Classroom X – Ordealing with the Zoo

This is the second installment of Classroom X. These articles are the product of the extreme casual environment of Dan Eckstein’s classroom. Dan (or Mr. X) is a math teacher in a small town in Southwest Missouri. Between location and family Dan rarely gets to play other than across the desk after school with his students. As a result he gets to play with any weird deck he comes up with.

Last week we looked at a Deck that was designed around Bitter Ordeal. The concept was pretty simple use the Invasion sac lands and some other sacable’s to play a Bitter Ordeal with a high Gravestorm count. Use that removal to hit key valuable cards out of the opponents decks.

Last week we showed how easy it was to play through the counters and hit a control deck in the jewels leaving it helpless and worthless. At that time RoninX commented about our game against agro which is the toughest match for this deck.

So to be fair the students and I decided that we should also show you our match up vs. Zoo. By the way Goblins is almost an auto loss so we didn’t want to waste your time there.

The deck we used was Gauntlet Zoo by Steve Nagy which we got from a top 8 PTQ list.

If you are unfamiliar with it here it is.

1 Mountain

1 Blood Crypt

1 Godless Shrine

1 Steam Vents

1 Stomping Ground

4 Bloodstained Mire

4 Windswept Heath

4 Wooded Foothills

1 Overgrown Tomb

1 Sacred Foundry

1 Temple Garden

4 Grim Lavamancer

3 Mogg Fanatic

4 Dark Confidant

4 Kird Ape

2 Gaddock Teeg

4 Tarmogoyf

3 Isamaru, Hound of Kondra

4 Vindicate

4 Tribal Flames

4 Firebolt

4 Lightning Helix

As our normal two students (nameless to avoid any ridicule for misplays) will play the decks while Eckstein does the play by play.

Turn 1- Bitter – play Tinder Farm

            Zoo – Draw Tribal Flames, play Wooded Foothills fetch Stomping Ground untapped (17), play Kird Ape.

Turn 2 – Bitter – draw Bitter Ordeal, play Crevice, play Wild Cantor

            Zoo – Draw Wooded Foothills, play Bloodstained Mire fetching Godless Shrine (14), play Gaddock Teeg. Attack (unblocked – 18).

Turn 3 – Bitter – draw Wild Cantor, play Dig, play Cantor, Play Wish for Pyroclasm.

            Zoo – draw Isamaru, play Foothills to fetch Blood Crypt tapped (13), play Isamaru, attack with Ape (unblocked –16)

Turn 4 – Bitter – draw Sulfur Vent, play Vent, Sac Cantors (RB), Sac Farm (RBWR), tap Crevice, play Pyroclasm, play Bitter Ordeal for 6 (remove –2 Goyfs, mountain, temple garden, steam vents, overgrown tomb)

            Zoo – draw Lightning Helix, play Sacred tapped, attack (14), play Helix to the dome (Bitter 11, Zoo 16).

Turn 5 – Bitter – Draw Ancient Spring, play Spring

            Zoo – draw Vindicate, play Firebolt(9), play Flames (5), attack (3)

Turn 6 – Bitter – Draw Archaeological Dig, Play Dig

            Zoo – Draw Mogg Fanatic, attack (1), Play Fanatic, sac Fanatic (0)

“I bet the next card is a Wish or Act”. Looks at next card – Bitter Ordeal. ”Oh Well”

Turn 1- Zoo – play Wooded Foothills fetching Stomping Ground tapped (19)

            Bitter – Draw Chromatic Sphere, Play Sulfur Vent

Turn 2 – Zoo – Draw Tarmogoyf, play Bloodstained Mire to fetch Godless Shrine untapped (16), play Dark Confidant

            Bitter – Draw Ancient Spring, play Ancient Spring, play Chromatic Star

Turn 3 – Zoo – Draw Blood Crypt via Confidant (16), Draw Vindicate, Play Blood Crypt tapped, Play Goyf, attack (18)

            Bitter – Draw Tinder Farm, play Tinder Farm, play Chromatic Star

Turn 4 – Zoo – Draw Wooded Foothills (16), draw Kird Ape, play Wooded Foothills fetching Steam Vents (15),  play Kird Ape, attack (15)

            Bitter – Draw Balancing Act, Play Archaeological Dig, sac Vent (UR), Sac Spring (BWUR), Sac Farm (WRBWUR), Sac Dig for W (WWWRRBU), Sac Star changing U to B drawing Ancient Spring, sac Sphere converting R to B drawing Thoughtseize (WWWRBBB), play Rite of Flame (WWWRRBBB), Play Thoughtseize (13) ditching Goyf, Play Balancing Act discarding Rite of Flame. Play Bitter Ordeal for 14. Zoo scoops realizing that he only had 4 remaining land that could actually yield mana.

Zoo – Grim Lavamancer, Bloodstained Mire, Dark Confidant, Wooded Foothills (2), Kird Ape, Tribal Flames. “This one is pretty good too.”

Turn 1- Bitter – Play Geothermal Crevice

            Zoo – Draw Gaddock Teeg, play Foothills fetching Stomping Ground (17), play Kird Ape

Turn 2 – Bitter – Draw Rite of Flame, Play Tinder Farm

            Zoo – Draw Grim Lavamancer, play Mire fetching Godless Shrine (14), play Dark Confidant, Attack (18)

Turn 3 – Bitter – Draw Archaeological Dig, play Irrigation Ditch

            Zoo – Draw Wooded Foothills (Confidant – 14) Draw Bloodstained Mire, Play Mire fetch Steam Vents (11), Play Teeg, Play Lavamancer, attack (14)

Turn 4 – Bitter – Draw Sulfur Vent, Play Vent, Play Rite of Flame, play Wish for Pyroclasm, play Pyroclasm

            Zoo – Draw Tribal Flames, play Wooded Foothills fetching Sacred Foundry (8)

Attack (12), play Tribal Flames X 2 (2) “Where’s this good hand of yours?”

Turn 5 – Bitter- Draw Chromatic Star, Play Dig, “Here I go”, sac All Lands- (BGWRGURU and W from Dig), play Star using R, Sac Star to change G to B drawing Bitter Ordeal, play Balancing Act, play Bitter Ordeal for 12. Zoo Scoops.

Turn 1 – Zoo – Play Overgrown Tomb tapped

            Bitter – Draw Rite of Flame, Play Tinder Farm

Turn 2 – Zoo – Draw Firebolt, play Sacred Foundry untapped (18), play Dark Confidant

            Bitter  - Draw Sulfur Vent, play Geothermal Crevice

Turn 3 – Zoo – Draw Tribal Flames (16- Confidant) Draw Kird Ape, Play Mogg Fanatic. Attack (18)

            Bitter – Draw Irrigation Ditch, “Noticing that you miss a land drop after drawing 2”, Play Archeological Dig, Sac Farm, Sac Crevice, Sac Dig for W (WRBGW). Play Balancing Act. (Zoo Chooses to discard a Flames and Firebolt)

Turn 4 – Zoo – Draw Godless Shrine, Play tapped

            Bitter – Draw Chromatic Star, play Sulfur Vent

Turn 5 – Zoo – Draw Dark Confidant

            Bitter – Draw Burning Wish, Play Spring, play Star

Turn 6 – Zoo – Draw Lightning Helix

            Bitter – Draw Wild Cantor, Sac Sulfur Vent (RU), Play Rite (RRU), play Rite (RRRRU), play Cantor (RRRU), Sac Spring (RRRUBW), Play Wish (RRBW) to get Bitter Ordeal, Sac Cantor for B, Sac Star to change R to B draw Dig, play Bitter for 5. Removing (Stomping Ground, Temple Garden, Steam Vents, Mountain, Blood Crypt), Play Irrigation Ditch

Turn 7 – Zoo – “I just need a Hound Dog”. Draw Goyf. “Who am I kidding” flips 8 more cards until he sees an Isamaru. “What would you have had with 8 draws?” Bitter reveals a Death Wish and a Burining Wish with plenty of mana before the 8^th draw. “Wish into Balance FTW”.

Turn 1 - Bitter – Play Geothermal Crevice

            Zoo- Draw Dark Confidant, play Heath fetching Stomping Ground (17), Play Ape

Turn 2 – Bitter – Draw Cabal Ritual, Play Cantor, Play Tinder Farm

            Zoo – Draw Kird Ape, play Tomb (15), play Dark Confidant, Attack (No blocker - 18)

Turn 3 – Bitter – Draw Thoughtseize, play Ditch, play Star

            Zoo – Draw Vindicate (12), Draw Tribal Flames, Play Wooded Foothills fetching Steam Vents (9), play Firebolt on Cantor, play Tribal to dome (14), attack (10)

Turn 4 – Bitter – Draw Ancient Spring, Sac lands (GBWRGU), Sac Star to change U to W draw Sulfur Vent, Use BG to play Cabal Ritual (BBBWWRG), Play Act, play Bitter Ordeal for 9 pulling out the lands. Zoo Scoops.

These games actually came out a little better than our overall testing. Bitter has about a 65 to 70% game against Zoo. The mana base is just too weak to removal. I may still post some games against mono red (Which is a disaster for Bitter) and Dredge (which is kind of interesting a really skill intensive.)

Please post or email me any ideas daneckstein@hotmail.com.      

Tags: Magic Combo Fun