Well, why do you need to be better than them?
Anyway, obsidian armor + spinal tap is one of the best prehardmode builds, and it’s pretty hard to compete with. Your best options are the Demon Scythe which is hard to aim but has incredible DPS or the Flamelash, which you’re already running. Meteor armor provides a slightly higher attack boost at the cost of less mana economy, and themagic cuffs and any ingredients in the upgrade tree can help, but summoner is the strongest class between the four in the pre-wall tier.