Balin, Loremaster
Rare · Legendary Creature — Dwarf Bard
4.4WeakRank 147 of 188
50.4%Rank 165 of 179 by win rate, card in hand · set average: 56.5%
How are these measures computed?
Pick rating. The pick rating estimates what a card is worth when you choose it, before there are results: it combines several signals (expert evaluations, the choices of strong players, characteristics of the card such as its cost and rarity) and was tuned on the results of decks of strong players. It is for comparing cards while you draft.
Observed strength. The observed strength is the win rate of the games in which the card was in hand at some point (opening hand or drawn), from hundreds of thousands of real games of online draft players since the set came out. The rank compares the cards seen in at least 1,000 games. It does not correct for the strength of the deck the card is played in, and a result stays uncertain for a card that is played little (about 1.6 points of margin at 1,000 games).
A good playable, but is sometimes cut (4.4/10).
Why. A five-mana 4/4 that can swap an empty hand for fresh cards. When it enters, you may discard your hand and draw that many cards: very strong late in the game when you have few options left. With an enduring story, it also deals that same amount of damage to each opponent.
Risks. The cost needs two red mana (RR) and the discard is a gamble: with a hand full of good cards, you skip it and it stays an average 4/4. The enduring story needs three artifacts, legendaries or Sagas, which is hard in draft.
In the draft. Playable in red as a solid body, nothing more. Don't take it early; it mostly shines in a Dwarf or legendary deck.
Win rate of the card
Percentage of games won by the decks that play this card, depending on when it shows up, from the real games of the set.
Gap when it is drawn, against the games where it is not : -3.7 win-rate points
Its place in the set
- Rare: rank 44 of 53
- Red: rank 24 of 29
- Cost 5: rank 14 of 21
- Average pick: 5.2 (1 = taken first from a pack; the lower the number, the earlier players choose it)
Win rate by colour pair
Percentage of games won by the decks of each pair that play the card, with the number of games. The pairs are the two main colors of the deck: when the card has a color outside the pair, the deck plays it as a splash (marked “splash”). A pair that has an archetype in this set leads to its guide.
Win rate: strong players and all players
Percentage of games won when the card is in hand; strong players are those ranked diamond or mythic online.
Win rate on the play and on the draw
Win rate by number of copies in the deck
- 1 copy53.6 % · 6,674 games
- 2 copies52.3 % · 235 games
Win rate since the set came out (card in hand)
- First two weeks51.2 % · 2,215 games
- Next two weeks49.7 % · 344 games
- After that54.9 % · 244 games
Win rate alongside other cards
Win rate of the decks that play both cards, compared with the one you would expect from what each card gets alone. At least 150 games together.
Cards it wins more with
- Thorin's Last Stand743 games · 53.6 % (instead of 47.9% expected)
- Lake-town Lookout381 games · 54.3 % (instead of 49.5% expected)
- Sting, Bilbo's Sword448 games · 53.1 % (instead of 49.0% expected)
- Roads Go Ever, Ever On560 games · 57.1 % (instead of 53.4% expected)
Cards it wins less with
- Gollum, Silent Slinker // Meager Meal640 games · 50.8 % (instead of 55.1% expected)
- Moment of Glory484 games · 46.1 % (instead of 49.9% expected)
- The Eagles Are Coming!559 games · 51.2 % (instead of 54.5% expected)
Other cards of the same cost and colours
48. Misty Mountains Raider
6.6
50. Smaug, Wicked Worm
6.6
141. Bolg of the North
4.6
188. Iron Hills Stalwart
1.4
Intrinsic ratings: they do not take into account the cards you have already picked. They matter most for the first pick of the first pack.