The Daily Deal

Igneous Scorchstaff

Spoiler: Previously Reviewed

Multiplayer-3
The most popular wizards use fire spells so anything with Combustible needs to be great to consider running. Igneous Scorchstaff is merely solid. While it only requires a minor token, it is far from the best available fire staff. Overheated Staff is a better option for low token Instant Burns, which can only be found on staves. Gob Of Flame is not found on many staves but is much easier to get on arcane items.

Singleplayer-2
For low level adventures where low cost items are useful Firestorm is simply more efficient at getting the job done than Instant Burn, in which case you want Staff Of The Inferno and Mullik's Blisterstaff. There are a few maps that have low enemy numbers with higher HP where Instant Burn might be more effective but you won't have the tokens available for good burning arcane items to take advantage of it. In the higher levels, you will want staves with more Instant Burns than Igneous Scorchstaff can provide. Or just be lazy like me and never switch out the Firestorm party.

Overall power level- Igneous Scorchstaff is a solid staff with a unique mix of Instant Burn and burning spells but it isn't going to be making it into anyone's perfect fire wizard build. Would not recommend buying it.

Substitutes- Forgefire Staff (R), Orange Staff (R): Instant Burns. Torching Staff (E) no token,Trembling Staff (R) no token: good burning spells.

5-Will fit in any deck. Sees a lot of play in multiplayer or has great utility in single player.
4-Powerful, but deck specific. Popular in multiplayer or useful in certain adventures.
3-Average. You could do better, you could do worse. The cards on this item will not make or break a build.
2-Subpar. There are unplayable aspects to this item or many better alternatives exist.
1-Very bad to totally unplayable. Little or no redeeming qualities.
The Daily Deal

Cleansing Diamond- Third time this week. Nice substitute for Fulg's Cleansing Pot but too narrow for general use and too expensive for cheapo singleplayer farmers.
Robes Of Useful Things- Pretty much a downgrade from Perrio's Kinetic Robes but you could do worse than spending a token on 2 solid control spells. The real issue is giving up Resistant Hide, Sparkling Cloth Armor, or trait cycling from the robes slot.
Savage Plates- Best attack buffing divine armor though you can get better deals on those spells from divine items.

Notable Rares
None

 

Hawlic's Surging Shield

Spoiler: Previously Reviewed

Peon's Prescription for Prodigious Multiplayers
Surging Shield Block is meant for one thing. Chasing down wascally wazzards. Being able to block a spell and move in for the kill while retaining priority is huge. The biggest problem with Hawlic's Surging Shield is the major token cost. Warriors weapons are incredibly token hungry so defense usually winds up being an afterthought. Vamp priests are much more likely to be able to fit a major token shield in but let's just pretend you've got the spare token. Now you need a good reason to play Hawlic's Surging Shield over Aegis Of The Defender, arguably the best shield in the game. You can have Surging Shield Block, fantastic against wizards but not much better than a Block against everything else, or Defender's Block, great against just about everything. There are also a couple minor token shields with double Surging Shield Block to consider. Put all that together and it's really hard to justify playing let alone purchasing Hawlic's Surging Shield. Would not purchase.

Peon's Perspective for Penny-Pinching Singleplayers
If you've been following along for a while you'll know that one of my rules is to never buy legendary shields. Hawlic's Surging Shield is no exception. Having good ways of getting close to ranged mobs is a must but Surging Shield Block is not the best way of doing it and certainly won't give you the best bang for your major token buck. Would not purchase.

Substitutes
Jaguar Buckler (E) , Quick Buckler (E) , Spiked Shield (E) , Wedge Shield (E)
The Daily Deal

Bahoxl's Maul- Nice divine weapon if you want Cleansing effects but most priests don't.
Staff Of Immolation- Never play crappy low range cone spells if you can avoid it. You will need to fork over some major tokens but there are more than enough better staves to get Ember Burst from.
Vira's Chain- All reasonable cards but you don't really need Teleport Self aside from a couple leagues and you can always get a couple Flight Auras for repeatable Fly moves instead.

Notable Rares
Orb Of Flames- Remember that stuff I said about crappy cone spells? Well that rule doesn't apply for singleplayer if they're next to Firestorm or Volcano.
Skipping Boots- Solid pair of tokenless boots.

 

Gauixl's Sacred Maul
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 Maul 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's really only one module where you have a need for armor removal and have the major tokens to spare. The last level of Black Plume Mountain features the biggest baddest motherloving dragon around that not only sports incredible armor but also has Toughness for your Sundering Strikes to chew through. However, I would again advise against relying on your priest for the task of armor removal. 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. 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)

Crespin's Shroud- Cause Fumble is one of those risky metagame cards that go up in value the more melee parties you expect to face. Crespin's Shroud is the best minor token option for it.
Flax's Thirsty Vial- A vamp build staple.
Morbo's Pendant- Teleport Self is a dead card most of the time. If you're in need of Firestorm knock yourself out but there are better and/or cheaper options.

Notable Rares
Ironwood Staff Of The Magus- Blocks on a wizard tend to catch people off guard. Ironwood Staff of the Magus sports two of the better ones for fending off warriors.
Perilous Ringmail- One of the best tokenless heavy armors.

 

St. Xarol's Mace

Spoiler: Previously Reviewed

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) , Sahagun's Sword (E) , Blackhammer (E)
The Daily Deal

Blazing Shortsword- One of the best tokenless weapons.
Corian's Boots- Fairly weak unless you are specifically looking for Officer's Harness.
Gleaming Glaive- Polearm Slashes aren't particularly good and you need to deal with 3 awful attacks to pay for them.

Notable Rares
Blackeye Hammer- Decent single token weapon.
Crusty Helm- One of the best tokenless helmets.

 

Bolg's Club Of Evasion

Spoiler: Previously Reviewed

Peon's Prescription for Post Patch Procrastinating Multiplayers
Dodge builds used to be able to accumulate two copies and annoy the heck out of melee attackers with a 75% success rate. With the updated Dodge, that rate goes down to 55.56%. Because of this, I think it's better to think of it now as a value card rather than a complete strategy. It's ok to replace blocks in the shield slot since they serve similar functions. However, now that you can't rely on it as much, the value of replacing attacks with Dodge goes way down. As much as it pains me to say it, and you know that I love me some 13 attack warriors, the kind of build Bolg's Club of Evasion was meant for isn't feasible anymore. Would not purchase.

Peon's Perspective for Postponing Purchasing Singleplayers
Warriors are either killing machines or damage sponges in the campaign. Those in the former don't want to skimp on attacks. Those in the latter would rather be Impenetrable Nimbused since it always works and isn't useless against ranged mobs. Heck, everyone wants to be Nimbused up. You get a Nimbus! And you get a Nimbus! Everybody gets a Nimbus! Would not purchase.

Substitutes
Bec De Corbin (E)
The Daily Deal

Dark Chain Shirt- Best tokenles divine armor for armor.
The Soulstone- Flash Flood hasn't been very good lately with Nimble Strike gaining Fly and the rise of elves but there are still some maps where you can use it shut off narrow passages. The Soulstone is one of the better minor token options.
Ulalia's Boots- Great boots for a wizard if you've got a spare token.

Notable Rares
Enormous Mattock- Great attacks and card cycling if you can get rid of or ignore Large Weapon.
Trainee Command- One of the few playable tokenless human traits.

 

Larkin's Orb
Peon's Prescription for Prodigious Multiplayers
Both Short Perplexing Ray and Cone Of Cold are great control cards against melee characters. Opposing wizards are less susceptible since they can keep out of range of Short Perplexing Ray and can continue attacking through encumber effects. What it really comes down to is how often you will use both cards on the same wizard. If you regularly add some cold spells to your Short Perplexing Rays then I see no reason to pass Larkin's Orb up. However, you can get more focused items for both effects that allow you to create more types of wizards. Would not purchase unless you see yourself equipping it often.

Peon's Perspective for Penny-Pinching Singleplayers
There are much better things to spend a major token on than control spells. In fact, just don't play control spells if possible. Short Perplexing Ray and Cone of Cold are particularly bad since they don't have a secondary use of moving your team around. Would not purchase.

Substitutes
Farzil's Perplexing Horn (E) - Short Perplexing Ray
Hasek's Icy Ring (E) , Hylithia's Wand (E) , Xochu's Icy Circlet (E) - Cone of Cold

Crown Of Mad Eskin- Solid item for Firestorm farming but not worth upgrading to if you've already got enough Firestorm items.
Cudgel Of Healing Light- Decent damage but weak heals. There aren't really any better similarly costed healing divine weapons but it's better to run buffing weapons most of the time anyways.
Voltstaff- If you're going through all the trouble of replacing attacks with melee blocks at least make them better than Subtle Parry.

Notable Rares
None

 

Yount's Chain
Peon's Prescription for Prodigious Multiplayers
Not much to say here. Burning wizards don't want it and it doesn't have enough Counterspells in case you're building for a wizard heavy field. Would not purchase.

Peon's Perspective for Penny-Pinching Singleplayers
A lot of magic using mobs have their own magic blocks so Counterspell doesn't land reliably if you lead off with it. Every other spell you use to bait them out is time you're giving the AI to empty its hand. You can use it as a block but who wants to add more blocks when you could be casting spells instead? Also, Glob Of Flame works best against the high hp bosses that you can focus single target attacks on but they are mostly melee focused. Would not purchase.

Substitutes
Tarial's Diadem

Ring Of Hot Spikes- Unfocused with a crappy Ember Spray to boot.
Solid Iron Helm- Best armored helmet around but Slowed is a pain and it's hard to justify paying a token for the second Reliable Mail when Crusty Helm exists.
St. Glist's Charm- You would need to be under the influence of some Mind Worms of your own to consider this over something like Ebony Prayer Beads.

Notable Rares
Storm Circlet- Cheap Firestorms for everyone.
Vampire's Blade- One of the best vamp weapons. Careful running more than one on the same vamp, especially in singleplayer.

 

Jaguar Spirit Staff

Spoiler: Previously Reviewed

Peon's Prescription for Prodigious Multiplayers
The most obvious thing to do when evaluating items is compare them to items you have experience with. Jaguar Spirit Staff is pretty darn close to Staff Of Chask. It's a little better against wizards (not wearing Resistant Hide of course) due to the longer range attacks and it doesn't have a handicap card to worry about. What it does worse with is the blocks themselves. Pushback Parry is way better than Subtle Parry because you know you can get a free attack in with the high percentage block safety net and randomly catching a step attack is virtual card advantage. There simply aren't that many weak melee attacks that trigger the card draw on Subtle Parry and buffs will often push the ones that do out of range. The attacks on Staff of Chask are also easier to pair with wizard traits, though that's a pretty small consideration. I think the benefits of having better blocks puts Staff of Chask on top. You're using both staves to get blocks so go with the one with better blocks. Would not purchase.

Peon's Perspective for Penny-Pinching Singleplayers
Removing attacks for blocks is a big no no. Attacks win. Blocks help you not lose. Winning is much better than not losing, just ask Charlie Sheen. Add the fact that the AI attacks into Impenetrable Nimbus and purposefully adding more blocks to a character just becomes downright silly. Would not purchase.

Substitutes
Heavy Oak Staff (R), Staff Of Chask (E) , Oaken Staff Of The Magus (R) , Voltstaff (E)
The Daily Deal

Quornic's Armor- Not only is Chain Harness not worth playing but also you've got nothing worth boosting without the heavy armor slot available.
Tome Of Pain- There are much better card draw items, most of which don't force you to run Mind Worm.
Trained Toughness- Melee characters would rather run Raging Rock while wizards have Advanced Toughness for their Toughness needs.

Notable Rares
Acrobat's Aegis- Two high impact blocks and a cycling trait.
Defensive Buckler- One very high impact block and a cycling trait.
Perilous Ringmail- One of the best tokenless heavy armors.

 

Brin's Storm Locket
Peon's Prescription for Prodigious Multiplayers
Brin's Storm Locket may be the third best arcane item for a Firestorm wizard behind Azgul's Orb and Chartwell's Ring but it is a distant third. Counterspell does too little too often. Also, having tried a few Firestorm wizards since the nerf, I can say that it isn't flat out dead but rather poorly positioned against the metagame. There is too much Elven Maneuvers step attack warriors going around that would like nothing more than for you to draw them cards while dealing yourself damage. For that reason, I can't recommend purchasing an item for a Firestorm build. You can sort of use it as a substitute for Azgul's Orb on a burning wizard but you're already shelling out major moolah for the rest of the items so why settle for anything less than the best? Would not purchase.

Peon's Perspective for Penny-Pinching Singleplayers
Counterspell is still not a great card in singleplayer but it doesn't need to be. Brin's Storm Locket could have 2 Firestorms and a root canal and it would still be a chase item. Firestorm wizards need all the Firestorms they can get their grubby mitts on and Brin's Storm Locket certainly delivers. Highly recommend purchasing.

Substitutes
None

Banik's Bubbling Bauble- Only second to Magma Scepter for minor token Firestorm farming arcane items in my opinion. Your dwarf wizards aren't going to get to the center of the map with their stubby legs alone.
Talisman Of Grief- Any one of those cards is enough to drag down an item's value a couple notches. With their powers combined, you summon the worst Captain Planet ever.
Unbalanced Doloire- The poor man's The Strongarm. Very poor man.

Notable Rares
Marmot Boots- Good old fashioned movement cards for no tokens.

 

Vira's Shimmering Robes

Spoiler: Previously Reviewed

Peon's Prescription for Prodigious Multiplayers
Shimmering Aura is a dead card way too often too play in the average build. The one deck it worked in,Firestorm, is no longer viable and Vira's Shimmering Robes wasn't even the best choice for robes. If you want to shut down wizard attacks go with Resistant Hide. You can only have one copy in your deck but once you draw it you will be nearly invincible against spell slingers. Would not purchase.

Peon's Perspective for Penny-Pinching Singleplayers
Are you tired of killing yourself with your own Firestorms? Do you wish that there was a robe that was half decent at protecting yourself? Well tough cookies. You are going to play Firehide Robes and you are going to like it. If you are truly having problems staying alive try getting Reliable Mail boots like Kerrick's Steel Boots or using an Impenetrable Nimbus priest. There is no reason to buy Vira's Shimmering Robes when there are plenty of Resistant Hide robes available. Would not purchase.

Substitutes
Shimmerwing Robe (E) , Imp-proof Robes (C)
The Daily Deal

Black Walnut Staff- Great Firestorm farming staff.
Foley's Footwear- Violent Spin is great but this is one of the worst minor token options.
St. Ozark's Blade- Priests have access to Cause Fumble so there's no need to use the weapon slot for extra melee blocks especially when the rest of the cards aren't great.

Notable Rares
Ritual Straps- Lifesaving Block is awful early but fantastic when you need it to be (unless you're getting hit with stuff like Punishing Bolt). Add on a rarely dead Purging Burst and you've got a great tokenless divine armor.
Steel-Rimmed Buckler- All great blocks. A little less narrow and explosive than Parrying Buckler.

 

Aork's Vial Of Memories
Peon's Prescription for Prodigious Multiplayers
Counterspell seems like it would be a fantastic anti-wizard card but in practice it often doesn't reach its full potential. In order to get the 2 for 1 you need one of two things to happen. Option A: you walk into line of sight of a wizard, they throw a spell at you, Counterspell's roll misses, and they have 2 more spells in hand. Option B: your opponent graciously walks his or her wizard into range with 2 spells in hand. Neither of those are very likely. How about if you draw a Counterspell at the beginning of your turn and you have priority? Well you could fire it off immediately but all your opponent's traits are still unresolved. Not only would you whiff but those traits could cycle into spells. Counterspell has some value against priests but they are even less likely to have 2 spells at any given moment and non-vamps don't have a reason to expose themselves. Most can stay back or hide behind cover and buff away. If you want a real wizard hoser go for Smoke Bomb. Would not purchase.

Peon's Perspective for Penn-Pinching Singleplayers
Counterspell does not discard or block projectiles and the majority of magic using mobs pack magic blocks of their own. Would not purchase.

Substitutes
Cobalt's Chalice (E) , Flicker's Earcuff (E)

Axahot's Shield- Icicle Shield is not only arguably better but also tokenless.
Frennik's Soulstone- Twin Heals is weak. There are much better healing items that you can get for the same token.
Spitting Flames- Always go for traits on skills unless you want a powerful or hard to get card. Flame Spit doesn't cut it.

Notable Rares
Coruscating Blade- Great budget option for a card draw divine weapon.
Focused Pyromancy- The biggest reason to play burning wizards is the damage potential Firestarter provides.
Ironwood Staff Of The Magus- Tired of warriors beating up your wizard? The Cult of the Ironwood wants you! Join today.
Smoke Pin- Tired of wizards beating up your wizard? Make sure those warriors aren't around and let the Smoke Bombs fly.

 

Raging Battler

Spoiler: Previously Reviewed

Peon's Prescription for Prodigious Multiplayers
This is the best tokenless dwarf skill and you will get a ton of use out of it if you play dwarves. Even wizards wind up equipping it every so often just to save a token and trait cycle with Blind Rage. The only reason not to pick it up is that Apprentice Ferocity is such a good substitute. However, you will use Raging Battler so often that I think it would be a mistake to pass on it. Highly recommend purchasing.

Peon's Perspective for Penny-Pinching Singleplayers
This is a tough one. While Raging Battler will be used on 99% of dwarves who need a tokenless skill, the Scrooge in me knows that it is way more important to get a good farming party together. Your first Wym's Lavastaff is way more valuable than the first Raging Battler in terms of speeding up your collection. Always prioritize items that have unique and powerful attacks or buffs. Raging Battler is certainly powerful, but it isn't unique. Purchase only if you've already got a reasonable farming setup.

Substitutes
Apprentice Ferocity (E)
The Daily Deal

Flaming Sword- Blazing Shortsword has the same power cards but a much lower token cost.
Mindsplinter Staff- This is a good staff for a spark/control wizard looking for haymakers.
Trained Combustion- Glob Of Flame and Flame Jet are the premier burning spells on arcane items but they aren't very hard to get and traits are too important to pass on for burning wizards.

Notable Rares
Diamond Moccasins- One of the best boots for chasing down ranged characters.
Trainee Command- One of the few playable tokenless human skills.

 

Smoag's Bucket Of Pitch

Spoiler: Previously Reviewed

Peon's Prescription for Prodigious Multiplayers
If this costed a minor token I'd tell you to pick it up all day. At a major token, Smoag's Bucket of Pitch is the toughest arcane item with only Glob Of Flame or Flame Jet to use. There is no doubt it's powerful but mixing and matching other legendary items will also allow you to get Glob of Flames you need at a lower token cost. Would purchase if your optimal wizard build can afford the major token. Would not purchase if you'll need to warp your build to accommodate it.

Peon's Perspective for Penny-Pinching Singleplayers
The major token requirement hurts even more in singleplayer. Not only does it limit your options in deck construction, it also can't be used in lower levels. Save your gold for items that can be more widely used. Besides, Glob of Flame is not what you want for speed farming. Ten damage spread over 4 turns to a single target is agonizingly slow. Would not purchase.

Substitutes
Rantic's Orb Of Inner Fire (E) The Daily Deal

Apprentice Command- The only good card is Run, Team! and there are better items to get it from.
Frennik's Soulstone- Twin Heals is too weak.
Raging Rock- Best Toughness skill for melee characters.

Notable Rares
Xipil's Ring- Not many items have Volcano. It's too weak for multiplayer but it shouldn't be passed on for farming purposes.

 

I wonder how useful analysis of this sort is on the card development end. I imagine, if I was making new cards, it would be great (and also gutting) to read the consensus of players on mechanics that I devised. Surely there are some sad flops where a mechanic was imagined as being playable and cool (like wyrmhide) and didn't pan. I bet there are also some surprise successes too. But what I'd be interested in hearing is whether this stockpile of reviews actually helps in the design of new cards. Hopefully so!

 

Luke's Iron Hand
Peon's Prescription for Prodigious Multiplayers
There's no question Luke's Iron Hand is a fantastic item but is it better than Ring Of Appropriation? To answer that you need to compare Telekinesis with Gusts Of War. They have the same range and slide values so it's all about the shiny add-ons. Teleport is at its best on map that are difficult to navigate. Telekinesis someone though a wall or across impassable terrain and the short walk to get back turns into a marathon. It also has the advantage of not being an attack. You can play it through Frightened, doesn't trigger Blind Rage, and a bunch of other random benefits. Not doing damage also preserves cards with Savage Curse and doesn't trigger enemy cards like Sparkling Cloth Armor and Martyr Blessing. On the other hand, Gusts of War is much better when you need the ability to target more than on thing. It gives you breathing room after a Dash, Team! ambush. You can push an enemy off a victory square and immediately replace it with a teammate. When you suspect a Defender's Block you can target a non-important character with the first hit to draw the block out. Both cards have their benefits and there will be situations where each one will be better than the other. Still, Luke's Iron Hand and Ring of Appropriation are so close that it's hard to pay 2000 extra for a card that sometimes might not even be better. Would not purchase unless you have a huge gold reserve.

Peon's Perspective for Penny-Pinching Singleplayers
Not only should you not buy control items but Ring of Appropriation is going to be better most of the time. There are going to be more enemies to target and they move in groups making it much easier to get surrounded. The campaign maps also tend to be much more forgiving to navigate than multiplayer maps rendering Teleport fairly useless. Would not purchase.

Substitutes
Ring Of Appropriation

Mouse Boots- One of the best tokenless boots for ranged characters and step attackers.
Robe Of Useful Things- Solid but worse than Perrio's Kinetic Robes.
Silver Fir Staff- Decent option for a spark wizard short on tokens though it's usually better to save tokens in the arcane item slots. Tokenless arcane items are better than their stave counterparts.

Notable Rares
Blackeye Hammer- Decent single token weapon.
Command- One of the better minor token command skills.
Corpselight Charm- Great cards if you've got the spare major token.
Focused Pyromancy- Near auto include for a burning wizard.

 

Illusion

Spoiler: Previously Reviewed

Peon's Prescription for Prodigious Multiplayers
Illusory Barrier is obviously best against wizards but if you combine it with enough copies of Telekinesis you can keep melee characters at bay too. Cards like Gusts Of War do not work as well as you can only slide enemy characters back on top of your walls instead of teleporting them back behind them, requiring 2 movements instead of 1 to claw their way back. While Illusion is a very powerful item, it is also high risk. Control wizards usually don't have damaging attacks on their arcane items. By playing Illusion, your wizard cuts back on 5 additional attacks in favor of speed bumps. Should the rest of your team die, you are basically limited to victory point wins, which can be very difficult depending on the map. Illusion is definitely an item that you need to build around and it is not for everyone. If you like running up and smacking people Illusion is not for you. If you like trapping your opponents and laughing maniacally while they squirm around like rats in a maze you might want to spend some more time with your therapist. Also, you'll want to pick Illusion up.

Peon's Perspective for Penny-Pinching Singleplayers
Control strategies can be crucial for ensuring victories in quests where you are massively handicapped but it blows for regular play. If your goal is farming items your best bet is to dish out as much damage as you can. Illusory Barrier can help your characters live longer but that shouldn't be your primary goal. Would not purchase.

Substitutes
None
The Daily Deal

Banik's Bubbling Bauble- One of the better non-legendary Firestorm arcane items.
Greyworm Mace- Two Mind Worms too many. The Nimble Strike divine weapon of choice is usually Whiteglow Flail though attacks aren't a high priority on most priests.
Long-Handled Mace- Awful block plus random attacks with Mighty Hack being the only stand out.

Notable Rares
Diamond Moccasins- Great boots for chasing down ranged characters.
Manifold Healer- Vamps don't have too much trouble with major tokens in multiplayer so this is basically just a skill for vamp addicts in lower level modules.

 

As has been frequently pointed out, vamps are the hot ticket for the geomancer adventures. Manifold Healer and Superb Evasion are the skills most needed.

 

Glasod's Dark Eye
Peon's Prescription for Prodigious Multiplayers
Soothing Darkness is too slow as emergency heals so you need to be in a position where the injured character can remain untouched for a few turns. This is normally incredibly difficult and the addition of encumber just makes it harder. You can sometimes use it as a pseudo attack repellent but this is highly dependent on your opponent's cards. If they have what it takes to dispatch your character immediately all you've done is make your character slower and easier to gang up on. Would not purchase.

Peon's Perspective for Penny-Pinching Singleplayers
Soothing Darkness is at it's best in singleplayer. You generally don't care about movement against melee mobs and the AI isn't smart enough to go after a critically injured character. Buff up the character closest to the action and you are pretty much guaranteed to get full value. However, Glasod's Dark Eye has 2 things going against it. Heals are almost always worse than buffs. Frenzy buffs and card draw will help you win faster while the best Soothing Darkness can do is help you not die. For that, Impenetrable Nimbus is superior. The thing that really pokes Glasod's Dark Eye out is Lattimore's Relic. You get the same 2 crappy copies of Soothing Darkness for a much cheaper price. Would not purchase.

Substitutes
Lattimore's Relic (E)

Apprentice Ferocity- The poor man's Raging Battler. If your dwarf is packing an above average amount of keepable cards like armor or Energizing Move, the one shot block may be preferable.
Tochtli Boots- The poor man's Boots Of Etzicatl. This one is I would never consider playing over the legendary option.
Underdog's Shield- The poor man's Eeygonnic's Shield. Good all purpose blocks are hard to come by on tokenless shields. The legendary version is better but this is an easy buy if you don't have access to those.

Notable Rares
Mantle Of Instinct- These are the most well armored robes available. Armor is generally overrated though so Mantle of Instinct is mostly relegated to Blizkenripper duty.
Perilous Ringmail- One of the best tokenless heavy armors.
Shuddering Relic- One of few tokenless sources of Mass Frenzy.

 

Bendolth's Pauldrons
Peon's Prescription for Prodigious Multiplayers
Barge is a fantastic control card, especially on a character that you don't want enemies to hassle. Unfortunately, being a melee attack pretty much guarantees it will run into a block. Being a tokenless armor is a huge plus. While no other divine armor has controlling cards like Barge, there are plenty of decent tokenless options that don't bust the piggy bank. I could see equipping Bendolth's Pauldrons if you happen to come across one in a chest but would not purchase for essentially one copy of Barge.

Peon's Perspective for Penny-Pinching Singleplayer
Barge is never dead but it doesn't have much value aside from the damage. There are fewer maps with victory squares and if you just want another attack you can equip Glowing Hide Armor. Would not purchase.

Substitutes
Dark Chain Shirt (E), Glowing Hide Armor (C), Ritual Straps (R), Rusted Angel Mail (U): tokenless

Aegis Of The Defender- Best major token shield.
Cinetotl's Robes- Both Mystical Drakehide and Leap are underwhelming.
Dancer's Dagger- When you run Disorienting Block you want huge attacks to take advantage of the back attack opportunities. However, Dancer's Dagger takes up 2 major tokens severely limiting your damage output. I would be more inclined to use Spear Of Dancing for a slight decrease in attack quality and token cost but the same blocks.

Notable Rares
None

 

Bloody Stoutness

Spoiler: Previously Reviewed

Multiplayer
In the interest of avoiding another 3 page "discussion" I will just say that Bloody Stoutness is a fine item. If you like sticking more blocks into your deck you could do a lot worse than Duck and Bloodied Block. If you'd like to see two perspectives on this itemclick here. Warning, not for those with weak constitutions or the faint of heart.

Singleplayer
Bloody Stoutness gets a lot better against the AI. You are much more likely to block something that matters when attacks are dished out at random. That said, you are giving up running Toughness and an extra copy of Blind Rage you can get from other dwarf skills.

Peon's prescription for prodigious players- Would not get Bloody Stoutness. If I really want a more defensive dwarf I will bite the bullet and spend a major token for Perfect Toughness or Solid Rock. If a major token is unavailable I'd rather use Advanced Toughness, especially for wizards that get no use out of Blind Rage. This is only my opinion. If you think you will get a lot of mileage out of Bloody Stoutness feel free to disregard everything I said. I will not revoke your membership to the Prodigious Players Club. You'd have to do something dastardly like running more than 13 attacks on a warrior for that.

Substitutes
Advanced Toughness (U) , Raging Rock (E) , Perfect Toughness (C) , Solid Rock (C) , Superb Stoutness (E)
The Daily Deal

Ihibrin's Holy Droplets- You know there's a problem when Soothing Darkness isn't the worst heal spell on an item.
Old Saint's Armor- Hold out for the slightly better Untouchable Plate if you want Arrogant Armor.
Waenog's White Chain- All decent cards but you generally want more copies of any one of them rather than one of each.

Notable Rares
Ironwood Staff Of The Magus- Great way to add unexpected blocks to improve your melee matchup.
St. Xarol's Axe- Good divine weapon for clearing out mobs in lower level modules.
Sticky Slippers- Slip these on and watch those annoying control wizards squirm. Immovable alone isn't enough to beat them but they do go a long way when you draw them. Also great for trait cycling and Elven Maneuvers.