Budget Zoo

[ponyoninja]

Deck
2 Hellspark Elemental 4 Kird Ape 3 Loam Lion 2 Plated Geopede 2 Savannah Lions 2 Steppe Lynx 2 Wild Nacatl 3 Woolly Thoctar Creatures [20] 3 Duress 3 Harrow 4 Lightning Bolt 2 Magma Spray 2 Shock 2 Sign in Blood Spells [16] 5 Forest 10 Mountain 5 Plains 4 Swamp

This is my take on budget zoo. The lands were put together haphazardly, so pardon the poor mana to card ratio. The splash in black was for the drawing power of sign in blood and the disruption of duress. any type of help would be appreciated.
for those of you who don't know, loam lion is the white version of Kird Ape, which is to be released in worldwake.

[ponyoninja]

Also, if i can get my hands on a tarmogoyf, will it be suitable as a one-of?

[Azen]

lol if you can find a Tarmogoyf, sell it. You could probably buy another budget Zoo deck with one Tarmogoyf alone.

[ponyoninja]

i probably could...

[mooky1234]

sell the goyf and but rangers of eos put them in and focus on you one drops. Also runing 3 colors on a bduget land base is tough 4 colors is impossible you will get land screwed. my suggestion is do not build budget zoo what makes it powerfull is its ability to put out one mana 2/3 and 3/3 which can only do with expensive lands and fetces and then it really gets you with its 2 mana 4/5 goyfs so just avoid this arch type all together on a budget.

[Maelkyral]

Honestly have to agree with mooky. I think you're better off going two colors (among R, W, and G) rather than the usual 3, and certainly not 4. Three color aggro decks running Nacatl/Ape/Lion need fetch-dual manabases, simple as. Although if you're selling a tarmogoyf...you could certainly afford that. If its draw you want, Sylvan Library works nicely. Lightning Helix helps the library if you go 3 color.

The landfall theme doesn't really work without 8+ fetchlands so I would ditch the Geopede and Lynx. More Nacatl can come in and Qasali Pridemage and Watchwolf are both good at the 2 slot. You don't really have any need for accel in this deck, so Harrow can go out.

I'm not sure about the Hellspark Elementals, my view is that they belong in a more Sligh-style deck packing much more burn. Pridemage/Watchwolf will simply deal more damage most games, and Pridemage has additional utility. Would also recommend replacing Duress with Path to Exile.

[tigerbreak]

Depending on your meta, you may want to take a look at Jotun Grunt, especially if the mirror is prevalent, and they are using goyfs.

Also, it may increase the cost by 40 bucks, but if you are going to go 4 colors, pick up 1 each of the r/w, r/g, g/w and b/g shocks. Failing that, painlands will do - but they add more pressure to your life total, so tread carefully.

For another 20, you can pick up 3 fetches to smooth it out (r/w, g/b and b/w). If you do, maybe a few timeshifted tribal flames or might of alara?

If you can't do the upgrades, stick to 3 colors and max out on stuff like lightning helix and explore(great budget choice)

Deck
Budget Zoo, under 100 USD Critters (23) 4 Wild Nacatl $1.00 4 Loam Lion $3.50 4 Goblin Guide $12.00 2 Gaddock Teeg $4.00 2 Jotun Grunt $2.00 2 Watchwolf $1.50 3 Knight of the Reliquary $18.00 2 Ranger of Eos $12.00 Spellcraft (13) 3 Lightning Bolt $4.00 3 Lightning Helix $6.00 3 Explore $1.00 2 Path to Exile $6.00 2 Vines of Vastwood $.50	Manabase 2 Brushland $4.00 2 Battlefield Forge $5.00 2 Karplusan Forest $5.00 14 other basics 4 utility lands (Ancient Ziggurat, etc)

Obviously, it gets alot better with Shocklands, but this could be run at an FNM level with some success.

[beebles]

Bah sadly there is no such thing as "budget zoo", Nacatl and Kird Ape are both horrible without the fetchlands and shocklands and not having goyfs puts you at a massive disadvantage.

Sadly this is a very costly format. The mono red deck, is basically the budget version of zoo, and is actually a fine deck and something you can play and do well with. Mono red burn is actually not as boring as you would thing and believed it or not requires some degree of thought and play skill to pilot well.

If you play a zoo deck with things like Karplusan Forest and Battlefield forge it just isn't going to work right and people will mock you, because magic players are jerks like that.

I say play mono red burn and then as you get more money and buy and trade for more cards you can add stuff. For instance you could do something like this, than maybe a year or two later you can get those goyfs etc.

Boros deck Wins(?)
4 Goblin Guide
4 Steppe Lynx
4 Figure of Destiny
4 Jotun Grunt
4 Keldon Marauders
4 Soltari Priest

4 Lightning Bolt
4 Lightning Helix
4 Path to Exile
3 Char

4 Arid Mesa
4 Marsh Flats
4 Scalding Tarn
2 Sacred Foundry
2 Rugged Prairie
2 Plains
1 Mountain
2 Teetering Peaks
As for the deck in the original post sadly the mana base is so nightmarish you are gonna mulligan yourself to death everygame. If you insist on playing that deck you are absolutely going to have to cut black, add 4 terramorphic expanses and get some better burn spells magma spray is beyond horrible. Replace em asap with Lightning Helix, Rift bolt, incinerate anything basically.

[OCPunisher]

Agreed. There's a reason why fetch and shock lands are worth $10 apiece or more: they are just plain better than basics 99% of the time.

If you want to save some $$$, Zoo is not the way to go. You absolutely need 4 Goyfs (at least $50 apiece), fetches (about $10 apiece), and shock-lands ($at least $10 apiece). To do otherwise is to pilot an inferior deck.

[JinxedIdol]

Agree with beebles and OCPunisher.
I have been trying to build a budget zoo, but Nacatl, Ape and Lion all require basic land types, which only Shocklands will provide. The closest I have done is RG, and runs only basics. Even THAT has a very inconsistent mana base, even more if you put 3 colors.
From my experience sometimes it works, but you really are screwed up if you start with 2 Forests and no Mountains (or vice versa) in hand.

[Helix]

To be honest if you want a compeditive deck that is relativley cheap you can make rdw. Right now zoo is one of the most expensive decks to make, the mana base is a lot of money.

[tigerbreak]

Sadly, Zoo is one of those archetypes that requires top-flight stuff to pilot effectively. Running stuff like Nacatl and Kird Ape on the back of basics only is rolling the dice. With T 1.x being so fast - you are at a distinct disadvantage.

If RDW is not your thing, look into Kithkin. It is slower than "firing on all cylinders" zoo, but is cheap (Figure of Destiny being the most expensive, usually 5 bucks for a promo) and can surprise people with the late game. It's got removal (Path, Journey to Nowhere, Sunlance), Recursion (Emeria, the Sky Ruin, Reveillark) and efficient beats (Figure, Knight of Meadowgrain, Preeminent Captain) and buffs (Honor of the Pure, Door of Destinies). Best of all, Flagstones of Trokair and Windbrisk Heights are *alot* cheaper than shocks and fetches.

Deck
Kith and Kin Critters 4 Figure of Destiny 4 Knight of Meadowgrain 4 Preeminent Captain 4 Thoughtweft Trio/Kinsbaile Borderguard 4 Reveillark 4 Spectral Procession 3 Martial Coup 4 Honor of the Pure 2 Path to Exile 3 Brave the Elements	3 Emeria, the Sky Ruin 3 Flagstones of Trokair 18 Plains

Season to taste, and give it a whirl.

[dgmischief]

honestly zoo cost is all goyf/baneslayers and the lands...but a decent naya land base can probably be achieved for around 100-150$ pretty easily, which honestly near any competitive deck in extended is going to require that anyway

temple gardens are around 7$ and sacred foundrys are about 6$