Peon's Not So Daily Deal

Mail Of St. Oxivia (N)
Peon's Prescription for Prodigious Multiplayers
There aren't many attachments going around so using Arrogant Armor is doing more harm than good since it shuts off all buffs as well. What it is useful for is negating self imposed handicaps from items or cards like Walpurgis Night. However, Savage Curse is close to unplayable. It doesn't do enough for wizards, it's too much card disadvantage for melee characters, and it's often a liability on opposing characters. Epic alternatives like Old Saint's Armor and Untouchable Plate also have weak filler cards but they're all risk free and semi-useful. Would not purchase.

Peon's Perspective for Penny-Pinching Singleplayers
There are some modules where attachments are a major issue but any of the epic double Arrogant Armor divine armors would be preferable. If you're not using a priest for buffs though, you might as well not bring one at all. Would not purchase.

Substitutes
Axamander's Ringmail (E) , Old Saint's Armor (E) , Untouchable Plate (E)

 

Makhail's Cruel Hand (P)
Peon's Prescription for Prodigious Multiplayers
Ancient Grudge takes a long time to do meaningful damage naturally so you'll likely want to accelerate the growth of your discard pile. Using trait cycling items is the easiest way to go about it though card draw priests can also effectively speed up discard development. Alternatively, you can just play the waiting game with control spells to drag out the match. Makhail's Cruel Hand helps in that regard with a pair of Force Cones but those can be hit or miss depending on the map. Vial Of Spite has more flexible control spells in Force Cannon and Telekinesis. Both items have their merits though and they're, along with Wym's Spiteful Bucket, the only real options for Ancient Grudge arcane items. I would be more inclined to run Vial of Spite but Makhail's Cruel Hand is worth considering if you want to play around with Ancient Grudge.

Peon's Perspective for Penny-Pinching Singleplayers
Ancient Grudge is slow no matter how you cut it. If you want big single target damage from your wizards, Punishing Bolt is a better option. You can only get it from staves but it takes no setup for a sizable payoff against bosses. Even if you want Ancient Grudge for some reason, Vial of Spite is a good enough substitute. Would not purchase.

Substitutes
Vial Of Spite (E)

Comments from the Peanut Gallery
@hello world
Fwiw, double-triple force cone items are always legendary items and it is probably the most efficient way to deal with tombstones when the fairy goes there. So cruel hand could get a mention if you have a lot of gold to waste.

 

Malone's Hacking Module
Peon's Prescription for Prodigious Multiplayers
Malone's Hacking Module isn't unplayable but it is unfocused. Radioactive Spray, Cause Fumble, and Team Heal are all role players in their different builds but you rarely want to play any of them together let alone all of them at once. There are items better suited for building around each individual card that will lead to more cohesive strategies. Would not purchase.

Peon's Perspective for Penny-Pinching Singleplayers
Farming is all about consistency to make sure you can execute a plan and do it in a timely manner. This is doubly true for major token items as the difficulty spikes hard in the higher level modules. Malone's Hacking Module is decent but doesn't do anything particularly well. In fact, aside from Team Heal, you probably won't find much use for it. Would not purchase.

Substitutes
Crespin's Shroud (E) , Static Interference (E) : Cause Fumble
Glowing Gland (E) : Radioactive Spray
Jygpin's Healing Ring (E) : Team Heal

 

Mandeus's Aegis (P)
Peon's Prescription for Prodigious Multiplayers
Mandeus's Aegis is a bad Fabrian's Shield. Defender's Block is the best block in the game while Icy Block is mediocre at best. If you want card draw from an anti-wizard shield, go with Fabrian's Shield for the superior block. If you want the Encumber effect, either go all out with Azan's Icy Bulwark or pick one of the many Icy Block shields that are tokenless or more flexible than Mandeus's Aegis. Either way, would not purchase.

Peon's Perspective for Penny-Pinching Singleplayers
There are so many great lower rarity shields to choose from that it's almost never a good idea to splurge on a legendary one. Mandeus's Aegis isn't even the best at what it does. Would not purchase.

Substitutes
Bullseye Shield (E), Magnetic Shield (E) : Catch Arrow
Frozen Shield (E) : Icy Block

 

Massive Harm
Peon's Prescription for Prodigious Multiplayers
Massive Harm does more damage than any other single token weapon but that damage comes at a steep cost. Discarding your oldest card rarely works out. They are always going to be the best cards saved from the previous turn barring corner cases like Officer's Harness. You need to expend the rest of your hand to play around the drawback of Controlled Overswing but armor and blocks throw a wrench in that plan. Even without the discard clause, Massive Harm is just a bunch of vanilla attacks in which case you're better off playing The Strongarm slightly less damage and spending the token elsewhere. If you need Crushing attacks specifically, Beater has comparable damage and Dangerous Club has a bit of extra utility. Would not purchase.

Peon's Perspective for Penny-Pinching Singleplayers
Controlled Overswing is much less painful when you don't care about discarding armor and blocks. Still, I'm not big on buying something that will only get played in a couple lower level modules. Massive Harm is perfectly playable and could be the best weapon for some low level warrior based farming parties. However, there are perfectly good substitutes like Blazing Shortsword and Maquah Of Ancient Blood so save your gold for more stuff that is much harder to replace. Would not purchase.

Substitutes
Maquah Of Ancient Blood (E)

 

Mathilda's Locket
Peon's Prescription for Prodigious Multiplayers
Flash Flood and Cone Of Cold go fairly well together as both are effectively used to slow down melee characters. However, Flame Jet is used exclusively by Burning wizards and they want as little non-Burning cards as possible. Both Flash Flood and Cone of Cold have more consistent and on theme items to rely on so there isn't much reason to go for Mathilda's Locket at all. Would not purchase.

Peon's Perspective for Penny-Pinching Singleplayers
Farming is all about consistency so it's best to avoid amalgamations like Mathilda's Locket and look for items with more copies of the individual cards you need. Burning wizards are especially legendary heavy so saving for something like Miligar's Dragon Tongue is even more important. Would not purchase.

Substitutes
Rantic Orb's Of Inner Fire (E) : Burning
Hasek's Icy Ring (E) , Hylithia's Wand (E) , Lich's Locket (E) , Xochu's Icy Circlet (E) : Cone Of Cold
Bimson's Water Stone (E) , Tauri's Watery Maze (E) , The Soulstone (E) , Pip's Anklet (E) : Flash Flood

 

Mazzaram's Mighty Mattock (N)
Peon's Prescription for Prodigious Multiplayers
If you're just running up to things and cashing in Obliterating Chops on single targets, Mazzaram's Mighty Mattock is just an overcosted Infused Greatclub. However, if you can wait for your enemies to come to you hoping for an easy 2 on 1, Obliterating Chop suddenly becomes the highest damage attack in the game. You do need more defense and you are giving up a lot of damage against wizards but Chop warriors can be very effective, especially on maps with centralized victory squares. If you aren't dual wielding Bloodchoppers or are just strapped for major tokens, Mazzaram's Mighty Mattock is the next best option for Obliterating Chops. Chop warriors are not for everyone but if you want to give it a try, Mazzaram's Mighty Mattock is worth considering.

Peon's Perspective for Penny-Pinching Singleplayers
Chop warriors are bad wizards for the most part. You deal higher damage to 2 targets but there are very few situations where that is relevant. Cards like Only Bones will also ruin any Chopper's day. If you need to hit multiple targets just bring a wizard along. Would not purchase.

Substitutes
Ruin (E)

 

Meztis Wyrmhide Robes (N)
Peon's Prescription for Prodigious Multiplayers
There aren't enough attachments going around for Mystical Wyrmhide to be worth it. You're most likely to run into Burning attachments but Resistant Hide robes are better suited for the average match while also hosing the occasional Spark wizard. However, new sets are bound to introduce more attachments and there may come a day when Mystical Wyrmhide has its time to shine. Even then, Viridian Dragoncloak gives you nearly the same utility with a much more lenient minor token cost. Reflecting an attachment a bit more often just isn't worth the upgrade. Would not purchase.

Peon's Perspective for Penny-Pinching Singleplayers
There are some modules with a heavy attachment theme but I still prefer Viridian Dragoncloak. All the same attachment protection for a fraction of the cost. Alternatively, using melee characters instead gives you access to Arrogant Armor. Would not purchase.

Substitutes
Boltswap Robes (R), Coatl Robes (R), Viridian Dragoncloak (R) , Spacedragon Warpcloak (E)

 

Miligar's Dragon Tongue (N)
Peon's Prescription for Prodigious Multiplayers
Burning wizards are the highest damage wizards available by virtue of having access to high damage spells on arcane items. Miligar's Dragon Tongue is one of the best options for a Burning Wizard but there are a bunch to choose from. Aside from Flame Warper, they all have some combination of Flame Jet and Glob Of Flame. Burning spells are highly dependent on attachments for damage so you ideally want an even split to prevent redundant attachments. If Miligar's Dragon Tongue is the first Burning arcane item available to you then snap it up. However, you'll want to be more picky for each subsequent one to keep the Flame Jet/Glob of Flame ratio in check. Purchase if you're building a Burning Wizard.

Peon's Perspective for Penny-Pinching Singleplayers
Burning wizards are good for high single target damage but unless you're up against something Combustible, you are in for a slow burn. Wizards are more useful for spamming Firestorm and Volcano. Leave the single target damage to warriors. They're faster, more efficient, and I hear they've unionized. Would not purchase.

Substitutes
Rantic's Orb Of Inner Fire (E)

 

Mindless Aggression
Peon's Prescription for Prodigious Multiplayers
Controlled Overswing has a huge cost and you're only getting a couple points of damage in return. Warriors have the most kept cards of any class by virtue of having the most armor and blocks. Short range attacks often get stuck in hand as well. It's highly unlikely to end up with a drawback free Controlled Overswing through an otherwise empty hand. Thus, Controlled Overswing should be treated as a backwards All Out Attack when you discard attacks or a self damaging attack when defensive cards get hit. Double minor token weapons are pretty poor when it comes to damage output but you still don't need Mindless Aggression. Go cheaper and you have access to stuff like Dangerous Club and The Strongarm. Alternatively, use minor token weapons to smooth out your build with tech cards like Step attacks or Sundering Strikes. Get your damage from major token weapons and leave Mindless Aggression in the corner where it belongs. Would not purchase.

Peon's Perspective for Penny-Pinching Singleplayers
Mindless Aggression isn't too bad in singleplayer. Defense is often of minor concern in the mid levels and you have the luxury of saving Controlled Overswing for last in a chain of attack. It sucks when you draw 2 in the same turn but 10 damage is more than enough to win damage races against most mobs. However, Infused Greatclub and Rageblood Dagger will often get the job done and there are some strong epic weapons like Blazing Shortsword as well. Mindless Aggression doesn't do enough to warrant the legendary price tag and a minor drawback is still a drawback. Would not purchase.

Substitutes
None

 

Mindshrinker
Peon's Prescription for Prodigious Multiplayers
Mind Worm is awful. It doesn't have an immediate effect on the board and possibly does nothing at all. Forcing a character to discard their second best card at the end of the turn just doesn't do a whole lot. Mind Worm does even less against wizards. They rarely have armor or blocks to stockpile and ranged attacks are the easiest to unload. It is most effective early on as the massive 8 range gives you something to do from across the map. Chances are you'll get a card out of the deal while both sides are still getting into position. Beyond that Mind Worm becomes block checking fodder and the occasional buff pusher off-er. Would not purchase.

Peon's Perspective for Penny-Pinching Singleplayers
Mind Worm is pointless against mobs with large shared hands and bosses that draw extra cards. That one card is a drop in the bucket. If you're trying to use it as armor removal you're out of luck too. The AI prioritizes armor so you're never going to catch anything naked. Would not purchase.

Substitutes
Draining Dagger (E) , Greyworm Mace (E)

 

Mokad's Reeking Skull (P)
Peon's Prescription for Prodigious Multiplayers
The amount of card draw Mokad's Reeking Skull provides is unparalleled. The damage you take is both negligible and preventable with armor. Now on to the bad news. Unholy Energy makes for an awful topdeck. It does nothing the turn you cast it and you only break even on cards the following turn. In addition, being an attachment makes it susceptible to Purge effects and it's a nonbo with Blind Rage. That said, if you aren't behind in a match, the card advantage of Unholy Energy adds up surprisingly quick. Getting all that card draw in a concise package also frees up a lot of real estate compared to other draw spells like Inspiration and Demonic Power. Mokad's Reeking Skull is incredibly powerful and definitely worth considering for just about any support priest.

Peon's Perspective for Penny-Pinching Singleplayers
I can't stress enough how much it sucks when you buy a shiny new toy only to find out you can't even use it in over half the modules. Mokad's Reeking Skull is powerful and one of a kind but costing a major token makes it a poor investment. I will always sacrifice a bit of power if a more cost effective alternative is available because I know I will get more use out of it. If you have more gold than you know what to do with and you want the Cadillac of card draw items then by all means give Mokad's Reeking Skull a spin. The higher levels are certainly grindy enough that you'll have the time to benefit from the card advantage of Unholy Energy. Would not purchase otherwise.

Substitutes
Ebony Prayer Beads (R) , Incense Of The Caged Demon (E)

 

Mokad's Unholy Tome
Peon's Prescription for Prodigious Multiplayers
While I'm a big fan of how efficient Unholy Energy is as a draw spell, Mokad's Unholy Tome is simply outclassed by other items, of lower rarity no less. Mind Worm is essentially a dead card so trading it for a Bad Luck with Ebony Prayer Beads isn't that much of a downgrade. In return, you get to upgrade an Unholy Energy to Accelerated Thought which often translates to a couple extra hp. Alternatively, Incense Of The Caged Demon trades in the Mind Worm for a slightly painful cycling trait. Would I pay 4 life to not play Mind Worm? You bet your sweet bippy. Would not purchase

Peon's Perspective for Penny-Pinching Singleplayers
Mind Worm still sucks and the substitutes are still better. Would not purchase.

Substitutes
Ebony Prayer Beads (R) , Incense Of The Caged Demon (E)

 

Mokk's Boots (P)
Peon's Prescription for Prodigious Multiplayers
Escaping Run isn't splashy but there are far worse things to spend extra tokens on than a bit of extra card draw. What brings Mokk's Boots down a peg is the fact that there are several better alternatives. Officer's Harness just doesn't do enough to actively seek out. Both Ilinca's Moccasins and Reynoldo's Boots pair Escaping Runs with a far more useful card. Even builds that benefit from Officer's Harness most likely want boots that contain more copies of it. Would not purchase.

Peon's Perspective for Penny-Pinching Singleplayers
Movement is either not important at all or, in the case of chasing down ranged mobs, far too important to waste the boots slot for effectively Runs. Go for no strings attached cycling traits for the former or high mobility cards like Energizing Run for the latter. If you simply must have Escaping Runs, Ilinca's Moccasins are cheaper and better in nearly all situations. Would not purchase.

Substitutes
Lum's Moccasins (E) , Ilinca's Moccasins (E)

 

Mordecai's Staff Of Magma (BN)
Peon's Prescription for Prodigious Multiplayers
A lot of the time you can turn Volcano into a big rangeless Firestorm but obviously it's best when used in a one-sided fashion. The trick is playing in such a way that convinces your opponent that you aren't just passing to get them to waste move cards. Many a Volcano has been sniffed out by the infamous do nothing pass back. In fact, it's such a widely known phenomenon that I will sometimes fake pass with wizards holding mediocre cards that don't even run Volcano to see if my opponent will pass right back out of fear and allow me to craft a better hand. It works best when you can play a normal game of expending your visible move cards to encourage your opponent to do the same. That means running extra team moves, Telekinesis type spells, terrain overlays like Illusory Barrier, and traits like Dimensional Traveler. Priests complement the strategy well with cleanse effects and a few of their own terrain spells like Consecrate Ground. Now on to the bad news. Volcano sucks against highly mobile teams such as Step attack warriors. Also, the higher your rating, the more likely your opponent will have a lot of experience playing around Volcanoes. Mordecai's Staff of Magma gives you access to a powerful strategy with huge potential but it's effectiveness is hinged upon what and how your opponents play. I can absolutely recommend it for certain leagues like Roll out the Barrels where you have tons of time to mess around and the rangeless nature of Volcano is invaluable. For top tier play, Volcano is more trouble than it's worth. Would purchase if you want to try the strategy out for yourself. Would not purchase expecting free wins.

Peon's Perspective for Penny-Pinching Singleplayers
Yes, it costs double major tokens so you can only use it in modules level 14 and up. No, that doesn't matter diddly squat. Volcano will single handedly win you games. The most obvious example is the second level of Black Plume Mountain. Lay down a Volcano and those annoying Lightning Idols are dead in two turns, no questions asked. Volcano is so powerful that most of my high level farming parties are built around spamming them. There are a lot of modules where the enemies are too far away for Firestorm or you can't afford to take too much self damage. Highly recommend purchasing.

Substitutes
Staff Of Blazing Sparks (E)

 

Mullik's Blisterstaff (N)
Peon's Prescription for Prodigious Multiplayers
Four copies of Force Cone on a tokenless staff is great but there are a few things you need to keep in mind. First of all, the usefulness of Force Cone itself is very map dependent. Cramped spaces with lots of walls or impassable terrain are a big no no. You will also find that your wizard won't be able to hurt a fly. If you plan on doing some butt kicking you will need to keep your butt kicker alive. This is particularly difficult against opposing wizards since they tend not to care about control cards. Alternatively, you can go the pure evil route and rely solely on victory squares to get the win. Having tried this before I can say that it is incredibly difficult to pull off, takes a really really long time to finish matches, and does not feel particularly rewarding if you have a decent bone in your body. Purchase only if you're looking for a tokenless control staff and you know what you're getting into.

Peon's Perspective for Penny-Pinching Singleplayers
Tokenless Firestorm staff. This isn't the most important item for low level Firestorm farming since Staff Of The Inferno exists but it certainly is a lot less suicidal. At the same time, there's no question that Staff of the Inferno leads to quicker kills. When using a full set of Staff of the Inferno, it's rare that you will find yourself with all 3 wizards being Combustible. If you simply fire off Firestorms on the Combustible wizards first, the unafflicted ones can finish off any survivors. Save your gold for the double Firestorm arcane items that will really speed things along. Purchase only if you already have a great Firestorm party and want Combustible insurance.

Substitutes
Staff Of The Inferno (E): Firestorm

 

Nasrum's Moccasins (N)
Peon's Prescription for Prodigious Multiplayers
With respect to damage prevention, Enchanted Harness often isn't going to be more effective than stacking a bunch of more token friendly Reliable Mails. Most characters will only have one high armor value target to boost. Where enchanted harness shines is improving the rolls of armor with secondary abilities. Whether it's Barbed Platemail or Mimetic Armor, they go from minor annoyances to "attack me at your own peril" cards. Warriors have access to General Jelom's Helm but what makes Nasrum's Moccasins so great is that it allows non-warriors to join in on the fun. Investing a major token in defense usually crimps your offensive or support capabilities and the best items to roll boost cost even more major tokens so defense needs to be your number one game plan. This is doubly true with Nasrum's Moccasins as your mobility will be impaired as well. Granted, it's an expensive game plan that falls apart to armor removal and Penetrating attacks so it isn't particularly popular. However, given the right metagame, say a vamp heavy one perhaps, Enchanted Harness shenanigans can be a fun thing to explore. Would purchase if you want the roll boosting capabilities, especially for non-warrior builds.

Peon's Perspective for Penny-Pinching Singleplayers
Anything that takes away from your damage clock is a big no no. Reliable Enchanted Harness builds take up too many of your precious major tokens. Armor removal is fairly rare, but so are Purge effects. It's better to have a support priest on Impenetrable Nimbus duty than doing anything that will defang your offensive characters. Would not purchase.

Substitutes
Angry Jack's Boots (E)

 

Nightstalker's Shield
Peon's Prescription for Prodigious Multiplayers
Shifting Block is meant to be a fun card. After blocking, you get a to play with a whole new deck the following turn and neither you nor your opponent will know what to expect. That's all well and good if you pull Lycanthropic Form or Vampiric Form but Ethereal Form is just a big pile of doo doo. Nearly every card in the Ethereal card pool is situational, weak, or both and the armor effect from the form itself rarely comes into play. I am all for unpredictable play but you don't get much of a benefit even if you do win the form lottery. Would not purchase.

Peon's Perspective for Penny-Pinching Singleplayers
In order for forms to be useful they need to be better than your existing deck. That's only possible if you have a severely limited pool of items. If that's the case, you have far better things to spend your gold on than a legendary Shifting Block Shield. Would not purchase.

Substitutes
Nightmetal Shield (E), Shield Of Affliction (E), Shield Of The Wraith (E) , Terror-Forged Shield (E) , Aegis Of The Bat (E)

 

Nok's Squirming Shroud
Peon's Prescription for Prodigious Multiplayers
Soothing Darkness is weak and difficult to use. Mind Worm is a minor annoyance that often does nothing. Putting them together on a single item is enough to make anyone squirm. Even if you are the adventurous sort that want to try out either card, there are more powerful items to choose from like Token Of Moon's Blessing and St. Glist's Charm. Would not purchase.

Peon's Perspective for Penny-Pinching Singleplayers
While Soothing Darkness is much more controllable against a non-human opponent, Mind Worm has a much smaller impact of larger and shared hands. It's best to avoid any item with Mind Worm unless it gives you access to some kickass card. Soothing Darkness is not one of them. Would not purchase.

Substitutes
Talisman Of Grief (E)

 

Nuncible's Boots (P)
Peon's Prescription for Prodigious Multiplayers
Energizing Move is very good. It turns dwarves into elves and elves into Usain Bolt. The greatest thing about it is that it is so hard to counter. There aren't many cards that specifically interact with movement. Cold spells and Entangling Roots are the main culprits, neither of which you are likely to face. However, most decks would rather have just about anything over Officer's Harness making Nuncible's Boots closer to the bottom of the Energizing Move pecking order. If you're looking to get Energizing Move boots I would look out for Leomunk's Kickin' Boots or Pwindle's Boots instead. Would not purchase.

Peon's Perspective for Penny-Pinching Singleplayers
You do not need the movement boost effect most of the time. Melee mobs chase after you and wizards are preferable against ranged mobs. You can also get the same effect with Quickness Aura. While you can't cash it in for a Dash, it will get the job done most of the time and is much cheaper to get. Would not purchase.

Substitutes
Japper's Energy Boots (E)