Premodern RG Zoo Deck Guide (2026)
Premodern RG Zoo is a red-green aggro deck: the one-mana creatures and burn of Sligh, plus Quirion Dryad, Call of the Herd and Treetop Village from green. MTGDecks files it as Zoo, at about 1.5 percent of the metagame over the last 60 days (73 decks), with a 46 percent win rate over 842 recorded matches between April 10 and October 7, 2026. The reference list is the one Robert Wilson played to win the 31-player Retromancers' Monthly in Columbus, Ohio, on June 2, 2026, and Andrea Forti won the Lega Premodern Milano invitational on July 25 with the same 60 cards. The biggest win of the year went to the Wild Mongrel build: Francesco Santinelli won the 156-player 4Seasons tournament in Bologna on June 13. This guide covers the plan, the key cards, mulligans, sequencing, every major matchup with match data, sideboard plans and a budget path.
How the deck wins
- Start on turn one. Jackal Pup, Mogg Fanatic and Grim Lavamancer cost one mana and Quirion Dryad two, and every red spell you cast after the Dryad gives it a +1/+1 counter. Most games are decided by how much damage the first three turns deal.
- Clear the way with burn. Lightning Bolt, Incinerate, Seal of Fire, Lava Dart, Mogg Fanatic and Grim Lavamancer kill the mana creatures, utility creatures and blockers that slow you down; once the board is yours, the same cards go to the face.
- Outsize the other aggro decks. Call of the Herd makes a 3/3 Elephant twice, Treetop Village attacks as a 3/3 with trample, and a Quirion Dryad with three counters is a 4/4 that Lightning Bolt and Incinerate no longer kill. That is bigger than most early creatures in the format.
- Refuel and answer. Sylvan Library digs for the card you need, Rancor turns any creature into a threat and returns to your hand when the creature dies, and two main-deck Naturalize answer the artifacts and enchantments built to stop creature decks.
Core cards
- 4 Grim Lavamancer
- 4 Jackal Pup
- 4 Mogg Fanatic
- 4 Quirion Dryad
- 4 Lightning Bolt
- 4 Incinerate
- 4 Lava Dart
- 4 Call of the Herd
- 2 Naturalize
- 2 Sylvan Library
- 1 Rancor
- 1 Seal of Fire
- 5 Mountain
- 4 Karplusan Forest
- 4 Wooded Foothills
- 3 Bloodstained Mire
- 3 Forest
- 3 Treetop Village
Key cards
- Quirion Dryad: Two mana for a 1/1 that gets a +1/+1 counter whenever you cast a white, blue, black or red spell; here that means every red spell, the red creatures included, and Lava Dart twice. Three red spells make it a 4/4. Its mana value stays 2, so Smother and Powder Keg on two counters kill it at any size, and a bounced Dryad loses its counters.
- Call of the Herd: Three mana for a 3/3 Elephant token, then {3}{G} from the graveyard for another: two threats from one card. It is a sorcery, so Duress can take it, but a discarded or countered Call can still be flashed back. Graveyard hate such as Withered Wretch, Tormod's Crypt or Phyrexian Furnace takes the second Elephant away, and so does a counterspell on the flashback, after which the card is exiled.
- Grim Lavamancer: One mana for a 1/1 that pays {R}, taps and exiles two cards from your graveyard to deal 2 damage to any target. Cracked fetchlands, spent burn and dead creatures fill the graveyard, so in the mid game it is repeatable removal and reach. Graveyard hate starves it.
- Lava Dart: One damage for {R}, and its flashback costs a Mountain instead of mana: it kills two one-toughness creatures, such as mana Elves, Goblin Lackey, Mother of Runes or Ramosian Sergeant, and grows Quirion Dryad twice. Karplusan Forest is not a Mountain, so keep a basic Mountain for the flashback.
- Mogg Fanatic: One mana for a 1/1 that you sacrifice for 1 damage to any target, at instant speed and without mana: it kills a mana Elf, Goblin Lackey or Mother of Runes, or finishes a creature after combat damage. It works under Stasis and Contamination, which stop most of your other cards.
- Treetop Village: A land that enters tapped and becomes a 3/3 Ape with trample for {1}{G} until end of turn. Animating it is not a spell, so Counterspell, Mana Leak and Standstill don't touch it, though Stifle can counter the activation, and as a land it survives Wrath of God and Pernicious Deed. Wasteland, Armageddon, and Smother while it is animated are its enemies.
- Sylvan Library: Two mana for card selection every turn: in your draw step you may draw two extra cards, then put two of the cards drawn this turn back on top of your library or pay 4 life for each you keep. Against control it refuels; against burn it only picks your draw.
- Naturalize: Two copies in the main deck: two mana at instant speed to destroy an artifact or enchantment. It answers Oath of Druids, Solitary Confinement, Parallax Wave, Stasis, The Rack, Sphere of Resistance, Phyrexian Dreadnought, Fluctuator, Aluren and Horn of Greed, so the prison and combo decks cannot count on their key permanent. While Sterling Grove is on the battlefield, Enchantress's other enchantments have shroud, so destroy the Grove first.
Mulligan guide
Keep
- Two lands with a one-mana creature and burn: the deck curves out with one-mana plays and needs few lands.
- Three lands with red and green mana, plus Quirion Dryad and red spells to grow it, or Call of the Herd: a slower start that wins the longer games.
- Against combo and control, any hand with a fast clock; against creature decks, Mogg Fanatic, Seal of Fire and burn for their early creatures.
Ship
- Hands with no land, or one land and no one-mana spells.
- Five or more lands, or hands whose green cards have no green source to cast them.
Zoo mulligans for a fast start: lands of both colors and one-mana plays. Against Wrath of God and Pernicious Deed, Call of the Herd and Treetop Village matter more than a third one-drop.
Play tips and sequencing
- Dryad before the red spells. Cast Quirion Dryad on turn two and your red spells after it: Lightning Bolt, Incinerate, Seal of Fire and every red creature give it a +1/+1 counter, and Lava Dart gives one when you cast it and another when you flash it back.
- Fetch with a plan. Wooded Foothills finds a Mountain or a Forest, Bloodstained Mire only a Mountain. Fetch basics early against Wasteland and Price of Progress, keep a Mountain for Lava Dart's flashback, and crack fetchlands against Stiflenought while they cannot pay for Stifle.
- Feed Grim Lavamancer. Each activation exiles two cards from your graveyard: cracked fetchlands, spent burn and dead creatures. A flashed-back Lava Dart or Call of the Herd is exiled rather than put back, and an unused one is worth more as a flashback than as Lavamancer fuel.
- Call of the Herd twice. Cast it from your hand on turn three and flash it back for {3}{G} when the mana is free. A countered or discarded Call can still be flashed back, so it is the card to discard to Gerrard's Verdict or to cast into a counterspell, and the least painful one to lose to Duress.
- Keep Treetop Village back against sweepers. It enters tapped, so play it early, and animate it for {1}{G} only when it attacks or blocks: as a land it survives Wrath of God, Pernicious Deed and Pyroclasm.
- Pay for Sylvan Library only when you are ahead. Each extra card costs 4 life; against burn and fast creature decks, use it to choose your draw and put the other two back.
- Rancor goes on the creature that connects. +2/+0 and trample turn an Elephant or a grown Dryad into a fast clock, and when the creature dies, Rancor returns to your hand.
- Burn the blockers, then the player. Spend early burn on mana creatures, Mother of Runes, Goblin Lackey and Hypnotic Specter; once the board is yours, point everything at the opponent.
Matchups
- Stiflenought (unfavorable): The most common opponent and your worst common matchup. Phyrexian Dreadnought is a 12/12 trampler that your burn can't kill and your creatures can't race, so answer it before it sticks: main-deck Naturalize destroys it, since it is an artifact, but Vision Charm can phase it out in response, and Daze, Foil and Counterspell can counter the Naturalize. Stifle also counters a fetchland activation after the land is sacrificed, and Powder Keg on one fuse counter destroys Jackal Pup, Mogg Fanatic and Grim Lavamancer, on two Quirion Dryad. After boarding, Pyroblast and Red Elemental Blast counter Stifle, Vision Charm and Counterspell, and Crumble or Overload answer Dreadnought where your list has them; expect Hydroblast, Blue Elemental Blast and Essence Flare. MTGDecks: 29 percent over 131 matches.
- Sligh (favorable): The same one-mana creatures and burn, but your threats are bigger: Elephant tokens and Treetop Village are 3/3s that block Jackal Pup and survive Mogg Fanatic, and a Quirion Dryad with three counters is out of Lightning Bolt range. Kill Grim Lavamancer first, since it shoots your X/1s and your face every turn. Their reach is the danger: Fireblast, Cursed Scroll and Sulfuric Vortex, and Price of Progress against your Karplusan Forests, Treetop Villages and uncracked fetchlands, so fetch basics early and stop paying life for Sylvan Library once they can race. After boarding, Ravenous Baloth is a 4/4 that gains 4 life, unless Sulfuric Vortex is out. MTGDecks (Burn): 64 percent over 66 matches.
- Goblins (slightly unfavorable): A race against a wider board. Kill Goblin Lackey on sight with Mogg Fanatic, Seal of Fire or Lightning Bolt, and Goblin Warchief with Seal of Fire, Grim Lavamancer or Lightning Bolt, and block with Elephant tokens and Treetop Village, which are bigger than most Goblins. Goblin Sharpshooter and Gempalm Incinerator kill your X/1s and a small Quirion Dryad, Goblin Ringleader refills their hand once the trades are done, and their Rishadan Port and Wasteland attack Karplusan Forest and Treetop Village. After boarding, Simoon kills every Goblin with one toughness and Ravenous Baloth outsizes the rest; they bring Pyrokinesis. MTGDecks: 45 percent over 71 matches.
- Enchantress (unfavorable): Win before the lock or break it. Solitary Confinement prevents all damage to them and gives them shroud, Parallax Wave exiles your attackers, and Elephant Grass makes each attacker cost {2}, so main-deck Naturalize is your best card: destroy Sterling Grove first if it is out, because it gives their other enchantments shroud. Argothian Enchantress has shroud too, so targeted burn can't kill it; Simoon after boarding can, unless Solitary Confinement gives them shroud. After boarding, Tranquil Domain destroys every non-Aura enchantment at instant speed without targeting, and Hull Breach adds another answer. MTGDecks: 37 percent over 63 matches.
- Terrageddon (slightly favorable): Your targeted burn kills Weathered Wayfarer, Werebear before threshold and a small Terravore, but not Nimble Mongoose, which has shroud (Simoon after boarding kills it before threshold), and Terravore grows with every land card in a graveyard, your cracked fetchlands included. Race: most of your threats cost one or two mana, so you recover from Armageddon faster than most decks, though Mox Diamond and Werebear give them mana after it, and Treetop Village dies to it like every land. Their fetchlands and Sylvan Library cost them life. They answer with Swords to Plowshares and, after boarding, Pyroclasm, which kills everything you have except Elephants and a Dryad with two counters. MTGDecks: 59 percent over 41 matches.
- Replenish (unfavorable): Parallax Wave exiles your attackers at instant speed and Opalescence turns their enchantments into blockers, so race the combo turn and keep Naturalize for Parallax Wave or Opalescence; a Wave that leaves the battlefield returns every card it exiled, but Elephant tokens it exiled are gone for good, and they can use its last counters in response. Replenish itself is a white sorcery that Pyroblast can't touch, but Attunement and Intuition are blue, and after boarding Tormod's Crypt exiles their graveyard in response to Replenish, unless Abeyance has turned it off that turn. Ancient Tomb costs them 2 life per use. They bring Sphere of Law, which prevents 2 damage from each red source and none from your green creatures, and Exalted Angel. MTGDecks: 32 percent over 31 matches.
- Landstill (slightly unfavorable): Standstill punishes the next spell, so get creatures down first and let them attack: attacking, animating Treetop Village and sacrificing Mogg Fanatic or Seal of Fire are not spells. Counterspell and Mana Leak trade one for one, so lead with the threats you can afford to lose, and a countered Call of the Herd can still be flashed back. Mishra's Factory blocks your X/1s, Powder Keg on one counter destroys your one-drops, Wrath of God your board, and Humility makes your creatures 1/1s without abilities, though counters on Quirion Dryad still count and a Treetop Village animated after it is still a 3/3. After boarding, Pyroblast and Red Elemental Blast counter Standstill or Counterspell; once Standstill is on the battlefield, casting one breaks it first. Their Circle of Protection: Red does nothing against green creatures. MTGDecks: 45 percent over 40 matches.
- Oath of Druids (unfavorable): Oath of Druids punishes creature decks: in each of their upkeeps in which they control fewer creatures than you, it puts the first creature card from their library onto the battlefield, and that is always a big Terravore. Destroy the Oath with main-deck Naturalize, and use Treetop Village, which is not a creature in their upkeep, to attack without giving them a trigger. Sphere of Resistance makes your one-drops cost two, Rishadan Port, Wasteland, Thermokarst and Winter's Grasp attack your lands, and Swords to Plowshares answers your best threat. Their Brushlands, fetchlands and Sylvan Library cost them life. After boarding, Tranquil Domain and Hull Breach join Naturalize, and they bring Cursed Totem, which stops Mogg Fanatic and Grim Lavamancer. MTGDecks (Oath Ponza): 36 percent over 33 matches.
- Full English Breakfast (even): Burn Hermit Druid before it can activate; Mogg Fanatic, Seal of Fire and Grim Lavamancer kill it at instant speed, and Birds of Paradise as well. Survival of the Fittest is an enchantment, so main-deck Naturalize answers it, though Cabal Therapy may take Naturalize first. Wall of Roots blocks one attacker a turn, and their painlands and City of Brass cost them life. After boarding, Tormod's Crypt exiles their graveyard after a Hermit Druid activation or in response to Unearth, and they bring Pyroclasm, Ghitu Slinger and Swords to Plowshares. Very limited data: 38 percent over 8 matches.
- Mono Black (favorable): Your best common matchup by data. Their removal is one for one, while Call of the Herd is two threats and Treetop Village dodges sorcery-speed removal; Diabolic Edict lets you choose what to sacrifice, so keep a spare creature or token. Burn kills Hypnotic Specter and Ravenous Rats, and Nantuko Shade while they are tapped out. Duress and Cabal Therapy can take burn or Call of the Herd, but a discarded Call can still be flashed back; Withered Wretch exiles it and starves Grim Lavamancer. Smother kills Quirion Dryad at any size. After boarding they bring Spinning Darkness and Drain Life; Ravenous Baloth outsizes their creatures. MTGDecks: 70 percent over 56 matches.
- Stasis (slightly unfavorable): Get as much as you can onto the battlefield before Stasis: under it nobody untaps, so your creatures attack once and then stay tapped, though each land you play still casts a one-mana burn spell, unless Root Maze makes it enter tapped. Mogg Fanatic, Seal of Fire and Lava Dart's flashback need no mana. Keep {1}{G} open when you can: Naturalize destroys Stasis or Black Vise at instant speed; once Stasis is gone, each player untaps in their own next untap step, so destroy it at the end of their turn to untap first. After boarding, Pyroblast and Red Elemental Blast counter Stasis or destroy it on the battlefield, and Tranquil Domain destroys it too; expect Chill, which makes your red spells cost {2} more, Cursed Totem for Grim Lavamancer and Mogg Fanatic, and Hydroblast. Limited data: 30 percent over 10 matches.
- Elves (even): Burn their mana: Llanowar Elves, Fyndhorn Elves, Priest of Titania and Quirion Ranger die to Mogg Fanatic, Seal of Fire, Lava Dart and Grim Lavamancer, and every kill slows Gaea's Cradle. Deranged Hermit's four Squirrels are 2/2s only while the Hermit is on the battlefield, so kill the Hermit. Masticore pings your X/1s, and Wirewood Symbiote can return a targeted Elf to hand in response once a turn. After boarding, Simoon kills every one-toughness Elf, and the Squirrels with the Hermit; they bring Ravenous Baloth. Limited data: 53 percent over 17 matches.
- Psychatog (slightly unfavorable): Psychatog blocks well and grows at instant speed by discarding cards and exiling its graveyard, so attack with more creatures than it can block and burn their face rather than the Tog. Smother kills Quirion Dryad at any size, Sickening Dreams sweeps your X/1s, and Counterspell and Foil answer Call of the Herd, though a countered Call can still be flashed back. Their fetchlands and Underground River cost them life. After boarding, Pyroblast and Red Elemental Blast destroy Psychatog for one mana and counter Counterspell, and Tormod's Crypt exiles their graveyard; expect Hydroblast, Blue Elemental Blast and Ivory Tower. Limited data: 46 percent over 13 matches.
- UG Madness (slightly unfavorable): Their creatures outgrow yours: Wild Mongrel discards to pump out of burn range, Arrogant Wurm is a 4/4 that arrives at instant speed, and Roar of the Wurm makes a 6/6. Burn Wild Mongrel when they have no cards to discard, and kill Basking Rootwalla before they can pay {1}{G} to pump it. Circular Logic and Daze counter your spells, and Wonder in their graveyard gives their creatures flying while they control an Island. After boarding, Pyroblast and Red Elemental Blast counter Circular Logic and destroy Aquamoeba, and Tormod's Crypt exiles Wonder and Roar of the Wurm from their graveyard; expect Chill, Hydroblast and Blue Elemental Blast. MTGDecks (Madness): 33 percent over 12 matches, limited data.
- The Rock (unfavorable): Your worst matchup by data. Pernicious Deed at one destroys Jackal Pup, Mogg Fanatic, Grim Lavamancer, Seal of Fire and Rancor, at two Quirion Dryad and Sylvan Library as well, and it gets your Elephant tokens at any X; Wall of Blossoms and Wall of Roots block all day, and Ravenous Baloth gains 4 life. Don't overcommit into Deed: keep Call of the Herd's flashback and Treetop Village, which survives Deed while it is not animated, for after the sweep. Naturalize on Deed lets them activate it in response, even at X=0 for no mana, which still destroys your Elephant tokens, so use it while they are tapped out to keep X low. Llanowar Wastes cost them life. MTGDecks: 24 percent over 25 matches.
- Reanimator (slightly unfavorable): Reanimator is faster than you: Reanimate or Exhume on turn two puts Akroma, Angel of Wrath onto the battlefield, and you have no answer to it, since it flies and has protection from red. Race instead, and point burn at their face: Reanimate costs them life equal to the creature's mana value, eight for Akroma. Phantom Nishoba loses only one counter per damage source and gains life when it deals damage. Kill Putrid Imp early. After boarding, Tormod's Crypt exiles their graveyard in response to Reanimate or Exhume; expect Oath of Druids, which ignores the graveyard. Limited data: 40 percent over 10 matches.
- Deadguy Ale (slightly favorable): Your burn kills Hypnotic Specter, and Nantuko Shade while they are tapped out, and their Caves of Koilos and Phyrexian Arena cost them life. Swords to Plowshares and Vindicate trade one for one, while Call of the Herd gives you two threats from one card, and Gerrard's Verdict lets you choose the two discards: discard Call of the Herd, which you can flash back, rather than lands, which gain them 3 life each. Exalted Angel is the card to fear, so burn it while it is face down and they can't pay {2}{W}{W} to turn it face up in response, which doesn't use the stack. After boarding they bring Circle of Protection: Red and Warmth, which only stop the red half, and Perish, which destroys every green creature. No meaningful match data.
- Tron (slightly favorable): Tron is slow: its best turns need all three Urza lands, so pressure it from the first turns. Wrath of God and Masticore are their best cards: keep Call of the Herd's flashback and Treetop Village for after a Wrath, and kill Masticore with Incinerate plus one more damage, since Incinerate stops it from regenerating. Decree of Justice makes Soldier blockers at instant speed. After boarding, Pyroblast and Red Elemental Blast counter Power Sink and Stroke of Genius, and their Circle of Protection: Red and Warmth do nothing against green creatures. No match data.
- Clerics (slightly favorable): Their engine is small creatures: Dark Supplicant and Priest of Gix die to Mogg Fanatic, Seal of Fire, Lava Dart and Lightning Bolt, Cabal Archon to Seal of Fire, Grim Lavamancer and Lightning Bolt, and Rotlung Reanimator turns each Cleric that dies into a 2/2 Zombie, so kill Rotlung first. Dark Supplicant sacrifices three Clerics to put Scion of Darkness onto the battlefield, and Cabal Archon drains 2 life per sacrificed Cleric at instant speed. Withered Wretch exiles Call of the Herd and starves Grim Lavamancer. After boarding, Simoon kills every Cleric with one toughness; expect Perish, which destroys every green creature. Very limited data.
- The Solution (even): Lightning Angel is a 3/4 flier that Lightning Bolt doesn't kill and your creatures can't block, Mother of Runes protects their creatures from red, and Swords to Plowshares and Meddling Mage handle your best threats. Kill Mother of Runes before she untaps. Their fetchlands and Shivan Reef cost them life. After boarding, Pyroblast and Red Elemental Blast destroy Lightning Angel, which is blue as well as red and white, and counter Counterspell; they bring Pyroclasm for your one-drops and a small Dryad, and Hydroblast, Warmth and Circle of Protection: Red, which only stop the red half. No meaningful match data.
- Dromar Control (slightly favorable): Their mana base hurts them: Caves of Koilos and fetchlands cost life before you cast a spell. Burn Mother of Runes before she untaps and kill Shadowmage Infiltrator; Meddling Mage names one card, so play the others. Exalted Angel is the real problem, so burn it while it is face down and they can't pay {2}{W}{W} to turn it face up in response. Swords to Plowshares and Vindicate trade one for one, while Call of the Herd gives you two threats from one card. After boarding, Pyroblast and Red Elemental Blast counter Mana Leak and destroy Shadowmage Infiltrator; expect Hydroblast, Circle of Protection: Red and Perish, which destroys every green creature. No match data.
- Aluren (slightly favorable): Aluren is symmetrical: once it is out, you can cast Jackal Pup, Mogg Fanatic, Grim Lavamancer and Quirion Dryad for free and with flash too. Their loop of Cavern Harpy and Man-o'-War with Spike Feeder, or of Cavern Harpy with Soul Warden, gains unlimited life, so race before it starts, and if Aluren resolves without the loop, destroy it with main-deck Naturalize. Burn kills Raven Familiar and Spike Feeder, but Cavern Harpy returns to their hand for 1 life in response. Their City of Brass and painlands cost them life. After boarding, Tranquil Domain and Hull Breach join Naturalize; expect Hydroblast and Blue Elemental Blast from the blue builds. No meaningful match data.
- Zombies (slightly favorable): Carnophage and Sarcomancy's tokens are 2/2s that your Elephants and Treetop Village outsize, and burning Lord of the Undead, which gives their other Zombies +1/+1, shrinks the team before it attacks. Shepherd of Rot makes each player lose 1 life per Zombie on the battlefield, so it costs them as much as you. Withered Wretch exiles Call of the Herd and starves Grim Lavamancer, and Gempalm Polluter drains at instant speed. After boarding, Ravenous Baloth outsizes their creatures; expect Snuff Out and Bottle Gnomes. No match data.
- MUD (slightly favorable): Attack before the lock: Sphere of Resistance makes your one-drops cost two, and Winter Orb and Tangle Wire slow everyone, but your spells are cheap. Burn kills Goblin Welder before it can activate, and main-deck Naturalize destroys Sphere, Tangle Wire, Winter Orb, Ensnaring Bridge or a Tinkered threat, though Welder can swap the target out in response. Triskelion and Fire // Ice kill your X/1s. After boarding, Hull Breach, Crumble and Overload join Naturalize; expect Pyroclasm, Crumbling Sanctuary and Chill. MTGDecks (Tinker Welder): 100 percent over 6 matches, very limited data.
- White Weenie (even): Protection from red is the problem: Silver Knight and Soltari Priest can't be burned or blocked by red creatures, and Mother of Runes gives protection on demand. Your green creatures are the answer: Elephant tokens and Treetop Village block Silver Knight and Savannah Lions and survive unless Crusade is out, though Soltari Priest's shadow means only shadow creatures can block it. Kill Mother of Runes before she untaps, and expect Armageddon once they are ahead, and Exalted Angel. After boarding, Simoon kills Mother of Runes and Savannah Lions, unless an untapped Mother gives one of them protection from red in response, but not their creatures with protection from red. No meaningful match data.
- BW Control (slightly unfavorable): Wrath of God after you commit and Exalted Angel after that are their plan, so pressure early with one-drops, keep Call of the Herd's flashback and Treetop Village for after a Wrath, and burn the Angel while it is face down and they can't pay {2}{W}{W} to turn it face up in response. Swords to Plowshares and Vindicate trade one for one, Gerrard's Verdict lets you choose your discards (Call of the Herd can be flashed back, lands gain them 3 life each), and Decree of Justice makes Soldier blockers at instant speed. Caves of Koilos costs them life. After boarding they bring Circle of Protection: Red and Warmth, which only stop the red half. Limited data: 30 percent over 10 matches.
- Gro-a-Tog (favorable): Their mana costs them life every game: City of Brass and Flooded Strand. Burn their Quirion Dryad before it grows, and their Meddling Mage and a small Psychatog; Swords to Plowshares handles your threats one at a time, Fire can kill two of your X/1s at once, and Counterspell and Daze trade with your spells. After boarding, Pyroblast and Red Elemental Blast counter Counterspell and Gush and destroy Psychatog; they bring Hydroblast, Blue Elemental Blast and Pyroclasm. Very limited data.
- Pit Rack (even): You empty your hand fast, which is what The Rack wants: it deals 3 damage minus the cards in your hand in each of your upkeeps, so main-deck Naturalize is best on a Rack or Bottomless Pit. Discard costs you less than most decks, since Call of the Herd discarded to Bottomless Pit, Funeral Charm or Ravenous Rats can still be flashed back. Burn kills Hypnotic Specter and Ravenous Rats, and Smother and Diabolic Edict trade with your creatures. After boarding, Hull Breach and Tranquil Domain join Naturalize; expect Perish, which destroys every green creature, and Plague Spitter, which kills your X/1s. Very limited data: 38 percent over 8 matches.
- Rebels (slightly favorable): The Rebel chain starts with 1/1s: kill Ramosian Sergeant, Defiant Falcon and Mother of Runes with Mogg Fanatic, Seal of Fire, Lava Dart or Grim Lavamancer before they can search, and Lightning Bolt Lin Sivvi. Counterspell, Mana Leak and Swords to Plowshares trade one for one, and Standstill punishes the next spell, so get threats down first. Defiant Vanguard destroys itself and whatever it blocked, and Jhovall Queen is a 4/7 that no single burn spell can kill. After boarding, Simoon kills every Rebel with one toughness except Thermal Glider, which has protection from red, and Pyroblast and Red Elemental Blast counter Counterspell or Standstill; expect Circle of Protection: Red and Absolute Law, which only stop the red half. No match data.
- Contamination (slightly favorable): Almost every spell you cast needs red or green mana, so Contamination on turn three strands your hand: land your threats on turns one and two. Under it, Mogg Fanatic, Seal of Fire and Lava Dart's flashback still work without mana and creatures already on the battlefield keep attacking, but Grim Lavamancer, Treetop Village and Naturalize need red or green and stop. Powder Keg on one counter destroys Jackal Pup, Mogg Fanatic and Grim Lavamancer, Innocent Blood makes each player sacrifice a creature, and Nether Spirit and Zombie tokens block. After boarding they bring Dystopia, which makes you sacrifice a green permanent in each of your upkeeps. No meaningful match data.
- Turbo Lands (even): Glacial Chasm prevents all damage that would be dealt to them, so neither your creatures nor your burn can finish the game while it is on the battlefield, and only a minority of Quirion Dryad lists play Wasteland. Win before it arrives, and use main-deck Naturalize on the engine: Exploration and Seismic Assault are enchantments, Horn of Greed is an artifact. Seismic Assault kills your one-drops for a land card each and an Elephant for two, and Crop Rotation puts Chasm onto the battlefield at instant speed, in response to a lethal burn spell or during a lethal attack before damage. After boarding, Tranquil Domain destroys Exploration and Seismic Assault at once; expect Circle of Protection: Red, which only stops the red half, and Oath of Druids. No match data.
- Fluctuator (slightly favorable): Fluctuator kills on turn three or four with Songs of the Damned and Haunting Misery or Drain Life, so race, and keep main-deck Naturalize for Fluctuator itself, which makes their cycling free. All their lands are nonbasic, and their creatures are cyclers that rarely attack early. After boarding, Tormod's Crypt exiles their graveyard in response to Songs of the Damned, which counts the creature cards there when it resolves. They bring Gilded Light, which gives them shroud for a turn, so neither your burn nor Tormod's Crypt can target them, and Expunge for your creatures. No match data.
Sideboard guide
- vs Stiflenought, Landstill, Psychatog, UG Madness, Stasis, Gro-a-Tog, Tron, Rebels, The Solution and Dromar Control: Pyroblast, Red Elemental Blast. Pyroblast and Red Elemental Blast, in almost every sideboard and usually two of each, counter a blue spell or destroy a blue permanent for one red mana: Counterspell, Stifle, Circular Logic, Mana Leak, Standstill, Stasis, Psychatog, Aquamoeba, Lightning Angel or Shadowmage Infiltrator. Pyroblast can target any spell or permanent and does nothing if it is not blue; Red Elemental Blast needs a blue target. Both grow Quirion Dryad. Don't cast one into a Standstill that is already on the battlefield: casting it gives them three cards first.
- vs Reanimator, Full English Breakfast, Replenish, Psychatog and Fluctuator: Tormod's Crypt. Tormod's Crypt, in almost every sideboard, exiles a player's graveyard at instant speed: in response to Reanimate, Exhume or Replenish, after a Hermit Druid activation, or in response to Songs of the Damned. Against Replenish, use it before Abeyance turns it off for the turn. Aim it at their graveyard; yours holds Grim Lavamancer's fuel and Call of the Herd's flashback.
- vs Enchantress, Replenish, Oath of Druids, Stasis, MUD, Aluren, Pit Rack, Turbo Lands and Fluctuator: Naturalize, Tranquil Domain, Hull Breach. Most sideboards add two Naturalize and two Tranquil Domain to the two in the main deck, and two of three play Hull Breach. Tranquil Domain destroys every non-Aura enchantment at instant speed without targeting, so Sterling Grove's shroud doesn't matter, but it also destroys your own Sylvan Library and Seal of Fire; sacrifice Seal in response. Hull Breach destroys an artifact, an enchantment, or one of each: Oath of Druids and Sphere of Resistance, or Exploration and Horn of Greed.
- vs Sligh, Goblins and Zombies: Ravenous Baloth. Ravenous Baloth, in four of five sideboards, is a 4/4 for four that blocks everything they play early and can sacrifice itself for 4 life, unless Sulfuric Vortex is on the battlefield. Out: Sylvan Library, whose extra cards cost 4 life each.
- vs Goblins, Elves, White Weenie, Rebels and Clerics: Simoon. Simoon, in about three of four sideboards, deals 1 damage to each creature an opponent controls at instant speed: mana Elves, Goblin Lackey, Mother of Runes, Ramosian Sergeant and Dark Supplicant die, and Deranged Hermit's Squirrels die with the Hermit. It is red, so creatures with protection from red, such as Silver Knight and Soltari Priest, take no damage.
- vs Stiflenought and MUD: Crumble, Overload. Crumble and Overload are each in about one sideboard in seven. Crumble destroys an artifact at instant speed for {G}, and it can't be regenerated, though its controller gains life equal to its mana value. Overload destroys an artifact with mana value 2 or less, or 5 or less when kicked: Phyrexian Dreadnought, Powder Keg, Sphere of Resistance and Winter Orb, or kicked, Tangle Wire.
Budget and upgrades
Typical cost: $460–$1,260. The reference list (Robert Wilson, first of 31 in Columbus, Ohio, June 2, 2026) costs about $1,260 with its sideboard at the Premodern-era printings tracked here. The seven fetchlands are about $740 of that: four Wooded Foothills at about $480 and three Bloodstained Mire at about $260. Four Call of the Herd are about $90, four Grim Lavamancer about $80, two Sylvan Library about $70, and the three Tormod's Crypt in the sideboard about $90.
- Never cut the core: Grim Lavamancer, Quirion Dryad, Call of the Herd, Lightning Bolt and Incinerate.
- The budget build plays five more Mountains and two more Forests instead of the seven fetchlands, and Phyrexian Furnace instead of Tormod's Crypt in the sideboard: about $460. Without fetchlands, Grim Lavamancer gets fewer cards for its graveyard, and Phyrexian Furnace exiles one card at a time.
- Upgrade in this order: Wooded Foothills first, since it finds either basic land, then Bloodstained Mire.
