The Daily Deal

Fabrian's Shield (P)

Spoiler: Previously Reviewed

Multiplayer
While it still contains the narrow Catch Arrow, I like Fabrian's Shield a lot more than Oskar's Pine Shield. Even though Oskar's Pine Shield is guaranteed to have one of it's narrow blocks work in any situation, Fabrian's Shield knows what it wants and what is wants is to crush puny wizards. Multiplayer is currently awash in a sea of warriors and priests so Fabrian's Shield may not be the best choice to use in the current metagame. However, when the day of the wizard uprising comes you'll wish that Parrying Buckler had two Catch Arrows and a Defender's Block on it.

Singleplayer
There are some modules where Fabrian's Shield is the best shield possible. No other shield has 3 blocks that can block magic and projectiles and draw cards. There are plenty of cheaper options that are nearly as good though.

Peon's prescription for prodigious players- Would not purchase Fabrian's Shield. There's no doubt that it can be very powerful in the right situation but those situations are currently fairly rare. If you truly want to take down the Harry Potters and Gandalfs of the world there are many cheaper magic blocking shields to choose from, some that don't require tokens.

Substitutes
Bullseye Shield (E), Magnetic Shield (E) , Pellucid Shield (R) , Deflecting Buckler (U) , Spellthwart Shield (R)
The Daily Deal

Did Peon Buy It?
Nope. Although Fabrian's Shield is the best magic blocking shield, I don't play magic blocks in multiplayer and I'm too lazy to switch out Parrying Buckler in singleplayer. Odds are I'd be using Bullseye Shield anyways since it's tokenless.

Epics
Crespin's Shroud (P)
Cause Fumble takes up primo real estate usually reserved for powerful priest spells and people assume you're holding up Defender's Block so you're likely not going to be blowing anyone out. That said, if you want more blocks in your build here you go. There's also the legendary Oquith's Choking Incense if you really want to get crazy.

Dancer's Dagger (P)
Disorienting Block is very versatile but by far the biggest reason people play it is the back attack potential. The problem with Dancer's Dagger is that your valuable major tokens are spent on fairly weak step attacks. I would be more inclined to run Spear Of Dancing for a slightly more palatable token cost though Dancer's Dagger is better if you're just using Disorienting Block as a positional tool.

Morbo's Pendant (P)
Really unique item that I just can't see a use for but I'm sure it's out there.

Notable Rares
Argy Bargy Brand Sneakers (U)
Ooze Shove is both a potential powerhouse and a liability as control cards go. Moving something 3 squares away is second only to Violent Spin, and that's if you choose to give up your starting position. That said, Slide Back cards are limited by any blocking terrain behind potential targets and Ooze Shove itself is a blockable melee card. Muscle Through fairs better in the Unblockable department but it too fairs poorly against Violent Spin. However, what you lose in quality you make up for it in quantity. Getting two control cards on minor token boots is incredibly rare. In fact, the only other options are also player created items. Muscle-Bound Boots gives you more consistency but in the form of underwhelming Muscle Throughs. The epic Fashionable Ball And Chain has a Lunging Bash that fairs better against blocking terrain and the almighty Violent Spin but at the high cost of randomly Halting.

Frosty Staff (N)
The large variety of Cold spells on Frosty Staff allows you to stack Encumber better than any other staff. This is great if you just want a couple Cold spells on a control wizard but it only applies to targets which move 4 or greater. Also, if you're running a more dedicated Cold wizard, you'll already be packing Cone Of Colds from arcane items in which case you'd be better off with the more straightforward Staff Of Winter. Alternatively, you can opt for the legendary Staff Of The Arctic if you just want to Encumber everything in sight.

St. Xarol's Axe (P)
When you are farming the lower level modules, 5 damage is the sweet spot as it puts you out of Weak Block range that those darn Kobolds seem to never run out of. Being able to hit two things at the same time is just icing on the cake. If there is a priest in your low level farming party, St. Xarol's Axe is an excellent choice.

Yolotli Armor (U)
If there's one thing that Enchanted Harness loves it's armors with triggered effects and Barbed Platemail is the daddy of them all. To get both cards on the same heavy armor is just icing on the cake. If you've ever wanted to build around Enchanted Harness, Yolotli Armor is a good place to start.

Spoiler: Item Rating Code

(B)est of the Best
This item is the best of the best of the best. With honors. It is not only powerful but also fits in well established multiplayer or farming archetypes.

(N)iche
This is a great item but fits in a very specific build. You should only consider purchasing if you have that particular strategy in your sights.

(P)layable
Not the best. Not the worst. This item is simply solid all around and I believe could see play. If that isn't enough of a ringing endorsement then I don't know what is. Oh, and you can go ahead and assume that any rare that falls into other categories is playable as well. I will not list things that I would not be willing to play myself.

(U)nique
There is nothing quite like this item. Its cards are not found on other items of the same slot or not on other items period. If this item catches your fancy you should take a second look because you won't find anything similar elsewhere.

(V)alue
There may be better options but this item won't bust your piggy bank.


You could probably engineer a situation where this item wouldn't suck but it's more trouble than it's worth.


This item makes me sad and will probably make you sad too if you buy it. There are no circumstances where I'd consider playing this item.

 

Larkin's Orb (P)

Spoiler: Previously Reviewed

Peon's Prescription for Prodigious Multiplayers
Both Short Perplexing Ray and Cone Of Cold are great control cards against melee characters. Opposing wizards are less susceptible since they can keep out of range of Short Perplexing Ray and can continue attacking through encumber effects. What it really comes down to is how often you will use both cards on the same wizard. If you regularly add some cold spells to your Short Perplexing Rays then I see no reason to pass Larkin's Orb up. However, you can get more focused items for both effects that allow you to create more types of wizards. Would not purchase unless you see yourself equipping it often.

Peon's Perspective for Penny-Pinching Singleplayers
There are much better things to spend a major token on than control spells. In fact, just don't play control spells if possible. Short Perplexing Ray and Cone of Cold are particularly bad since they don't have a secondary use of moving your team around. Would not purchase.

Substitutes
Farzil's Perplexing Horn (E) - Short Perplexing Ray
Hasek's Icy Ring (E) , Hylithia's Wand (E) , Xochu's Icy Circlet (E) - Cone of Cold
The Daily Deal

Did Peon Buy It?
Nope. There are 3 reasons to buy less redundant items when more focused alternatives are available. You are getting a better deal on token cost, you are settling for a lower cost substitute, or you want to fine tune the numbers of the specific cards. The first 2 are obviously off the table for Larkin's Orb and I really don't like Cone Of Cold enough to do anything more than equip the occasional Xochu's Icy Circlet from time to time.

Epics
Coruscating Mail (P)
Shimmering Aura is the downfall of many an item but Coruscating Mail barely makes it over the playable line. If you're looking for Dynamic Armor, you'd probably want the more on theme Ogre Hide Armor instead.

Cottonwood Staff (U)
One of the best tokenless staves and the only one with Barge. The biggest thing Cottonwood Staff has going against it is that giving your wizard melee attacks turns on all your opponents' previously dead melee blocks.

Ripping Mace (P)
Great attacks and spells. It doesn't help you buff up but Purge makes sure that your opponent can't either.

Notable Rares
Captain's Coat (P)
Dynamic Armor is an extremely cool card that previously suffered from poor itemization. However, slap a Force Field next to it and you've suddenly got a good excuse to play it. If you're looking to exploit the movement half of Dynamic Armor with Elven Maneuvers, you may be interested in the less powerful but more synergistic Ogre Hide Armor. Force Field lovers can also turn to Spiked Forcemail and the epic Spaceproof Carapace for more defensive options.

Coruscating Blade (V)
Unholy Energy will deal you a noticeable amount of damage if the buffee isn't attack heavy or packing armor but extra cards for a couple hp you weren't using anyways is never a bad deal. When it comes to card draw on divine weapons, Coruscating Blade is only second to the legendary Gloomthirst. However, it's a little easier on the tokens, has a nice pair of Penetrating Stabs, and you get a little Purge thrown in for good measure.

Demon Charm Of The 3rd Circle (P)
If you want more cards and you want them now, nothing quite compares to Demonic Power. Unlike the vast majority of Demonic Power items, Demon Charm of the 3rd Circle has no truely bad cards. Sure Demonic Feedback is painful but it at least replaces itself. If you can swing the major token, Portable Battery and Tainted Terraformer also offer Demonic Power sans awful cards while Demon Charm Of The 7th Circle gives you the Frenzy buff all-star Unholy Wellspring. You could also go the tokenless route with Demon Charm Of The 2nd Circle for the same overall card advantage but lower card quality.

Goat Boots (B)
Goat Boots has an insane amount of things going for it. It is tokenless, it has a good cycling trait in Immovable, it has 2 non-movement cards for maximizing Elven Maneuvers, and the 1 movement card it does have is a Dash with minor downside. For those not in the know, Elven Maneuvers is mostly used as a draw engine for Step attacks. Boots with fewer movement cards increase the likelihood that your stream of death will go uninterrupted. Goat Boots also happen to be a stellar choice for singleplayer where you're less likely to need the movement against melee mobs. They come to you for the most part so all you want are boots that cycle you to your more important cards. For that, you can also go with Glimmer Boots for better armor if your character can play around Squeamish.

Perfect Command (B)
The one thing humans know how to do well is bossing people around and team movement granting command cards top the list. If you ever see a pair of warriors accompanied by a human priest or wizard, you can be fairly certain a Perfect Command is at play. The major token takes a bit of work to accommodate but the payoff of being able to double team targets with your melee big hitters is huge. If you can only spare the minor token, Command offers a swingier version that comes with a Slowed but there isn't anything that comes close to the quality and consistency of Perfect Command.

Superb Evasion (N)
Elvish Scamper is the best overall team movement card provided you play elves and whatever you're fighting against isn't. While it may seem like a big risk to play such a situational card, there are some non-obvious factors that make Elvish Scamper perform better than it does on paper. First of all, it's nearly risk free in singleplayer as elven mobs are few and far between. In multiplayer, you will almost never come across elven wizards and support priests. Elf wizards have notoriously low hp and elf priests don't have much to gain from racial skills. You are most likely going to face elf warriors and vamp priests in which case you're not likely going to need the Elvish Scamper to chase down targets anyways. If you do happen to use Elvish Scamper against an elf bearing opponent, keep in mind that you choose where to move first. You'll never be able to get next to an opposing elf if your opponents choose to run away and similarly, you'll never be able to run away if you started your move next to an elf. You'll also want to be careful not to give opponents the opportunity to gang up on your own characters which is best accomplished by keeping your party close together. Elvish Scamper is one of the best reasons to run an all elf party and Superb Evasion is the best way to get it.

Spoiler: Item Rating Code

(B)est of the Best
This item is the best of the best of the best. With honors. It is not only powerful but also fits in well established multiplayer or farming archetypes.

(N)iche
This is a great item but fits in a very specific build. You should only consider purchasing if you have that particular strategy in your sights.

(P)layable
Not the best. Not the worst. This item is simply solid all around and I believe could see play. If that isn't enough of a ringing endorsement then I don't know what is. Oh, and you can go ahead and assume that any rare that falls into other categories is playable as well. I will not list things that I would not be willing to play myself.

(U)nique
There is nothing quite like this item. Its cards are not found on other items of the same slot or not on other items period. If this item catches your fancy you should take a second look because you won't find anything similar elsewhere.

(V)alue
There may be better options but this item won't bust your piggy bank.


You could probably engineer a situation where this item wouldn't suck but it's more trouble than it's worth.


This item makes me sad and will probably make you sad too if you buy it. There are no circumstances where I'd consider playing this item.

 

I kinda disagree on cottonwood staff... while I am definitely not the most experienced player and I may complain lots at times, I think that cottonwood staff, even for a tokenless is not good. If I run a wizard, I do not want him using high powered melee attacks, I want him using high powered ranged attacks. Wizards are too frail or too slow to make good use of it, a dwarf wizard MIGHT be able to, but you would be unable to get away fast enough and would be gimping yourself of ranged attacks, something a wizard is known for. This is why I want a few of the wizard rare attacks and legendary staves to be dropped in rarity, wizards are the ONLY pay to win part of this game

 

If you are running up to people to Barge them away you are doing it wrong.

 

That kinda wasn't the point, the point of a wizard is to be able to hit people from a range, not hit them from close range. If your wizard is close enough to USE barge, you are using the wizard wrong.

 

This is blasphemy to Ironwood cultists.

 

St. Hongjin's Soulstone (P)

Spoiler: Previously Reviewed

Peon's Prescription for Prodigious Multiplayers
St. Hongjin's Soulstone has 3 powerful cards and would go fine on a vamp with no buff support but you're basically paying for a glorified Shuddering Relic. If you want a real Mass Frenzy item you will want to look out for just about anything Bleneth. Whether it's Bleneth's Frenzy Medallion, Bleneth's Frenzy Tome, or Bleneth's Frenzy Pocket Protector why pay for only 1 Mass Frenzy when you could have 2 instead? Even Bleneth's Frenzy Charm gives you the same buffing power for the low low price of no tokens. There's nothing wrong with St. Hongjin's Soulstone but it has big shoes to fill. Would not purchase.

Peon's Perspective for Penny-Pinching Singleplayers
Sometimes it's correct to spread out your character's roles in multiplayer where people tend to go after one character so that you aren't stranded with a buffer with few attacks or a wimpy vamp. In singleplayer that all goes out the window. It's rare that the AI will go after one character and when it does happen you just need to re-position a bit so that it will go back to attacking the closest character. Go with streamlined decks and you will draw what you need when you need it. Do not settle for the cheap Bleneth knockoff. Would not purchase.

Substitutes
Shuddering Relic (R), Dworia's Soulstone (E)
The Daily Deal

Did Peon Buy It?
Nope. Even on some sort of self buffing vamp, Shuddering Relic seems like the way to go. Being Vulnerable sucks but so does drawing an Unholy Frenzy when all you need is another vamp attack.

Epics
Hrillia's Healing Ring (NV)
The poor man's Ring Of Majestic Healing though to be honest, I kind of like Boosted Heal more anyways. I know the triggered heal is just a bad Thickened Mail but it just feels better healing back up after taking damage than outright preventing it.

Spacemartyr's Relic (P)
Inspiring Presence items generally saddle you with weak or narrow cards. Spacemartyr's Relic does the opposite but you will need to fork over a major token.

Weighty Wand (P)
Playable, but you are basically paying a minor token for an Armorbane Pendant.

Notable Rares
Incense Of Roiled Air (V)
Not every Mass Frenzy has the Bleneth seal of approval but Incense of Roiled Air does the next best thing. Priority considerations aside, Inspirations act like cycling traits in reducing deck size, giving you a better shot at drawing the stuff you really want. Everything also happens to be Holy for full Altruism fueled value. The legendary double Mass Frenzy items Bleneth's Frenzy Medallion and Bleneth's Frenzy Tome are preferable if you're simply after buffs. If you've got the major token you can upgrade to the legendary Bleneth's Skull. Alternatively, you could go in the opposite direction and get Shuddering Relic for tokenless actual albeit risky trait cycling.

Perfect Ferocity (NU)
There is one reason and one reason only to pick Frenzy Aura over double Blind Rage dwarf skills and it isn't the bad Rusty Armor impression. Adding Penetrating to melee attacks is crucial for vamp priests. They have lower damage attacks that get doubly screwed over by damage prevention since every point of damage dealt is a 2 point life swing. Having access to 2 Frenzy Auras is the biggest reason to go dwarf with your vamps so Perfect Ferocity is a big draw for short bloodsuckers.

Yolotli Armor (U)
If there's one thing that Enchanted Harness loves it's armors with triggered effects and Barbed Platemail is the daddy of them all. To get both cards on the same heavy armor is just icing on the cake. If you've ever wanted to build around Enchanted Harness, Yolotli Armor is a good place to start.

Spoiler: Item Rating Code

(B)est of the Best
This item is the best of the best of the best. With honors. It is not only powerful but also fits in well established multiplayer or farming archetypes.

(N)iche
This is a great item but fits in a very specific build. You should only consider purchasing if you have that particular strategy in your sights.

(P)layable
Not the best. Not the worst. This item is simply solid all around and I believe could see play. If that isn't enough of a ringing endorsement then I don't know what is. Oh, and you can go ahead and assume that any rare that falls into other categories is playable as well. I will not list things that I would not be willing to play myself.

(U)nique
There is nothing quite like this item. Its cards are not found on other items of the same slot or not on other items period. If this item catches your fancy you should take a second look because you won't find anything similar elsewhere.

(V)alue
There may be better options but this item won't bust your piggy bank.


You could probably engineer a situation where this item wouldn't suck but it's more trouble than it's worth.


This item makes me sad and will probably make you sad too if you buy it. There are no circumstances where I'd consider playing this item.

 

Yes, Barge is for the most part a reactive card but that's the better half of a control card like Telekinesis, which you can't get on a tokenless staff. You never want to end up next to a warrior but you sure wind up there often enough anyways.

 

hence my motto: "if your opponent is dead, they can't kill you" I don't normally run defensive items or control cards. If I am using a control tactic at all, its probably also killing the target at the same time.

 

IMHO battlefield control is essential to be successful in this game and there's no better character for the job than a wizard with control spells.

 

The problem with this is that both other classes can win the damage race against wizard. A gold 7 damage spark loses to a silver 11 damage hack or innervating touch. Wizards can only win by controlling the fight, which is what control cards like barge are for.

 

Yeah, my wizard is SLIGHTLY control oriented, to an extent. I was trying to build around Path Of Knives and found a strange kinda contradictory combination, encumber effects seem to work really well with it. since you can lock them in place double time and then throw them around a bunch.

 

Fulg's Cleansing Pot (N)
Peon's Prescription for Prodigious Multiplayers
You won't run into terrain attachments often enough and the heal is too weak to run Cleansing Ray in builds that don't run their own. Volcano and, to a lesser extent, rogue Radioactive Spray squares are the only terrain attachments that you would want to get rid of yourself. While Fulg's Cleansing Pot is a great asset for in those cases, there are much cheaper epic alternatives that do the job almost as well. In addition, St Ulrich's Bones is a popular epic alternative. albeit a major token one, that is flat out better in most cases. Would not purchase.

Peon's Perspective for Penny-Pinching Singleplayers
While there is some use in using Cleansing effects to mask the presence of incoming Volcanoes in multiplayer, you can simply pass the turn and move off against the AI. There isn't any real reason to run Cleansing Ray except in modules where you face terrain attachments. There are relatively few of those and it's not worth buying a legendary when much cheaper substitutes exist. Would not purchase.

Substitutes
Cleansing Diamond (E) , Noral's Cleansing Relic (E)

Did Peon Buy It?
Nope.

Epics
Incense Of The Caged Demon (P)
A little painful but one of the best minor token divine items for card draw. Ebony Prayer Beads and the legendary Mokad's Unholy Tome deal less self damage but are less efficient.

Supercooled Laser (N)
The best staff to get Cooling Laser.

Zod's Vile Spaceplate (P)
You are definitely getting your token's worth from Zod's Vile Spaceplate. Vamps in particular will often have the token available and make good use of the Invigorating Touch. Support priests may find the high risk high reward Bless on Stargod's Raiments more appealing though a mobile team will want to stick with Zod.

Notable Rares
Emberfloat Mantle (V)
Very few robes have Sparkling Cloth Armor and even fewer have Firestorm. Emberfloat Mantle is the only one to have both. While that makes it the second best choice for both cards, it is still an incredible value item. Firehide Robes is the obvious choice for a Firestorm wizard though Sparkling Cloth Armor is significantly better against melee than Resistant Hide. Thin Sparkling Cloak has an extra copy of Sparkling Cloth Armor but its popularity took a nosedive after the Vulnerable nerf. For having good anti-melee capabilities and a cycling trait all while remaining tokenless, Emberfloat Mantle is a great all-around choice of robes.

Goat Boots (B)
Goat Boots has an insane amount of things going for it. It is tokenless, it has a good cycling trait in Immovable, it has 2 non-movement cards for maximizing Elven Maneuvers, and the 1 movement card it does have is a Dash with minor downside. For those not in the know, Elven Maneuvers is mostly used as a draw engine for Step attacks. Boots with fewer movement cards increase the likelihood that your stream of death will go uninterrupted. Goat Boots also happen to be a stellar choice for singleplayer where you're less likely to need the movement against melee mobs. They come to you for the most part so all you want are boots that cycle you to your more important cards. For that, you can also go with Glimmer Boots for better armor if your character can play around Squeamish.

Manifold Healer (N)
Talented Healer a vamp priest's best friend. Not only do you get incidental heals from all your vamp attacks but by making them Cantrip, you can chain them together and suck people dry out of nowhere. With so many of the best vamp items requiring minor tokens or less, there is almost no reason to not play the major token requiring Focused Healer. That is of course unless you're using a vamp in a low level module. When major tokens aren't available, Manifold Healer is the next best thing.

Spoiler: Item Rating Code

(B)est of the Best
This item is the best of the best of the best. With honors. It is not only powerful but also fits in well established multiplayer or farming archetypes.

(N)iche
This is a great item but fits in a very specific build. You should only consider purchasing if you have that particular strategy in your sights.

(P)layable
Not the best. Not the worst. This item is simply solid all around and I believe could see play. If that isn't enough of a ringing endorsement then I don't know what is. Oh, and you can go ahead and assume that any rare that falls into other categories is playable as well. I will not list things that I would not be willing to play myself.

(U)nique
There is nothing quite like this item. Its cards are not found on other items of the same slot or not on other items period. If this item catches your fancy you should take a second look because you won't find anything similar elsewhere.

(V)alue
There may be better options but this item won't bust your piggy bank.


You could probably engineer a situation where this item wouldn't suck but it's more trouble than it's worth.


This item makes me sad and will probably make you sad too if you buy it. There are no circumstances where I'd consider playing this item.

 

Don't you mean Supercooled Laser?

 

off topic, but I noticed something, why isn't Hawlics Glowing Shirt a divine armor? It kinda throws the balance off, warriors have hawlics armor, wizards have his cape and priests have....nothing. I don't think it would affect much, its still terrible. I also want to know who hawlic was and why he has so many items hes known for, that and Searing Pain, I want one of those real bad

 

I've always considered Hawlic's Glowing Shirt to be a crappy, unplayable legendary, and never really thought much about it. The robes are evidence that Hawlic may have been a cross-dresser. Judging by the boots, Xander was too, but his gear was better.

 

Bleneth's Skull (B)

Spoiler: Previously Reviewed

Peon's Prescription for Prodigious Multiplayers
Still ridiculously powerful. Mass Frenzy doesn't replace Savage Curse or Unholy Wellspring for wizard buffing but it does make mixed class parties a little more palatable. Just be sure not to purchase it too fast or you'll get whiplash.

Peon's Perspective for Penny-Pinching Singleplayers
The major token requirement makes it less of a slam dunk than something like Bleneth's Frenzy Medallion. Still, it's hard to say no to something so powerful.

Substitutes
None, no lesser skulls need apply.
The Daily Deal

Did Peon Buy It?
Yes, but not today. I only have 1 but I can't remember ever wanting to equip more. Plus, between all the new major token toys from the last expansion and my increasing propensity towards running parties with one of each class, Bleneth's Skull is not the automatic inclusion it used to be. Or maybe those are just pitiful attempts to justify passing up on such a powerhouse.

Epics
Dancer's Dagger (P)
Interesting weapon though lacking in damage for a double major token weapon. Use the cheaper to equip Spear Of Dancing if you're just in it for the Disorienting Blocks.

Ravenna's Incense
You need to be pretty desperate for tokenless Inspiring Presence (and lacking in savagery) to want Ravenna's Incense as both accompanying filler cards are the weakest in their respective categories.

Zachary's Boots (V)
The poor man's Pergop's Slippers. Whenever I have a spare major token on a ranged or support character, double Violent Spin boots are among the first things I consider.

Notable Rares
Advanced Ferocity (NU)
There is only one item with War Cry that isn't a helmet and you're looking at it. Getting rid of blocks can be useful when you know they're there but that isn't what makes Advanced Ferocity special. Rather, it's the massive amount of cards it lets you burn through. Sure, other dwarf skills have Dwarven Battle Cry but Advanced Ferocity is the only minor token skill that also gives you a cycling trait. There is no better skill to help you find the cards you need when you've got an all dwarf farming party. However, I would hold off on using it in multiplayer. Not only are you risking giving free cards to your opponent's dwarves but you're also forgoing incredible defensive options like Toughness when you do so.

Focused Teleportation (N)
Not many wizards rely on spells that aren't buffable by wizard traits and wizards already have the tokenless Electroporter Novice for trait cycling so you need a very good reason to spend a token on the full set of Dimensional Traveler. Volcano is that reason. With the trait on, you are free to expend your movement cards to disguise the presence any Volcanoes in your hand or to pray that the AI uses up its movement cards in singleplayer. A savvy multiplayer opponent will realize that only Volcano wizards choose to use Focused Teleportation. Other options include going tokenless for Forceful Teleportation, though that also telegraphs impending Volcanos, or the ever popular Electroporter Novice, which disguises your strategy but only has one copy of Dimensional Traveler.

Spoiler: Item Rating Code

(B)est of the Best
This item is the best of the best of the best. With honors. It is not only powerful but also fits in well established multiplayer or farming archetypes.

(N)iche
This is a great item but fits in a very specific build. You should only consider purchasing if you have that particular strategy in your sights.

(P)layable
Not the best. Not the worst. This item is simply solid all around and I believe could see play. If that isn't enough of a ringing endorsement then I don't know what is. Oh, and you can go ahead and assume that any rare that falls into other categories is playable as well. I will not list things that I would not be willing to play myself.

(U)nique
There is nothing quite like this item. Its cards are not found on other items of the same slot or not on other items period. If this item catches your fancy you should take a second look because you won't find anything similar elsewhere.

(V)alue
There may be better options but this item won't bust your piggy bank.


You could probably engineer a situation where this item wouldn't suck but it's more trouble than it's worth.


This item makes me sad and will probably make you sad too if you buy it. There are no circumstances where I'd consider playing this item.

 

Aloysi's Ring
Peon's Prescription for Prodigious Multiplayers
My biggest pet peeve when it comes items is when the cards don't really go together. A control wizard that wants Force Cone benefits more from arcane and Spark attacks for the overlapping benefits from Spark Generator. Likewise, a burning wizard is highly incentivized to play with a pile of burning spells to take advantage of Firestarter. There is a possibility that you are actually looking for a couple of high damage cards on arcane items to fill out your control wizard. Aside from damaging terrain, burning cards are pretty much the only thing available. However, you could just pair Sander's Force Mirror and Miligar's Dragon Tongue and call it a day. Would not purchase.

Peon's Perspective for Penny-Pinching Singleplayers
My biggest pet peeve when it comes to items in singleplayer is lack of Firestorms. Would not purchase. Ok, ok, obviously that was a hyperbole but it isn't far from the truth. I do not play arcane items that don't have Firestorm, Volcano, or armor removal. Control spells can be useful against big boss mobs but you generally want cards like Telekinesis that don't randomly screw you over when there's blocking terrain or walls involved. Against everything else, it's better to simply burn everything to the ground as quickly as possible. If you want the best of both worlds on a single item, look no further than Banik's Bubbling Bauble.

Substitutes
None

Did Peon Buy It?
Nope. I've bought Sander's Force Mirror and I've bought Miligar's Dragon Tongue but I refuse to buy their unholy love child.

Epics
Apprentice Tactics
The poor man's Trained Tactics but with only one copy of the signature card, Lateral Thinking, it isn't worth bothering with.

St. Olf's Fiery Pike (B)
This is a must purchase for anyone that plays melee parties. Not only is it the best non-legendary source of Mass Frenzy but it's also one of those rare divine weapons with both great attacks and spells. The legendary Huetotl's Firebrand is better for those with the spare major token but St. Olf's Fiery Pike is nearly as good with its much more flexible token cost.

Vira's Chain (P)
Teleport Self is a little less necessary now that there are cards like Telepod Jaunt and Rocket Dash but Vira's Chain does only charge you a minor token.

Notable Rares
Buckler Of Protection (P)
Defender's Block not only breaks one of the rules of the game by allowing you to block back attacks but also draws you a card. While Lifesaving Block is a dead card in the early game, it is backbreaking when it works and it makes Buckler of Protection the best card drawing minor token shield with all purpose blocks. The legendary Ichabod's Buckler has slightly less dead early game and drawback free blocks in Wounded Block to go with your Defender's Block.

Rod Of Falling Cinders (V)
For being able to hit everything for a good chunk of damage, Firestorm is a singleplayer farming staple. One of the biggest problems you'll encounter when using a Firestorm strategy is getting your wizard into position. Your wizard needs to get to the center of the action for maximum effect. This makes spells like Gusts Of War incredibly useful when running multiple wizards. Double Firestorm legendaries like Azgul's Orb are preferable to maximize your odds of drawing your signature card. Short of that, items with Slide spells are the next best thing if you have the tokens. In that regard, the epic Banik's Bubbling Bauble is an obvious upgrade.

Rod Of Winds (P)
If there's one thing people tend to shy away from it's uncertainty. Whirlwinds are definitely random, it even says so in the card text. While I can't tell you where everything will land, I can tell you that it will be a pain in the butt for your opponent. Camping out on a victory square? Whirlwind. Finally got within striking distance of your wizard? Whirlwind. Got blocks waiting for a juicy target? I hope Whirlwind is good enough for you. Being able to inconvenience the entire opposing side is incredibly powerful. Rod of Winds is the single best item let alone arcane item to get Whirlwind Enemies from as there isn't anything else that gives more than one copy.

Spoiler: Item Rating Code

(B)est of the Best
This item is the best of the best of the best. With honors. It is not only powerful but also fits in well established multiplayer or farming archetypes.

(N)iche
This is a great item but fits in a very specific build. You should only consider purchasing if you have that particular strategy in your sights.

(P)layable
Not the best. Not the worst. This item is simply solid all around and I believe could see play. If that isn't enough of a ringing endorsement then I don't know what is. Oh, and you can go ahead and assume that any rare that falls into other categories is playable as well. I will not list things that I would not be willing to play myself.

(U)nique
There is nothing quite like this item. Its cards are not found on other items of the same slot or not on other items period. If this item catches your fancy you should take a second look because you won't find anything similar elsewhere.

(V)alue
There may be better options but this item won't bust your piggy bank.


You could probably engineer a situation where this item wouldn't suck but it's more trouble than it's worth.


This item makes me sad and will probably make you sad too if you buy it. There are no circumstances where I'd consider playing this item.

 

Ewix's Evolving Ensemble 5!?/5!? This is an unique item that you cannot pass if you like to build the crazy decks like me. The Ensemble is the only mail with Adaptable, so let's talk a bit about it. Adaptable is great for the long-range wizards, since the enemy usually deals ranged damage of just 1-2 types. It isn't as great for the warriors, unless YOU are going to damage the whole area with Fireballs, Volcanoes or Flash Of Agony. This card grants your warrior full protection of such things which may be a crucial part of your strategy. Unfortunately, you can have only one copy of Adaptable in your deck, but if it comes, it really does wonders. This is even more prominent in SP where your warrior can simply stay near some Mega-Smashing Beast and block it for several turns. If you cannot defeat some very hard scenario, think about this mail, and probably it will give you a chance.
Adaptable has its problems too. You can gain too many attachments which will make your own attachments disappear. So it wouldn't be very wise to play a lot of attachments with it - but you still can pack a lot of Mass Frenzy as usual Just don't spam the attachments of different types. As long as the enemy attachments will also be kicked off, Adaptable resembles Arrogant Armor a bit.
But Adaptable isn't the only unique card here! Mimetic Crown is probably even better since it creates a serious card advantage for you and even allows your warrior to return fire to the enemy wizards at range. But the most obvious way to break the Crown is Crusher. You get hit - receive a Trained Bludgeon with 2/3 chance, and hit the enemy for 8. Every time. Mass Frenzy and Blind Rage will work too, but Crusher doesn't require an action and doesn't deal you damage. If you were clever enough to buy Advanced Crushing, keep my congratulations: now you can build a warrior with it, three The Lunginators and the Ensemble. This will consume all your tokens though, so I guess this warrior is going to lack movement, and you'd better downgrade one of the Lunginators to get the good boots if you want a warrior for all maps.
The only other worthy item with Mimetic Crown is Zero G Combat Helm. There are just two good items with it in the whole game, and both are Legendary. Personally I don't like Sprint, Team! on a warrior, so this Ensemble is the only choice for me. Did I buy it myself? Immediately

Manhunter 2/2. I really hate Subtle Parry. In PvP you will almost never be hit in melee for less than 5 damage. In SP, you will rarely play warriors at all, but if you will, you aren't going to play such weapons. Yes it may help you to defeat a horde of goblins, but Firestorms will do that better.

Risky Trickery 2/2. Don't play Vulnerable on elves, they are vulnerable enough.

Turnbull's Energy Vest 3?/2. Arcane Shell is great, but there are better robes with it. The rest cards should save your butt when an enemy warrior reaches you, but they are very far from being efficient otherwise. The Vest can be probably played if you want to build a short-ranged wizard, but two cards in a deck don't grant him an adequate defense from the warriors.

Notable rares are:
Demonic Manipulator. Probably the best vampire priest item with Unholy Wellspring. When you hit, you hit hard, and heal a lot! Avenging Touch is great here, since your undamaged vampire can heal the damaged allies who are unable to engage the enemy for the low health. Genetic Engineering is too random, but it isn't bad as Demonic Revenge or Raging Strike. You may even get something very useful... sometimes. And you're guaranteed to get rid of the enemy attachments on that char.
Powerpike. If you want a powerful stabbing weapon, here it is. It's pure damage, and a lot of it. As long as Laser Strike deals 10.5 damage on average, the Pike deals 48 damage, not counting the burn from Fiery Stab, and 4 of 6 attacks have range 2.

 

Risky Trickery is still a good option for elf priests, and the occasional crazy elf warrior. If you like elf priests and have spare gold, then definitely consider purchasing Risky Trickery.