[LSV] Battle for Zendikar Limited Set Review – Black

This is way off topic, but I have a suggestion for Constructed Set Reviews. I'm posting this here for visibility, hopefully getting around to LSV himself, but also in a public forum so people can express whether they like or don't like the idea.

Currently, constructed set reviews are rated on a scale from 1.0 to 5.0.

My suggestion: Add a letter grade to the number rating, on a scale from A to D.

The number grade signifies the card's potential. 5.0: Multi-format all-star, 4.0 = Format staple, etc...

The letter grade signfies the card's likelihood of reaching that potential:

  • A: All but certain to reach its potential.
  • B: Good chance to reach its potential.
  • C: Fair chance of reaching its potential.
  • D: Outside chance of reaching its potential.

Why add a letter to the rating? What's the benefit?

I find that a number rating alone can't really tell the whole story about a card. Let's take Kytheon, Hero of Akros for example, who got a 3.5 rating in Origins. He's a really solid 1-mana beater with a huge upside, which warrants its a 3.5 rating. However, its drawback is that it only really belongs in a White-based aggro deck. This doesn't necessarily make it less deserving of its 3.5 rating but the card can't be considered on the same level as the other 3.5 examples (Stormbreath Dragon, Seeker of the Way) either. In this case, Kytheon may be rated a 3.5C since his potential is high but his ability to fulfill its potential largely hinges on White weenies existing in the format, which may or may not happen. Meanwhile, Stormbreath Dragon may have been rated a 3.5A since it was more likely to fulfill its role as a Standard staple. It's playable in more types of decks and in decks that are more likely to exist in the format.

The letter grade could also signify the author's confidence in the number grade, as if to say "This seems like it can be very good but I'm still skeptical" vs "This card is most definitely going to be this good".

I think this would add a lot to the rating system because it tells so much more about what the author feels about the card than a number grade alone (especially when backed up by the text explanation). Yet at the same time, it isn't overly complicated and easy to understand.

I'm hoping this idea gets somewhere and improves the Constructed rating system, but if LSV prefers the status-quo, that's all good too.

/r/magicTCG Thread Link - channelfireball.com