Mono S- Gauntlet Grinder (Patch 1.42.3)

This is an updated list of the original shadow gauntlet made back before defiance set released. Made a few changes due to defiance set and patches, etc.

Probably the easiest and most consistent gauntlet deck I have played and I play a LOT of Gauntlet runs (F2P account).
I'll go through why some of the cards are important (in my opinion) and if you have any feedback/input feel free to tweak the deck as desired for your benefit.

Blackhall Warleader is certainly not a must have but is simply a favorite of mine and generally a win more card. Can easily win games alone if you get it out and attacking early. If you prefer to replace it with a different 2 drop or even a 1 drop I'm sure there are several solid substitutes. Also a great target for Memory Dredger.

Ripknife Assassin is extremely underrated because this card is both offensive AND defensive. Obviously you want to be attacking with it if you're ahead on the board and you can also attack against big units to push damage or make favorable trades, however if you find your self in a tight spot and need blockers, this little 2 drop can take almost anything down if it blocks. Incredibly valuable card to this deck.

Rhysta, Acantha's Herald is an obvious auto-include in this deck- draws sigils for tempo/market play and has warcry. Not much more to say here.

Annihilate-Suffocate-Devouring Shadow
These are some of the best removal cards in Eternal- especially in an aggro/tempo deck because they are cheap and efficient. I typically save devouring shadow for multifaction units or annoying revengers. In Cold Blood is also solid but since it's more expensive I only run 1 w/ 1 in the market.

Vara, Vengeance-Seeker is mainly important because of lifesteal and can also really mess with AI's ability to sacrifice properly. This card is the new best 4 drop in the game (SS Titan had a good run) but after seeing how this card sees play as much as it does in the meta (ranked OR casual) it's perfect for a finisher in this deck.

About the deck...

This deck is probably the best for the gauntlet because of a few things-
1- it's surprisingly well rounded; plenty of cheap/efficient removal along with cheap but dangerous units.
2-has decent card draw w/ Rhysta, nightfall and occasional market play, plus Dark Return which can have stupid good synergy w/ Warleader.
3- it's FAST & FLEXIBLE. Most games take from 5-8 turns and it has many ways to win longer games w/ void play and deadly units.
4-perhaps the best & most important thing about this deck is the win ratio (in my experience) is incredibly good. Out of about 15 gauntlet runs I think I lost 3 or 4 games which seems better than any other deck currently out there.

That's about it- pretty simple deck really. Comment if you have improvements/suggestions/questions.

TLDR. Fast, dangerous units and cheap removal allows you to win games fast and effectively.