Here is the breakdown of the 218 decks that made it into day two of Grand Prix Shizuoka
| Deck | # |
| Mono-blue Devotion | 42 |
| Mono-black Devotion | 27 |
| Orzhov Control | 23 |
| Boros Devotion | 23 |
| Azorius Control | 19 |
| Mono-red | 19 |
| Esper Control | 14 |
| Colossal Gruul | 13 |
| Other | 38 |
Mono-blue Devotion:
After winning Pro Tour Theros in the hands of Jeremy Dezani, it is no surprise that the mono-blue menace has shown up in force here this weekend. Though it struggles against Supreme Verdict, Master of Waves and friends continue to take match after match. While other decks have started diluting themselves in order to have a better matchup against Mono-black devotion, the blue decks have shined.
Mono-black Devotion & Orzhov Control:
With a near-even split between the two decks, it seems players here are divided between which of these two black decks is the best. While Mono-black devotion may be more consistent, Marlon Gutierrez proved in Fort Worth the power of Last Breath and Blood Baron of Viskopa. When you combine the numbers on these two decks, the number of people this weekend praying to go turn one Thoughtseize into turn two Pack Rat outnumber any other strategy.
Boros Devotion, Mono-red & Colossal Gruul:
Red decks in one form or another were the next most popular decks in day two. Though the strategies diverge, each use Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx to power out huge creatures. Whether they be Stormbreath Dragons or Mistcutter Hydras and whether they are backed up by Mizzium Mortars or Chained to the Rocks, red has proven that it is able to wrestle with the big guns.
Esper & Azorius Control:
Finally, we are left with the control decks. Again there is a near even split into the two different camps. Nineteen players decided to follow in the footsteps of William “Huey” Jensen this weekend and play straight Azorius Control, while the other half battled with Guillaume Wafo-Tapa’s favorite, Esper Control. As Mono-black Devotion and Orzhov Control have gained popularity, control players have reached for Blood Baron of Viskopas of their own to battle the black menace.
With the top eight almost set here in Shizuoka, stay tuned to see which deck will reign supreme!