Summary
- Disney Lorcana starter decks come with everything needed to play the trading card game, making them great for newcomers.
- Each starter deck is curated to synergize well and provide a taste of different playstyles in the game.
- The Lorcana starter decks are fairly balanced, but some are more effective, while others take advantage of simpler strategies.
The tabletop card game, Lorcana Illumineer's Trove. With five varying starter decks available to choose from, it may still be hard to know which one is the best.
Disney Lorcana starter decks include everything that a person would need to be able to play a game of Lorcana with someone else who also has their own deck. Curated with a blend of cards that are designed to synergize, and fairly well-balanced against other starter decks, they have been designed to give a taste of what types of moves are possible in the game. Each starter deck package contains the required number of sixty cards with a list of what is included, as well as the game tokens necessary for play and a bonus booster pack with twelve random cards that are not part of the pre-constructed deck.
Disney Lorcana's Rise of the Floodborn Starter Decks Review
Disney Lorcana's Rise of the Floodborn starter decks feel like an ideal entry point to the trading card game, and new mechanics feel interesting.
5 Disney Lorcana: The First Chapter - Emerald & Ruby Starter Deck
Featuring Aladdin & Cruella
None of the pre-constructed starter decks for Disney Lorcana are bad, yet each is designed to cater to specific strengths and play strategies simply because of the inks used. Each ink color offers cards that have certain strengths but depend on the type of playstyle that the person wielding the deck likes to incorporate. Emerald and Ruby make up a very powerful deck but are also the most complicated to use, requiring a lot of strategy and advanced skill. For beginners to the game who are still learning the rules and understanding their cards, this can be a challenging start.
The Emerald and Ruby deck for Lorcana is excellent at providing buffs to characters and draining the lore that opponents have collected. Using these cards will require a lot of patience as it can give a feeling of stalling for quite a bit of the beginning of the game while cards are gathered for a powerful endgame advantage, with a lot of concentration. Perhaps the deck's greatest feature is that several of its cards are equipped with the Evasive ability that can protect characters from many attacks, helping to keep them safe while buffs are gathered.
10 Disney Lorcana Ink Combinations That Make The Best Decks For Beginners
Disney Lorcana has several ink combinations that can be used to create decks, with some being easier to grasp than others, especially while learning.
4 Disney Lorcana: The First Chapter - Sapphire & Steel Starter Deck
Featuring Aurora & Simba
Those familiar with other TCGs may recognize the Sapphire and Steel starter deck as what is known as a "ramp deck" in other games. The combination of inks here is great for gathering a lot of ink quickly with the goal of playing the more expensive and powerful cards as soon as possible. Similar to the Ruby and Emerald starter deck, it needs quite a bit of strategy to pull off effectively, particularly if playing against an opponent who strikes quickly.
Many of the cards in the Sapphire and Steel deck are expected to become ink in order to get to the heavy hitters, Maui and Simba, which leaves quite a few that, if not played as ink, are not very useful. There are many good defensive cards included, however, to protect characters from being challenged, and if a player is able to get to the strong cards, then success can be achieved with just a few swift and satisfying moves.
3 Disney Lorcana: Rise Of The Floodborn - Amber & Sapphire Starter Deck
Featuring The Queen & Gaston
The second set of cards released, Disney Lorcana: Rise of the Floodborn, added two additional starter decks to the mix. These decks include different ink combinations than were seen in the earlier starter decks, as well as using a mix of new cards blended with some from The First Chapter. This Amber and Sapphire ink deck is a very fun one with a heavy focus on the Seven Dwarf characters included, which all synergize well together with special buffs that affect other Dwarf cards. If a player gets the right cards drawn, the combos that are naturally created by the Snow White dwarves can give heavy advantages and make for some very fun gameplay.
Unfortunately, the randomness that can come into play with this Amber and Sapphire starter deck can make it frustratingly hard to predict how well things will work out. Many of the cards in the set can be reliant on certain situations, particularly when it comes to drawing cards, which leads to a difficult situation of having no cards available to play. The most glaring issue at hand is that if a game is not won quickly, very few characters in this deck will be capable of countering powerful characters that opponents will be playing once they gather enough ink.
2 Disney Lorcana: Rise Of The Floodborn - Amethyst & Steel Starter Deck
Featuring Merlin & Tiana
The other Rise of the Floodborn starter deck is made up of the Amethyst and Steel combination, and is particularly enjoyable for fans of The Sword in the Stone, who will appreciate the humor it adds. This deck has many Merlin and Madam Mim cards with extra benefits that can help to draw new cards, gather lore, and more in unconventional ways. For those who are coming to the game with fond memories of Disney movies rather than looking for a deep strategy of Magic: the Gathering or similar games, this deck is an enjoyable one that can also lead to quick victories.
The downside to this Amethyst and Steel Disney Lorcana starter deck is that in long games, there are no really powerful high-ink cards. While there is something to be said for having several low-cost characters on the board, it will be hard to challenge any powerful opponents.
1 Disney Lorcana: The First Chapter - Amber & Amethyst Starter Deck
Featuring Moana & Mickey
The First Chapter's Amber and Amethyst starter deck is a perfect choice for beginners in the TCG world as well as more advanced players who want to take charge of a game. Its ink combination includes many character cards that can lead the way in gathering a lot of lore, with a variety of ink values to keep things moving at any stage of the game. The cards play well even without much tactical strategy, but can also be arranged well with some forethought.
For a starter deck, the Amber and Amethyst set is the most straightforward, with a selection of cards that are simple to understand and effective to use. While it is still balanced well with the other decks in a way that means it will not always win, it does not require as much work to pull off a victory, making it a particularly well-designed deck for a younger audience or newcomers. Each of the Disney Lorcana starter decks are balanced quite well so that none of them are overpowered or will guarantee a victory, but Amber and Amethyst is much better for those wanting a simpler pace.
- Franchise
- Disney
- Original Release Date
- August 18, 2023
- Publisher
- Ravensburger
- Designer
- Ryan Miller, Steve Warner
- Player Count
- 2-6
- Length per Game
- 20-30 Minutes
