Pro Tour: Los Angeles has come and gone. The cheers and gasps have all but faded, the prizes handed out, and the memes cemented. The community is now wading through the aftermath of the realization that Dromai will soon exit the format, and a singular item hangs transfixed before us all: Part the Mistveil.
During the Pro Tour Player’s Reception, James White revealed each of the three heroes present within the 13th Flesh and Blood set. Let’s break down these heroes one by one, starting with the first hero revealed: Nuu, Alluring Desire.
Nuu, Alluring Desire is the salacious new assassin set to release in Part the Mistveil that aims to draw you into her inviting embrace and bury a dagger in your back. She possesses the stock standard 4 intellect and 40 health attributed to the majority of heroes in the game, and comes with the brand new talent - Mystic. While Legend Story Studios has not yet parted the veil for us on how the Mystic talent will function, we can divine a few details from each of our new hero’s abilities. *UPDATE: Check out this video HERE for more details on these cards and how they work. Nuu’s says:
Your attacks with stealth get “When this chain link resolves, banish all action cards defending this.”
Instant – Pay 3 Chi Energy: Look at the top card of an opposing hero’s deck. If it’s blue, you may banish it. Until end of turn, you may play blue cards from that hero’s banished zone without paying their energy cost.
Working our way down the ability, we note that Nuu, Alluring Desire rewards players for constructing their deck around assassin class cards with stealth. When the stealth keyword was originally revealed, LSS hinted heavily that the keyword would be multifaceted in its use-cases. Nuu’s ability is the fulfillment of that promise, as she leverages stealth cards not to swap in for larger attacks (i.e. Uzuri, Switchblade), but to banish her opponent’s blocking cards. This synergizes nicely with contract cards, as the contract mechanic stays active as long as the combat chain remains open. Let’s review the scenario below:
You attack with Leave No Witnesses, threatening your opponent’s arsenal. Your opponent declares no blocks, and your ears perk up. You activate your Blacktek Whisperers, destroying it in the process and preparing to grant go again to your attack. Your opponent responds with a pesky Sink Below from arsenal, seemingly blocking out your attack. Your turn isn’t over yet, though. You react with yellow Shred, decreasing the block from Sink Below. While resolving the chain link, you banish a red card from the top of your opponent’s deck and gain a silver. It’s time to get paid. You continue the combat chain by playing Infiltrate, a stealth attack that pushes 3 damage and a terrifying on-hit effect.
At this point, your opponent is stuck. They think for a few moments and decide to block with a red action card. A red-heavy hand, you suspect… While they have managed to play around the on-hit effect from Infiltrate, thanks to Nuu’s ability, their blocking red card is banished at the resolution of the chain link. That card will then trigger the contract still active from Leave No Witnesses and you receive yet another silver, allowing you to buy back your Blacktek Whisperers at the start of your next turn.
This scenario highlights how Nuu is capable of knitting together the seemingly divergent card pools of stealth and contract cards. In fact, the scenario above could likely be a standard playline for the assassin hero if go again becomes more accessible (see Blacktek Whisperers). That being said, Nuu is by no means intended only to smooth out the Assassin card pool.
Nuu’s second ability works in concert with her first, and allows her to pay Chi energy to look at the top of her opponent’s deck and banish a blue from the top. If she does, then EVERY blue card in your opponent’s banished zone is now available for her to play… for free. Doing so will consume the action point for the turn, barring cards that have go again, but the floodgate of possibilities is well and truly open.
Has your Guardian opponent blocked your stealth attacks with a blue Guardian attack and a Tear Asunder this game? Now you can play a dominated Macho Grande with an on-hit effect… for free. Is Vynnset attempting to set up a massive turn by banishing Widespread Annihilation? Turn the tables on them and play it yourself. Have you found a Reckless Swing on the top of your brute opponent’s deck? Banish it, activate Nuu’s ability, hit, and defend with Reckless Swing for free. The options are truly endless, particularly in a set that is very clearly emphasizing the use of blue pitch cards.
As these examples indicate, this effect has the capacity to be an incredibly powerful and disruptive force in the mid-to-late turns of the game. It also begs the question; how easy will it be to gain Chi? We can safely assume that the blue pitch symbol shown as a cost on each of the heroes’ abilities in the set means that they must be paid with the mysterious new Chi energy. We can also acknowledge that, on the face of it, these hero abilities are quite a bit stronger than other abilities in the game. With LSS stating that Flesh and Blood is in (or has made its way through) the “powering down” phase of the game, these powerful effects lead us to the conclusion that Chi energy will be more difficult or costly to come by. Will Nuu be able to activate her instant effect each and every turn? Most likely not. Rather, it will fall to the truly talented players to know when activating her ability will be most effective.
Nuu’s design is no-doubt enticing to players who value the element of surprise and enjoy punishing their opponents for blocking incorrectly. She encourages players to pick up and explore the assassin class in a way that has never been done before, and seems poised to make a mark in the meta once Part the Mistveil releases. Do you plan on dedicating yourself to the Art of the Serpent, or will you find your center in one of the other Mystic Arts? Check back soon for a detailed breakdown of both Zen and Enigma as we attempt to read the stars and decipher all of the secrets hidden within Part the Mistveil.
