No match-ups feel truly lopsided. Feel like I have game against about every deck. A bit soft to Bogles/Auras but I haven't ran into it on MtGO or IRL yet. Have pretty close to 50/50 record against any given deck in the Competitive Leagues.
I am very rusty at the game, and have made a few misplays with the newer cards. Still remember all the sweet old interactions, though.
These splash-color lists I'm seeing are getting wild. I don't think I'd ever want to change anything about my main 60. I haven't cast Garruk Wildspeaker, yet. He's a flex spot trial against Path To Exile decks, UW specifically.
I'll be substituting one of the Unravel The Aether for a copy of Deglamer just because Nevermore exists and there is zero downside.
How is running two Pendelhaven going for you? I like the idea of running it as a one-of to hedge against top-decking E1 or Pelt Collector (and I'm definitely going to pick one up), but I can't imagine running two (the approximately 1/25 chance of drawing completely dead T2/T3 if I already had one in play from a two-land start seems... uncomfortable). Or is float green, legend rule, tap for green enough to offset the loss most of the time?
Thanks for all the thoughts guys! Some more questions based off feedback, no particular order, feel free to only reply to some and thanks again!
I'm usually a pretty big fan of redundancy, and running 2 ofs always throws me off, is 2 removal spells enough to get it done?
Three in your 75 is standard. I like two in the main as it's common to just need to shift one blocker for the win, but for games where your opponent is quicker than you, you need the third for games 2-3. You can also consider pump spells (like Aspect or Vines) to sometimes function as removal for attacking or blocking creatures, so you're never as low on ways to kill your opponent's dudes as you think with just two Dismember.
Do you mulligan if you don't have a 1-drop creature?
If you're not swinging for some damage on T2 (so either a 1-drop, or a Strangleroot Geist), I'd probably mulligan. Never keep a one lander, no matter how promising .
Is Tusker preferable to Ooze if you don't anticipate seeing many graveyard decks?
Ooze is so much better than Tusker - remember that you'll almost certainly lose at least 2 creatures per game, so a 4/4 Scooze is pretty likely. Plus, eating cards to shrink Tarmogoyf or get Storm off Past in Flames is a solid upside.
The Oasis seems a bit strange to me, what's the appeal over another Village/Forest?
It's an untapped green source that's also a slightly pricey Giant Growth. It's good in maybe 5% of games, but it's almost free to run; so when I was running a fetchless build, I liked it as a one-of.
Would the deck run any banned cards if they were available? Deathrite?
Nothing that wouldn't fundamentally change the deck.
I'd agree with Alex on basically everything, but I'd definitely suggest 21 lands to be able to consistently play 3-drops on turn 3. Here's a quick list for you to look at. I'd also suggest making room for one more Dismember in the sideboard when you're building one.
Just spent a few hours testing this deck out on Xmage - played 1x Grixis Death's Shadow, 1x Elfball, 1x Vial Zoo. Lost the Death Shadow match (third game) to being unable to draw Path/Bolt/Geist/blocker on a critical turn; took the other games pretty handily.
The trample on Ghor-Clan won me a game that Atarka's Command might not have. And it slips through Stubborn Denial quite nicely. Though Atarka's Command might have worked just the same, so I dunno. When I was testing normal Zoo lists, I was prety pleased with Atarka's Command after all. I'll test it next time.
Vexing Devil needs Pelt Collector rather than Experiment One, definitely. Though if you're not running the Devil (which I'm very much not keen on outside of Revolt Zoo), then getting to 4/4 for Pelt Collector's bonus effect is massively harder than getting to 3/3 for E1's; which is why I prefer that little guy.
I played 12 fetches rather than 10 (for better Nacatl-ing), and my sideboard looked a little like this:
Hello everyone!
I've just built Mono-Green Aggro, but with a red splash, mainly because I already had the lands and red cards like Lightning Bolt. Red should give the list some decent removal and support it's aggro aspect. I would like to ask you for a bit of help with the deck.
The deck listed here is a current version. I'm testing it out and learning to play it at our FNM modern league.
Our meta in the store is:
Amulet Titan
Humans
Bant Spirits
Dredge
Jund
Izzet Phoenix
Burn
Naya Zoo
Boros Prison
Tron
Infect
And a few others I did not play or see yet.
I am really not sure what red or RG cards I should add to the typical Mono-Green Aggro deck to make it more versatile and overall better.
Cards that come to mind are Atarka's Command, Gruul Charm, Thrash // Threat and Sarkhan Vol, maybe Rhythm of the Wild but that's about all I can think of. I'm almost sure that one Sarkhan would be great.
What do you guys think? Is the red splash even worth it in your opinion?
My first thought on your list is that Lightning Bolt is too good not to run all 4. If I could run 8, I would. Also, Ghor-Clan Rampager is an uncounterable pump spell, plus Trample. Might want to find room for a couple of those, too.
I made a post earlier today in the Naya Zoo thread that I think is worth linking here (Nacatl Green).
In the middle of collecting together the bits and pieces for Naya Zoo, I realised that Steel Leaf Champion is probably still the best 3-mana beater available. I've already got the fetches and a grip of bolts; so I set about putting together a pile that abuses the best 1-mana green dude, the best 3-mana green dude, and some fun Gruul toys to add that extra punch to an already punchy deck.
The deck doesn't have any testing behind it (I only put the ideas down in a post today). However, I've been doing a little testing of various Naya Zoo builds on XMage, and this feels like it could work approximately as well.
I tried out a standard mono-G build with Thrash//Threat; it's good when it's good (and it's Mono-G instant speed planeswalker removal, which is not to be sniffed at), but it's a horrid two-for-one when you get your creature removed from under the Thrash.
So I used to play a lot of Mono-G stompy as my Modern deck of choice, but between buying the requisite Fetches to support Narnam Renegade and the re-printing of the Shocklands, I've got some stupid plan to try and put Lightning Bolt, Ghor-Clan Rampager and Wild Nacatl into a pile with Steel Leaf Champion.
I'm taking Experiment One over Pelt Collector as it means that every creature but two (Scooze, Geist) in my deck will take it from 2/2 to 3/3 on arrival (and Geist does so when it comes back with Undying). Aspect of Hydra might be better as either Domri Rade (for potential card advantage of ~1 card/2 turns), Atarka's Command (for face bolt + pump - probably 5-6 potential damage) or Dromoka's Command (+1/+1 counter works with Avatar of the Resolute, fight is good with Narnam Renegade/big dudes), but it's so frequently +5/+5 in stompy (and this deck doesn't mess with that very much), that I feel it's worth considering.
Potential sideboard is very up in the air, but it's actually surprisingly viable to put 1-2 Blood Moon in there (loses Nacatl's +1/+1 for Plains, and I have to fetch very carefully to ensure at least two real forests beforehand, but it's definitely an option). Potentially alongside Mono-G sideboard friend Choke.
@richaworth
Why don't you use a single Stomping Ground instead? Is it budget reasons?
I also have no idea whether Thrash // Threat is the card we need, but to determine that we need people to test it. So please, try it out and let us know how it goes!
Honestly, it's because I don't want to pay life for my lands. I often find that much of our resilience as a deck comes from the lack of life loss to our own stuff; though the first time I have to mull because of it, it's probably gone.
That's also why I'm testing Thrash - if I'm running Dismember + fetches, I might as well play Naya Zoo and have access to Bolt and Path for the same life costs.
Since the advent of the Narnam Renegade build, I've been running 2 Nature's Way instead of my usual 2 mainboard Dismember. However, since the spoilers, I've ordered up some Thrash//Threat and a single Cinder Glade (as a fetchable land to cast the Threat side on the off chance I get to 4 mana and have no good targets for Thrash).
So I ask the stompy thread - is this the best Rabid Bite variant we're likely to see? And is it the removal this deck wants (I like Nature's Way a lot, but instant speed is obviously a good thing)?
I took the below pile to FNM last Friday, and went 1-3. It was doing really well in XMage testing (6-1), but didn't do so well in real life. Just couldn't draw the right half of my deck at the right time.
Highlights include multiple mulls to 5, a game with three swans on board that I punted by blocking a non-lethal attack, and Bogles with 4 mainboard Leyline of Sanctity.
Thoughts:
As cute as Drake Haven seems, it shouldn't be in the deck - I side it out just about every game for something else, and I'd probably be better served with Countryside Crusher. Which, in turn, suggests a Desert package might be sensible (6 cycle deserts to replace the cycling duals, 4 Ramunap Ruins, 2-3 Hostile Desert). I'm not happy running as many non-UR lands or as many non-dual taplands as PyroDelver, since RRR turn 3 into UU turn 4 is kinda hard on a mulligan to 6 (or fewer), even with the stupid number of lands this deck runs. I also like the two Day's Undoing plan.
From my second catastrophic loss vs. Bogles - Sphinx's Tutelage targets. Leyline of Sanctity exists (and sucks). Gonna replace it with a Glaring Spotlight (so that T3/4 Seismic, T5 Swan, dig for Spotlight works as a play).
Considering that we run so many lands, and we only really need 9 Islands to make Blood Moon work (makes some assumptions, but is basically accurate); I'm going to test 2-3 in the side.
Hurkyl's Recall is also a thing I need to look into buying.
How is running two Pendelhaven going for you? I like the idea of running it as a one-of to hedge against top-decking E1 or Pelt Collector (and I'm definitely going to pick one up), but I can't imagine running two (the approximately 1/25 chance of drawing completely dead T2/T3 if I already had one in play from a two-land start seems... uncomfortable). Or is float green, legend rule, tap for green enough to offset the loss most of the time?
Three in your 75 is standard. I like two in the main as it's common to just need to shift one blocker for the win, but for games where your opponent is quicker than you, you need the third for games 2-3. You can also consider pump spells (like Aspect or Vines) to sometimes function as removal for attacking or blocking creatures, so you're never as low on ways to kill your opponent's dudes as you think with just two Dismember.
If you're not swinging for some damage on T2 (so either a 1-drop, or a Strangleroot Geist), I'd probably mulligan. Never keep a one lander, no matter how promising .
Ooze is so much better than Tusker - remember that you'll almost certainly lose at least 2 creatures per game, so a 4/4 Scooze is pretty likely. Plus, eating cards to shrink Tarmogoyf or get Storm off Past in Flames is a solid upside.
It's an untapped green source that's also a slightly pricey Giant Growth. It's good in maybe 5% of games, but it's almost free to run; so when I was running a fetchless build, I liked it as a one-of.
Nothing that wouldn't fundamentally change the deck.
2 Pelt Collector
4 Experiment One
4 Dryad Militant
4 Strangleroot Geist
4 Avatar of the Resolute
4 Steel Leaf Champion
2 Leatherback Baloth
2 Scavenging Ooze
4 Aspect of Hydra
3 Rancor
4 Vines of Vastwood
2 Dismember
Lands
18 Forest
2 Treetop Village
1 Hashep Oasis
The trample on Ghor-Clan won me a game that Atarka's Command might not have. And it slips through Stubborn Denial quite nicely. Though Atarka's Command might have worked just the same, so I dunno. When I was testing normal Zoo lists, I was prety pleased with Atarka's Command after all. I'll test it next time.
Vexing Devil needs Pelt Collector rather than Experiment One, definitely. Though if you're not running the Devil (which I'm very much not keen on outside of Revolt Zoo), then getting to 4/4 for Pelt Collector's bonus effect is massively harder than getting to 3/3 for E1's; which is why I prefer that little guy.
I played 12 fetches rather than 10 (for better Nacatl-ing), and my sideboard looked a little like this:
2 Grafdigger's Cage
3 Tin Street Hooligan
3 Kitchen Finks
3 Path to Exile
2 Gut Shot
My first thought on your list is that Lightning Bolt is too good not to run all 4. If I could run 8, I would. Also, Ghor-Clan Rampager is an uncounterable pump spell, plus Trample. Might want to find room for a couple of those, too.
I made a post earlier today in the Naya Zoo thread that I think is worth linking here (Nacatl Green).
In the middle of collecting together the bits and pieces for Naya Zoo, I realised that Steel Leaf Champion is probably still the best 3-mana beater available. I've already got the fetches and a grip of bolts; so I set about putting together a pile that abuses the best 1-mana green dude, the best 3-mana green dude, and some fun Gruul toys to add that extra punch to an already punchy deck.
The deck doesn't have any testing behind it (I only put the ideas down in a post today). However, I've been doing a little testing of various Naya Zoo builds on XMage, and this feels like it could work approximately as well.
I tried out a standard mono-G build with Thrash//Threat; it's good when it's good (and it's Mono-G instant speed planeswalker removal, which is not to be sniffed at), but it's a horrid two-for-one when you get your creature removed from under the Thrash.
Creatures (30)
4 Narnam Renegade
4 Experiment One
4 Wild Nacatl
4 Avatar of the Resolute
4 Strangleroot Geist
2 Scavenging Ooze
4 Steel Leaf Champion
2 Gruul Spellbreaker
2 Ghor-Clan Rampager
4 Lightning Bolt
3 Rancor
2 Aspect of Hydra
Lands (21)
8 Forest
2 Stomping Grounds
1 Temple Gardens
2 Verdant Catacombs
4 Windswept Heath
4 Wooded Foothills
I'm taking Experiment One over Pelt Collector as it means that every creature but two (Scooze, Geist) in my deck will take it from 2/2 to 3/3 on arrival (and Geist does so when it comes back with Undying). Aspect of Hydra might be better as either Domri Rade (for potential card advantage of ~1 card/2 turns), Atarka's Command (for face bolt + pump - probably 5-6 potential damage) or Dromoka's Command (+1/+1 counter works with Avatar of the Resolute, fight is good with Narnam Renegade/big dudes), but it's so frequently +5/+5 in stompy (and this deck doesn't mess with that very much), that I feel it's worth considering.
Creatures (30)
4 Narnam Renegade
4 Experiment One
4 Wild Nacatl
4 Avatar of the Resolute
4 Strangleroot Geist
2 Scavenging Ooze
2 Gruul Spellbreaker
2 Ghor-Clan Rampager
Non-Creatures (9)
4 Lightning Bolt
3 Rancor
2 Aspect of Hydra
8 Forest
2 Stomping Grounds
1 Temple Gardens
2 Verdant Catacombs
4 Windswept Heath
4 Wooded Foothills
Potential sideboard is very up in the air, but it's actually surprisingly viable to put 1-2 Blood Moon in there (loses Nacatl's +1/+1 for Plains, and I have to fetch very carefully to ensure at least two real forests beforehand, but it's definitely an option). Potentially alongside Mono-G sideboard friend Choke.
Maybe some Kitchen Finks and more Spellbreakers for Burn, Tin Street Hooligan and/or Ancient Grudge for Affinity, 1-2 Graffdigger's Cage for any graveyard/Collected Company shenanigans, and any other nonsense that comes to mind.
Honestly, it's because I don't want to pay life for my lands. I often find that much of our resilience as a deck comes from the lack of life loss to our own stuff; though the first time I have to mull because of it, it's probably gone.
That's also why I'm testing Thrash - if I'm running Dismember + fetches, I might as well play Naya Zoo and have access to Bolt and Path for the same life costs.
So I ask the stompy thread - is this the best Rabid Bite variant we're likely to see? And is it the removal this deck wants (I like Nature's Way a lot, but instant speed is obviously a good thing)?
List for reference/general critique:
8 Forest
1 Cinder Glade
2 Treetop Village
2 Verdant Catacombs
4 Windswept Heath
4 Wooded Foothills
Creatures
4 Avatar of the Resolute
4 Dryad Militant
4 Narnam Renegade
4 Pelt Collector
1 Rhonas the Indomitable
2 Scavenging Ooze
4 Steel Leaf Champion
4 Strangleroot Geist
3 Aspect of Hydra
3 Rancor
2 Thrash//Threat
4 Vines of Vastwood
2 Choke
1 Damping Sphere
1 Dismember
2 Grafdigger's Cage
2 Heroic Intervention
3 Life Goes On
1 Obstinate Baloth
1 Oxidize
2 Unravel the Aether
Highlights include multiple mulls to 5, a game with three swans on board that I punted by blocking a non-lethal attack, and Bogles with 4 mainboard Leyline of Sanctity.
Thoughts:
As cute as Drake Haven seems, it shouldn't be in the deck - I side it out just about every game for something else, and I'd probably be better served with Countryside Crusher. Which, in turn, suggests a Desert package might be sensible (6 cycle deserts to replace the cycling duals, 4 Ramunap Ruins, 2-3 Hostile Desert). I'm not happy running as many non-UR lands or as many non-dual taplands as PyroDelver, since RRR turn 3 into UU turn 4 is kinda hard on a mulligan to 6 (or fewer), even with the stupid number of lands this deck runs. I also like the two Day's Undoing plan.
From my second catastrophic loss vs. Bogles - Sphinx's Tutelage targets. Leyline of Sanctity exists (and sucks). Gonna replace it with a Glaring Spotlight (so that T3/4 Seismic, T5 Swan, dig for Spotlight works as a play).
Considering that we run so many lands, and we only really need 9 Islands to make Blood Moon work (makes some assumptions, but is basically accurate); I'm going to test 2-3 in the side.
Hurkyl's Recall is also a thing I need to look into buying.
1 Day's Undoing
2 Molten Vortex
4 Seismic Assault
4 Swans of Bryn Argoll
4 Treasure Hunt
Non-Combo Tools
2 Drake Haven
1 Faithless Looting
Lands
4 Canyon Slough
3 Cascade Bluffs
2 Fetid Pools
9 Island
11 Mountain
4 Shivan Reef
1 Steam Vents
4 Temple of Epiphany
4 Wandering Fumarole
2 Abrade
2 Lightning Bolt
2 Anger of the Gods
1 Echoing Truth
1 Sphinx's Tutelage
1 Laboratory Maniac
1 Molten Vortex
2 Spell Pierce
1 Glorious End
2 Tormod's Crypt