Disney Lorcana: The First Chapter offers three different starter decks with their own unique styles of play, all of which can be used to jump into the game without any supplements. Limited supply for the new collectible trading card game has made starter decks particularly desirable, making it important to grab the right one when the chance arises. Although all the starter decks offer solid benefits that could give an edge in the right matchup, that doesn't mean that the three are created exactly equal.
Each Disney Lorcana starter deck pairs two colors of the six inks available in the game, focusing on balanced combinations that deliver both offensive capabilities and solid . The options available are Amber/Amethyst, Ruby/Emerald, and Sapphire/Steel, all containing 60 pre-selected cards of the appropriate pairing that cover the essentials while including a few power players. Starter decks are relatively inexpensive considering their contents when they can be found at MSRP, making them a much easier way to start playing than building a deck purely out of booster packs or aftermarket singles.
What's In The Amber/Amethyst Disney Lorcana Starter Deck
The Amber/Amethyst Disney Lorcana starter deck might be the easiest to throw down and play, as it's hard to go terribly wrong when it comes to strategy. With plenty of solid low-cost characters and a number of cards that make it easy to keep flooding the board with them, Amber/Amethyst is all about overwhelming opponents with volume. Although other decks have strategies that can counter Amber/Amethyst play, the level of strategy necessary to do so is often higher.
One great combination that serves this goal in the Amber/Amethyst starter deck is the pairing of several Magic Broom: Bucket Brigades and Mickey Mouse: Wayward Sorcerer. Mickey can play Brooms for cheaper and return them to the hand when the cards would otherwise be removed from play, making it hard for opponents to get a handle on this novice spellcaster's mayhem. Several other cards allow for extra draw or the return of cards to the hand, keeping an Amber/Amethyst player well-stocked and ready to keep the table full.
What's In The Sapphire/Steel Disney Lorcana Starter Deck
The Disney Lorcana Sapphire/Steel starter deck takes a very different approach from Amber/Amethyst, focusing on building an inkwell to deploy some heavy hitters. This makes for a fundamentally riskier style of gameplay, as getting a rough starting draw (a gamble alleviated somewhat by the fact that the rules allow a redraw attempt) can make it difficult to get off the ground. When all the stars align for a perfect progression, however, Sapphire/Steel can be hard for any opponent to stand against.
Gramma Tala: Storyteller, Mickey Mouse: Detective, and One Jump Ahead are all key cards for ramping up in the Sapphire/Steel deck, with each offering its own method of adding to the inkwell at a low cost. Steel also features some low-level cards with combative might for an aggressive start, like Fire the Cannons! and the powerful Disney Lorcana card Captain Hook: Forceful Duelist. A host of The Lion King cards offer strong options once the inkwell is filling out, and Maui: Demigod takes the crown with eight strength, eight willpower, and the ability to generate three lore per turn.
What's In The Ruby/Emerald Disney Lorcana Starter Deck
Emerald/Ruby is a Disney Lorcana starter deck that requires a solid handle on tactics to play well. With less of a focus on low-cost characters than Amber/Amethyst and fewer heavy hitters than Sapphire/Steel, Emerald/Ruby places a big emphasis on solid mid-range options. This deck features more cards that annoy opponents than ones with a wow factor, but annoying opponents can often be the perfect path to victory when played well. Mastering the Emerald/Ruby deck is all about understanding what an opponent is doing and how to control it.
One key factor of the Emerald/Ruby deck is the inclusion of five mid-range Evasive cards, unevenly split between Pongo: Ol' Rascal and Peter Pan: Never Landing. Getting these characters in play makes it difficult for opponents without the right cards to get rid of them, making it possible to rack up some lore without interruption. The opponent, however, is likely to deal with a fair bit of interruption themselves. Cards like Jasper: Common Crook, Iago: Loud-Mouthed Parrot, Mother Knows Best, Dragon Fire, and more are all great for throwing a wrench in someone else's plans, making it easy to impede progress with this Disney Lorcana starter deck.
Which Disney Lorcana Starter Deck Is The Best
The best Disney Lorcana starter deck is going to depend on the player, but the easiest choice for those unsure is Amber/Amethyst. Perfect for those new to the game or TCGs as a whole, its straightforward strategy is uniquely accessible while still being fun even for experienced TCG fans. The best aggro decks in Disney Lorcana tend to make heavy use of Amber at the moment, so it's also easy to transition from the starter deck into aggro play with the addition of some key cards.
Ruby/Emerald is a great deck for tacticians interested in countering opponents, with an arguably higher skill ceiling than Amber/Amethyst that can make it a real power deck in the right hands. Sapphire/Steel can also be highly effective by anyone who knows how to wield it, but the greater element of chance that its cards create is somewhat unavoidable. This deck is best for those who love both strategy and risk, as seizing any opportunity when it comes and understanding how to play tactical Sapphire cards well is just as important as the luck of the draw.
Ultimately, there's no wrong choice among the Disney Lorcana starter decks, but they aren't equal for every playstyle. Jumping into TCGs for the first time with Ruby/Emerald might not be the best move, for example, but it's an excellent choice with the right tactics. Every Disney Lorcana starter deck brings a solid array of cards and possibilities to the table, so picking up any of them won't prove to be a mistake, but Amber/Amethyst is generally the safest choice.
