Full Spectrum Process: Figuring Out the New Prism

As the editor of the Rathe Times, I try to line up content that cycles through the classes and heroes in fairly equal measure, while also seizing the cultural moments around new releases. To that end, I frequently press our stable of writers toward specific topics that serve the well-rounded coverage I feel we should provide. When that fails, I take to Discord to identify people who have something to say on the topic I'd like to cover.

In the case of Prism, Awakener of Sol, I've continued to come up empty. It seems no one has found their way to an even moderately successful version of new Prism, at least in her adult form.

Even in #illusionist-prism, where I'd expect her most loyal Discordians to congregate, the consensus seems to be "NuPrism paid for the original Prism's sins". The specifics are hard to pin down, only because there are so many possibilities. Is it the lack of Luminaris? Is it the 32 health? Is it the expensive playlines of herald into Celestial Fury into angel? Is it the rise of Levia? A critical mass of 0-block cards? Is Dromai just better? Is it a cop-out just to say it's all of these things and more?

In the interest of being that which you want to see in the world, I'm putting myself on the block here today, not to provide a deck tech or a surefire strategy, but to at least examine the potential in the Awakener of Sol. Because there are things here worth exploring, and by laying them out perhaps you'll find something you'd overlooked before.

Before we get too caught up in the options, let's cover the core elements of the Light Illusionist card pool, beginning with Heralds.

Heralds occupy the very center of the Light Illusionist identity. Above-rate attacks that, typically, cost 2 resources to play, Heralds also come burdened with the phantasm keyword - meaning that the attack is simply destroyed when an attack action of 6 or greater is used to defend it.

The Heralds comprise the strategic focus of most players' introduction to the class. In Monarch, Heralds were predominantly commons, so everyone had plenty; and after seeing how the simple strategy of above-rate attacks performed so well in sealed, they became an attractive option for anyone looking to try out Prism. While top-tier play eventually moved toward an aura-focused gameplan (more on that later), Heralds remain present in any Prism deck.

This was heavily reinforced with Dusk Till Dawn. Not only did Prism receive a new hero card that directly calls for them, she was given a smaller share of new cards in favor of reprints of the Heralds - now with extended art and at a slightly higher rarity.

Unfortunately, Heralds don't play like they used to. During Monarch, Heralds were often used in conjunction with Luminaris and a heavy yellow pitch count to effortlessly roll from one 6-damage attack to the next, giving Prism a high damage output with only phantasm poppers to slow her down. Now, Heralds double in cost if you want to give them go again; and the new Luminaris, Celestial Fury offers no aura attacks to supplement your combat chain.

If we're going to build around Heralds now, we have to view them more like Bravo or Rhinar or even Uzuri: as a solitary, powerful attack that we can play from a 2-card hand. These attacks were already above rate; but when we start to factor in the synergies available from equipment and Prism herself, we achieve rates that are truly above comparison.

It's easy to jump right past Figments into their flip-side Angel counterparts, but I want to slow us down for a second and reframe them for you. Figments are choose-your-own-on-hits, and when used as such, they cost you nothing.

If you're one for the mathematical side of Flesh and Blood, Figments add a point of value to the Herald attack that summons them. I've chosen Figment of Protection and Figment of Ravages as easy-to-interpret examples, and to keep it simple, we'll pair them with their corresponding Heralds. A red Herald of Protection is a 2-for-7 that, on hit, generates a Spectral Shield (prevent 1 damage); when Prism pulls out a Figment of Protection, that Herald is now generating 7+1+1=9 points of value.

Then we add Empyrean Rapture, which lets us activate Prism's ability for free if we've put a Herald into our Soul this turn - and now we can flip our Figment for free and pick up another 4* value, which makes our Herald attack a 2-for-13*!

Halo of Illumination gives us access to a cool defensive trick with our Figments. Consider a match against Fai in which we spend that Halo to put a Herald into soul, then seek out a Figment of Triumph, reducing all their attacks by 1 that turn! Or your Vynnset opponent has banished an attack and intends to play it against you. Halo for a Figment of Judgment, turning their banished card face down!

In short, the Figments are a toolbox, providing answers that give incredible flexibility to all of your Heralds. The downside: they are absolutely dreadful in hand. The best that can be said about a drawn Figment is that it pitches for 2. Figments can't block, and at 4-cost you're unlikely to ever pay to play them out. For this reason, it's best to be realistic about which Figments will benefit you the most in your matchup, and sideboard any extraneous ones.

I caution you against getting too caught up in this section. I'm convinced that most of the development in Prism, Awakener of Sol has fallen short because players have fixated on making Angels central to their strategy. The playline suggested by Luminaris, Celestial Fury (and Angelic Descent) of Herald into Angel requires, at minimum, a 3-card hand and an opponent who'll let your Herald hit. That doesn't even touch on the soul cost if you'd like to use your Angel's ability.

If you attack with an Angel and don't pay from Soul to trigger its ability, that Angel is effectively an Aura - absolutely any Aura - with Iris of Reality equipped. But you put a lot more work into getting your Angel on the board than you would have an aura; and they don't inherently have go again, which leaves you asking why you didn't just plan an Aura game.

It's best to view the Angels as a sort of defense reaction, blocking for 4 and compensating for your lower starting health. That makes Empyrean Rapture a must-play, lest you find yourself investing too many resources into flipping them over. A 0-for-4 is a great defensive play; a 2-for-4, much less so.

All of that said, there will be times where you find yourself with an opportunity to play Herald into Angel, and when it comes up organically absolutely take it. With Celestial Fury equipped, a 3-card hand with 2 blues and a Herald can easily push 11 damage and represent a 17 value turn.

This presents a challenging question, and one that only experience will truly answer: which weapon should you run, and into which matchups? In my opinion, it really comes down to two weapons, and both should be in your inventory: Luminaris, Celestial Fury and Iris of Reality.

The Aura game is tried and true, but its weaknesses are well known, and you won't want to present an Aura build into a matchup that can handle it easily. If you try to build up a board state against Katsu, you're gonna have a bad time.

But Iris of Reality provides your best chance of ramping up your damage output over the course of the game. This is incredibly important to Prism, whose natural inclinations toward Zoner strategies are further emphasized by the Awakener's lower life total.

Using Iris alongside a select pool of Auras (I prefer the blue suite myself, as they block for 2, cost nothing, and pitch well), Prism is capable of presenting a complex board state that can attack in several ways.

When given the choice, this is what I default to. It makes good use of our blue cards, and allows us to make good on 3- and 4-card hands that otherwise leave Prism's damage-per-turn rate wanting. I firmly believe in presenting opponents with choices, so they have opportunities to make mistakes; and when you throw Phantasm attacks, have Spectras on board, and summon allies with Ward, you're putting lots of demands on your opponent's cards.

That said, there's something to be said for channeling the Luminaris play pattern of old and giving Heralds go again at instant speed. You'll want to default to this option when your opponent can overcome (or even benefit from) your board state, and when you expect few demands on your hand. Celestial Fury performs best from 4-card hands.

While I'd love to take the thoughts above and turn them into a meta-changing deck, I have to own up to the fact that I'm just not there yet. I haven't had enough opportunity to work through everything, challenge my beliefs, and come through the other side ready to present a finished product.

But that isn't reason enough not to talk about it. And by sharing these working theories and observations, I hope to spur forward the development of the deck that does finally work.

Until then, don't be afraid to try her! Don't feel like you need to have an answer before you've even explored the question. Take Prism to your local Armory. Goldfish games with her at home. And maybe, just maybe, the future of Illusionist won't be found solely in Volcor.