Dev Download: Enigma

Welcome to Dev Download, where we share red hot tips and tricks fresh from the game devs at Legend Story Studios so you can pick up a deck and play like a pro! This week we’ll be covering how to play each of the heroes in Part the Mistveil, focusing on Booster Draft and Classic Constructed!

Today we are seeking the truth with Enigma, Ledger of Ancestry!

Booster Draft

Part the Mistveil is a dynamic Booster Draft experience, with 30-card decks, the new blue-focused Mystic talent, cloaked equipment to keep the opponent guessing, and the ability to transcend and unlock Inner Chi!

Enigma is the Illusionist of the set, playing out auras with ward, attacking with them, and then letting them dissipate on the following turn to protect her life total. The more Enigma pressures the opponent into defending, the harder it gets for them to remove auras, allowing Enigma to overtake the game. But there is never a safe moment for the Mystic Illusionist, as she must constantly flow between game states, figuring out which auras she should protect, and which she should let go.

Key signals that Enigma is open are red instant auras like Waxing Specter and Waning Vengeance. These cards present strong attack power, as well as strong defensive power as long as you can avoid them being wasted on a Crouching Tiger or dagger swing. Red Spectral Manifestations should be a slam dunk if you see it, and is often an aura worth protecting as it offers 4 damage with go again for free every turn you manage to keep it around. Uphold Tradition is one of the best equipment pieces you can pick up, allowing you to increase your damage capabilities while synergising with your other instants. Keikoi equipment offer easy on-demand protection against pesky small attacks, allowing your bigger auras to soak up more significant damage.

Aim to pick up 6-8 big auras throughout the draft, while rounding out the rest of your picks with 3-defense cards and blues. Battlefront Bastion is like liquid gold in Enigma and should be windmill slammed every time you see a copy in any colour, allowing you to blank two daggers or a stick and kitty swing with one card. Mystic attack actions like Tidal Surge and Spillover synergise very well with your transcend instants, as you can then activate Enigma’s hero ability. The regular Illusionist card pool offers a wide variety of 3-defense cards like Vengeful Apparition and Astral Etchings that are not only good for your core strategy, but are also less likely to be in high demand by other drafters. Lastly, you’ll want 4-6 transcend instants, especially Path Well Traveled, A Drop in the Ocean, and Homage to Ancestors.

Classic Constructed

Enigma is primed to be a big contender this season, able to amass out-of-control ward boards against the slower decks we’ve seen perform well this year. Like any Illusionist, aggressive decks pose a huge threat, as do the numerous ‘anti-prevent’ cards that are rapidly making their way into decklists. Luckily, you have a myriad of options to counter these strategies. But before we dive into tech, let’s begin with the strongest power play that should be at the core of every Enigma deck - Manifestation of Miragai. This absolute house offers a massive smack to the face for very low cost, and when paired with Traverse the Universe, the value skyrockets off the charts. Building around this pairing is a very strong start to your journey.

Draft superstars like Waxing Specter and Waning Vengeance will have a natural home in your Enigma deck, but it’s important to remember that playing any number of non-defending cards comes at a price. You want the flexibility to choose when you can let your auras go, which means bolstering your defensive lineup with classic cards like Sink Below, Fate Foreseen, and Oasis Respite. You may want to also experiment with some of the new Mystic defensive tools as well, such as Unravel Aggression, Big Blue Sky, or even Dense Blue Mist. This latter card in particular is extremely effective against Ninjas and Assassins, blanking many turns that would force you on the backfoot.

As an Illusionist, Enigma has access to a diverse range of class cards that have seen various levels of play in the past, but truly shine in her deck. Old timers will remember the days of Haze Bending, which returns to offer Enigma a recurring source of damage and protection if left unanswered. Shimmers of Silver can snowball very quickly if the opponent doesn’t immediately clean it up, as it allows you to start giving go again to your auras. Phantom Tidemaw has gone from being a largely ignored card to an industrial level threat, being both a blue 0-cost instant, and an aura with ward that steadily grows +1 counters.

The constant pressure of aggro decks will force you to make some pretty hefty decisions on the fly, but the key to not falling behind is making the act of keeping their whole hand come at too high a price. Sure, they might clear your auras, but if it means taking 9 from a Phantasmaclasm, or popping a Miraging Metamorph just for you to play a Manifestations of Miragai in response and net a second copy, they’ll quickly start to wonder how they’re the one drastically falling behind on life. Sometimes you just have to accept that building a board into these decks isn’t going to work, and you just need to play to their gameplan, racing them to the bottom with big attacks. Levels of Enlightenment is a powerful tool for racing, as often Enigma is able to consistently trigger two of its effects.

Enigma is Flesh and Blood’s best designed Illusionist yet. Where previous Illusionists have been known for forcing the opponent to deviate from their core gameplan, Enigma puts the onus on her pilot to navigate those complicated board states instead. Sure, she can do some absolutely bonkers stuff, but it comes with a high degree of commitment to learning the deck inside and out. Trust me when I say though, it’s worth it.

If you’re interested in taking Enigma for a spin casually at your local Armory or just among friends but don’t want to commit to expensive Legendaries just yet, try out our Budget Enigma Decklist below!