Mono-red always has card advantage and ramp problems. I was sick of trying to outrun the first board wipe of the game. Once Valduk died, the deck was basically done. Getting enough mana to re-cast and re-equip him one the same turn was nearly impossible. I tried several remedies such as adding Irencrag Feat to make casting / equipping easier and Deflecting Swat like effects to protect my commander but ultimately the success of the deck always came down to luck.
It became clear that the remedy was for me to go boros. White added cards that reduced the cost of equipping and additional equipment related card draw. It took me a while to decide who should go in the command zone. I had my eye on Bruenor Battlehammer the longest but ultimately chose Rograkh, Son of Rohgahh & Ardenn, Intrepid Archaeologist because I was mostly working with low CMC equipment in my collection. The thought was; if I could spend the first 2 turns casting equipment I can attack with a reasonable powered up Rograkh by turn 3.
The exalted without the key word sub theme came about during Neon Dynasty pre-views. The set included many cards with interesting "whenever a samurai or warrior attacks alone" triggers. Ultimately only Raiyuu, Storm's Edge and Selfless Samurai made the finale cut. The kept the word as a part of the title since even without a large number of such triggers the deck still favours a lone attacking creature, ideally Rograkh.
This deck also packs several unintentional synergies. Of the 14 creatures I chose for it, 11 are legendary. That has enabled the use of Relic of Legends, Mox Amber and Plaza of Heroes. While my pet cards Blazing Sunsteel & Fiendlash combo with Blasphemous Act & Chandra's Ignition for some hilarious kills.
An intentional choice is that all versions of sword of this & that have been excluded. I have done this both for financial reasons, and to keep the deck interesting.
Decklist
Approximate Total Cost: