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6 years ago ::
Feb 28, 2007 - 7:57PM
#1
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Date Joined:
Apr 22, 2006
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   Domain Zoo is a deck which uses the Fetchlands and Shocklands to abuse efficient creatures and effects from as many colors as possible while taking advantage of domain effects. This is an aggro deck, and is essentially a variation of BDW which sacrifices stability and consistency for raw power and strong topdecks. This deck has been putting up strong results since worlds, and I think it deserves an archetype thread. The Decklists
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Raphael Levy, GP Dallas 1st
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Mark Herberholz, GP Dallas 5th
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Chris Woltereck, Charleston PTQ 2nd
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Wes Moss, Charleston PTQ 5th
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Adam Bowles, Miscellaneous 5th
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Chris Smith, High Point PTQ 5th
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Card ChoicesCreature Choices
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Instants and Sorceries
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Artifacts and Enchantments
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This is about as efficient as aggro decks get in extended, and I think it merits some discussion.
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6 years ago ::
Mar 03, 2007 - 8:25AM
#2
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Date Joined:
Mar 24, 2005
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does Kavu Scout have a place in here at all? its basically a 5/2 for 3...
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6 years ago ::
Mar 04, 2007 - 3:37PM
#3
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Date Joined:
Apr 22, 2006
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The curve for creatures tops out at two, so a creature would have to be pretty incredible to make it in at cmc of 3. I don't see why the kavu would make it in over..say Troll Ascetic . Kavu isn't good because, though it's big, it has no evasion and isn't very efficient on its own. One card that I've been considering testing is Defiant Elf just because it's a one drop with trample. It would be great for game ending Gaea's Might s
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6 years ago ::
Mar 04, 2007 - 3:51PM
#4
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Wouldn't scab clan mauler be a better trampler? A 1/1 is pretty useless except with gaea's might and would reduce the deck's consistancy.
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6 years ago ::
Mar 04, 2007 - 4:40PM
#5
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Date Joined:
Aug 14, 2004
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Levy has got to be pretty close to optimal if he won back to back Grand Prixs!
I felt proud of myself for having already considered Jotun Grunt main over Kataki; they are both rock in appropriate matchups (Loam, Affinity resp.) but against the non-specific match Grunt is just better. I personally am a fan of Ancient Grudge in the sideboard because of more versatility over Kataki against thnigs like Flow Rock and NO Stick, but Kataki beats down and just owns Affinity. I'm not sure how I feel about the sideboard yet; I was tempted to want to run 14 one-drops (3 Savannah Lions) instead of 12, but the deck has got to be very close. The way it beats other aggro, though, is inherent life gain, on top of better burn (Tribal Flames) and as great as Sudden Shock is supposed to be in this format there's gotta be room for more Lightning Helixes. I've been thinking about this deck a lot because I want to play it at an upcoming City Champs Tourney.
Levy's original list is above I believe. The 2 Jotun for 2 Kataki seems like an obvious improvement to me, but I also feel like the random brute force / firebolt one-of's should come out, for more helixes and keeping the sudden shocks at four. His sideboard I just don't know about, but based off of it, here's what I would do and how I would sideboard, but I don't know if this is the best sideboarding strategies (or cards).
4 grim lavamancer 4 kird ape 3 isamaru, hound of konda 1 savannah lions 2 jotun grunt 2 wild mongrel 4 watchwolf 4 boros swiftblade
2 lightning helix 2 armadillo cloak 4 sudden shock 4 tribal flames 4 gaea's might
identical land base, which is about perfect for this deck.
I'd like to have the sideboard more streamlined, and even though it's only 1 hierarch, I can't imagine this deck actually hits 4 mana all that often, so that's gone. I'd do it like this:
4 meddling mage 2 krosan grip 2 lightning helix 3 kataki, war's wage 2 umezawa's jitte 1 armadillo cloak 1 jotun grunt
In general, I'd sideboard like this:
Affinity: -4 sudden shock, +2 lightning helix, +2 jitte -2 wild mongrel, -1 savannah lions +3 kataki, war's wage
Aggro Loam: -1 savannah lions, +1 jotun grunt -2 swiftblade, -2 wild mongrel, +4 meddling mage -2 armadillo cloak, +2 lightning helix / +2 krosan grip if you are really afraid of seismic assault...they should be dead before it is online though.
Mirror / BDW / Colored Aggro: -4 sudden shock, +2 jitte, +2 lightning helix -1 savannah lions +1 armadillo cloak
Tron / CounterTopTog -2 swiftblade -2 mongrel +4 meddling mage -2 armadillo cloak +2 krosan grip -1 savannah lions +1 jotun grunt ?
I'm not sure what else is big right now; I think you'd just bring in Med Mages and maybe helix over cloak against TEPs; I've never played against Balancing Tings so I don't know there either...any advice?
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6 years ago ::
Mar 04, 2007 - 4:42PM
#6
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Date Joined:
Apr 22, 2006
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I kinda figured, but I run a few more pump spells than most other builds, so it might be worth a shot. Also, Mauler is a weak 2 drop in its own right, and so I wouldn't count on it coming down as a 3/3 because it's not necessarily going to happen as often as you'd like.
I'm also a little concerned about stretching the mana base to handle two 2 drops that have heavy color requirements, but if there's any deck that can pull it off it's this one.
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6 years ago ::
Mar 04, 2007 - 5:12PM
#7
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Date Joined:
Aug 14, 2004
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I was originally thinking about Tin Street Hooligan over Kataki, which is basically the same CC as Scab-Clan, but you usually end up getting a Stomping Ground, because in this deck, on turn one you want Red or White, but you could very well want Red AND white on turn 2, but you'd like to be fetching 2 more colors for domain's sake, so you don't want to fetch another red or white if you fetched sacred foundry on turn 1. The point is, making sure you have GW for Watchwolf, RW for Swiftblade, and RG For Mauler on turn 2 is only possible with combinations that put you at 3 basic land types, not four, requiring you to pain yourself even more to maximize your domain ability, and it gets even more messy with Meddling Mage, so the nice uniting factor is that they are all W/X cards. Mauler screws this up.
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6 years ago ::
Mar 04, 2007 - 6:48PM
#8
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Date Joined:
Apr 22, 2006
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what about Vinelasher Kudzu for control matches? We run more fetches than most decks, so he gets big pretty fast.
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6 years ago ::
Mar 04, 2007 - 7:37PM
#9
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Date Joined:
Aug 14, 2004
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by the time you play it, you've used 2 fetches already, probably hit yourself for 6 points, and you may not even have much of a desire to play anymore lands, esp for example against aggro loam, where you save what you draw for after the devastating dreams..
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6 years ago ::
Mar 04, 2007 - 8:00PM
#10
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Date Joined:
Aug 10, 2009
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What exactly are this decks worst matchups. From some goldfishing it would seem that you don want to face aggro decks. In my area though there tends to be very little aggro at all. The meta is usually like 70 percent blue control if not more with the remaining 30 percent being a mix of other decks. I'm very interested in playing this deck at my ptq this weekend and am curious about its matchups.
From goldfishing I can say that the levy build usually wins around turn 5. I personally dont think this is fast enouhg when tron and scepter chant are all over my meta. I have tested a build with things like reckless charge in the slots of some of the slower cards like sudden shock and jitte, and this build wins by turn four almost every game. Winning on turn 3 is also posssible but requires a swiftblade. The turn four kill is what you can usually expect if you dont see a swiftblade. I am wondering what you guys think of playing this faster more explosive build in a control heavy meta.
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