[Deck] Turbo Domain Zoo, and Budget Vintage Aggro

[TopSecret]

A little while ago I was wondering how to best make a competitive budget Vintage deck given the presence of Tarmogoyf and Time Vault in the metagame. For me, the presence of these two cards has made creating a viable budget Vintage deck much more difficult than it has been in the past.  Time Vault ups the critical turn of blue control/combo decks to an unsettlingly low number, and Tarmogoyf invalidates a lot of otherwise decent weenie strategies. Given, it's more complicated than this, but that's the easiest way to explain it.

So with this and budget concerns in mind, I came up with this budget deck concept for a proxy metagame.

And when I say budget, I mean BUDGET. For some, this means having an extra deck around for when one of their Standard friends wants to try out a Vintage tournament for kicks. For others, this may be the best they can afford for Vintage play at the moment.

Due to a number of reasons, I can't play in tournaments right now. I can only theorize about trends and interactions at best, but if this idea is actually solid, maybe it will help other people to play Vintage on a budget.

Here's a rough, untested draft of the deck:


Turbo Domain Zoo

Core Creatures:

4 Wild Nacatl
4 Goblin Guide
4 Steppe Lynx

Core Spells:

4 Gaea's Might
4 Might of Alara


Most pure aggro decks on a budget aren't fast enough for Vintage right now. The main problem facing such aggro decks is the cap on how much damage the combat step allows. If shooting for a turn 3 kill, an aggro deck needs to be capable of dealing 20 damage by turn 3 through Force of Will protection consistently. If an aggro deck is shooting for a turn 4 kill, then it must be able to throw down at least 3-4 pieces of disruption leading up to turn 4 in addition to the 20 damage.

This turn 3-4 jump is the big deal. There are so many ways to kill by turn 4 with disruption, but there are fewer ways of killing with creatures by turn 3. These turn 4 kills can get expensive, since a four turn clock is getting into the aggro control market, where Tarmogoyf and friends live. So, that's why I'm looking at turn 3.

By turn three, you can get 3-4 individual hits in with creatures (maybe 5-6 with haste shenanigans).

This is where the core creatures come in. They are the most efficient one mana creatures available for dealing damage that don't need to be built around.

Wild Nacatl can deal 3 damage per hit. Assuming at least 1 fetch, and consistent land drops, Steppe Lynx can deal about 3 damage on average per hit. Goblin Guide deals 2, but gets an extra attack phase. So, for purposes of conceptualizing the clock, Goblin Guide deals about 3 damage per hit.

3-4 hits  x  3 damage  =  9 - 12 damage
That's about halfway there!

Assuming 2-3 lands and 2-3 creatures spent for 9 - 12 damage, subtracted from 2 drawphases, and a 7 card opening hand, that's 3-5 cards to work with to get that last 8 - 11 damage.

This is where the two pump spells come in. Gaea's Might and Might of Alara are the most efficient damage dealing spells available, assuming that messing up the manabase a little is ok. There are other alternatives, like Might of Old Krosa, and Lightning Bolt, but drawing both of these at the same time won't always deal enough, which means a drop in consistency if not using either of the 5 damage pump spells and relying on 3-4 damage spells alone. These second string spells will be added in to up the consistency of drawing 2 pump and/or burn spells by turn 3, since the combination of Gaea's Might and Lightning Bolt still deals the necessary damage.

Maybe it's just my love of terrible manabases, but I am going to assume that having a manabase that's a little off will be less of a problem than having 1 - 4 less damage on turn three. Or at least, I think that the max damage allowed should be considered before manabase consistency for conceptual reasons alone.

So, to sum up the core strategy, 3 - 4 hits  =  9 - 12 damage, and drawing at least 1 Gaea's Might or Might of Alara and 1 other burn and/or pump spell should deal another 8 - 10 damage. Add on a fetch land ping or any other self-infliction and that should cover that last damage in a fair amount of scenarios.

Now onto figuring out the rest of the deck.

The manabase:

(I do not trust myself with manabases. If you have any qualms or suggestions about what I am about to say, go for it.)

This manabase needs to be capable of hitting Green, then Red, then White, then Blue, then Black, all the land types for those colors, at least one fetch per game, and top out at three lands by turn three consistently.

Because of the necessity of hitting fetches and reaching domain...etc., I am not going to consider cards like City of Brass and Moxen. It's possible that adding some number of these would be beneficial, but I'm going to consider that as more of a tweak right now, and I'm just interested in a rough outline.

If we change some of the core cards the list of requirements for the manabase will be less lengthy, but I am not going to address that yet.

Here's my rough take on the manabase:

24 lands:

10 Duals:

2 Taiga
2 Plateau
2 Savannah
1 Tropical Island
1 Volcanic Island
1 Bayou
1 Badlands

14 Fetch:

4 Wooded Foothills
4 Windswept Heath
4 Arid Mesa
1 Misty Rainforest
1 Scalding Tarn


That leaves 16 slots. These need to be creatures, then pump and/or burn, and then anything that helps achieve the end goal of the deck. This is the part I'm not so set on. There's a lot to choose from, especially if one begins considering more conventional disruption cards instead of outright damage dealing cards. Since damage dealers aren't always on everyone's mind in Vintage, I'll list some of those for people's convenience at the bottom of this post along with some stuff that I think should be looked at for anyone interested in tinkering with this deck concept.

If I was going to play this deck in a tournament today with an unknown metagame (stiill taking budget into account), this would be my starting point before extensive testing:


Turbo Domain Zoo

12 Core Creatures:

4 Wild Nacatl
4 Goblin Guide
4 Steppe Lynx

8 Second String Creatures:

4 Plated Geopede
4 Keldon Marauders

8 Core Spells:

4 Gaea's Might
4 Might of Alara

8 Second String Spells:

4 Lightning Bolt
4 Summoning Trap

24 lands:

10 Duals:

2 Taiga
2 Plateau
2 Savannah
1 Tropical Island
1 Volcanic Island
1 Bayou
1 Badlands

14 Fetch:

4 Wooded Foothills
4 Windswept Heath
4 Arid Mesa
1 Misty Rainforest
1 Scalding Tarn


Open slot considerations (feel free to skip if you already know what's avaiable):

Potential creatures:

Plated Geopede - Needs a fetch to pull his weight, but also a standard legal common that hits harder pound for pound when he works.

Keldon Marauders - Deals 5 for two mana, and doubles as a creature. Also a common.

Joten Grunt - Pretty good if he only needs to swing once, maybe twice.

Putrid Leech - Mana cost is a bit more questionable, but is a 4/4 for two mana and a standard legal common.

Goblin Bushwhacker - I haven't done all the math, but this guy seems interesting. ls a standard legal common (there's even a deck named after him). The only problem is that double red mana cost and being subpar before turn 3.

Tarmogoyf - This guy is usually pretty tight. Then again, he's $60 a pop and might not be good in a deck with all instants and creatures trying to kill by turn 3.

Kird Ape, Skyshroud Elite, Isumaru, Savannah Lions and all other little vanilla-ish weenies - Probably alright. There's too many to list here.

Rushwood Legate - Pretty good in a blue meta.

Quasali Pridemage (and Tidehollow Sculler) - If someone feels naked without some disruption (although Sculler has a pretty questionable manacost).

Potential Spells:

Lightning Bolt

Summoning Trap - In most matches, dropping the first one mana creature is key. This stops the opponent from countering a creature for zero mana and can potentially get a two cost creature, which is huge if it happens. Either tragic or the best game of Magic ever when drawn in multiples. Possibly too situational and sucks if topdecked on turn 3, but I would play it for kicks anyway. A standard legal pseudo-junk rare to boot.

Tribal Flames - I would consider this to be a core card if it wasn't for the fact that drawing more than one is often terrible.

Might of Old Krosa

Fireblast - If the manabase can somehow for stretched for getting domain and double mountain consistently on top of everything else.

Reckless Charge - This card is kind of nuts, but blockers can mess it up.

Price of Progress, Chain Lightning, and other burn spells - Probably decent. Too many to list here.

Final Fortune - A junk rare that will end the game in may cases. The only problem is if the opponent has any tricks, it can easily result in death. Also, it costs double red.

Time Walk - Possibly better than Final Fortune in this deck, but is $500 a pop and blue.

Ancestral Recall - I don't know if it's worth it is this deck, since you probably won't have the extra mana to spend on drawing cards if the game goes right. Also, $550 a pop and blue.

Mox Emerald, Mox Ruby, Mox Pearl - Probably not better than fetches or duals since they don't help fix colors, pump landfall creatures, or achieve domain. Also, $450 - $500 a pop.

Black Lotus - Same as above, but $1250 a pop.

Mogg Salvage - Kills Time Vault without needing mana open. Suggested for those looking for added disruption in a blue meta.

REB, Thoughtseize, Spell Pierce, and other stuff that sees play - Probably decent.


That's about it. Hopefully, someone will find this useful.

If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions, go for it. I haven't tested this idea enough to be certain it's actually viable.

[honestabe]

Dark Confidant seems good here, just so you can consistantly refuel and keep applying the pressure

[DubDub]

Your 'budget' list has 10 duals and 14 fetches.

Halfway through last year I faced Andrew Fox playing a 4-5C No Tarmo Zoo list that impressed me (I think he had islands for domain, but no blue spells, not sure because I can't find his list), though I lucksacked by having run Sphinx of the Steel Wind that day.

His creature core was as such:
Wild Nacatl
Bloodhall Ooze
Putrid Leech
Jund Hackblade
Dark Confidant

I think Qasali Pridemage is a good addition here, since it also turns on Hackblade.  This core is a bit slower, but I think enables a less fetch-dependent manabase than Steppe Lynx+Plated Geopede require.

[TopSecret]

Dark Confidant seems good here, just so you can consistantly refuel and keep applying the pressure

I'm skeptical about Dark Confidant in a deck that aims for a turn three kill without any mana excelleration or disruption, since he can draw only 1 card by turn three. But, in any deck trying to kill on turn four onward, I think he is really good.

Your 'budget' list has 10 duals and 14 fetches.

Halfway through last year I faced Andrew Fox playing a 4-5C No Tarmo
Zoo list that impressed me (I think he had islands for domain, but no
blue spells, not sure because I can't find his list), though I
lucksacked by having run Sphinx of the Steel Wind that day.

His creature core was as such:
Wild Nacatl
Bloodhall Ooze
Putrid Leech
Jund Hackblade
Dark Confidant

I think Qasali Pridemage is a good addition here, since it also turns
on Hackblade.  This core is a bit slower, but I think enables a less
fetch-dependent manabase than Steppe Lynx+Plated Geopede require.

I'm sorry about the duals and fetches. I constructed the deck with the idea that all the non-land cards besides the lands are commons besides Goblin Guide, which is $6 (I'm guessing), and Summoning Trap, which is $2 (?) and absolutely not a necessity. In a 15 proxy meta, assuming the nonlands are covered, all of the lands can be proxied, which covers all the duals and four of the fetches, leaving the only thing substancial cost to be 10 fetches, 6 of which are Standard legal (for those who play Standard).

All of that said, I completely empathize which your complaint about the duals and fetches. I only own maybe 8 duals of varying color combinations and only 1 of the fetches listed. And I'm cheap. I would even be hesitant to play this deck myself, but from what I've observed, it's less costly than a lot of the alternatives.

I could imagine tweaking this deck to make it even cheaper by dropping the domain and the landfall theme. Perhaps even two lands could be cut as is. I'm just scared that dropping Steppe Lynx and the Mights would make it too slow. And if the deck slows down too much, it's not long before the better inclusions end up being Dark Confidant ($10?) and Thoughtseize ($12?) in addition to whatever the manabase costs would be. I think that would be cheaper for some players and more expensive for others, depending on what already had available in their collection.

If people are interested in a viable budget deck like Sligh or RG Beats, I think those are not too far off topic to consider in this thread since the strategy is pretty much the same. Such decks would just be dropping the domain spells and off color spells for less flashy alternatives.

I'm not 100% sure of the exact list you are talking about, since according to a TMD search for "Bloodhall Ooze", Andrew Fox has played a deck with Bloodhall Ooze and a similar core of creatures on a few separate occasions. Among the three different lists that came up, none featured both Dark Confidant and Putrid Leech, although they were otherwise similar to your description. Some did feature Kederekt Parasite, as well. In fact, when I was at a TMD Open from this past year, I heard there were some people trying out Burning Tree Shaman and Kederekt Parasite within a similar shell in order to abuse Keen Sense, which sounds like a pretty neat idea.

There's certainly a lot of potential out there for crazy creature decks. I mean, a deck playing four Jagged Poppet did get 10th at worlds one year while Gush was unrestricted ---> http://www.themanadrain.com/index.php?topic=34028.0

I think the non-domain Bloodhall Ooze deck is a great alternative, since it can play 4 City of Brass within the manabase to lessen costs for those who don't own fetches, and get away with between 20-22 mana sources, meaning less duals and fetches in total.

Heck, since most of the deck is already gold, it's probably possible to rearrange it enough between all the viable gold creatures, gold spells, and pitch spells to create a viable version with 4 Pillar of the Paruns ($4?), 4 City of Brass($4), 4 Ancient Ziggurat ($1?), and 4 Reflecting Pool ($12?) as the core of it's manabase. Other than 4 Reflecting Pool, that's pretty affordable as an alternative to duals and fetches.

Just so people don't have to do a TMD search for "Bloodhall Ooze" to understand what the Bloodhall Ooze deck I'm addressing is, here's a list Andrew Fox finished second with at a Myriad Games tournament, found here ---> http://www.themanadrain.com/index.php?topic=38042.0

4x Tidehollow Sculler
4x Wild Nacatl
4x Bloodhall Ooze
4x Tattermunge Maniac
4x Jund Hackblade
4x Putrid Leech
4x Mogg Salvage
4x Duress
4x Thoughtseize
2x Zealous Persecution
1x Black Lotus
1x Mox Emerald
1x Mox Jet
1x Mox Ruby
4x City of Brass
3x Wooded Foothills
4x Bloodstained Mire
2x Taiga
2x Badlands
1x Bayou
1x Scrubland
1x Plateau

I'm pretty sure I was present at the same tournament you're referring to if we're talking about the same deck that played domain spells and Bloodhall Ooze. I don't have the exact decklist Andrew Fox played, but I witnessed a lot of his games and took notes, and if I had to guess, I would say his list was something like this:

4 Wild Nacatl
4 Tattermunge Maniac
4 Bloodhall Ooze
4 Jund Hackblade
4 Putrid Leech
4 Dark Confidant

4 Tribal Flames
4 Gaea's Might
4 Might of Alara
1 Time Walk
1 Tidehollow Sculler

4 Bloodstained Mire
4 Wooded Foothills
4 Windswept Heath

1 Tropical Island
1 Volcanic Island

1 Scrubland
1 Plateau
1 Bayou
2 Badlands
3 Taiga

I'm not sure if this domain list is better than the landfall one I posted, but for those worried about the cost of fetches and duals, it could certainly have the domain theme ditched and the resulting empty slots tweaked to make it more cost friendly.

I agree that Quasali Pridemage could be a great addition, as you suggested. The only problem is concern I could see is that he competes with similarly colored creatures, since maintaining a balance of creature colors is necessary to consistently activate Bloodhall Ooze.

Also, I forgot to mention doublestrike creatures like Boros Swiftblade, Viashino Slaughtermaster, and Warren Instigator as potential inclusions in a Domain deck in the two slot, which would make Reckless Charge (or Keen Sense lol) even better. I haven't tested it, but it seems worth mentioning as a possibility.

[nataz]

If only Andrew Fox himself would comment on this thread...

[zeus-online]

Hmm, try searching for Gaea's might get there, that deck does all that you want yours to do...An updated version would probably be faster though. Also try some double strikes with all that pump.

[policehq]

Thanks for posting this thead; I love the idea!

Maybe Groundswell from Worldwake combined with Might of Old Krosa will help those who can't afford blue duals and fetches; with it we can reduce our manabase to G/R/W.

Groundswell G
Instant
Target creature gets +2/+2 until end of turn.
Landfall - If you had a land enter the battlefield under your control this turn, that creature gets +4/+4 until end of turn instead.

Did you often find Keldon Marauders important in testing to clear blockers?

Did you test Berserk? Perhaps it would only be useful in the sideboard.

I like double strikers with Groundswell and Might of Old Krosa, so we could try testing the creature base:

4 Wild Nacatl
4 Goblin Guide
4 Steppe Lynx
4 Boros Swiftblade
4 Viashino Slaughtermaster

4 Might of Old Krosa
4 Groundswell

Spirit Guides could be essential here in getting a first turn double striker, and they are cheaper than moxen.

4 Elvish Spirit Guide
4 Simian Spirit Guide

The rest of the manabase would begin with 4 Arid Mesa as it is the easiest fetchland to acquire, I'm assuming.

[TopSecret]

You're welcome! I'm glad someone found this thread useful.

Just to clarify, I have not actually tested this deck as I currently do not have enough time to play Vintage. I have only constructed a rough outline of the concept using theory and my past experience with aggro decks. So I cannot answer questions specific to deck vs deck interactions while feeling confident in my accuracy.

The problem with Berserk is that it does not provide more pump than other pump spells unless a pump spell has already been played in the same turn. This forces Berserk to be cast in the same turn as another pump spell and on the same creature that was just pumped, leaving less options in an imperfect gamestate where a second pump spell hasn't been drawn, when double green isn't available, when casting pump spells over the course of two turns is the strongest play, or when the opponent has some pinpoint removal in hand. It also kills the creature that it's cast on when the damage isn't lethal and costs a fair amount of money. So I think the other options are probably better.

I think Groundswell is definitely a good inclusion for the deck if the domain approach is not being used. Thanks for pointing it out! The fact that Groundswell can be cast for 4 damage as an instant is huge. I think this makes it better than Might of Old Krosa, since it can be cast after blockers are declared, which can be crucial for getting damage through if decks that get blockers are common in the metagame.

I can't think of another good instant pump spell for this deck that doesn't require domain besides Vines of Vastwood, which really isn't the best since it's double green to pump.

Since your build appears to be more all in with Spirit Guides, I am wondering if Taste for Mayhem would be better than Might of Old Krosa. I have no idea if it would, but I thought I'd just throw it out there.

Also, remember that Warren Instigator can drop Goblin Guide (or Tattermunge Maniac and Jund Hackblade), which may up it's power level above the other double strikers depending on the build of the deck and the metagame.


Also, there is another interesting card from the new set: Death's Shadow. I have yet to determine if he could fit in a balls to the wall aggro deck so I'm just posting my thoughts on him here in case anyone else can figure out a way to break him in Vintage budget aggro.

If one played fetches and the Ravnica block duals (which are less expensive than normal duals!) Death's Shadow would be castable by turn 3 as a 2/2. Any additional damage before and after that point would make him bigger. Earlier additional damage could potentially make him castable on turn 2. It's possible that Death's Shadow would be better in a slower, more disruptive aggro deck with Confidant or Putrid Leech and I am hesitant to mention things like Street Wraith and Vampiric Tutor, but I think it may have potential in some kind of Vintage aggro deck. With 10 life, Death's Shadow is a 3/3 for one mana, and with any life total lower than 10 Death's Shadow begins to really get ridiculous in terms of its cost to power ratio. 3 land drops can get 9 damage easily between fetches and Ravnica block duals and the life loss gets really easy when considering Tarnished Citadel (which deals three damage per tap and costs next to nothing money-wise). A viable aggro deck with a mana base consisting of Tarnished Citadel, Ravnica block duals, and/or City of Brass could be both affordable and fun.

[KBH]

I am pretty sure that Berserk Stompy is going to be just as fast and less expensive than making an all fetch/duals manabase.  And the decks you're proposing have no disruption so thats out as an advantage.

Your pump would probably look like

4 Bounty of the Hunt
4 Might of Old Krosa
3-4 Groundswell
2-3 Invigorate
4 Berserk

[TopSecret]

I am pretty sure that Berserk Stompy is going to be just as fast and less expensive than making an all fetch/duals manabase.  And the decks you're proposing have no disruption so thats out as an advantage.

If you're referring to straight Green Stompy deck, like an updated version of the old 10 land Stompy, I doubt it would be as good as a multicolored aggro deck unless I'm missing something. (I'm just going to assume you meant mono-Green Stompy, so please correct me if I am misinterpreting you.)

In terms of goldfishing it would probably about as fast as a multicolored aggro deck, but the problem is when the opponent starts throwing down disruption. With only green as a color, the creatures just aren't very big for their mana if the plan is to drop 1 - 2 mana guys. In my experience, mono-Green Berserk Stompy has always seemed subpar as a budget deck because of this. It is usually reliant on drawing the right chain of pump and resolving it since it's creatures cannot otherwise go the distance. This can become problematic against disruption and especially creature removal since pumping a creature and Berserking it requires a lot to go right. It requires a creature, a pump spell, and a Berserk to resolve in that order (more or less), and when that does not happen the deck has trouble finishing the game because the creatures it has left are either too few in number, not very strong, or both. With Wild Nacatl and other really efficient creatures, multicolored aggro decks have an efficient plan B for when the pump/burn plan doesn't happen.

The speed and disruption can be the same between Mono-green Stompy and multicolored aggro decks, but the main difference is that one has a large weakspot against opposing disruption while the other does not.

It's possible that mono-Green Berserk Stompy has gotten much better since I last looked at it, but I just thought I would raise the above comments from my interactions with the deck. I've never found a way to make it viable again. Mono-Green Stompy becoming unviable as a budget deck led me to look towards multicolored aggro decks that I thought would be better at doing what the old 10 land Stompy decks were trying to do.

If there is a working build of mono-Green Berserk Stompy that is viable, that would be fantastic, since it would allow for an even more inexpensive budget option of Vintage aggro.

[KBH]

Yes, mono-Green

Other than the double strike+pump combo, none of the creatures proposed in this thread are significantly better than Rogue Elephant, Hidden Herd/Skyshroud Elite, Vine Dryad, Nettle Sentinel or even Skarrgan Pit-Skulk (which I don't think is the best in tpye 1).  I've also had good success with Hidden Guerrillas, a card almost everyone has to read whenever I play it.

In Legacy, I think there are decks that have success with Kavu Predator although he is debateable.

Also, whatever "going the distance" factor a Zoo deck might give you, it almost certainly pales before the fact that a manabase of basic forests is Wasteland proof. 

Zoo creatures are hader to cast both in terms of mana cost and color requirements and without pump they are simply terrible 1 and 2 power dorks, just like a stompy creature base.

[TopSecret]

The mana stability and the possibility of Wastelands are both good points, and should probably be taken into consideration within a given meta. Mono-Green Stompy is probably better in a meta with an abnormal amount of Wastelands and Blood Moon effects because of this.

Steppe Lynx can be a 2/3 or 4/5 for one mana, depending on whether or not you hit a fetchland. Wild Nacatl is often a 3/3 for one mana. Goblin Guide deals the same overall damage over two hits as a 3/3 for one mana. None of these three creatures are terrible without a pump spell or are simply terrible 1 and 2 power dorks like the stompy creature base. They will all usually be better than Rogue Elephant and company.

The creatures you have listed for Stompy are probably the best available for a fast mono-Green build, but they are still not very good overall, which was my point. The trade off is a more stable, Wasteland-proof manabase for less overall power. I think in this comparison, for an open Vintage meta, more overall power will usually be the better call, especially since the difference in overall power between the two decks is significantly large.

I still do not think that mono-Green Berserk Stompy is a competitive budget deck. My experience has led me to believe that it is even less competitive than a mono-Red Burninator or Sligh deck in the majority of scenarios. But it is certainly an option for those who find it easier to construct, more fun to play, or have found that it holds a niche in a specific metagame. Balancing a deck as competitive, monetarily cheap, and fun is very difficult and there is no one solution to the problem.

[policehq]

But it is important to remember the devastation of Wasteland, and it might be best to focus on pump spells that aren't significantly worse after a Stifle, Wasteland, Moon effect, etc.

The R/G/W list I messed around with earlier could operate on 0-2 lands in play after getting a double striker out.

Quirion Ranger might still be a good 2-of in a list, to maintain pressure from Steppe Lynx, allow blockers, and open up RR for Warren Instigator (which is probably good as a 2-3 of with Lotus Petal and 4 SSG). There may be other tech to gain from the Mono-Green Stompy lists.

[TopSecret]

That's an interesting point you make about Quirion Ranger. It could also protect against Wasteland. This reminds me that Briar Shield would probably be decent if games ended up stretching to more than 3-4 turns, since it can be used for incremental damage and/or pump. The problem is that it can't be played at instant speed to potentially ignore blockers, but then again Might of Old Krosa suffers a similar dilemma.

Also, for decks that often swing with just a lone double striker, all of the creatures with exalted like Noble Hierarch and Quasali Pridemage become that much better. They effectively become 2/2's with haste if the double striker connects. The Noble Hierarch combo with Quirion Ranger might be worth consideration in such a deck.

[KBH]

One card that has been successful in the past is Root Maze but it is only playable if you forego fetchlands

[BruiZar]

I don't have much to add right now, but I would like to point out that you run a lot of old fetch instead of zendikar fetch. Zendikar fetch is better because its enemy colored and thus can fetch more duals than old fetch can. I would throw the fetch base around to include more zendikar and less old fetch.

14 Fetch:

4 Wooded Foothills
4 Windswept Heath
4 Arid Mesa
1 Misty Rainforest
1 Scalding Tarn

[Killane]

I don't have much to add right now, but I would like to point out that you run a lot of old fetch instead of zendikar fetch. Zendikar fetch is better because its enemy colored and thus can fetch more duals than old fetch can. I would throw the fetch base around to include more zendikar and less old fetch.

14 Fetch:

4 Wooded Foothills
4 Windswept Heath
4 Arid Mesa
1 Misty Rainforest
1 Scalding Tarn

Let's analyze this statement for a moment. First of all there are duals for all possibel combinations, so if we look at the selection for one allied fetch and one enemy fetch, the same selection shoudl apply to all comparisons.

Polluted Delta vs Misty Rainforest

Delta (UB) fetches:

UR
UW
UG
UB
BR
BG
BW

7 duals.

Rainforest (UG) fetches:

UB
UR
UW
UG
GR
GW
GB

7 duals.

The enemy and allied fetchs fetch the same number of duals. Unfortuantely, your premise is flawed.

That said, greater variety in duals to get around Pithing Needle might be a good consideration.

[serracollector]

Hmmmm....mono green may not be the most viable, but I wouldn't shut it down.

You still have:

tarmogoyf
the new 4/5 for GGG from WW.
Berserk
might of old krosa
elvish spirit guide
ridgeback
skyshroud elite
seal of primordium
sac and search lands
land grant


With these cards, tarmogoyf is still a beast.  I mean just on your side you got

Sac lands = land
Land grant = sorcery
seal = enchantment
lotus petal/black lotus = artifact
creatures = creatures (obv)
berserk/might = instants.

It would not be hard to go land grant > forest > critter
turn 2, sac land > forest > tarmogoyf at 2/3, not counting opponents who have sac and searched, countered something,  sac an artifact for w/e reason, discarded a card, or cast a duress/thoughtseize. So on average he will be a 3/4 to a 4/5 on turn 2.  Next turn do a Might+berserk for GG.  You don't need domain to get a fast clock or good cheap creatures, and as mentioned above, a single waste land (which MANY people play 4 of) destroys the whole premise of the deck. 

the only problem with going mono green is you have to get the nutz or your done, since it has no grave yard recoup (such as yawgmoth's will or twister), and no draw cards/engine.  think of it more as combo than aggro.  Critter + Pump + Swing ftw asap etc.

If I were to add a color it would be red for double cleave.  Many people have overlooked this card, and I am surprised it hasn't been mentioned for all these r/g/w deck lists.  Double Cleave is essentially the same as a Berserk, except it ALSO stops first strikers, can be cast for red or white mana, and it doesn't kill the creature you are casting it on.  Going first turn Tarmogoyf into 2nd turn Might + Cleave = GG?  With a 3 color deck, first turn Nacatl (taiga), 2nd turn (plateau), ESG into Might, tap for cleave is 14 damage on turn 2.  Or you can play invigorate also, for free:

turn 1 nacalt
turn 2 3/3 nacalt, esg Might, 7/7, invigorate, 10/10, opponent gains 3 life, cleave, swing for 20 on turn 2, if they got a mana crypt, mana vault, cast thought seize, or sac'd a search land, then they are dead anyways.

Just some idea's to throw out there.
Mono Green is possible, but I would go 3 color with

4 tarm
4 nacatl
4 Elvish Spirit Guide/Simian Spirt Guide (I would use elvish personally, but depends on if you play gigapede and goblin instead)
3-4 Jotun grunt
3-4 Keldon Marauders
3-4 Skyshroud Ridgback (just for an additional 1 drop, could use hasty goblin, BUT I personally hate giving ppl mana)
3-4 Sheltering Agents (this card seems to be ok for the current meta, adding a +1/+1 counter to a noble or dark confidant, then swinging for 20 is ok with me personally  )
3 groundswell (with 4 land grant, and 4-8 sac's, getting the landfall should not be hard at all)
3 Might
3 Invigorate
3 Cleave
4 Bolt
3 mox  (or just replace 3 mox and lotus for 3 other dual lands, and a City of Brass or something)
1 lotus
1 mana crypt (can be a chrome mox, or even a mox diamond, if playing the extra lands, land grant > mox diamond is not bad)
1 petal
4 land grant
3 taiga
3 savanah
3 plateau
4-8 appropriate fetches (pending on creatures you added or took out)

This is the route I would go, quick, efficient, and even if you don't get the Pump spell or Cleave out, your opponent is gonna be facing at least two 3/3 or 4/4 or 5/5's on turn 2.  That's a descent clock in a meta with most creatures being 0/1 (nobles), 1/1 (selkies/heretics/welders), 2/1 (confidant), or 2/2 (random g/w critter), and with fire/ice and darkblast being the most commonly used critter kill.

Hope this helps.  Just my 2 cents.

[KBH]

The problem with Tarmogoyf is that he needs to be at least 4 power to be worth 2 mana in a deck trying to win this fast.  Also, the cards that combo with him are Land Grant and fetchlands in particular but those are both added vulnerability to Duress/Thoughtseize and Stifle. 

Also, Double Cleave is good but gives no evasion and costs 2 mana.  It also basically requires you to play too many pump.  Thats why its an "all-in" strategy.  You're going to be stuck runnign 18 pump because you need 2 to combo with Berserk.  And you probably need some of it to be free because you can only generate so much mana in a given turn.  Thats the real strength of Briar Shield, not just its extra point of damage.

It also forces you to run creatures with more base power because it makes a big difference with berserk.  Thus, Rogue Elephant, Hidden Herd, Shletering Ancient (maybe..), other Hiddens (Gibbons, Guerrillas,..)

Berserk Stompy is definitely NOT a good deck for exactly the reason Top Secret states above: it isn't a consistent turn 3 deck.  Without Berserk you have a hard time winning turn 3 at all, and any disruption in the form of creature kill or blockers also thwarts you most of the time.

The reason I brought it up are two: first, its actually BUDGET, unlike the deck with 24 lands that average over $20 each.  And second, there ARE some lessons to take from mono-G builds.  As an implicit third reason, I will the fact that the mana base for a domain deck is ridiculously vulnerable in a deck that desperately needs consistency

So I don't, but I'm still not convinced that these domain beaters are a whole turn faster than the same old green dorks that have been in rotation for years.  Nor do I think they apply significantly more pressure in the "late game".  So, basically..whats the point?

I like the idea alot, and would probably try Double Cleave personally, but I don't think theres a good applied example yet

MOO
(my opinion only)