BNG: Evaluations

This is an initial set of evaluations of the cards in Born of the Gods. Here’re what my various evaluations mean:

• Bomb (B): Will usually win the game if not dealt with and also difficult to deal with or play around, e.g., large flyers or mass removal.
• Exceptional (+): A superior card that will turn the tide in your favor, e.g., most unconditional removal that isn’t overcosted or a 3/3 flyer for 4 mana.
• Good (/): The bread and butter of most decks, e.g., a 2/2 flyer or a vanilla 3/3 for 3 mana.
• Situational/Filler (~): Good in the right deck, filler in most others, e.g., a vanilla 2/1 in a deck that is not particularly aggressive.
• Sideboard (S): Useful to have in your sideboard, but not usually playable maindeck, e.g., artifact/enchantment destruction or color hosers that aren’t good if you’re not playing against those colors.
• Unplayable (x): Should not be played except in the right deck or under exceptional circumstances, e.g., a vanilla 1/1 for 1 mana. Some unplayable creatures can be sided in against the right deck, e.g., a vanilla 1/3 for 3 mana might still be sided in against an aggressive deck.
• TBD (?): Requires more analysis or more experience with the format to evaluate, e.g., a card that depends on how many playable enchantments there are in the format.

The spreadsheet also has explanations for many of my evaluations. Here are some evaluations that are worth noting:

• inspired cards and cards that grant tap abilities: the ones in blue and black are good because those colors have the enablers, the red one are strong because they’re well costed, the rest are mediocre
• Ghostblade Eidolon, Flitterstep Eidolon (+): good as Aura or base creature
• Glimpse the Sun God (+): enables alpha strikes, heroic, and inspired
• Nyxborn Shieldmate, Nyxborn Rollicker (~): the creatures are so unimpressive that these are basically a +1/+2 for 2W and a +1/+1 Aura for 1R
• Eternity Snare, Siren Song Lyre (+): the only ways to take out creatures along with their bestowed Auras
• Floodtide Serpent (/), Meletis Astronomer (+): good in W/U heroic deck with cantrip Auras and Ephara’s Enlightenment
• Eye Gouge (S): only playable Cyclops at common is Ill-Tempered Cyclops
• Odunos River Trawler (+): good even without white mana
• Akroan Conscriptor (B): can be used at instant speed

And here are the cards that need additional analysis to evaluate:

• Sunbond: #/quality of lifelink creatures and lifegain spells
• Evanescent Intellect, Mindreaver: #/quality of mill cards