The Daily Deal

Oquith's Foul Incense
Peon's Prescription for Prodigious Multiplayers
Stacking Cause Fumble can be an effective strategy but being dead against wizards is far too punishing. A card like Parry is acceptable not only because it's bonkers against the right opponent but because at worst you'll be taking a couple of hits from spells that otherwise would have been blocked. The cards Cause Fumble replace are game changing buffs or other powerful priest spells. You are paying a larger price for a smaller effect. Still itching to play with Defender's Block's less attractive cousin? Crespin's Shroud is the same item but that crappy Twin Heals is upgraded to a surprisingly useful Purge. All for the low low price of 500 gold. Would not purchase.

Peon's Perspective for Penny-Pinching Singleplayers
Have you ever thought to yourself, "Gee, I'm getting tired of attacking things. I wish I could drag this level out with more blocks?" Me neither. Would not purchase.

Substitutes
Crespin's Shroud (E)

Did Peon Buy It?
No, but I did buy Oquith's Choking Incense way back when it still drew a card. The low success rate made Cause Fumble pretty terrible back then too but it was incredibly unique and hilarious when it worked.

Dark Chain Shirt- The best tokenless divine armor for armor.
Weighty Wand- Nothing particularly good or bad about it. Not worth buying.
Yod's Purification Kit- Genetic Engineering is awful. I would try to get Glowing Gland instead.

Notable Rares
Spellstripper Relic- Purge effects are so useful yet they don't see nearly the amount of play that they should. I usually go for Purging Mace but Spellstripper Relic is the way to go if your divine weapon slots aren't free.
Trainee Command- One of the few playable tokenless human skills.

 

I bought it, because the idea of being able to use Radioactive Spray as early as lvl 3 adventures is quite interesting.

 

Just for kicks or is there some benefit to low level Radioactive Spraying I'm not seeing?

 

Mostly to try new tricks to invigorate adventures. Speaking of invigorating; this is also the first time we see Invigorating Touch on a divine item.

 

There are lots of Divine Items with Invigorating Touch.

 

I know that, but only the latest expansion brought them, and Yod's is the only one with a minor power token.

 

Right, I thought you were saying that this was the only Divine Item with Invigorating Touch

 

Sander's Force Mirror

Spoiler: Previously Reviewed

Peon's Prescription for Prodigious Multiplayers
Based on power level alone, Force Cone is weaker than control spells that allow you to choose where targets end up. The more walls or impassable terrain a map has the worse it gets. However, Force Cone has two qualities that no other control spell has both of. It is able to hit multiple targets and you can get multiple copies per token spent. There's also a slight advantage in not being a targeted spell but that isn't going to be relevant often. Being so map dependent, Sander's Force Mirror is not going to be better than something like Ring Of Appropriation most of the time so I would not prioritize it highly. However, if there's one place Force Cone shines it's Death March league. You never have to worry about walls getting in the way and you can shove any number of opposing characters away from the victory point without worrying about Smoke Bombs or Illusory Barriers. Pick it up if you plan on grinding Death March leagues or have a lot of spare gold. Would not purchase otherwise.

Peon's Perspective for Penny-Pinching Singleplayers
Force Cone is amazing for keeping mobs without blocks at bay but at the end of the day it's still a control spell. Every copy of Force Cone you put into your deck takes a place that should go to a hard workingFirestorm instead. Playing keep away is nice but killing everything outright is better. Would not purchase.

Substitutes
Ring Of Appropriation (E)
The Daily Deal

Did Peon Buy It?
Yes, though not today. Back in the dark ages when Randimar had a much more limited stock my bar for purchasablity was a lot lower. I've found 2 more copies since then and I can't imagine ever needing more.

Aloysi's Cloak- Mystical Wyrmhide is mediocre and Fumble is near unplayable.
Inkdark Halberd- Not enough spells for a support priest and the attack quality doesn't make up for it.
Spiked Platemail- Gauntlets Of The Giant is better.

Notable Rares
Manifold Healer- The best vamp skill if you don't have access to major tokens.
Perfect Command- The number one reason to play humans. The command cards provide team movement that ignores Encumber and Halt.
Skipping Boots- Solid pair of tokenless boots. Healing Dash is particularly useful for vamps.

 

Funny how I look at this item every time its in DD or RR and think to myself... nah, and then the next day I get one from a chest! My total is 6 atm, hoping to get another one tomorrow!

 

Mokad's Reeking Skull

Spoiler: Previously Reviewed

Peon's Prescription for Prodigious Multiplayers
The amount of card draw Mokad's Reeking Skull provides is unparalleled. In addition, Unholy Energy got a major boost in being able to self target. The damage you take is both negligible and preventable with armor. Now on to the bad news. Unholy Energy still makes for an awful topdeck. It does nothing the turn you cast it and you only break even on cards the following turn. That said, if you have a build that seeks to play the long game and/or amass a grip full of haymakers, Mokad's Reeking Skull may be just what you're looking for. People looking to rush their opponents before they have a chance to set up should look for a more pleasant smelling skull.

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)
The Daily Deal

Did Peon Buy It?
Yes, but not today. I used to think it wasn't worth equipping despite people claiming otherwise. Then I saw it in action and after some extensive testing for myself it is one of my go to items. While it doesn't let you go all in like instant draw spells, Unholy Energy is a lot more forgiving when your opponent throws a wrench in your plans. The extra card comes at the beginning of your turn when you have the most flexibility in lines of play. However, I've got 2 now and there is a limit to how many copies of Unholy Energy you should run and 6 seems about right.

Runcible's Bracelet- Narrow, weak, and the one good card in Stone Spikes isn't hard to find.
Staff Of Peril- Don't like it, but maybe I should follow my own advice and try Staff of Peril before I knock it. Or I could just keep on Firestormin. Yeah, that sounds easier.
Wedge Shield- Decent, but unless you really want all purpose blocks, Jaguar Buckler or Hexagon Shield are going to be better options.

Notable Rares
Crusty Helm- One of the best tokenless helmets.
Emberfloat Mantle- Great for budget Firestorm wizards and non-Vulnerable Sparkling Cloth Armor.
Orb Of Flames- Cheapest source of Firestorm.

 

I have 3 already. Think that might be enough for the time being

 

Hand-Held Ram
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)

Did Peon Buy It?
Nope. I have tried building a Barge warrior before. I've found both Hand-Held Ram and The Pulper but I still opted for Enormous Tree Branch.

Healing Hand Mace- Punishing the hubris of overeager warriors since forever.
Sturdy Mail- Wait for Sturdy Armor or True Mail instead.
Rapier Of Misfortune- Bad Luck is as bad as it looks. You can use it on yourself to have a better chance of holding on to stuff like Frenzy Aura but it still has too much potential to do nothing to be playable.

Notable Rares
Nuclear Pistol- Volcano alone makes it great for singleplayer. Tack on a Dual Laser Beacon and I dare say it's powerful enough for mutiplayer as well.
Mail Of Absorption- Grounding Plates is essential for beating up spark heavy mobs like Wyverns. I like Stormward Pauldrons a little more for its Enchanted Harness comboing potential but Mail of Absorption doesn't encumber.
Forceful Robes- One of the best tokenless Resistant Hide robes for non-burning wizards.

 

St. Sebanna's Armor
Peon's Prescription for Prodigious Multiplayers
St. Sebanna's Armor may be the most powerful divine armor for heals but that isn't saying much. Heals in general have a tough time keeping up with incoming damage. At its best, Team Heal will heal as much as a mid sized melee attack. However, you are much more likely to have a severely injured character than a slightly under the weather team making it that much more difficult to extract full value. I would suggest seeking out either better armor/blocks or more powerful priest spells to fill out your divine armor slot. Would not purchase.

Peon's Perspective for Penny-Pinching Singleplayers
In the land where Firestorm is king, Team Heal isn't the worst. However, you don't get extra points for being at full health at the end. Heck, you don't even need to be able to survive the final Firestorm so long as it finishes off all the mobs first. I would much rather throw in a Savage Curse or Unholy Wellspring than waste time trying to not die with Team Heal. If you are having trouble outlasting mobs feel free to toss in a couple Impenetrable Nimbuses. Would not purchase.

Substitutes
Cintxotl Mail (E)

Did Peon Buy It?
Nope. I did find one though. It'll come in handy when they buff heals to something a little more playable.

Hrillia's Healing Ring- More Team Heals. Just what I always wanted.
Hutul's Robes- Forceful Robes is much better.
Staff Of Freezing Fire- Burning and cold spells are on opposite ends of the wizard spectrum. It not unusual to have some offensive spells on a control wizard but both spell types centering around attachments makes it that much more likely that something will get overwritten.

Notable Rares
Corpselight Charm- Expensive token cost but great set of cards.
Hexagon Shield- One of the best tokenless shields.
Incense Of Roiled Air- Great option for Mass Frenzy. If you can't have more copies of Mass Frenzy, the next best thing is to draw through your deck to get to them.

 

Wild Trickery

Spoiler: Previously Reviewed

Multiplayer
Elven Trickery got a major downgrade but it is still a powerful card. Forcing the discard of the oldest attack usually pays off nicely if the characters you move next to didn't attack the previous turn. You either get something juicy that they had saved or you get one of the few attacks they drew for the current turn. Free move allows you to bypass any defenders your opponents put forward or gain access to a characters backside who hopefully don't have a way to turn around after the discard. Wild Run is obviously best used on the first turn when you can just discard your base movement to ambush an enemy. The card disadvantage can be annoying in the later game when your oldest card is armor, a block, or just a powerful card you saved from the previous turn but short of running Sprint, Wild Run is your best option for covering great distances.

Singleplayer
Yes, Elven Trickery gets one card from each mob you land next to, even with shared hands. The biggest problem is you don't really need the discard to begin with. In many of the cases where mobs are tightly packed, they have action depletion and can't attack you twice anyways. There are some maps where enemies rush and surround you like the Storges in The Troll Tyrant where you will more than likely force the discard of entire hands. Elven Trickery shines in those situations but beyond that getting one or two attacks isn't going to do much.

Peon's prescription for prodigious players- If you really want to play around with Elven Trickery, be on the lookout for Superb Trickery, the only skill with two of them. If you want to play around with it cheaply, there are many rare and epic items with a single Elven Trickery, some that are arguably better than Wild Trickery. Would not purchase this skill.

Substitutes
Cautious Trickery (R), Healthy Trickery (R) , Pacifist Trickery (E), Risky Trickery (E)
The Daily Deal

Did Peon Buy It?
Nope. I didn't use Elven Trickery when it discarded all attack cards so I'm definitely not starting now.

Bec De Corbin- Dodge is playable but no longer reliable enough to build around so weapons that use it to replace attacks are a big no no.
Major's Helm- Solid item if you want a Sprint, Team! helmet but don't have any of the better legendaries. Keep in mind that each of your other two characters will need to be able to take advantage of the Sprint for Sprint, Team! to be worth playing.
Master's Battleaxe- Double major token weapons need to pass the Bejeweled Shortsword test to be worth considering. Master's Battleaxe falls quite a bit short.

Notable Rares
St. Xarol's Axe- Good divine weapon for clearing out low level mobs.
Superb Evasion- Superb Evasion is at its best in wizard heavy metagames since elf wizards are all but nonexistent.

 

Clovidian's Mail

Spoiler: Previously Reviewed

Peon's Prescription for Prodigious Players
Clovidian's Mail is the best Reliable Mail heavy armor for a minor token but it has two things going against it that make it an awful buy. There are 3 epic heavy armors that also have double Reliable Mail. The only advantage of using Clovidian's Mail over the second best ones is a whopping 2 whole hp you get from discarding Toughened Hide Strips. The more nuanced reason is that heavy armor is one of the most popular item slots to go tokenless with, the most prominent ones being Perilous Ringmail andSpiked Tlahuiztli with Dependable Mail being respectable as well. The default method of distributing tokens for a warrior is 2 tokens on martial skill and boots for Team Runs and most likely 6 tokens on weapons. If you do use a single token or tokenless weapon (more than one will make your warrior wimpy) the next two slots that usually get attention are shield and racial skill. Both these slots offer unique card advantage options like Defender's Block, Toughness, Dash, Team!, and Elvish Scamper. Reliable Mail does a respectable job in competing with these cards against wizards but big melee attacks can essentially blank them. If you do decide to upgrade your heavy armor slot just get one of the epic options. You can also consider using a major token for Rolf's Reliable Platemail. Would not purchase.

Peon's Perspective for Penny-Pinching Singleplayers
What's that Randimar, your Toughened Hide Strips will heal me 2 hp if I fork over 2000 extra gold? I have a better idea, why don't you show me that True Mail off the clearance rack? Would not purchase.

Substitutes
Sturdy Armor (E) , Sturdy Mail (E) , True Mail (E)
The Daily Deal

Did Peon Buy It?
Nope. I never end up spending tokens on armor. That's bound to change as I get access to the new armors but that's beside the point.

Mad Eskin's Pin- Ring Of Appropriation is better.
Mithril Mesh Slippers- If you're thinking that it looks kind of lame then you are absolutely correct. Not powerful enough to spend a token on.
Nova Axe- One of the best weapons to come out of the new expansion and finally a source of Purge effects for warriors.

Notable Rares
Focused Electromancy- Powerful option for spark and arcane wizards alike.
Slippery Shield- Steep cost but you get to add mobility without diluting the rest of your deck.
White Halberd- Best Inspiration weapon for an Altruism fueled draw spammer.

 

Apprentice Stoutness
Peon's Prescription for Prodigious Multiplayers
Apprentice Stoutness is pretty much a bad Trained Toughness and I wouldn't touch that either. Most player know better than to lead off with their best attack. This is less true for generally blockless wizards but dwarf wizards are notorious for packing Toughness so even then it's very rare. What ends up happening is your opponents will see the Duck and they proceed to throw all their unimportant stuff at it until something lands. With Toughness, you get a shot at a random card from your deck that is going to be better than a low end card of your opponents' choice more often than not. For a minor token you just can't pass up playing Toughness. I would go with Raging Rock for melee characters and Advanced Toughness for wizards. Would not purchase.

Peon's Perspective for Penny-Pinching Singleplayers
Since the AI uses attacks at random you have a much greater chance of getting something juicy with Duck. However, since you are routinely outnumbered, mob attacks tend to be weaker. There are exceptions of course with big boss mobs. If the sound of serving the Troll King a healthy dose of his own Almighty Bludgeon seems way too tempting, there are much cheaper ways to go about it. Chain Harness and Toughened Hide Strips are nothing special so replacing them with any old cards is perfectly acceptable. Would not purchase.

Substitutes
Novice Stoutness (E) , Trained Toughness (E)

Did Peon Buy It?
Nope. Whenever I feel the hankering for a good Ducking I go all out with Perfect Stoutness. No, I didn't buy that one either.

Bloodfoot Robes- Path Of Knives and Arcane Aura do go together and there are better ways to get either one.
Hrillia's Healing Ring- Great healing item but heals generally aren't very good.
Risky Trickery- Good but it's hard to justify running it over Cautious Mobility, especially if you can get value out of it with things like step attacks.

Notable Rares
Blood Locket- Did someone order the single item combo? Squeamish is surprisingly easy to ignore, especially for a control wizard.
Healthy Trickery- Especially useful for vamps since Healing Dash cantrip heals with Talented Healer on and Vulnerable is less devastating when you can heal back up.
Rod Of Falling Cinders- Cheap Firestorm for farming with Gusts Of War to help other Firestormers with getting to the center of the map.

 

The Irradiator
Peon's Prescription for Prodigious Multiplayers
The biggest problem with Radioactive Spray is its short range. Yes, you can effectively target a character 5 squares away but you could also find yourself standing next to the 2 randomly generated Irradiated terrains. Still, Radioactive Spray does wonders for discouraging squatters. Those that stick it out risk becoming easy pickings for unaffected characters. If you can play around Radioactive Spray with cards like Hover or Arrogant Armor, you can break an otherwise symmetrical effect though the incremental advantage takes a while to accumulate. Purchase if slow grindy matches and/or victory square wins are your cup of tea.

Peon's Perspective for Penny-Pinching Singleplayers
Radioactive Spray loses a lot of value in the campaign. There aren't always victory squares and the AI only avoids standing directly on Irradiated terrain. While this makes handicapping easy, you will likely need to subject yourself to Irradiated terrain if you're fighting against melee mobs that continually try to get into attack range. Also, Radioactive Spray is slow which is not something any self respecting speed farmer would condone. Would not purchase.

Substitutes
Glowing Gland (E)

Did Peon Buy It?
Yes. I'm not normally big on control strategies but The Irradiator lets priests ride on the damaging terrain train which makes it incredibly unique.

Blazing Shortsword- There are only two tokenless weapons I would gladly play and Blazing Shortsword is one of them. Perfect for saving tokens for the new expansion items.
Noral's Cleansing Relic- Solid Cleansing item but there are cheaper alternatives.
Sturdy Armor- Reliable Mail may not be as flashy as those newfangled armors but it sure is reliable. Only costs a minor token too.

Notable Rares
Disruptive Warp Pistol- The most obvious combo with Accelerated Time is damaging terrain. Whirlwind Enemies and Force Cannon do an admirable job of forcing your opponents to expend their movement cards.
Tough Leather Cap- Great for team movement and All Out Attack shenanigans alike.

 

I've thought about Arrogant Armor myself initially, but the plan isn't realistic due to the high item costs and low number of Arrogant Armors. Your cleric with Irradiators cannot have more than two Arrogant Armors, and many opponents will have armor removal. Radioactive Spray really needs to deal more damage to become good, or The Irradiator should cost a blue token instead of yellow.

Blazing Shortsword is probably much better with Arrogant Armor, so I'm going to collect them Thanks for the Disruptive Warp Pistol hint!

 

The Irradiator could be good utility in certain pve scenarios vs mobs. Stourges come to mind. Radioactive Spray has a huge aoe spread effect something like up to 27 squares when you think about it, albeit unpredictable. So far my experiences in quickdraw with the card have been generally positive, the spread of handicaps is wide, but certain ones like halt can be devastating to opponent strategy. Not getting caught in the aoe takes some basic planning for the most part not really that difficult. In my opinion I'd say this card is somewhat being underrated for its potential. Time will tell.

 

There are always going to be counters to any strategy but that doesn't mean they aren't worth playing. Adding armor removal to a deck isn't free. They don't match well against strategies that aren't focused on armor so people tend to use the minimal amount. It's very rare that you will face more than 2-3 pieces of armor removal. Maybe you run into a Sundering Strike but you'd need to have the armor in hand with no blocks. Worst case scenario you're both near the Irradiated terrain so it's a wash. As for Boiling Armor, the wizard in question is unlikely to be near you so the same goes for the Irradiated terrain. Granted Irradiated terrain isn't particularly good against wizards but you won't need the Arrogant Armor either. As for the token cost, priests have a surprising amount of good minor token/tokenless weapons. This is an incredibly rough draft of a Radioactive Spray priest.

Spoiler: Radaway

Lormelhal
Level 2 Human Priest

Sacrificial Axe
Sacrificial Axe
Untouchable Plate
Parrying Buckler
Pergop's Slippers
The Irradiator
The Irradiator
The Irradiator
Trained Tactics
Superb Cleansing

4 x Vulnerable
2 x Lateral Thinking
1 x Inspiration
2 x Violent Spin
2 x Arrogant Armor
9 x Radioactive Spray
2 x Triple Heals
1 x Subtle Parry
1 x Toughened Hide Strips
3 x Parry
2 x Strong Hack
1 x Accelerated Thought
1 x Holy Armor
4 x Pressing Bash
1 x Holy Presence
​

Not much to it other than spray and pray. Sacrificial Axe is an old standby for pairing with Arrogant Armor and it happens to be great for keeping people off your back. I picked Superb Cleansing since traits won't be sticking anyways though Focused Cleansing might be better. Will definitely give it a shot if I ever happen across enough The Irradiators.