From dragons and angels to spectres, Illusionists in Flesh and Blood have had an arsenal of power and protection from the very start. We’ve seen them come and go, with Prism and Dromai entering the Living Legends afterlife. Part the Mistveil not only gave us a new Illusionist, but also more fun cards to play with the other Illusionists that are still present in the game.

The key word in this set is transcend, which gives us a new resource – Chi. Think of it as blue pitch which you can use to either pay for a card with regular (red) cost or special Chi pitched effects. Transcending also gives some of your cards special effects, such as doing or preventing more damage. Another new keyword is cloaked, which you’ll see on some equipment pieces. They’re played face-down in their respective equipment areas at the start of the game and can be turned face-up to activate their “hidden” abilities.

With that out of the way, let’s take a peek at what lies behind the Illusionist mistveil.

Some to Harm, Others to Protect

Orbs and scepters have been the only Illusionist weapons so far. Part the Mistveil gave us the first ever Illusionist scroll. Still a two-handed weapon, Cosmo, Scroll of Ancestral Tapestry has a similar effect to the first Luminaris. It views your auras with ward as weapons, but not just the Illusionist ones. So dust off your Sigil of Protection, because Cosmo is making even that card very usable for current Illusionists. Previously loved auras are also getting the love that they deserve from Cosmo. Blessing of Spirits, Tranquil Passing and of course, the always needed Spectral Shield, all become powerful weapons under Cosmo. Giving them plus one counters for extra damage also makes them have go again.

This set also gave us a four piece equipment set, three of which have the keyword cloaked. Truths Retold and Uphold Tradition can be flipped for one resource and aim to buff your auras or bring one back from your graveyard. Heirloom of Rabbit Hide, on the other hand, needs a specific and risky flip condition. It can only be turned face up if you have exactly one health at the start of your turn. The legendary piece, Meridian Pathway can only be activated with Chi. You could say that Illusionists finally got their own Storm Striders.

Essence of Illusionists

The lady of the hour this time around is Enigma. She’s a Mystic Illusionist hero and in this set we have her young and adult version. Like other Part the Mistveil heroes, she has a special effect which is payed in Chi. Both of her effects utilize Spectral Shields as weapons, making them cost less and attack for more.

With the addition to new Spectral Shield art, Part the Mistveil gave us some pretty new auras and actions. We actually got zero new Illusionist attack actions – something quite logical when you think of the way Enigma works. These cards won’t only help you level up your Illusionist game, but they can also help you create no attack action decks, if that’s your cup of tea. Depending on what the cards do, they can be sorted into buffs, wards, transcend cards, or a hybrid of any previously mentioned.

Buffs are pretty self-explanatory – they are actions such as Spectral Manifestations or Astral Etchings. However, cards such as Haunting Specter will have additional effects (hence the hybrid category). Some auras will buff themselves under certain circumstances – Manifestation of Miragai or Waxing Specter, to name a few.

Wards are the most common Mystic Illusionist cards in the set, and there are quite a few Illusionist cards with ward as well. Remember that Cosmo, Scroll of Ancestral Tapestry wants you to have as many wards as possible in your deck. Pitching blue cards is especially important for these cards. Haze Shelter, Waning Vengeance and Three Visits make it apparent. Two important cards to include are 10,000 Year Reunion and Rage Specter. These majestics have the ability to turn the tides in your favor during crucial points in a match.

Finally, we have transcend cards. Moon Chakra is a very nifty instant that prevents damage, and it upscales if you’ve transcended this turn. But how exactly do you transcend? There are eight Mystic cards in this set that let you transcend, all of them wanting you to play a blue card this turn. When you transcend, you flip the card in the sleeve and return it to your hand. You have thus acquired Chi. Illusionists have another card that lets you transcend, along with some other cool effects. It’s the card Sacred Art: Immortal Lunar Shrine and along with it being a majestic, it’s also Legendary.

Illusionists using Part the Mistveil material feel more like Wizards, without the arcane damage. Ever since Dromai and her dragons started doing AB, this shift was bound to happen. If you’re an Illusionist player, let us know how you feel about this set!

Stay Tuned for More Part the Mistveil Set Reviews:

Part the Mistveil Review – Expansion Slot

Part the Mistveil Review – Assassin

Part the Mistveil Review – Ninja & Generic

Valera

Valera tried Magic in highschool then forgot about it. Some years later, she fell in love with broken FaB heroes (like Data Doll MKII) and tribal commander MTG decks. A shapeshifter, collector, traveller, writer... Who needs free time?