Peon's Not So Daily Deal

Afflicted Guard
Peon's Prescription for Prodigious Multiplayers
My rule for skill slots is that you want traits and/or unique/powerful cards. With Afflicted Guard you get a second shield and not a particularly good one either. Shifting Block is close to unplayable. Not only do forms shift you away from any strategy you've built around but Shifting Block, you don't even get to pick the one you get. Getting blocks on a wizard gets a bit more interesting. There are some techy weapons with blocks like Staff Of Chask but maybe you need the staff slot for a focused build. However, randomly shifting forms defeats the purpose and wizards have other ways of avoiding damage. Would not purchase.

Peon's Perspective for Penny-Pinching Singlplayers
Blocks are generally useless in singleplayer unless you are using something like Parry to cycle through your deck. There are too many attacks to handle on most maps so loading up on armor or staying out of attack range is a safer bet. The exception is against bosses but you're better off going dwarf for access to Toughness and a higher hp total. Would not purchase. P.S. Forms suck.

Substitutes
Beginner Command (U) , Thoughtful Guidance (U) , Apprentice Command (E) , Apprentice Tactics (E) , Trained Flexibility (E)

Comments from the Peanut Gallery
@hello world
I think you are underselling shifting block quite a little, it is most likely going to result in a power boost in the very early campaign. So tokenless items with it aren't completely terrible.

 

Andrei's Chiropteran Bundle
Peon's Prescription for Prodigious Multiplayers
All three cards can act defensively which is nice but Andrei's Chiropteran Bundle doesn't lead you towards a particular strategy. Swarm Of Bats is powerful enough to warrant inclusion in any build but you are generally going to want to load up on either Cause Fumbles or vamp attacks and there are much better options for both. Would not purchase unless you really really want that extra copy of Swarm of Bats and you're not going for a vamp priest.

Peon's Perspective for Penny-Pinching Singleplayers
There aren't many maps where Teleport is a huge benefit so Swarm of Bats is essentially an upgraded Surging Shield Block. Instead of loading up on blocks, spamming Impenetrable Nimbus tends to be a better strategy. Nimbus up a dork and send it in to soak up attacks. Once the dust has settled, unload your attacks and profit. If you do need Teleport for some reason, getting it from boots is the way to go. Would not purchase.

Substitutes
Crespin's Shroud (E) , Static Interference (E) : Cause Fumble
St. Banesh's Prayer Box (E) : Swarm Of Bats
Charismatic Teeth (R) , Vampire's Teeth (E): Vampire's Kiss

 

Beginner Ethereality
Peon's Prescription for Prodigious Multiplayers
Skill slots should ideally be reserved for traits, unique cards, and extra copies of powerhouse cards but those standards get a little more relaxed when dealing with tokenless skills. With tokenless skills, you're basically just looking for filler cards that don't suck. Stone Spikes is an all-star when it comes to paper quality cards so that's a big plus in Beginner Etherality's favor. The bad news is that Ethereal Form itself just sucks. If it were any old do nothing trait, Beginner Ethereality might actually be a decent tokenless skill. However, instead of cycling deeper into your own deck, you're stuck with lousy Spirit cards for 2 turns with Armor that is only relevant against opposing wizards. Would not purchase.

Peon's Perspective for Penny-Pinching Singleplayers
Last I checked, Ethereal Form doesn't give you Firestorm so I think i'll pass. There are plenty of low rarity double trait tokenless skills for all flavors of wizard that don't force you to play Ethereal Form. I'm quite partial to Molten Pyromancy for singeing pesky golems with armor. Would not purchase.

Substitutes
Bump In The Night (E), Corrosive Ethereality (E)

 

Bimson's Death Moat (N)
Peon's Prescription for Prodigious Multiplayers
Flash Flood is nothing new. It's at its best on maps with narrow passages and lots of barriers. Melee characters in particular have a hard time answering it with only Fly and Teleport cards at their disposal. Ancient Grudge on the other hand is much more of an unknown quantity. Literally. It could be a dead card the first few rounds or it could be devastating mid to late game. A control wizard that wants Flash Flood generally doesn't do damage the first few rounds anyways so it's just a matter of keeping it in hand over other cards at end of turn. You can certainly also build around Ancient Grudge with aggressive cycling and card draw so it has potential. However, there are other arcane items with Ancient Grudge that have more all purpose control cards like Vial Of Spite so it all boils down to how badly you want those Flash Floods. As Flash Flood items go, Bimson's Death Moat is near the top. Only purchase if you want Flash Floods with a little extra damage.

Peon's Perspective for Penny-Pinching Singleplayers
Control wizards don't have much use in singleplayer. There are to many mobs to handle and a lot of them have ranged attack. You do sometimes want control wizards against bosses but plenty of the really difficult ones Fly. Flash Flood just doesn't cut it and there are plenty of non-legendary substitutes. Would not purchase.

Substitutes
Vial Of Spite (E) : Ancient Grudge
Bimson's Water Stone (E) , Tauri's Watery Maze (E) , The Soulstone (E) , Pip's Anklet (E) : Flash Flood

 

Bloody Command (P)
Peon's Prescription for Prodigious Multiplayers
Sprint, Team! is a busted card. Push 6 allows you to instantly ambush any character as early as the first turn on most maps. Getting an extra copy on warriors and having access to it on non-warriors is near the top of the reasons to play otherwise lackluster humans. While a case can be made for the extra move card on Advanced Command, I prefer the extra block on Bloody Command for my Sprinting needs. Normally, I not a fan of Bloodied Block because it usually trades for the weakest attack in your opponent's hand. However, when you're ganging up on a character, you're opponent often doesn't have the time to throw out test attacks. Additionally, the extra Run is useless on a Sprinting character so it's only better when you don't draw the Sprint, Team! in your opener. Sprint, Team! needs to be built around to maximize it's potential with at least 2 preferably 3 melee characters. If you're just wanting to provide extra mobility through a support character, using Perfect Command is a much more consistent call. Would purchase if you want to build around Sprint, Team!.

Peon's Perspective for Penny-Pinching Singleplayers
There is no ambushing in singleplayer. You are heavily outnumbered and the AI is gracious enough to come to you. If you really need to chase down some ranged mobs, elves do a decent enough job with default Dashes alone. Would not purchase.

Substitutes
Command (R) , Advanced Command (E)

 

Bloody Stoutness (P)
Peon's Prescription for Prodigious Multiplayers
Bloody Stoutness is the best minor token Duck skill but it still isn't anything special. Duck is going to be a bad Shield Block the majority of the time. If you block something from a different class, you're probably not going to be able to use the card as effectively as a random card from your own deck. You're also likely getting a weaker test attack over something decent. The same goes for Bloodied Block. There are much better defensive options when it comes to dwarf skills. Unless you're Blind Rage cycling on a tokenless skill, you need a pretty good reason to not run something with Toughness. Would not purchase.

Peon's Perspective for Penny-Pinching Singleplayers
It is usually better to go in guns blazing than play defensively. You are heavily outnumbered on most maps so you are getting hit no matter how many blocks you run. Clever positioning and movement management is a much more effective way of avoiding damage. It's much more important to pick up Raging Battler or Apprentice Ferocity if you're going to splurge on a dwarf skill. Would not purchase.

Substitutes
Lucky Toughness (C) , Advanced Toughness (U) , Raging Rock (E) , Perfect Toughness (C) , Solid Rock (C) , Superb Stoutness (E)

 

Bloome's Barging Boots (N)
Peon's Prescription for Prodigious Multiplayers
Charge is a notoriously hard card to play to full effect. Moving away with your melee character is an instant red flag that will cause most competent players' Chargey sense to start tingling. Rocket Charge deals with this problem in two ways. First of all, 3 points of damage per square moved is huge. Two squares is a maxed out Charge and then some. Three squares almost gets you a maxed Brutal Charge. You don't need to back up to get decent damage out of Rocket Charge. Just line yourself up during your normal advance and you'll get in what is essentially an unblockable mid sized attack or better. The addition of Fly also helps mask an incoming Charge. Set yourself up behind impassable or difficult terrain that would halt a normal movement card and your opponent likely won't see it coming. Do note that blocking terrain is entirely different beast. If you're thinking about Rocket Charging through a wall, you will be a sad panda shaped splat on said wall. So is Bloome's Barging Boots actually worth playing? That depends. You need a character that has a spare major token, doesn't mind getting close to enemies, and doesn't need their boots slot for longer ranged moves. That's not impossible to accomplish but it is a pretty tall order. Alternatively, as the only boots with two copies of Lunging Bash, Bloome's Barging Boots might be appealing to a Bash warrior but you again need a spare major token and an alternative way to getting your movement. Those simply looking for controlling cards on their boots would be better served going with Violent Spin. Besides, wouldn't you rather use the spiffy 3-Stage Rocket Boots? Would not purchase.

Peon's Perspective for Penny-Pinching Singleplayers
Bloome's Barging Boots does enough damage to be considered half a weapon. While a fantastic source of damage, that major token still needs to come from somewhere. Most likely, it's coming out of your actual weapons. When you consider the loss in damage from switching a major to minor token on a weapon you're pretty much breaking even. Rocket Charging a mob into oblivion is fun but that's all it is. A fun card. It won't help you farm faster and odds are, you'll actually be losing time trying to get that sweet sweet 15 damage Rocket Charge in. If you're just out to have a good time by all means play with Rocket Charge, but just get it from the much more reasonably priced Sky Traveler's Boots. Would not purchase.

Substitutes
Sky Traveler's Boots (R)

 

Blox's Unyielding Bulwark
Peon's Prescription for Prodigious Multiplayers
The bar for major token shields is set extremely high due to Aegis Of The Defender. Laser Block is a neat block that always "draws" you an attack but the usefulness of that attack will vary. With straightforward card draw blocks, you generally know the quality of card you'll be getting and it's much more likely to mesh with your strategy since you presumably put that card in for a reason. You could be playing high variance items of course but even then, I'd put Defender's Block as a clear favorite due to it's ability to protect teammates. Then there's the matter of how similar Blox's Unyielding Bulwark is to Throon's Quick Laser. Replacing a Surging Shield Block with a Dodge to downgrade the equip cost to a minor token is a deal I'd make in a heartbeat. Would not purchase.

Peon's Perspective for Penny-Pinching Singleplayers
Don't buy legendary shields. Ever. You will always know what you'll be up against so you can prepare accordingly with either Parry or Catch Arrow. These lower rarity card draw shields will net you 2 to 3 cards, all for a much cheaper equip cost I might add, whereas Blox's Unyielding Bulwark only rarely puts you up 2 cards. Would not purchase.

Substitutes
Aegis Of Aversion (E) , Croker's Lucky Laser Shield (E)

 

Blue Destruction (P)
Peon's Prescription for Prodigious Multiplayers
Oh how the mighty have fallen. Without a good consistent way to boost damage, Arcane Burst just doesn't do enough. Right now, the best options are Unholy Wellspring and Arcane Aura, both of which require a lot of sacrifices in other parts of your build and they don't interact well together. While not particularly worth running now, the potential for brokeness is still there. Burst gets around line of sight, hits multiple targets, and allows you to abuse Squeamish for free. All it needs is that little push and we can all go back to hating playing against it again. Currently not worth purchasing unless you're willing to go all in on a glass cannon strategy but it could make a comeback any day given the right new cards.

Peon's Perspective for Penny-Pinching Singleplayers
Why hit a couple things when you can hit all of them? Arcane Burst just isn't as efficient as Firestorm, Volcano, or even Flash Of Agony. Would not purchase.

Substitutes
None

 

Bohemian Ear Spoon
Peon's Prescription for Prodigious Multiplayers
Fantastic name aside, Bohemian Ear Spoon is downright awful. The damage is pitiful considering the double major token cost. Polearm Slash looks great on paper but how often are you willing to keep half of a Hardy Mail instead of dishing out 7 damage? Plus, Polearm Slash gets randomly hated on by armor removal. A Sundering Strike here, a Boiling Armor there, and adding mediocre armor to an attack suddenly turns into a liability. I would gladly play a Double-Edged Sword or Tango Spear instead since the extra mobility tends to be more relevant. Would not purchase.

Peon's Perspective for Penny-Pinching Singleplayers
You don't need crappy armor or stabs in the campaign. Good old fashioned damage is where it's at. Strap on a pair of Bejeweled Shortswords and call it a day. Would not purchase.

Substitutes
Double-Edged Sword (U) , Tango Spear (U)

 

Bolg's Big Iron Plate (N)
Peon's Prescription for Prodigious Multiplayers
While it's common practice to incorporate extra mobility into warrior builds, doing so at the cost of removing attacks is not. This is normally done through weapons with step attacks, preferably Nimble Strike or Dancing Cut. What Bolg's Big Iron Plate is good for is making a defensive warrior. Loading up on blocks lets you use your warrior as a tank to protect your other characters or for camping out on victory squares. Throw in a few Violent Spins or a couple Bash variants and you've got a refreshing take on an otherwise straightforward class. But unless you're going for some sort of support warrior, Bolg's Big Iron Plate is not a great purchase for a normal damage dealing build.

Peon's Perspective for Penny-Pinching Singleplayers
Mobility plays second fiddle in singleplayer so you are in it for those extra blocks. However, warriors pretty much only want to do as much damage as possible so you are better off boosting your defense through other means. Using the weapons slot for anything other that smashing face is a big no no. Would not purchase.

Substitutes
Patrolman's Flail (R)

 

Bolg's Club Of Evasion
Peon's Prescription for Prodigious Multiplayers
Dodge is a fantastic value engine for creating virtual card advantage but it requires the right set of attacks to be truly effective. You need to run step attacks or Stabs to be able to hit back post Dodge triggering. These attacks are rightfully weaker than normal attacks so you can't afford to waste attack slots on Strong Bludgeons if you want to keep up with the average warrior. There was a time when you could accumulate 2 Dodges and be virtually untouchable but those times have passed. If you want to make a Dodge build now, it is much better to get them through non-weapon items or something with a stronger set of attacks like Reaper's Scythe. Would not purchase.

Peon's Perspective for Penny-Pinching Singleplayers
Dodge is essentially a block and blocks that don't cycle or require tokens are bad. You could make the argument that Dodge "draws" you more blocks but your warrior is either going to have a hard time attacking back or lackluster damage. Would not purchase.

Substitutes
Bec De Corbin (E)

 

Boots Of Etzicatl (P)
Peon's Prescription for Prodigious Multiplayers
It can be tempting to view Brutal Charge first and foremost as a 10 damage attack but if you do you will often be sorely disappointed. It is extremely difficult to cash a Brutal Charge in for full value. Not only do you need to be on a map with long open lanes but you also need an unsuspecting opponent. If instead you use Brutal Charge as a restrictive movement card that occasionally nets you some bonus damage, then Boots of Etzicatl suddenly becomes much more desirable. That said, being stopped by a simple corner or impassable terrain is not a position I'd want to subject myself to. There are those that swear by Brutal Charge and others, including yours truly, that think that there's better things to spend tokens on. Would not purchase unless you really like Brutal Charge.

Peon's Perspective for Penny-Pinching Singleplayers
Brutal Charge is more of a fun card than anything else. You really only want movement against ranged mobs. Although moving 5 is a good start, the restriction is often too inconvenient. There are modules where the conditions are optimal for Brutal Charging but I still think that token would be better off upgrading a different slot or giving you a more flexible movement card. Would not purchase.

Substitutes
Tochtli Boots (E)

 

Boxton's Razorstaff (U)
Peon's Prescription for Prodigious Multiplayers
While Flash Flood has it's uses, Path Of Knives is mostly filler that you accept to have access to more powerful cards. Both are readily available on arcane items so giving up a staff slot for them is pointless. Even the most control oriented mage should ideally have some way to deal damage and Path of Knives isn't good enough at closing the deal. Would not purchase.

Peon's Perspective for Penny-Pinching Singleplayers
Neither card are particularly useful, they don't work too well together, and they aren't Firestorm. Would not purchase.

Substitutes
None

 

Boxton's Red Pendant (P)
Peon's Prescription for Prodigious Multiplayers
While both cards are fantastic, a control wizard doesn't want Flame Jet and a burning wizard wants to max out on burn spells. Some amount of defense on a burning wizard is not the worst but it is preferable to get it through other means, like Sparkling Cloth Armor boots, and not dilute your damage output. Would not purchase.

Peon's Perspective for Penny-Pinching Singleplayers
Burning wizards are not as effective as ones using Firestorm, Volcano, or Flash Of Agony. Telekinesis has some usefulness for Firestorm positioning but there are Firestorm items with Telekinesis and it isn't strictly necessary. Would not purchase.

Substitutes
Pendant Of Artax (E), Stookster's Amulet (E), Banik's Bubbling Bauble (E)

 

Brightblood Glaive (P)
Peon's Prescription for Prodigious Multiplayers
There aren't any particularly weak cards on Brightblood Glaive but the 2 support spells are a bit risky. If you are or are up against a wizard based team or can hang back with your priest, Inspiring Presence becomes a souped up Healing Pulse with occasional card advantage. On the other hand, if your priest is the thick of the battle using the Inspiring Presence becomes a liability. Similarly, a well placed Consecrate Ground offers a fistful of cards and sometimes displaces damaging terrain netting you a 4 for 1. This can also backfire if your character needs to retreat, gets killed, or gets shoved off with a card like Violent Spin. You're also glued to that spot unless you're willing to risk handing it over to unwanted squatters. In general, it is best to avoid swingy cards like these unless your build is set up to abuse them. If building around those cards seems appealing to you knock yourself out, but Brightblood Glaive does not slot well onto any priest and doesn't have any of the marquee priest buffs. Would not purchase.

Peon's Perspective for Penny-Pinching Singleplayers
Inspiring Presence and Consecrate Ground are very effective against ranged mobs. They will always move away and give you more than enough room to work with. As always, the double major token cost is the deal breaker, limiting usage to level 14+ modules. Combining the two further limits the amount of play you can get out of Brightblood Glaive. Would not purchase.

Substitutes
Inkdark Halberd (E) , Godtouched Spear (E) : Inspiring Presence
Pearl-Handled Glaive (R) : Consecrate Ground

 

Brin's Spiked Rod (P)
Peon's Prescription for Prodigious Multiplayers
Stone Spikes is a fine card, especially for paper quality but that's not the card you're here for. Counterspell looks like it only useful against wizards but the majority of priests have buffs for you to strip away. You do need line of sight and priority for the optimal payoff but it's so rarely used that no one plays around it. While you will almost always be facing a buff priest or wizard, being useless against warriors is a massive downside. Brin's Spike Rod is good for being tokenless but it is not something I'd actively be looking for. Would not purchase.

Peon's Perspective for Penny-Pinching Singleplayers
Brin's Spiked Rod gets a lot weaker in singleplayer. Not only does Stone Spikes not do enough when you are outnumbered but there are plenty of double Firestorm options to choose from for your tokenless arcane item needs. Would not purchase.

Substitutes
Rod Of Palver Pree (E), Runcible's Bracelet (E)

 

Brin's Storm Locket (N)
Peon's Prescription for Prodigious Multiplayers
Burn wizards are some of the most token intensive builds so being a good tokenless option is a huge plus. However, Brin's Storm Locket is vastly inferior to Azgul's Orb. Counterspell does too little too often and you would much rather maximize the number of burn spells you're running. Would not purchase.

Peon's Perspective for Penny-Pinching Singleplayers
Counterspell is still not a great card in singleplayer but it doesn't need to be. Brin's Storm Locket could have 2 Firestorms and a root canal and it would still be a chase item. Firestorm wizards need all the Firestorms they can get their grubby mitts on and Brin's Storm Locket certainly delivers. Highly recommend purchasing.

Substitutes
None

Comments from the Peanut Gallery
@Gingrich Yurr
Fire wizards actually run Firestorm? Both the Stone Spikes from Berian's Locket and the hand reveal from Silverfire Vial seems more appealing to me for my fire wizard than damaging myself and potentially my team, especially when I'm running Overheated Staff which is all the time because of the token saving.

@Sir Veza
Since the thread seem to be on a discussion time-out, if Brin's Storm Locket is an option, it's quite good in the demon portals. Also on map 3 of Forest of Souls, but I don't bother swapping out for that one.

 

Fire wizards actually run Firestorm? Both the Stone Spikes from Berian's Locket and the hand reveal from Silverfire Vial seems more appealing to me for my fire wizard than damaging myself and potentially my team, especially when I'm running Overheated Staff which is all the time because of the token saving.

 

I like the guaranteed damage Firestorm provides. If you're in a position where Firestorm is killing off your own team before theirs, you're probably too far behind no matter what that card is. When Stone Spikes is bad it does nothing but force a move and it's ceiling is 6 damage to a character. Firestorm has a slightly worse floor of being a dead card but it's ceiling is so much higher.