Anti-Meta

Anti-meta, it's good on paper right? Designed to beat all of the top decks, so why does no one play it?

Anti-meta decks are designed to be consistent and to beat all of the meta decks. That's just it, they only beat meta decks. If they run into a deck they aren't expecting, maybe one that isn't affected by its specific brand of anti-metaness, then they lose. If they run into another anti-meta deck, then it's a toss up.

Let's say an anti-meta deck makes it to the top. They beat the odds and can consistently top, or even win, at tournaments. Then, it gets netdecked, and it's no longer anti-meta. It's the new meta deck.

Anti-meta, by definition, can't do better than counter the meta. When I see an anti-meta deck, I first think of how great it would do. Then I think, "Wait, anti-meta sucks..." Very sad, I know.

But I suppose that that's what makes the game what it is. It defines the game so that people know what to expect. It'd be interesting to see this game without a meta, though...