D&D 5E Ranking 1st level spells

[abirdcall]

A player asks me my thoughts on a spell:

'Yeah that's a great spell' - S Tier
'Yeah that spell is pretty good' - A Tier
'That spell is a decent choice you should be satisfied with it' - B Tier
'That spell could be good but I advise caution when taking it' - C Tier
'That spell is either pretty terrible or is unlikely to come up/make a difference in the game often enough to be worth taking' - D Tier

 

[Captain Panda]

Are you rating spells only if used "vanilla," or can a spell's place in a niche build up its ranking?

Magic Missile as an evoker or hexblade does bonkers ridiculous damage, and is RAW (and RAI, according to JC). Otherwise it's a spell I'd never take, but in that build it is one of the best boss-monster-melter spells in the game, and an easy S Tier.

Goodberry and a level of life cleric was "breaking the game" by giving people full hit points between combats long before healing spirit got a collective overreaction from the community. When boosted in the "greatberry" build, I'd argue goodberry is S Tier.

 

[abirdcall]

Are you rating spells only if used "vanilla," or can a spell's place in a niche build up its ranking?

Magic Missile as an evoker or hexblade does bonkers ridiculous damage, and is RAW (and RAI, according to JC). Otherwise it's a spell I'd never take, but in that build it is one of the best boss-monster-melter spells in the game, and an easy S Tier.

Goodberry and a level of life cleric was "breaking the game" by giving people full hit points between combats long before healing spirit got a collective overreaction from the community. When boosted in the "greatberry" build, I'd argue goodberry is S Tier.

No, just regular.

There is no point to a list otherwise.

Whether something is good is not only character dependent but campaign dependent.

I have updated what I mean by the tiers in the OP. I think that definition is most helpful.

Magic Missile on its own is just better damage than most of the rest of the single target damage spells at 1st level. It is also a guarantee to hit which is great for disrupting concentration and striking final blows. I guess my only caution with it is that not rolling dice might not be fun for some people.

I rate spells like Goodberry and Cure Wounds a C because the combination of Healing Potions and Hit Dice make them redundant. I wouldn't assume that Healing Potions are unlimited but I do value 1st level slots more than the 50gp the potion costs. Games I play are pretty tight though as we average 6 encounters/long rest. Those slots are important.

The thing about being a Life Cleric and then finding a way to take Goodberry (which would be likely through the use of optional rules) is that it becomes a large part of the character's identity further than just having a spell. There is a lot of class features tied up in getting some healing which you could just do with Healing Potions.