1. Melting Snowflakes- I don't know when the typical courtesy of not talking about your own alliance started, but I've always thought it was stupid. Tops in the categories that matter with solid leadership, I'll give us one knock for location. Our eagerness to join the world has us in between all the world powers, but to put a positive spin on that, we've got a lot of opportunity for a lot of BP. Swim
2. Kiss My Arsenal- Neck and neck with MM for second in all the major stats, KMA has a nice core built in 45. They've allied themselves with another alliance there, Velocity, but before they can focus on expanding out of 45, they have to deal with a Dutch team that looks solid. I will say they look a little top heavy at the moment, but a lot of their players towards the bottom of the rankings are typically solid contributors who could very well increase their activity here as the world goes on. If that happens, an already good team will get better. Swim
3. Memento Mori- I started writing this with the intention to give MM a float just to be a little spicy, but I'm going to have to say Swim, sadly, because their position is fantastic. They have the least quality resistance in their ocean and after solidifying it, they'll have the opportunity to spring on MS or KMA if either one starts to show cracks. I truly believe in today's Grep you need some heavy golders who can make a LS nuke out of thin air to save that city, and MM is a little low on those compared to the other drafted alliances, but they make up for it with active, solid contributors all throughout the roster, who will have the opportunity to keep pace with the growth of some of the golders because of their superior position.
4. Devils Dawgs- Apparently in the 2 or 3 years I took off of Grep, these guys have been absolutely running worlds. MS may be the top alliance, but from what I gather, DD will be the alliance to beat until they're beaten. My only question is if they're allied with Care Bears, as a few members of CB are with DD on 79, and that could cut into the amount of food available to them. Still, saying anything other than Swim seems ridiculous, even if it's the boring answer.
5. Dogs of War- Allied with Abusement Park and Care Bears, I think they've done a great job assembling talent that was limited to them both by the draft and location. I do, however, wonder how much of that was luck and how much was solid leadership/recruiting. Assuming they haven't allied with Pool Party, right now there's plenty of non-MS food in 44 to keep DoW going, and because of that I'll give them a momentary Float. But once the easy food runs out, then sink.
6. -VOC- Might be the most interesting alliance in the world. Cored nicely, no doubt under heavy fire from KMA that won't stop soon, and also having to deal with Velocity, the Dutch are in a precarious position, and I for one hope they come out on top. Unfortunately, I can only see them Floating without outside aid, probably from MM. And if MM decides to attack instead of help, it'll be a quick Sink.
7. Care Bears- Pinned between DD and MS, whether they're allied with DD or not is a little irrelevant. Eventually, they will sink. They have some good players, but those players will end up fighting for another team. DD, if it wants to, can't keep the deadweight of CB alive forever, and if it doesn't want to, their death will be quick.
8. Abusement Park- An easy Sink, this alliance is the worst of the DoW CB trifecta. One of their founders is currently on VM, and I'm sure their better players will be in DoW in no time.
I'm going to skip the rest because they're either food or the most interesting thing about them is that they're allied with another alliance, but I'll give an honorable mention to one last alliance:
16. Just For Laughs- Charlie has way too much time on his hands, which makes him a phenomenal grep player. There's some spamming controversy here, but in the end I don't think it'll matter. Right now CB acts as a cushion between JFL and DD, but if that cushion is removed, their butt is going to start to hurt. They're solid, and I can't imagine many people doing a better job with this few people, but in the end I don't think it will be enough. Float then Sink