That is what confused me. Why are so many looking for the maul?

Because thunder maul is more dmg than war pike.
Both are bad tho.
Insight/obsession can't be made in either, so they're only good for people who love seeing big numbers, not for people who care about having a good build.

Go with insight. A fraction of the cost and better.

What should I pick for botd then? Working on making all runewords.

Archon Staff my personal favorite