@sknottzero down in the comments has some excellent pointers, I just don't have some of the cards yet... only 20k more till I have all my merchants and crests first lol.
The ShiftstonedEternal Power Calculator is a deck-building tool that visualizes your odds of drawing enough Influence and Power based specifically on the cards found in your deck.
I just realized you specified gauntlet diamond and not generic diamond. It does work at the level. I made it for masters. As far as not having the loyalists, sub in any body that fills the mid game or possibly some more deadly units.
It's kinda hit and miss on ladder since the cards in here play on how bad the AI is as discerning threats and how much time a deadly unit can buy you.
But I can say that baby icaria, hojan, telut, gilded glaive, plate maker, copperhall elite, valkyrie enforcer are a pretty solid backbone for climbing. From there you would just need to tinker the power base. And decide if you could top end with chains. Hopefully in the next few days I'll post what i'm discussing here since it's what i'm already working on.
some of it was due to the forced keep after a redraw, and just being power screwed. other times it was bad RNG, or the OP AI just having a crazy aggro start, and not being able to stabilize and some of it was me playing to conservatively. i really like the deck for gauntlets though..
i am tinkering with it now. i am trying shush over desert marshal, sword of unity instead of end of story. i cut 1 seek power,1 telut, 1 stormhalt knife, 1 defiance for 4 xulta loyalist.
But I can say that baby icaria, hojan, telut, gilded glaive, plate maker, copperhall elite, valkyrie enforcer are a pretty solid backbone for climbing. From there you would just need to tinker the power base. And decide if you could top end with chains. Hopefully in the next few days I'll post what i'm discussing here since it's what i'm already working on.
I only ran it twice and shared. What got you killed? The deck is new and I'm all about tweaking it.