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Domain Zoo vs Blood Moon Counterplay

1 requestsStarted 10/14/2025, 1:17:13 PM
"how does modern zoo defend against blood moon

I'll analyze how Modern Zoo decks handle Blood Moon by examining their mana bases and card choices in recent tournament data.

šŸ› ļøGet Archetype Cards
šŸ› ļøGet Archetype Cards

Let me check for Domain Zoo specifically, which is the more common Modern variant:

šŸ› ļøGet Archetype Cards
šŸ› ļøGet Archetype Cards

Now let me check if there are any Blood Moon hate cards or specific answers in the sideboard:

Based on the tournament data, here's how Domain Zoo defends against Blood Moon:

Built-In Resilience

Mana Base Protection:

  • 100% of decks run basic Plains (1 copy avg)
  • 91.5% run basic Mountain (1 copy avg)
  • These basics allow the deck to continue casting creatures under Blood Moon

Domain Still Works:

  • While Blood Moon turns nonbasics into Mountains, Domain Zoo's fetchlands can still grab basics
  • The deck can maintain access to white mana (Plains) to cast removal/sideboard cards

Sideboard Answers

Obsidian Charmaw (20% of sideboards, ~2 copies avg):

  • Directly destroys Blood Moon-carrying nonbasic lands
  • Can also answer Blood Moon by destroying the opponent's red sources before they can cast it
  • Casts easily with 5R mana requirement that Zoo can produce

Wear // Tear (79.6% of sideboards, 1.4 copies avg):

  • Direct enchantment removal
  • Cheap at 1W to cast the Wear half
  • Accessible via basic Plains under Blood Moon

Speed Strategy

Domain Zoo's primary defense is racing under Blood Moon:

  • The deck has a 52.1% winrate and is highly aggressive
  • Key threats like Ragavan (99.6%), Territorial Kavu (100%), and Phlage (100%) can be cast early before Blood Moon lands
  • Stubborn Denial (96.9% mainboard, 2.9 avg) can counter Blood Moon for just U

Bottom line: Domain Zoo doesn't pack heavy Blood Moon hate because its speed and basic land package let it function under the enchantment, while sideboard Wear // Tear and Obsidian Charmaw provide direct answers post-board.

Sources: Data from 101 tournaments (80% MTGO, 20% Melee) between Aug-Oct 2025. Example events: Modern Challenge 10/12, Modern Challenge 10/11