Shadows Flicker vs England: Bad Match-up or Operator Error?

Games Spirit Island
1

See title.

Shadows Flicker, at first glance seems to excel at a few things.

1) Destroying explorers specifically

2) A long reach to lands with Dahan

3) Fear generation

Given that none of those things are particularly helpful vs England, what is the go-to strategy for facing this adversary with this spirit? England has 2 build phases, and while destroying explorers should be really good against that, England specifically doesn't need exploreres to build. Fear generation is always good, but Engaland has the largest fear deck out of any adversary. Concealing Shadows is good to preserve dahan in highly built areas, but you still are facing down a lot of blight.

 

Looking at Growth options, presense track, and starting hand, your first turn or two come with really difficult decisions for what is supposed to be a low complexity spirit. There are two options and both are rather slow. First, you can take the +card +presense option and go to 1 energy on the presence track (since you start with 0), and play your hand very slowly. Or you  take the +energy +presense and go to 2 card plays on the presence track, which is a bit faster but you'll reclaim sooner. Either way, I think a priority goes to revealing the value jump in the energy track when it goes from 1 to 3 energy gain. Taking an energy focused build with 2-3 card plays likely seems the better option as you can focus on major power usage since your normal shtick of explorer destruction is far less valuable vs England specific abilities.

Not all Spirits are going to be good vs all Adversaries, and it seems that Shadows Flicker is at a huge disadvantage against England lvl3 and higher. What are some ways you play Shadows that help curb this inherent disadvantage?

2

Your two basic options are always more card plays, less energy, or more energy, less card plays. Generally speaking, more card plays focuses on minor powers and triggering innates, while more energy focuses on major powers. Since your innate isn't that great against England, and some of your unique powers are lackluster as well, focus on your energy track and convert your less useful uniques to major powers. The 1->3 energy bump is particularly strong here.

3

I've been having a hard time with Shadows Flicker in general, something about its playstyle just doesn't click for me.

 

I'd imagine gathering dahan into the lands that are going to ravage and protecting them is a good way to get populated areas broken down (at the cost of blight everywhere), and turning towns into explorers that your innate can kill might be a good strategy as well, but I just have a hard time making this spirit work for me.

 

 

4

Flicker is a really good support, great for stalling bad sjtuations others can't reach early, or throwing a little needed help another spirit's way.

I don't find it well suited to solo play, nor is it well set up to dominate the invaders even late.  Going against England at higher levels solo isn't going to be easy.