The Daily Deal

Nuncible's Boots
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)

Bloody Bracelet- All fine cards but I like Sarigo's Rod better.
Long-handled Mace- Odd assortment of attacks plus a crappy block.
Staff Of Pain- Flash Of Agony is be better than Firestorm in select modules and this is one of the best staves to get them with.

Notable Rares
Club Of Devastation- Painful but the best way to get Devastating Blows.
Focused Electromancy- Spark and arcane heavy wizards may want this.
Smoke Pin- Tired of losing to wizards? Throw a couple of Smoke Bombs on a wizard and you could be losing to warriors instead.
Spellstripper Relic- Run Purge effects people. If you don't have fancy toys like Mass Frenzy, make sure your opponent can't play with them either.
Sticky Slippers- Mainly for hosing control wizards but it also trait cycles.
White Halberd- Great for an Altruism fueled draw priest.
Xipil Ring- No such thing as too much Volcano.

 

Yvette's Buckler

Spoiler: Previously Reviewed

Peon's Prescription for Prodigious Multiplayers
This is a solid shield. It has two of the best blocks in the game in Defender's Block and Surging Shield Block. Subtle Parry is a bit weak but if you're going to have a narrow block it's usually better to go with a block melee. There are many parties that run no wizards and very few that are exclusively spellslingers. Even if you do run into Gandalf, Merlin, and Harry Potter at the same time that Surging Shield Block goes a long way towards making up for the dead card. Getting to block an attack and close in on them at the same time is a massive tempo advantage. I wouldn't fault anyone for wanting a shield with 3 all purpose blocks (I myself am a card carrying member of the Block Anything All the Time Club so I won't be picking it up) but if you're looking for a great minor token shield you could do a lot worse than Yvette's Buckler.

Peon's Perspective for Penny-Pinching Singleplayers
Don't waste your gold on shields. You know what you'll be facing so you can suit up with cheap Parry or Catch Arrow shields and they will be better a lot of the time. Heck, blocks aren't even that important. Mobs tend to have a ton of weaker attacks so having better damage to take them out quickly is your top priority. Even good armor should be a bigger consideration for your tokens than blocks. Would not purchase.

Substitutes
Defensive Buckler (R) , Buckler Of Protection (R) : Defender's Block
Hexagon Shield (R), Buckler (R) , Jaguar Shield (E) , Oakenheart Shield (E) , Wedge Shield (E) , Wooden Shield (R) : Surging Shield Block
The Daily Deal

Bloody Shield- Three all purpose blocks but nothing spectacular worth spending a token on.
Granwick's Ringmail- Chain Harness is bad. Chain Harness with only a Thickened Mail to buff is baaaaaaaaaaaaaaad.
Untouchable Plate- Best divine armor for Arrogant Armor.

Notable Rares
Dependable Mail- A distant 4th behind Perilous Ringmail, Spike Tlahuiztli, and Xander's Mail in the tokenless heavy armor race but miles ahead of the rest of the pack.
Frosty Staff- One of the best staves for a cold wizard.
Skipping Boots- Nice tokenless boots if you don't have anything better to use.
Slippery Shield- Good way to add mobility without diluting your warrior with movement only cards.
Spellstripper Relic- Two days in a row? Randi thinks you need to run more Purge effects too.

 

Relic Of St. Darqar

Spoiler: Previously Reviewed

Peon's Prescription for Prodigious Multiplayers
One of the easiest legendary items to find and also one of the easiest to sell off in disgust. I wouldn't actually sell anything below a playset for epics or legendaries though. They are still hard to come by and cards do get buffed or replaced occasionally. For now, the Cause Fumble is narrow and the vamp attacks are too weak. I like to value vamp attacks at 2x their attack since that's what the resulting life swing will be. I wouldn't be looking to play Bludgeon so Sapping Spear is out of the question too, especially when you consider how goodWuuna's Vampiric Shroud is. Would not purchase.

Peon's Perspective for Penny-Pinching Singleplayers
Heck no.

Substitutes
Flax's Thirsty Vial (E), Wuuna's Vampiric Shroud (E)
The Daily Deal

Crown Of Mad Eskin- Solid Firestorm item.
Icicle Shield- Flimsy Block pretty much says block magic on it but often it's more important stuff like Telekinesis. Decent for a tokenless shield but not worth buying.
Robe Of The Geomancers- Crazy amount of movement for the class that needs movement the least.

Notable Rares
Cautious Trickery- The only non-legendary handicap free tokenless Elven Trickery skill.
Sticky Slippers- Great for holding positions and trait cycling.

 

Chalchu's Hammer
Peon's Prescription for Prodigious Multiplayers
There are no divine weapons with more than 4 vamp attacks so in that regard Chalchu's Hammer is above average. It also only requires a single token though vamps are one of the easiest builds to budget tokens with. What it really boils down to is how good Sapping Spears are. Personally, I think they're too weak. In a vacuum, Sapping Spear generates a 4 point life swing so it is the equivalent of a Bludgeon. Of course it's a lot better when you factor in Talented Healer and buffs but I really don't like running attacks that rely so heavily on other cards. That said, the two Unnerving Strikes do make up for lost damage. Chalchu's Hammer is a perfectly reasonable weapon but I would never run it over Vampire's Blade or Bynser's Black Spear on a vamp. Purchase only if you're in the market for a single token divine weapon.

Peon's Perspective for Penny-Pinching Singleplayers
Chalchu's Hammer is great for singleplayer, even if you are using it as a vamp weapon. It is simply miles ahead of everything else with the same token cost. Vamps do not make great farming characters for low level modules since you need a token for Talented Healer skills and drawing Loners from Vampire's Blade can be suicide when you're surrounded. However, you get to remove two copies of the ticking time bombs with Chalchu's Hammer making low level vamps viable. I was going to tell everyone to pass on it but now that I'm thinking about it, a low level vamp using Chalchu's Hammer could very easily be better than a warrior. I will try incorporating a vamp into one of my melee farming parties and see how it goes. I really don't know what to recommend right now so use your best judgement. I will have a definitive answer the next time it pops up.

Substitutes
Vampire's Blade (R)

Flicker's Earcuff- Counterspell is too narrow for Flicker's Earcuff to be useful unless your wizard has 4 ears in desperate need of blinging out.
Perfect Flexibility- Advanced Battlefield always leads to a blowout, just not always in your favor. If you like to gamble, the putting all your eggs in one basket strategy may be for you.
Unbalanced Doloire- One of the better tokenless weapons but still pretty terrible.

Notable Rares
Storm Circlet- Cheapest source of Firestorm there is.

 

St. Malaj's Cuirass

Spoiler: Previously Reviewed

Multiplayer
Cleansing Ray is the type of card that you should only play if you expect to get use out of it a majority of the time. While it has the potential to net you two cards there are too many builds that don't run any terrain attachments in which case you're stuck with two Minor Heals with greater range that can't be used to draw out blocks. St. Malaj's Cuirass is best used in setups where you run your own terrain attachments. It is particularly useful when used after moving characters to hide knowledge of an incoming Volcano. If you run other types of terrains chances are there will be a few useless squares you can use to cycle the Cleansing Rays.

Singleplayer
You have active knowledge of AI deck contents so Cleansing Ray becomes a lot more useful. However, there are a lot of items that have terrain clearing effects. While these draw cards you often just want to draw another cleansing card in terrain attachment heavy modules in which case Cleansing Burst and Cleansing Presence may be more suitable. St. Malaj's Cuirass' biggest advantage over most alternatives is that it doesn't cost tokens.

Peon's prescription for prodigious players- Terrain clearing effects are not only narrow but also plentiful. This combination makes St. Malaj's Cuirass a poor buy in most cases. Would not purchase unless you run your own terrain attachments and/or you need a tokenless source of cleansing.

Substitues- Cleansing Hide Armor (E), Armor Of Negation (E) minor token, Cleansing Mail (U) minor token

The Daily Deal

Araco's Boots- Sparkling Cloth Armor is one of the best cards you can get on boots but Wild Run and Lunging Bash are much less exciting. Diamond Moccasins and Turquoise Boots are better.
Scintillating Robes- Shimmering Aura is poop and Energizing Move is unnecessary on a wizard.
Untrained Footwork- Not the worst tokenless elf skill. Just really really bland and expensive.

Notable Rares
Displacing Staff- Good source of Punishing Bolts for low level questing.

 

Highbolt Jerkin
Peon's Prescription for Prodigious Multiplayers
Never mind that Leather Harness is terrible, Highbolt Jerkin is strictly inferior to Aranak's Chain Web (way less stylish too). It would be one thing if Highbolt Jerkin were cheaper or powerful enough that a slight drop in card quality would be acceptable but it is neither. Would not purchase. If anyone is wondering, I wouldn't purchase Aranak's Chain Web either.

Peon's Perspective for Penny-Pinching Singleplayers
There are a few modules where electricity immunity really shines like Cliffs of the Wyverns and Lair of the Yellow Dragon. However, if you aren't looking to boost armors with secondary triggers, it's best to avoid Leather Harness and Chain Harness altogether. You can get better armors with Grounding Plates for much cheaper. Would not purchase.

Substitutes
Mail Of Absorption (R) , Stormward Pauldrons (R)

Old Saint's Armor- If you are looking for Arrogant Armor for your priest I would try to get Untouchable Plate instead but Old Saint's Armor is not too much worse.
Ring Of Hot Spikes- Just say no to Ember Spray.
Stookster's Amulet- Really good for Firestorm farming. Telekinesis is useful for sending another Firestorm laden wizard into the middle of the map to nuke the board.

Notable Rares
Ironcurse Robes- One of the few robes with Reliable Mail. Don't be scared of running Traveling Curse. It cycles and usually ends up being a symmetrical effect.

 

Waasker's White Cup
Peon's Prescription for Prodigious Multiplayers
This is the best minor token Counterspell item but Counterspell is very hard to get full value out of. You need to be up against a wizard or spell heavy priest, you need line of sight, and you'll most likely need priority. That is a whole lot of hoops to jump through and there's a chance you may not even get anything out of the deal. When it's good it can swing games but those situations are few and far between. Would not purchase.

Peon's Perspective for Penny-Pinching Singleplayers
Unlike stuff like Missile Block, Counterspell does not work against projectiles. Even against magic using mobs it's better to load up on attacks. Magic attacks are lower damage so don't waste time with discard. There aren't any magic attacks you can't outrace. Would not purchase.

Substitutes
Flicker's Earcuff (E)

Madman's Maul- This is fine in singleplayer but St. Olf's Fiery Pike is much better.
Ring Of Appropriation- One of the best items for a control wizard.
Roaring Staff- Both cards don't show up on arcane items which is a big plus for stacking burning attachments but most opt for Ember Burst for the reach.

Notable Rares
Buckler Of Protection- Three all purpose blocks including Defender's Block, the best block available.
Rageblood Dagger- One of the best double minor token weapons.
Staff Of Winter- One of the best cold staves.

 

I currently only have one Ring Of Appropriation and after today's Daily Deal I will have two. Best bang for buck item on a Wizard that I currently have (that's not saying much I guess).

I have 244GP so I have to make sure I get the remaining 256GP as this item is a must buy.

 

I have 2 Iron Hand's, 1 Asmod's from this week's Randi's and after today, 5 ROA! i may be onto something...

 

That's why Lord Batford's Manor is on my list of treasure hunts you should try as a f2p player. Ring of Appropriation, so good.

 

Lol. I did not make the required GP to get the ring. I bought 2 x rare items thinking would make 500go easily only got to 388 playing MP before I got tired and went to bed. Oh well. There is always next time.

 

Axe Of The Titans

Spoiler: Previously Reviewed

Peon's Prescription for Prodigious Multiplayers
There is nothing wrong with replacing attacks with blocks but you need a good reason. Maybe you want your extra blocks for a tanky warrior to draw out attacks or control victory points. Maybe you'd rather have Surging Blocks so you can get up close and personal with wizards instead of impotently waving from a distance with a full grip of attacks. Whatever your reason, the blocks are the most important part of Axe of the Titans. Obliterating Chops are nothing special so you might as well swap them for a pair of Strong Bludgeons for a massively discounted double minor token cost on Bolg's Big Iron Plate. Would not purchase.

Peon's Perspective for Penny-Pinching Singleplayers
Don't even think about swapping out attacks. Anything that drags out the level instead of ending it sooner is a big speed farming no no. Requiring two major tokens is another notch in the flashy unnecessary item column. If you're worried about reaching ranged mobs feel free to use any other slot to boost movement capabilities. Heck, use support humans with card like Run, Team! if you need to. With warriors, you just need to find the biggest stick with the largest numbers in the corner and ring in the New Year with a Pulverizing Bludgeon. Would not purchase.

Substitutes
Dancer's Dagger (E) , Spear Of Dancing (R) , Blocking Mace (C)
The Daily Deal

Red Shaman's Blade- I normally wouldn't think twice about dismissing such an attack heavy divine weapon but the Avenging Touches are intriguing. Still wouldn't buy it but maybe there's some really cool Avenging Touch build out there.
Robes Of The Crab- The addition of Keep to Flight Aura made Wingtip Robes superior.
Tochtli Boots- Brutal Charge has been growing on me. Very map dependent but open maps means you're getting a 5 range movement at the very least.

Notable Rares
Focused Bruising- Good news is you get a 2 point buff to all your attacks. Bad news is you can only play Bashes. If that last part sounded like good news too then you're all set.
Steel-Rimmed Buckler- Parrying Buckler for commitaphobes.

 

St. Xarol's Mace
Peon's Prescription for Prodigious Multiplayers
The cards on St. Xarol's Mace are all over the place, both in function and power level. It's sort of healy but you really only want the Greater Heal. It's decent armor removal but really crappy damage beyond the two Sundering Strikes. As it stands, St. Xarol's Mace is an ugly duckling that no one wants aside from armor removal seekers. Even then, it's often better to ignore it altogether by running Frenzy buffs. You will do a similar amount of damage as an unbuffed attack when up against armor with bonus points if you catch a naked opponent. Sundering Strike is also not reliable enough as an answer to immunity armors like Resistant Hide. Would not purchase.

Peon's Perspective for Penny-Pinching Singleplayers
Armor removal is important for modules like Cliffs of the Wyvern but Sundering Strike is again, not a reliable solution. It's really only good for shredding through Toughness but very few mobs carry it and a Boiling Armor removes them just as well. When there's armor involved bring a wizard. Would not purchase.

Substitutes
Ripping Mace (E) , Blackhammer (E)

Dorimer's Boots- All really nice cards but you can find them all separately on very good minor token boots.
Hylithia's Wand- I prefer the Force Cannon on Xochu's Icy Circlet but Hylithia's Wand is also good.
Nanahut's Morningstar- Cleansing Ray is too narrow for general use and I'd rather have the Pressing Bashes on Bahoxl's Maul.

Notable Rares
Blood Locket- You get the Path Of Knives combo plus a cycling trait. Not great with high base damage attack staves but why would you want to kill your opponents with something other than Path of Knives?
Storm Circlet- Cheapest source of Firestorm. Don't mind the crappy arcane spells. They're the ugly friends Firestorm brings along to look more attractive.

 

Brin's Spiked Rod

Spoiler: Previously Reviewed

Peon's Prescription for Prodigious Multiplayers
Stone Spikes is a fine card, especially for paper quality. Counterspell is not as fowl as I originally thought now that I've played with it a few times (thanks Quick Draw for making me to play cards I otherwise wouldn't touch with a 10 foot pole). You still need line of sight and priority for the optimal payoff but it's so rarely used that no one plays around it. You will almost always be facing a buff priest or wizard so Counterspell is not likely to be completely dead but being useless against warriors is a massive downside. Brin's Spike Rod is good for being tokenless but it is not something I'd be thankful for. Would not purchase.

Peon's Perspective for Penny-Pinching Singleplayers
Brin's Spiked Rod gets a lot weaker in singleplayer. Not only does Stone Spikes not do enough when you are outnumbered but there are plenty of double Firestorm options to choose from for your tokenless arcane item needs. Don't be a turkey. Would not purchase.

Substitutes
Rod Of Palver Pree (E), Runcible's Bracelet (E)
The Daily Deal

Aegis Of The Defender- Defender's Block is the best block making Aegis of the Defender one of the best shields.
Lt. Morrison's Helmet- It's rarely correct to spend tokens on helmets unless you want more copies of a powerful or hard to get card. Last I checked, not many people were clamoring for more Barges or Dodges.
Roaring Staff- Decent but outclassed by Ember Burst staves.

Notable Rares
Storm Circlet- Perfect for a blossoming Firestorm farmer.

 

Azgul's Orb

Spoiler: Previously Reviewed

Multiplayer
Dedicated Firestorm builds have gone the way of the dodo. A Firestorm wizard needs to get close to the enemy to do anything which is the opposite of what wizards want to do. So why is everyone going crazy over Azgul's Orb? It is the only arcane item with 3 burning attacks that aren't crappy low range cone spells like Fire Spray. A dedicated burning wizard will most likely have spent 4 tokens on staves and 3 tokens on arcane items. If you want to spend a token on Focused Pyromancy you will need a tokenless arcane item. Your other option is to run Novice Pyromancy but the downgrade of Firestarter to Ember Spray is massive when compared to Flame Jet/Glob Of Flame to Firestorm.

Singleplayer
Firestorm. Enough said.

Peon's prescription for prodigious players- Would get Azgul's Orb if you want a tokenless arcane item for a burning wizard, like the smell of burnt kobolds in the morning (aka killing things in the campaign blisteringly fast), or know in your heart of hearts that Firestorm is going to make a comeback tour in multiplayer.

Substitutes
Gaudekki's Orb (E): Zap is awful but I'd still prefer this item over ones with burning cone spells.
The Daily Deal

Cinetotl's Robe- Weak armor and movement cards.
Hrillia's Healing Ring- One of the better healing items.
Nifty Halberd- Not the worst tokenless weapon but really weak if you aren't taking advantage of the Nimble Strikes.

Notable Rares
Acrobat's Aegis- Two all purpose blocks with big bonus potential and a cycling trait.
Perfect Ferocity- Good for getting around armor but usually only vamps can afford the major token. Most warriors and priests stick with a double Blind Rage skill.
Rageblood Dagger- One of the best double minor token weapons.

 

Wym's Fiery Pin

Spoiler: Previously Reviewed

Peon's Prescription for Prodigious Multiplayers
While not a bad item, Wym's Fiery Pin isn't as good as other options. Burning wizards don't want the Firestormand even if they do, they can get them on the tokenless Azgul's Orb. Firestorm wizards don't want to pay a token for a single copy when there are multiple tokenless items that give 2. Would not purchase.

Peon's Perspective for Penny-Pinching Singleplayers
Doesn't Firestorm hard enough. Would not purchase.

Substitutes
Gaudekki's Orb (E)
The Daily Deal

Bloodfoot Wand- Good but incredibly close to the tokenless Rod Of Palver Pree.
Flicker's Earcuff- Counterspell has a high potential ceiling but rarely lives up to it.
Riptide- Fine weapon. There are relatively few playable weapons at this token cost. I like it more that The Lunginator, that's for sure.

Notable Rares
Manifold Healer- Best minor token vamp skill.
Storm Circlet- 100g Firestorms all around.

 

Now that's even funny. While Riptide offers the same total damage (41) as The Lunginator, it doesn't have a good synergy with Crusher (only 4 crushing cards), so the real damage is going to be less. While you have a nice piece of armor-thrashing in Sundering Strike, and Pressing Bashes allow you to pursue the bashed enemy, you cannot move at all without an enemy nearby, while Lunging Bash allows you to move, and The Lunginator has three of them. Finally, Impetuous Slash can be totally useless if there are no enemies nearby or even strike your teammates.

 

If you choose to spend a token on Crusher you are losing out on 2 damage. Pressing Bash makes up for lack of movement by giving you control of where you end up. Impetuous Slash cycles at the very least. It was a mistake to put out the Ector signal. I will be more careful next time.

 

Kelvin's Chunk Of Ice
Peon's Prescription for Prodigious Multiplayers
Cone Of Cold can be tricky to use if you care about encumbering your own characters but that wide range also makes it very hard to play around. Cone of Cold is also the only cold spell available on arcane items. Slowing down multiple characters on the opposing team is powerful but not something you want to draw multiples of. Add that to a major token cost and you have an item that a lot of wizards can't afford to run. Most people that want a few extra cold spells opt for one of the minor token double Cone of Cold items. Would not purchase.

Peon's Perspective for Penny-Pinching Singleplayers
Encumber doesn't do anything against zombie hoards. Goblins have magic blocks for days. Oozes have long range attacks. Encumbering en masse is great in theory but there just aren't many good uses for Cone of Cold. Plus, it takes up valuable Firestorm/Volcano slots. Would not purchase.

Substitutes
Hasek's Icy Ring (E) , Hylithia's Wand (E) , Xochu's Icy Circlet (E)

Giant's Battleaxe- The only reason you'd want this is if you are trying to max out on Obliterating Chops. If you're not building around those you're running the bad half of a Lochaber Axe with only some bigger attacks to go along with it.
Ulalia's Boots- Great boots for an attack heavy or multi-target wizard.
Yolop's Talisman- Healing Blessing sucks. Sapping Spear sucks too.

Notable Rares
Focused Bruising- Bash warriors are elusive creatures that few have the good fortune of gazing upon. This skill is for you if you decide to join their ranks.
Rod Of Winds- I've been pooping on Whirlwind ever since the nerf because I think it screams "push in case of emergency" but Whirlwind Enemies is still really annoying to play against.
Sacrificial Axe- If you can keep your priest out of harm's way the Vulnerables help you get to your good cards fast. The Pressing Bashes let your utility character, that usually has a hard time closing out games, hijack occupied victory squares.