Handcuffs is a good comparison.
Pros:
- Takes no actions.
- Works on enemies other than Humanoids.
- Testless.
Cons:
- Doesn't turn off Mysterious Chanting or other similar cards.
- You pay for it in health and/or sanity. Some enemies are worse than others in this regard.
- Costs 3 more XP
I think the summary would be that Handcuffs is a fairly specific tech card against scenarios with a lot of doom enemies that can be useful in other situations, while Fend Off is a bit more generically good. I'm personally pretty excited for this one. All or Nothing Skids can also take it!