We have already been allowed to try out the new trading card game and examine the starter decks. Is this just a Disney gimmick – or is there a serious game behind it?
The first chapter of Disney’s new trading card game, which is based on card game greats such as Magic: The Gathering, will be launched in September 2023. We were allowed to play Lorcana before release and examine the first decks.
Is Lorcana just a nice gimmick for Disney fans who like to collect – or is it a really serious card game?
What is Disney Lorcana anyway?
Disney Lorcana launches its first chapter in autumn with three starter decks, booster packs, gift sets, play mats, albums and much more – so Disney and Ravensburger are not holding back here and are taking a big step into the world of trading card games.
The game is played with decks of 60 cards each. You can put together characters, objects and actions from a maximum of two ink classes per deck. There are a total of six ink colours, which give the Glimmern (as the characters are called in the world of Lorcana) different characteristics. Villains and heroes, by the way, can be found in all ink colours – so it’s not a question of good versus evil here.
The aim of the game is to be the first player to collect 20 legends. You get these by sending your mica on exploration tours.
To do this, however, you must first replenish your ink supply in order to call your characters to the field. You do this by converting your cards into ink and placing them on the ink pile. Each card has a certain value, which you must pay in ink in order to play it.
Once a character is played, you can send him to explore on his next turn, exhausting him (card turned on its side). This also makes him vulnerable – because only exhausted Mica can be challenged by your opponent.
When challenged, both sides take damage depending on the attack and defence value of the characters. In addition, mica also have a wide variety of items and actions at their disposal, overriding the rules of the game and inviting them to develop tactical strategies.
Mica? Inks? What? – The Lore of Lorcana
In Disney Lorcana, you play a so-called Luminari who uses magic ink to bring different characters to life in the Great Illuminarium, the centre of the world. However, only as an image – or glimmer – in an equally magical book. Familiar characters can therefore also appear in a completely new version and bring new abilities with them.
How does it play?
The basics of Disney Lorcana are quickly explained, so even complete card game novices can get started quickly. The starter decks are also pre-sorted as usual, so you can get started straight away without deck-building.
But Disney Lorcana doesn’t have to remain simple and superficial; it offers you many possibilities for creative card combinations and tactical action. For example, some abilities allow you to play cards for free or at a reduced cost – such as when a Glimmer has the Shapeshifter trait and another version of the character is already on the field.
This quickly creates synergies between cards: for example, an item can lower the attack value of an enemy Mica so that you take less damage when challenged. An action helps you to expand your attack and banish several cards at once. And so on.
The first chapter, as the name suggests, is just the beginning. Ravensburger and Disney plan to release four new sets a year, each with 200 new cards. These are to be released in March, June, September and December respectively.
We already liked this one
- The Art Style: At the event, we get a brief glimpse into the thought processes that went into creating the card design. For the project, Disney and Ravensburger work with different artists from all over the world who draw the little pictures with a lot of passion and their own creative ideas. This makes each card feel very individual without losing any of the familiar Disney charm. Perfect for Disney fans and collectors.
- Lorcana breathes Disney: While the card game is slowly explained to us and we are also allowed to look behind the scenes, one thing quickly becomes clear: Lorcana is not just a card game on which Disney has slapped its name in a big way. The game designers have really thought about how to capture the spirit of the cult media company in the trading card game. It’s not just the lore of Lorcana that is Disney-typically magical. The gameplay itself also repeatedly picks up on special characteristics of the characters and translates them into abilities or effects. Of course, as with every good Disney film, the songs are not to be missed – these are special action cards in the game. So Disney fans should feel very much at home here.
- Low entry barrier with room for complexity: Disney Lorcana is primarily intended to appeal to two groups. Collectible Disney fans and lovers of card games like Magic: The Gathering. While the game is accessible to newcomers, as the rules are quickly explained and the barrier to entry is very low for a brand new game. On the other hand, Lorcana also leaves room for strategic moves, complex synergies of card abilities and tactical deck-building as known from its great role model.
Editor’s Verdict
I was a little sceptical about Disney Lorcana. Can Disney really work as a strategic trading card game – and that despite the fact that greats like Magic: The Gathering already exist? After the play-on event I can say: Yes, Lorcana works as a Disney trading card game and is even really fun.
I can very well imagine that Lorcana will find its target group. Even if it’s just avid collectors who buy everything that depicts their favourites from the Disney films. But Lorcana is also interesting for genre newcomers like me. Here, the big hurdle of diving into the world of a long-established TCG for the first time is removed. The rules are also quickly explained and understood.
Disney Lorcana also has the potential to offer experienced TCG players a playground where they can let off steam with different strategies. Because contrary to fears, Disney Lorcana is not just a Magic knock-off with Disney stamped on it. It is unique in its own way and even manages to transfer the magic of Disney to a card game.
Will it now become a serious competitor or possibly even the Magic killer? No, of course not. But Disney Lorcana doesn’t have to be. At the launch event, I was surrounded by card and board game enthusiasts who were looking forward to the release of Lorcana more than Arielle was looking forward to her human legs. So the card game will certainly find its niche and can exist alongside Magic without the two getting in each other’s way. Whether the project will run out of steam over a longer period of time remains to be seen, however.
