Tiny Zoo!!

Modern

Tiny_Rick

Land (19)

• 2x Arid Mesa
• 2x Bloodstained Mire
• 1x Copperline Gorge
• 1x Forest
• 1x Mountain
• 1x Sacred Foundry
• 2x Stomping Ground
• 1x Temple Garden
• 4x Windswept Heath
• 4x Wooded Foothills

Creature (28)

• 4x Burning-Tree Emissary
• 1x Ghor-Clan Rampager
• 4x Goblin Guide
• 2x Greenwheel Liberator
• 2x Hidden Herbalists
• 4x Narnam Renegade
• 4x Reckless Bushwhacker
• 3x Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
• 4x Wild Nacatl

Instant (13)

• 4x Atarka's Command
• 3x Boros Charm
• 2x Glorious End
• 4x Lightning Bolt

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Sideboard

Instant (9)

• 4x Destructive Revelry
• 3x Lightning Helix
• 2x Searing Blood

Enchantment (6)

• 4x Chained to the Rocks
• 2x Rest in Peace

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WHATS UP MY GLIB GLOBS!!

I'm Tiny Riiiiiick! Welcome to my guide to Tiny Zoo, also called Bushwhacker Zoo or Little Zoo. If you like pillow forts, assembling intricate combos or ending matches in draws, move along. Tiny Zoo is about jamming creatures sideways and rrrrriggity-riggidy-wrecking face. I've been playing Tiny Zoo on paper at my local FNM for about six months and I love it. I'm always looking for new ideas or strategies so all constructive feedback is welcome!

The Cards

PASS THAT BUTTER

This is the deck's bread and butter, it's core cards of your Bushwhacker Zoo deck.

4xBurning-Tree Emissary + Reckless Bushwhacker : This combination makes the deck possible. These two cards represents 5+ power with haste for alone. A T1:One Drop into T2:Chaining multiple Burning-Tree Emissary into a Reckless Bushwhacker can be 12+ power with haste. If you don't have a Bushwhacker on turn 2, BTE can be used to flood the board with your other 1 Drops or cast a free Bolt. Never run less than 4 of both of these cards.

4x Wild Nacatl A 3/3 for . Simple as that. This cat knows how to bring the squanch.

4x Goblin Guide Red's best 1 Drop. Guide usually represents 4 points of damage for and can get out of hand in multiples. I've won games with a few of these and an Atarka's Command

4x Atarka's Command Speaking of which, this card is everything you need it to be. Pumps your team, Bolts around Leyline of Sanctity or Spellskite or can act as a Skullcrack if need be.

4x Lightning Bolt Great for sniping mana dorks and giving you reach later if your opponent can stabilize. Gotta bolt that bird, bruh.

4x Narnam Renegade This card is pretty much always a Kird Ape with Deathtouch, which is why I play it over the monkey in a meta full of Death's Shadows, Delve fatties and Eldrazi.

THAT SZECHUAN SAUCE

This is where builds between Bushwhacker Zoo decks differ, these cards can change depending on your local meta or personal preference.

Thalia, Guardian of Thraben. Some decks run her in the sideboard but I prefer three copies in my main and will board her out into other creature decks. This is because Thalia makes it more difficult for opponents to stabilize against you. Modern is often a very creature-hostile environment and turning Fatal Push,Path to Exile and Lightning Bolt into 2 mana spells forces an answer from your opponent before they can continue with their game plan. What's the difference between a T3 Anger of the Gods or a T4 Anger of the Gods? Often the game.

Boros Charm. This card is a personal all-star. It's both reach and protection for your team and both of these modes have won me games. I recommend 3.

Hidden Herbalists and Greenwheel Liberator. Herbalists is card that I both love and hate. It can extend a BTE chain and can help you flood the board with Nacatls and Renegades however, the mana it makes means you need an additional before you can cast a Bushwhacker which can make your opening hands awkward. I run 2 right now. Greenwheel Liberator is a card I am currently experimenting with as another payoff for BTE or Hidden Herbalists. Let me know what y'all think.

Ghor-Clan Rampager. Efficient pump that provides reach and cant be countered outsideStifle effects. It interacts well with the Deathtouch on Narnam Renegade. I run 1 right now.

Glorious End. Woah man, don't even trip. Is this jank? Yes. Have I punted games with this? Yes. I'll tell you this, this card is fun as hell to play. Tiny Zoo is an aggressive deck that looks to put the game away in the first 4 turns or so. If you are on the front foot and your opponent is trying to stabilize, a well timed Glorious End will seal the game for you. A lot of my games come down to crucial final turn and nobody expects red counter magic. Shenanigans with this card include:

Casting Glorious End when your opponent goes in for a lethal alpha strike, then killing them on a crackback.

Casting Glorious End at your opponent's upkeep, denying them a Draw Step, Aether Vial trigger, land drop, or crucial blocker.

Casting Glorious End on your opponents first play of their lethal turn just to dig for that last piece of burn you need to topdeck.

Lastly, casting Glorious End just to go out on your own terms. WUBBA LUBBA DUB DUUUB!!!!

MORTYBOARD

My sideboard game. This changes frequently but there are a few must-have constants:

4xDestructive Revelry. In for Affinity, Tron builds with Chalice of the Void, Blood Moon decks, or other decks that rely on powerful enchantments or artifacts.

2x Rest in PeaceIn for Dredge, Grixis Shadow, Storm, and other card:Snapcasterbased control decks or graveyard decks.

4x Chained to the Rocks. Why this instead of Path to Exile? Because giving opponents a land makes it easier for them to stabilize and shut your plan down. Your role is the proactive aggressor, meaning your are casting your removal to clear blockers before attacking, not reacting. Your opponent will not likely board in enchantment removal against you so this is often a sorcery-speed Path without the drawback. Let me know what you think.

3x Lightning Helix. In for aggro matchups, burn, or other creature-based decks.

3x Searing Blood. In for Lingering Souls, Elves or other mana dork decks.

I've also played Deflecting Palm and Molten Rain to varying degrees of success.

JERRY CARDS

Cards I am NOT playing and why.

Vexing Devil. The ultimate Jerry Card, as in it's usually useless in most situations. Tiny Zoo wins by establishing a threatening board presence early and burning your opponent out should the game extend. Early in the game, a smart opponent will always pay the 4 life to kill Vexing Devil and will let it stick once they have stabilized, meaning this card is neither a board threat early, nor a burn spell late.

Experiment One Like Vexing Devil, this card sounds good in theory but is much more frustrating to actually play. You want to play E1 on the first turn, meaning you need to run at least 3 to 4 to try and have one in your opening hand. The problem is, outside a T1 Experiment One, the card is dead. Having two in your opening hand is a bummer and top-decking E1 does you almost nothing for you when you are trying to close the game out as fast as possible. This deck already runs 12 strong one drops and Experiment One loses almost all of it's value after the first turn.

Goblin Bushwhacker The cost for the "Bushwhack" effect means you can't chain into it with Burning-Tree or Hidden Herbalists so you won't get any value until turn 3. In a three color deck, this doesn't make the cut.

I'll be following up with updates on how different lists play out or other ideas for new cards to add.

And thats the WAAAAAAAAY the news goes!

Date added	7 years
Last updated	7 years
Key combos	Burning-Tree Emissary + Reckless Bushwhacker
Legality	This deck is Modern legal.
Rarity (main - side)	2 - 0 Mythic Rares 30 - 6 Rares 22 - 9 Uncommons 4 - 0 Commons
Cards	60
Avg. CMC	1.80
Folders	Ideas, Red