At the time of writing, Lorcana: The First Chapter has been available* from local game stores for just over a month and in big box retailers for three weeks. As the limited supply of cards in this first distribution trickle out to the masses, I wanted to pause and take a moment to appreciate some flavorful card designs in each ink type.
Before I begin, I first want to highlight a class of cards (and other inks) that call out other cards with their “enters play” abilities: Maleficent, Monstrous Dragon has Dragon Fire as her ability; Rapunzel, Letting Her Hair Down has Tangle (each opponent loses one lore) as hers; while Steel’s Beast, Hardheaded has Break. This class of characters and actions is incredibly thematic within the set itself, with appropriate characters being paired with suitable actions.
I also want to call attention to something that I came to realize in choosing the selections on this list: More powerful cards tend to have more text. More text tends to mean that more about a character can be conveyed, and thus, my picks on this list tend toward the rare, super-rare, and legendary.
Finally, when scrolling through the card images on Lorcania.com, I ended up having certain colors and designs that I liked more than others, and I abandoned very quickly the idea that I needed to treat each color of ink equitably.
Amber
Amber Ink is infused with the magic of healing and support; it thrives on community. Like most inks, Amber is full of flavorful designs, but Ariel, Spectacular Singer is particularly elegant.
Here, Ariel’s legendary voice is on display, as if she never missed her musical debut. For three ink, Ariel comes down with a respectable 2/3 frame and can pull a song to hand from the top four cards of the deck and then sing it next turn. In the current meta, this often means Ariel goes with heavy metal (er, Steel) and sings Grab Your Sword on Turn 4 or lets you sing Part of Your World for free in later turns, bringing a character back to hand from discard and having the ink free to play them immediately.
Amethyst
Amethyst, the ink of wonder, is packed with ludonarrative harmony. From Pascal, Rapunzel’s Companion, the chameleon who gains camouflage (evasive) when around another character, to The Queen, Wicked and Vain, whose ability is to consult the Magic Mirror (to draw a card), the designs in Amethyst convey the characters and actions magnificently.
My favorite Amethyst card for flavor and function is Mickey Mouse, Wayward Sorcerer. Mickey Mouse, Wayward Sorcerer is, by my estimation, Lorcana’s Dreamborn glow-up up the Sorcerer’s Apprentice from Fantasia. Four ink gets us a 3/4 stat line that quests for two lore, but this Fantasia-inspired Mickey really shines in his abilities, which have come to prominence in some Ruby-Amethyst control decks that make use of Magic Brooms.
Like his Sorcerer’s Apprentice counterpart, this Mickey excels at bringing forth brooms, though he seems to have a bit more control over the operation now. Brooms that are banished, via an axe or otherwise, can be replayed, shuffling a card in a discard pile back into your deck to help avoid decking out or to move something out of range of Hades or a Part of Your World.
Emerald
Emerald Ink’s glimmers can find and bring back tons of lore and tend to have abilities that punish opponents for interacting with them. Emerald also privileges actions more than other colors of ink, so it’s fitting that my first pick is an action. Steal from the Rich represents its card name well–I love the simplicity here. Your questing characters also “steal” a bit of lore from your opponent. Ludonarrative success.
My second pick is just for the small bit of joy I get for the purposeful inclusion of a particular vanilla creature: Tamatoa, Drab Little Crab. Because you see, Tamatoa hasn’t always been glam–he was a drab little crab once. In keeping with his personal account of his childhood, this inkable, two-cost Dreamborn iteration of Tamatoa is totally vanilla and forgettable. Perfect, no notes.
Ruby
Ruby has great, flavorful cards–in some cases, perhaps too flavorful!
Sword of Truth banishes villains only, and Poisoned Apple will exert a character but only banishes princesses (honestly, not bad tech against top-tier Amber decks right now). Elsa, Ice Surfer synergizes with (only) Anna, and Moana, Chosen by the Ocean banishes (only) Te Ka. These cards sacrifice function for flavor.
For Ruby, I’ve chosen Mulan, Imperial Soldier as a good balance–potent enough to see play in some Ruby builds, Mulan gives you solid stats for her ink cost and an ability that can alter the game state quickly. When Mulan banishes a character in a challenge, her “lead by example” inspires your other characters, who are now able to quest for an additional lore each. The threat of such a challenge means opponents will have to play around Mulan (admittedly not that difficult). This inspiration, as far as I’m concerned, captures the power of who Mulan is to her fellow soldiers as well as folks watching the films.
Sapphire
Sapphire’s glimmers love learning and imagination. Their creativity and love of stories are represented by this ink’s propensity to ramp aggressively and to synergize with items. Perhaps because learning and inscribing are so much a part of Lorcana’s lore, I’ve got a few glimmers to call out in this ink:
Look, there she goes
That girl is strange but special
A most peculiar mademoiselle…
Belle, Strange But Special is a great example of a design that is both powerful and flavorful. For four ink, you get an unassuming 2/4 glimmer that only quests for one, but her abilities tell us so much about her character. “Read a Book” lets you play an additional card into your inkwell each turn, aligning with Sapphire’s skill at ramping in a manner that reminds of Belle’s voracious appetite for reading, while “My Favorite Part!” makes her a game-ending threat–once you’ve “read” enough, Belle’s ability to quest for five lore is unsurpassed. Fitting for a character known for loving stories!
The “Keeper of the Ancient Stories” and Moana’s grandmother, Gramma Tala, Storyteller is well-represented on this card, a staple of Sapphire ramp decks. In the film, Moana is told the ancient stories by her Gramma Tala, and after Tala passes, her spirit returns to Moana to encourage and guide her again. In Lorcana, once Tala is banished, she goes not to your discard pile but to your inkwell, where her wisdom can propel you forward on your journey to gather lore.
My final pick in Sapphire, Robin Hood, Unrivaled Archer, has been given two abilities that tell us much about the character, even we somehow aren’t familiar with the infamous rogue. With both “Feed the Poor” and “Good Shot,” Ol’ Rob both equalizes the card advantage game and can take down slippery foes in a thematic fashion that recalls his particular brand of vigilante economic justice. One of my favorite Disney movie heroes from my youth, Robin Hood’s skills and ethos are both present here in a happy union of form and function! Oo-de-lally!
Steel (and an Honorary Steel)
Steel ink gets things done through shows of power. Steel glimmers and actions often interact with challenges and do direct damage, putting their burly, often-armored bodies on the front lines. Mickey Mouse, Musketeer; Donald Duck, Musketeer; and Amber’s Goofy, Musketeer, are my picks for my favorite flavorful cards in “Steel.”
Disney’s 2004 direct-to-video film, Mickey, Donald, Goofy: The Three Musketeers, was a staple of my oldest son’s viewing when he was very young. In the film, Mickey, Donald, and Goofy are three inept janitors who dream of being Musketeers. Meanwhile, Captain Pete, head of the Musketeers, is plotting to kidnap Princess Minnie and take power for himself.
When Pete’s initial plans fail, Minnie demands Musketeer bodyguards, and the inept janitors present Pete with an ideal opportunity to ensure his success: he’ll make our hapless heroes the Musketeer bodyguards and easily dispatch them when the time comes. Mickey, Donald, and Goofy have to somehow overcome their ineptitude, band together, and save Princess Minnie and all of France from Pete’s dastardly scheme!
Along with Amber’s Goofy, Musketeer, both Mickey and Donald have the bodyguard keyword, reflecting (perhaps more accurately than any other glimmer with bodyguard) their role on film. In the film, Mickey’s cry of “All For One!” is answered by Goofy’s clueless “And Two for Tea!” and Donald’s cowardice predisposes him to “Stay Alert!” for “bad guys!” Fittingly, these abilities translate into a buff to the Musketeer’s strength (from Mickey), healing (from Goofy), and Evasion (from Donald, so you can challenge the “bad guys.”)
These flavorful inclusions in The First Chapter, alongside Princess Minnie, have me speculating about the future inclusion of the rest of the cast–The Troubadour, Captain Pete, Daisy, Clarabelle, and the Beagle Boy – in a future chapter.
Loitering around the Luminary
Lorcana is following in the spiritual footsteps of other Disney ventures, like Kingdom Hearts and Mirrorverse, which reimagined iconic Disney heroes and villains within new fantastical contexts that let both their canonical pasts and their imaginary presents and futures coexist and tell new stories together. The flavor of the cards ranges from spot-on representations to wild reimaginings of characters new and old, depending on whether the characters are Storyborn, Dreamborn, or Floodborn. Thus far, my family loves the game and loves playing together, and somehow managed to gather enough cards together for everyone to have their own deck or two.
If you’ve had a chance to look at the cards and play with them, what are your favorite flavorful cards from The First Chapter? What are you hoping to see next? Find me on socials and let me know.
See you real soon!