I look at the speed of the format: is it lightning fast and what may be the reasons for it. I also look at color pair win rates and the rate they are played at. Are some color combinations hidden gems? Are the most played ones successful?   

On top of that I look at best commons and uncommons in each color and in each color pair. To be able to relentlessly mock myself (with a couple of taps on the back for good measure) I compare the current top 5 cards in the format with the top 3 lists I made before the release and speculate - why was I wrong in case of some cards I picked and why some cards did perform better than I predicted.   

I use the top cards so far to also try and figure out what do they have in common looking at potential mana curves you want to have in your deck and themes connecting top cards in the format.   

REMINDER: Early data is not perfect. Format didn't stabilise yet, and players don't always fully know how to build decks, early day opposition can be softer than the one later in the format, good cards go later than normal. All this impacts the data and introduces biases. Use early data as a tool to ask more questions, not as a source of absolute answers. Early data can prepare you to solve the format later, but it is by far not a solution itself.

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