Squadron Supreme represented about 20% of the field at the start of the day, and at the top 16 tables, they pushed that up to about 28% with nine decks. The same bullish performance was not achieved by those who chose to run purple robots, even with so many metagame slots with which to adapt their deck to beat the field. After starting out the day as about 15% of the field, they represented only 6% of the top table slots. Avengers was similarly hampered, though the fact that it was the only deck to have an undefeated player suggests that it is still a powerful choice. One of the highlights of Aaron Weil’s undefeated build is System Failure, which in a field full of beatdown decks has proven massively powerful. Looking back, this just underlines how appropriate the banning of Overload really was.

If there is a single deck that could be said to be a big winner in the field, it would have to be Common Enemy. It has pushed from being under 10% of the field to being over 15% of the top tables. Part of this is a function of the fact that it is being played by some of the greatest players in the game right now, including Mike Dalton, who currently stands out with only a single loss. The rest is all about the fact that the deck can run some of the cards that completely dominate beatdown decks. Jason Dawson had a ridiculous match in round 1 where he beat Matthew Meyer’s Squadron Supreme deck with the help of System Failure and four copies of Reign of Terror. That is a slightly extreme example, but it is indicative of the potential of the powerful answers Doom has against little dorks. He is also a great choice against the other control decks running such hits as A Child Named Valeria and Cosmic Radiation.

Child decks have certainly been popular in all their flavors, and Dean Sohnle with his Fantastic Fun deck currently leads the army of Children looking to protect the little guy. Within the “Child Bracket” also sits Craig Edwards with Rigged Elections and William Postlethwait with an updated version of Both Guns Blazing.

The other deck that has come from nowhere (otherwise known as Australia) to do very well is the Faces of Evil deck being sported by such Antipodean luminaries as Alex Brown, who is looking to show the rest of the world that Australia can compete at the very highest level. As a reporter who would love the opportunity to visit Australia, I wholeheartedly support his campaign to get a Pro Circuit Down Under.

With one round to go, there is only a short wait to find out which are the hottest decks in Golden Age before the Justice League comes in to sort out the rest of the world’s ills. Keep your eyes on the skies. Or your screens, if you want to actually read about Vs.