Mage Shields, a necessity at the higher end of play? (in General)

Personally I think they are.

Bar large armour, which I'll come back to later, Mage Shields provide excelent protection from Mages, without the need for constant investment to keep them competitive. Unlike AMF. AMF (at an equal level to the DD you face) requires you to invest the same amount of XP into it that your opponent does to thier DD. Just to keep a 50% reduction in damage. Damage that is constantly increasing.

Imagine facing a single Mage that trains 50% of their XP into a DD spell. You would have to put 50% of your XP into AMF. That much investment into a DD spell will be much more effective than your investment into AMF, which has no effect if you don't face mages.

You don't keep up your investment into AMF, your defence starts to suffer, until it provides little protection.

The Mage Shield gives a constant minimum reduction, no matter what Size DD you face.

On top of that, large armour is out of favour with most minion types, bar ones that aren't casting enchantments, spells or using tattoos.

The only exact type of minion that can use a Mage Shield due to its restrictions.

Armour + Mage Shield fit so well together.

The best defensive answer (with the only other option being AMF) you can get. Espically versus 'Spread' attackers like FB and CoC.

Of course, Seekers give you an offensive option, but are a constant expense, unlike a one of cost of Armour upgrade.

Also Mage Shields have no DX penalties, so can even be used with 2-Handed Weapons, like Morgul Hammer and Blade of Nan-Elmoth

In response to my own comment in the 'Balance' poll, out of the current top ten teams, 4 don't use Mage Shields. " of those can't (Single Mage and Single Tattoo Tank), the other two use Mithril Shields instead, but could use Mage Shields if they wanted.

The other 6 all use them.

I don't like them ;)

If we could equip them with a TOA...then yes I would agree. But...the way they are now...nope.

TMD

No, a ToA tank with a +38 mage shield....ouch....

Why's that Doc? There are no single ToA tanks in the top ten?

For a single Tank/Mage, I'd go so far to say that it's worth purchasing a second minion, just to stick a Mage Shild on it.

Instant 1/2 damage and a reduction on top of that to CoC and FB, and MM stops on your Mage Shield Wall...

MM is the only one of the DD that the mage shield isn't as good with. The spread fire spells break up on that wall of stoppage like you wouldn't believe. But that concentration of MM does a lot of damage...

MM at the upper levels isn't as weak as you would think...

I must be reading the def of the mage shield incorrectly.

Does it block magic damage for ALL the minions on the character or just the one that wears it?

TMD

Just the one that wears it. GL is referring to the fact that magic missile targets one minion at a time. A large enough mage shield on the wall and magic missile wouldn't reach the tank...

So you are suggesting that the tank be nothing but HP trained with the shield to eat up the MM?

If you train it with ST and DEX..you will limit its success as you spread out the xp too much.

If you get hit with a 200k MM, and only have 100k hp on it...he's dead.

I wonder if it might be a better idea to put the xp into the main characters DX and hope he does not get hit or buy him some DB

TMD

If you have a tank and a FB mage, a mage shield is necessary on the tank. Without it, you quickly toast your own tank in melee.

IMP has proved that the tank doesn't need a MgS .. he just plans on killing you before melee :)

TOA TANK w/ ELB and ARCHERY
FB MAGE

that spells N A S T Y

I'd like to take a moment and plug my sale of a base mage shield over in FS/WTB. It's still very reasonably priced at only 500k.

(sorry for the thread hijack GL)

Even if it's not your main tank, having a huge wall with minor STR and dex (or Haste for the more sane) hold an MgS can make all the difference in the world, when my ToA'ed enchater was death, my wall would still be tearing mages apart.