Cactus Game Design Message Boards

Goliath, overall, ended up being slightly overrated. He was solid against Disciples, especially since at the time Philistines were top tier, but since then, he's extremely lackluster, and really isn't even a cornerstone in Philistines defenses, due to how easily he gives up initiative. Sure, you might be able to take out an opponent's ideal rescue, but a good player is planning for that once they know you're playing Philistines anyway, so it's kind of a moot point. Goliath is top tier in maybe the first two turns, but after that, he peters out immensely.

Contrast that with Woman of Thebez, who is excellent. As soon as she blocks she can play one of the best evil enhancements in the game, and she (along with Stone) can be splashed into any deck that uses Foreign Wives pretty easily. She also has low numbers, so even if Tower of Thebez isn't in play, she can still get off an enhancement more often than not. I also think Canaanites are stronger than Philistines right now, especially in T1.

I picked Goliath solely for his combo potential. Say "hi" Ahimelek.

That's part of Chris's point. If you're playing red, Goliath is a great character to have... in your opponent's territory. Go forward with someone like Uriah, he Goliaths, you push Ahimalek FTW. That combo isn't good defense, so Goliath isn't that great an Evil Character.