The Daily Deal

Angry Jack's vs Tough Leather Cap is pretty even, to me. I think it comes down to whether you want Blind Rage in your deck or not.

Lately I'm leaning on no to that question for the decks I'm playing, so I'm not running it. But when I do run Blind Rage I think it's plainly one of the better hats, and frequently worth the token. Tough Leather Cap is solid though, and I think it's very comparable.

 

I would agree except that AoA is on 2 helmets Blind Rage only 1, making Angry Jack's more valuable in the sense that it can do what no other helmet can. But Blind Rage overall is easier to get, but since it counts as a trait it shrinks your deck. There are plenty of times you don't want Blind Rage but there are builds where AoA is a wasted card (like ones using lots of Nimble Strikes).

 

St. Hongjin's Soulstone

Spoiler: Previously reviewed

Azure Shield- Flimsy Block can be good against some spells but if you're going to be forced to play it get Icicle Shield instead and save a token.
Risky Trickery- The name says it all. Vulnerable can be ok on a support or ranged character that can afford to get behind cover or stay out of the fray but you would be better off with Pacifist Trickery. Risky Trickery is better for warriors who would rather take extra damage than take a turn off attacking though Cautious Trickery is a little more mobile and a whole lot safer. Not a huge fan of any of these anyways since Cautious Mobility is so good.
Sparkling Shield- If you want a miser's copy of Dodge on your shield Rusty Buckler and Backflip Buckler are a lot better.

Notable Rares
Blackeye Hammer- Decent damage for a single token weapon while you wait for Maquah Of Ancient Blood.
Diamond Moccasins- Great option for both Quick Run and Sparkling Cloth Armor lovers. Both are great for chasing down pesky wizards.
Fireblinker Initiate- Only way to get max copies of Ember Burst though most burning wizards will probably want Focused Pyromancy instead.
Infused Greatclub- One dimensional but Infused Greatclub sure brings the pain.
Rusty Buckler- Love Parry but hate having 3 dead cards against wizards? Well now you can have 2.5 dead cards instead! Rusty Buckler was a former powerhouse but sees a lot less play now due to the rarity and roll downgrade on Dodge. People don't want Dodge as much and the ones that do can get more copies on other shields for the same or lower token cost.
Skipping Boots- Solid pair of tokenless boots.

 

I knew that this seemed familiar!

 

Peonprop, if you want to even further complicate things for yourself and add to your workload, you might consider having a link to the original post in your spoiler. (Probably you have already considered this and there's a good reason not to in which case fair enough, no biggie.)

Void, you just pointed out that Peonprop had reviewed the item previously, when Peonprop himself announced the very same thing in his post in a prominent way. Was this really necessary?

 

... yes? - reading through it again and cant see him saying it anywhere?

 

Do the words "Previously reviewed" mean anything to you?

 

Ok fine let me re-phrase that: "I knew that seemed familiar!, it was in shop two days ago!" - that better for you?

 

St. Alipp's Hammer
Peon's Prescription for Prodigious Multiplayers
Mass Frenzy on a tokenless divine weapon is great. Everything else is pretty meh. You won't find cleansing effects on weapons of the same cost but you generally don't want them either. Without targets to Cleansing Ray, you are stuck with a Minor Heal that can't be used for block checking. For most builds, all you really want is that Mass Frenzy in which case St. Amarack's Cudgel fits better. Would not purchase.

Peon's Perspective for Penny-Pinching Singleplayers
Mass Frenzy in the lower levels is huge but not worth the legendary price tag. Slap on 3 Shuddering Relics and any old weapon with big attacks and go to town. If you simply must have that 4th or 5th Mass Frenzy I would again go for the piggy bank friendly option of St. Amarack's Cudgel. Would not purchase.

Substitutes
St. Amarack's Cudgel (E)

Oakenheart Shield- Subtle Parry rarely draws a card so you are paying a minor token to switch a Pushback Parry to a Parry on Hexagon Shield. If you're already running 2 block melees just bite the bullet and play Parrying Buckler for the full card advantage loses to wizards package.
Oxha's Sparkspreader- It's hard enough to get line of sight on 1 enemy character let alone 3 within 2-3 squares of one another. You need a lot of buffs and a masochistic opponent to get full value.
Simin's Glowing Mirror- Rod Of Palver Pree gives you a lot of the same utility without the awful Zap. Many control wizards use Sensate's Ring and Blasting Amulet as well.

Notable Rares
Dependable Mail- The pain-free budget tokenless heavy armor of choice though most opt for the riskier but more powerful Perilous Ringmail or Spiked Tlahuiztli.
Fireblinker Initiate- For when 12 Ember Bursts aren't enough.
Focused Pyromancy- Pretty much a must have for any burning wizard.

 

Darune's Dagger

Spoiler: Previously reviewed

The Daily Deal

Elphala's Healing Ring- Inferior to Jygpin's Healing Ring.
Mageslayer Mail- Shimmering Aura is not only too narrow for general use but also not better than a Reliable Mail that protects against anything. When you play a narrow card you want it to be dominating in the situations it's useful like Resistant Hide.
Savage Tome- Unholy Energy is a lot better than I gave credit for in previous reviews. While I still think it's bad for catching up when you are behind, if you use it early on or when the board state is even the card advantage can really add up. Savage Curse is a wizard buff all-star and Touch Of Death being a magic attack can come in handy in a Parry heavy environment.

Notable Rares
Mail Of Absorption- I prefer Stormward Pauldrons and there aren't too many spark wizards running around but Mail of Absorption is better for those that want to avoid encumbrance.
Perilous Ringmail- One of the most popular tokenless heavy armors. Some people say don't use them on elf warriors but I say Traveling Curse just helps your pointy eared death machines kill faster.
Rageblood Dagger- Solid mix of movement and damage with Blind Rage thrown in for spice.
Superb Evasion- Best way to move your entire party but an elf playing opponent always gets to move their characters after knowing where yours go.

 

I just wanted to point out that there's no sense comparing Elphala's Healing ring to Hyrillia's (major token) and Jygpin's (it has Inspiring Presence). Instead, you will note that there are items like Ajan's Glowing Vial/ Antioch's Figurine (tokenless) , Ring of triple twin heals, and Bundle of better-than-ring-of-twin-heals, all of which outperform Elphala's Ring. Heck, even Silver Healing Ring is still a bit better.

Otherwise, good job peonprop and keep it up.

 

Oops, shows you how much I use healing items. Will fix.

 

Jornin's Figurine
Peon's Prescription for Prodigious Multiplayers
Having dead cards, weak cards, or being unfocused usually makes an item a dubious purchase at best. Jornin's Figurine has the full trifecta and the audacity to charge you a minor token for it. Not much more to say here. Would not purchase.

Peon's Perspective for Penny-Pinching Singleplayers
There aren't many modules that you'll want cleansing effects and when you do, you want a lot more than what Jornin's Figurine offers. Would not purchase.

Substitutes
Amber Charm (U)

Grey Charm- You are paying for an awful Soothing Darkness when the best card is Savage Curse. There are much more playable options available.
Salazar's Sandals- There are some items with a sub par card like Perfect Toughness or Aegis Of The Defender that have other cards powerful enough to run. I believe Salazar's Sandals falls under that category and used to use them before I had access to Captain Cedric's Boots.
Sharp Shell- Perilous Ringmail and Spiked Tlahuiztli are much better if you're looking for good armor on a tokenless heavy armor.

Notable Rares
Focused Piety- Chaining cards off of Altruism is one of the most busted things you can do. It is also the easiest way to see the fabled draw limit for yourself without massive amounts of nasty traits.
Frosty Staff- If your control wizard is having trouble beating step attacks like Nimble Strike and Dancing Cut, frost spells might be what you are looking for. Not being able to halt characters anymore makes them a lot weaker against other ranged characters though.
Stone Of Shards- Reflexive Teleport doesn't see much play but this is the only tokenless way to get it.

 

I agree with you on Jornin's Figurine- Spear of Darkness, Cleansing Ray, Triple Heals is a random set of cards without any focus. You would need 3 of these just to have some clear purpose of why you are using them. Now, if you could swap out Spear of Darkness for a Consuming Spear, you would have a level 7 legendary which you may consider using for the utility /healing combination.

Can't say I recommend Grey Charm over Savage Tome or Black Token. I guess it does have more healing potential, but still a pretty off choice.
Sharp Shell is Heavy Armor, not Divine Armor. I would barely consider it if it WAS divine armor, which actually lacks cheap double Shimmering Auras. As is, I have about a dozen of these darned things plus half a dozen Sparking Shell not to mention Wex's Mail; and I can barely recommend using those over Sharp Shell as is. Would not buy, barely useful for Ruby demon portal.

 

Double oops. Shows you how much I look at Sharp Shell before I pick something infinitely more playable. Will fix.

 

White Flame

Spoiler: Previously reviewed

The Daily Deal

Farzil's Perplexing Horn- Short Perplexing Ray is yet another nerfed card that sees less play than it should. While it doesn't remove 2 cards anymore it is still a 2 for 1 where the second card is always a Shuffle. It isn't as versatile as cards like Telekinesis but it does defang enemy characters so your own can move in to finish them off. The major token requirement is rough and it is a worse version of Bewlin's Baffling Bauble but Farzil's Perplexing Horn is a nice item to have access to.
Long-handled Mace- If you're going to be playing Unreliable Block on a weapon the rest of the cards better be ridiculously good. Long-handled Mace does not fit that description.
Xalanen's Boots- Fails the Shimmering Aura test. A low SAT score needs great extracurricular activities to get in. Officer's Harness does not cut it.

Notable Rares
Focused Electromancy- It is hard to justify running Focused Electromancy over the tokenless Electroporter Novice but sometimes it's right to run the full amount of Spark Generators.
Slippery Shield- Great way to add movement without diluting action cards on your warrior or priest.
Steel-rimmed Buckler- For those not ready to commit to a 3 Parry shield.

 

I realize that we tend to prefer focus, but isn't Perplexing Ray a very powerful card to have in your deck? I guess the 8 range isn't often as useful as one would like, since how often are you going to be de-fanging enemy wizards or support clerics, as opposed to the warrior about to shove a Powerful Hack into your face.

 

The difference is they have a move card to hit that may or may not be what you want them to discard. Against a wizard or support priest it is definitely not what you want.

 

Wow! Staff Of A Million Embers, just one day after its perfect partner in pyromania, its synergistic sibling in scorching, its calamitous compatriot in combustion, White Flame? I approve.

 

Staff Of A Million Embers, want. I mean, it looks like a Mind Flenser, for some reason. And six Ember Bursts!

Although, I already have Staff Of Embers, so I don't NEED need it. . .