Rate my Randimar's Rarities

Bought the Helmet, thanks. Will wait for more opinions about Bloody Stoutness.

 

I wouldn't get it. Both blocks are a lot worse than they look. Duck usually winds up getting something weak and Bloodied Block always blocks the weakest attack.

 

Now we have a real expert here I guess the only good block in the game is Desperate Block since it never blocks "something weak"
In fact, Duck is a great block since it's "block any", and it provides you a card advantage when it triggers (the opponent loses his attack card, you get it). Bloodied Block (not Wounded Block!) is also very good, since it's "block any" at 1+ most of the time. Both cards are quite rare and popular. As for blocking something weak, the opponent doesn't always have it, and even when he does, he cannot be sure that you have only one block - especially if you're playing a good shield + Bloody Stoutness.

If you're interested, I've bought the Bloody Stoutness and quite happy with it. My supporting priest plays it in SP every time I can afford spending a token on the skill. If you have just few melee attacks (supporting priests usually have 6-8 or even less), you don't need Blind Rages, but you need the good blocks. Moreover, you can play Bloody Stoutness even on your dwarven wizards! Perfect Toughness is better, of course, but sometimes you just cannot spend a yellow token on it.

 

I do like Desperate Block more than Bloodied Block. It will always prevent 5 or more life and it won't reveal off weak test attacks. I have nothing against high percentage blocks but they need to have some other sort of payoff for me to consider them over other blocks. Pushback Parry hoses step attacks and comes on tokenless shields. Parry draws a card which makes up for blocking weak attacks. If Bloodied Block came on a tokenless dwarf skill like on humans I would play it all day. Otherwise, I try to avoid it if possible.

 

I don't know why are you seeing only one situation: the opponent has both weak and strong attacks in his hand and he has enough time to play them, and you have just one block card, and your block triggers when you need. This is the only situation where your arguments are sound. But the real life drastically differs from yours "spherical horse in vacuum":

• The opponent may have no weak attacks in his hand. Nobody places them in the deck on purpose, right? We just have to take them to get the needed cards. And everybody is playing Blind Rage and Mass Frenzy, so even the "weak attack" card will often deal 5+ damage.
  
• You may have some strong attacks, and the opposing char may simply fear to be killed after his weak attack. Especially if you have the mentioned MF/BR.
• You may have some ways to avoid the "strong attacks": run away, bash the opposing char away and so on. Nobody will play the weak attack first in such situations.
• The "weak attack" may have attached tech that will completely ruin your plans. Lunging Bash, Boiling Armor, Glob Of Flame are good examples.
• You may have two blocks in your hand, especially if you have 5+ blocks in your deck, which is likely with Bloody Stoutness. The enemy char will just waste time attacking you.
• The enemy may have Unnerving Strike. With Bloodied Block, you have decent chances to block it. With Desperate Block, you are likely to lose the block and take serious damage.
  
• Your Desperate Block may simply fail to trigger! What is better - to lose your Bloodied Block on the weak attack and at least have some time to react to the situation (run away, heal, put Impenetrable Nimbus etc) or just rely on the block and be killed? This is especially important for "hard to block" attacks.

High percentage blocks have their payoff, yes. The payoff is "block any" and the high chance of blocking. Pushback Parry and Parry are "block melee" cards, and they're totally useless versus magic. Bloodied Block is too good to come on tokenless skills without a serious handicap like in Trainee Command. It's very rare (there are only 8 items in the game with it, including weapons), and the best skills with it are Bloody Command and Bloody Stoutness.

I really don't know why are you evaluating the blocks this way, but most players consider Bloodied Block very strong (according to the forums). So you're actually giving the wrong advice to Rebel7284.

 

So it doesn't block the first attack. Are we at half health? It blocks the second equally or more powerful attack. The only way you block a weak attack is if your opponent knows the block is in your hand and somehow uses up all the strong ones without getting you to half health until the last one.

Not sure what your point is. I still have a block in hand at the end of this. You would rather be in the same situation with a few more life and no block in hand?

Why would you ever run your strong attacks blindly into a possible block when you have weaker ones? Even in the case where you want the bash to go through instead of the strong attack, my Wounded Block gets me the opposite of what you want. I have a lower life total but still have the block left over for the bash.

Ok, you got me, but why would someone throw this valuable tech into a Bloodied Block if that's what they want to go through? With Bloodied Block your opponent gets to decide what gets blocked, not you.

So now all characters need as many blocks as possible to get opponents to waste attacks? I'm pretty sure that isn't a good way to kill wizards.

Yes, these blocks are horrible against hard to block cards and great against everything else. Bloodied Block is decent against hard to block and bad against everything else. I will take my chances.

So you want the block that is only great when you are about to lose? How about the vast majority of the match where everyone is at a decent health? You draw the Bloodied Block early you are screwed. You draw a Desperate Block late game you still have a decent shot at blocking.

I am not giving wrong advice. I am giving different advice. I don't expect people to completely agree with me and I'm fairly certain a lot of people don't. I do know that I see Bloodied Block and Duck far less often then they should see play if they were as powerful as you claim. I also know that I've tried playing both of them and now avoid them when possible. I will certainly not go out of my way to include them in my builds. If you search for Bloodied Block posts, there are many calling it weak. I am stating which side I stand on.

 

For whatever it's worth, I agree with peonprop on Bloodied Block. The fact that it autoblocks everything if you're below full health means it'll often block something you don't care to block... like Elvish Insight, or other unthreatening attacks. I've always preferred blocks that have some additional upside or serve a specific purpose. I'm not sure the 'truth' is obvious here. Different players have different preferences. Bloody Stoutness is cool, but for the same token cost I honestly prefer Advanced Toughness in a lot of cases. It's got those decently reliable block anys (the downside of which can almost always be mitigated by Reliable Mail), and Toughness, which is an insane card. And all that at uncommon! Only 25 gold!

 

peonprop, perhaps you are confusing Bloodied Block with Wounded Block, as Bloodied Block adds 4 to the die roll if you are below full health - you speak about getting below half health?

 

Advanced Stoutness is yellow, actually. You probably meant Advanced Toughness. I wouldn't buy Bloody Stoutness either, though. But I'm not experienced enough to give out advice, I think.

 

I mixed them up in that first post. I will edit it if it's confusing.

 

Brainfarted and corrected before I even saw your post. Yes, I was talking about Advanced Toughness.

 

I was going to find some quotes from the other players about Bloodied Block, but decided not to do that. You already have my arguments. You never control when your blocks will trigger, and it's much better to have a block that will trigger on a weak/insignificant attack than to have a block that will fail to trigger on significant one

Yes, Advanced Toughness is good, but Bloody Stoutness is better, because the blocks are better. 2 damage isn't much, but 3+ without any compensation is just mediocre. Duck is 4+, but it gains you an extra attack. Advanced Toughness may be better for wizards, since they value Toughness more than Blood Rage, but the wizards rarely have a lot of Reliable Mails and HPs.

I have Bloody Stoutness, Bloodshield Of Xoc and three Bloody Commands. All these items are awesome. I may skip a second Bloody Stoutness since I have Ferocity, but no other skills are even close to them.

 

If your block triggers on a weak attack it is not there for the significant one. You are dead 100% of the time against a lethal attack without Bloodied Block in hand as opposed to 50% with Desperate Block.

Duck gains you a bad attack. No one is foolish enough to run good ones into a revealed Duck. The Toughness will get you more than 4 life most of the time and a card that may or may not be weak. How much life do you lose due to Blind Rage on a wizard?

These items are awesome. In singleplayer where the AI throws anything at you. They are not nearly as awesome against humans and above average chimpanzees.

 

My Randimar has the following:

Reap The Whirlwind
Wym's Lavastaff

Petochl's Sword - Should I get a second copy?
Raging Rock
Staff Of Blazing Sparks

I'm mostly trying to build my current MP team - 2 wizards (burning and control), 1 priest - so don't see them as must have items at the moment. Wouldn't want to pass on something great though.
Advice is welcome.

 

Reap the Whirlwind is for specialized builds. I wouldn't get it unless you want to build around it.
Wym's Lavastaff is one of the best farming staves available. Firestorm isn't very good in multiplayer right now though.
Petochl's Sword and Raging Rock are solid but not irreplaceable. You are also far more likely to find or see them again if you do decide to play warriors.
Staff of Blazing Sparks is fine for farming but Wym's Lavastaff is far superior most of the time. I wouldn't use either for your multiplayer build.

 

Where on Earth do you see those "weak attacks"? Who plays them? Besides, I've already described that you're talking about a completely theoretical situation, which isn't likely to happen very often. You didn't even think about that.

Only if your opponent had that "bad attack", played it against you, and the Duck triggered. Chances aren't very high.

So I am completely immune with the revealed Duck until the opponent finds a weak attack? Looks nice for me.

I can say the same about Duck. It will negate the attack that deals 4+ damage most of the time and gets you the card.

Not much. The wizards usually can play all their attacks.

Maybe, not against humans that specifically fill their decks with the weak attacks? Or refuse to hit the enemy at all seeing the revealed Duck until they get a weak attack? Looks like even the chimpanzees are smarter than that

 

It's the best weapon for Violent Spin/Disorienting Block warrior. That warrior will be able to push the opponents from the victory areas and grab them for himself. If you want to build such a warrior some time, you should buy the weapon, since no other weapon can replace it.

A good staff for the farming, but I guess you can live without it. You don't need 10 Firestorms on a single wizard.

 

I hope you are kidding. Please show us this all powerful build with nothing but strong attacks. Also find me this player that uses their most significant attacks first. I'll bet he lives near my girlfriend who's a model in Canada and totally exists.

Still waiting on that build/player.

I would say that's the biggest reason to play Duck. You won't get hit with significant attacks until it triggers. That still doesn't change the fact that you will never get a good attack out of it.

You get a low quality card every time.

While you are at it show me this opponent that doesn't find cover against wizards. Is it the same guy? I knew it!

So your player has a perfect deck with no weak attacks, hits people with Duck with anything in hand, and lets wizards hit them no questions asked? What a triple threat. You've basically just described Card-O-Tron.

 

Re: "Where are the weak attacks," I'll just leave this here ...
Infused Greatclub

One of the most-used, most-beloved warrior weapons in PvP. See the strong attacks? See the weak attacks?

 

That depends on what do you call "a weak attack". Is Lunging Bash a weak attack? I guess not. You want a build with only the strong attacks? Look at my Focused Crushing build. Even the Lunging Bash can deal +3 damage for Mass Frenzy, +2 for Blind Rage and +2 for Crusher. Do you call that "weak"?
When you play against such warrior, almost every attack you receive will deal more than 5 damage. So your Desperate Block differs from Bloodied Blocks only for the lower chance of triggering. But I guess that the first Unnerving Strike will discard it

That depends on the situation. If you've played Team Run and both your warriors reached the enemy chars, will you really play the weakest attack versus the enemy wizard to let him go away? Really??? I bet you'd just hope that wizard would have no blocks and use your strongest attack.