Yeah, the 16 crit versus 7 crit is a no-brainer in my book (since having a high crit does help out with Op skills). Even though the Desert Rat set has higher damage and armor, its very, very minimal (I think it was like 3-4 points IIRC) to the point where its inconsequential. The only advantage to the Desert Rat set is the relatively large mana boost (and mediocre health boost)...plus it costs no Platinum.