Vance doesn't want longswords, tempest technique is strong but limited to specific weapons (i.e, onehanded weapons with the off-hand property). And aside from that, Vance doesn't even really need weapons to begin with, the shortsword he's wielding is for defensive purposes more than offensive ones.
As far as Bracers of Mighty Striking vs Iron Armbands of Power, the former is a level 2 item, and I felt that putting that on my wishlist was more reasonable since it's for all intents and purposes "less powerful".
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Accel ACE
Totally still relevant, totally not just a lurker. Totally.