Expedition Rakano - as piloted much better by my teammates~~~

If you've been paying any attention to the Eternal Discords/Reddit lately, then you'll know that Rakano has completely stormed the tournament, taking up more than one-third of the Day 2 meta. Here is our team's take on the archetype, and brief notes on each of the card choices.

Olyn of Urmstead v Carnivorous Yearling - Yearling has lifesteal, which can help in the matchup against even faster Aggro decks, such as Stonescar Aggro. Additionally, the influence requirements are a lot less stringent. However, Olyn is essentially a Merchant for market access, giving you amazing flexibility on the next threat to pull out of your deck. We ultimately decided the Olym was worthwhile despite the tough influence requirements since we rarely play Olyn on T3.

Lunar Claw - To easily dispose of Helena in the mirror, as well as block possible Auren Condemnations and Harsh Rules out of the TJP Control opponent.

Gemblazer Cannon v Endless Steps - Sites are pretty resilient right now, especially against Control decks; whether Steps is even for the control matchup is a different question. Some decks simply cannot deal with an massive Endurance units, such as Praxis, or Stonescar (as long as you play around Voprex's Choice correctly]. In fact, Rakano itself can have a difficult time with opposing massive Endurance units. Since you'd rather the buff not move around so much, Cannon made more sense for us, but Steps could be equally correct.

Parapet Sentry - Not a card you want too many copies of as a 5 drop which might also miss on removing a unit, but a very powerful search target to help you close out the game.

Rune of Law v Justice Sketch - If you are priced into playing a 5 cost do nothing relic (at least the turn it enters play), then things are already going horribly wrong for you. The buff from Saddle Up works well with the various Battle Skills we have in the deck.

Tips for playing the deck:

-Remember you can play Olyn and find Scalesworn Patrol if you're really hard up for power.
-Speaking of Olyn, rarely do you ever play this card on 3. Your curve does go all the way up to 5, and putting a unit on top would be blocking off a power draw. Additionally, the stat buff can be quite powerful in the late-game, so if you have other threats that help you get on the board faster...play those.
-It is almost never correct to Contract Dasher on T1, particularly if you have a Banner in hand. Losing the Dasher to a Torch or Bullseye can really spell trouble to you curving out as a result of future depleted power.
-Be very careful to sequence correctly when it comes to your power - you don't need anymore than 2F and 2J, but with Diplomatic Seal being on a clock, make sure you have the influence you need. On the topic of power sequencing: also be paying attention to what unit you're looking to buff with Scalesworn Patrol.
-Lunar Claw gives you 4 additional armor to buff Magniventris. It can also be useful to scout out any Condemnations before attacking. Hence, it is often correct to play it out pre-combat.
-Helena is a great way to counter Magniventris, even without the Contract ability since she can block the Justice Dino after taking out their armor. Might be worth pre-emptively running out if that's what you suspect your opponent is on.
-Don't get too greedy with Cannon/Steps/pump spells - if you suspect a Condemnation, is there a way to play around it without risking your massive unit?
-Inferno Phoenix is a fantastic card, but with both Obstructive Flicker and Vara's Authority in the format, having multiple copies without buffing them can end up being a huge liability.

If you **really** want to check out the deck in action and what the various lines are, don't forget to check my teammates playing the deck in tonight's Expedition Open! (And y'know, farm special Twitch drops as well.) Enjoy!