Lorcana is a collectible trading card game (TCG) where players use iconic Disney characters and items to build decks and compete to collect Lore points. Here’s an in-depth guide to playing Disney Lorcana
1. Objective
The goal of the game is to collect 20 Lore points before your opponent by sending characters on quests to earn Lore. Players compete by summoning characters, using actions, and strategically disrupting their opponent’s progress.
2. Setup
- Each player needs a 60-card deck.
- Shuffle your deck and draw 7 cards.
- Each player can take one mulligan, which allows them to shuffle any number of cards back into their deck and redraw the same number.
- Decide who goes first with a dice roll or coin flip.
3. Types of Cards
Each card in Lorcana falls into one of three categories:
A. Character Cards
- Characters are the heart of the game. You can send them on quests, challenge opponents’ characters, or use their abilities.
- Characters have:
- Cost: The ink cost to play them.
- Strength (STR): Determines how much damage they deal in a challenge.
- Willpower (WIL): Acts as their health, determining how much damage they can take before being discarded.
- Lore (L): The number of Lore points they generate when questing.
B. Action Cards
- These cards have immediate effects on the game, such as drawing cards, healing characters, or dealing damage to the opponent. After use, Action cards are discarded.
C. Item Cards
- Items stay in play and offer ongoing effects or abilities. You can activate them during your turn, and they may offer buffs, healing, or card draw effects.
4. Inking Cards
Lorcana introduces a unique mechanic called Inking. Players use certain cards as Ink, which functions like mana or resources in other TCGs. Here’s how it works:
- Inking Process: Once per turn, you can place a card face down in your Inkwell, provided the card has an ink icon around its cost. The card becomes an Ink resource, which can be tapped to play other cards.
- Ink is cumulative, meaning you build up more Ink as the game progresses. You need Ink to play characters and activate abilities.
5. Turn Structure
Each turn has three main phases: Ready, Quest, and Challenge.
A. Ready Phase
- Untap or "ready" your exhausted characters and items (characters tapped from previous turns or quests are now ready to be used again).
- Draw a card from your deck.
B. Actions Phase
During this phase, you can take a number of actions in any order:
- Ink a Card: Place one card from your hand face down into the Inkwell to increase your Ink pool.
- Play a Character or Card: Spend Ink to play characters, items, or actions from your hand. The cost of each card is found in the top left corner.
- Quest with Characters: Tap one of your ready characters to send them on a quest and gain Lore points equal to their Lore value. Characters who quest are exhausted and can't be used for anything else that turn.
- Challenge Opponent’s Characters: Instead of questing, a character can challenge one of your opponent’s characters. Both characters will deal damage equal to their Strength, and if either has taken damage equal to or greater than their Willpower, they are discarded.
- Use Item Abilities: Activate any Item card abilities or abilities that don’t require your characters to exhaust.
C. End Phase
After completing all actions and challenges, your turn ends, and play passes to your opponent.
6. Combat (Challenges)
- When one of your characters challenges an opponent’s character, both deal damage simultaneously.
- Damage is permanent in Lorcana, so if a character’s damage equals or exceeds its Willpower, it is discarded.
- Characters with high Strength are better at dealing damage, while characters with high Willpower last longer in combat.
7. Winning the Game
The game is won when a player accumulates 20 Lore by sending characters on quests. If your deck runs out of cards, you do not lose the game; you continue playing with your existing hand and board.
8. Special Abilities & Keywords
Characters and cards often come with special abilities or keywords, adding strategic complexity to the game. Common abilities include:
- Ward: A character with Ward can’t be targeted by an opponent’s actions or abilities.
- Evasive: Only characters with Evasive can challenge other Evasive characters.
- Rush: A character with Rush can challenge on the same turn it is played.
- Shift: Allows a player to play an evolved version of a character for a reduced Ink cost.
9. Strategy Tips
- Inking: Managing your Inkwell is critical. Be strategic about which cards you ink, as inked cards are no longer accessible.
- Balance: Building a balanced deck with a mix of strong characters, useful actions, and supportive items will enhance your chances of success.
- Tempo: Gain tempo by establishing characters early and frequently sending them on quests. Be mindful of when to quest and when to challenge, balancing offense and defense.
By managing your Ink efficiently, summoning powerful characters, and carefully choosing between questing and combat, you can outsmart your opponent and win by accumulating Lore points!