Go Go Power Rangers!

What's this deck about?
It's literally the power rangers! It's a go-wide aggro Argenport deck that runs lots of Empower effects along with a small Elves tribal package. It's simple and easy to play, but has a deceptive amount of power and burst damage behind it. One of the core ideas behind this deck is to run lots of cards with explosive Empower effects so that each power card you draw, rather than flooding you while doing nothing to help you win, actually becomes a mini-Rally that adds 4 or 5 damage to your attack.

Who made this deck?
It definitely wasn't me. The first incarnation of the deck was built by Ilya and then refined a lot by AhornDelfin. I'm on the third incarnation, and I've fine-tuned the deck even further, as well as making a more comprehensive deck tech for people who want to get into this deck.

Have you done any testing?
Yes - between me and Ahorn, we've tested 100 games of this deck and are still going. I got a score of 29-21 for my first 50 runs, and Ahorn got 33-17. That averages out to a winrate of 62%, which isn't bad at all. That said, this deck doesn't run at a flat 60+% winrate in every meta. Instead, it's more swingy. I found myself rattling off strings of 6 or 7 wins in a row when I got in the right meta bubble, followed by a crushing series of defeats as I entered the wrong one. Generally speaking, you want to farm greedpiles, janky combos, durdle/control decks and decks like Nightmaul or Skycrag Aggro that you can outsize and race down. Stay far away from Hailstorm and Vara, Vengeance-Seeker because either one breaks the back of this deck. If you're in a meta where these two cards show up commonly, switch to something else until people start playing greedy decks again.

I'm already familiar with AP Elves. What's the quick rundown of your changes?
Vanquish replaces Slay in the Market because it's cheaper to play and better for tempo.
Amethyst Waystone replaces Rakano Banner to help get SS influence for Rhysta, Acantha's Herald and occasionally ping 1 from the Nightfall.
Lost Scroll replaces Inquisitor's Blade to open up the possibility of a double Empower setup.

I'm totally new to AP Elves! I've never seen most of these cards before! How should I pilot this deck?
Your base game plan is simple. You want to play down as many units as possible and attack aggressively, using tricks if you have to in order to push through early blockers. Never let the pressure down, and look for swing turns when you can use a power to effectively Rally your entire board, creating a huge amount of burst damage. It can be even more if you can play multiple power during a turn, for example with Hojan, Crownbreaker's Renown or Siraf's Beacon. You also have a couple of Berserk units and some really good tricks to finish your opponent off with!

How should I mulligan?
This deck is very aggressive. You lose tempo that you cannot afford to lose if you don't get onto the board ASAP. In light of this, you should redraw all hands that do not have the following characteristics:
- Between 2 to 4 power
- A unit you can play on turn 1.
- A unit you can play on turn 2.

It does not matter if you have to go down to 6, if you can't play on curve, you will lose. It's fine to curve a 1 drop into another 1 drop, as long as you have something to play. Remember to make sure your influence is not depleted!

For influence, you will rarely see hands that are missing an influence, but if you do, I would suggest keeping a hand that is influence screwed only if the curve is really good such that you're willing to risk not having the correct influence. It's better to be screwed on Justice influence than on Shadow influence because you only need J to play any Justice unit in your deck, but you need SS for Rhysta, Acantha's Herald, making it even harder to cast her if you keep a hand without Shadow influence.

Help! I can't decide which 1 or 2 drop to cast!
On 1, you want to cast District Infantry if you can. If you can't, then you prefer to cast Direwood Slasher, and lastly Blood Beetle if you have no other choice.

On 2, check to see if you have a Siraf's Beacon in hand. If you do, then you should prioritize casting 2 1-drops so that you have 3 units on the board total, and can play and trigger Siraf's Beacon next turn. If you do not have a Beacon, then you prefer to cast Hojan, Crownbreaker over Kerendon Steward over Territorial Elf over Tavia, Lethrai Raidleader.

When should I berserk my Direwood Slashers and Territorial Elves?
That depends on a couple of considerations. As a general rule:
1) If the path is clear for the Berserk (that is, you're going to land both attacks into their face), then Berserk if you have 3 attack or above.
2) If Berserking would force a block, and you have a combat trick, then Berserk so that the temporary stat boost coincides to empower your second attack after you eat their unit.
3) If you're sure your opponent is going to remove your unit soon, Berserk.
4) If your attack creates a lot of pressure on your opponent, a Berserk can really drive the nail into the coffin. For example, if you are attacking with 3 double-empowered Hojans versus a lone enemy blocker, you can safely Berserk as it's unlikely that they can afford to block you.

Over time, you will learn when to use the Berserk.

How should I use the Market cards?
Vanquish allows you to bypass stonewalling fatties with tempo. If you're up against a deck that runs Vara, Vengeance-Seeker, this is one of your few outs to her. Otherwise, you can use it to remove a threatening blocker, and proactively grab it if you know your opponent will run something you need to remove at some point - like if they're Praxis Mid. Remember to use context to determine the best use of Vanquish. If you have three Blood Beetles in the air and your opponent is low on life, saving your Vanquish for the Sandstorm Titan is a better use than Vanquishing their irrelevant Worldbearer Behemoth.

Amethyst Waystone is if you get power screwed. It also pings for 1 with Nightfall, so you can use it as a somewhat stylish way of killing your opponent or just for some card draw. If you're having trouble getting to Rhysta influence, play Amethyst Waystone to fix it.

Lost Scroll allows you to play two power cards in one turn with your natural power and then the scroll. It can be picked up as a devastating finisher, as two powers in one turn on a wide board can often spell curtains for your opponent, as every Empower effect happens again.

Regent's Tomb is the card to grab in control matchups. Not only does it sabotage away their sweepers, it also provides a threat (Elias, the Broken Wing) that's difficult to deal with for unit-light decks, while also giving you a free sigil to be used for empower/Merchant food. Remember that Tomb adds another Empower effect. If nothing else, you will sometimes bait opponents into a-spacing your Tomb, allowing you a free path to attack them in retaliation and start racing.

Bloodlust is normally a bad card... but in this particular deck, it has some use. You usually use this to break midrange stalls, Berserking a Tavrod or a Vara or something to try to push damage to end the game quick. Also, you give them Reckless afterwards, so they'll have to attack instead of blocking. You should see this primarily as a very situational burn card.

EDIT 26/1/19 - I've changed the Bloodlust for a Madness to make it easier to cast, and end the game faster on turn 4, and the Lost Scroll for a Secret Passage. I've found that these changes allow you to push the last few crucial points of damage through ASAP even if they sacrifice some of the more powerful swings in the later turns where the opponent may already have stabilized.