Looking over the Metal mystery in UM, it seems like that mystery could be better at fighting than the Battle mystery. These guys get Keen Edge (eh), Versatile Weapon (useful!), and Lead Blades. Lead Blades is the big one for me, since it offers something Clerics can't normally get. True, so does Enlarge Person from the Battle mystery, but Oracles get Righteous Might, which also increases size. With Righteous Might and Lead Blades up, your weapon damage will increase by two sizes, which is pretty nice.
They can create a weapon in a pinch (with no action?), which is nice in case you get disarmed or sundered. Or thrown in jail.
They get Skilled at Arms.
Steel Scarf sounds awesome. Swift action combat maneuver at 30'? Perhaps I'm misreading it and the swift action is only for the creation of it, but even it's useful even if it uses a normal action, since combat maneuvers at 30' are useful.
And dance of blades lets them move faster, become better skirmishers, and have a minor defense vs ranged attacks.
Any thoughts on this?
I'd say they're about equal. BAttle oracles get combat healer which is extremely handy. Suprising charge is another scary revelation that battle oracles get. War sight is of course amazing. Metal has a slight advantage in the damage department wiht the Righteous Might/Lead Blades stacking but not as much as it might look.
Oracle of Metal seems better for a more skirmisher type, Oracle of battle seems better for FULL PLATE AND PACKING STEEL
With 2 size increases to your weapon, you get either 1d6 or 1d8 extra over the Battle Oracle, while that's a nice bump, it's not overshadowing at 9th level or higher. Battle gets Fog Cloud and Wall of Fire, which are 2 nice battlefield control spells as well which can make a big difference.
Oracle of Metal seems better for a more skirmisher type, Oracle of battle seems better for FULL PLATE AND PACKING STEEL
I just realized today that with Mithril Full Plate, Armored Mastery, and Dance of the Blades, Oracles of the Metal can move 40' a round in heavy armor unaided. So they're a kinda of heavy skirmisher, I guess.