Nov 10, 20223 min read

Deck of the Week: Modern Domain Zoo

Deck Overview

Last weekend was the Modern Store Championship, and I decided to play with my new, best-of-both-worlds Domain Rhinos deck. I have always played Tribal Flames Zoo or Snowblade, but after playing against Crashing Footfalls a couple of months back, Rhinos seemed like a deck I would love to play. Fast-forward to Dominaria United and the release of Leyline Binding. Five-color was becoming more viable, and I was starting to see some of my favorite cards appearing in Rhinos lists, such as Teferi, Time Raveler and Scion of Draco. I was destined to play this deck and felt extremely confident going into the tournament.

The Modern Store Championship

Round one was against Murktide, which I was not concerned about. I have early game removal with Fire // Ice and Dead // Gone, and Force of Negation to keep my game plan on track. If I don’t land my usual two-drop Scion, I can quickly get out two rhinos and apply pressure my opponent can’t keep up with. Binding is an efficient removal for Murktide Regent, or you can bounce it back to your opponent’s hand with Teferi. Endurance shuts down most of their game plan in game two, removing their graveyard and blocking Dragon's Rage Channeler. My sideboard has everything it needs to be more effective in this matchup. After careful play and correct countermagic, I landed the 2-0.

Round two was against our fellow KBG member Griffin Kirkwood on Skred. Playing against Blood Moon sucks when you’re a domain player. Even though I already knew what he was playing, seeing a snow mountain causes you to fetch your basics immediately and hold up your Boseiju, Who Endures. Game one was interesting because my deck played like Jeskai Control instead of Domain Rhinos. Countering his Koth of the Hammer and Chandra, Torch of Defiance, while bouncing or burning his creatures was a perfect way to prevent his game plan. After handling all of his spells, I finally drew my cascade spells to get my rhinos and take over. Game two was a Blood Moon game; however, I had already fetched my forest and island, which was all I needed to easily cast my cascade spells and overrun him with rhinos, leading to another 2-0.

In round three, my opponent was playing Zoo, which I felt I had the upper hand against since I ran most of the same spells along with Teferi, Force of Negation, Fury, and rhinos to block their Nishoba Brawlers and Territorial Kavus efficiently. In game two, my opponent had all land types but never drew a third land, so another victory, another 2-0. This put me in first place in the standings and allowed me to draw into the top eight.

Top 8

Unfortunately, my first pairing was against fellow KBG member Mike Bodden on Esper Food. Admittedly, I was not as familiar with this deck and didn’t know which threats were the most important to eliminate. In addition to mulliganing to five in game one, I didn’t draw a single rhino-related card in game two. The match ended with a 0-2 loss, but I still managed to land in 5th place.

Final Thoughts

Overall, I am still extremely satisfied with this deck, and every loss I have had at FNM or even in the top eight against Esper Food did not feel like a loss due to the deck or gameplay. Could I have made better mulligan decisions? Perhaps. But I played the hand that was dealt to me, and sometimes you just don’t draw the spells you need; it is what it is. This deck is powerful and has an enjoyable balance of control and beatdown that fairs well against a variety of matchups.