The Daily Deal

Ferocity
Multiplayer
Blind Rage is a staple on dwarf skills and one of the main reasons to pick dwarves for melee characters. It can be painful when you can't reach opposing characters to unload your attacks before ending the turn but the trait cycling and damage boost completely makes up for it. Violent Spin is also an incredibly valuable card. The most obvious use for it is capturing occupied victory points but it has other functions as well. When used next to teammates Violent Spin acts like a mini Team Run. It can also be used as an unblockable push card for delaying an opposing assault or maintaining a position. There are two questions you need to answer before deciding whether or not to purchase the obviously powerful Ferocity. Do I have a token to spend on a racial skill and is Ferocity better than the Raging Rock? Personally, I would go with Ferocity since dwarves want all the movement they can get and Violent Spin has the potential to create a massive amount of virtual card advantage.

Singleplayer
Blind Rage plays out about the same in both types of play. Movement cards such as Violent Spin on the other hand are much more hit or miss. Victory points are not equally accessible in most cases so having a movement advantage does not matter much. Violent spin can still be used to capture and maintain victory points but enemies usually have less HP so that isn't as big of an issue either. Ferocity is still powerful in singleplayer but it just isn't worth the token in most cases.

Peon's prescription for prodigious players- If you believe that Violent Spin is worth spending a token on and is better than the Toughness found on Raging Rock then Ferocity is a slam dunk. Would purchase Ferocity if you can fit it into your multiplayer build, especially if you want to build heretical warriors that want to capture victory points instead of killing wizards. Would not purchase if you only play singleplayer.

Substitutes
Raging Rock (E) , Apprentice Ferocity (E): Blind Rage

Ettin's Club
Maquah Of Ancient Blood- One of the best single token weapons available. Great way to free up a token for Ferocity. Hint, hint.
Wedge Shield

 

As always, peonprop was faster alas... It's hard to be the first when the local time for the day end is 3.00 am

Ferocity. 5!/5. I guess there are maps where you don't need team moves, but they are rare. On most maps Violent Spin is so much better than Toughness that the choice between Ferocity and Raging Rock is trivial. Moreover, the Violent Spin is a sound reason to upgrade your Raging Battler, if you can spare a token. Savvy Attacker is popular, isn't it? Even one mass move is worth the token. Yes, Violent Spin is weaker than Team Run as a mass move (you move only 3 squares, while the rest chars move only 2, and only if they were adjacent to you), it's still a great card and action advantage (and there are times when you simply don't need to move that far). Moreover, it can push enemy characters as well, and it's currently far more powerful than any movement control of the wizards, since it's just part of the movement, it cannot be blocked, and you can push the enemy from the victory area and immediately grab it in a single action. If you play dwarven warriors or priests in MP (or at least plan to) and don't have 2 copies yet, buying Ferocity is highly recommended.
The SP rating is lower (not "the best") simply because the warriors aren't as good in SP, and you can rarely win just by grabbing a victory area.

Ettin's Club 3?/2. There are much better bashing weapons.
Maquah Of Ancient Blood. 5/5?. Great damage for , plus a good tech in Unnerving Strikes. Don't fear Ouch!, it rarely deals more than 4 damage, and the damage can be prevented by armor. If you don't have 20 attacks and have some armor, Ouch! is better than "just another weak attack", since it's replaced with a better card. Plus, you can use the Maquah for the "handicap items only" SP quests.
Wedge Shield 3/3. Nice shield, but there are better options. A lot of them.

My rating shows only the power/cost ratio of the item in the right build (not necessary in yours!) '?' means the need of a special build (or a special map). '!' means the best item for its cost, in its category or essential for the build.

 

Stop using the word "drawback"! It's been a while now "handicap" in the quests and always in the search. No need to confuse the new players.

 

OK, I've fixed that.

 

The new Deal is:

Kelvim's Buckler 2/2. Two Wounded Blocks for a single Disorienting Block should make a tokenless legendary shield.

Risky Trickery 3/2. This was much better before the rebalance, since Vulnerable added only +1 to the damage you received. Now it adds 2, and that's too much for the elven warriors.
Staff Of Pain 4/4. Very good staff with no bad cards. There are better alternatives, but it's still good for its tokens.
Superb Stoutness. 3/2. A general consensus says that a yellow token is too much for this.

 

Kelvim's Buckler
Multiplayer
You need a darn good reason to spend a token on shields when there are multiple high quality tokenless shields. Disorienting Block is a fairly good reason. It plays double duty in closing gaps against wizards and re-positioning melee characters for a back attack. Wounded Block is one of my favorite blocks, not in terms of power level but which attacks get blocked. Wounded Block is less likely to fall to test attacks while you are at a healthy life total and jumps in effectiveness when you need blocks the most. As always, you also need to consider if other options are more powerful. While none are strictly better, you may find Bloodshield Of Xoc,Ichabod's Buckler, and Wellington's Shield more appealing than Kelvim's Buckler.

Singleplayer
Let's face it, our friend Gary is a few fries short of a Happy Meal. You do not need the help of Disorienting Block to get a back attack on the AI. Between mobs with action depletion, baiting out attacks, Clumsy, and random passing for no reason back attacks are easy to get. Most mobs don't even have blocks to worry about. Getting closer to ranged characters is still fine but not worth the token for shields when other slots give you better movement options for the same price.

Peon's prescription for prodigious players- If you have a specific build that wants Disorienting Block, Kelvim's Buckler is a solid choice. Would not get it for general builds and would pass on it for singleplayer completely.

Substitutes
Acrobat's Aegis (R) . Jaguar Buckler (E) : Disorienting Block
Bloody Shield (E) : Bloodied Block

Risky Trickery
Staff Of Pain- This is a Flash Of Agony weapon I can get behind. Nearly as good as Staff Of The Misanthrope and won't bust the piggy bank.
Superb Stoutness

 

I meant Halt... i still think duration 2 would be right sized for an Emerald card

 

Superb Flexibility
Multiplayer
Advanced Battlefield Training is a trap. You go down a card to put all your eggs in one basket. I have yet to see it played so if someone has an insane Advanced Battlefield Training build quit holding out on us.

Singleplayer
The only reason you'd want the abomination that is Advanced Battlefield Training is if you want to donate all your All Out Attacks to one character for a massive Almighty Hack. Even then you'd want Perfect Flexibility for more copies.

Peon's prescription for prodigious players- Friends don't let friends play Advanced Battlefield Training. Would not purchase this. If you really want to experiment get one of the epic substitutes instead.

Substitutes
Flexible Tactics (E) , Trained Flexibility (E) , Perfect Tactics (E)

Armor Of Negation
Bniff's Boots
Sturdy Armor- Fine double Reliable Mail heavy armor.

 

This Day's Deal is:

Superb Flexibility - 1/1. Total crap.

Armor Of Negation 4?/3? Can be used in Volcano party, but not the best even there.
Buiff's Boots 1/1 Total crap.
Sturdy Armor 4/4 Nice armor, if you don't have better.

 

Darune's Dagger
Multiplayer
Sometimes you only have a single token to use on weapons. Darune's Dagger is not what you want to be getting. Penetrating on a low damage attack is a joke. You might as well play a high damage attack that does 4+ even against armor. Step 1 attacks are similarly bad. Most spells push 2 or more squares so Penetrating Lunge really only counters bash attacks, and we all know bash warriors are a myth. Get a real weapon like Dangerous Club or Maquah Of Ancient Blood and find other ways to shore up movement.

Singleplayer
This is much more useful in singleplayer but only for trog slaying. If you don't run wizards for armor removal you will want as many penetrating attacks as possible. The Step 1 is even relevant since those pesky trogs always land 1 square away. Still, there are much cheaper weapons that are more suited for the job and some of you probably already got them for free from treasure hunts.

Peon's prescription for prodigious players- Don't bring a dagger to a sword fight. Would not purchase this for multiplayer. Would look out for the better penetrating epics for singleplayer.

Substitutes
Trogsbane (E) , Woodhome's Wound (E)

Banik's Bubbling Bauble- I love having Telekinesis and Gusts Of War in my Firestorm farming parties. Send another wizard into the middle of the map and nuke everything.
Jygpin's Healing Ring
Xochu's Icy Circlet- If you are still hankering for encumber effects Cone Of Cold is arguable the best one to get. The current map rotation is a bit too clustered for it though. Sending someone flying with Force Cannon is one of the most satisfying things you can do.

 

OK, the new Deal is here.

Darune's Dagger 1/1. The most utter crap I've ever seen.

Banik's Bubbling Bauble. 3/4? In MP, it's often better to have some control than to have some weak attacks like on the other Firestorm items. In SP this depends on the scenario. You don't need to move the goblins, but it would be great to push away some giant monster.
Jygpin's Healing Ring. 4!/4! The best healing/wizard-supporting item in the game. Buy it if you don't have two yet.
Xochu's Icy Circlet. 3!/4!? Encumbrance isn't as strong as it was, but this is the best Cone of Cold item in the game, so if you would ever need the cold, it would be good to have the Circle.

My rating shows only the power/cost ratio of the item in the right build (not necessary in yours!) '?' means the need of a special build (or a special map). '!' means the best item for its cost, in its category or essential for the build.

 

Not a bad item but I am not sure why you refer to it for wizard support as there is nothing that is wizard specific as opposed to the
Skull Of Savage Iljin

 

General Gideon's Helm
Multiplayer
Helmets in general tend to be crappy. To even consider a major token on helmets it better offer you something you can't get easily otherwise. Well General Gideon's Helm certainly delivers in that respect. It's been two days and no one has come forward with a sweet Advanced Battlefield Training build. I'm starting to think they don't exist. I guess if you really really want to draw Advanced Battlefield Training you can fit four of them into your deck and donate some blocks. I hear it's really good for making enemy characters just waste time attacking you.

Singleplayer
I believe the record for highest damage attack is still at 544 if anyone is still trying for it.

Peon's prescription for prodigious players- Advanced Battlefield Training is just as bad on Wednesdays as Mondays. Would not purchase unless you're trying for the damage record to be the envy of all of Cardhuntria.

Substitutes
Rusty Sauce Pan, Traffic Cone, Anti-Alien Foil Hat

Cudgel Of Healing Light
Perfect Insight
Petochl's Sword- A little pricey at two major tokens but a very nice starter weapon if you're looking for Sundering Strikes.

 

If you are, Cap Of Soaring works just as well and is Common.

 

General Gideon's Helm. 1/1. Nobody has broke Advanced Battlefield Training yet.

Cudgel Of Healing Light. 3/4. It's the favorite weapon of my supporting priest in SP. Nice attacks, three healing cards.
Perfect Insight 2/2. I cannot imagine a party where this may be worth a yellow token.
Petochl's Sword 5/4. This sword is insanely good. It has no weak attacks, it deals 50 damage total, and 5 of 6 attacks have very strong tech. It isn't overpriced even a single bit: most good weapons deal less damage. There are no step attacks though, so you're going to get them from the other weapons.

If you don't have enough Blackeye Hammers yet, today is your chance.

 

Because Inspiring Presence is much better for a wizard team then for a warrior team. You don't provide draws and healing to the enemies if you are staying at long range.

You can rely on the combo only if you use a lot of Orbs. But such items are rarely used in large quantities. As a single card, Force Cannon is much better.

 

I agree as a single card the cannon can be better, but the ability to hit 2+ characters (including if set up correctly you can do a Vic square switcheroo) the force cone is often a better option. When you consider that both items have 2 cone of colds on them it is more likely that a 3rd cone attack will be more useful since if you need to stay linear why equip Cone of cold. Splitting hairs for sure.

 

Wild Trickery
Multiplayer
Elven Trickery got a major downgrade but it is still a powerful card. Forcing the discard of the oldest attack usually pays off nicely if the characters you move next to didn't attack the previous turn. You either get something juicy that they had saved or you get one of the few attacks they drew for the current turn. Free move allows you to bypass any defenders your opponents put forward or gain access to a characters backside who hopefully don't have a way to turn around after the discard. Wild Run is obviously best used on the first turn when you can just discard your base movement to ambush an enemy. The card disadvantage can be annoying in the later game when your oldest card is armor, a block, or just a powerful card you saved from the previous turn but short of running Sprint, Wild Run is your best option for covering great distances.

Singleplayer
Yes, Elven Trickery gets one card from each mob you land next to, even with shared hands. The biggest problem is you don't really need the discard to begin with. In many of the cases where mobs are tightly packed, they have action depletion and can't attack you twice anyways. There are some maps where enemies rush and surround you like the Storges in The Troll Tyrant where you will more than likely force the discard of entire hands. Elven Trickery shines in those situations but beyond that getting one or two attacks isn't going to do much.

Peon's prescription for prodigious players- If you really want to play around with Elven Trickery, be on the lookout for Superb Trickery, the only skill with two of them. If you want to play around with it cheaply, there are many rare and epic items with a single Elven Trickery, some that are arguably better than Wild Trickery. Would not purchase this skill.

Substitutes
Cautious Trickery (R), Healthy Trickery (R) , Pacifist Trickery (E), Risky Trickery (E)

Ettin's Club
Nimbus Blade- Nice Impenetrable Nimbus divine weapon for the consummate cat slayer.
Underdog's Shield- Obviously the best shield in the game. Just look at those beautiful blocks. Brings a tear to the eye. In all seriousness, if you want a tokenless shield with block any this is a nice option. Desperate Block may as well say block melee though since there are not many 5+ damage spells without hard to block.

 

Wild Trickery 4/2.
Elven Trickery is still an awesome card if you play it correctly. If you manage to move adjacent to several opposing chars, they ALL will discard their oldest attacks cards. If you use it after the enemy warrior chased you and used his weak attack to trigger the block you could have, you will discard a powerful attack and completely ruin the opponent's plans. It's extremely effective versus the "11-attack warriors" whose owners think that the attack power may compensate for the low quantity of the attacks: you can Trick them almost safely, as they rarely have more than one attack. Free Move allows you to "flank" the enemy, attacking him from both sides and ignore his blocks. Wild Run is a good card, especially on turn one, when you can immediately grab the victory area, or even better, attack the enemy char with two of your chars, but losing your oldest card is a serious drawback that forces you to build up your hand before using it.
Peonprop is right, Superb Trickery is much better. But all cheaper alternatives aren't better than Wild Trickery - on the contrary, they're much worse, especially the items with Vulnerable. Vulnerable may easily make you dead. I think that Wild Runs may be crucial on some maps, so the skill may be worth buying, if you have the gold and don't want to wait for the Superb Trickery.

Ettin's Club 2/2. Too weak to be played.
Numbus Blade 4/4!?
Impenetrable Nimbus is a great card if you play it correctly - I mean, not attach it "just in case", but play it only when it's needed. It isn't overly popular in MP now, since a supporting priest usually plays a lot of Mass Frenzy and some heals, but having some Nimbuses may still be very useful. In SP there are some scenarios where you need as many Nimbuses as you can get, and the Blade will be invaluable there.
Underdog's Shield 3/4.
Just a mediocre tokenless shield. Wounded Blocks are quite bad in MP, since you aren't planning to go below half health, so you are likely to discard them in order to keep something better in your hand. Desperate Block was designed to skip the weak attacks, but block the strong ones - unfortunately, with so many Mass Frenzies played nowadays it will try to trigger on almost all attacks. If you want a good tokenless shield for MP, look for Hexagon Shield. In SP, though, the shield is really good, especially if you're playing a lot of Firestorms and your team is almost always below half health. I like my Snitrick's Shield better, but this one is very close.

My rating shows only the power/cost ratio of the item in the right build (not necessary in yours!) '?' means the need of a special build (or a special map). '!' means the best item for its cost, in its category or essential for the build.

 

Yay I finally got a Nimbus Blade... It was never a priority since I have like a dozen Duality Mace but the nimbus blade is a clear upgrade.

Granted I think I am the only one who uses Unholy Frenzy but it is a nice little card that is like a spice. It won't make the dish but it turns up the flavor. I say this because most people with a priest and warriors runs Mass Frenzy but the ability to have an extra +2 makes every attack +5 which is significant. BUT since it is a targeted attack it can be used to test blocks for wizards OR if you know there is no armor do that final 1 point of damage OR it is just another attachment which can be used to push attachments which can help in a pinch. Okay Unholy Frenzy lecture over, thank you for your support.