The Daily Deal

Hawlic's Handy Axe
Peon's Prescription for Prodigious Multiplayers
I'm not gonna sugar coat it. Hawlic's Handy Axe is a stinker. Low damage, high token cost, no outstanding cards, and you can get an eerily similar Unbalance Doloire for no tokens. Seriously, they're the same except Unbalanced Doloire is a bit droopier. Would not purchase.

Peon's Perspective for Penny-Pinching Singleplayers
Don't even think about it.

Substitutes
Hawlic's Handy Butter Knife, Hawlic's Handy Hand, Hawlic's Handy Plunger

Axahot's Shield
Banik's Bubbling Bauble- Great for Firestorm farming and decent for control wizards.
Oakenheart Shield

 

Hm, my Legendary in Daily Deal is Bolg's Club Of Evasion .. ??!?

 

This happened last time there was an update too. I think if you didn't check the shop or log in or something before then you get the new set of items. I'm getting Bolg's Club of Evasion on my test server account too.

 

Ok, Peon .. what about Bolg review then .. for us who got that in DD..

I haven't had time do play after Dodge changes.. how does Dodge seem now?

 

Bolg's Club Of Evasion
Peon's Prescription for Post Patch Procrastinating Multiplayers
Dodge builds used to be able to accumulate two copies and annoy the heck out of melee attackers with a 75% success rate. With the updated Dodge, that rate goes down to 55.56%. Because of this, I think it's better to think of it now as a value card rather than a complete strategy. It's ok to replace blocks in the shield slot since they serve similar functions. However, now that you can't rely on it as much, the value of replacing attacks with Dodge goes way down. As much as it pains me to say it, and you know that I love me some 13 attack warriors, the kind of build Bolg's Club of Evasion was meant for isn't feasible anymore. Would not purchase.

Peon's Perspective for Postponing Purchasing Singleplayers
Warriors are either killing machines or damage sponges in the campaign. Those in the former don't want to skimp on attacks. Those in the latter would rather be Impenetrable Nimbused since it always works and isn't useless against ranged mobs. Heck, everyone wants to be Nimbused up. You get a Nimbus! And you get a Nimbus! Everybody gets a Nimbus! Would not purchase.

Substitutes
Bec De Corbin (E)

Hasek's Icy Ring- I like Hylithia's Wand and Xochu's Icy Circlet better since Acid Blast and Force Cannon fit control decks more. Slightly better for mixed role wizards.
Axahot's Shield
Oakenheart Shield

 

Forval's Chain
Peon's Prescription for Prodigious Multiplayers
Short Perplexing Ray is not commonly used. A random discard is not worth giving up position from moving a step away when you can increase the distance to 2 or more squares by moving the enemy instead. Cards like Winds Of War and Telekinesis also combo with Path Of Knives much better. Both Short Perplexing Ray and Path of Knives are fairly easy to get on cheaper items so there's no reason to splurge on Forval's Chain. Would not purchase.

Peon's Perspective for Penny-Pinching Singleplayers
Path of Knives is pretty good at killing unarmored mobs with big movement cards since they ignore the presence of attachments. Unfortunately, there are very few instances where there are few enough mobs for single target spells to be effective and they have anything bigger than a Walk. Even then, you are using two cards, Path of Knives plus movement or slide spell, to get damage through when you could just use a couple of burn spells instead. Short Perplexing Ray is awful in singleplayer. Movement matters less so you'll usually only care about the discard, but mobs with shared hands and large hands on bosses make random discards insignificant. Would not purchase.

Substitutes
Booming Ring (E), Blood Locket (R) , Sarigo's Rod (E)

Magnetic Shield- Very good anti-magic shield if you're in the market for one.
Mail Of St. Aulx
Tempered Falmestaff

 

For new players - Daily Deal has Infused Greatclub - a good rare weapon for just 100g.

 

God's Rage
Peon's Prescription for Prodigious Multiplayers
Discarding your oldest card to Controlled Overswing is a massive drawback. Between armor, blocks, and spells that you don't want to use immediately you will often have an important card that locks you out of playing it. You can play Controlled Overswing as the last card in hand but again, this is a rare occurrence. Twin Heals is ok as heals go and being able to draw out blocks on full health opponents is a bonus. Blind Rage may as well be anything that cycles if your priest has few attacks. In the end, the unreliability of Controlled Overswing is the biggest factor holding God's Rage back. Would not purchase.

Peon's Perspective for Penny-Pinching Singleplayers
Priests should primarily be healing and buffing, possibly vamping if you're feeling frisky. God's Rage has a heavy focus on damage dealing. Spending two cards to deal 10 damage should be low on your priority list. Your priest did not spend all that time in seminary school just so you could have him or her do a warrior impression. Would not purchase.

Substitutes
Cudgel Of Healing Light (E) , Xipes's Maquah (E)

Bloody Shield
Magma Scepter- Volcano and Firestorm on the same item? Shut up and take my gold already Randi.
Yoloxl's Staff- Jumpspark is underwhelming but two copies of Gusts Of War and a hard to come by Illusory Barrier go a long way to make up for it.

 

I love my tank priest, but God's Rage is still garbage.
The notable rare, Shielding Token, is also on the menu. Great with or without spam.

 

And a must have item for lots of 1HP quests.. I used 2 priests with 3 Tokens each + 1 wizard for a lot of middle-level 1HP quests..
Buy it now, I struggled for months to go from 2 to 5

 

Robes Of White Wylla
Peon's Prescription for Prodigious Multiplayers
Anyone dreaming of a White Wylla Christmas is going to be disappointed. Sure, it looks pretty but underneath all that colorful wrapping paper is a big ole loaf of fruitcake. One damage to all your spells is great but how many spells are you buffing? For the average wizard it's 12 attacks from staves and a couple of random low damage utility spells like Gusts Of War. In other words, attacks will make up about half your deck after taking traits and other cycling cards into account. A whopping 1 extra damage a turn if you've got an Arcane Shell in hand. Whoopee. Robes of White Wylla does get better for a burning wizard who has full access to attacks on arcane items but you will need an Azgul's Orb to free up the token. You will also need to consider what you are giving up for the slight damage boost. A Resistant Hide armor is usually the default and it is the trump card to opposing wizards. Also, if you are maximizing attacks, chances are you are cutting back on control cards making you vulnerable to melee characters. You also won't want to run any unbuffable terrain attachments which severely limits the amount of playable tokenless arcane items. Robes of White Wylla is strong on paper but there are very few ways to make the benefits outweigh the costs. Would not purchase.

Peon's Perspective for Penny-Pinching Singleplayers
Major token items always face extra scrutiny due to being limited to high level modules. It is useless for Volcano or other terrain attachment strategies, worse than Firehide Robes for Firestorm, and if you're running anything else I suggest you cut back on the eggnog. If you are running a different sort of wizard take a look at what will actually get buffed. I suspect it isn't all that much. Would not purchase.

Apprentice Tactics
Emperor's Plate- Fine if you want Arrogant Armor though I prefer the easier token cost on Impervious Panopoly. There aren't many attachments running around that a regular armor wouldn't do just fine against so you'll only want Arrogant Armor for crazy brews.
St. Glist's Charm

 

Do you mind expanding on this statement? I'm not sure I follow what you're driving at.

 

Unless you run non-targeting spells or Punishing Bolts you won't be able to finish anything off with a Squeamish wizard. Is there something I'm missing?

 

Two ways around that.

1. If the base damage of the spell is less than the total of the target, it can still kill them with effects that later boost damage.
2. Burst Spells are pretty good for a blaster wizard anyway.

I run a wizard with Squeamish and Blue Destruction and very rarely has he been unable to kill someone between option 1 and 2.

 

Well since damage boosts are specifically a way to get around Squeamish (though admittedly it can still be tricky), I'm just not following how an item with damage boosting cards makes it less desirable to run Squeamish items. The entire rest of your assessment makes perfect sense to me, it was just this one comment that I didn't understand.

 

I don't think buffing is a great way to get around Squeamish but those are valid points I hadn't considered. Will edit the post.

 

Yvette's Buckler
Peon's Prescription for Prodigious Multiplayers
This is a solid shield. It has two of the best blocks in the game in Defender's Block and Surging Shield Block. Subtle Parry is a bit weak but if you're going to have a narrow block it's usually better to go with a block melee. There are many parties that run no wizards and very few that are exclusively spellslingers. Even if you do run into Gandalf, Merlin, and Harry Potter at the same time that Surging Shield Block goes a long way towards making up for the dead card. Getting to block an attack and close in on them at the same time is a massive tempo advantage. I wouldn't fault anyone for wanting a shield with 3 all purpose blocks (I myself am a card carrying member of the Block Anything All the Time Club so I won't be picking it up) but if you're looking for a great minor token shield you could do a lot worse than Yvette's Buckler.

Peon's Perspective for Penny-Pinching Singleplayers
Don't waste your gold on shields. You know what you'll be facing so you can suit up with cheap Parry or Catch Arrow shields and they will be better a lot of the time. Heck, blocks aren't even that important. Mobs tend to have a ton of weaker attacks so having better damage to take them out quickly is your top priority. Even good armor should be a bigger consideration for your tokens than blocks. Would not purchase.

Substitutes
Defensive Buckler (R) , Buckler Of Protection (R) : Defender's Block
Hexagon Shield (R), Buckler (R) , Jaguar Shield (E) , Oakenheart Shield (E) , Wedge Shield (E) , Wooden Shield (R) : Surging Shield Block

Frog Strapping
Pendant Of Artax
Robe Of Useful Things

 

Staff Of Embers
Peon's Prescription for Prodigious Multiplayers
Ember Burst is one of the most sought after spells for a burn wizard. It doesn't require line of sight since you only need to be able to see the center square and hits multiple things. There are 3 staves that you should consider for the Ember Burst job. Staff of Embers, Barnum's Staff, and Staff Of A Million Embers. Staff of a Million Embers is obviously the best option if you can afford the extra major token. Barnum's Staff has two less copies of Ember Burst but replaces them with two strong, albeit functionally different, burning cards. Staff of Embers has only one less copy but also has a nearly unplayable Burning Fingers. Pick the two qualities you like best out of the following and you'll know which staff you want: lower token cost, consistent, no weak cards.

Peon's Perspective for Penny-Pinching Singleplayers
All that junk I said up there is still true but keep in mind that token costs heavily restrict the number of modules you'll be able to use items in. So much so that I would downright pass on Staff of a Million Embers for singleplayer. In fact, I would favor Staff of Embers over Barnum's Staff too because single target spells are way less effective when you're outnumbered. I wouldn't personally use Ember Burst over Firestorm but there are a few situations where it is superior. Ember Burst is better than Firestorm in block heavy modules where you can wind up taking way too much self damage or if you're afraid of the self damage in general. If that's the case you have my blessing to purchase Staff of Embers...you big baby.

Substitutes
None

Apprentice Tactics
Carver
Raging Rock- Very good minor token skill for melee characters.

 

Quornic's Battleaxe
Peon's Prescription for Prodigious Multiplayers
The list of playable double minor token weapons is ridiculously tiny with Infused Greatclub being the gold standard. Quornic's Battleaxe trades 11 points of damage for chops and low damage penetrating attacks, neither of which are particularly desirable in multiplayer. Would not purchase.

Peon's Perspective for Penny-Pinching Singleplayers
I'll be perfectly honest. Whenever I use warriors in singleplayer the only thing I do is check how many Infused Greatclubs I can equip and fill in the rest with tokenless gear. To be fair, chops and penetrating attacks do have value in the lower levels to quickly deal with multiple mobs and armor respectively. However, I would still pass on Quornic's Battleaxe. There are way cheaper and more consistent alternatives to both. Would not purchase.

Substitutes
Hefty Chopper (C) , Reliable Axe (R) , Thornhill Sword (R) : chops
Piercing Pick (R) , Trogsbane (E) : penetrating

Mad Eskin's Pin- Decent but outclassed by Ring Of Appropriation.
Raxcotl's Hammer- Decent but outclassed by Infused Greatclub.
Untouchable Plate- One of the best options for Arrogant Armor.

 

Mokad's Reeking Skull
Peon's Prescription for Prodigious Multiplayers
The amount of card draw Mokad's Reeking Skull provides is unparalleled. In addition, Unholy Energy got a major boost in being able to self target. The damage you take is both negligible and preventable with armor. Now on to the bad news. Unholy Energy still makes for an awful topdeck. It does nothing the turn you cast it and you only break even on cards the following turn. That said, if you have a build that seeks to play the long game and/or amass a grip full of haymakers, Mokad's Reeking Skull may be just what you're looking for. People looking to rush their opponents before they have a chance to set up should look for a more pleasant smelling skull.

Peon's Perspective for Penny-Pinching Singleplayers
I can't stress enough how much it sucks when you buy a shiny new toy only to find out you can't even use it in over half the modules. Mokad's Reeking Skull is powerful and one of a kind but costing a major token makes it a poor investment. I will always sacrifice a bit of power if a more cost effective alternative is available because I know I will get more use out of it. If you have more gold than you know what to do with and you want the Cadillac of card draw items then by all means give Mokad's Reeking Skull a spin. The higher levels are certainly grindy enough that you'll have the time to benefit from the card advantage of Unholy Energy. Would not purchase otherwise.

Substitutes
Ebony Prayer Beads (R) , Incense Of The Caged Demon (E)

Barreling Club- This item makes me sad. Barge is so damn tempting but Bejeweled Shortsword.
Mageslayer Mail
Quigley's Cap