Disney Lorcana review: Disney’s TCG blends fandom, strategy, and depth

Disney Lorcana This new TCG from German company Ravensburger tries to appeal to both experienced tabletop and card gamers as well as casual players. It also offers an introduction to TCGs for younger fans or Disney aficionados who are new to TCGs.

LorcanaDisney-themed gameplay is often combined with a straightforward strategy. Based on multiple sessions with Lorcana’s preconstructed starter decks, the game has clear potential for scaling engagement; there’s ample room to dive into meticulous, competition-fueled deck building, or maintain a more casual approach focused on the simple joy of taking your favorite Disney characters on magical adventures.

You can also find out more about the following: Lorcana, players assume the role of Illumineers with the power to use magical ink to summon Glimmers, the game’s versions of Disney characters and items. As opposed to Magic the Gathering You can also find out more about Yu-Gi-Oh!, Lorcana players aren’t racing to reduce an opponent’s life total. Instead, players must collect 20 lore point by sending their characters on adventures.

A key mechanic prevents the players from secluded themselves in their adventures and allowing opponents to pass like ships at night. Lorcana features its own version of combat, in which players can use their characters to “challenge” opposing Glimmers in order to remove them from play and slow down lore collection.

Image: Ravensburger/Disney

Non-character cards may also have an impact on lore collecting or challenges. These include one-time action cards and magical items that remain in the game for several turns. Just as the character cards depict Disney’s iconic heroes and villains, action and item cards will feature their own familiar imagery, such as the wildebeest stampede from The Lion King or Aladdin’s scimitar.

Ink is the resource that drives everything in this game. Magic: The Gathering’s System of Mana Players “exert” their ink cards, or turn them sideways, to pay the ink cost of characters, actions, and items. But unlike mana, ink doesn’t come from its own unique card type. Ink is created by placing certain cards on the board face down. Other than that, cards.

Grid View

In effect, Lorcana’s The system reminds me of Flesh and blood’s method of “pitching” cards to pay costs, except the ink sticks around for subsequent turns. It allows for new choices every time, as the cards are constantly evaluated. What is the value of a card as ink or what’s printed on its front? In some cases, the incorrect card used as ink will have an impact and determine the remainder of the game. But this system also reduces the feel-bad stretches of having cards stuck in your hand because you haven’t drawn the resources to play them. The following are some of the most common ways to play. Lorcana, you’re basically never short of potential ink.

The most fascinating qualities of Lorcana’s The free nature of the game, particularly in late-game phases when players have sufficient ink to play more cards each turn, makes it a great way for gamers to sequence their actions, Especially in late-game. In order to perform legal action, you must have the ink or items you want to use, as well as characters, on your board.

This, again, does the double duty of enhancing both the game’s accessibility and potential complexity. On one hand, players don’t have to memorize different steps or phases that dictate when actions can be taken. If it’s your turn and you want to perform a certain action, chances are, you can do it Right now.

Image: Ravensburger/Disney

The flexibility of the game rewards those who take the time to carefully consider how the cards interact with each other. For example, you can use synergies between the cards in order for them to earn more Lore, more effectively challenge the opponent’s creatures, or get more action out of the limited amount of Ink.

It is part of the mechanical systems and mechanics. LorcanaIt’s all so Disney. Disney fans will find many Easter eggs, as well as nuanced mechanics on the cards. However, in some cases the inspiration behind certain movie props and characters is evident. The card effects are based on iconic moments in the films and have a strategic impact.

Image: Ravensburger/Disney

A card showing Gramma Talia from Moana. Tala is killed early in the movie, but Tala’s spirit appears as an ethereal, manta-ray that follows Moana across the Pacific Ocean. The film opens with Tala dying, but her spirit takes the form of an ethereal manta ray who follows Moana on her journey across the Pacific Ocean. Lorcana, Tala’s character card features a unique ability called “I will be with you,” which turns her into an ink card when she would normally be banished from gameplay, keeping her in play as a resource for the player’s other cards.

A second example is relevant The Little Mermaid’s Ariel, after she’s traded her voice for legs. As an homage, the character card features an ability called “Voiceless,” which prevents her from singing songs. As an homage, the character card features a special ability called “Voiceless,” which prevents her from singing songs. Lorcana, songs are a subset of action cards that can be played by exerting characters instead of ink, and offer a variety of effects, such as card draw or bouncing characters back to their owner’s hand. While practically any character card can be used for songs, which frees up ink to use on other cards, Ariel’s deal with Ursula, and the resulting consequences, leads to a debuff, of sorts, that nonetheless feels appropriate for the source material.

For some players, the tie-in to Disney themes might be this game’s main attraction — but it could likewise be the biggest hurdle for people who don’t like or simply don’t care about the films and characters. The game is still a lot of fun, even if you don’t like the Disney films or characters. Lorcana’s gameplay offers plenty of strategic depth for thoughtful and challenging gameplay, it bears enough similarities to other TCGs that some players may be hard-pressed to pick it over The Magic of the Word, or other proven card games that aren’t built on preexisting fandom.

Image: Ravensburger/Disney

Ultimately, Lorcana will have to both become a collector’s item and convince players of its competitive potential if it’s going to coexist with other mainstays in the TCG space. Ravensburger already confirms that Lorcana Specific details are not yet known. For now, players can look forward to some kind of tournament system, based out of local game stores, which will lead to “league points” toward prizes such as special cards, pins, and the like.

Ultimately, Lorcana probably isn’t a The Magic of the Word killer — but maybe it doesn’t have to be. Instead, the fandom-oriented nature of this game’s art and themes might actually position it to compete more closely with the Pokémon Trading Card Game. Even though the TCG has a rich history, the characters are also familiar to players from toys, cartoons and video games. As a result, there might be less resistance among Pokémon fans to try another card game that levies players’ relationship to an existing IP. The most important thing to remember is that the game will not be a copy of an existing IP. Lorcana The game is simple to use and easy to understand.

Disney Lorcana It will launch with a first set of 204 playing cards known as The First Chapter On August 18th, the game will be released at Disney Parks and local games stores. Mass retailers are expected to release it on September 1st.

Initial releases will feature three starter decks with each having 60 cards that are ready to play, plus tokens used for tracking damage and lore. Lorcana will also be available through 12-card randomized booster packs, and other bundles such as gift sets and the Illumineer’s Trove, which includes booster packs, deck boxes, and additional accessories.

Disney LorcanaRavensburger provided a copy of the pre-release for this review. Vox Media is affiliated with other companies. Vox Media can earn affiliate commissions, but this does not affect editorial content. This is where you can find additional information about Polygon’s ethics policy here.