1 - RussischerZar's Maze Runners, Inc.
2x Blaze Commando
1x Debt to the Deathless
1x Gleam of Battle
2x Hired Torturer
1x Legion's Initiative
1x Maw of the Obzedat
7x Mountain
3x Orzhov Guildgate
1x Orzhov Guildgate
3x Plains
3x Rakdos Drake
2x Sinister Possession
3x Smelt-Ward Gatekeepers
1x Steeple Roc
3x Swamp
1x Toil / Trouble
1x Ubul Sar Gatekeepers
2x Viashino Firstblade
1x Warleader's Helix
1x Weapon Surge
Sideboard
2x Boros Cluestone
1x Boros Mastiff
2x Crypt Incursion
2x Rakdos Cluestone
2x Riot Control
1x Showstopper
1x Sinister Possession
2x Ubul Sar Gatekeepers
1x Wear / Tear
I would have run the Ubul Sar Gatekeepers over the Blaze Commandos; I think they have plenty of gates. Other than that, a strong build that uses all their good cards, and should be one of the faster and more consistent decks in the event.
Final odds to win: 32:9 against (approx 22% chance)
2- DeckBuilder345's Magic Carpet
3x Boros Mastiff
2x Rot Farm Skeleton
1x Blood Baron of Vizkopa
1x Blood Scrivener
2x Fatal Fumes
3x Forest
3x Haazda Snare Squad
1x Maze Abomination
2x Maze Behemoth
1x Maze Sentinel
1x Obzedat's Aid
1x Orzhov Guildgate
7x Plains
1x Protect / Serve
2x Putrefy
1x Selesnya Guildgate
1x Sin Collector
6x Swamp
1x Tithe Drinker
Sideboard
2x Drown in Filth
1x Alive / Well
1x Azorius Guildgate
1x Gleam of Battle
1x Gruul Cluestone
1x Hired Torturer
1x Maw of the Obzedat
1x Maze Sentinel
1x Murmuring Phantasm
1x Mutant's Prey
1x Pilfered Plans
1x Protect / Serve
1x Rakdos Drake
1x Selesnya Cluestone
1x Showstopper
1x Sin Collector
1x Sunspire Gatekeepers
1x Viashino Firstblade
1x Wake the Reflections
1x Wind Drake
If it's not the strongest possible build out of the available cards, it's certainly close. 3 copies of the Snare Squad will be difficult to answer, and of course the Blood Baron can win games for them, especially as only Darkness1835's deck lacks either white or black in it. It's a bit sensitive to removal, but it will definitely win some matches, I feel.
Final odds to win: 13:2 against (Approx. 13% chance)
3 - TridenT's TriColor
1x Armed / Dangerous
2x Battering Krasis
1x Boros Cluestone
2x Boros Guildgate
2x Carnage Gladiator
1x Fatal Fumes
5x Forest
1x Golgari Guildgate
1x Gruul Guildgate
2x Hired Torturer
1x Master of Cruelties
1x Maze Behemoth
1x Maze Rusher
1x Morgue Burst
4x Mountain
1x Putrefy
1x Rot Farm Skeleton
1x Rubblebelt Maaka
1x Saruli Gatekeepers
1x Scab-Clan Giant
1x Selesnya Cluestone
5x Swamp
1x Tajic, Blade of the Legion
1x Thrashing Mossdog
1x Zhur-Taa Druid
Sideboard
1x Boros Cluestone
1x Drown in Filth
1x Golgari Cluestone
2x Gruul Cluestone
1x Mending Touch
1x Phytoburst
1x Rakdos Cluestone
1x Showstopper
1x Sinister Possession
1x Weapon Surge
1x Wear / Tear
A deck with not much of a curve or even a plan beyond "cast the bombs and hope they stick." But they certainly picked the right bombs - Master is very dangerous, and Tajic is nearly unstoppable if their splash can actually cast him. The proper removal will simply end their chances of victory, but if their bombs stick, look out.
Final odds to win: 36:5 against (Approx. 12% chance)
4 - Leafs_Suck's Vox de Bello
1x Armored Wolf-Rider
1x Azorius Cluestone
1x Azorius Guildgate
1x Battering Krasis
1x Bronzebeak Moa
1x Debt to the Deathless
1x Deputy of Acquittals
1x Dimir Guildgate
1x Far / Away
2x Forest
1x Golgari Cluestone
1x Haunter of Nightveil
2x Island
1x Izzet Guildgate
1x Krasis Incubation
1x Maze Abomination
1x Maze Glider
2x Murmuring Phantasm
1x Opal Lake Gatekeepers
2x Orzhov Guildgate
2x Plains
1x Profit / Loss
1x Runner's Bane
2x Saruli Gatekeepers
1x Selesnya Guildgate
2x Simic Guildgate
1x Sunspire Gatekeepers
3x Swamp
1x Teysa, Envoy of Ghosts
1x Ubul Sar Gatekeepers
1x Unflinching Courage
1x Warped Physique
Sideboard
2x Azorius Cluestone
1x Blood Scrivener
1x Gruul War Chant
1x Mending Touch
1x Orzhov Cluestone
1x Phytoburst
1x Pilfered Plans
1x Plasm Capture
1x Protect / Serve
1x Restore the Peace
1x Uncovered Clues
1x Wake the Reflections
There are many opportunities for nitpicking a four color deck. Personally I would have run Plasm Capture and Gruul War Chant over Murmuring Phantasms, but their build is quite reasonable. The most serious critique is that it is 41 cards, which is a very poor plan in my book, especially with 2x Murmuring Phantasm in there.
Final odds to win: 27:4 (Approx. 13%)
5 - GureiSeion's Castle GureiSkull
3x Armored Wolf-Rider
1x Battering Krasis
1x Boros Cluestone
1x Boros Guildgate
5x Forest
1x Golgari Cluestone
1x Golgari Guildgate
1x Gruul Guildgate
2x Kraul Warrior
1x Maze Abomination
2x Maze Sentinel
5x Mountain
1x Orzhov Cluestone
4x Plains
1x Ready / Willing
1x Rot Farm Skeleton
2x Rubblebelt Maaka
1x Scab-Clan Giant
1x Scion of Vitu-Ghazi
2x Selesnya Cluestone
1x Swamp
2x Thrashing Mossdog
1x Zhur-Taa Druid
Sideboard
1x Alive / Well
1x Azorius Cluestone
1x Bred for the Hunt
1x Izzet Cluestone
1x Maze Sentinel
1x Mending Touch
1x Pilfered Plans
1x Renounce the Guilds
1x Riot Control
1x Runner's Bane
1x Saruli Gatekeepers
2x Simic Cluestone
Sideboard
1x Steeple Roc
1x Sunspire Gatekeepers
1x Viashino Firstblade
1x Wake the Reflections
2x Wear / Tear
Gurei's group makes almost (other than having 41 cards; was that last Thrashing Mossdog or that Saruli Gatekeepers so crucial?) the absolute best out of a poor set of cards. Armored Wolf-Rider becomes the centerpiece, and while a vanilla 4/6 is hardly a game-ending bomb, enough of them together, the right use of non-creature spells, and a little luck might scrape them by well enough.
Final odds to win: 15:2 against (approximately 11%)
6 - Darkness1835's Dark Brotherhood
1x Dragonshift
1x Flesh / Blood
2x Fluxcharger
2x Forest
5x Hidden Strings
7x Island
1x Maze Glider
6x Mountain
7x Nivix Cyclops
1x Punish the Enemy
1x Simic Guildgate
2x Uncovered Clues
2x Weapon Surge
2x Wind Drake
Sideboard
1x Advent of the Wurm
2x Awe for the Guilds
1x Beetleform Mage
1x Boros Cluestone
4x Clear a Path
1x Give / Take
1x Goblin Test Pilot
1x Gruul Cluestone
1x Izzet Cluestone
1x Lyev Decree
1x Maze Rusher
1x Murmuring Phantasm
1x Riot Piker
1x Runner's Bane
1x Showstopper
1x Uncovered Clues
Your guess is as good as mine with this deck. It could dominate, or it could fail badly. 16 land worries me a little, but it's probably fine here, though that green splash sure will be tough. Either way, I think it's going to be a heck of a lot of fun to watch. Their cyclopses only have one eye each, but there's enough eyes between all of them to keep a close watch on their opponents.
Final odds to win: 7:1 against (approx. 12%)
7 - Goody's Team Fblthp
1x Battering Krasis
1x Carnage Gladiator
1x Deadbridge Chant
1x Far / Away
3x Fatal Fumes
6x Forest
1x Golgari Guildgate
1x Gruul Cluestone
3x Hired Torturer
2x Korozda Gorgon
3x Kraul Warrior
4x Mountain
1x Punish the Enemy
1x Rakdos Cluestone
1x Rubblebelt Maaka
1x Ruric Thar, the Unbowed
1x Scab-Clan Giant
2x Skylasher
6x Swamp
Sideboard
1x Armored Wolf-Rider
1x Haunter of Nightveil
1x Hidden Strings
2x Maze Rusher
1x Mending Touch
1x Mindstatic
1x Mutant's Prey
3x Opal Lake Gatekeepers
3x Phytoburst
1x Riot Control
1x Riot Piker
2x Simic Cluestone
1x Spike Jester
1x Wake the Reflections
1x Woodlot Crawler
I have to say that I'm not a huge a fan of Korozda Gorgon as they are, but that criticism aside, the deck is built about optimally. Ruric Thar is about the only really serious threat, but they can win ground standoffs with Hired Torturers. The only problem is if their opponents can gain board advantage (which can even really consist of a single flier), and Fatal Fumes doesn't deal with it (always very possible), then they're short on options.
Final odds to win: 22:3 (12%)
8 - landot's Team Landot
1x AEtherling
1x Blast of Genius
2x Carnage Gladiator
1x Dimir Cluestone
2x Far / Away
1x Fluxcharger
5x Island
2x Izzet Guildgate
1x Maze Abomination
1x Maze Glider
1x Maze Rusher
3x Mountain
2x Murmuring Phantasm
1x Nivix Cyclops
2x Pilfered Plans
1x Punish the Enemy
1x Rakdos Drake
1x Runner's Bane
1x Steam Vents
6x Swamp
1x Turn / Burn
2x Warped Physique
1x Woodlot Crawler
Sideboard
1x Awe for the Guilds
3x Azorius Cluestone
1x Breaking / Entering
2x Clear a Path
1x Deputy of Acquittals
1x Izzet Cluestone
1x Jelenn Sphinx
1x Mindstatic
1x Possibility Storm
1x Render Silent
1x Riot Piker
1x Simic Cluestone
1x Sin Collector
1x Steeple Roc
1x Wake the Reflections
1x Warped Physique
Look at the awesome cards they DIDN'T run; sheesh. This is just a tough, tough deck with quality cards top to bottom, plenty of removal, and a completely unstoppable bomb in AEtherling. The only deck that I think would be a consistent challenge if played repeatedly against it would be RZ's deck, because it's a bit faster, but I think landot's removal gives them the edge.
Final odds to win: 38:11 (Approx 22%).
Caley's Final Projected Finishes:
1 - landot
2 - RussischerZar
3 - Deckbuilder345
4 - Leafs_Suck
5 - Darkness345 (I could be so wrong, though)
6 - TridenT
7 - Goody
8 - GureiSeion
But my guesses mean nothing. Only trial by combat determines the true quality of a draft deck. Stay tuned for the first matches at 10pm Pacific on August 6th on my stream! (http://www.twitch.tv/krazycaley)
