KTK: Evaluations
October 25, 2014 5 Comments
This is an initial set of evaluations of the cards in Khans of Tarkir. 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.
MTGDissected 
Hey can you please post a new link for the KTK evaluations?
I’m seeing M15 when I click the link.
Thanks!
My bad, it’s fixed now. Thanks for catching it!
Kheru Lichlord should be downgraded from bomb, and Sorin upgraded to Bomb.
Agreed. Sorin’s definitely better than I’d expected; in part, I hadn’t realized that the lifelink continues through your opponent’s turn, so I’d thought that it was only useful were attacking, in which case Sorin would likely die when your opponent attacked you on their turn. And I was comparing Kheru Lichlord to the unearth ability from Shard of Alara, which was quite strong, but this cost has to be paid during your upkeep before you know what you’ll draw, and the ability can only be used once per turn so it can’t enable alpha strikes as often.
I usually post updated evaluations a month or 2 after a new set comes out, but I’ve been focused on team sealed for the last couple of months since I’m playing in GP San Jose, and a lot of my posts have been related to that.
I apparently also missed the word “random” in Kheru Lichlord’s ability. And there’s some anti-synergy with delve.
Anyway, I finally posted updated evaluations for Khans of Tarkir, as well my evaluation of the cards in Fate Reforged.
https://mtgdissected.com/2015/01/26/ktk-updated-evaluations/
https://mtgdissected.com/2015/01/28/frf-evaluations/