The Daily Deal

Mathilda's Locket
Peon's Prescription for Prodigious Multiplayers
Another day another arcane item with a mishmash of cards. All solid cards by themselves but they don't fit particularly well together. Would not purchase.

Peon's Perspective for Penny-Pinching Singleplayers
Since Mathilda's Locket is control leaning I'll touch on my thoughts on control wizards in singleplayer. Control wizards and speed farming go together like peanut butter and asbestos. The only time using cards like Cone Of Cold and Flash Flood is appropriate is when you simply cannot power through a module using conventional strategies. I'm looking at you Black Plume Mountain and The Troll Tyrant. Still, unless you need to get a discount on token costs (Twizel's Water Talisman and Kelvin's Chunk Of Ice both cost a major token) and you're sure you want everything on the item Mathilda's Locket and company just don't make good buys. Would not purchase.

Substitutes
Bimson's Water Stone (E) , Tauri's Watery Maze (E) , The Soulstone (E) , Pip's Anklet (E) : Flash Flood
Hasek's Icy Ring (E) , Hylithia's Wand (E) , Xochu's Icy Circlet (E) : Cone of Cold
Waenog's White Chain (E) : Flash Flood + Cone of Cold

Flexible Tactics
Gaudekki's Orb- Firestorm alert.
Japper's Energy Boots

 

Today's Deal is:

Mathilda's Locket 3/3. The cards are decent and quite rare, but the item is unfocused. I can believe that somebody may be happy with two Lockets, having exactly the cards he needs, but I don't recommend buying it. The focused items are usually better.

Flexible Tactics 1/1. All cards are bad... a rare occasion!
Gaudekki's Orb 3/5. One of the best tokenless Firestorm items for SP. Only the legendaries are better. Highly recommended for the new players.
Japper's Energy Boots 3/4? Energizing Move is a great card for the dwarves, since it doubles their regular movement, but usually Team Run or Violent Spin are better. In SP these boots may be very good for your dwarven wizards though, allowing them to outrun the enemies. A piece of armor, even mediocre, is always welcome in a Firestorm party too.

Don't miss Rageblood Dagger, if you don't have enough copies yet. It's a great source of step attacks + Blind Rage.

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.

 

When the new changes hit, Lateral Thinking will be an excellent card, especially in the right builds. Advanced Battlefield Training gets a nice boost as well.
Team Run (4, 3, 3) changes to Team Walk (2, 2, 2), which I didn't find impressive. I'm curious to see how it will be valued in MP.

 

Sorry, but I don't see "excellent card" there. Yes, it will thin your deck, but it isn't a trait, so you have to spend an action on it.

OK, it will be a cantrip. Still, you lose a card just to give 2 cards to another char. Net card disadvantage.

I guess that's too much of nerf. (3,2,2) would be OK IMHO.

 

It discards all negative traits. (Vulnerable, Large Weapon, et al.) It leaves the beneficial attachments. And you draw a card

 

Incorrect. It discards handicaps, that is, black cards. Wimpy, Trip, Vulnerable, etc. Debuffs and DoTs remain.

 

I stand corrected. I obviously didn't test it thoroughly enough. Edited previous post. I could have sworn it worked on an attachment set by an enemy, but I can't do it now. Guess I was wrong. Less impressive now that I understand it. Doubt I'll run it.

 

Just confirmed that it is working as I described above, for whatever it's worth.

 

And before it catches someone off guard, that means it'll discard your Blind Rage too.

 

A note for all would-be vampires: Focused Healer, arguably the most crucial item for building a vampire, is in the Daily Deal for only 100 gold assuming you are at max renown.

 

Beater
Peon's Prescription for Prodigious Multiplayers
There are very few playable weapons for a minor token or less and Beater does the second most damage out of all of them. There are two reasons that make it a poor purchase though. The most obvious one is that it does nothing special besides saving a token for elsewhere. For a slight dip in damage output you could get some Unnerving Strikes from Maquah Of Ancient Blood or Dangerous Club. The other reason that holds Beater back is that you can get the same damage out of tokenless options. The Strongarm and Blazing Shortsword (if you count the burning damage) both do 42 damage as well. What you are paying for with Beater is consistency but at the cost of power from some other part of your deck. Would not purchase.

Peon's Perspective for Penny-Pinching Singleplayers
As much as it pains me to admit, Firestorm is not the panacea that I've been making it out to be. There are a few modules that have fairly small amounts of enemies with high hp where farming is much faster with a Mass Frenzy melee party. Melvelous the Magnificent is a great example. He has high hp, constantly runs out of Firestorm range, has Shimmering Aura when you do get close enough, and has Hover for any Volcanos you're packing. It is a lot faster and way more satisfying to run up and smack the living daylights out of him. While Beater is one of the best options for the job I still can't recommend it when there are so many cheaper options. You can spend your hard earned gold on an item that helps for a few levels or save it for something that works better for just about everything else. Would not purchase.

Substitutes
Blazing Shortsword (E), Blackeye Hammer (R) , Maquah Of Ancient Blood (E)

Clever Mobility
Rusty Healing Armor
Whorl

 

I got Beater as a drop, and I can say it is the best one minor token weapon I have. Whenever I need a low-level crusher in SP, I make sure they have Beater. Sure, it's not as good in most situations as your substitutes, but when it's used in the right situation, it helps a lot. For SP, I think Beater is better than Maquah Of Ancient Blood because of two things: 1.) It has no drawbacks. 2.) Most monsters don't have blocks, so Unnerving Strike isn't as good. It might not be worth 2500 gold, but it's a great SP weapon.

 

Agreed. I have some, but didn't actually buy any. Handy in SP when you have a minor token and no other pressing use for it.

 

Thanks for the ongoing analyses! They're very helpful.

Which minor token weapon does the most damage?

 

What are people's thoughts on Whorl? I remember asking about Riptide before when it showed up in the Deal or Randimar's, and the consensus (which I agreed with) was that it's probably not worth owning multiples because there are often better weapon choices. I'm less well-versed in the staff options, though. I remember giving Whorl a shot for a while, but I don't honestly remember how well it worked. Impetuous Blast seems inherently more dangerous to your own people than Impetuous Slash, since it's harder to avoid line of sight to your friends than just avoid standing next to them. Could be fun to try, though.

 

Beater 5?/4. While Beater really lacks some good tech unlike Maquah Of Ancient Blood and costs you a token unlike The Strongarm, it still has one distinct advantage: all its attacks are crushing. Thus, it will deal much more damage with Crusher, and that is the only reason to buy it, if you like the combo. Note that the crushing warriors also need movement, so the Beater has to compete with Porior's Nimble Mace and similar weapons. I am not saying it's a must have, but it's isn't a waste of gold too, if you have the gold.

Clever Mobility 4?/3. Nice if you really need Flanking Moves, even though Evasion has more copies. This can be combined with Captain Cedric's Boots to get 4 copies in your deck + a searching engine in Elven Maneuvers. Could be a great range 2 warrior, guys!
Rusty Healing Armor 2/2. Nothing to look at here.
Whorl 2/3. Lifesaving Block is bad, and Impetuous Blast is simply dangerous, since you usually see all your teammates. Both cards are better in some SP scenarios though, especially against the damned storges. Still, everybody gains one copy from a scenario, and I cannot recommend buying the second one.

Also, don't miss Focused Healer, if you don't have enough copies yet.

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.

 

Hwango, while you wait for answers, there's some talk of Whorl in the Favorite Artifact? thread.

 

Massive Harm clocks in at 45 damage. Whew, is it just me or is it getting hot in here?

 

Spoiler: Sorted by Tokens

Item Damage

Bejeweled Shortsword 58
Sword of the Lion 54
Trickster's Maquah 52
Petochl's Sword 50
Barreling Club 48
Shieldripper 48
Thick Iron Club 47
Master's Battleaxe 45
Sundersong 45
Dragonslayer Sword 44
Sharp Spetum 42
Polished Plancon 42
Bloodchopper 40
Bohemian Ear Spoon 38
Copper Spear 37
Barbarian's Club 36
Axe of the Titans 36
Tango Spear 36
Quick Jon's Axe 36
Sword of the Winds 36
Basher's Delight 34
Reaper's Scythe 34
Hammer of Bashing 30
Rapier of Rage 30
Reap the Whirlwind 24
Vibrant Pain 24
Bec de Corbin 24
Dancer's Dagger 19
Carver 19

The Hackmaster 56
The Bludgeonator 51
Powerful Sword 48
The Tenderizer 48
Colossal Hammer 46
Mazzaram's Mighty Mattock 45
Long-handled Mace 43
Riptide 41
The Lunginator 41
Enormous Mattock 40
Unbalanced Greatclub 39
Double-edged Sword 38
Warrior's Mace 38
Heavyweight Mace 38
Warrior's Axe 37
Nimble Hatchet 35
Weighted Cudgel 34
Gleaming Glaive 33
Lead-pommeled Sword 33
The Goldleaf Blade 33
Silver Maquah 33
Simple Axe 32
Militiaman's Pike 32
Blocking Mace 32
Flashing Longspear 32
White Katana 32
Balanced Rapier 32
Massive Club 29
Stout Club 28
Splintering Cudgel 27
Sturdy Rapier 27
Opaline Hammer 26
Flametouched Spear 24
Crazy Sal's Halberd 21
Spear of Dancing 15

Mindless Aggression 60
Infused Greatclub 46
Zazhetl's Gray Blade 42
Raxcotl's Hammer 39
Bloody Battleaxe 38
The Pulper 36
Acrobat's Blade 36
Weighted Shortsword 36
Sword of Loud Thoughts 35
Quornic's Battleaxe 35
Surging Battleaxe 34
Heavy Maquah 34
Glimmering Sword 33
Thornhill Sword 32
Rageblood Dagger 32
Troll's Ire 32
Hawlic's Handy Axe 32
Bolg's Big Iron Plate 32
Assegai 32
Trickster's Blade 30
Reliable Axe 30
Adamant Shortsword 30
The Perforator 30
Brass Rapier 30
Hefty Chopper 30
Shieldpopper 30
Itotia Blade 30
Ztoli Branch 30
Giant's Battleaxe 29
Sharpened Pick 29
Flaming Sword 29
Club of Devastation 28
Shadow Spear 28
Singing Glaive 26
Burnished Blade 26
Leather-wrapped Spear 26
Gold-flecked Rapier 25
Hand-held Ram 25
Crimson Morningstar 25
Puncturing Dagger 24
Trident 24
Enormous Axe 24
Bolg's Club of Evasion 24
Devil Trident 24
Angerforged Maquah 24
Enormous Tree Branch 23
Ettin's Club 23
Light Mace 21
Lochaber Axe 21
Eixocl's Hammer 20
Bruising Dervish 19
Pirate's Rapier 19
Axe of Evasion 15
( )
Massive Harm 45
Beater 42
Maquah of Ancient Blood 38
Dangerous Club 38
Obsidian Club 38
Oversized Pick 37
Darune's Dagger 32
Porior's Nimble Mace 27
Silver Rapier 27
Marblehilt Blade 26
Trogsbane 25
Crummy Short Sword 24
Crude Polearm 23
Goblin's Club 22
Piercing Pick 22
Woodhome's Wound 22
Blackeye Hammer 22
Manhunter 21
Club 19
Excellent Rapier 18
Dagger 17
Simple Dagger 16
Lunging Spetum 16
Atchocl's Spear 16
Rotting Club 15
( ) ( )
The Strongarm 42
Hefty Stout Club 33
Leaden Maul 32
Unbalanced Doloire 31
Old Adze 26
Kobold Killer 26
Vinewrapped Cudgel 26
Blazing Shortsword 24
Thick Club 24
Carved Club 23
Bulky Club 22
Heirloom Assegai 21
Grey Rapier 21
Keen Baselard 20
Blunt Sword 20
Cleaver 20
Rickety Polearm 20
Thin Poignard 20
Flimsy Rapier 20
Golem Cleaver 20
Nifty Halberd 19
Bare Knuckles 18
Curved Sword 18
Rusted Blade 18
Woodsman's Axe 18
Plain Dagger 18
Stiletto 18
Improvised Halberd 18
Hatchet 17
Shiny Blade 16
Light Spear 16
Lunging Glaive 15
Slippery Sword 15
Chipped Dagger 15
Fool's Maul 14
Dull Shortsword 14
Blocking Axe 9

Spoiler: Sorted Only by Damage

Item Damage Token 1 Token 2
Mindless Aggression 60
Bejeweled Shortsword 58
The Hackmaster 56
Sword of the Lion 54
Trickster's Maquah 52
The Bludgeonator 51
Petochl's Sword 50
Barreling Club 48
Shieldripper 48
Powerful Sword 48
The Tenderizer 48
Thick Iron Club 47
Colossal Hammer 46
Infused Greatclub 46
Master's Battleaxe 45
Sundersong 45
Mazzaram's Mighty Mattock 45
Massive Harm 45 ( )
Dragonslayer Sword 44
Long-handled Mace 43
Sharp Spetum 42
Polished Plancon 42
Zazhetl's Gray Blade 42
Beater 42 ( )
The Strongarm 42 ( ) ( )
Riptide 41
The Lunginator 41
Bloodchopper 40
Enormous Mattock 40
Unbalanced Greatclub 39
Raxcotl's Hammer 39
Bohemian Ear Spoon 38
Double-edged Sword 38
Warrior's Mace 38
Heavyweight Mace 38
Bloody Battleaxe 38
Maquah of Ancient Blood 38 ( )
Dangerous Club 38 ( )
Obsidian Club 38 ( )
Copper Spear 37
Warrior's Axe 37
Oversized Pick 37 ( )
Barbarian's Club 36
Axe of the Titans 36
Tango Spear 36
Quick Jon's Axe 36
Sword of the Winds 36
The Pulper 36
Acrobat's Blade 36
Weighted Shortsword 36
Nimble Hatchet 35
Sword of Loud Thoughts 35
Quornic's Battleaxe 35
Basher's Delight 34
Reaper's Scythe 34
Weighted Cudgel 34
Surging Battleaxe 34
Heavy Maquah 34
Gleaming Glaive 33
Lead-pommeled Sword 33
The Goldleaf Blade 33
Silver Maquah 33
Glimmering Sword 33
Hefty Stout Club 33 ( ) ( )
Simple Axe 32
Militiaman's Pike 32
Blocking Mace 32
Flashing Longspear 32
White Katana 32
Balanced Rapier 32
Thornhill Sword 32
Rageblood Dagger 32
Troll's Ire 32
Hawlic's Handy Axe 32
Bolg's Big Iron Plate 32
Assegai 32
Darune's Dagger 32 ( )
Leaden Maul 32 ( ) ( )
Unbalanced Doloire 31 ( ) ( )
Hammer of Bashing 30
Rapier of Rage 30
Trickster's Blade 30
Reliable Axe 30
Adamant Shortsword 30
The Perforator 30
Brass Rapier 30
Hefty Chopper 30
Shieldpopper 30
Itotia Blade 30
Ztoli Branch 30
Massive Club 29
Giant's Battleaxe 29
Sharpened Pick 29
Flaming Sword 29
Stout Club 28
Club of Devastation 28
Shadow Spear 28
Splintering Cudgel 27
Sturdy Rapier 27
Porior's Nimble Mace 27 ( )
Silver Rapier 27 ( )
Opaline Hammer 26
Singing Glaive 26
Burnished Blade 26
Leather-wrapped Spear 26
Marblehilt Blade 26 ( )
Old Adze 26 ( ) ( )
Kobold Killer 26 ( ) ( )
Vinewrapped Cudgel 26 ( ) ( )
Gold-flecked Rapier 25
Hand-held Ram 25
Crimson Morningstar 25
Trogsbane 25 ( )
Reap the Whirlwind 24
Vibrant Pain 24
Bec de Corbin 24
Flametouched Spear 24
Puncturing Dagger 24
Trident 24
Enormous Axe 24
Bolg's Club of Evasion 24
Devil Trident 24
Angerforged Maquah 24
Crummy Short Sword 24 ( )
Blazing Shortsword 24 ( ) ( )
Thick Club 24 ( ) ( )
Enormous Tree Branch 23
Ettin's Club 23
Crude Polearm 23 ( )
Carved Club 23 ( ) ( )
Goblin's Club 22 ( )
Piercing Pick 22 ( )
Woodhome's Wound 22 ( )
Blackeye Hammer 22 ( )
Bulky Club 22 ( ) ( )
Crazy Sal's Halberd 21
Light Mace 21
Lochaber Axe 21
Manhunter 21 ( )
Heirloom Assegai 21 ( ) ( )
Grey Rapier 21 ( ) ( )
Eixocl's Hammer 20
Keen Baselard 20 ( ) ( )
Blunt Sword 20 ( ) ( )
Cleaver 20 ( ) ( )
Rickety Polearm 20 ( ) ( )
Thin Poignard 20 ( ) ( )
Flimsy Rapier 20 ( ) ( )
Golem Cleaver 20 ( ) ( )
Dancer's Dagger 19
Carver 19
Bruising Dervish 19
Pirate's Rapier 19
Club 19 ( )
Nifty Halberd 19 ( ) ( )
Excellent Rapier 18 ( )
Bare Knuckles 18 ( ) ( )
Curved Sword 18 ( ) ( )
Rusted Blade 18 ( ) ( )
Woodsman's Axe 18 ( ) ( )
Plain Dagger 18 ( ) ( )
Stiletto 18 ( ) ( )
Improvised Halberd 18 ( ) ( )
Dagger 17 ( )
Hatchet 17 ( ) ( )
Simple Dagger 16 ( )
Lunging Spetum 16 ( )
Atchocl's Spear 16 ( )
Shiny Blade 16 ( ) ( )
Light Spear 16 ( ) ( )
Spear of Dancing 15
Axe of Evasion 15
Rotting Club 15 ( )
Lunging Glaive 15 ( ) ( )
Slippery Sword 15 ( ) ( )
Chipped Dagger 15 ( ) ( )
Fool's Maul 14 ( ) ( )
Dull Shortsword 14 ( ) ( )
Blocking Axe 9 ( ) ( )

*Values reflect changes in upcoming build.

 

I was thinking primarily of Only Bones, with Crusher as a possible handy addition. The Beater can be useful, but I really don't recommend buying one unless you're a collector or have a huge amount of excess gold. Hefty Stout Club, and Infused Greatclub can handle the skellies, and that's just an SP thing anyway.