Lands:
4 Bloodstained Mire
1 Forest
1 Mountain
1 Plains
2 Sacred Foundry
3 Stomping Ground
1 Temple Garden
4 Windswept Heath
4 Wooded Foothills
Creatures:
3 Gaddock Teeg
1 Isamaru, Hound of Konda
4 Kird Ape
4 Mogg Fanatic
4 Tarmogoyf
4 Wild Nacatl
4 Woolly Thoctar
Other Spells:
2 Incinerate
4 Lightning Helix
4 Path to Exile
3 Seal of Fire
2 Umezawa's Jitte
Sideboard
1 Ancient Grudge
3 Oblivion Ring
4 Pyrostatic Pillar
3 Ranger of Eos
1 Rule of Law
3 Volcanic Fallout |
   Extended
Naya Zoo (3/2009).
Description of deck by Mike Flores @
www.wizards.com(quoted):
This deck represents a fair departure not just
from the more familiar Zoo / Domain Zoo decks that we have seen and
discussed for some months, but also from the more recent Naya Burn decks
popularized by Adam Prosak via Luis Scott-Vargas and others.
While it may be Naya colors and look like a Zoo deck,
I don't think that that is how Saito's deck really plays out. The Zoo
decks of recent years have been all about playing the strongest possible
cards regardless of colors and / or pushing the boundaries of the
available domain cards such as Tribal Flames or Might of Alara
(especially when combined with double striking creatures such as Boros
Swiftblade or Viashino Slaughtermaster).
Separately, the so-called Naya Burn decks are really
improved three-color takes on the Lightning Bolt Deck. They usually play
the Keldon Marauders but replace the quick-but-expendable Spark
Elemental with a recurring source of 3 damage for one mana in Wild
Nacatl. But even though they find room for one of the best offensive
two-drops in history (and I speak naturally of Tarmogoyf), Naya Burn
still preserves the spirit of the Lightning Bolt Deck with Sulfuric
Vortex and lots of burn spells.
Saito's deck, though, isn't really that deck. Limiting
to three colors, he doesn't really push the envelope with every Dark
Confidant, and he also doesn't keep the spirit of the burn deck close to
his heart... Saito's spell selection includes not only main-deck
Umezawa's Jitte, but Path to Exile (an efficient removal spell, sure ...
but one that does no damage). His creatures are ... interesting. Gaddock
Teeg over Keldon Marauders is possible thanks to Saito's modified mana
base (more on that in a minute); less aggressive, but quite saucy in the
face of a Mind's Desire or even a more egalitarian Cryptic Command. The
singleton Isamaru, Hound of Konda as a first-turn redundancy over Kird
Ape and Wild Nacatl is quite cute, and in fact, made possible by that
aforementioned change in the mana base. Looking at this deck my friend
Brian David-Marshall joked that Saito probably played the Hound first
turn off the one Plains—at least once—and had his hapless foe convinced
if for a moment he was up against White Weenie
Wooly Thoctar takes the place of Sulfuric Vortex at
the three, rounding out a general philosophy of decidedly not extreme
deck design. Saito's deck is about playing good creatures and flexible
spells. While it appears simple, it is my opinion that this is a deck
for a master, not a neophyte.
Although not as punishing as Domain Zoo in the early
turns, the mana base of Saito's Naya is one that will consistently
present challenges with regards to mulligan decisions or which path to
follow on a Windswept Heath, Bloodstained Mire, or Wooded Foothills.
There is enough burn to give Saito a "hot hand" victory a couple of
times per tournament, but not nearly enough to lean back on "stupid
burn" wins enjoyed by the Lightning Bolt Deck and to a lesser extent
Naya Burn. Instead, this deck allows a strong player to hose some
opponents with Gaddock Teeg, pressure most with efficient threats (3/3
on turn one, */*+1 on turn two, 5/4 on turn three) with enough spell
support to get those threats through—whether that support is in the form
of just getting a blocker out of the way or closing the final 3-6 points
outside the red zone.
So why this kind of a deck over Zoo? It is certainly
lower on the power curve (no Dark Confidant) and potential explosiveness
(no dramatic Might of Alara for 14 on turn three). The answer is in the
mana base. Zoo's mana base is quite un-fun to execute upon sometimes,
whereas Saito's deck can actually not take extensive damage sometimes
(whereas Zoo so often starts on 14). The ample basic lands in this deck
make it relatively friendly with Path to Exile, a concern for most
people in the room at this point.
I was a bit surprised at the utter lack of Affinity
hate in Saito's sideboard (one Ancient Grudge only), but I quite like
some of his choices anyway. Of particular interest is Volcanic Fallout
(a.k.a. Volcanic Blowout), a "get out of jail free" card of sorts, at
least against some fluttering foes. Look for this card to displace other
Fae-fighting options in decks that have a fair number of 3-toughness
creatures (and this deck has many, even on one mana). |
