The Daily Deal

It's a heavy armor.

 

Sorry, was too sleepy this morning I'll fix that.

 

Don't have the time for a full review but the last Bleneth item is a doozy. Bleneth's Frenzy Tome is my favorite Bleneth item. The drawback from Savage Curse is fairly negligible in singleplayer where holding onto blocks and armor is less important than dishing out damage. In multiplayer, the other Bleneth items are preferable for melee parties but I have taken a liking to 1-1-1 builds and the Tome is the best option for those. If I didn't already own a pair I would definitely be picking it up today.

 

Hand-Held Ram

Spoiler: Previously Reviewed

Peon's Prescription for Prodigious Multiplayers
Barge warriors are Bash warriors with less copies of their signature card and more control over enemy character placement. Neither one is particularly popular but if you've got Barge fever, you'll need a special weapon to fill the void. Hand-Held Ram is not that weapon. For the low low price of two damage, Enormous Tree Branch trades in a weak Flimsy Block for a Blind Rage. You could also splurge for The Pulper but I'd rather have the cycling trait to get to your Barges quicker. Whichever one you pick to pair with Barreling Club, just make sure it isn't Hand-Held Ram. Would not purchase.

Peon's Perspective for Penny-Pinching Singleplayers
Barge loses a lot of utility when there aren't victory squares, when the mobs are packing melee blocks, or simply when there are more mobs than you have Barges. Control cards are generally going to be worse than purely offensive attacks and Barge is no exception. Would not purchase.

Substitutes
Enormous Tree Branch (E)
The Daily Deal

Did Peon Buy It?
Nope. Enormous Tree Branch is cheaper and better. I could also see using The Pulper in some sort of heavy hitting Barge build with Barreling Clubs. Either way, any reason to go with Hand-Held Ram is flimsy at best.

Epics
Aloysi's Cloak
Best case scenario, you dump your hand before Fumble hits and you lose a random card. Worst case, you lose the very Mystical Wyrmhide that you jumped through hoops to get in the first place.

Crespin's Shroud (P)
If you're looking for something Impenetrable Nimbusesque with none of the hassle associated with attachments, look no further than Cause Fumble. Crespin's Shroud is close to if not the best Cause Fumble item. If you're expecting a lot of wizards, let's just hope they're trying to lick you. Or you could look into...

Wedge Shield (P)
Surging Shield Block is tailor made for wizard slaying. You get to block all those control spells and close the gap in the process. You will lose the Parry arms race against fellow melee characters but that's the price you pay to keep those wizards in check.

Notable Rares
Manifold Healer (N)
Talented Healer is 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.

Savvy Attacker (BU)
Warrior traits are bland and underwhelming so finding something better to do than a slight damage boost with your martial skill slot is often correct. Not only does Team Walk add much needed mobility to a melee team but it is only otherwise found on boots. Savvy Attacker is the most powerful and commonly played minor token martial skill. A must have for anyone who plays warriors.

Traveler From The North (U)
Props to @Obernoob for this cool skill. Traveler from the North breaks a lot of new ground for arcane skills. There are no others with Freeze let alone cold spells. While you can already get a high damage spell on arcane skills in Obliterating Spark, I would not fault anyone for trading in 2 damage and Hard to Block to get Encumber instead. Getting the terrain attachment hosing Dimensional Traveller as well is just icing on the cake. If you are just trying to do as much damage as possible and/or run a spark wizard, go for Superb Electromancy.

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 stopped checking the forums until peonprop came back, that and I have midterm exams and I am still not unbanned from MP, something that needs to happen soon before I start setting things on fire. I got terminators mask from grinding CoC and finished the camp though. I am excited though, so many new items to mess with. Why on earth is there no armor with msytical wyrmhide, arcane aura and resistant hide? Why is the aura more fragile than a shell?

 

Good luck with that attitude.

 

@peonprop glad to have you back! Your reviews tend to help out a modest player like me out in the long run always looking forward to more.

 

Thanks

 

Ekkerg's Amulet (P)

Spoiler: Previously Reviewed

Peon's Prescription for Prodigious Multiplayers
In my opinion there are three ways to go about building a wizard. Pure offense, highly controlling, and the kitchen sink. Burning wizards fall into the pure offense category. They are the only ones with arcane item support for burning attacks like Glob Of Flame. Controlling wizards devote their arcane items to spells that aren't aimed at killing but rather slowing down the game so that virtual card advantage takes over. This can be done by encumbering the enemy with frost spells like Cone Of Cold, moving the enemy away directly with slide cards like Telekinesis, or throwing down barriers like Flash Flood. In each case, the goal is to prevent opposing characters from using attacks and thus discarding them to hand size each round while you use ranged attacks or terrain attachments to chip away at their hp. There are wizards that fall in between but they tend to lean towards one side or the other. On the other hand, the kitchen sink wizard uses anything and everything in an attempt to throw stuff against a wall and see what sticks. These wizard are unfocused and unpredictable. You won't have much control over what you draw or when you draw it but hopefully you can use this to confuse your opponents more than yourself. This is where Ekkerg's Amulet and similar items come in. Glob of Flame wants to kill fast, Cone of Cold wants to slow the game down, and Stone Spikes does a little of both depending on the situation. Will you be able to use it in a well tuned deck? Probably not. Can you use it effectively even though the cards are used to accomplish different things? Possibly, the cards are all strong in a vacuum. Would I personally purchase Ekkerg's Amulet? Would not purchase.

Peon's Perspective for Penny-Pinching Singleplayers
There is only one question you need to ask yourself when it comes to arcane items for singleplayers. Does it say Firestorm or Volcano on it? It doesn't? Well then, see you all tomorrow!
.
.
.
In all seriousness though, unfocused cards like Ekkerg's Amulet are awful during the campaign unless your strategy involves all three cards. Not drawing what you need is backbreaking when you're up against an emotionless AI that doesn't change tactics based on previously played cards. You are much better off getting items that have more copies of the particular cards you want. That way, even if you do want Cone of Cold, Glob of Flame, and Stone Spikes in the same deck, you can cobble together your own Ekkerg's Amulet Frankenstein from different items while still being able to break them apart for more focused builds. Would not purchase.

Substitutes
Writing that wall of text made me lazy. Click [Expand] on the wiki page to see what items with the card fit your budget.
Cone Of Cold
Glob Of Flame
Stone Spikes
The Daily Deal

Did Peon Buy It?
Nope. I like items that are powerful, focused, and/or unique. Ekkerg's Amulet doesn't quite cut it for any of those.

Epics
Firehide Robes (BN)
The best robes for burning wizards and Firestorm farming alike. Emberfloat Mantle is a decent substitute.

Japper's Energy Boots (V)
The cheapest and worst of the double Energizing Move boots. Gold aside, Leomunk's Kickin' Boots and Pwindle's Boots are the best options.

Ulalia's Boots (N)
Got an extra token lying around? Give your spells an extra kick. Boots are the only way to get Arcane Aura for Radiation Bomb priests.

Notable Rares
Blood Locket (V)
When you run Path Of Knives, you obviously want ways to force afflicted characters to move. This is most often and most easily accomplished with control spells. Blood Locket just so happens to give you both on the same item. The epic Sarigo's Rod is better if you want an additional copy of Path of Knives but that isn't always the case. You may very well want a cycling trait instead and Squeamish is one of the easiest handicaps to play around.

Crafted Monkey Boots (P)
If you've got a heavy hitting melee character that would like nothing better than to pick off an enemy character with their pants down, Sprint is definitely the way to go. You do risk getting ganged up on but it can often be worth the risk, especially if your opponent's movement cards have already been spent. Both Scamper, with its Free Move to bypass defenders, and Dangerous Maneuver further the theme of getting in a quick ambush. While Crafted Monkey Boots is the best overall Sprint boots, you may wantCrazy Fast Boots as a more reliable Sprint source if you can deal with or play around Trip.

Manifold Healer (N)
Talented Healer is 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.

Ritual Straps (B)
Ritual Straps is one of the best tokenless divine armors. It helps keep you alive and ahead on cards with Lifesaving Block, gives you access to the incredibly useful Purging Burst, and all while allowing you to use your tokens elsewhere. If I could buy and play only one divine armor, Ritual Straps would be it. It is that good.

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.

 

Fulg's Cleansing Pot (N)

Spoiler: Previously Reviewed

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)
The Daily Deal

Did Peon Buy It?
Nope. Fun fact: Fulg's Cleansing Pot has appeared in my Club slot more times than any other legendary. Somehow, I've resisted Fulg's siren call every time. Mostly by plugging my ears with Cleansing Diamonds.

Epics
Battered Holy Mail (P)
I would go for Dark Chain Shirt or Cintxotl Mail instead.

Bloody Bracelet (P)
Giving someone a hotfoot from Wall Of Fire is certainly a way to get a Path Of Knives recipient to move. Or you could, you know, actually move them with Sarigo's Rod.

Ring Of Appropriation (BV)
One of the best arcane items for control wizards. It makes the short list of epics I would be willing to buy and I'm someone who avoids buying non-legendaries like the plague.

Notable Rares
Savvy Attacker (BU)
Warrior traits are bland and underwhelming so finding something better to do than a slight damage boost with your martial skill slot is often correct. Not only does Team Walk add much needed mobility to a melee team but it is only otherwise found on boots. Savvy Attacker is the most powerful and commonly played minor token martial skill. A must have for anyone who plays warriors.

Spellstripper Relic (P)
Purging Burst won't win any glamour awards but it is without a doubt among the most useful priest spells. See some annoying traits like Elven Maneuvers? Gone. Your opponent spent the entire round buffing up with cards like Impenetrable Nimbus? Hope they weren't planning on using those. Got caught up in your opponent's Radioactive Goo? Well those stay on for good but any self imposed handicaps aren't a problem. Attachments are the cornerstone of so many strategies that you'll rarely if ever be lacking in targets. Spellstripper Relic is the best way to get your Purge effects from the divine item slot, though there are other slots to rely on. If you don't have the minor token, Purging Charm is the way to go.

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.

 

Shield Of Ultimate Dodging (P)

Spoiler: Previously Reviewed

Peon's Prescription for Prodigious Multiplayers
Dodge gets worse the more wizards show up in the metagame. The current spike in wizards is mostly due to the map rotation so the environment is bound to get less hostile for Dodge users. It no longer gets shut down by encumber but that was such a small portion of the field that the clause might as well not have existed. Now we get to the biggie. Dodge has a 1/6 greater failure rate than before. I still think Shield of Ultimate Dodging received an inadvertent boost. Dodge is still an insane deal in preventing 1/3 of all range 1 attacks from the front with no real way to counteract it aside from Entangling Roots but now it only costs a minor token to get 3 copies on a shield. The jump in quality between major and minor token weapons and divine weapons is massive. Go ahead and look. There are a handful of acceptable double minor token options available. Once you upgrade one of those tokens the number of usable weapons increases dramatically. In fact, I think the only reason we aren't seeing a bunch of armed to the teeth dodging machines is that wizards are keeping them in check. I may be wrong but Shield of Ultimate Dodging is my pick for strongest minor token shield against melee parties. Would absolutely purchase. In fact, I'm going to put my money where my mouth is and pick up my second copy right now.

Peon's Perspective for Penny-Pinching Singleplayers
Dodge is powerful but unnecessary. Against melee mobs, shields with Parry are more reliable and you often won't reach the point where you'll see the benefits of repeatable damage prevention from Dodge. Also, have you heard about this new thing called Impenetrable Nimbus? It prevents all the damage and all the cool kids are trying it. Go on, the first hit is free. Would not purchase.

Substitutes
Jackrabbit Shield (E)
The Daily Deal

Did Peon Buy It?
Yes, but not today. Got it before the Dodge nerf. I wouldn't call it unplayable now but I wouldn't try to build around it either. If you want to relive the glory days of Dodge, I'd recommend trying out Jump Back with Shield Of The Frog instead. It takes a little extra setup for optimal use but Jump Back is so much more satisfying.

Epics
Bloodfoot Wand (P)
A fine item but you can get nearly the same thing at no charge with Rod Of Palver Pree. I would rather run Ring Of Appropriation to get full value from the same token.

Caustic Warper (P)
Decent for a non-legendary Accelerate Time item but I like Disruptive Warp Pistol better.

Torching Staff
Good burning wizards cost an arm and a leg but staves are the last thing you should be skimping on. It would make for a decent low level farming staff except the very mobs you would want high damage single target spells against happen to have annoying armor, which burning spells are notoriously bad against.

Notable Rares
Ritual Straps (B)
Ritual Straps is one of the best tokenless divine armors. It helps keep you alive and ahead on cards with Lifesaving Block, gives you access to the incredibly useful Purging Burst, and all while allowing you to use your tokens elsewhere. If I could buy and play only one divine armor, Ritual Straps would be it. It is that good.

Traveler From The North (U)
Traveler from the North breaks a lot of new ground for arcane skills. There are no others with Freeze let alone cold spells. While you can already get a high damage spell on arcane skills in Obliterating Spark, I would not fault anyone for trading in 2 damage and Hard to Block to get Encumber instead. Getting the terrain attachment hosingDimensional Traveller as well is just icing on the cake. If you are just trying to do as much damage as possible and/or run a spark wizard, go for Superb Electromancy.

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.

 

St. Qaith's Armor

Spoiler: Previously Reviewed

Peon's Prescription for Prodigious Multiplayers
There are currently too few attachments that see play to consider running Arrogant Armor, especially on a priest. Burning attachments already get hosed by armor in general and everything else isn't very popular. The other usage of Arrogant Armor is to shed harmful traits like Vulnerable for harmless card cycling but what are you planning on cycling to? Most of the time, the answer is buffs in which case you are down a character to use them on. For those looking to cycle to vamp attacks, you're missing out on not only buffs but also access to Talented Healer. If for some reason you still want Arrogant Armor there are plenty of divine armors that have 2 copies. St. Qaith's Armor gives you an effect that isn't useful enough to play and doesn't do it as well as other items. Would not purchase.

Peon's Perspective for Penny-Pinching Singleplayer
There's only one module with enough attachments that you might want something like Arrogant Armor and that's Secret of the Elder Mind. Even then, you will want one of the double Arrogant Armor items instead. Would not purchase.

Substitutes
Old Saint's Armor (E) , Untouchable Plate (E)
The Daily Deal

Did Peon Buy It?
Nope. Untouchable Plate is cheaper and better.

Epics
Bloody Battleaxe
An axe without Chops is bad enough, but who uses them for poking?

Command Stone (P)
I'm not quite sold on Hypnotic Beacon but Command Stone is one of the better items with it.

Crown Of Mad Eskin (V)
Occasionally removing armor with Short Perplexing Ray makes it a decent substitute for legendary double Firestorm items. However, you are paying a token for Yaro's Scepter plus Hot Spot and I prefer using that token towards Banik's Bubbling Bauble for positioning considerations.

Notable Rares
Crusty Helm (B)
The best tokenless helmet pure and simple. You get great armor and a cycling trait that is mostly harmless. Revealing your hand can be rough but come on, we all know your warrior is using Bejeweled Shortsword. An argument can be made for the legendary Captain Cedric's Helm but I'll take a cycling trait over low impact Officer's Harnesses any day. Obvious Maneuver doesn't cycle in singleplayer but Hardy Mail plus a dead draw is still better than 2 Officer's Harnesses for most builds.

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.

 

Snitrick's Shield (P)

Spoiler: Previously Reviewed

Peon's Prescription for Prodigious Multiplayers
Snitrick's Shield is a member of the highly exclusive tokenless all purpose blocking shield club. However, it is worse than Eeygonnic's Shield in my opinion. Encumber just isn't as useful as it use to be when it could still Halt. That said, Snitrick's Shield is still one of only two tokenless shields that blocks anything no questions asked and Encumber does have its moments. I wouldn't fault anyone for purchasing Snitrick's Shield but I would wait for Eeygonnic's Shield.

Peon's Perspective for Penny-Pinching Singleplayers
Don't buy legendary shields. You can get by just fine with melee and magic/projectile only blocks. There are plenty of fantastic lower rarity shields for both. Save your gold for stuff that boosts your offense.Would not purchase.

Substitutes
Big Ash Shield (E), Icicle Shield (E), Underdog's Shield (E)
The Daily Deal

Did Peon Buy It?
Nope. I have a complete set of Eeygonnic's Shield which I think is superior. Before that, I used Icicle Shield quite a bit, though that was mostly because I didn't own any Underdog's Shields.

Epics
Glowing Gland (NV)
A decent substitute for both Atomic Drop Console and The Irradiator.

Salazar's Sandals (V)
A distant second to Captain Cedric's Boots for minor token Team Walk boots but they still has a good lead against the rest of the admittedly small field.

Underdog's Shield (V)
Speak of the devil. I would definitely consider picking this up if you're not willing to commit to one of the legendary tokenless shields.

Notable Rares
Vampire's Blade (B)
Vamps have a tendency to fall in and out of favor but there's no denying that they are strong. One of the biggest contributors to their continued success is how few tokens they generally need. Vampire's Blade not only fits the tokenless theme but is also one of the best vamp weapons period. You can't get more than 4 vamp attacks on a divine weapon and Vampire's Blade is the only one that fills out the rest of the item with cycling traits. Loner can be painful at times, especially in singleplayer where you're not only more likely to be outnumbered and surrounded but also might start within striking distance of the mobs. While there isn't another suitable tokenless vamp weapon, there are a couple legendary options with Bynzer's Black Spear topping the list. You could also opt for the uncommon Lifesuck Spear, though at only 2 vamp attacks I'd rather just dual wield Vampire's Blade and take my chances with Loner. The two cycling traits also make Vampire's Blade a good divine weapon for priests looking to draw specific cards, in which case Sacrificial Axe is also an option.

Gauntlets Of The Giant (P)
When you're looking to add a little oomph to your attacks, Frenzy Aura is a good way to go. Cutting through armor like a knife through butter more than makes up for being able to be knocked off. By the time your opponent gets rid of it, you'll likely have gotten at least a couple buffed hits in. While Cuirass Of Froth is preferable if you're going all in on Frenzy Aura, Gauntlets of the Giant gives you respectable armor while ditching the self encumber.

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 (U)

Spoiler: Previously Reviewed

Peon's Prescription for Prodigious Multiplayers
Ewix's Evolving Ensemble is the only heavy armor with Adaptable and the only non-helmet item with Mimetic Crown. It is hands down the most powerful of all the Adaptable items but it is also the hardest to equip. Warriors are the most dependent on major tokens since the vast majority of their best weapons require them. When push comes to shove, it's generally going to be better siding with weapons. Purchase if you want to build around Adaptable or Mimetic Crown and you have a suitable weapon setup in mind.

Peon's Perspective for Penny-Pinching Singleplayers
There are two things going against Ewix's Evolving Ensemble in singleplayer. It isn't consistent and, more importantly, it will take a chunk out of your damage output. You could argue that Mimetic Crown gives you extra attacks but you're only getting one copy and Spiked Tlahuiztli can dish out extra damage against melee attacks for no tokens. Would not purchase.

Substitutes
None
The Daily Deal

Did Peon Buy It?
Yes, but not today. I don't have a specific build in mind so until Adaptable proves to be more than a novelty, I'm content with just owning just one.

Epics
Lightfoot Robes (P)
The best way to get Flanking Moves on your wizard other than boots. Well, you could run a squishy elf wizard with Evasion but no one is that crazy.

Madman's Maul
Only a madman would choose this over St. Olf's Fiery Pike.

True Mail (V)
The poor man's Clovidian's Mail. That 2k extra gold gets you a whole 2 hp sometimes so I'd go with the cheapo option.

Notable Rares
Overheated Force Suit (U)
While splashy and one of a kind, Lava Pool is basically a glorified Wall Of Fire as anything longer than a Shuffle can escape it. On the other hand, the addition of Burst does give it the occasional benefit of affecting people without line of sight and it doesn't automatically fold to Dimensional Traveller or Vicious Thrust. Tack on a Force Field and you've got one of those rare robes that is good on both offense and defense. Control wizards will likely be more interested in Explorer's Force Suit for their Force Field needs. Those that want a more friendly token cost for good damaging terrain robes can turn to the epic Rockshard Robes.

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.

 

Duncan's Chain Cap (N)
Peon's Prescription for Prodigious Multiplayers
When it comes to Harnesses, slot allocation is a major deal. Getting them from boots is sketchy since they replace all important movement cards. Getting them from heavy armors is even worse since you'll be lacking in stuff to buff. Helmets are in a sweet spot of lacking both important cards and good buffable armors. Back when Barbed Platemail was the best thing you could buff with Harnesses, spending a minor token to get a full set of Chain Harnesses for a slight increase in armor triggers wasn't worth it. However, Mimetic Armor and, more specifically, Copycat Spacesuit came along and changed the ballgame. Not only do you have multiple shots at a good buff target but it also starts with a better success rate. Chain Harness bumps it up to "Parry" range which is right about where you want to be. While Enchanted Harness gives you a guaranteed trigger, it also charges you a major token and you can only get up to 2 copies per item. Purchase only if you specifically want to build around Mimetic Armor.

Peon's Perspective for Penny-Pinching Singleplayers
The Mimetic Armor plus Harness combo is a decent source of damage if you can buff up. However, those tokens are usually going to be better spent of actual attacks from weapons. There aren't many levels where you have the extra tokens left over and Quigley's Cap is a reasonable enough substitute for those. Would not purchase.

Substitutes
Quigley's Cap (E)

Did Peon Buy It?
Nope. I think Harnesses are more of a fun strategy (I'm currently not spending gold on unexciting fringe items), I found one already, and I'm pretty sure I'd opt for Enchanted Harness anyways.

Epics
Cybernetic Boots (P)
Trip is usually a no go when it comes to boots but Cybernetic Boots have a built in answer in Warp Run. It would still be a good idea to pack additional answers such as Dash, Team! or Purge. Or you could go with the safe or expensive options in Sky Traveler's Boots and Bloome's Barging Boots respectively.

Morbo's Pendant (P)
Pretty good as a budget Firestorm item since Teleport Self allows you to jump straight to the center of the map but I'm a bigger fan of Banik's Bubbling Bauble.

Slice And Dice (B)
Pretty much a Bejeweled Shortsword Jr. that packs a bit more spice and is easier on the tokens. The quality of warrior weapons drops off dramatically once you start getting into the minor tokens so a powerful weapon is a welcome sight. It's so good that I bought it myself and I never buy non-legendaries.

Notable Rares
Focused Piety (N)
Breaking news: drawing cards is fantastic. Drawing cards for doing something you were going to do anyways is even better. Altruism is one of the most powerful priest traits but there is one small catch that prevents Focused Piety from seeing widespread play. There is next to nothing when it comes to low or tokenless items for Holy spells. You will be fairly hard pressed for tokens on Holy priests which is why Novice Piety usually gets the nod. When push comes to shove, getting the best spells is more important than optimizing the side benefits. Alternatively, you can go with the more risky but streamlined Untrained Piety.

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 was exited to finally see Slice And Dice

 

The Hacker's Wrench
Peon's Prescription for Prodigious Multiplayers
When you pick random cards out of a hat and shove them on one weapon, more often than not you are getting something that doesn't fit a particular strategy. If you're lucky, you get an interesting weapon like Cat'Leth where all of the cards at least fall in the same ballpark in terms of power level. Other times, you get a highly polarized hot mess like The Hacker's Wrench. Not only is there a huge difference in playablilty between the top end and the filler cards but also one of your "best" cards is Laser Whip, an attack that requires quite a bit of setup to use. I too get tired of playing Bejeweled Shortsword all of the time but taking a hit in both consistency and card quality is too much to ask for. Would not purchase.

Peon's Perspective for Penny-Pinching Singleplayers
Consistency is the name of the game when it comes to singleplayer. Weapons need to do a lot of damage and/or fill a niche roll like armor removal or providing blocks. The Hacker's Wrench isn't good at anything and all the utility it provides, Laser Thrust and Obliterating Chop, can be found on the much more playable Nova Axe. Would not purchase.

Substitutes
Laser Whip + Laser Cutdown: Scourge Of The Overmind (E)
Laser Thrust + Obliterating Chop: Nova Axe (E)
Laser Thrust + Laser Cutdown: Slice And Dice (E)

Did Peon Buy It?
Nope. The Hacker's Wrench fails my patented 2:1 good to bad card ratio test.

Epics
Flaming Sword
The older more token expensive version of Blazing Shortsword and the years have not been kind.

Lt. Morrison's Helmet (P)
Interesting set of cards but not compelling enough to spend a token on.

Raging Rock (P)
Pretty much an autoinclude for dwarf warriors with a spare token. However, Raging Battler and Apprentice Ferocity are such good tokenless skills that they usually get the nod.

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.

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 knew there was something wrong.

Laser Rapier is a legendary. I kinda wish it was an epic though ;__;

 

Oops

 

You wrote a very good discussion of Tough Leather Cap, but not of the coat. I like all the cards on it, but I have better things to spend major tokens on.