Into the Arena: Top 3 Rogue Historic Decks

With a big Historic Open taking place this weekend on Arena, it’s time to check in with the format and find some sweet decklists! Historic has been in a good place the last few months, with a large number of popular decks, and none of the top options feeling too oppressive. However, most decks at the very top of the metagame have been there for months, if not years. Izzet Phoenix, Food, Auras, and Rakdos Arcanist are old friends of ours by this point, and at one point or another I have played each of them. That is why I’m looking for something new! Decks that are a little more under the radar. Decks that could potentially surprise opponents and beat the metagame, without sacrificing too much raw power. Below I’ll quickly dive into three rogue decks that could be amazing this spring (but sadly no actual Rogue decks today).

Azorius Yorion

Historic
by Shuhei Nakamura

If you have been a fan of control in Historic but have been waiting for a way to innovate it, this is the deck for you. Azorius Yorion isn’t just a fun name to say out loud, it is also an up-and-coming archetype that has done well in a number of recent tournaments. This deck first gained popularity when the Japanese team brought it to the Kamigawa Set Championship a few weeks ago and posted a 57% win rate with it, doing better than Azorius Control and Jeskai Control. 

These Yorion decks have a slightly broader and more aggressive maindeck than usual UW Control. Four copies of The Wandering Emperor as well four to six other planeswalkers make for a great arsenal of proactive plays. As well, the larger deck means that it is able to squeeze in cards like Rest in Peace in the maindeck, which is excellent against Phoenix and Food. Another inclusion you won’t see in typical Azorius Control is four copies of Omen of the Sea, Yorion’s old partner in crime. The combo of Yorion and Omen of the Sea means that this deck will often have an insurmountably full hand in the late game.

Selesnya Enchantress

Historic
by Kazuhiro Noine

For those seeking a truly novel deck in Historic, Enchantress seems to be the hottest choice in the format. Bolstered by a number of cards that are relatively new to the format, Enchantress has been putting up good results recently. Sythis, Harvest’s Hand and Sanctum Weaver are excellent creatures for the archetype, and overall this deck seems very focused and streamlined. It incorporates the combo of Solemnity and Nine Lives that once powered its own deck, and pairs them with a number of cards that synergize specifically with enchantments. This combo, which prevents opponents from dealing damage to you, is excellent against creature decks. I think this would be a strong choice for the Arena Open, where there will likely be an overrepresentation of creature-based decks due to players prioritizing fast matches. However, if you yourself are planning on doing multiple runs on day 1, playing this deck might cost you time.

This deck may be my personal favourite because it has so many new cards and a very fresh game plan. Enchantress is an archetype I have always wanted to try in constructed formats but have never had the chance to.

5-Colour Niv-Mizzet

Historic
by Simon Kamerow

This is another outside-the-box deck that beats down creature-based aggro decks with its swathes of removal. If you’re looking to really get crazy, I’d recommend taking this five-colour deck for a spin. Cards like Lightning Helix and Vanishing Verse are great in the metagame right now, and Niv-Mizzet Reborn is a clean and simple way to finish games.

However, there are two issues with the deck. The first, which is true for all five-colour decks, is the mana base. It is difficult to cast spells on curve when you have so many tapped lands and colour restrictions, so you will have to get lucky in order to have smooth starts. The second issue is that against control decks there is a good chance they will have a counter for Niv-Mizzet. When many of your cards are already less impactful against control, this can be back-breaking. This deck has much more polarized matchups than the other decks on this list, so keep the metagame you expect in mind as you decide whether or not to play it.

That concludes this look at the top Rogue decks in Historic at the moment. Hopefully one of these piques your curiosity and provides a fresh approach to the eternal format. Good luck to those of you who will be partaking in the Arena Open this weekend!