Galakrond Rogue is one of the most powerful decks in the game at the moment, but it is also full of Legendary cards: many lists include seven Legendary cards in addition to Galakrond itself, which is given to all players for free.
Can such a deck really be built on a budget? After extensive testing, I have come to the conclusion that yes, it can, and here is how!
Budget Galakrond Rogue decklist
Deck code: AAECAaIHAr0Dy8ADDrQBzQOXBogH3Qjv8QKPlwP1pwO5rgO/rgP+rgOqrwPOrwOCsQMA
This is the best Galakrond Rogue list I was able to build on a budget. Budget decks always need some little twist that makes them viable on their own and not just a weaker version of the meta deck, and in this list, that twist comes in the form of Questing Adventurer.
You are not as likely to find Galakrond as the full-cost list and burst damage from Galakrond is unreliable at best without Leeroy: I opted to include Reckless Rocketeer for some burst potential, but it is not worth including Shadowstep in the list just for that.
Instead, this list uses Bloodsail Flybooters to more reliably enable combo effects, buff up Questing Adventurers, and have targets for Faceless Corruptors.
It is more of a grind or a snowballing Questing Adventurer that delivers the wins with this list than huge burst from free cards, but Galakrond nonetheless proved essential to the list, also because of all the Lackeys you get from Invoke effects, which in turn can again make Questing Adventurers better.
Budget Galakrond Rogue mulligan
There are two cards that you always keep in the mulligan: Pharaoh Cat and Questing Adventurer. You really want to get on the board early, and you need to find your win condition. If you have the Questing Adventurer, you can also keep Bloodsail Flybooter.
If you’re on the coin, EVIL Miscreant becomes a viable keep.
Budget Galakrond Rogue tips and tricks
The deck is not the same as a full-cost Galakrond Rogue. You have far less burst and find your Galakrond less often. It is still nice to become Galakrond and get some free card action going, especially if you can build a huge Questing Adventurer from it, but overall you just are not as well-positioned to take things to the late game.
Questing Adventurer is your best friend. Try to make the most of it given your current hand. If your hand is really dry, you may need to take a chance with the Questing Adventurer, and win if it cannot be answered. If your hand is already good, you can try to set up a stronger and more consistent Questing Adventurer turn.
Faceless Corruptor is one of the strongest cards you have. Always think about how you can give it a target, whether from a Pirate or a Lackey generated by one of the Invoke cards.
You can be far more liberal with your use of Lackeys because you do not have a Heistbaron Togwaggle to save them for. Lackeys generate a lot of tempo, take advantage of that.
Budget Galakrond Rogue upgrade path
There are lots of upgrades available for the deck, and many of them can be done independently of the others. If you have some of the good cards, feel free to put them in even if you do not have all the pieces. This upgrade path is the recommended order if you need to craft everything.
The most straightforward upgrade is to add Leeroy Jenkins over Reckless Rocketeer. This can be done at any time. You can also consider adding a Shadowstep over a Bloodsail Flybooter when you add Leeroy, and at the latest when you add Heistbaron Togwaggle, which replaces the other Bloodsail Flybooter.
Flybooters give you cards in hand, and you want to get rid of them when you add Togwaggle so that you have space to draw with the Wand.
One Questing Adventurer can be replaced with Edwin VanCleef at any time. Edwin works in much the same way Questing does and replaces it as a win condition.
Before you can replace the second Questing Adventurer, you want to have Leeroy Jenkins in the deck for a powerful burst finisher. Once there, you can add Kronx Dragonhoof as a replacement, so that you get to your burst win condition more reliably.
At this point, you can also add the second Shadowstep to replace a Lifedrinker.
The Mech package gives you more early game and some potential healing. Add SN1P-SN4P and Zilliax to replace an SI:7 Agent and a Lifedrinker.
You can add Flik Skyshiv at any time to replace an SI:7 Agent. Optionally, you can also tech for the mirror by adding Boompistol Bully to replace one copy of Sap.
After all of these changes, you have the meta version of Galakrond Rogue!
Budget Galakrond Rogue gameplay video
Finally, here is a video recap of the guide that also showcases gameplay with the deck. I hope it gives you further insight into how to pilot the deck.