Sure, it's an upgrade. That said, the difference is negligible compared to the difference something like JBoots, OT Hammer, etc will make on your gameplay. Don't listen to the guy that says you will just "stumble upon" an ancient cyclops... The one is SRO is super rare, and the one in OOT is basically perma-camped. SoW pots are nice, but they aren't JBoots. SoW pots don't function as a clicky to reset GCD or a junk buff AND if your SoW gets dispelled you could die. (Unlike with JBoots.)
Gear for casters just isn't nearly as important as it is for melee. You need a decent mana pool to be able to finish a quad, but that's it. Your max mana pool means almost nothing in a group. Even for melee, gear isn't as big of a deal as "effects" are. A BiS tradable (minus fungi) monk twink would level worse than one with a mid-range weapon, FBSS, and a fungi. This is because the fungi is so much more than stats. Casters can't wear it, but they get certain items that are similar in how they impact your character. (Mage focus items, JBoots, Manastone, etc)
I guess what I'm getting at is that you should stop worrying about tiny 1% upgrades and focus on stuff that actually matters. Save your plat! I didn't mean any of this to come off harsh btw, and I'm very sorry if it did. I love discussing strats with people and putting in my two cents.
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