Through some speculating and subsequent testing mentioned on that thread, we have determined that the card order of your deck list has a potentially huge impact on the hands you get. We are talking about the card order of the deck list when imported/exported, not the display you see on your screen in Arena.
If you have already accepted the shuffler is broken, this thread is aimed at helping you "randomize" your deck before going into the shuffler, thus preventing the mana clumping issues normally found. Note that the more basic lands you have in a deck, the greater benefit you will receive from doing this. Even those without basic lands can still benefit however.
Here's how you do it:
Open "Decks" in Arena. Select your deck with a single click then click "Export". Open a word processor and paste your exported list. Notice how all the lands are at the top of the deck list, this is where the problem arises.
Next, you must find the individual card numbers for basic lands that are standard legal print runs. For example, if you have 10 mountains in your deck list, you want each mountain to have a different art.
Now that you have your individual land types for all the basics, you want to 'randomize' your list. Essentially, you create a deck list that is how you would prefer to draw the cards, from top to bottom. You want to avoid clumps of cards with all the same cmc near each other in the list for instance.
Once your list is completed in text form, copy it, go to Arena and hit "Import". Select that deck to play with and you're on your way!
Here is an example of my deck list in text as exported from Arena:
4 Stomping Ground (RNA) 259
2 Shock (M19) 156
2 Viashino Pyromancer (M19) 166
1 Mountain (RNA) 263
2 Kraul Harpooner (GRN) 136
3 Lightning Strike (XLN) 149
4 Rootbound Crag (XLN) 256
4 Goblin Chainwhirler (DAR) 129
1 Mountain (RIX) 195
3 Thorn Lieutenant (M19) 203
1 Mountain (DAR) 262
1 Mountain (M19) 276
4 Light Up the Stage (RNA) 107
1 Forest (M19) 277
1 Mountain (DAR) 263
4 Growth-Chamber Guardian (RNA) 128
1 Mountain (DAR) 264
4 Rekindling Phoenix (RIX) 111
4 Unclaimed Territory (XLN) 258
4 Gruul Spellbreaker (RNA) 179
1 Mountain (DAR) 265
1 Lava Coil (GRN) 108
1 Mountain (M19) 273
1 Mountain (M19) 274
2 Grand Warlord Radha (DAR) 195
1 Mountain (M19) 275
1 Forest (M19) 278
1 Skewer the Critics (RNA) 115
I plan on further modifying my list in the future. You must keep in mind that a slot with 4 of the same card counts as those same 4 cards in a row when they go into the shuffler. All of your non-basic lands will be "clumped" together as 4 ofs as well. So you should count those as 4 lands in a row on the list, surround them with another 4 clump of cards.
As a bonus, if you have a card that is printed in 2 different sets, you can break up that card type evenly between the sets, then split them apart in the list. You want to have as many rows to the list as possible to maximize the mix up.
While this won't outright fix the shuffler, it does give you a much closer to random land distribution throughout the deck. Before the March 27th patch, it was possible to break up even the card groups individually and you didn't need to insert different copies of each basic land to do so. I can tell you, it was AMAZING how huge the difference was when I could use this method. Well, they changed that basically perfect work around so it no longer works. (If you import a 60 card list with 60 different rows, it will now automatically group all cards of the same type together, instead of preserving the list order.) I noticed the difference after only 10 games or so into the patch, when I exported my deck list to discover the change. THAT'S HOW OBVIOUS THE DIFFERENCE WAS! They did not mention the change to this function in their patch notes.
Well, all we can do is spread the word, write angry emails to Wizards and hope they fix this broke ass shuffler soon.
When you have done the research for your basic lands, and made sure that they import properly into Arena, please share them here to save others the work.
Here are my 10 mountains and 2 forests that I looked up for anyone who needs them:
https://www.mtgsalvation.com/forums/magic-fundamentals/other-magic-products/mtg-arena/807120-a-million-game-study-says-shuffler-is-rigged?page=4
Through some speculating and subsequent testing mentioned on that thread, we have determined that the card order of your deck list has a potentially huge impact on the hands you get. We are talking about the card order of the deck list when imported/exported, not the display you see on your screen in Arena.
If you have already accepted the shuffler is broken, this thread is aimed at helping you "randomize" your deck before going into the shuffler, thus preventing the mana clumping issues normally found. Note that the more basic lands you have in a deck, the greater benefit you will receive from doing this. Even those without basic lands can still benefit however.
Here's how you do it:
Open "Decks" in Arena. Select your deck with a single click then click "Export". Open a word processor and paste your exported list. Notice how all the lands are at the top of the deck list, this is where the problem arises.
Next, you must find the individual card numbers for basic lands that are standard legal print runs. For example, if you have 10 mountains in your deck list, you want each mountain to have a different art.
Now that you have your individual land types for all the basics, you want to 'randomize' your list. Essentially, you create a deck list that is how you would prefer to draw the cards, from top to bottom. You want to avoid clumps of cards with all the same cmc near each other in the list for instance.
Once your list is completed in text form, copy it, go to Arena and hit "Import". Select that deck to play with and you're on your way!
Here is an example of my deck list in text as exported from Arena:
4 Stomping Ground (RNA) 259
2 Shock (M19) 156
2 Viashino Pyromancer (M19) 166
1 Mountain (RNA) 263
2 Kraul Harpooner (GRN) 136
3 Lightning Strike (XLN) 149
4 Rootbound Crag (XLN) 256
4 Goblin Chainwhirler (DAR) 129
1 Mountain (RIX) 195
3 Thorn Lieutenant (M19) 203
1 Mountain (DAR) 262
1 Mountain (M19) 276
4 Light Up the Stage (RNA) 107
1 Forest (M19) 277
1 Mountain (DAR) 263
4 Growth-Chamber Guardian (RNA) 128
1 Mountain (DAR) 264
4 Rekindling Phoenix (RIX) 111
4 Unclaimed Territory (XLN) 258
4 Gruul Spellbreaker (RNA) 179
1 Mountain (DAR) 265
1 Lava Coil (GRN) 108
1 Mountain (M19) 273
1 Mountain (M19) 274
2 Grand Warlord Radha (DAR) 195
1 Mountain (M19) 275
1 Forest (M19) 278
1 Skewer the Critics (RNA) 115
I plan on further modifying my list in the future. You must keep in mind that a slot with 4 of the same card counts as those same 4 cards in a row when they go into the shuffler. All of your non-basic lands will be "clumped" together as 4 ofs as well. So you should count those as 4 lands in a row on the list, surround them with another 4 clump of cards.
As a bonus, if you have a card that is printed in 2 different sets, you can break up that card type evenly between the sets, then split them apart in the list. You want to have as many rows to the list as possible to maximize the mix up.
While this won't outright fix the shuffler, it does give you a much closer to random land distribution throughout the deck. Before the March 27th patch, it was possible to break up even the card groups individually and you didn't need to insert different copies of each basic land to do so. I can tell you, it was AMAZING how huge the difference was when I could use this method. Well, they changed that basically perfect work around so it no longer works. (If you import a 60 card list with 60 different rows, it will now automatically group all cards of the same type together, instead of preserving the list order.) I noticed the difference after only 10 games or so into the patch, when I exported my deck list to discover the change. THAT'S HOW OBVIOUS THE DIFFERENCE WAS! They did not mention the change to this function in their patch notes.
Well, all we can do is spread the word, write angry emails to Wizards and hope they fix this broke ass shuffler soon.
When you have done the research for your basic lands, and made sure that they import properly into Arena, please share them here to save others the work.
Here are my 10 mountains and 2 forests that I looked up for anyone who needs them:
1 Mountain (RIX) 195
1 Mountain (RNA) 263
1 Mountain (DAR) 262
1 Mountain (DAR) 263
1 Mountain (DAR) 264
1 Mountain (DAR) 265
1 Mountain (M19) 273
1 Mountain (M19) 274
1 Mountain (M19) 275
1 Mountain (M19) 276
1 Forest (M19) 278
1 Forest (M19) 277