Power Panda Pop!

Attack of the Vine! welcomes Turning Red, one of my favorite Pixar films, into the realm of Disney Lorcana. The arrival of glimmers of Meilin Lee, 4*Town, and the rest of the besties doesn't just introduce a dose of pop-fueled nostalgia; they bring with them a new mechanic, Temporary Shift, and some new Sing Together synergies. Fans of the film and fellow 4*Townies won’t be surprised to learn that many Turning Red glimmers want to interact with song cards, so they are at home in decks filled with them!

This Amber/Ruby deck, Power Panda Pop, revolves around singing expensive songs to continually draw cards, establish a wide board, and win through bursts of lyrical lore gain. If it wasn’t musical enough already, the deck benefits from a powerful turn-two singer and big songs, making Powerline and I2I perfect additions both mechanically and thematically. If you can play this deck without humming a tune to yourself each turn, I would be surprised!

This deck takes a couple turns to get going but eventually makes for some explosive, theatrical, and memorable turns. Chaining songs with Powerline  – World’s Greatest Rock Star, drawing with Ariel – Ethereal Voice and 4*Town – Hottest Band of the Year, and overwhelming opponents with an avalanche of value or a giant burst of lore. If you've ever wanted to win games by assembling a boy band or letting a giant red panda steal the spotlight, this deck is for you.

 

The Game Plan

The overall game plan is straightforward: establish early singers and begin stringing together powerful songs. Characters like Meilin Lee – Lead Vocalist, Angel – Siren Singer, Powerline – Taking the Stage, and Ming Lee – Proud Parent (if you leverage her discount) allow you to start singing ahead of curve. Akood et Emudi and the new Nobody Like You let you get characters out early, while songs like Look At This Family and I2I let you refill your hand. Both the 4*Town and Ariel glimmers give you additional cards when you play songs. Red Moon Ritual and Grab Your Bow provide efficient removal to clear threats and protect your singers. Over time, the advantage begins to snowball. You’ll draw multiple cards a turn, play multiple characters, and eventually close the game with a massive lore swing from Meilin Lee – Popular Red Panda, A Pirate's Life, I2I, or simply an overwhelming board presence.

 

The First Four Turns

This deck revolves around singing Akood Et Emudi or Nobody Like You on turn three to play a 4-ink cost Ariel – Ethereal Voice or 4*Town ahead of curve. To make that happen, your goal is to play 5-ink-cost worth of singers on the first two turns.

The most straightforward route is Mei Lee – Lead Vocalist or Angel – Siren Singer on turn one, followed by any 2-ink-cost character. Another option is Tyler Nguyen-Baker – 4*Town Fan on turn one into Powerline – Taking the Stage, with his Singer 4 ability. For a fun red panda line, you can open with Meilin Lee and leverage Meilin Lee – Popular Red Panda’s Temporary Shift. On turn three, you want to sing Nobody Like You, allowing you to play Ariel or 4*Town. You'll still have 3 ink available to play another character, such as Meilin Lee – Losing Control, allowing you to dig for another song.

Perhaps the most electric opening is Angel – Siren Singer on turn one, Powerline on turn two, and Akood Et Emundi on turn three to shift Powerline – World Famous Rock Star, allowing you to immediately chain two powerful songs together. Whichever path you take, your priority is the same: get 4*Town or Ariel online as quickly as possible to refill the jukebox . . . er, your hand.

 

Finishing

This deck generally wins through incremental lore gain, questing where opportune and gaining lore off songs like Pirates Life and I2I. But don’t forget Meilin Lee – Popular Red Panda’s ability to gain 3 lore through a surprise quest or song. One of the most explosive lore bursts comes from Meilin Lee singing I’m Never Not by Your Side to gain seven lore.

Key Cards:

Meilin Lee – Lead Vocalist: If there is one card you want to see in your opening hand, it's this one. Her Sing Together Singer 3 allows for one of your strongest openings.

Meilin Lee – Losing Control: Let’s call this what it is—her Red Panda Power ability is almost a functional reprint of Ariel – Spectacular Singer’s Musical Debut ability, an ability that powered many old-school Steel song decks meaning this is a welcome addition to the game. Meilin Lee allows you to dig for songs you need at critical times. It’s a perfect turn three play alongside the 4-ink-cost character you’re hopefully adding into play.

Meilin Lee – Popular Red Panda: While Lead Vocalist gets the engine started, Floodborn Meilin Lee helps close the game. Every song she sings generates lore. Her Temporary Shift may look like a drawback, but in practice, it allows you to use her again and again.

Priya Mangal – Serious Music Lover and Miriam –Ticket Holder: These 2-ink cost cards serve as utility pieces and keep the besties together. Priya Mangal’s one instant lore can help close out games and her high willpower makes it more likely she will stick around after singing. Miriam’s emergency card draw can help smooth out rough opening hands.

4*Town – Hottest Band of the Year and Ariel – Ethereal Voice: These are your primary card draw engines. In many games, your highest priority is simply finding one of these cards and keeping it in play. 4*Town rewards you for playing Sing Together songs, while Ariel draws you a card when any song is played. Having a couple of these on the board allows you to draw multiple cards for every song you sing. Their cost makes them perfect to add in with Nobody Like You.

Look At This Family: This is one of the deck's best setup songs. Looking at the top five cards and finding two characters helps you assemble whatever engine pieces you're missing. Most of the time, you're searching for Ariel, 4*Town, Powerline, or another key singer to keep the momentum going. Because it’s a Sing Together song, it activates 4*Town’s Star Performer ability. Additionally, with the right setup, you can sing it on turn four.

Nobody Like You: This is one of the deck's most explosive cards. Adding a 4-ink cost character into play doesn't just save ink, it accelerates your engine by a turn. Hitting Ariel or 4*Town off this song feels like the beginning of a snowball.

Ming Lee – Protective Parent: She is a bit of a utility card. It serves as a good turn two option paired with a turn one Meilin Lee. She’s also one of the only two lore questers in the deck and so can help close games or serve as some early aggro, if the situation requires it. She’s also a shift target for the formidable Ming Lee – Giant Red Panda.

Powerline – World’s Greatest Rock Star: Powerline turns good turns into rock star turns. Every time you sing a song, he digs four cards deep and immediately plays another song for free. That ability allows the deck to chain together multiple effects in a single turn, creating explosive sequences that, well . . . they’re just fun.

Grab Your Bow and Red Moon Ritual: Grab Your Bow removes two smaller threats at once, keeping aggressive decks from overwhelming you before your song chains come online. This build only has one copy, but you can add more if the matchup requires it. Red Moon Ritual is your premium removal option, singable on turn three with the right setup.

Modifying the Deck: There are a few ways to modify the deck by adjusting the song counts. However, I would not go below four copies of Look at This Family, Nobody Like You, or Akood et Emudi. Whatever you do, it is important to maintain a healthy playlist of songs. Traditional Steel song decks recommend 18 to 20, and this deck should follow suit. You always want a song to sing and to avoid missing when you dig with Meilin Lee or Powerline. At around 18 to 20 songs, the deck feels pretty consistent.

There are also some other 4-ink cost characters that are fun adds. A turn four Chief Powhatan – Protective Leader can protect your early singers as can Mickey Mouse – Amber Champion. You can also splash in Ariel – Item Collector in the three slot to protect key engine pieces with Evasive each time you sing. One final note, there are first-turn characters with higher willpower that would be more survivable after singing on turn three. Tyler Nguyen-Baker is in here, frankly, to keep the 4*Townies together!

 

Final Thoughts:

This deck combines all the things that make Disney Lorcana TCG special: fun themes, interesting gameplay, and nostalgia-inducing songs! Pairing Meilin Lee and 4*Town with Powerline and I2I creates a deck that is not only powerful, but bursting with personality. So, grab your Attack of the Vine! cards and let’s get ready to Sing Together!

 

Decklist

Characters

4 Meilin Lee – Lead Vocalist

2 Tyler Nguyen-Baker – 4*Town Fan

2 Angel – Siren Singer

4 Powerline – Taking the Stage

2 Priya Mangal – Serious Music Lover

1 Miriam Mendelsohn – Ticket Holder

2 Abby Park – Over the Top

4 Meilin Lee – Losing Control

3 Ming Lee – Proud Parent

4 Ariel – Ethereal Voice

4 4*Town – Hottest Band of the Year

4 Meilin Lee – Popular Red Panda

2 Powerline – World’s Greatest Rock Star

1 Ming Lee – Giant Red Panda

 

Songs

4 Akood Et Emudi

1 Grab Your Bow

1 I'm Never Not By Your Side

4 Nobody Like You

1 A Pirate's Life

4 Look At This Family

4 Red Moon Ritual

2 I2I