Off-Meta Challenges: Embrace the Jank!

You’ve climbed the ladder. You’ve net-decked to Diamond. You know the mulligan rules. And yet… you feel empty.

Don’t worry. Let’s break the mold. Let’s brew some chaos. Let’s play with jank.

This article isn’t about the latest combo that netted the top 8 at Mythic Qualifier. Nope. It’s about weird synergies, goofy combos, underplayed cards, and pure fun. I’ll show you how to make pauper-only decks, vampire-spider combos, Zombies looping forever, and yes, turn a “pile of cards” into a surprising ladder crusher.

Because sometimes winning isn’t the only fun.

🃏 What Is “Jank”?

First: what even is jank? Janky decks aren’t tidy, optimized tools. They’re weird contraptions that barely work, but sometimes explode in unexpected glory. They use oddballs, unusual synergies, oddball themes, or digital-only mechanics. They’re hobbyhorses you build because you like the idea—not because they top-tier dominate.

If you’ve ever brewed a deck around a card purely because you think it’s funny—hello, jank.

Why Play Jank?

• Freshness: Tired of facing 40% Gruul Midrange or Izzet Control? Jank hits different.
• Learning: Pushing edges forces creativity. You’ll learn new interactions.
• Fun: Yes really—Magic can be fun without being “serious.”
• Surprise wins: Your opponent will not be ready for your weird tech. And winning with a crazy-pile is so satisfying.

One Redditor said:

“I love my slivers, if my aggro doesn’t get there the fogs then bladeback will finish the job.”

They’re using underplayed commons in a sliver deck and loving the surprise factor.

Pauper‑Only Challenge: MTG Arena Pauper

Okay, here’s our first jank challenge:

Build a 60-card Historic Pauper (only commons + basic lands).

This format is officially supported on Arena—there’s even an event!

Example 1: Rakdos Affinity Pauper

This build went viral during Midweek Magic. It’s bonkers fun.

Creatures (28)
4x Iron Apprentice
4x Gingerbrute
4x Clockwork Percussionist
4x Vault Skirge
4x Pactdoll Terror
4x Refurbished Familiar
4x Myr Enforcer

Instants (4)
4x Galvanic Blast

Artifacts (16)
4x Experimental Synthesizer
4x Cranial Ram

Lands (12)
4x Vault of Whispers
4x Drossforge Bridge
4x Swamp
4x Mountain

Low wildcards, full commons. You’ve got surprise damage, artifact synergies, Cranial Ram bombs. It costs nothing, brews fast, and wins sometimes.

Example 2: Boggles – Pauper

Another common combo: Armored Armadillo + Gladecover Scout + enchantments = unblockable beaters.

Creatures (19)
4x Armored Armadillo
4x Gladecover Scout
4x Toadstool Admirer
3x Hero of Iroas
4x Heliod’s Pilgrim
1x Nyxborn Hydra

Enchantments & Auras (?)

Huge lols when your 3/3 hops past blockers with auras stacked to the sky.

Both decks show how a “janky pile of cards” can win Historic Pauper. These were even featured in MTGAZone’s “jank & fun” series — they stated:

“This janky pile of cards is crushing the Best of 3 Historic Ladder.”

Go Combo: Ulamog Haste‑Bomb Jank

Junkier, weirder, even more satisfying:

Someone built a Janky Historic Ulamog combo—yes, THAT Ulamog.

Their goal: dump Ulamog and God‑Pharaoh’s Gift into your graveyard, then Trash for Treasure it onto the field with haste.

Deck snippet:

• Faithless Looting x4  
• Gamble x4  
• Demanding Answers x4  
• Thrill of Possibility x4  
• Trash for Treasure x4  
• God‑Pharaoh’s Gift x3  
• Ulamog, the Defiler x2  
• Artifact‑land package

It can drop a hasty 10/10 annihilator Ulamog on turn 3. Yes, it’s slow. Yes, it’s janky. But when it works? Glory.

Pauper Jade: Zombies + Monument Discard Engine

Jank meets zombie synergy meets Monument engine:

• Ovalchase Daredevil
• Zombie Infestation
• Monument to Endurance

Loop discard, build boards, keep Value going every turn. Another MTGAZone Jank & Fun highlight:

“Historic Zombie Monument:… turns discarding into pure value, flooding the board.”

List idea:

• 4x Zombie Infestation  
• 4x Ovalchase Daredevil  
• 4x Monument to Endurance  
• Discard outlets (Hunger of Harpies etc.)  
•   + basic support cards

Fills your board with Zombies while looping Daredevil. Full chaos.

Challenge Ideas: Make Your Own

Below are six off-meta challenges. Pick one (or all) and jump in.

1. Common-Only Pauper

Use only commons + basic lands, in Historic or Explorer. Try Rakdos Affinity or Boggles.

2. All‑Baby Cards

Make a deck using only 1/1s or 1‑mana creatures. Goblins, spiders, saprolings—swarm them.

3. Digital-Lingo Special

Use Seek, Conjure, and other Alchemy-only mechanics. Build around Fecund Greenshell or Plagon and loop value. MTGAZone did 4 Plagon brews in one series.

4. Zombie Monument Combo

Grab Monument + Daredevil + Zombie Infestation for infinite discard loops.

5. Lunatic Planeswalker Pack

Only use underplayed walkers (e.g., Daretti, Teyo, Fblthp). Build a theme around them.

6. Janky Super‑Combo

Combine ridiculous cards (like Ulamog + Gift + artifact lands). Try to win in absurd ways.

How to Brew Your First Jank Deck

1. Pick a quirk — odd synergy, digital-only mechanic, funny Draconic weirdness.
2. Define constraints — only commons? Only weird walkers? Only enchantments?
3. Find core cards — brainstorm 4–8 core cards that embody your theme.
4. Support package — filler cards that help your engine (ramp, interaction).
5. Balance the curve — jank isn’t excuse to big do nothing. Add mana and early plays.
6. Play casually first — test in Casual or Challenge queues to feel it out.
7. Adjust — some cards are dead weight. Replace with more synergy or land.

When Jank Wins

The holy grail. You drop a turn-3 Ulamog and they rage-quit. You fog them forever, then hit them for 20 damage. You overwhelm them with a Spider-Cheerios board. These happen.

One MTGAZone article:

“Plagon and Fecund Greenshell create absurd synergies… crushing the Best of 3 Historic Ladder.”

That’s magic: unexpected brilliance. The opponent sees your opening plays and says: “Not again…” then crumbles under the jank joy.

Tips to Stay Janky Without Losing It

• Use casual queues or Challenge/event queues—not ranked.
• Keep it budget-friendly. If it fails, shrug and laugh.
• Save a backup net‑deck for when you need actual Wins.
• Embrace losing fast. Games don’t go long—it speeds up brewing cycles.
• Share with friends! Mirror matches are hilarious and educational.
• Record or screenshot your funniest moments.

Jank Is For Everyone

Think jank’s only for high-spend veterans? Nope.

• Newbies: builds teach you about synergy and deckbuilding basics.
• Mid‑range grinders: gets you out of the meta paralysis.
• Vorthos/readers: you can theme your brew around lore or story.

Final Thoughts

MTG Arena is shiny, polished, and competitive. Net-decks are effective. Meta is efficient.

But sometimes Magic should be silly. Sometimes you should brew a pile of cards and go off the rails. Sometimes you should watch your Oops‑All‑Spiders deck turn sideways for 18 and laugh.

So build that jank. Try that silly combo. Win with a turn-3 Ulamog. Drop a fog army. Show off your oddball artifact tribal.

And if you don’t win? That’s OK. You had fun, practiced deckbuilding skills, and learned new interactions—all while brewing chaos.

Magic is a game. Sometimes it’s a janky game. And that’s perfectly fine. 🎲

Jank Challenge Starter Ideas

That’s a wrap! Go off-script. Break the meta. Brew some jank. And then, post your hilarious wins on r/MagicArena or MTGAZone!