@cyharp I do agree that there are some cards that can be considered "no-brainer" like those you mentioned, but let me tell you that even those cards also need strategy to be useful.
The strategy on this game starts on the collection screen.
Deciding what cards you include and what you leave behind is the very first step of strategy on this game.
If, for example, you craft a deck that only has cards that cost 5 or more resources (brains/suns) you are going to have a really bad time. You CAN win some of this matches, but it is going to be very difficult.
Same thing happens here.
You need to prepare your deck for everything. Include cards to answer to small threats, and other to big ones too. (so, if you suddenly find yourself against a Sink Zombie, you know you can bounce it or transform it)
The next point of strategy is in your drawing phase, where you can select what cards you want to keep, and what cards you want to redraw.
This is usually determined by the opponent you are facing. Let's take a card in order to analyze it. Bad Moon Rising, for example.
You know it costs 7 brains, and that it requires at least one zombie on the field.
If you face a Brainy heroe, you can automatically suspect that it has this card in his deck, so you prepare in advance. You understand that you need to destroy and/or bounce every zombie on the field prior to turn 7. Another thing can be to keep an environment in hand to overwrite his Medulla Nebulas. You can also choose to keep your most agresive cards in your hand and try to kill your opponent before he is able to pull out the combo. THAT is your strategy.
The next strategy is selecting how to trade. If the Zombie player just played a Brain Vendor (2/1) you know you can kill it with a simple 1/1 plant. But, if you choose to place your amazing 3/2 (whatever card) in front of it, you can bet that you lost the value trade. You can also choose to let it hit you, so you can get access to your superpowers more quickly. etc etc
HIS strategy, however, is to have as many zombies on the field as possible by turn 7. (Or by the time he gathers 7 brains).
He needs to play his zombies carefully, so that the most amount possible survive until they can be transformed. The Zombie Player has to choose his strategy carefully, like...
-Not placing Zombies in the middle lane against Green Shadow.
-Avoid placing Zombies on the ground lanes against a potential Guardian's Spikeweed Sector
-Avoid placing 1 health Zombies on the ground lanes against a potential Solar's Scorched Earth
-Avoid placing Zombies to close to each other against a potential AoE clear (Cherry Bomb, Splash Damage)
Etc.
All this requires a mix of skill, strategy, planification and even some luck too.
In the end, the player who executed his plan more succesfully is the one that is going to succeed.
If you managed to constantly clear this board or negate him brains, he is going to play BMR on a single zombie (or will possibly have no zombies to cast it on).
If he managed to keep his zombies alive, he is going to transform 3, 4 or even 5 small zombies into deadly 5+ cost zombies.
That is the skill involved on this game, how you prepare your deck, draw your cards, and how you answer to the threats on the board.
And the same can be applied to all the cards/strategies.
Sure, there are some strategies/decks that are more difficult to anticipate or counter (Like a teleported Trickster), but most of them can be disminished or even avoided if you prepare your deck and play correctly.
