A closer look

Nothing ruins an intergalactic trade empire faster than an aisle full of garbage nobody wants to buy. In dynamic market deckbuilders like Star Realms, "market rot" occurs when the center row fills up with high-cost or useless cards that neither player can afford or desires. High-level players will intentionally avoid clearing cheap cards just to keep their opponent locked out of buying powerful ships, weaponizing the game's own stagnant economy.