Casδ-1 is a compact, site-specific nuclease that is guided by a short crRNA without a tracrRNA, but its low editing activity in eukaryotic cells has limited broader applications. In this issue, Ge et al. (pages 3231–3242) describe enCasδ, an activity-enhanced Casδ-1 variant generated through hierarchical, structure-guided engineering of its interactions with the crRNA, protospacer-adjacent motif duplex, single-stranded DNA, and RNA–DNA heteroduplex. Carrying nine synergistic amino acid substitutions, enCasδ shows markedly improved editing activity in human cells and maize, reaching up to 80% efficiency at the TS4 and PSY1 loci. The cover depicts a vibrant genome-editing garden, symbolizing the expanded potential of enCasδ for robust genome engineering across diverse biological systems. Multiple researchers using smaller scissors in the upper left represent the lower efficiency of Casδ-1, whereas fewer researchers with larger scissors in the lower right illustrate the enhanced efficiency of enCasδ.