The Daily Deal

Korenchkin's Tactical Tunic (U)

Spoiler: Previously Reviewed

Peon's Prescription for Prodigious Multiplayers
Is Adaptable worth a major token? For a warrior or priest probably not. But for a wizard, there is no other armor that comes close to preventing the amount of damage that Adaptable will. Sparkling Cloth Armor sort of competes but only against melee.Resistant Hide also has massive damage prevention potential but there are a lot less burning and spark wizards than burst wizards running around. Not to mention the addition of Laser attacks introduced another way to get around it. Being immune to Sundering Strike is another huge advantage in Adaptable's favor. Korenchkin's Tactical Tunic has a hefty major token cost and doesn't work well if your wizard relies on attachments. For those reasons, it isn't necessarily worth accommodating but it certainly is worth playing when you can afford to. Would purchase.

Peon's Perspective for Penny-Pinching Singleplayer
I don't know about anyone else buy I tend to jam a ton of Impenetrable Nimbuses and Savage Curses in my farming parties, neither of which work well with Adaptable. Not being able to dual wield Mordecai's Staff Of Magma is more than my poor heart can take. These are fairly minor gripes but I still don't think Korenchkin's Tactical Tunic is worth shelling out for when Impenetrable Nimbus is so much cheaper and reliable. Would not purchase.

Substitutes
None
The Daily Deal

Did Peon Buy It?
Yes, but not today. It has performed admirably but I wouldn't say that it's powerful enough to go into everything and you can't really build around it at the moment. Until either of those factors change, I'm sticking with one copy.

Epics
Axamander's Ringmail
Worst of the double Arrogant Armor divine armors.

Spacedragon Warpcloak
Not bad at what it does but what it does doesn't come up often.

Torching Staff
If you're desperate for tokens on your burning wizards, it is better to play Staff Of The Inferno and not be able to fire off Firestorms in a timely manner than use something low impact like Torching Staff.

Notable Rares
Focused Electromancy (P)
Spark Generator is obviously a powerful card for spark and arcane wizards alike. What keeps Focused Electromancy from receiving the coveted Best of the Best rating is the power curve demolishing Electroporter Novice. You get much of the same attack boost and, more importantly, trait cycling at no token cost. For a major token, spark wizards also have the option of using Superb Electromancy which gives you an advance in your damage output in the form of Obliterating Spark.

Inspired Command (P)
Inspirational Thinking is the most powerful draw effect in the game so it gets paired with less than stellar cards. The difference with Inspired Command is that Shuffle, Team! and Subtle Parry, while weak, are moderately useful. If you like "going big or going home" strategies this may just be the skill for you.

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.

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.

 

@peonprop I'm sure you're busy now, I don't mean to ask you to do anything you cannot. I just want you to know that you are missed.

 

To anyone missing peons input, a thread-specific search for the item name has good chances by now to bear a result.
Take Barnums for example: http://forums.cardhunter.com/threads/the-daily-deal.6286/page-70#post-93880
Though i got to say i disagree with his "Burst is free of magics inherent weakness" angle. If you want a firemage, barnums is the ultimate staff for the job.

 

Swiz's Circlet Of Elements (P)

Spoiler: Previously Reviewed

Multiplayer
Both Flame Jet and Cone Of Cold are fine cards. However, items that mix and match cards that are used for radically different things tend to be a lot worse. There may very well be a build that actively wants encumbers and high damage attacks but Swiz's Circlet of Elements will only fit into that specific build. You will often be better off getting items that specialize in one type of card so you can mix and match them yourself.

Singleplayer
You have advance knowledge of how good Flame Jet and Cone of Cold are in each module but again, I believe you would be better served going after the specialized items so you can create a larger variety of builds.

Peon's prescription for prodigious players- Two copies of Flame Jet is rare for an item but dedicated burning build generally do not want to dilute their decks with other kinds of cards. There are many legendary items with 3 good burning cards for the same token cost. If this item had 2 Cone of Cold on the other hand it would be much more purchasable since there would be no strictly better option at the same cost. Would not purchase Swiz's Circlet of Elements.

Substitutes
None for Flame Jet
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. To be perfectly honest, I don't like either card all that much. I will play them if burning or cold spells are favorable for a map rotation or metagame but never on the same wizard.

Epics
Corian's Boots (P)
Goat Boots and, to a lesser extent, Bertha's Big Clogs usually get the nod for use with Elven Maneuvers. Corian's Boots are usually too lackluster but Officer's Harness shoots up in value when you've got secondary combos like Leadership to go with it.

Morbo's Pendant (P)
Decent for Firestorm farming but not much else. I would pick up rare options instead. There's a small dip in quality but a huge drop in price.

Rod Of Palver Pree (V)
The poor man's Asmod's Telekinetic Chain. Good tokenless arcane items are incredibly rare. Ones without weak cards are even rarer.

Notable Rares
Perilous Ringmail (B)
Armor is overrated so the best thing to do is often to throw on the best tokenless heavy armor you can find and call it a day. Perilous Ringmail is that heavy armor. You get the always dependable Reliable Mail and a slightly painful cycling trait that doubles as free damage down the road. Spiked Tlahuiztli gives you a better armor package at the cost of revealed information from Ouch! The legendary Xander's Mail and Dependable Mail both offer handicap free Reliable Mail but paired with underwhelming filler.

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.

Shuddering Relic (BV)
Shuddering Relic gives you the highly sought after Mass Frenzy while remaining tokenless. While you can get the same deal from the less risky legendary Bleneth's Frenzy Charm, being Vulnerable can draw you to the better cards in your deck. Shuddering Relic even makes for a fine filler item on a vamp, though I wouldn't go overboard since running out of gas is a big concern.

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. Nyssa's Hammer (P)

Spoiler: Previously Reviewed

Peon's Prescription for Prodigious Multiplayers
With both Strong Bash and Disorienting Block, St. Nyssa's Hammer is fairly well suited for taking over victory points. Disorienting Block also allows you to get an immediate back attack in. However, priests are the worst at taking advantage of these qualities. At best, you're going to have around 5 Bash cards and a couple Violent Spins to help you maintain a position. Warrior have access to full on Bash weapons while wizards can rely on a large number of controlling spells for the same purpose. Although priests have access to ginormous attacks like Mighty Bludgeon, they also tend to have the least number of attacks in general so it isn't likely that you'll be able to take advantage of back attacks. Vamp priests are the exception, but their attacks top out at 7 damage and they wouldn't want something like St. Nyssa's Hammer in the first place. If you're just looking for a divine weapon with a good mix of attacks and heals I would get Healing Hand Mace. Would not purchase.

Peon's Perspective for Penny-Pinching Singleplayers
A big draw to St. Nyssa's Hammer is the Disorienting Block but the card gets worse in singleplayer. There are fewer levels to steal victory points with, it's much easier to pull off back attacks against the AI, and blocks that don't replace themselves are not ideal when you are getting hit by more attacks. Also, the double major token cost severely limits the number of modules it's usable in. Would not purchase.

Substitutes
Godtouched Spear (E) , Healing Hand Mace (E) , Nimbus Blade (E)
The Daily Deal

Did Peon Buy It?
Nope. If I'm going to play weak spells, I'm using Healing Hand Mace to reorganize some skulls.

Epics
Armor Of Negation
The only reason to play both Arrogant Armor and Cleansing effects at the same time is if you're playing a Radioactive Spray strategy. I would try to get double Arrogant Armor like Untouchable Plate instead.

Caustic Warper (NV)
Decent though I'm a bigger fan of Disruptive Warp Pistol. Acid Blast is not very exciting the second time around.

Dworia's Soulstone (V)
The poor man's Bleneth's Frenzy Tome. Very good compared to other non-legendary Mass Frenzy items but still a long way from the real deal.

Notable Rares
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.

 

Beater (P)

Spoiler: Previously Reviewed

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

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

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

Did Peon Buy It?
Nope. I use it often for low to mid level farming but I wouldn't buy it.

Epics
Banik's Bubbling Bauble (NV)
Getting into optimal Firestorm position is a pain when you have stubby dwarf legs. A pair of control spells to help move around go a long way.

Risky Trickery (P)
The tokenless elf skill of choice is going to be Cautious Mobility more often than not but Risky Trickery can be useful for non-warriors without step attacks or other movement targets.

Vira's Chain (P)
If you want Teleport Self, Vira's Chain is one of the better ways to get it but you more than likely won't need it.

Notable Rares
Mail Of Absorption (NV)
Mail of Absorption doesn't have good enough armor to play on any warrior but it does have one thing going for it. You get the electricity immunity of Grounding Plates without the Encumbering Heavy Armor on Stormward Pauldrons. This is especially important because electricity using mobs are all ranged so you will need to chase them down. There are legendary options such as Aranak's Chain Web and Ozone Plates but they are a lot more expensive and not much better. You could also go for the major token epic Spaceproof Carapace which is much more suitable for general use with its inclusion of Force Field.

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.

 

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. As much as I love Barge, melee blocks are too good for a barge warrior to be effective. I'm no control warrior expert but I think the sheer number of Bashes you can jam on to a warrior lets you power through blocks better. Plus, Pressing Bash is also pretty darn good and you can get a pretty good number of those instead.

Epics
Firehide Robes (BN)
A must have for Firestorm and burning wizards. Emberfloat Mantle makes for a decent substitute if you're broke.

Gaudekki's Orb (NV)
If you're going to pay for an epic Firestorm item, I prefer Yaro's Scepter since it's much better against armor, a major concern in low level farming. Otherwise, Gaudekki's Orb isn't much better than tokenless rare options, Orb Of Flames and Storm Circlet.

Rapier Of Misfortune
You have to be pretty desperate for tokens to play 3 do nothing Bad Lucks. Throw on a Purging Mace and call it a day.

Notable Rares
Command (V)
Sprint, Team! is bonkers when you draw it early but quickly becomes overkill as the game progresses. This makes Perfect Command the most common choice with two medium ranged team movement cards albeit for a major token. The best Sprint, Team! skill is Bloody Command since it doesn't have a dead draw that leads to a massive tempo loss, particularly for offensive melee characters. That said, Sprint, Team! is powerful and rare enough that Command is a passable substitute that is occasionally preferable on support characters due to the additional team movement card.

Smoking Pistol (NV)
Volcano is not only one of the most efficient cards for farming but it's also incredibly hard to get a hold of. If you haven't been lucky enough to get the best Volcano items like Mordecai's Staff Of Magma, you'll need something to hold you over. That's where Smoking Pistol comes in. It costs a major token but all that matter is getting that Volcano fix. In a similar vein, Xipil Ring nets you a Volcano on a weaker but cheaper to equip item. Be on the lookout for best singleplayer Volcano arcane item, the epic Magma Scepter, which also includes the farming all star Firestorm. Those looking for a good multiplayer Volcano item can turn to the epic Overheated Mesmerizer.

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.

 

What are your thoughts on Bruising Dervish? This came up at the beginning of the thread but i don´t think you gave it an evaluation

 

I only play single player campaign and consider Troll's Ire as the only legendary Weapon with worth buying. (Enormous Tree Branch and Eixocl's Hammer seems more useful and cheaper for MP)

 

I like it, and ser some serious MP play sometimes.

 

Don't skip Gloomthirst, it's the best divine weapon for drawing extra cards.

 

Okay, seems like @peonprop is less active nowadays, you think I might try my best at daily reviews?

Bronson's Halberd (P/)

Multiplayer opinion:
This weapon is weird. It seems to have everything a warrior would want and even more, with an exception of cycling traits. Laser Whip for unexpected range 2 shenanigans, Polearm Slash for both offense and defense, Laser Thrust and Nimble Strike for the purpose of closing the distance between you and your opponent and, in case of the Laser Thrust, also inflicting some nice Penetrating damage. And, purely for good measure, two blocks! Wounded Block is on some good items, like Underdog Shield, for example. So what's the problem with this weapon?

Three words - Lack of consistency.

Half of Polearm Slash is useless when you're playing against wizards, the only thing that would boost your damage from your martial skills is Impaler on Laser Thrust and the blocks are near useless for the healthier half of your warriors' life. Not only that, but there are simply weapons that give you better things separately. Crazy Sal's Halberd is the most defensive-offensive weapon out there, with 3 Polearm Slashes and 3 Blind Rages, Nova Axe has arguably the best itemization for Laser Thrust, Zoltan's Laser Scourge has the same for Laser Whip and Vibrant Pain exists. However, with an exception of the Nova Axe, these are all legendaries. So... uh, your choice, if you want to spend more on more consistent items or less on one, less consistent one.

Possible build w/ the item:

Bronson's Halberd
Slice And Dice / Double-Edged Sword / White Katana / Warrior's Mace / Blocking Mace
Slice And Dice / Double-Edged Sword / White Katana / Warrior's Mace / Blocking Mace
or
Bronson's Halberd
Bejewelled Shortsword / Nova Axe / Cat'Leth / Starknife / Sharp Spetum
Rageblood Dagger / Eixocl's Hammer ( / Assegai / Pirate's Rapier / Manhunter / Atchocl's Spear / Excellent Rapier )

and the rest is your usual stuff - Parrying Buckler, Crusty Helm, Perilous Ringmail, etc.. You know, everything that's in this thread.

Basically, what Halberd has is a bit of almost everything - some movement, some solid damage, some defensive capabilities. What it lacks is pure tech - armor removal or hard-to-block stuff. So, in first batch of choices, I'd go for White Katana and Slice and Dice to cover these fields. (or The Lunginator instead of Slice and Dice if you happen to have it). All the other options are here in case you have more problems with certain things - Double-Edged Sword is something that should allow you to chase wizards better, while both maces are better vs. Warriors.

Second batch of choices offers you a second 2-major token weapon instead of 2 major minors.
Bejewelled Shortsword... ugh... well it has tons of damage, so if you're planning to go all in, guns-a-blazing, this is a good pick.
Nova Axe is slightly more refined, adds you a bit of these penetrating attacks, control, even purging capabilities, but you lose a small bit of damage.
Starknife is similar to Nova Axe in that you have 2 extra Laser Thrusts, but it also lets you enhance your defenses and buffs the damage of everything with Laser Block and Blind Rage respectively.
Cat'Leth gives you... a bit of everything, really.
Sharp Spetum adds more mobility than everything mentioned before and has a potential to hit a surprising Devastating Blow.
Rageblood Dagger - even more mobility and a damage boost, just careful with that Raging Strike.
Eixocl's Hammer - This critically acclaimed hammer grants you some additional control with bashes, as well as a Dodge - self explanatory, really - and a Blind Rage.
...Others are some weirder choices by me, if you were interested enough to try these weapons out. Assegai has tons of damage, but you need to be careful with handicaps, Pirate's Rapier seems very nice on paper, until you get the Stab. Manhunter adds to the blocks department and throws in some block removal. Atchocl's Spear - again, mobility, penetrating attacks, Blind Rage and a considerable amount of damage from Punishing Strike. Excellent Rapier is mobility on steroids, at a price of having more of weaker attacks.

Final verdict (MP):

If you want to play around with it and you have money to spare (keep in mind Randimar resets in a few hours), then try it out. Maybe you'll use the weapon in such a way you'll knock out your opponents. But if you prefer to keep your cash, all the bolded options with 2 major tokens or a major-minor are legit replacements for 1/5th the price or even less.

Singleplayer opinion:

If you want to farm the singleplayer, all you need is two firestormy or volcano-ey wizards and a priest with nimbuses and drawing.
But let's say you want to just use warriors, because reasons. This weapon has only single-target damage, which means it's only useful in places, where enemies can be counted on one hand's fingers... oh, who am I kidding, just use any Chops you have nearby. Or Hu La Houp's Vicious Circle if you have it. shameless plug

So basically, Save your money if you want to use it in SP.

Epics:

Barreling Club - y'know... just stick to the Bejewelled Shortsword mentioned earlier and add some Bashes if you want control. Prerefably Lunging Bashes.

Demon's Golden Blade (N) - Battle Priest are a rare sight these days. Nevertheless, this weapon has one of the best damage for its token cost on priests. Solve the problem of a limited mobility priests have to cope with and add some sustain... And voila - it's all good. Solving these problems is kind of a tricky task.

Hrillia's Healing Ring (P) - Y'know, this is probably one of the best divine items for healing, not counting all these items with Inspiring Presence. Boosted Heal has a potential to passively save your life, and Team Heals are just all-in-all great. If you want to keep your entire team healthy at all times, this is one of the items you might just want.

Notable Rares:

Bad Juju Mace (VN) - Probably the cheapest item that gives a priest some block-removing potential, with a small bonus for wizards - two copies of Curse Of Fragility!

Focused Piety (B) - A must-have for a holy priest. Whether you spam Inspiration, Mass Frenzy, heals or stuff as weird as Stone Feet, 50% to draw another card is amazingly good.

Sky Traveler's Boots (PV) - The cheapest copy of Rocket Charge also gives you a Telepod Jaunt for improved movement through difficult terrain.

Taz Boots (V) - Team movement! Violent Spin is one of the hottest cards for a few more days and it comes with some nice moves for you and your team.

Untrained Toughness (BP) - Mostly a dwarven wizards special, this item adds you nice semi self-purging potential and a Parry for these pesky warriors.

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.

 

Thats quite a lot more than peon usually writes...

 

Well, @Lucky Dice hasn't been writing one a day for months at a time. That can lead to brevity. Good analysis, LD!

 

And for free.

 

Hawlic's Handy Axe ( )

Peonprop's Previously Posted Pondering:

Multiplayer usefulness:
Okay, you remember what I said about the Halberd yesterday? Pretty much the same here - Nimble Strike gives you movement, Perforating Strike gives penetrating and Strong Hack is the damage-dealer.

Except this item seriously sucks. And that's from somebody who gives 90% of the items in the game a fair chance.

First of all, no focus. Second of all, everything is range 1. This weapon has nothing really defending it from the crappy opinion peon gave it. I wish I could find anything that would redeem it from being horrible, but then there's a Weak Chop to just slap me in the face as a wake-up call.
For these very reasons, I'm skipping making any possible builds. It's just not worth it.

Singleplayer usefulness:
None.

Final verdict: There is something that could potentially make the item see more play (hello devs!) and that's... replacing Weak Chop with the Blind Rage, as much as I hate to say it. But in its current form, AVOID THIS ITEM.

Epics:

Dworia's Soulstone (P/) - I can see the item being used for a Savage Curse Warriors team. The problems are: 1. I don't think anybody succeeded with it, 2. It's incredibly risky, 3. Bleneth's Frenzy Tome, whilst being 5 times more expensive, is also a very good alternative, if not a direct upgrade.

Spaceproof Carapace (B/P) - The most defensive armor from the major token Force Field armors. Except here, the damned Force Field makes more sense, because the cards alongside it don't telegraph your enemy a clear "don't hit me without penetrating" message. If you want something for a dwarven warrior for a major token, I think this is a very solid piece. And I'm saying "dwarven", because elves would probably be happier with Cushioning Armor.

Yoloxl's Staff (N/P) - For what it's worth, this is the cheapest Illusory Barrier on a staff. It's also a decent piece of control staff with that and Gusts Of War. And then there are Jumpsparks... Okay, look, you can pretend this is some damage with Electroporter Novice, so there's that. But other than that, it's... usable.

Notable rares:

Acrobat's Aegis (N/P) - This is an anti-wizard shield, but doesn't suck against warriors as much as all these "block magic" things. Two blocks that are Block Any, 3+, not only that - first one messes up opponent's positioning, second one heals you from blocked magic. And Traveling Curse usually ends up being a 5 damage ranged attack against wizards.

Frosty Staff (P) - While not a Staff Of Winter, this item changes two Frost Jolts into more AoE encumber. I actually prefer having Cone Of Cold on open maps, without many walls. They work wonders when you're playing a control wizard, really.

Nuclear Pistol (BU) - Screw MP, even though it's all fine and dandy for Multiplayer, you'll be another one of those lost souls ending up using Volcano in MP and you will feel bad. Instead, use it in Singleplayer, on higher-leveled modules. The combo of Dual Laser Beacon and Volcano can't be found on any other item, and, should you be patient with these, it might be up to 16 damage on an enemy, more if you have an Accelerate Time wizard in your party.

Untrained Insight (V) - While Cautious Mobility is currently the top shelf of Elven skills, this little thing is probably somewhere next on the line in terms of playable tokenless elven skills. And this is due to a copy of Dodge for a price of nothing in terms of tokens! If you want to have more of it and you're not in a hurry to use dodge, wait a bit for Apprentice Insight.

Fun fact: I've JUST learned that a tokenless elven skill with 2x Dodge exists. Why can't I have nice things. :C

 

I don't think I can keep on doing The Daily Deal anymore, at least not more than two or three times a week. Odds are, they will be repeats and I'll miss stuff like Bruising Dervish that I was itching to do but didn't have time. Instead, I'll be working on compiling all my previous reviews and knocking out unreviewed items a couple at a time on my days off. If I ever finish with that, I'll try and redo my outdated reviews. After that, maybe all of the notable epics and rares. I may have fallen off the horse on doing The Daily Deal but a shorter more manageable pony is in the works.

 

Well Thanks for the work.

 

Many thanks, Peonprop, for all of your work. It's a shame you can't continue these on a daily basis, but stuff happens. Much appreciation!!!

 

I'll take a pass at today's items.

Peonprop's Evaluation:

Spoiler

Peon's Prescription for Prodigious Multiplayers
Mail of St. Oxivia is the best minor token Arrogant Armor by virtue of having Savage Curse. While it's true that you are down a potential buff target when you run Arrogant Armor, your buff priest usually isn't the primary buff target to begin with. With that out of the way, the million dollar question you should be asking your self is "Do I want Arrogant Armor in the first place?" For your garden variety priest the answer is no. You again lose out on self buffing as well as whatever spiffy priest or racial traits you've got equipped. On the other hand, if you've got an unholy based priest, there are no priest traits that you can specifically take advantage of so the opportunity cost is fairly low. However, negative attachments are still fairly rare so the best reason to use Arrogant Armor is because you've decided to bring your own. Maybe you're using Sacrificial Axe for card cycling purposes in which case discarding Vulnerables would be welcome. Maybe you've got an Irradiated terrain priest that wants to remain unmutated. Whatever the reason, you need to make sure you have one before taking the Arrogant Armor plunge. As for Mail of St. Oxivia itself, you need to be sure that Savage Curse is worth the extra 2k gold. For most people it isn't. Would not purchase.

Peon's Perspective for Penny-Pinching Singleplayers
You really only want the Arrogant Armors and there are more than enough epic substitutes that do the job. To be perfectly honest, my farming parties are so dependent on Impenetrable Nimbus that I never bother with Arrogant Armor anyways. Would not purchase.

Substitutes
Old Saint's Armor (E) , Untouchable Plate (E) : Arrogant Armor
Savage Plates (E) : Savage Curse
Original thread

Legendary Item: Mail Of St. Oxivia
Multiplayer Evaluation:
Mail Of St. Oxivia is not worth it. You want a scenario wherein you need both Savage Curse and Arrogant Armor. The rationale for Arrogant Armor would be that you run harmful attachments yourself, but in that case you can't take advantage of boosts either, and priests have really good boosts in the game. Now, this would work well if you were running some sort of radiation build as you can't really take full advantage of boosts with them and you can stay unharmed by your attachments, but in that case you have no use for Savage Curse. Build contradiction found.

At any rate, if you're looking for Arrogant Armor for a radiation deck, I would go with Untouchable Plate or Axamander's Ringmail. If you're looking for Savage Curse on a divine armor, Savage Plates is the safer option.

Singleplayer Evaluation:
As peonprop mentioned, Impenetrable Nimbus is more desirable than Arrogant Armor for all-purpose use. Wherever using Arrogant Armor seems necessary, Impenetrable Nimbus also works. It's not worth the gold. Savage Curse works with burst cards or even Firestorm, though, so if you happen to pick one up it may be used in scenarios wherein the opponent has a lot of attachments. (Last statement c/o @Sir Veza).

Epics:
Mithril Mesh Slippers - pretty bad, since Scamper is greatly overcosted; however, this does have a set of interesting cards. It's just that in a situation where Scamper would be worth its cost, Dangerous Maneuver wouldn't be a good idea. It's also not the best for anything. Kerric's Steel Boots, the better Epic, gives you two copies of Reliable Mail; on the other hand, Quellic's Boots, the legendary equivalent, is preferable but more expensive. It goes without saying that Reliable Mail is a great card for both multiplayer and singleplayer and sees good use in both.

Booming Ring - one of the best tokenless Arcane Items in the game, but has a situational use. Two copies of Path Of Knives for no token is a sweet deal, and it's extremely satisfying to see the enemy warrior discard gold attacks because you pushed them away with a Force Bolt. Asmod's Telekinetic Chain is the more flexible item, though, and Armorbane Pendant is better for buffed burst/linear wizards.

Bloody Bracelet - it may seem quite good at first look but it's quite unfocused. If you want multiple copies of Path Of Knives, Sarigo's Rod does an epic job with its synergy. Blood Locket is a better option if you spent tokens on your staffs for untargeted/linear/burst attacks whereas Runestone fills that niche if you want Wall Of Fire. That being said, this is not a particularly bad item; it's just not worth the cost when there are better alternatives.

Notable Rares:
Manifold Healer - the only minor token Divine Skill that gives more than one copy of Talented Healer, and is a niche item for that purpose
Defensive Buckler - some may not agree with me but this is one of the best minor token Defender's Block items. It has very great cycling potential, and so I would recommend it for priests (who need the cycling). Warriors are usually better off with melee blocks or blocks with moves, though, unless you're running Aegis Of The Defender.
Crazed Hermit's Gizmo - it's a niche item in that it provides the greatest number of Irradiated terrains on a divine weapon. It's usable for that purpose if you don't have four or so copies of The Irradiator, and I'm betting you don't.