Some opening hands from Liam's SCG Vegas deck (within a card or two) for discussion:

1. Tendrils of Agony, Cabal Ritual, Cabal Ritual, Infernal Tutor, Thoughtseize, Ponder, Polluted Delta.

2. Duress, Duress, Swamp, Infernal Tutor, Infernal Tutor, Dark Ritual, Brainstorm.

3. Duress, Badlands, Lion's Eye Diamond, Scalding Tarn, Rite of Flame, Cabal Ritual, Burning Wish.

1 seems kind of sketchy to me. 2 is bad but gets a lot better if it finds a land. 3 seems good.