Rakano Gauntlet Grinder

I've been using using this deck to grind the gauntlet at Master level quite successfully. I started with Rakano Budget Deck and started upgrading. It is semi budget friendly, with 3 sets of rares and the only legendary being from the Horus campaign.

The deck is fast. Meaning you either win fast, or you lose fast, which is why it's great for grinding. I read a post which I can't find now) where the guy did the numbers and speed is more important than getting 7 wins. This deck has a nice balance, getting me consistently to 6 wins fast, only failing on the boss depending on the twist they throw in, but most of the time you can see quite early if it's worth it to carry on.

Units:
Oni Ronin - A 1 drop with 2/1 and warcry. Definitely worth it. Nice if you can get him out early and get a few warcries before the board is populated with bigger units that can easily take hime out or even late game if you manged to keep the board clear or can boost him with the Morningstar which allows him to trigger Unseen Commando. Even pairing him with Finest Hour can help get rid of some pesky threats.

Steady Marshal - As stated in rakano-budget-deck, there are enough gunslingers to make sure this pretty much always trigger, giving you a 2/3 for 1. Great for early damage, or some mid to late game blocking.

Champion of Glory - I haven't had a game where this wasn't at least a 3/3 with Quickdraw and Endurance. Works great with Unseen Commando

Rakano Outlaw - This honestly feels like the cheaper version of Champion of Glory exchanging Endurance for Warcry. This could easily be exchanged with Crownwatch Paladin depending on if you favor Quickdraw or Aegis. I went with Rakano Outlaw because it helps to trigger Steady Marshal and First-Shot Rioter

First-Shot Rioter - If you manage to keep the board clear, this is a great attacker at it's place in the curve when it's ability is triggered. For me, honestly, it has just been good blocker, deterring the AI from attacking me mid to late game.

Unseen Commando - This is an awesome card. It triggers it's own ability, plus most of the deck also triggers it. The few units with only one combat ability can be pushed into range with Morningstar. If you can get multiple of these on the board, go for it.

Valkyrie Enforcer - Another awesome card that's a bit weird for me. I tend to keep it in my hand till there is a unit worth silencing. So, according to me, you should treat this more as a spell than a unit.

Whirling Duo - The charge on this has helped me win quite a few games. When the AI is low on health it will often rather put out cheaper units or not attack with more powerful units to make sure it can block all the damage. Having an extra unit that can attack that turn, that also triggers Unseen Commando can be (and has been for me) a game changer.

Crimson Firemaw - This is the only legendary in the deck. The reason it's here is because the deck needed something big and nasty as I was often losing once the game gets to the higher end of the curve. It's ability is nice when it triggers, but is really secondary. The real reason it's here is because it's a 5/4 with Flying for 4 (hey, it is an aggro deck).

Weapons:
Sword of Icaria: I use this mostly as easy removal of units in my way. If I happen to get it out with no enemy units out, then it's quite nice damage to the enemy player and another Warcry on whatever is the next unit in my deck.

Morningstar - The poor man's Hammer of Might. Why haven't I replaced it yet?
1. I haven't crafted Hammer of Might yet.
2. I like how it pushes my units with one combat skill into range for Unseen Commando ad KEEPS it there, unlike the single turn Warcry from Hammer of Might.
3. Paired with Crimson Firemaw the Overwhelm means it has a higher chance of triggering. Once again, this is NOT an essential strategy for this deck, just a nice to have.

Spells:
Finest Hour - This is a very versatile boost. Can be used to save units from spells or push through the last bit of needed damage. I love using with Oni Ronin to get rid of blockers. There is also a nice trick highlighted in rakano-budget-deck which I love (go read it, I'm not putting it here unless he one day removes it).

Torch - Great for early game removal, clearing the way for Oni Ronin to wacrcry, stay alive, and actually do damage to the player. Mid to late game you will have to either use multiples or pair it with some other damage to effectively remove threats/blockers. In very rare circumstances I have been able use it to get the last bit of damage needed to win, but honestly I get more value using it to remove enemy units.

Vanquish - This is useful for getting rid of late game enemy units (here's looking at you Sandstorm Titan). Unfortunately it's not fast speed, but at least it's cheap. Hope that you don't have to use it, because usually if you get to the point where the bigger boys can come to play, your game is pretty much done.

Power-base:
So there's not much to say about the power base. There's seats, banners and the usual sigils, favoring Fire as there are more Fire units. It has honestly been mostly consistent, with only the occasional, but very rare, flood/screw. I haven't found a reason to include Seek Power or Diplomatic Seal

Ranked:
So I have only been grinding gauntlet with this. I am not a great player, so can't accurately give you the full potential of this deck on ranked, although people with similar decks (Firing Squad (0 Legendary Rakano Aggro)) have been able to get to masters. Anyone willing to give it a go and give feedback is more than welcome.