Rogue deck

Rogue deck is a term that can mean two similar but different types of Magic deck.

Meaning A

Rogue Deck is most commonly used to refer to a deck which does not seem to follow the trends of a particular metagame.

Rogue decks are often attributed to Johnny players, and are generally not believed to be able to compete with the more popular decks in the metagame. Such decks are usually classified as being below Tier 1 decks in any given metagame, but are often just relevant or common enough to warrant discussion.

This does not mean that such decks are bad as such, and indeed many of them are designed specifically to beat a dominant deck, but this almost always comes at the cost of being less effective against the rest of field. In this case players piloting such decks at tournaments will often be a gamble that a certain deck (that they have a very favorable match-up against) will show up enough for them to prey on it.

Meaning B

Alternatively, Rogue Deck can mean a deck that is developed secretly in the run up to a tournament and so arrives on the day completely unknown to the opponents, giving the pilot the element of surprise.

In this case, such decks are designed to beat an entire metagame normally through the use of cards or strategies which are not currently being used in the high level metagame and are flying under the radar. Decks of this type are often very powerful, but sometimes also fragile enough that the metagame may adapt to suppress it.

However, when these decks are less disruptable and gain some longevity, they frequently become some of the most powerful decks, and may even end up warping the metagame around themselves. This kind of rogue deck, if successful, will normally be referred to as a format breaker, sweeping every other deck before it during the period when no deck has the tools to beat it (and even when the tools are ubiquitous continue to be of tier 1 power). When this happens, the Rogue deck evolves to be a part of the meta and is then considered a Meta deck.

Challenges on building a Rogue deck

The building of Rogue decks, or of decks in general is called brewing.

Brewing a successful rogue deck is highly coveted and is generally considered to be an important achievement for any deck builder.

Regardless of which meaning for "Rogue deck" one uses, it is trying to attack the meta from a different angle. Some of the challenges consist in:

• working on an idea that few have considered
• adequately testing it against as many types of decks as possible
• making it tournament ready in every aspect (including the Side board)

Due to the variety of a meta in any given format, making a strategy consistent and strong enough to take on the multiple strategies is a hard task. Although it is not impossible as many of the most famous decks in history began as completely unknown rogue decks, performed well at a PT or GP and proliferated into part of the metagame later on.

See also

• Modern
• Legacy
• Vintage
• Historic
• Pioneer
• Grand Prix