The only thing better than playing Disney Lorcana is playing Disney Lorcana with friends!
From small local game stores to thousands of players at a Disney Lorcana Challenge event, there’s something magical when Disney Lorcana players come together.
One of the best ways to connect with other Illumineers is through weekly play at your local game store (or LGS, for short). There are many incredible Disney Lorcana communities, and I’ve been fortunate to find a wonderful group at Constellation Collective, a local game store in Sacramento.
Every week on Tuesday evenings, locals gather to play some of the most intense games of Disney Lorcana with… theme decks!
That’s right! From Pirate decks to Princess decks, “One Drops Only!” to Story Nights (all cards from one Disney movie), Constellation Collective has built a community of players who enjoy playing different Disney Lorcana theme decks each week. The players vary in age (from young kids to older adults) and in TCG experience (brand new players to seasoned TCG veterans). The creativity of deck building and fun of playing in a low-key environment seem to be what draw these players together.
“I love playing theme decks,” says local player, Stephanie. “It’s the most fun I’ve had playing Disney Lorcana ever!”
When I asked what she loved about it, Stephanie talked about how each new theme is like playing in a new “mini meta” that only exists for a short time. “It’s silly and fun, but also challenging, and I think I’m getting better at Disney Lorcana because of it.”
When Stephanie first learned to play Disney Lorcana, she played competitively. “I realized I don't have the time to invest in the competitive meta… I just can't keep up.” While I chatted with her it was clear the community at Constellation helped her keep Disney Lorcana fun in a way that suits her life. “Everyone is welcoming, understanding, friendly, and less serious about the game,” Stephanie reflected about the community. “I know a lot of people that come to our night here at Constellation are competitive players, but they’re able to set that aside for one night and have fun with a totally different meta and different decks.”
One of those competitive players Stephanie mentioned is Tony. Often spotted playing competitively at other game stores and local tournaments, once a week, he sets that all aside.
When I asked Tony what keeps him coming back each week, he said, “The creativity of building new stuff. Plus, it's a breath of fresh air.” Tony talked about how much he enjoys trying out different deck ideas he wouldn’t otherwise be able to build and play when going to tournaments. “The theme[s] makes it fun for a lot of people… You can still keep it competitive, but it gives you something fun to look forward to.”
But building theme decks isn’t his favorite thing about Constellation Collective. “It's meeting new people and helping new people. That's the best part.”
The staff at Constellation Collective is equally passionate about creating a more social atmosphere. “I was very excited to potentially host [weekly play] at a casual level,” says Amanda, the organizer for weekly play.
“Since we run it at a casual level, instead of making all the prizing from our play kit based on wins and losses, we do it on a dice roll, so completely randomized. Anybody has a chance to obtain anything from the kit, no matter their placement.” Something that Amanda said everyone in the community really appreciates.
While the theme nights are fun, they do know some players enjoy competitive play, so Constellation hosts competitive events as well - both Disney Lorcana Set Championships and other tournaments. While the store hadn’t originally planned to, Amanda said the competitive scene is growing.
But weekly play will continue to stay focused on social play and theme decks, Amanda says. “Our community really enjoys the social aspect of the game and the core mechanics of Disney Lorcana."
Looking to start up weekly play at your LGS? Amanda’s best advice comes down to one thing: “My best advice to give would be: communication. Make sure you speak with the players and see exactly what they're interested in, how they want to play, and what exactly they're looking for out of the game.”
Amanda and the team at Constellation Collective have done just that. And working together with the players, they’ve created something really special.
“Our community is very lovely and generous, and everybody takes a big part in helping each other, and it helps the community, in turn, grow.”
If you’re looking for some fun theme deck ideas for your next weekly play night, here’s a few we’ve done recently at Constellation Collective:
- One Drops Only (build a deck with all one drops – no ink restriction)
- Story Decks (build a deck with all cards from the same Disney movie – no ink restriction)
- Pirate Night (all Pirate characters and Pirate related cards)
- Royal Ball (all characters must be a Princess, Queen, King, or Prince)
- Monochromatic (only one ink allowed – roll a die to choose you ink randomly)
- Types (at least 40 of your 60 cards must have the same classification)
- Rarity Restriction (Commons and Uncommon cards only)
Visit the Ravensburger Play Hub at tcg.ravensburgerplay.com to find a weekly play store near you.
