Up here at RIW Hobbies we play Zoo variants allot. 3 of us Top8'ed the Toronto realms using Zoo. All of our teams featured Star Breeze and Proudmoore. We like Star Breeze's efficient attack/defenses and access to Master Tactician over Kaustrons instant pets. Heres our top 8 armies.

Proudmore
Star Breeze
Star Breeze

This version ended up winning the Toronto Realms beating out a very good Vashj army played by Black Bloc(i think) . It loves to play Blinky turn one and then start attacking on tick 2 to maximize the number of attacks over ten ticks. Playing 2 master tacts every ten ticks to increase Damage output. This is a very good team and has answers to everything except Kael'thas teams.

Proudmore
Star Breeze
Tinker

This version relied on Tinker+flux+ManaPot combo. Star Breeze's range 4 forced non-hunter opponents to close within range of Tinkers overwhelming 1 for 6 attack. However, once an opponent chewed through Old Bones and an ice barrier Tinker became an easy character to farm. This version is great against tanking teams but fails to beat most hunter squads.

Proudmore
Star Breeze
Namrah

This version relies on Namrah's constant heals and her big 3 for 7 attacks (Shadow form+victory). Priest ABC's give you answers to all the annoying combo teams also. However, Namrah's short range forces to the whole squad to play on the front lines making an Epic death very likely.

I'm currently playing a Vigor variant which is showing allot of promise on the Gen Con map.

Good Gaming

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Wow minis Spectral Safari (Create your own) Winner
Top 8 Toronto Realm Championship
Top 8 Continental Championships

Thanks so much for the team variant info.  What do you think of Ryno?  Also, can you tell me about positioning.  I tend to hide Jina often using her a.o.e. to reach a fourth bloc away and do a single strike to only one character.  This leaves Jaina safe or able to run.  I went two hours on 1 hp the other day using these tactics.  Your thoughts?

748713:

Proudmore
Star Breeze
Star Breeze

This version ended up winning the Toronto Realms beating out a very good Vashj army played by Black Bloc(i think) . It loves to play Blinky turn one and then start attacking on tick 2 to maximize the number of attacks over ten ticks. Playing 2 master tacts every ten ticks to increase Damage output. This is a very good team and has answers to everything except Kael'thas teams.

Yeah, it was me that got second place against that team. Was my one loss in Swiss (for the actual tourney, not the qualifiers) and sole loss in the top 8 as well.

I still like the Kaustron version better because you can block movement of your opponent with pets, whereas Elanna's pets die early (and then, unless it's Blinky, you can't really resummon them). Master Tactician though is extremely good on an alpha strike with 6 characters all having +1 damage on crits. Also, you don't lose your first three ticks sitting back.

Jaina/Kaustron/Elanna would be a decent compromise team, I wager.

I still don't like Tinker and I think the ease with which he could be farmed with Vashj was the main reason I made top 2 rather than top 8.

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"The beatings will continue until morale has improved."
- Standard corporate management technique

2160844:

748713:

Proudmore
Star Breeze
Star Breeze

This version ended up winning the Toronto Realms beating out a very good Vashj army played by Black Bloc(i think) . It loves to play Blinky turn one and then start attacking on tick 2 to maximize the number of attacks over ten ticks. Playing 2 master tacts every ten ticks to increase Damage output. This is a very good team and has answers to everything except Kael'thas teams.

Yeah, it was me that got second place against that team. Was my one loss in Swiss (for the actual tourney, not the qualifiers) and sole loss in the top 8 as well.

I still like the Kaustron version better because you can block movement of your opponent with pets, whereas Elanna's pets die early (and then, unless it's Blinky, you can't really resummon them). Master Tactician though is extremely good on an alpha strike with 6 characters all having +1 damage on crits. Also, you don't lose your first three ticks sitting back.

Jaina/Kaustron/Elanna would be a decent compromise team, I wager.

I still don't like Tinker and I think the ease with which he could be farmed with Vashj was the main reason I made top 2 rather than top 8.

Tinker is weak in the current meta. He gets one shotted allot and mauled by all the pets.

Ryno gives you curse of weakness vs vashj and catform druids. His pet is the best in the game,but his crit and pet healing don't really synergize well with MasterTactian. Not to mention having two characters with 1 armor in the current meta is a liability.

yeah you beat me round one top 8 because tinker died i think 3 or 4 times and i foolishly walked into a three target flame strike. Thats one of those matches you dont forget and learn from.

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Wow minis Spectral Safari (Create your own) Winner
Top 8 Toronto Realm Championship
Top 8 Continental Championships

LOL Looks like Boston is going to be a repeat of the Nashville Realm Champs.  But just let you guys know J-zoo is weak against THX.  I was the sole person that was not running J-zoo in the top 8.  Some bad rolls lost me the game in the first round of the finals but all in all I beat a Jaina, Hunter, X team 6of the 7 times I had to play against it that weekend (2 in the quals and 5 on day 2).
The THX I used was:
Thangal
Cat Form
Mark of the Wild

Morova of the Sands
Cat Form
Moon Fire
Rejuvenation
Boomkin Form

Haruka Skycaller
Chain Lightning
Healing Wave
Grounding Totem

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Minis Realm Champs Tn 8th place
Minis Realm Champs Ky 2nd place
Top 8 in TCG
Louisville Ky-8/2/08 & 1/26/07
Nashville Tn-3/10/07 & 7/7/07
Columbus Oh-6/24/07
Indianapolis In-11/3/2007

1069235:

But just let you guys know J-zoo is weak against THX.

That hasn't been my experience, least not on this map. You get to block the chokepoints with pets around the ruins next to the spawn point so they're forced to go the long way to get to you, then if they choose to pursue rather than turtle on the VPs you turtle up in a corner of the map (Jaina, then two Kaustron next to her, then rows of pets around the Kaustron's) so that they can't do anything but Flame Shock and Wrath.

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"The beatings will continue until morale has improved."
- Standard corporate management technique

1069235:

But just let you guys know J-zoo is weak against THX.

That hasn't been my experience, least not on this map. You get to block the chokepoints with pets around the ruins next to the spawn point so they're forced to go the long way to get to you, then if they choose to pursue rather than turtle on the VPs you turtle up in a corner of the map (Jaina, then two Kaustron next to her, then rows of pets around the Kaustron's) so that they can't do anything but Flame Shock and Wrath.

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"The beatings will continue until morale has improved."
- Standard corporate management technique

2160844:

1069235:

But just let you guys know J-zoo is weak against THX.

That hasn't been my experience, least not on this map. You get to block the chokepoints with pets around the ruins next to the spawn point so they're forced to go the long way to get to you, then if they choose to pursue rather than turtle on the VPs you turtle up in a corner of the map (Jaina, then two Kaustron next to her, then rows of pets around the Kaustron's) so that they can't do anything but Flame Shock and Wrath.

My CL would normally kill two of the pets and then the 3rd jump was putting dmg on the hunter.  After that it was tag team action time for Thangal and Morva to go kitty on Jaina :D.  I really haven't done much play testing on this map but just saying CL or a nice Flame Strike and those pets are out of your way long enough to put the hurt on something.

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Minis Realm Champs Tn 8th place
Minis Realm Champs Ky 2nd place
Top 8 in TCG
Louisville Ky-8/2/08 & 1/26/07
Nashville Tn-3/10/07 & 7/7/07
Columbus Oh-6/24/07
Indianapolis In-11/3/2007

Chain Lightning kills 2 pets and hurt a hunter??

Fury is 3resist 3 hp
Old bones is 1 resist 4hp
Bloodclaw is 2resist 2hp

You don't consistently one shot 2 pets with CL...

~

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Best ranking at weekly draft : 4th (5 showed up and I got a bye :D)
Number of weekly drafts : 44 and counting.
0-4 drop at worlds (pairings suck)
Once won a game in DMF, my opponent didn't show up.

With the action bar cards and team makeup he had, it is quite probable to one shot 2x Old Bones with a single chain lightning.

Haruka w/ Mark of the Wild, next to Thangal and Morova would critting on 9's with 2 rerolls. Decent chance to push 5+ damage through to the bears.

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"Yes, Ming Zhang gave Matt Whaite crabs. You read it here first."

-Brinkman

Oh sorry, I didn't know that 2 rerolls and Moonkin made you consistently hit for full with a crit...

~

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Best ranking at weekly draft : 4th (5 showed up and I got a bye :D)
Number of weekly drafts : 44 and counting.
0-4 drop at worlds (pairings suck)
Once won a game in DMF, my opponent didn't show up.

Not 100% accurate on the math, but if i remember correctly, with 7 dice you are close to hitting a crit about 80% of the time (next to Morova.).  Second attack with 6 dice is somewhere closer to 75% or so.
Both attacks are assuming both rerolls are taken.

While this certainly doesn't mean you can count on a double KO each time, it does put the pressure on your opponent to make their saves or lose the bear.

Any math genius out there care to shore up my numbers?

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"Yes, Ming Zhang gave Matt Whaite crabs. You read it here first."

-Brinkman

Ok let's go.

The easiest way to calculate how to deal at least 5 damage with CL is this one :
1 - Chance to deal exactly 4 - Chance to deal exactly 3 - Chance to deal exactly 2 - Chance to deal exactly 1 - Chance to deal exactly 0.

Chance to deal 0 = miss all = .3^7 => 0,0002187
Chance to deal 1 = hit only one = .5*.3^6 => 0,0003645
Chance to deal 2 = hit 2 or 1 crit = .5^2*.3^4 + .2*.3^6 => 0,0021708
Chance to deal 3 = hit 3 or 1 + 1 crit =.5^3*.3^3 + .2*.7*.3^5=> 0,0037152
Chance to deal 4 = hit 4 or 2 + 1 crit = .5^4*.3^3 + .2*.7^2*3^4 => 0,0024813

Seems weird to have 99% chance to deal 5+ with Chain Lightning...
Not sure if the way I included rerolls is correct...

Chance to deal 5 with the 4dmg bounce :
You have to full + crit...
Full + crit without rerolls = .2*.7^3 = 7%
Full + crit with 1 rerolls = .2*.7^3*.3 = 2%
Full + crit with 2 rerolls = .2*.7^3*.3^2 = 0.06%

Thats now 10%.

My math are really bad I guess :p

~

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Best ranking at weekly draft : 4th (5 showed up and I got a bye :D)
Number of weekly drafts : 44 and counting.
0-4 drop at worlds (pairings suck)
Once won a game in DMF, my opponent didn't show up.

I am obviously reading your computations wrong, but it looks like on the second bounce you have a higher chance of rolling full + a crit without rerolls?

How could that be?

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"Yes, Ming Zhang gave Matt Whaite crabs. You read it here first."

-Brinkman

As I said, I guess i'm really wrong :D

99% on the first one seems wrong.

Althou 10% on the 4dmg bounce seems accurate.

You have more chance to Full hit + crit than to miss only 1 and crit and reroll a success, that seems correct. The 2nd and 3rd scenarii are less likely to happen than the first.

In fact to have a full hit + crit there are 3 ways to do it.
Do it first time => 7%, do it using one reroll => 2% and do it using 2 rerolls => 1% => 10% total chances to full hit + crit, it's the sum of the 3 ways to do it.

Since a reroll replaces a miss, and misses are rarer than hits, the scenario where you replace a miss is less likely to happen that the one where you don't.

Not sure I'm making much sense!

~

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Best ranking at weekly draft : 4th (5 showed up and I got a bye :D)
Number of weekly drafts : 44 and counting.
0-4 drop at worlds (pairings suck)
Once won a game in DMF, my opponent didn't show up.