This list has not been updated since the Castle Mitternacht expansion. Expect some glaring holes. ------------------------------------------------- I'm working on a project at the moment. It is quite comprehensive so I've decided to procrastinate by pontificating. This is the list of the BEST* items for each slot. Arcane Item There are some real nifty things you can do with this slot. Although Asmod's Telekinetic Chain is probably more useful for the same tokenless cost, Sensate's Ring just edges it out. With the Elven Maneuvers nerf, Gusts Of War has much less of a downside and the deck thinning from Squeamish cancels out Little Zap's near uselessness. WINNER: Spoiler Sensate's Ring Arcane Skill The void left by the Electroporter Novice nerf blows this category wide open. Skills should generally be tailored to the character's strengths but for my money, with its buff to arcane spells, Spark Generator is the most useful trait. That's not even mentioning the damage boost to electric attacks. WINNER: Spoiler Focused Electromancy Boots Sure, there are lots of different things you can achieve with your footwear but movement should usually be a priority. While Diamond Moccasins are arguably better for most warriors, my pick has lots of movement and a cycling card to boot - all token free! WINNER: Spoiler Hawkwind's Moccasins Divine Armor This one took a bit of headscratching until I remembered there's a divine armor with Bless, Cushioning armor and a decent vamp attack. Totally worth the Major Token. WINNER: Spoiler Stargod's Raiments Divine Item Another category so diverse it's hard to pick a winner. Pre-nerf, Skull Of The Savage Illjin would have been a shoe in. Xlaka's Sacred Bundle is fantastic, especially for melee builds. But the unrivaled draw power of one item cannot be matched. WINNER: Spoiler St Ulrich's Bones Divine Skill Sure, Talented Healer is pretty nifty with the right build but otherwise the divine skills lack the versatility of its martial and arcane counterparts. However, most priests have some number of holy spells so Altruism is a safe bet. While we're at it, why not save a token? WINNER: Spoiler Novice Piety Divine Weapon Alright, this one is worth debating, in part because there are a lot of useful divine weapons and also because my pick is a double major. And I picked major token items for divine items and armor. Obviously I cannot math. Nonetheless, Mass Frenzy and Greater Heal are two of the best priest spells. Back that up with 2 heavy hitting attacks and you can't go past this lovely item. WINNER: Spoiler Evensong Dwarf Skill Nope. I won't do it. You want me to choose between the eternally awesome and the swisss army knife of racial skills? Put one on a warrior, the other on a wizard. WINNER(s): Spoiler Raging Battler / Solid Rock Elf Skill With the nerf to Eleven Maneuvers, this is another category open for debate. But the versatility of two traits for no tokens is still too reliable. My mind is open to being changed. WINNER: Spoiler Cautious Mobility Heavy Armor So many good armors out there... but why spend a token when there are fantastic tokenless options? WINNER: Spoiler Perilous Ringmail Helmet Some people think it's OK to go with a tokenless option for their helmet when items like Bellowing Helm exist. I know, crazy right? Helmets are a grab bag of useful stuff, from armor to team movement and even Force Field so my pick is a helmet with everything WINNER: Spoiler Tough Leather Cap Human Skill Command, Bloody Command or Perfect Command? Thanks to Delegate, it's a moot point. WINNER: Spoiler Make Haste Martial Skill Team Walk, All Out Attack, Impaling Stab or Frenzy Aura All have a place in certain builds. But are any of them REALLY worth spending a minor token? WINNER: Spoiler Novice Impaling Robes With Robe Of Lightness having 2 traits for no token cost, could there possibly be anything else worth running? Yes. Plenty. Hover + Spell Skill = Free Sparkling Cloth Armor WINNER: Spoiler Cape Of Dark Magic Shield I've always felt that Aegis Of The Defender is overcosted. Controversial, unlike my choice for best shield. Yes, it really is so good that it is worth 3 dead cards vs wizards. WINNER: Spoiler Parrying Buckler Staff Are you clever enough to take cover? Fireball doesn't care. This spell is so powerful that 3 less-than-stellar Flash Of Agony still doesn't sink this staff. WINNER: Spoiler Searing Pain Weapon I'll let you in on a secret: All the damage in the world doesn't matter if you can't get in to melee range. And all the movement in the world doesn't matter if you don't have attacks. How do you make sure you draw both attacks AND movement? Put them both on one card. Then put 6 of those cards on a weapon. WINNER: Spoiler Vibrant Pain *Seriously you guys, this post is immutable and immune to any further balance changes, obviously.
Raging Battler was my use-everywhere skill before the nerf, but that was because it was the only racial with Reliable Mail. Now it just kills my wizards until I remember to fix my builds. And Toughness is great, but if I'm using it I'll want two of them. So most of the time I'll choose "thin your deck and draw three cards and destroy all your opponent's blocks" instead.
Blind Rage is terrible with wizards. And if you think bringing a Rusty Armor in to your deck is better than 3 cycling cards, two of which prevent damage then, my friend, you are wrong. The only reason I didn't give Solid Rock the outright win is because Raging Battler is still very effective on warriors, who need to save tokens for other things.
Tbh if I wanted tokenless trait cycling for the arcane slot post burfft nerf I'd probably pick armorbane. And mouse boots are so good that I'm not so sure about hawkwind. The mokassins are better with range 1 attacks for sure. Both items have 3 undercosted cards at tokenless so it is close.
I prefer Tough Charger if not using Raging Battler. Two worthwhile blocks and a charge on a dwarf for tokenless? Yes please.
As a general rule, I try to avoid cards that are instant lose against certain builds. In Cardhunter as in nature, Hawk beats Mouse. Thanks for pointing it out. Thanks also for suggesting that Cedric's is any good. I had a hearty chuckle. Your wisdom is surpassed only by your pedantry You deck is like a supermodel - the thinner the better. Go with the double traits. Is it nice to know you're only half wrong? mod-edit: Yup. Spoiler: Profanity banner ahead
