Common Mistakes New Lorcana Players Make (And How To Avoid Them)

We’re huge fans of collectibles and TCGs like Lorcana, and we’re cooking up a special project that is inspired by our love of collectibles.

Struggling to climb the learning curve in Disney Lorcana? This post digs into the most frequent mistakes newcomers make - and if you still need tips on how to source rare characters (or trade them), visit our How To Trade Lorcana Cards Safely And Effectively for a look at building your dream collection.

Every TCG has its own learning curve, and Disney Lorcana introduces unique challenges:

• Ink System: Deciding which card to place face-down as ink each turn can be deceptively tough. A single misstep might cripple your resource ramp, leaving you behind for multiple turns.

• Quest vs. Challenge: Lorcana’s dual emphasis on collecting lore and banishing opposing characters requires a fine balancing act. Beginners might over-focus on one aspect, leaving them vulnerable to the other.

• Synergy Dependence: Some decks revolve around specific synergy (e.g., certain traits or keywords). Without the right understanding, newcomers often jam synergy pieces in without enough consistent payoffs.

• Community Evolution: As players discover new combos, the local metagame changes quickly. Keeping pace with these developments is challenging, especially for those who only occasionally attend events.

Understanding the pitfalls that catch newbies can accelerate your learning curve, helping you adapt your deck and refine your gameplay accordingly.

The Crux Of Ink Decisions

In Lorcana, each turn you may (but don’t have to) add exactly one card to your inkwell, provided it has an ink symbol. That card essentially becomes a resource, no longer playable for its original function. This system forces nuanced trade-offs. If you place a pivotal synergy character in your inkwell too early, you might regret losing that synergy piece later. If you never place high-cost cards in your inkwell, you risk stalling out on resources.

Common Mistake: 

Beginners often hold onto every card they think is “important,” ending up with too few inkwell resources to effectively play mid- or late-game strategies. Alternatively, they might toss away synergy linchpins for a quick early ramp, only to realize they can’t re-draw that specific piece later.

Solution:

1. Practice Weighted Ratios: If your deck relies on synergy cards that are “no-ink,” limit how many you include. Keep enough general-purpose characters or actions that do have an ink symbol so you rarely face turns with no good inkwell candidate.

2. Plan Two Moves Ahead: Think about next turn’s potential. If you see a crucial high-cost character in hand, decide if ramping now is worth losing that future bomb.

3. Track Duplicates: Having multiple copies of a synergy card can ease the pain if you need to place one in your inkwell early.

The Quest-Challenge Dilemma

Lorcana’s victory condition is often a race to collect 20 lore, typically by questing with characters. But questing exerts them, leaving them open to being banished by the opponent on their turn. Over-questing can lead to big short-term lore gains but a weakened board presence, especially if your opponent systematically banishes your best questers.

Common Mistake: 

New players sometimes quest all available characters at once, aiming for a sudden surge in lore. If the opponent can then challenge with multiple ready characters or banishing effects, you might lose your entire board in one turn.

Solution:

1. Quest Incrementally: Quest with a few select characters while leaving others ready. This balanced approach forces your opponent to question which ones to banish (and you’ll have some defenders or follow-up counters).

2. Gauge Opponent Resources: If your rival is low on cards or has limited banishing actions, heavier questing might be safe. If they clearly have unexerted characters or known banish triggers, be cautious.

3. Use Bodyguard: If your deck features Bodyguard characters, you can shield vital questers from easy challenges, preventing them from being banished too cheaply.

The Allure Of “Fun” Synergy

Nothing’s more exciting than discovering a synergy that can churn out lore or banish threats in unexpected ways. However, many new players get carried away, stuffing too many synergy cards into a single deck without ensuring they function consistently. For instance, a deck might revolve around Princess synergy, but if half the cards aren’t actually Princesses or synergy enablers, you’ll rarely see the combo.

Common Mistake: 

Creating a “kitchen sink” deck that tries to do everything. They might run a smattering of synergy combos (like a partial focus on Evasive and a partial focus on shift-based strategies) but never achieve a coherent game plan.

Solution:

1. Pick A Primary Strategy: If you’re building around trait synergy (Princess, Villain, etc.), ensure at least half your characters or more support that synergy.

2. Don’t Ignore Baseline Efficiency: Even synergy decks need generally strong characters. For instance, having a couple of solid mid-cost “inkable” characters or actions helps ensure smooth progression.

3. Check Ratios: Aim for a balanced cost curve (1–2 cost, 3–4 cost, etc.) so you don’t end up with too many high-cost or synergy-only cards. This smooths out your early game and avoids stalling.

What Is Card Advantage In Lorcana?

“Card advantage” means generating more usable resources (in hand or on the field) than your opponent. While Lorcana’s unique ink system modifies typical TCG approaches, the principle remains: if you frequently run out of playable cards, you’re at a disadvantage.

Common Mistake: 

Some newbies spam all the characters in their hand onto the field, hoping to quest quickly. Then they watch as the opponent banishes multiple characters or uses a well-timed action to swing the momentum, leaving the newbie with zero follow-up cards.

Solution:

1. Avoid Over-Extending: Don’t dump every character in your hand onto the board unless you’re sure you can close out the game soon. Keep something in reserve.

2. Leverage Card-Draw Abilities: If a character or an action helps you draw more cards, consider them a staple. These tools keep your hand stocked for mid-late game pushes.

3. Track Opponent’s Actions: If you suspect they hold a big board wipe or multi-banishing effect, slow your roll until you see them expend that resource.

Lorcana’s Common Keywords

• Bodyguard: Lets a character intercept challenges aimed at other allies.

• Evasive: Can only be challenged by other Evasive characters, enabling safer questing.

• Shift: Allows you to play an upgraded version of a character at a reduced cost under specific conditions.

Common Mistake: 

New players overlook or forget keyword triggers. For instance, summoning a Shift-based character incorrectly can cause rule misunderstandings, or forgetting that Evasive means you can’t challenge them with a normal character.

Solution:

1. Study Each Keyword Thoroughly: Keep the official Lorcana rulebook or a quick keyword reference handy during matches.

2. Rehearse Scenarios: If you run a deck heavy on Shift mechanics, practice the timing and cost requirements until it’s second nature.

3. Ask For Clarification: In a local game store setting, politely clarify any questionable interactions with your opponent or a judge before finalizing a play.

Below are two YouTube videos that give an overview of some of the top mistakes that new Lorcana players often end up making:

• “Top Mistakes To Avoid! Beginners Tips To Lorcana Deckbuilding” – Drawing from personal experience, the creator in this video highlights common deckbuilding mistakes that beginners often make. The video is meant to help players build more effective decks by providing insights into card selection, synergy, and strategy, ultimately enhancing their gameplay experience. Watch it here:

• "Don't Make These 5 Mistakes In Disney Lorcana" – You'll get a rundown of five common mistakes that Disney Lorcana players often make – and how to avoid them. Whether you're just starting out or already deep in the game, it's packed with helpful tips to level up your strategy and play smarter. Watch it here:

(If the embedded videos don’t load, you can click the links to view them on YouTube.)

Every new Lorcana player experiences the frustration of a misplayed ink card or a disastrous over-questing scenario. These mistakes are part of the process, but recognizing them early can accelerate your development as an Illumineer. By refining your ink management, balancing questing vs. banishing, and building synergy that’s neither too thin nor too reliant, you’ll see a marked improvement in your match outcomes.

As you tackle Lorcana’s pitfalls, focus on:

Remember, mistakes aren’t failures - they’re stepping stones to mastery in Disney Lorcana.

And don’t forget to sign up for early access at the top or bottom of this post if you want exclusive Antsy Labs updates on new TCG innovations designed with Lorcana enthusiasts like you in mind!

Getting into Lorcana doesn’t require a ton of gear, but a few essentials will make your experience much better. Here’s a curated list of items to start with (we’ve included links for easy reference).

If you're in the market to purchase individual cards, as well as sealed Lorcana Booster Boxes, Lorcana Troves, and more, we recommend checking out TCGPlayer.com:

• Disney Lorcana Starter Deck –The best entry point is an official starter deck. Each starter deck comes with a ready-to-play 60-card deck plus a booster pack and rulebook. For example:
  • From the Archazia's Island chapter, you could grab the “Amethyst & Steel Starter Deck” or “Ruby & Sapphire Starter Deck” 
  • From the Azurite Seas chapter, you could grab the "Emerald & Sapphire Starter Deck" or "Amber & Ruby Starter Deck" 
  • From the Shimmering Skies chapter, you could grab the "Emerald & Steel Starter Deck" or "Amethyst & Ruby Starter Deck" 
  • From the Ursula's Return chapter, you could grab the "Amber & Amethyst Starter Deck" or "Sapphire & Steel Starter Deck" 

These are just from the 4 most recent Lorcana chapter releases, and each of these contain balanced card sets themed around certain characters and inks. Starter decks let you learn the game without worrying about deck construction, and you can always customize them later.

• Booster Packs – Once you have a starter, you’ll likely want to expand your collection with booster packs. Booster packs contain 12 random cards (with a guaranteed mix of common, uncommon, and at least one rare or higher - with the final card of the pack being a foil). Opening boosters is a fun part of the hobby – you never know if you’ll pull a powerful Legendary card or even an Enchanted! You can buy single packs or a whole booster box (24 packs) if you’re feeling lucky.
  • Archazia's Island - Single Booster Pack (12 cards) - Disney Lorcana
  • Ursula's Return - Single Booster Pack (12 cards) - Disney Lorcana
  • Archazia's Island - Booster Box (24 Packs with 12 Cards each) - Disney Lorcana
  • Ursula's Return - Booster Box (24 Packs with 12 Cards each) - Disney Lorcana
  • Azurite Sea - Booster Box (24 Packs with 12 Cards each) - Disney Lorcana
  • Into The Inklands - Booster Box (24 Packs with 12 Cards each) - Disney Lorcana

• Card Sleeves – Protect your cards! Lorcana cards are collectible and can be valuable, so you don’t want them getting scuffed or bent from shuffling and play. Invest in standard size card sleeves (the same size used for Magic/Pokémon cards). Sleeves are transparent plastic covers for each card. There are many brands – Dragon Shield, Ultra Pro, TitanShield, etc. – all will do the job. You might choose clear sleeves or ones with cool colors or Disney-themed backings. Our personal favorites are:
  • TitanShield Premium Clear Card Sleeves (Dual Texture)
  • TitanShield Perfect Fit Inner Card Sleeves (For Double Sleeving)
  • Ultra Pro Top Loader Card Holder

• Playmat –While not strictly required, a playmat greatly enhances your playing surface. It’s basically a large mousepad-like mat that lays on the table and has a nice fabric surface to protect your cards. Lorcana has official playmats featuring Disney art (like a Mickey Mouse or Elsa design), or you can use any generic TCG playmat. It helps define your space (deck here, inkwell there, etc.) and prevents cards from sliding around on a slick table.
  • Moana & Te Fiti Playmat - Disney Lorcana
  • Tigger Playmat - Disney Lorcana
  • Elsa (Frozen) Playmat - Disney Lorcana
  • Mirabel (Encanto) Playmat - Disney Lorcana

• Dice or Counters – You’ll need some way to track damage on characters and possibly lore or other counters. Many players use small six-sided dice for this purpose. For example, if a character has taken 2 damage, you can place a die showing “2” on that card. You can also use glass beads, tokens, or the punch-out counters that come with some starter sets. A couple of standard d6 dice or a set of dedicated TCG counter dice (often sold in packs) is inexpensive and very useful.
  • Counter for TCG and tabletop games
  • d6 Dice Set (For counting damage)
  • d20 Dice Set (For counting Lore)

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