 Noble Hierarch
2 Qasali Pridemage
4 Tarmogoyf
4 Wild Nacatl
4 Tribal Flames
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Lightning Helix
2 Risk Factor
1 Blood Crypt
1 Breeding Pool
1 Forest
1 Godless Shrine
1 Hallowed Fountain
1 Plains
1 Sacred Foundry
1 Steam Vents
1 Stomping Ground
1 Temple Garden
4 Windswept Heath
4 Wooded Foothills
Going forward
I firmly believe there are 2-3 cards that will be banned in the upcoming modern ban-cycle. Those cards are Ancient Stirrings, Faithless Looting, and Mox Opal; with the latter having less of a backing to be banned in modern. While I do not believe Stoneforge Mystic should be unbanned, and not due to it's power level but due to the deck building impact, that is a card that realistically has a chance of coming off the ban list. I think GSZ also has a chance, but I'm not sure that would be a smart move either. In the past however, Wizards has shown a preference of banning engines instead of the cards that make them powerful, ala banning Survival of the Fittest in legacy as opposed to banning Vengevine. This helps make the case of keeping GSZ/Stoneforge banned as opposed to unbanning them and then banning the card that makes them "oppressive", so I don't think we'll see them come off the banlist and then ban Dryad Arbor and Batterskull. Let's break these possible changes down.
Bannings:
Ancient Stirrings decks:
1. Tron
2. KCI
3. Eldrazi variants
4. Amulet Titan
5. Hardened Scales Affinity
I think Zoo has a legitimate weakness to 4 of these 5, with the exception being midrange Eldrazi variants. Overall, seeing this card go would be very beneficial for Zoo decks.
Faithless Looting decks:
1. Dredge
2. Arclight Phoenix decks
3. Mardu Pyromancer
4. Grishoalbrand
5. Hollow One
The decks that this card enables are less problematic as a whole for Zoo, but can are not necessarily the "good" matchups for the deck.
Having these two cards leave the format open the metagame up drastically, as almost every single one of these decks is considered in the top 1 - 2 tiers of the current meta.
Assuming these changes, with zero unbans, and with the printing of Gruul Spellbreaker, Naya Zoo (larger variants) as we know it would become an incredibly viable strategy again. However, with the possibility of unbanning two cards on-color, it would behoove us to shift strategies again as GSZ would be the best card in the deck, essentially allowing us to play 8 of our best creature in any given matchup with a silver-bullets for added flexibility. I think this would lend Zoo to a much more midrange deck, if not even push these naya strategies into a completely different archtype.
Stoneforge Mystic would be a completely different subject. It's inclusion in the format would lend UW decks a much faster finisher, while also powering up Abzan builds even more than Jund. This is of course as long as it's power level is as insane as it's original inclusion to the banlist would make it seem to be. This would be a large inconvenience for Zoo decks, as one of the best ways we beat these style decks is doing so in a quick and efficient manner. Batterskull forces us to either show up with an answer in the main or be behind. I would not want this card to be unbanned.
Grull Spellbreaker
This card seems to be the other three drop that larger Naya variants have always wanted. Even in a Liliana of the Veil meta, I still think that this card is more powerful than Smiter. It's ability to stress the opponents Path to Exiles is an added feature to the clock that this can add to the battlefield, especially when combined with a more aggro-control package including Bloodbraid Elf, Dromoka's Command, and Domri Rade's into the maindeck. I've already brewed up a list that would love to facemidrangedeck.meta, presuming the bannings of Stirrings, Opal, and/or Looting actually take place:
4 Wild Nacatl
4 Tarmogoyf
2 Scavenging Ooze
2 Qasali Pridemage
4 Tithe Taker (testing out in place of voice of resurgence)
4 Knight of the Reliquary
4 Gruul Spellbreaker
3 Path to Exile
2 Dromoka's Command
2 Domri Rade
4 Wooded Foothills
4 Windswept Heath
3 Arid Mesa
2 Stomping Ground
2 Sacred Foundry
1 Temple Garden
2 Forest
1 Plains
1 Kessig Wolf Run
1 Ghost Quarter
While this entire post is hypothetical, I think it's definitely not too far off from what is actually on the horizon for Modern. Thanks for reading this giant block of text.
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4 Wild Nacatl
4 Tarmogoyf
2 Voice of Resurgence
2 Scavenging Ooze
2 Qasali Pridemage
4 Knight of the Reliquary
2 Tireless Tracker
4 Bloodbraid Elf
4 Lightning Bolt
3 Path to Exile
2 Lightning Helix
1 Dromoka's Command
1 Flooded Strand
2 Forest
1 Kessig Wolf Run
2 Plains
2 Sacred Foundry
1 Stirring Wildwood
2 Stomping Ground
1 Temple Garden
4 Windswept Heath
4 Wooded Foothills
2 Gaddock Teeg
2 Remorseful Cleric
2 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
2 Damping Sphere
1 Dromoka's Command
1 Stony Silence
1 Shalai, Voice of Plenty
1 Gideon, Ally of Zendikar
1 Settle the Wreckage
2 Tectonic Edge
I finished 3-0 at FNM tonight with this decklist. I am more than happy with the deck, as I feel it has game against most decks I encounter at my local game store.
In my 3 rounds, I was paired against those decks:
We should be looking at this card in our sideboards of Big Zoo as a one-of and replacing some of the clunkier cards we're trying to sneak underneath Cryptic Command.
Very good against Snapcaster decks.
Tarmogoyf always did need haste come to think of it.
What do you think for Bushwacker Zoo?
The next addition to the deck should be more pushed.
Modern: WUBRG Humans - GBW Traverse - GWU Knightfall - GRW Bushwhacker Zoo -
Seems good but not sure if good enough. It's going to be difficult to find the right timing for playing this out. Optimally we need to get this down before we get terminus-ed, but we also need to be presenting threats to tax their spells.
We keep getting cards like this and the new Domri
These value type cards are great against midrange and slower decks. Problem being those decks aren't seeing play. Big Zoo just isn't well-positioned and I can't see this changing unless we see some bannings.
Best time to play this out?
Turn 2, probably.
I tried to play the control role in the postboard games and I inevitably got killed by Narcomoebas I could not block and Conflagrate. I can block non-flying creatures pretty effectively with the likes of Tarmogoyf and Knight of the Reliquary, but I'm unsure if I should apply pressure early or leave my creatures back to block.
Edit: Here is my current list for reference.
4 Wild Nacatl
4 Tarmogoyf
2 Voice of Resurgence
2 Scavenging Ooze
2 Qasali Pridemage
4 Knight of the Reliquary
2 Tireless Tracker
4 Bloodbraid Elf
4 Lightning Bolt
3 Path to Exile
2 Lightning Helix
1 Dromoka's Command
4 Windswept Heath
4 Wooded Foothills
2 Stomping Ground
1 Temple Garden
2 Sacred Foundry
1 Kessig Wolf Run
1 Stirring Wildwood
2 Forest
2 Plains
2 Gaddock Teeg
2 Remorseful Cleric
2 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
2 Damping Sphere
1 Dromoka's Command
1 Stony Silence
1 Shalai, Voice of Plenty
1 Giden, Ally of Zendikar
1 Settle the Wreckage
2 Tectonic Edge
You should be fine in this matchup. You have Settles, Gaddock Teeg, Remorseful Cleric...
Dredge is a deck you need to get multiple reps in to figure out when you need to turn the corner -- I'd chalk that up to inexperience with the matchup rather than it actually being a bad matchup. I've found the matchup to be favorable once you stabilize with a goyf or knight.
With the last few FNMs in mind, I'm leaning towards changing the main deck to look like this list : https://www.mtggoldfish.com/archetype/modern-naya-zoo-65158. I've felt like 22 lands is one too few, especially since replacing Qasali Pridemage with Knight of Autumn ups my mana curve a little. Plus, I got stuck on 3 lands too many games yesterday. The addition of Ghost Quarter would also put less pressure on my sideboard so I could probably cut 1 Tectonic Edge.
4 Wild Nacatl
4 Tarmogoyf
2 Voice of Resurgence
3 Scavenging Ooze
2 Knight of Autumn
4 Knight of the Reliquary
1 Tireless Tracker
4 Bloodbraid Elf
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Path to Exile
1 Dromoka's Command
2 Forest
1 Ghost Quarter
1 Kessig Wolf Run
2 Plains
2 Sacred Foundry
1 Stirring Wildwood
2 Stomping Ground
1 Temple Garden
4 Windswept Heath
4 Wooded Foothills
2 Gaddock Teeg
2 Remorseful Cleric
2 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
2 Damping Sphere
1 Dromoka's Command
1 Stony Silence
1 Shalai, Voice of Plenty
1 Giden, Ally of Zendikar
1 Settle the Wreckage
2 Tectonic Edge
The cards I bring in the Dredge matchup are 2 Gaddock Teeg (to shut off Conflagrate), 2 Remorseful Cleric, 1 Dromoka's Command (mainly to blank Conflagrate but also because of its versatility) as well as 1 Settle the Wreckage. I would take out 2 Knight of Autumn, 1 Tireless Tracker and some number of Lightning Bolts. Is there any other subpar card in the matchup that I don't see?
On the draw, Wild Nacatl can be questionable since it blocks Prized Amalgam very poorly.
You can also cut a Bloodbraid Elf or two -- oddly. Their bodies are not good (trades with an attacking Bloodghast lol) so the only upside is their cascade.
Another question, do you shave Lightning Bolts in games 2 and 3 or do you keep the full 4?
Well, they're not great. However, if you do get "rushed" on turn 2 or 3, they can keep you alive.
Basically, focus the game around sticking a Goyf, Scooze, or Knight and riding them out -- they'll be your route to victory. All other cards are marginal.
Now that I think about it, Shalai, Voice of Plenty could also be good since it favourably blocks all their creatures and protects against Conflagrate to a certain extent. I'd take out a Bloodbraid Elf for her in games 2 and 3, and it wouldn't affect the mana curve.
Round 1 Jeskai Tempo (?) 2:0
Didn't saw much of his deck. The 2nd game was quite exciting because he had a Geist of Saint Traft and I was on 7 live while he was on 15. So, I basically had to win on my turn and deal 15 damage. Fortunately, I draw a fetchland to feed my Knight and could also sacrifice my Horizon Canopy to get him up on 5/5. Then, I attacked with my 5/6 Goyf and the Knight, he didn't block and I've been able to give doublestrike to my Goyf with my Boros Charm to finish him.
Round 2 Eldrazi Thron 2:1
This was a long match going into extra turns. He drew perfectly into his lands the first game but it took him quite a long time to finish me. The other games were better for me – outracing him the 2nd game and having good answers for his threats the 3rd game.
Round 3 GW-Combo 2:0
He didn't got his combo to work and my creatures were bigger then his.
Round 4 Death Shadow ID
We played the match for fun without sideboarding and holding risky hands. I lost both games but it was quite close.
Round 5 WR Allies 1:2
This deck really was a surprise. I had a lot of removal for his creatures the first game, but not so much in the other games.
Quarter-Final UW Spirits 2:0
I had removal for his creatures, so he couldn't really stabilize himself.
Semi-Final RB-Burn 2:1
These were pretty close games. Lightning Helix came in handy.
Final Jeskai Phoenix 0:2
Thing in the Ice was annoying and he had quite a lot of them. I nearly got him in the first game when he tried to use lightning axe on my Goyf but I bloodrushed Ghor-Clan Rampager in response. Unfortunately, he still had two Lightning Bolts in response.
Here is the list:
4 Wild Nacatl
2 Kird Ape
4 Tarmogoyf
2 Qasali Pridemage
1 Voice of Resurgence
3 Knight of the Reliquary
1 Loxodon Smiter
1 Gruul Spellbreaker
3 Ghor-Clan Rampager
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Lightning Helix
3 Boros Charm
4 Path to Exile
4 Wooded Foothills
2 Arid Mesa
3 Stomping Ground
2 Sacred Foundry
1 Temple Garden
1 Mountain
1 Plains
1 Forest
1 Kessig Wolf Run
1 Horizon Canopy
2 Molten Rain
2 Stony Silence
3 Deflecting Palm
1 Gaddock Teeg
2 Kitchen Finks
2 Destructed Revelry
1 Thalia, Guardian of Threben
2 Volcanic Fallout
I built the sideboard with cards I had but I might rebuild it with some newer cards in the future. I'm also not sure about the distribution of my 3 mana creatures and the Voice/Qasali split.
So far its been successful.
Here is the build.
4x Reckless Bushwhacker
4x Burning-Tree Emissary
4x Hidden Herbalists
4x Qasali Ambusher
4x Wild Nacatl
4x Narnam Renegade
4x Kird Ape
4x Loam Lion
4x Pelt Collector
4x Experiment One
4x Wooded Foothills
4x Windswept Heath
4x Arid Mesa
2x Stomping Ground
2x Temple Garden
2x Sacred Foundry
2x Forest
3x Cindervines
3x Shapers' Sanctuary
3x Rhythm of the Wild
3x Rest In Peace
3x Leyline of Punishment
4x Signal Pest
4x Atarka's Command
4x Lightning Bolt
4x Blossoming Defense
The deck plays out like you would think.
Drop Pelt Collector or Experiment One turn one and follow it up with bigger creatures and tap.
You can watch a match play out HERE.
Quality is off, but it's been a while like I said.
YOUTUBE CHANNEL: GOBOTS
4 Wild Nacatl
4 Tarmogoyf
3 Scavenging Ooze
4 Knight of the Reliquary
4 Gruul Spellbreaker
4 Bloodbraid Elf
3 Path to Exile
3 Thrash/Threat
2 Domri Rade
4 Wooded Foothills
4 Windswept Heath
2 Arid Mesa
1 Ghost Quarter
1 Horizon Canopy
2 Stomping Ground
2 Sacred Foundry
1 Temple Garden
2 Forest
1 Plains
1 Kessig Wolf Run
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I have, however, been very impressed with Gruul Spellbreaker and Rhythm of the Wild. While Rhythm might look slow, the ability to give all of our creatures off the top of the deck haste has been very relevant in the games where I have had it.
I would also like to hear other people's opinion of the cards they've tested.
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