Illusionist is a new class featured in Monarch. It was first teased in the Welcome to Rathe Vol 1. World Guide, and since then many have speculated on when and how an Illusionist would appear in the world of Rathe. Now is the time to see the power of a conjurer's magic in an attempt to protect Rathe from the Shadows.
As an Illusionist, it is your goal to conjure phantasmal entities and see if the enemy can tell the difference between fantasy and reality. Can they see through the mirage and dispel your magic, or will they fall victim to fear of your powerful Illusions?
Sometimes things in Flesh and Blood look and seem different to what they really are on the surface; an Illusion to those unfamiliar can be frightening if you do not understand what you are seeing. At times, what you are seeing is exactly what it seems.
Imagine a world where information is readily available. The ability to manipulate one's reality to fit your own, or at least make an enemy feel that the reality they see is safer than it really is…
Phantasmaclasm
At a cost of 3 resources for 9 power, Phantasmaclasm is the most efficient attack in Flesh and Blood to date, but not without its own drawback that features on all Illusionist attack action cards: phantasm. Phantasm is a keyword that showcases that Illusions are fragile and cannot hurt those that do not fear them. They are not real... until they are.
Knowledge is Power.
Phantasmaclasm is the first card of its kind in Flesh and Blood that forcefully allows you to manipulate the opposing hero's hand by taking a peek, and stealing the most impactful card in their possession to stymie their options in battle.
Aggressive strategies find it very difficult to take advantage of the phantasm keyword due to the lack of 6 power cards available to them. This allows a conjurer to have significant damage output for a low investment all while removing their most powerful threats and resources. The best defense is a powerful offense and Phantasmaclasm ticks the box.
Combo decks tend to rely on specific cards and scenarios to close games, so when they are forced to lose key pieces of their combo, entire strategies can fall apart and sometimes never be achieved. It’s like the famous Mike Tyson quote “Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.” Phantasmaclasm packs a big punch.
Phantasmaclasm also has built in protection from its own phantasm keyword by having the ability to remove a 6 power or higher card that could be laying wait in the opposing hero's hand with the hopes to dispel your frightening Illusion. This is how you turn your Illusions from fantasy into reality.
In the end, the most powerful and important aspect of Phantasmaclasm other than its raw power, is simply the knowledge gained by seeing what your opponent is capable of doing to you on their next turn. They are now playing your game in the reality you have carefully crafted, not their own.