In August 2022, Disney and the German board game manufacturer Ravensburger announced a collaboration in the form of Disney Lorcana, a new Trading Card Game that aims to compete with current big names such as Pokémon, Yu-Gi-Oh, and Magic: The Gathering. Compared to other card games, Lorcana offers a slightly less competitive experience to prevent new players from being immediately intimidated.
However, it also provides enough strategic options for more experienced players, combined with beautiful card artworks for collectors among us. But what is Disney Lorcana exactly, and what can we expect from it?
The Story of Disney Lorcana
Through a combination of information on the cards, social media, and other components, the story behind Lorcana is revealed. Players take on the role of Illumineers, heroes who use ink and a magical book to create glimmers. These glimmers are fragments, characters, and objects from the Disney stories we all know and are stored as lore (knowledge) in the realm of Lorcana. This magical world serves to protect stories from villains.
As a player of the Lorcana Trading Card Game, it is your task to create glimmers and embark on a quest with your fellow Illumineers to retrieve lost lore, thereby safeguarding the realm of Lorcana from threats.
Everything will begin with the first chapter of this adventure, which commences with the release of the inaugural set: Disney Lorcana: The First Chapter. Over the years, the story will be further expanded with the release of new chapters.
Which characters can we expect in Disney Lorcana?
In the first set of cards, we will primarily see characters and objects from classic Disney stories. Think of Mickey Mouse, characters from Frozen and Peter Pan, the duo Lilo & Stitch, and many more. Ravensburger and Disney have not yet announced whether we will see characters from other Disney properties such as Pixar films, Star Wars, or Marvel in the future.
In which rarities will Disney Lorcana cards be available?
A card game wouldn’t be complete without different rarities for the cards. For Lorcana, there are currently five known rarities, each with its own symbol:
- Common
- Uncommon
- Rare
- Super Rare
- Legendary
Additionally, there will also be promotional cards. These special cards will only be available at events or in special product releases. For example, attendees of the D23 Expo in California were able to obtain a special set of promotional cards, which are now being sold for high prices on the secondary market.
Disney Lorcana’s rules of play
In Lorcana, two (or more) players race against each other to collect 20 Lore points first. Lore is collected by placing Disney characters and items on your field and sending your characters on quests. This may seem simple, but characters that go on quests or use abilities become exhausted (referred to as “Exerted” in Disney Lorcana) and become vulnerable to attacks from the characters of your opponent(s). Therefore, it’s important to find the right balance between sending your characters on quests to find Lore and using items and actions to hinder your opponents.
To play cards, you need to use ink. You receive ink by placing one card face-down from your hand into your “Inkwell” each turn. By doing this every turn, you can play increasingly powerful cards that can help you collect Lore and stay ahead of your opponent. The amount of ink required to play a specific card can be found in the top left corner of each card.
How to assemble a Disney Lorcana deck?
Each Lorcana deck consists of 60 cards, which can be chosen from one or two of the six different inks available. Inks are similar to the color system in Magic: The Gathering, and each ink has its own playstyle. The different inks are:
- Amber (Yellow)
- Amethyst (Purple)
- Steel (Gray)
- Emerald (Green)
- Ruby (Red)
- Sapphire (Blue)
Furthermore, your deck can consist of a combination of three different types of cards. There are characters that can go on quests to collect Lore and sometimes have unique abilities. You can also add Items to your deck, which remain on the field and provide you with additional abilities and options. Finally, there are action cards, which often contain the strongest abilities and are immediately discarded after use.
Within the action cards, there is also a special type of card called Song cards. A Song card can be played like any other card (by using ink), but songs can also be sung by certain characters. If you can sing a song during a game of Lorcana, you don’t have to pay anything, allowing you to play the Song card for free.
Will there be Disney Lorcana tournaments?
“Organized play” for Disney Lorcana will be divided into seasons of 12 weeks. Players can earn points per season by simply attending organized events, bringing friends along, or teaching new players the card game. Winners of official events may earn more points, but the emphasis for Disney Lorcana is primarily on playing together and having fun, rather than the competitive aspect.
For more information and/or latest news about the Disney Lorcana Trading Card Game, click here: Disney Lorcana.
Disney Lorcana Trading Card Game (TCG) is operated by Ravensburger, an official licensee of Disney and therefore trademarked/copyrighted by Disney. Any Disney Lorcana TCG cards and/or related images appearing on this website are the property of Disney and it’s official licensee Ravensburger.
FDMTCG.com is a fansite and is not official in any shape or form, nor affiliated, sponsored, or otherwise endorsed by Disney, Ravensburger or any other related partner of Disney Lorcana Trading Card Game.
