Why is the Fabled Prerelease Unmissable?
There are plenty of reasons why prereleases, and the Fabled prerelease in particular, are exciting events you won’t want to miss:
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Collector’s delight. Fabled is not only brimming with reprints of beloved cards, making it a great start to your collection, but also introduces beautiful artwork and new rarities. Besides 18 frameless Epic cards, the set features 2 incredibly rare Iconic cards that shine with a lore star foil pattern and 3D hot stamp effects. This makes them crown jewels for collectors. At past prereleases, the room would erupt with cheers when someone pulled an Enchanted card. Just imagine the roar of excitement when an Iconic makes its first appearance!
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Early, immediate play. Prerelease players get their first chance to open Fabled packs and sleeve up new cards right away. Characters from A Goofy Movie, Dumbo, and more make their debut, ready to leap from booster packs to the table. And with every Sealed pool being unique, no two decks—or games—will feel the same.
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Fun, beginner-friendly vibe. Prereleases are welcoming and social experiences. Don’t worry about seasoned players outshining you at a prerelease. They’re here for the same reason you are: To have fun and discover the magic of brand-new cards! Moreover, everyone is on equal footing because the set is brand new. Don’t be shy about asking questions either, as fellow players will be glad to help and make your experience enjoyable. You might even pick up some enchanting new tricks and insights along the way.
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Elegant fundamentals. Many Sealed decks will lean on common “vanilla” characters without abilities, such as The Queen – Regal Monarch, Mickey Mouse – Steamboat Pilot, or Winnie the Pooh – Hunny Wizard. This boils the game down to its fundamentals, where success depends on managing your resources, choosing which card to ink each turn, balancing questing versus challenging, and adapting your role on the play or draw. Without the layers of synergy and consistency that define Constructed, Sealed is one of the purest ways to sharpen your fundamental gameplay skills.
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No preparation needed. Unlike Constructed tournaments, you don’t need to come prepared with a finely tuned deck or detailed metagame knowledge. Simply show up, open, build, and battle! That low barrier makes prereleases the perfect entry point for new or returning Illumineers eager to (re)discover the magic.
Building Your Prerelease Deck with an Ink Curve
One of the most fundamental parts of building a successful Sealed Deck is having a healthy ink curve: a smooth distribution of costs that lets you spend all your ink efficiently in the early turns of the game. Most successful Sealed decks have exactly 40 cards and follow a curve like this, usually with around 35 inkable cards and 5 uninkable cards:
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1-cost characters: 1–3 cards
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2-cost characters: 7–9 cards
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3-cost characters: 7–9 cards
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4-cost characters: 6–8 cards
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5-cost characters: 5–7 cards
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6-cost characters: 4–6 cards
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Actions, items, and locations: 3–5 cards
As you open your packs, you can sort your cards into piles by cost, then choose the best options to fill each slot. For example, you’ll usually want to keep your 7–9 strongest three-cost characters and put the rest aside. Try to keep uninkable cards to a minimum—ideally no more than one at each cost—and make sure they’re truly worth the spot.
While this framework helps your deck run smoothly, ideally with a character to play each turn from two onwards, it isn’t a strict rulebook. For example, while most Limited decks cap out at six ink, there’s nothing wrong with adding powerful 7-cost showstoppers if you open multiples. If your deck has the tools to support it, don’t be afraid to let your big characters take the spotlight. However, your hand will be empty by turn 6 or 7 if you play an ink and a character every turn, so characters costing 8 or more ink are generally out of reach for Sealed Deck.
Fabled Highlights: Top Sealed Cards to Prioritize
To emphasize the kinds of cards you’ll want to prioritize when building your prerelease deck, here are some of the most exciting cards in Fabled for Sealed Deck. Importantly, all of them are inkable—an essential feature for keeping your deck flexible.
Top 3 Rares, Super Rares, Legendaries:
- Dumbo – Ninth Wonder of the World
- Belle – Accomplished Mystic
- Tinker Bell – Giant Fairy
These heavy-hitters aren’t just strong in Constructed; they’re absolute “bombs” in Sealed. With decent raw stats plus abilities that can either remove opposing threats or generate sheer card advantage, they can take over a game almost single-handedly. Opening one of these will feel like finding your own magic lamp.
Top 3 Uncommons:
- Queen of Hearts – Sensing Weakness
- Hercules – Beloved Hero
- Smash
The best cards in Sealed Deck tend to be card draw engines, board-dominating characters, or efficient removal effects. These three uncommons fit the bill perfectly. Queen of Hearts – Sensing Weakness—much like the equally desirable Medallion Weights—can turn a board state into a steady stream of cards; Hercules – Beloved Hero towers over nearly everything; and Smash disrupts your opponent to keep them from winning the game.
Top 3 Commons:
- Tinker Bell – Most Helpful
- Moana – Undeterred Voyager
- Dolores Madrigal – Easy Listener
Evasive characters are always premium in Sealed: They steadily gain lore, are difficult to challenge, and can answer opposing evasive threats. You’ll be happy to add virtually every inkable evasive character to your deck. While characters with bodyguard, support, and rush can also be great in Sealed Deck, Tinker Bell – Most Helpful and Moana – Undeterred Voyager among the very best commons you can hope to open. Meanwhile, Dolores Madrigal – Easy Listener stands out for her ability to generate card advantage.
Knowing what not to play is just as important as knowing what to include. In Sealed, cards that depend on narrow synergies or specific setups usually fall flat. For example, cards that interact with actions or items, like Ursula’s Shell Necklace, underperform since most Sealed decks run few cards of those types. Overly expensive cards such as Maleficent – Monstrous Dragon should rarely make the cut either, as most Sealed decks cap out at six ink. Situational uninkables, zero-strength characters that can’t trade for an opposing card, and characters with ward are best left out as well. While these cards may shine in Constructed or your personal collection, Sealed is more about curving out with straightforward characters that excel at questing or challenging throughout the game.
Fabled Highlights: Two-Card Combos to Watch
Some of the most delightful moments in Disney Lorcana happen when two cards combine to create something greater than the sum of their parts. These little synergies can turn an ordinary game into something magical. While Sealed decks rely mostly on individual card strength—you won’t assemble combos as consistently as in Constructed—keeping an eye out for these interactions can be the deciding factor when filling those last few deck slots. Here are some inspiring combos you might see at your prerelease.
Floodborn characters always enjoy the company of their namesakes, but none benefit more than Mickey Mouse – Brave Little Prince. To make the most of him, Fabled includes multiple Mickey glimmers at common rarity, with Mickey Mouse – Standard Bearer as the perfect shift enabler. Even when victory hangs by a thread, this Floodborn can heroically bolt to the rescue.
Princesses bring royal synergy to any adventure, and Fabled introduces a sparkling cast of 26. Some work especially well together, like opening with Mulan – Injured Soldier on turn one and following with Rapunzel – Sunshine on turn two. Rapunzel can then heal Mulan’s damage, leaving you with an incredibly efficient board. Fabled is filled with these little connections, making deck building feel like weaving together your own fairy tale.
With 41 Allies in Fabled, Scar – Finally King will frequently have companions to empower. Pair him with support characters like Louie – Chill Nephew, and you can build up to a devastating finale. Louie has 4 strength due to Scar, which means that if he quests and lends his strength to another Louie, then that second copy gets boosted all the way up to 8 strength. This potentially lets Scar draws 8 cards at end of turn. Talk about a villainous payoff!
When Goofy – Set for Adventure sets up camp at Hidden Cove, he brings a friend along and even rewards you with a free card. That friend enjoys the Cove’s boost, too! This combination turns Goofy from an otherwise lackluster character into a worthwhile Sealed Deck inclusion.
Songs are at the heart of Disney Lorcana, and Fabled gives singers new ways to shine alongside reprints of all the original Sing Together cards. Powerline – Taking the Stage pairs beautifully with Second Star to the Right, letting you play the song earlier and reap its rewards. Just remember: while one uninkable Sing Together can be a worthwhile inclusion, multiples can throw your deck off-key.
After Bobby Zimuruski – Spray Cheese Kid discards a six- or seven-cost character, Circle of Life can bring it back to the stage. This powerful combination delivers a commanding board presence ahead of schedule.
Together, Lost in the Woods plus Under the Sea creates a tidal wave that often sweeps away your opponent’s entire board. This can swing a game completely in your favor or, at the very least, make your prerelease weekend feel like a story worth retelling.
