Figure it's about time I contributed to give back for all the great deck ideas you folks have shared!
This is my take on the excellent
Argenport Empower/Ramp deck by IlyaK1986.
Adding fire to the mix gives a nice finisher with
Xo of the Endless Hoard, which works great when you have all the power this deck will produce, but much more importantly it gives access to
Red Canyon Smuggler and all the goodness that brings.
Early game it's mostly about killing annoyances and stacking up some power, but I'll usually save
Lost Scroll for later if I can, as its real value comes in the end game swings, or at least after I have a
Rhysta, Acantha's Herald on the board to swing with.
Another change that I really love with this deck is the addition of
Marshal Ironthorn. You'll usually want to hold him until you can drop him and a land on the same turn, which gets you right to
Telut, Queen's Hand on the next turn leading into
Martyr's Chains territory and the true killing begins.
Cauldron Cookbook is my usual grab if they've shown themselves to be a grindy deck and I don't really need the added disruption/power advantage of
Regent's Tomb at the moment, and they haven't revealed an immediate need for
Bore.
Often what the deck wants to do is build up to about the
Vara, Vengeance-Seeker point then
Harsh Rule (often after they've burned removal on her) to clear out whatever mess the opponent has played and let the real fun begin.
The list has performed admirably in masters so far. It doesn't win every match, of course, but it certainly holds its own, and it's loads of fun to play!
Comments/questions/ideas are always welcome!
I actually use Harsh Rule quite often. It's especially good in the matchups where they want to go wide. Getting the board clear and ready for stage two (Marshal/Telute/Martyr's) is often very handy. I suppose one could put it in the market instead of plate if that's your preference, but I have found them very handy. You could also replace the Deepforged Plate with almost any other impactful card like a high end charging creature or some such.
Xo is gas. You're right to think he'd be a safe craft. Great in a lot of decks.