I drafted RU and went (2-1). The deck relied on the classic draft strategy of leaning on commons and uncommons rather than powerful rares. One sole exception was God-Pharaoh's Gift, which did not really fit the deck's plan and was only cast once. Pack 1 pick 1 was Burning-Fist Minotaur and early on I was setting up a really nice RU aggro deck (picked 3x Kindled Fury, I was all in), but along the way that got a bit derailed as I failed to pick up enough low curve aggressive creatures.
MATCH 1 vs GB (2-1)
My opponent was casting stuff like Honored Hydra, Resilient Khenra, and Driven / Despair. I was able to kill and lock down the hydra with Unquenchable Thirst and beat down with Magmaroths. The game I lost was close, I died to a Eternalized Resilient Khenra pumping a Blighted Bat the turn before I could kill them.
MATCH 2 vs RWU (0-2)
This match was disappointing. I essentially lost two close games to Glorybringer. Early game 1 I cast Strategic Planning and was faced with the choice of a land or Unquenchable Thirst. I took a land which let me immediately cast a second Strategic Planning and set up the four-drop creatures in my hand. I did consider grabbing Unquenchable Thirst since it was one of my few removal spells and maybe I could have won game one if I had Unquenchable Thirst to deal with Glorybringer. Game 2 was even closer, and I was feeling pretty happy with a Unquenchable Thirst in my opening hand. I was planning on saving it for Glorybringer, but my opponent cast a turn two Glory-Bound Initiate. I did not want to mess around with that and used Unquenchable Thirst on it. Eventually we were both at low life and I was able to Floodwaters to buy some more time. I eventually cast God-Pharaoh's Gift, but it was too late. I had a few Afflict creatures on board which would have put me just two damage short. Glorybringer wrecked my creatures for too many turns. God-Pharaoh's Gift a turn or two sooner might have turned the game in my favor.
MATCH 3 against UR mill (2-0)
Near the end of game 1 I had TWO copies of Fraying Sanity enchanting me, but had dealt enough damage by that point to close things out with a couple more attacks before I could get milled out. I had an aggressive start in game two with some Magmaroth attacks. They were at 8 with a warrior token and Seer of the Last Tomorrow in play. I was then able to Grasping Dunes the token, Unsummon the Seer and attack for lethal. I won a promo Fatal Push and redeemed myself from the previous draft!
THOUGHTS
2x Strategic Planning really impressed me. I was really undervaluing this card before now. It sets you up for graveyard shenanigans (like God-Pharaoh's Gift) and digs you into your good cards. The selection is very nice, such a great card.
2x Magmaroth were great. They pair nicely with Aerial Guide and are very tricky to block because they can be small one second then suddenly grow.
Eternal of Harsh Truths was pretty nice, the Afflict damage adds up quickly, especially with other Afflicters and it might draw you cards.
Manticore of the Gauntlet was pretty good. It's a decently big creature and the direct damage turned out to be very relevant.
2x Unquenchable Thirst are just amazing. Can catch you up, or just close the game out.
God-Pharaoh's Gift is great, but I only cast it once and it was a bit too late. It's very powerful though.
2x Graven Abomination was better than I thought. They are decent attackers that are easy on the manabase, they exile stuff (which is very relevant with Aftermath, Enbalm, and Eternalize), and they improve when backed by stuff like Kindled Fury. These are a great example of workhorse cards, not flashy, but they get the job done.
2x frontline devastor is a card I really like. It punches through a lot of damage and forces your opponent into annoying situations.
Grasping Dunes is amazing. It's essentially a kill spell stapled onto a land. There are so many one-toughness targets in this format that there is almost always a relevant target.
At one point I had Countervailing Winds in the maindeck, but quickly switched it out for Cartouche of Zeal. My deck seems to want to keep tapping out for threats rather than leave so much mana open and the Cartouche can help punch through those last few points of damage.