Peon's Not So Daily Deal

Fulg's Cleansing Pot (N)
Peon's Prescription for Prodigious Multiplayers
You won't run into terrain attachments often enough and the heal is too weak to run Cleansing Ray in builds that don't run their own. Volcano and, to a lesser extent, rogue Radioactive Spray squares are the only terrain attachments that you would want to get rid of yourself. While Fulg's Cleansing Pot is a great asset for in those cases, there are much cheaper epic alternatives that do the job almost as well. In addition, St Ulrich's Bones is a popular epic alternative. albeit a major token one, that is flat out better in most cases and fits into non-terrain builds. Would not purchase.

Peon's Perspective for Penny-Pinching Singleplayers
While there is some use in using Cleansing effects to mask the presence of incoming Volcanoes in multiplayer, you can simply pass the turn and move off against the AI. There isn't any real reason to run Cleansing Ray except in modules where you face terrain attachments. There are relatively few of those and it's not worth buying a legendary when much cheaper substitutes exist. Would not purchase.

Substitutes
Cleansing Diamond (E) , Noral's Cleansing Relic (E)

 

Garalem's Boots (P)
Peon's Prescription for Prodigious Multiplayers
Flanking Moves are great for getting in surprise ranged attacks but the Wild Run is most useful for melee classes. A move 8 will get you pretty much anywhere on the map making a first turn ambush possible. The first turn is also guaranteed to discard your base movement which you probably won't need. However, every subsequent turn your mileage will drop rapidly as both sides naturally move closer together and you're forced to discard something more important. Garalem's Boots is most suitable for a Stab warrior or vamp but they are going to have a harder time ambushing opponents with their weaker attacks. It's better to commit to one card or the other with something like Vollmond Boots for first turn ambush potential or Mouse Boots for less risky Flanking Moves. Would not purchase.

Peon's Perspective for Penny-Pinching Singleplayers
Cantrip moves have little value aside from retaining priority at end of turn for 1 HP quests. Garalem's Boots are fine for that but you don't really care what that third card is and there are fine epic substitutes. I would even prefer Mouse Boots in most situations. Would not purchase.

Substitutes
Mouse Boots (E), Red Jon's Boots (E), Naradoc's Boots (E)

 

Gauixl's Sacred Maquah (P)
Peon's Prescription for Prodigious Multiplayers
Sundering Strike is not reliable enough against most armors so it is better to either play wizards for guaranteed armor removal or simply ignore it altogether with buffs and high damage attacks. I like weapons that throw in a miser's Sundering Strike to take care of any Reliable Mails you may come across but Gauixl's Sacred Maquah takes it too far. You are devoting too many tokens to an effect that may not trigger on a character that most likely isn't on the front lines. I'm not saying you should avoid Sundering Strike altogether but look for weapons where they aren't the primary feature like Huetotl's Firebrand or Healing Hand Mace. Would not purchase.

Peon's Perspective for Penny Pinching Singleplayers
There aren't many modules where armor removal is a must and you priest should not be your main source for it. The priest is not going to be the tank that's taking hits for the team so you won't have the opportunity to use range 1 attacks unless something goes horribly wrong. You are also most likely using the priest for buffs or card draw so those tokens would be better spent elsewhere. Warriors have an easier time getting and using Sundering Strike. If your priest is the tank, odds are you have wizards as your main attackers so you should be running hard armor removal like Boiling Armor. In that case, you'd be vastly overspending on an inferior redundant effect. Would not purchase.

Substitutes
Blackhammer (E) , Healing Hand Mace (E)

 

General Gideon's Helm (N)
Peon's Prescription for Prodigious Multiplayers
Advanced Battlefield Training is pure card disadvantage which is a big no no for most builds. What you get in return is the opportunity for cross race/class card combinations and access to more copies of cards than is possible to get on a single character. The issue with the former is that warriors have pretty bland cards so you are really banking on abusing the card limit cheating capabilities of Advanced Battlefield Training. Before you go off and shove a dozen Officer's Harnesses or All Out Attacks into one basket, be prepared to get blown out. If you're one to caution to the wind in favor of a fantastic story every once in a while, General Gideon's Helm might just be for you. Everyone else should stay away.

Peon's Perspective for Penny-Pinching Singleplayers
There is something to be said for loading up one character with godly armor but it's much easier and more consistent to spam Impenetrable Nimbus. Advanced Battlefield Training is simply a fun card that doesn't have much use for farming purposes. Would not purchase.

Substitutes
Cap Of Soaring (C) , Helm Of The Inquisition (R) , Terminator Mask (E)

 

General Jelom's Helm (N)
Peon's Prescription for Prodigious Multiplayers
Enchanted Harness strategies are extremely fragile against armor removal and a good deal of your opponents will be packing it. That said, armor removal is usually run in small quantities so a bad draw or two on their part and you are back in business. Helmets are a particularly good source of Harnesses since they lack good armor to boost aside from Mimetic Armor/Mimetic Crown and using boots, the other Harness slot, gives up valuable movement cards. You have the option of running General Jelom's Helm, Nasrum's Moccasins, or both depending on what armor you are trying to boost and how badly your warrior needs movement. More often than not, General Jelom's Helm gets the nod so it's almost essential if you are interested in triggered armor boosting builds.

Peon's Perspective for Penny-Pinching Singleplayers
Helm of Reinforcement is a great substitute and you're probably not going to want to run an armor strategy over higher damage weapons. Would not purchase.

Substitutes
Howling Hood (E) , Helm Of Reinforcement (E)

 

Glasod's Dark Eye
Peon's Prescription for Prodigious Multiplayers
Soothing Darkness is a difficult card to use effectively. The delayed heal is awful when you are near death and using it preemptively gives your opponent the option of choosing whether or not to engage the soothed character. Even ignoring my distaste for Soothing Darkness, Glasod's Dark Eye isn't the best item for it. Savage Curse is nowhere near as useful as the Purge on Lattimore's Relic. Would not purchase.

Peon's Perspective for Penny-Pinching Singleplayers
Soothing Darkness has more value in singleplayer but healing is still not a great strategy. You often won't be able to out heal incoming damage so buffing attacks or using Impenetrable Nimbus to alter the damage race is more effective. The one exception is against ranged mobs that have lower damage and you can lure them away from a wounded character. However, Soothing Darkness is still worse than things like Healing Beacon and Lattimore's Relic is much cheaper. Would not purchase.

Substitutes
Lattimore's Relic (E)

 

Glasod's Dark Skull (N)
Peon's Prescription for Prodigious Multiplayers
In a vacuum, Glasod's Dark Skull is the best divine item for a ranged vamp but the minor token cost is actually kind of a huge deal. A run of the mill vamp has the luxury of equipping great tokenless items like Vampire's Blade and Wuuna's Vampiric Shroud. On the other hand, more stabby vamps need tokens for their best divine weapons, Bynser's Black Spear and Darkforce Nunckaku. Add on the tokens used for Talented Healer, good boots, and Frenzy Aura and suddenly stab vamps wind up as token hungry as warriors. Hand Of Melvelous is often going to be preferable as a tokenless item with a slightly weaker attack. Glasod's Dark Skull is fine if you have spare gold and just want extra ranged attacks on a regular vamp. Otherwise, would not purchase.

Peon's Perspective for Penny-Pinching Singleplayers
In general, it's much less important to have range 2 attacks than to simply deal as much damage as possible. In that respect, Flax's Thirsty Vial and Wunna's Vampiric Shroud are slightly better not to mention significantly cheaper. Would not purchase.

Substitutes
Badjeera's Black Relic (E), Flax's Thirsty Vial (E), Wuuna's Vampiric Shroud (E)

 

Glasod's Dark Thighbone
Peon's Prescription for Prodigious Multiplayers
Soothing Darkness is bad, Savage Curse is worse, and vamps have way better options for their Spear Of Darkness needs. Heck, there are better options for Soothing Darkness and Savage Curse if you really want them too. Glasod's Dark Thighbone is just a random mix of cards that don't go well together. Would not purchase.

Peon's Perspective for Penny-Pinching Singleplayers
The single redeeming quality of Glasod's Dark Thighbone is that it's a minor token way to get Soothing Darkness if you wanted it for some reason. Token Of Moon's Blessing is much cheaper and better. Would not purchase.

Substitutes
Grey Charm (R)

 

Gloomthirst (P)
Peon's Prescription for Prodigious Multiplayers
While its attacks are mediocre, Gloomthirst gives you a fantastic deal on card draw. Having 3 quality buffs is nearly unheard of for divine weapons. You get an upgraded Mokad's Reeking Skull out of your divine weapon while freeing up a more cost effective divine item slot. Delayed card draw like Unholy Energy isn't the best when you're in the thick of battle but it shines when you have time to set up. Play it the turn before engaging in combat and you get Cantrip card draw that doesn't care about hand size. Unholy Energy is susceptible to Purge effects and is risky with heavy trait cycling, Blind Rage in particular, but the potential for a 3 for 1 over the course of the game should not be discounted. Immediate card draw like Inspiration and Demonic Power has its benefits but they also take up a lot of real estate for a smaller payoff. If you want card draw that doesn't take up a ton of item slots, Gloomthirst is definitely worth considering.

Peon's Perspective for Penny-Pinching Singleplayers
It's difficult to out draw combined mob and massive boss hands so it's more important to just have higher card quality. It doesn't matter how many cards the AI has if they're spending them on an Impenetrable Nimbused character or simply dead from buffed attacks. Gloomthirst is still good but not something I'd actively be looking to pick up. Would not purchase.

Substitutes
Coruscating Blade (R) , Quickmind Spear (C) , Unholy Cudgel (E)

 

God's Rage
Peon's Prescription for Prodigious Multiplayers
Discarding your oldest card to Controlled Overswing is a massive drawback. Between armor, blocks, and spells that you don't want to use immediately you will often have an important card that locks you out of playing it. You can play Controlled Overswing as the last card in hand but again, this is a rare occurrence. Having bad attacks in not a deal breaker for divine weapons if the supporting cast makes up for it. Twin Heals is ok as heals go and being able to draw out blocks on full health opponents is a bonus but it is not worth seeking out in particular. Blind Rage may as well be anything that cycles when your priest has few attacks. In the end, not having good enough support cards is the biggest factor holding God's Rage back. Would not purchase.

Peon's Perspective for Penny-Pinching Singleplayers
Priests should primarily be healing and buffing, possibly vamping if you're feeling frisky. God's Rage has a heavy focus on damage dealing. Spending two cards to deal 10 damage should be low on your priority list. Your priest did not spend all that time in seminary school just so you could have him or her do a warrior impression. Would not purchase.

Substitutes
Cudgel Of Healing Light (E) , Xipes's Maquah (E)

 

Godtouched Mace (P)
Peon's Prescription for Prodigious Multiplayers
Team Heal is one of the better heals and the attacks on Godtouched Mace are flashy but you shouldn't be prioritizing tech attacks when picking divine weapons. Support priests often aren't in position to attack the target you want so you should opt for attacks that will finish off the opposing team should your main offense perish. Healing Hand Mace delivers that in spades. You still get your Sundering Strike but you also get 2 whoppers in Mighty Bludgeon. Mighty Bludgeons are so good at finishing off all but the hardiest of dwarves that Healing Hand Mace is more often run for its attacks than its support cards, a rarity when it comes to divine weapons. Would not purchase.

Peon's Perspective for Penny-Pinching Singleplayers
If you need Team Heals, you either want more damage with Healing Hand Mace or superior heals with Godtouched Spear. Both are better and cheaper options than Godtouched Mace. Would not purchase.

Substitutes
Gray Blade (R) , Healing Hand Mace (E) , Godtouched Spear (E)

 

Golden Wings (N)
Peon's Prescription for Prodigious Multiplayers
With the exception of leagues, multiplayer maps are designed so that no one is required to play let alone own items that give Fly. For the most part, Fly allows you to reach victory squares faster than your opponents. There are also some fringe benefits such as hopping over impassable terrain to put some distance between you and a melee character or bypassing defenders that are put out front to protect more valuable targets. You can use Fly to get directly behind and enemy for a back attack but that requires them to be unable to turn or you to have a cantrip move though Surestrike Blessing is much better for that task. Wings Of Faith's effect is pretty marginal and takes up valuable real estate in regular matches but leagues are a whole different ballgame. I can't count the number of times I've seen a match end before it started because one player was unaware that their characters would be stranded on their own private islands in Wicked Waterways. Fly is absolutely necessary on some league maps and highly advantageous in others but everyone has access to Flight Aura for indefinite airtime. So what is Wings of Faith actually good for? Saving tokens on your offensive melee characters. The vast majority of Flight Aura items require a major token and even marginal ones charge minor tokens. If your character is getting Wings of Faithed, odds are you will be able to overpower an opposing character that is spending their tokens on Flight Aura or Nimble Strike. Golden Wings is incredibly narrow but it is a necessary evil if you want to excel with melee characters in certain leagues. Would purchase if that is your plan, would not purchase for regular play.

Peon's Perspective for Penny-Pinching Singleplayers
There are no maps where Fly is required. There are some where Fly will get your melee characters across the map faster but wizards are much better in those situations. Would not purchase.

Substitutes
None

 

Granwick's Shield (P)
Peon's Prescription for Prodigious Multiplayers
I am probably harsher on Subtle Parry than most but I think it is hot garbage. If you're going to opt for a melee block over an all purpose block like Wounded Block on tokenless shields it better do something spectacular. Subtle Parry will only draw you a card if you are exceedingly lucky. Four damage is sub par so most people avoid running attacks that qualify. The exception is Step attacks like Nimble Strike but even then, the attack needs to be unbuffed and you need to hit your block roll. You know what block hoses Step attacks? Pushback Parry, which you can get for chump change on Hexagon Shield. Better yet, just do yourself a favor and find room for a Parrying Buckler. Would not purchase.

Peon's Perspective for Penny-Pinching Singleplayers
Subtle Parry draws you cards way more often in the early maps so Granwick's Shield is actually one of the better shields for farming. That said, paying 2.5k gold for a couple draws leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Don't buy legendary shields. There are much better things to spend your gold on. Would not purchase.

Substitutes
Hexagon Shield (R), Oakenheart Shield (E)

 

Gzellin's Boots (P)
Peon's Prescription for Prodigious Multiplayers
Gzellin's Boots is similar to Wlakwa's Boots in that you get 2 different powerful cards and a third mediocre card. However, while I'd consider running Wlakwa's Boots, Gzellin's Boots is out of the equation. Why? Card quality aside, the major difference between the two lies in the alternatives available. You can't get more than 1 copy of Team Walk on boots. You can get multiples of both Energizing Move and Escaping Run. Both cards are good but you will more than likely want one over the other for any given build. Play more copies of the card you want and you're more likely to get what you want. The powerful items with single copies of great cards make up for lack of consistency with card quality. Energizing Move and Escaping Run are great but not good enough to carry an item by themselves. Would not purchase.

Peon's Perspective for Penny-Pinching Singleplayers
Escaping Run is decent for card cycling when you have spare tokens but you can get the same effect from stuff like Spinning Top Boots. If you're willing to splurge a little, Ilinca's Moccasins gives you the highly coveted triple card draw. Energizing Move on the other hand is great for chasing down ranged mobs so I'd lean towards more copies of those if you're having trouble in that area. Or you can just forget about boots and play wizards instead. Would not purchase.

Substitutes
Lum's Moccasins (E) : Escaping Run
Ilinca's Moccasins (E) , Japper's Energy Boots (E) : Energizing Move

 

Haethel's Resolve (N)
Peon's Prescription for Prodigious Multiplayers
Props to @CT5 for creating the epitome of pacifist weapons. Violent Spin is the best way to overtake a victory square and the Barges help you defend it once you're there. You won't be doing much damage with such puny attacks but that's not plan A anyways. Now for some bad news. Double major tokens is a pretty big investment for a relatively minor upgrade to Bruising Dervish. Barge is no joke but I'd be more interested in spending the major tokens on more cost effective Violent Spin boots or better defense. While I could see running a single Haethel's Resolve in some builds, you get one for free from completing Mauve Manticore 22. You would basically need to be running a second pacifist warrior before considering buying another and that is a tall order. Would not purchase.

Peon's Perspective for Penny-Pinching Singleplayers
There aren't a lot of victory square maps, especially once you have access to major tokens. Most mobs won't have blocks either so a control wizard will do just as well. Or you could just kill everything and be done with it. Yeah, let's go with that. Would not purchase.

Substitutes
None

 

Hand-Held Ram (N)
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)

 

Hand Of Melvelous (N)
Peon's Prescription for Prodigious Multiplayers
With the introduction of Castle Mitternacht, vamps got a bunch of new toys to play with but Hand of Melvelous is still a must if you're trying for a range 2 attack vamp. Aside from Glasod's Dark Skull, Hand of Melvelous is the only divine item that sports 3 "Stab" attacks. Being tokenless while only giving up a single point of drain is cruicial for Stab vamp builds as they need to rely on Bynzer's Black Spear and Darkforce Nunchaku, divine weapons with heavy token commitments. If you're not building a Stab vamp, getting more damage out of your attacks is more important so things like Wuuna's Vampiric Shroud and Count Yurik's Teeth win out. Would not purchase unless you want to make a Stab vamp.

Peon's Perspective Penny-Pinching Singleplayers
Hand of Melvelous is a great item when you're starting out but you should replace the free one that drops from Melvelous the Magnificent as soon as you get epics with higher damage attacks. You aren't going to be able to make a Stab vamp without tokens and vamps are best left for the early levels. Would not purchase.

Substitutes
Badjeera's Black Relic (E), Flax's Thirsty Vial (E), Wuuna's Vampiric Shroud (E)

 

Hand Of Wicna
Peon's Prescription for Prodigious Multiplayers
Flash Flood can be useful in limiting movement against melee characters on maps with narrow passages or blocking terrain but Hand of Wicna isn't the best way to get it. Path Of Knives is often a liability when facing cards that thrive on taking large quantities of small damage like Martyr Blessing. There are a bunch of options that replace Path of Knives with a control card. While they are suboptimal cards like Maze, control cards go hand in hand with Flash Flood strategies. Would not purchase.

Peon's Perspective for Penny-Pinching Singleplayers
Flash Flood is decent in some instances but there are a bunch of epics to choose from that are just as good if not better. They aren't really needed for anything in particular though so I wouldn't go out of my way to seek those out either. Would not purchase.

Substitutes
Bimson's Water Stone (E) , Tauri's Watery Maze (E) , The Soulstone (E) , Pip's Anklet (E)

 

Hawkwind's Moccasins (B)
Peon's Prescription for Prodigious Multiplayers
Hawkwind's Moccansins are the best tokenless boots for melee characters. There is nothing that compares when it comes to mobility. Dangerous Maneuver has a minor downside but it's essentially Dash more often than not. When you draw Dangerous Maneuvers in the early parts of a match you'll likely use them to close gaps rather than step next to an enemy character. When you do need to take damage, the piercing damage is preventable with armor. Having a card you can cycle when you don't need the movement in Escaping Run is just icing on the cake. Boots may not be as flashy as other items but they fit on any character and mobility is one of the most important aspects of the game. Highly recommend purchasing.

Peon's Perspective for Penny-Pinching Singleplayers
Boots are never a good investment for singleplayer. For tokenless long movement boots, Wild Run boots are a good enough substitute. They offer a better deal on movement the first round but get worse later on when your oldest card is likely more important. The slight edge you gain for using Dangerous Maneuvers instead is not worth the legendary cost. If you're having trouble with catching ranged mobs the easiest thing to do it switch to wizards. If that doesn't float your boat try stockpiling movement cards for a turn and rushing in the turn after. Would not purchase.

Substitutes
Off-Balance Boots (R), Marmot Boots (R), Vollmond Boots (E)

 

Hawlic's Glowing Shirt
Peon's Prescription for Prodigious Multiplayers
Chain Harness is very weak in terms of damage prevention so you need to run armors with triggers to make them worthwhile. Without access to the heavy armor slot, you are basically limited to Mimetic Armor/Mimetic Crown on helmets. The problem with relying on helmets is that you want to maximize copies of the triggered armors and Copycat Spacesuit is superior to Flexible Space Helmet in that regard. Using Hawlic's Glowing Shirt also blocks you from using Barbed Platemail, another popular target for Harness builds. Even Mimetic Crown has a heavy armor option in Ewix's Evolving Ensemble. Would not purchase.

Peon's Perspective for Penny-Pinching Singleplayers
Harness builds aren't really a thing in singleplayer and the best triggered armors are still found in the heavy armor slot. Would not purchase.

Substitutes
Quornic's Armor (E), Granwick's Ringmail (E)