[Quitti]

Shields of accursed are excellent. But if you don't have access to astral+blood (or astral and empower blood) there are a few other candidates - weightless kite shield is a good one on any non-enc0 chassis, and so is black steel tower shields if you can get some reinvig. I remember using EA Vanheim Vanjarl thug/sc's to great effect against niefelheim - equipped them with flame brand, weightless kite, sacred shroud (had d9e6n4w4 bless or something in similar lines) and ring of frost - accompanied with mistform they were quite a match against any giants he threw at me. Might have had girdles of strength on a few for some added damage, but I'm not certain. It was a game with high amount of sites, I think I had somewhere around 50+ air gem income with gale gate and 40+ earth gem income with earth well at the peak so gems weren't really an issue there.