Before I was gifted my first Disney Lorcana Trading Card Game booster packs, I had never played a trading card game. My friends knew I loved all things Disney, though, and that holiday season they gifted me all three of the original The First Chapter single-player decks.
When my small group of friends started playing the Disney Lorcana TCG, only about half of the players were self-described “gamers,” which meant they had to lead the rest of us through the rules and best practices for deckbuilding.
As a lover of Disney Parks, films, and board games in general, I found that playing the Disney Lorcana TCG was both really easy to pick up and fun. If you’re reading this because you’re thinking about picking up the game, I cannot recommend it enough. From the beautiful card art to the communities I’ve experienced around the world, everything about the game is so optimistic and joyful.
Over the last two years, I’ve learned so, so much just by watching great streamers, reading game tips, and studying new cards to learn mechanical synergies.
But sometime in the last few months, I realized I don’t just want to have fun playing; I want to have fun and also win. And it turns out that when you’re starting something new, you should learn the basics first. So, let’s start at the beginning together.
After speaking with card game experts in my community and top Disney Lorcana players and game designers, these are the first things I think all new players should keep in mind, both when building a deck and when starting to play.
While building a deck, you fall in love with a card, but are scared to include it. Ask yourself one question:
Does it have that swirly symbol in the top left? That ink symbol is key to turning a card you might think is too silly, or too conditional, into a “definitely include.” If you want to add it to your deck, all that matters is if the card makes you smile and if the card inkable? If yes, you should always go for it!
Every deck you build should include fun cards that spark joy, because no one can stay angry when they top-deck a favorite. Poor timing aside, seeing a Mulan – Resourceful Recruit always makes me smile, and if I don’t need her then, she goes straight into my inkwell. (Maybe Mufasa – Ruler of Pride Rock will help me see her again someday).
Free is best and discounts are good too!
I fall in love with new cards before I even open packs. My pre-play Wilds Unknown favorite was Metamorphosis because I thought playing bigger Shift glimmers for nearly free, earlier than usual, would be so fun! It might never make an appearance in my Set Champs deck, but I will have a lot of fun trying to make it work.
That’s because much like those deep discounts at warehouse stores, getting something for the cost of nothing feels GREAT. In slightly different ways, both Woody – Jungle Guide and Lilo – Rock Star let you play a glimmer with cost 2 or less *for free* when they quest. This means you’re gaining lore (obviously necessary) and not spending ink to put out more glimmers (amazing). Of course, you can spend your ink afterward to take more turn actions, but it hardly ever feels as good as playing something for free.
Adding “discount” cards to your deck can help you overcome your opponent early and should always be a consideration when you’re deckbuilding. When Grandmother Willow – Ancient Advisor was introduced in Winterspell, she was immediately added to many Amber/Emerald decks. This helped players play even more low-cost glimmers at once and bring out bigger ones faster.
On your turn, draw first for more information.
When it’s your turn, play any action or character that draws you cards before any other moves.
After your mandatory start phase actions (ready, set, draw), if you have a card that allows you to draw a card or more, you should (almost always!) utilize that ability or play that glimmer first.
As a first-time TCG player, this one has not come naturally to me. For a long time, I could not understand why I would want more cards if I didn’t need more cards. I saw it as a waste of ink (or even my turn) to pay for a card I might not need right then.
Then a top player told my friend, “I like to draw cards, so I build decks that draw cards.” Since they were obviously very good at the game, I dove into why that was so important to them.
Finally, someone explained to me what it really boils down to: Information is power. And more cards mean more information. You should always draw cards on your turn if you can, so you have answers to anything your opponent may play.
If I’m at 18 lore and playing a single character each time, your goal is to keep me from winning each turn. At that point, you want to play any cards in your deck that prevent me from gaining lore. That means you need to have cards in hand to do so. In an Infinity Constructed Amethyst/Steel deck, this can mean singing the Friends on the Other Side song card to try and draw your direct damage cards.
This is the year we're all going to be better than our past selves, whether that means you want to win a game, a match, a Set Championship, or even a Disney Lorcana Challenge. I hope you have fun doing it. My goal next season is to win a Set Championship playmat!
