The Daily Deal

Mazzaram's Mighty Mattock
If you don't land an Obilterating Chop on two targets you're getting an overcosted Powerful Hack, but if you do it's crazy value. However, it's not very easy to land a Chop. The most likely situation in which that happens is when your warrior is getting ganged up on by two enemy warriors. Otherwise, you'll need to set up the chop yourself, with cards like Vengeance and Surging Shield Block to move into a chopping position with a cantrip-like effect, some actual cantrip move cards like Quick Run or Quick Step, or control cards on wizards to move people next to your warrior. Whatever it is, chops aren't that easy to pull off and needs some degree of building around. If you do want to try some chopping in multiplayer, Mazzaram's Mighty Mattock is not the way to do it. Half the time you'll be getting Obliterating Chop and the other half, a pitiful Able Bludgeon. Consistency is the key to success with chops and the mattock does not deliver in that respect. I would look for Bloodchopper instead.

Epics:
3-Stage Rocket Boots
If you really like charging, these boots are great. Also look out for Boots Of Etzicatl.

Oakenheart Shield
A downgrade from Steel-Rimmed Buckler.

Tarial's Diadem
Cheapo version of Yount's Chain.

Notable Rares:
Cleansing Shroud
Great armor, great heal. Cleansing Ray at the very least triggers Altruism and can randomly come in handy sometimes.

Ebony Prayer Beads
Decent card draw item.

 

Perfect Stoutness
We should compare Duck to another gold card found on dwarf skills, Toughness. Let's assume a common situation, the opponent leads off with a weak attack and has a strong attack in hand, Toughness triggers all the time but gets you a good card from your deck. Duck triggers half the time, stealing the weak attack. The other half of the time, your opponent will likely not play the strong attack into Duck. So Duck is better half the time in terms of damage prevention, but is pretty useless the other half of the time. On the other hand, Toughness prevents less damage but gets you a better card most of time since it was something you purposely put into your deck. Another common scenario is the opponent having only strong attacks in hand. This time, Toughness always prevents a good amount of damage while getting a good card too. On the other hand, Duck can prevent and steal a good attack but only if it triggers on the first time. The rest of the time, the opponent will likely hold on to their strong attacks, leaving you a sitting duck with Duck in hand while they target other characters. Basically, Toughness is more reliable and gets you a better card most of the time as while. Lastly, even if you like Duck a lot, there's Superb Stoutness which is only an epic, has 2 Ducks as well, and has an arguably better armor. Would not purchase.

Epics:
Red Jon's Boots
There are several better alternatives to tokenless double Flanking Move boots, with Mouse Boots topping the list.

Sharp Flames
Hot Flames is bad. Against most armors, Firestarter will allow you to deal the same amount of damage, and against unarmored foes Firestarter is miles better.

St. Ulrich's Bones
Bless is OP. A gold card giving a 3 card advantage in a single turn in most cases is staggering. There’s a reason it's only found on 2 items. Martyr's Blessing is great too, either it's card draw or a pseudo Impenetrable Nimbus. Cleansing Ray can pick up some stray consecrated ground from Bless if your opponents try to take over the terrain. Much as I hate to say it, highly recommend purchasing.

Notable Rares:
Blackeye Hammer
There are few good single minor token weapons, and this is one of them. The 3 strong attacks are kind of canceled out by the 2 terrible Bludgeons but luckily there's a Blind Rage to tip the scales in its favour. If you've got movement covered, this can help add some damage.

Lantern Helm
Best minor token Sprint Team helm, courtesy of the cycling trait. Fire wizards are very rare nowadays, to the point that you should worry more about Fiery Stabs.

Madman's Paint Palette
Only arcane item with Acid Jet, if you're into that sort of thing.

 

Quellic's Boots
These are the best armored boots for a minor token. In multiplayer, you'll rarely want armor over movement on boots because movement is just too important. In the event that you need it though, these are the ones to turn to. This item comes in more useful in the campaign where movement is unimportant and armor is, especially when Firestorming. Just a single Reliable Mail prevents 4 of the 6 total damage from a Firestorm. With 2 you'll be immune to Firestorms. However, in campaign, the Flanking Move is unimportant, and you may as well use Kerrick's Steel Boots instead for a much cheaper price. There's no doubt this is a good item, but I would not purchase unless you have a lot of money.

Epics:
Black Walnut Staff
Passable Firestorm staff for campaign.

Blackhammer
4 great attacks is rare on a divine weapon. Wings of Faith can come in useful, and Impetuous Heal can trigger enemy blocks, like Defender's Block.

Silver Pitchfork
Only 1 Vengeance and pretty low damage overall, but very techy. Would only use in very specific situations.

Notable Rares:
Galvanized Zombie Helm
Decent tokenless helmet. Mostly harmless cycling trait and a good controlling attack. The armor is pretty subpar though. I would only use this helmet if you want a cycling trait and the extra attack.

Tough Leather Cap
Great All Out Attack helm, especially for triple warrior teams as you can make full use of the Dash, Team! All Out Attack is a difficult strategy to pull off though, and you need to build around it as well.

 

Fulg's Cleansing Pot
This a strong niche item for when you need cleansing effects. The draw on Cleansing Ray makes it very strong for a Bronze card in the right deck, like a Volcano deck for instance. However, in such decks, for the same token you can get St. Pascal's Torch which gets you an Inspiring Presence instead which is great to fetch the attacks on your wizards. Still, if you anticipate needing every last bit of cleansing for your deck, Fulg's is the best choice. If you simply want something to get through the Geomancer adventures easier there are plenty of epic substitutes for it. Would only purchase if you need maximum Cleansing Rays in a deck.

Epics:
Corrosive Ethereality
There are more focused skills for both Ethereal Form and Acid Leak, and neither of them are particularly sought after.

Slice And Dice
Great mix of step attacks and damage.

Tempered Flamestaff
When it comes to fire wizards, there's only 2 things I want on staves: Instant Burn and Ember Burst. This only has 1 Instant Burn.

Notable Rares:
Apprentice Resilience
Only tokenless way to get Antimagic Skin. I use it sometimes for Firestorm farming on low levels.

Ascendant Dervish
Good for some leagues where you need flying effects, like Wicked Waterways.

 

Vibrant Pain
Nimble Strike is a very powerful card. Movement is king and Nimble Strike gives you unparalleled movement on an attack card. The low damage doesn't matter much, as damage can easily be increased with Mass Frenzy, Frenzy Aura, Blind Rage and such, whereas movement isn't as easy to come by. Nimble Strike can be used in many ways. Firstly, you can simple use it as a step attack to get close to an enemy and trigger any blocks. Secondly, if you are already next to an enemy, you can fly behind them to circumvent their blocks. Third, you can use it to hunt down any blackline support characters or any injured characters that are fleeing. Lastly, you can use it as a move card. In this aspect, the value of fly cannot be understated. Flying is so powerful as it breaks one of the fundamental rules of positioning, which is zone of control. If an enemy corners you, just fly away. If an enemy is blocking your way to an injured character, just fly over them. Flying also lets you ignore difficult and impassable terrain, which makes it a possible choice for leagues where flying is important or mandatory, like Roll Out The Barrels and Wicked Waterways. Nimble Strike is incredibly versatile and being able to draw them consistently makes Vibrant Pain a top class item. Vibrant Pain is of course best on dwarves, as it helps with their mobility issues. It is so synonymous with dwarves that if your opponent has a dwarf warrior, chances are they have Vibrant Pain equipped. But humans, and to some extent, elves, can use it well too. Castle Mitternacht did introduce Howling Pain which is a great item, and if you equip 2 of those it's like you have a Vibrant Pain too. But I believe the flexibility of being able to use your other weapon slots and tokens however you want makes Vibrant Pain a good purchase nonetheless. Highly recommend purchasing.

Epics:
Ixtli Amulet
Only way to get 2 Illusory Barriers on one arcane item other than the legendary Phantom Pain. Illusory Barrier is extremely strong against other wizards, and I would recommend packing some in a wizard heavy meta.

Nanahut's Morningstar
Decent weapon if you want cleansing.

Waenog's White Chain
Unfocused but all three cards are useful.

Notable Rares:
Advanced Ferocity
One of the better Dwarven Battle Cry items, but only for warriors. Now that I think about it, it could be good in Triple Duel.

Traveler From The North
If your wizard has a major token left over and doesn't know what to do with it, this is a fine option. Freeze is a powerful card but is usually found on items with bad cards. This is an exception. If you just want a powerful finisher, then Superb Electromancy will suit your needs better.

 

Suvv's Boots Of Escape
There are two reasons to want 3 copies of Escaping Run: First reason, as a deck thinner, to cycle 3 cards away. Second reason, for a support or ranged character using it to get away from enemies. For the first reason, Ilinca's Moccasins draws 3 cards as well, and only costs a minor token. For the second reason, Escaping Run is pretty good to get away from enemies, but do you really want to spend a minor token on 3 of these? There are better defensive options in the form of Pergop's Slippers/Zachary's Boots, Vampire Knight's Greaves, or even Sliding Boots. When it comes to major token boots, Runs that draw a card aren't near the top of my list. And they don't even draw a card all of the time. Would not purchase.

Epics:
Dusk And Dawn
Pretty intriguing divine weapon, might be an interesting consideration if it weren't for the Walpurgis Night trying to hide itself in the corner.

Overheated Mesmerizer
Normally, this kind of item would be considered min-maxed, with 2 high quality cards and a handicap to squeak by at level 17 for a minor token. However, Brain Burn is quite debilitating for wizards and it has antisynergy with Volcano too, since you don't want your opponent to know you have it. However, it's great in campaign where you can cycle quickly to Volcanoes.

Superb Vampirism
Vampires want Focused Healer, which happens to be in the Daily Deal today.

Notable Rares:
Evil Hourglass
Only item with Doom, which can give you an easier time against some campaign bosses like Blizkenripper.

Focused Healer
One of the crucial vampire items, adding cantrip to all vamp attacks.

 

St. Malaj's Cuirass
There isn't much more I can say about Cleansing Ray, it's pretty obvious what it's for and you shouldn't bring it without a reason. However, what I can say is that St. Malaj's Cuirass isn't strictly better than Cleansing Hide Armor which is an epic. Save your gold and go with the cheaper option. Would not purchase.

Epics:
Firehide Robes
Best singleplayer robes for Firestorm and Volcano farming.

Red Jon's Boots
There are several better alternatives to tokenless double Flanking Move boots, with Mouse Boots topping the list.

Staff Of Blazing Sparks
The Flashes of Agony are far from stellar. I make an exception though for extremely powerful cards on the other end and this staff comes close to that.

Notable Rares:
Ebony Prayer Beads
Decent card draw item.

 

Silverfire Vial
This is the only Arcane Item with a silver attack. However, I don't believe this fits into a silver deck. Would you rather have this item, with one silver attack and one Flame Jet that doesn't synergise with your deck, or Asmod's Telekinetic Chain with two Telekinesis for extra defense? Or possibly even Armorbane Pendant/Rust Creature Gland, both also with no dead cards. I would leave the silver attacks to the staves and focus on control or armor removal in the arcane item slot. Instead, I think this item fits better on a fire wizard. Sometimes, you're short on tokens as a fire wizard and you need a tokenless arcane item. The previous choice used to be Berian's Locket for a premium burning spell and two Stone Spikes but with the Silverfire Vial you're trading one Stone Spikes for a Inquisition Bolt to reveal your opponent's hand, which is a good deal. Fire wizards really need a high density of burning spells though so only use tokenless arcane items as a last resort. Fire wizards also need armor removal so you can use those in the tokenless arcane item slot as well. Personally, I outsource armor removal and control to another wizard so that my fire wizard can focus on the burning.

Epics:
Barreling Club
No movement for 2 major tokens. You move your opponent I guess, but then you'll have no use for the Powerful attacks. If you want Barging, stick to Barging and leave the big attacks at home.

Greyworm Mace
Mind Worm is terrible. It'll do nothing a lot of the time, other than check for blocks.

Woodhome's Wound
Compare this to Trogsbane and Darune's Dagger, and see which one you like. Hint: It's Darune's Dagger.

Notable Rares:
Diamond Moccasins
Great minor token boots for a melee character. You don't see Quick Run often and it may take people by surprise.

Monsterbane Axe
If you want your priest to be like a warrior, this is the way to do it.

 

Reap The Whirlwind
This is a control weapon if I've ever seen one. Low damage in exchange for powerful control cards, Violent Spin and Disorienting Block. These two cards are especially good at doing one thing: taking over victory squares, guaranteed. With Violent Spin, it's Unblockable, so you'll be able to push off a character stacked with blocks. For Disorienting Block, the effect is pseudo-Cantrip, since it happens on your opponent's turn, so any character on the Victory Square silly enough to attack you will be relieved of their position and taken over. As such, this item shines in maps, or leagues in particular where Victory Squares play a big role and melee is popular. Meaning, Chess Madness, and especially Triple Duel. However, this item is not necessary to succeed on those maps. Would only purchase if you have lots of gold and like being a pacifist.

Epics:
Black Walnut Staff
Passable Firestorm staff for campaign.

Manifold Medic
Healing Spirit is bad, Triple Heals is not something I actively seek out.

Whiteglow Flail
With only 3 support cards, I hesitate to use this item. I prefer having weaker attacks and more or better support cards.

Notable Rares:
Smoke Pin
Best Smoke Bomb item. Smoke Bomb is great against wizards, as long you don't mind your own wizard being useless, barring cone attacks and such. It's also a good counter to Illusory Barrier in Death March.

 

Zoltan's Helm
If you want Advanced Battlefield Training for a minor token on a non-human, this is the only option. Well, there's also Rusty Marshall's Cap but that's too bad to even discuss. The question then, as always, is why you would want Advanced Battlefield Training. If you don't have a reason for it, it's net card disadvantage. And if you do have a reason for it, why would you not want to get two copies from General Gideon's Helm? It costs a major token but surely you can afford to shell out for a major token to get Advanced Battlefield Training more consistently. Advanced Battlefield Training is not something that can be shoved as a one-off into a deck; either you go big or go home. Would not purchase.

Epics:
Bahoxl's Maul
Fine cleansing weapon.

Ethereal Crystal Gun
One of many Accelerate Time items. Perplexing Ray isn't that good, it's net 0 card advantage. Firestorm isn't great either.

Flying Carpet
For a major token, there are much better movement cards you can get than Fly, and they don't come with a terrible Cloth Armor.

Notable Rares:
Perfect Ferocity
Perfect for people who want to deal lots of damage. This is the only way to get Frenzy Aura on a dwarf skill, and the Blind Rage also helps with piling on the damage. If you're using this item you kind of need a full dwarf team though to get full value from the Dwarven Battle Cry.

Subtle Positioning
Hands down, the best tokenless human skill. Two powerful traits and a fine block. They say movement is king in Card Hunter and Vanguard goes a long way towards getting you into a good position. Highly recommend purchasing.

 

I would class Powerpike as an additional notable rare. It is the only way to get 4x high quality range 2 attacks on a weapon, (Penetrating Stab just qualifies ). IMHO, it can compete with the popular Double-edged Sword on a stab warrior, the upgraded token buys you a higher average damage output at the expense of movement.

 

I was thinking about it, but decided against it. Double-Edged Sword is better imo despite the lower token cost. If I had to pay 2 major tokens for it I would still pick it over Powerpike. The fact that Powerpike gives zero movement is so debilitating. I also think Fiery Stab has lost a lot of value with the prevalence of Werewolves and Monstrous Hide that reduces its damage by a significant amount. I've played with Powerpike in ranked before with a bashing build featuring Zoltan's Laser Scourge but I wasn't too impressed with the pike.

 

Porior's Nimble Mace
This is this weapon with the highest density of Lunging Bashes without spending a major token. Think of it as The Lunginator without the high-end attacks but you get a huge token discount in exchange. It all comes down to how good Lunging Bash is, and I think it is pretty great. Lunging Bash is a very versatile card and is one of the most interesting warrior attacks. The main weakness with Bashes is that you can't control where the enemy goes after you bash them, since there is only one possible square and you may not be able to get into the optimal bashing position, but Lunging Bash remedies that by giving you that step which gives you a lot more options in terms of where you can bash enemies to. Hence, you can use Lunging Bash to control where you want enemies to go to a greater degree than any other warrior attack, barring Barge. Also, Lunging Bash is not like other step attacks, in that you cannot use it to close the distance between you and an enemy while checking for blocks, or you will just bash them away again, unless they block it of course. Instead, you can simply use it as a Shuffle then cancel the attack, bash them against a wall, or just use attacks which synergise with Lunging Bash, like stabs or more Lunging Bash. Lunging Bash is also particularly good with Ready To Strike since bashing an enemy without moving them, such as bashing them against impassable/blocked terrain or against a character, triggers Ready to Strike, and Lunging Bash is the easiest way to do so. Porior's Nimble Mace is not for every warrior, but it can be an irreplacable item for certain types of warriors, since no other weapon gives so much control at such a low token cost. If you are low on funds this is not a top priority item but if you have money to spend, this can be a consideration.

Epics:
Apprentice Command
For a minor token, you can get much better team moves than Run, Team!

Howling Hood
Best minor token helm with Enchanted Harness.

Ring Of Hot Spikes
Cheap version of Berian's Locket and very much worse.

Notable Rares:
None

 

Avakiria's Cup
One of the fire wizard arcane items. Fire wizards can deal the most damage of any wizard but they are particularly weak against armor and need support from other characters to keep enemies away from them since they mostly won't be packing control. A fire wizard needs roughly the same number of Glob of Flames and Flame Jets, so take that into account when deciding whether to buy this item. Also note that fire wizards are very legendary heavy, so only attempt building one if you have enough funds.

Epics:
Cudgel Of Healing Light
The only things you want here are those Strong Bludgeons, so might as well go with a Dark Drewg's Mace. If you want the healing, just get it from divine items instead.

Sliding Boots
Very strong boots, especially for a wizard. The main problem is the token cost, but if you can afford the major token these are one of the best boots to spend it on.

Uplifting Faith
Only source of Wings of Faith and Hover on a divine skill. Wings of Faith is great in leagues where Flying shines.

Notable Rares:
Ebony Prayer Beads
Decent card draw item.

Galvanized Zombie Helm
Decent tokenless helmet. Mostly harmless cycling trait and a good controlling attack. The armor is pretty subpar though. I would only use this helmet if you want a cycling trait and the extra attack.

Monsterbane Axe
If you want your priest to be like a warrior, this is the way to do it.

 

Relic Of St. Darqar
Used to be the only tokenless item with Cause Fumble, but Fumbledore's Stone arrived to get rid of the only thing Relic of St. Darqar had going for it. Well not quite. I'm one of the few people who actually like Cause Fumble. In fact, I've bought 2 Oquith's Choking Incense before and would absolutely buy more if they showed up. Cause Fumble is Defender's Block without the card draw, but it doesn't trigger on the comparatively weaker magic attacks, or even worse, an enemy's Triple Heals. It is a very strong card in Chess Madness where you can hide your priest behind your warriors and help block for them. However, there are some reasons not to but Relic of St. Darqar. Firstly, Fingerbone Of St. Ob does pretty much the same thing with 2 Sapping Spears but it has a Greater Heal instead which triggers Altruism. Next, Cause Fumble is better in multiples, and if you're a backline support character you won't be needing those Sapping Spears. If you move forward to attack with the priest then Cause Fumble loses a lot of its value in the holder being able to block from a distance away. Lastly, it is infamous as being a very common legendary when farming, as it is the only level 4 Legendary item. So I wouldn't recommend buying it, as eventually you'll drop some if you replay the low level adventures every day.

Epics:
Hutul's Robes
Pretty interesting, but I don't actively seek out Mystical Drakehide and Force Cone isn't the best control card either.

Savage Plates
Savage Curse is not good.

Wedge Shield
Surging Shield Block is pretty good against wizards but Block is just bad.

Notable Rares:
Lantern Helm
Best minor token Sprint Team helm, courtesy of the cycling trait.

 

Aork's Vial Of Memories
Discarding two spells is definitely great against wizards, and sometimes priests. The main problem with Counterspell is enemy wizards will likely be targeting your wizard with their spells, which may trigger the block part of Counterspell. This is why you need to try to get priority to fire it off at the start of a round. However, your opponent may have some unresolved traits in hand at the start of the round, causing your Counterspell to hit nothing. I still think Counterspell is a decent card but in general I would prefer Illusory Barrier or Smoke Bomb against wizards, because those are guaranteed to work, and you don't need to have line of sight to an enemy wizard.

Epics:
Pip's Anklet
Wall of Illusion is terrible as it only lasts for one turn. There are plenty of double Flash Flood minor token arcane items too, and this is the only one costing a major token. In addition, you can get Twizel's Water Talisman with the same major token.

Savage Plates
Savage Curse is not good.

Xipe's Maquah
This is the divine weapon with the most Unnerving Strikes. However, how often is your priest going to go mano a mano with a warrior? The only priest this would fit on is a non-vampire fighter priest, which currently does not exist. Deckbuilders get cracking.

Notable Rares:
Apprentice Resilience
Only tokenless way to get Antimagic Skin. I use it sometimes for Firestorm farming on low levels.

Club Of Devastation
Best Devastating Blow item, if you can find a way around Vulnerable. Arrogant Armor, Gene Therapy and the like, perhaps?

 

Que me quieres decir, amigo?

 

Apprentice Stoutness
This is a really bad item. It's not worth it to deal with a Chain Harness and a Toughened Hide Strips just to get one Duck. If you want a minor token Duck item, Bloody Stoutness is miles better. Heck, even the rare Trained Stoutness in the Daily Deal today is arguably better. Personally, I ditch the Ducks and go for Toughness instead. In particular, Lucky Toughness for a minor token. Would not purchase.

Epics:
Ettin's Club
Remember that Porior's Nimble Mace a few days back? This is a cheaper but worse substitute for it.

Frog Strapping
Purging is always good but as a Priest you get access to ranged Purges that don't require you to get up close to an enemy. Chain Harnesses are nothing special too.

Talissa's Trident
Vicious Thrust is great, Vengeance is great, Penetrating Lunge is alright. It's a pretty good weapon but it isn't very popular, and I'm not entirely sure why.

Notable Rares:
Blazing Buckler
One of the better tokenless shields, simply because it has Parry and no weak cards.

Traveler From The North
If your wizard has a major token left over and doesn't know what to do with it, this is a fine option. Freeze is a powerful card but is usually found on items with bad cards. This is an exception. If you just want a powerful finisher, then Superb Electromancy will suit your needs better.

 

After its nerf, what's Savage Curse's potential when used on enemies? Too gimmicky, too much risk for its reward, or a good way to force the enemy to use up more resources per attack?

Not that Savage Curse being good would make that item worth running, of course.

 

Savage Curse is still good on some campaign maps, notably in conjunction with Flash Of Agony on the first maps of Cockroaches and Tvericus. If you choose to use it, it's best to stack as many as you can. There are many other methods, but few can result in clearing the map in a single round.
Some have always used it as a means to discard armor (or other cards) from opponents, such as Resistant Hide from Festering Zombies. Its nerf actually makes this practice less painful. I've never used it in this fashion, but I know @Jarmo used to.