Six Top Decks for Post-Rotation Core Constructed

Editors Note: At the time of this writing, Attack of the Vine! had been available for two weeks, only for our wonderful community of Illumineers to brew innovative decks that surprised us all! 

Rotation has arrived for the second time in the history of the Disney Lorcana Trading Card Game. With the release of Attack of the Vine!, Core Constructed big farewell to its four oldest sets—Shimmering Skies, Azurite Sea, Archazia's Island, and Reign of Jafar— leaving only Sets 9 through 13 legal for tournament play. While everything continues to live on in Infinity Constructed, defining staples such as Elsa – The Fifth Spirit, Doc – Bold Knight, Sail the Azurite Sea, Maui – Half-Shark, Tramp – Street-Smart Dog, and Lady – Decisive Dog have all departed the Core Constructed format.

The absence of these and many other pillars has effectively reset the metagame, bringing a new chapter. Rotation exists to keep the format from calcifying around the same handful of decks indefinitely, while also lowering the barrier to entry for newer Illumineers, who now need only the past two years of releases to compete. Just as importantly, it creates room for strategies that had always been waiting in the wings, ready to step into the spotlight once the previous format's top dogs took their final bow. In this article, I’ll introduce six of the new format's leading decks.

This article provides a primer on the post-rotation Core Constructed format by exploring six of its most powerful and popular archetypes. For each, you’ll find a representative decklist drawn from an analysis of dozens of successful decklists from Challenge Championship Qualifier tournaments, along with an overview of its core strategy and its key cards. These aggregate decklists are produced using a mathematical method that identifies the most popular and successful individual cards while balancing factors such as ink curve and uninkable counts. The result distills the card choices of dozens of successful decklists into a single build that offers a clear snapshot of what you’re most likely to encounter at the top tables.

 

Amber/Emerald Royalty

4 Aurora – Holding Court

2 The Queen – Regal Monarch

4 Pluto – Friendly Pooch

4 Bobby Zimuruski – Spray Cheese Kid

4 Thomas – Wide-Eyed Recruit

4 Ursula – Deceiver

2 Mowgli – Man Cub

4 Pocahontas – Guiding the Tribe

4 David – Protective Snowboarder

4 Grandmother Willow – Ancient Advisor

4 Mike Wazowski – Heroic Climber

4 Nani – Stage Manager

4 Elinor – Renowned Diplomat

4 Dale – Ready for His Shot

3 The Queen – Devious Disguise

1 Rapunzel – Tower Defender

4 Pocahontas – Peacekeeper

In the Attack of the Vine! Core Constructed metagame, Amber/Emerald sits atop the throne as the format's most dominant color pairing. Much like the Dogs decks that dominated before rotation, this new build is capable of blisteringly explosive openings. By leveraging the ink acceleration abilities of Aurora – Holding Court, Pluto – Friendly Pooch, Pocahontas – Peacekeeper, or Grandmother Willow – Ancient Advisor, it’s possible to play Elinor – Renowned Diplomat as early as turn three alongside three exerted characters. This enables Elinor’s impactful triggered ability well ahead of schedule, allowing you to overwhelm your opponent before they have a chance to properly establish their defenses.

Attack of the Vine! Introduced two outstanding two-drops. Mike Wazowski – Heroic Climber shines in this all-character deck: When you play him and whenever he quests, you’re guaranteed to get an additional card, while your opponent might instead reveal an action and come up empty. That steady stream of extra cards makes it easy to go wide with characters, after which Pocahontas – Guiding the Tribe can shift into Pocahontas – Peacekeeper to prevent opposing characters from challenging. This deck can turn a crowded board into an unstoppable procession toward 20 lore.

I chose the name “Royalty” to highlight Aurora – Holding Court’s ability to reduce the cost of the many Queens and Princesses in the deck. There are also various Amber/Emerald Song builds featuring cards such as Ursula – Vanessa, Tod – Clever Fox, Prince Phillip – Vanquisher of Foes, and Circle of Life, but those pursue an entirely different game plan. Amber/Emerald Royalty is currently the most prominent archetype, and it appears to be the deck to defeat during the opening weeks of the post-rotation Core Constructed format.

 

Amber/Amethyst Ramp

4 Eilonwy – Princess of Llyr

4 Luisa Madrigal – Pushing Through

1 Mowgli – Man Cub

4 Grandmother Willow – Ancient Advisor

4 Hamm – Piggy Bank

4 Cheshire Cat – Inexplicable

3 Dumbo – Ninth Wonder of the Universe

3 Tigger – Bouncing All the Way

2 Isis Vanderchill – Ice Queen of St. Canard

2 Sven – Leaping Reindeer

3 Agustin Madrigal – Exceptionally Kind

4 Hades – Looking for a Deal

3 Gaston – Superior Archer

2 Luisa Madrigal – Confident Climber

2 Mrs. Incredible – Super Stretchy

1 Sulley – The New Boss

4 Demona – Scourge of the Wyvern Clan

4 Junior Woodchuck Guidebook

2 World's Greatest Criminal Mind

2 The Horseman Strikes!

2 Ohana Means Family

This Amber/Amethyst deck employs a midrange strategy reminiscent of the pre-rotation Sapphire/Amethyst decks. Yet instead of relying on Sail the Azurite Sea and Tipo – Growing Son to accelerate its ink, this deck leverages Hamm – Piggy Bank and Grandmother Willow – Ancient Advisor to deploy formidable characters ahead of schedule. The typical plan for this aggregate list is to play a character with an ink cost of 4 on turn three, a character with an ink cost of 5 on turn four, and then follow up with Demona – Scourge of the Wyvern Clan to refill your hand while setting up favorable challenges.

The deck’s standout addition from Attack of the Vine! is Gaston – Superior Archer, who excels when he has something big to aim at. When you play Gaston, he can banish an opposing character with 5 Strength or more, and thanks to the Support mechanic, you can often engineer that yourself. Eilonwy – Princess of Llyr or Agustin Madrigal – Exceptionally Kind can increase an opposing character’s Strength, allowing Gaston to pick off much smaller threats. A similar trick is possible by combining Support with World’s Greatest Criminal Mind, and this clever synergy forms the backbone of the deck’s removal package.

 

Amber/Steel Songs

4 Stitch – Protector of Frogs

2 Lilo – Snow Artist

4 Angel – Siren Singer

4 Ursula – Vanessa

2 Grandmother Willow – Ancient Advisor

2 Mowgli – Man Cub

4 Meilin Lee – Losing Control

2 Lilo – Best Explorer Ever

4 Angel – Experiment 624

4 Ariel – Ethereal Voice

4 Lilo & Stitch – Fun-Loving Friends

4 Stitch – Carefree Snowboarder

2 Gaston – Superior Archer

4 Strength of a Raging Fire

4 World's Greatest Criminal Mind

4 He Hurled His Thunderbolt

4 Akood et Emuti

2 Look at This Family

Ever since The First Chapter, Amber/Steel has showcased the classic combination of Singers and Songs, and it continues to embody that strategy in both Infinity Constructed and Set 13 Core Constructed. By using efficient, low-cost Singers like Angel – Siren Singer and Ursula – Vanessa, this deck can sing powerful songs such as Strength of a Raging Fire or Akood et Emuti well ahead of schedule. To keep the engine humming, Ariel – Ethereal Voice provides a steady stream of cards, while the new Meilin Lee – Losing Control will find a new Song or another copy of Meilin Lee 84% of the time in this particular build.

Attack of the Vine! also introduced dual-ink Shift cards for every color pair, and this deck makes excellent use of Lilo & Stitch – Fun-Loving Friends. By following up a turn-one Stitch – Protector of Frogs or Lilo – Snow Artist with a turn-three shift, Lilo & Stitch becomes an outstanding early-game quester with a resilient Resist ability. Lilo & Stitch can also sing He Hurled His Thunderbolt with ease and even has Support, turning Gaston – Superior Archer and World's Greatest Criminal Mind into remarkably reliable removal effects. Like a well-rehearsed musical number, every piece of the deck works in harmony.

 

Ruby/Amethyst Evasive

4 Luisa Madrigal – Pushing Through

3 Dash Parr – Dodgeball Dynamo

1 Tinker Bell – Fancy Footwork

4 Scrooge McDuck – Ghostly Ebenezer

4 Jebidiah Farnsworth – Cookie

3 Randall Boggs – Envious Coworker

4 Cheshire Cat – Inexplicable

4 Vixey – Expert Fisher

4 Isis Vanderchill – Ice Queen of St. Canard

4 Dumbo – Ninth Wonder of the Universe

1 Hercules – Mighty Leader

4 Hades – Looking for a Deal

3 Mrs. Incredible – Super Stretchy

2 Luisa Madrigal – Confident Climber

4 Peter Pan & Tinker Bell – Fast Friends

4 Demona – Scourge of the Wyvern Clan

4 Junior Woodchuck Guidebook

2 Red Alert

1 Petrify

Ruby/Amethyst leverages Evasive characters to pressure opponents, generate card advantage, and gracefully dodge challenges. While builds for this ink pairing can vary, this aggregate list takes full advantage of several efficient Attack of the Vine! additions: Dash Parr – Dodgeball Dynamo and Randall Boggs – Envious Coworker serve as evasive early drops that enable Vixey – Expert Fisher on turn three. After Vixey’s bounce effects creates a valuable tempo swing, Dumbo – Ninth Wonder of the Universe soars onto the board, turning your low-cost Evasive characters into a fresh source of cards.

However, not every character in the deck has Evasive. Scrooge McDuck – Ghostly Ebenezer and Cheshire Cat – Inexplicable, for example, are simply too efficient not to include. Yet once Peter Pan & Tinker Bell – Fast Friends enters play, these characters take flight as well, allowing Dumbo – Ninth Wonder of the Universe to provide even more card draw. The deck’s reliance on the 5-Strength Peter Pan & Tinker Bell does leave it somewhat vulnerable to Gaston – Superior Archer, but when the pieces comes together, this strategy has the potential to soar all the way to 20 lore.

 

Amber/Ruby Boost

4 Hercules – Spectral Demigod

4 Scrooge McDuck – Ghostly Ebenezer

3 Liquidator – Iced Over

3 Ares – God of War

4 Aladdin – Barreling Through

2 Agustin Madrigal – Exceptionally Kind

3 Sulley – The New Boss

4 Gaston – Superior Archer

2 Sulley & Boo – Scare Buddies

2 Copper – On the Scent

3 Maleficent – Monstrous Dragon

2 Olaf – Snowman of Action

4 Webby's Diary

4 Scrooge's Counting House – Ebenezer's Office

4 Raging Storm

4 Red Alert

3 The Horseman Strikes!

3 Ohana Means Family

1 Medallion Weights

1 World's Greatest Criminal Mind

Amber/Ruby is a control strategy that cements its advantage the longer the game continues. Webby’s Diary serves as the deck’s primary card draw engine, guiding Scrooge McDuck – Ghostly Ebenezer and his Boost companions towards a steady stream of resources. In the late game, the deck can regularly draw two or three additional cards per turn, easily outpacing the opponent. While dedicating time and ink toward card draw usually means falling behind on the board, Raging Storm allows you to catch up in spectacular fashion, sweeping away all opposing characters and keeping the opponent at bay.

From Attack of the Vine!, the most impactful additions are Gaston – Superior Archer, Red Alert, and Sulley – The New Boss. Sulley can return another Sulley to your hand for a never-ending loop, while the new removal effects expand the deck’s already impressive suite of answers. Once the Webby’s Diary engine is established, Amber/Ruby can reach a point where it effectively draws an answer to one or more opposing characters every single turn, allowing it to dictate the game. To defeat Amber/Ruby, speed is of the essence.

 

Amethyst/Steel Omnidroid

4 Omnidroid – V.8

4 Violet Parr – At Wits' End

4 Incrediboy – Buddy Pine

4 Morph – Little Imitator

3 Cheshire Cat – Inexplicable

4 Omnidroid – V.9

3 Angel – Experiment 624

2 Hades – Looking for a Deal

4 Violet Parr – Super Resilient

4 Syndrome – Out for Revenge

3 Omnidroid – V.10

4 Demona – Scourge of the Wyvern Clan

3 Omnidroid – Ultimate Iteration

4 Junior Woodchuck Guidebook

4 He Hurled His Thunderbolt

3 Strength of a Raging Fire

2 Colors of the Wind

1 You Broke My Smolder

The sixth and final color pair worth highlighting is Amethyst/Steel. While there are several ways to build this deck, the most prominent version revolves around Omnidroid. This archetype turns the battle robots from Disney’s The Incredibles into the ultimate evolution machine, upgrading a humble V.8 form into a succession of increasingly dangerous variants. Every Shift comes with distinct advantages, from larger stats to damage effects, Resist abilities, or additional card advantage. After Violet Parr – Super Resilient puts a Robot into your discard, the finishing blow comes when Syndrome – Out for Revenge allows you to play or Shift Omnidroid – Ultimate Iteration for free.

While the core game plan comes from the Steel cards, the deck uses Amethyst as a support color, providing a selection of all-around powerful tools. Demona – Scourge of the Wyvern Clan is one such example, alongside a key new addition from Attack of the Vine!: Morph – Little Imitator. Morph counts as an Omnidroid, allowing you to reap the rewards when you Shift V.9 or V.10 on top, while also counting as a Syndrome or Violet Parr. This adds tremendous consistency to the deck’s Shift sequences, ensuring that the robotic designs come together like a perfectly assembled invention from Syndrome’s lab.

 

Your Championship Awaits

Attack of the Vine! Core Constructed is full of promise, offering a remarkable breadth of viable archetypes. Based on a combination of popularity and performance, the three most prominent decks across the first two weeks of the format were Amber/Emerald Royalty, Amber/Amethyst Ramp, and Amber/Steel Songs, but they are far from the only contenders. Several decks are close behind, including Ruby/Amethyst Evasive, Amber/Ruby Boost, and Amethyst/Steel Omnidroid, and new innovations continue to emerge every week. With the format still in its infancy, there is plenty of room for adaptive card choices, creative ink combinations, and clever new variations.

If you’re ready to test your skills, participate in the Attack of the Vine! Set Championships concluding this weekend, September 26–27.

Set Championships are among the most exciting in-store tournament experiences in organized play. While supplies last, every participant in this round receives an alternate-art Rapunzel – Escaping the Tower promo card, all Top 8 finishers earn a foil version, and the champion of each local game store claims the coveted If I Didn’t Have You playmat. Whether you're defending your kingdom with royalty, assembling an unstoppable team of heroes, or unleashing a perfectly engineered machine, the next great Lorcana adventure is waiting. Visit the Ravensburger Play Hub or head to your local game store to find an Attack of the Vine! Set Championship near you!