The Ultimate Guide To Getting Into Disney Lorcana For Absolute Beginners

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.

Welcome to the first installment of Antsy Labs’ new Collectibles series, where we'll first be focusing on Disney Lorcana. If you’re an absolute beginner to this magical Disney-themed trading card game (TCG), you’re in the right place.

This guide will walk you through everything you need to know about how to play Disney Lorcana, from basic rules and game mechanics to deck-building fundamentals. By the end, you’ll be ready to start questing for lore and dueling with your favorite Disney characters!

Along the way, we’ll also highlight essential items you’ll need (with handy links), share some tutorial videos in a “Watch This” section, and give a sneak peek at Antsy Labs’ upcoming collectibles product line (plus how to join our early access mailing list). Let’s dive in!

Disney Lorcana is a trading card game (TCG) where players become Illumineers who summon Disney characters (called glimmers) to adventure and compete in a race for points (called Lore). In simple terms, it’s a bit like Magic: The Gathering or Pokémon TCG, but set in an original Disney-themed world.

Two or more players build custom decks of cards featuring Disney heroes, villains, items, and songs, then use those cards to battle (through challenges) or quest for lore. The first player to reach 20 lore wins the game.

This blend of familiar Disney faces with strategic gameplay makes Lorcana accessible to newcomers and satisfying for TCG enthusiasts alike.

Key features of Disney Lorcana include:

• Beloved Characters: You’ll see many of your favorite Disney characters on the cards, each with unique abilities and artwork. From Mickey Mouse to Elsa to Maleficent, the gang’s all here.

• Original Story & Theme: The game is set in a realm called Lorcana. You, as an Illumineer, use magical inks to bring characters (“glimmers”) to life from Disney stories. It’s a fun narrative twist that ties the mechanics together.

• Collectible Cards: Beyond gameplay, Lorcana is about collecting. Each card is a mini piece of art and has a rarity (Common, Uncommon, Rare, etc. – more on those later). This means opening packs is exciting as you hunt for those rare foils and Enchanted alternate-art cards.

• Dynamic Gameplay: The goal of gameplay isn’t simply to knock out your opponent, but to race to gather lore points. This leads to interesting decisions: do you quest for lore to inch closer to victory, or do you challenge(attack) your opponent’s characters to slow them down?

If you’re completely new to TCGs, don’t worry – Lorcana’s rules are relatively straightforward, and we’ll break them down step by step.

Let’s start with the basics of gameplay. A standard game of Disney Lorcana involves two players, each with their own deck of cards. Here’s how to set up and play:

• Deck: Each player has a deck of 60 cards (no more, no less, in official play). Your deck can include characters, items, actions, and songs (a special type of action). We’ll discuss deck-building basics in the next section, but know that decks are usually built with a strategy in mind (for example, focusing on a particular combination of ink colors or character synergy).

• Starting Hand: To begin a game, shuffle your deck thoroughly and draw 7 cards as your starting hand. (In Lorcana’s official rules, there is no resource card like land or energy separate from your deck – instead, any card can potentially become a resource called Ink, which we’ll explain shortly.)

• Determining First Player: Decide who goes first (coin flip, high roll of a die, etc.). The first player will skip drawing a card on their first turn (a common TCG rule to balance advantage).

• Life or Points: Unlike some games where you reduce an opponent’s life points, in Lorcana you are racing to 20 Lore points. Use a notepad, phone app, or token to track each player’s lore count. You gain lore by “questing” with your character cards during the game.

Each turn in Lorcana follows a structure, similar to many TCGs:

1. Start of Turn – Ready your Cards: Straighten (un-exert) all your cards that were exerted (turned sideways) so they’re ready to act again. Also, certain card effects happen at the start of turn if applicable.

2. Draw: Draw one card from your deck. (Skip this on the very first turn of the player who goes first.)

3. Ink Step (Resource Step): Once per turn, you may put one card from your hand into your Inkwell (think of this as converting a card into a resource). To do this, the card must have a special symbol indicating it can be used as ink – a small gold inkwell icon around its cost. If it has that, you can place it face-down into a separate area; it now counts as an Ink resource. Each ink in your inkwell can be exerted (turned sideways) to pay the cost of playing other cards.  Choosing which card to place as ink each turn is a crucial decision!

4. Main Phase:This is where most of the action happens. In any order, you can:

• Play a Card: Put a character, item, or play an action/song from your hand by paying its ink cost. To pay, exert that many ink cards from your inkwell. For example, to play a character that costs 3, you need to exert 3 of your ink. Characters enter play in a “ready” (upright) state but can’t act on the same turn they’re played (they have “summoning sickness,” described as their ink still drying.

• Use Character Ability: Some characters have abilities that say “Exert [this card] to do X.” During your main phase, you can choose to exert a ready character to use such an ability.

• Use Item Ability: If you have item cards in play (items are like equipment or artifacts that stay in play), you can use any abilities they have, according to their text (some might require exerting the item).

• Quest for Lore: Here’s how you gain points – choose one of your ready character cards and exert it to send it questing. When a character quests, it immediately earns you a certain amount of Lore points, indicated on the card (look for a number of lore symbols on the card). Add those points to your total. For example, Mickey Mouse: Brave Little Tailor might have 2 lore icons, meaning he gains 2 lore when questing. Questing is the primary way to reach 20 lore and win!

• Challenge (Attack) an Opponent’s Character: You can have one of your ready characters challenge one of your opponent’s characters, but only if the opponent’s character is in an exerted state. (In other words, you typically can’t attack an enemy character that is still upright/ready – they have to have exerted themselves, usually by questing, making them vulnerable.) To challenge, you exert your character and choose an opponent’s exerted character to attack. Both characters then deal damage to each other equal to their Strength (the attack power stat on the card). Damage in Lorcana is permanent – it stays on the character as counters or markers. If a character’s accumulated damage meets or exceeds its Willpower (the defense/health stat), that character is banished (defeated) and goes to its owner’s discard pile. Challenging is how you slow down your opponent – by banishing their characters so they can’t quest for more lore.

• Sing a Song: Some action cards are also Songs. Songs have a normal ink cost, but they can alternatively be played for free if you have a character of a high enough cost exert to “sing” the song. For example, a song card that costs 3 ink might say a character of cost 3 or more can exert to play it without paying ink. This is an advanced mechanic, but a neat thematic one – think of characters bursting into song to trigger powerful effects!

• You can perform these actions in any sequence. For instance, you might challenge with one character, play a new character from hand, then quest with a different character, all in the same main phase, as long as you can pay costs and have eligible cards.

6. End Phase: Resolve any end-of-turn effects and pass turn to your opponent. All exerted cards remain exerted until that player’s next turn starts (meaning your characters that quested or challenged will be turned sideways and vulnerable to being challenged by the opponent on their turn).

Players will alternate turns following the above structure. The tug-of-war comes from deciding when to quest for lore (pushing your score closer to 20) versus when to challenge enemy characters (hindering your opponent). Typically, if you quest, your character will be exerted and could be attacked. This risk/reward is at the heart of Lorcana strategy.

The game continues until one player reaches 20 lore points and wins immediately. It’s also possible (though rare) to win if your opponent has to draw a card and their deck is empty – in Lorcana, drawing from an empty deck causes that player to lose.

So, make sure you build a deck with enough cards and don’t burn through them recklessly.

To play effectively, you should know the different card types and some terminology in Lorcana:

• Character Cards: These are your Disney characters that go on the field to quest or challenge. Each character has a cost (hexagon number), Strength (attack), Willpower (defense), lore value (number of lore it gains when questing), and perhaps abilities or keywords. Example keywords include Bodyguard, Shift, Evasive, etc. (Keywords are special traits explained on the card or rulebook – for instance, Evasive means it can only be challenged by other Evasive characters).

• Item Cards: Items are cards that stay in play (like characters) but usually provide ongoing effects or abilities. For example, an item might grant your characters a bonus or have an activated effect. You play them by paying ink, and they sit above your inkwell area. Items are not characters, so they can’t quest or challenge, and usually can’t be directly attacked (unless a card effect targets an item).

• Location Cards: These represent iconic Disney places that add strategic depth to your game. Location cards stay on the field and often provide passive or activated effects, similar to Item cards, but they also have their own unique mechanics. Some locations offer benefits when characters visit them, while others create ongoing advantages just by being in play. Unlike characters, locations don’t quest or challenge, but they can influence the battlefield by enhancing your characters or disrupting your opponent’s strategy.

• Action Cards: One-time event cards that have an immediate effect and then go to the discard. Think of these as spells or events. Some actions have the subtype Song, as mentioned, allowing characters to sing them.

• Ink Colors (Inks): There are six ink colors in Lorcana: Amber, Amethyst, Emerald, Ruby, Sapphire, and Steel. Each card is associated with one of these inks (you’ll see a colored symbol on the card). Ink color is akin to “factions” or “elements” – each ink has a general theme or playstyle (for example, Amber cards often focus on healing and support, Ruby cards tend to be aggressive damage dealers, etc.). When building a deck, you are allowed to use cards from up to two ink colors in that deck. This rule forces you to choose a color combination and helps maintain balance (you can’t just put every strongest card of all colors into one deck).

• Inkwell & Ink Cards: We discussed this in the turn structure, but as a reminder: you generate resources by adding a card per turn to your Inkwell (face-down as an ink). Each provides 1 ink to spend. You can have any number of ink cards, but since you only add one per turn, the game’s pace ramps up as turns go by (by turn 5 you could have 5 inks to spend, etc.). Not every card can be used as ink – powerful cards often lack the ink symbol, meaning you can’t sacrifice them to your inkwell. It’s a balancing act.

• Exerted/Ready: A card that has been exerted is turned sideways to show it’s been used (whether to attack, quest, or use an ability). A ready card is upright and able to act. All characters ready up at the start of your turn, so they generally can act once per turn cycle.

• Banish (KO): When a character’s damage meets its willpower, it is banished (defeated) and goes to the discard pile. Think of banishing like knocking out or destroying a character. Banished characters can sometimes be brought back if you have cards that retrieve from discard (not common in basic decks, but exists in some advanced cards).

Don’t worry – the starter decks and official quick-start rules will explain these basics as well. Once you play a few rounds, the flow will become second nature.

Pro Tip: If you’re brand new, try playing a few practice games with a friend using starter decks. Play open-handed (show each other your hands) and talk through the choices. You’ll quickly see how the mechanics work together. And remember, the goal is to have fun – the Disney theme really shines, so enjoy those moments when Stitch sings a song or Aladdin pulls off a daring quest!

Disney Lorcana divides character cards into three key categories - Storyborn, Floodborn, and Dreamborn - each representing a unique twist on the Disney characters you know and love:

1. Storyborn

• Definition: These are characters who mostly adhere to their classic, canonical Disney storylines. They look and behave similarly to what you’d expect if you’ve watched their movies or read their tales.

• Gameplay Role: Storyborn cards often embody straightforward, thematic abilities - think a typical hero or villain function. They’re great for maintaining consistency in deck-building since they tend to have well-rounded stats or stable synergy traits.

2. Floodborn

• Definition: Floodborn characters represent alternative versions of Disney icons that have been changed or “flooded” by powerful magic. You might see a known hero or villain with surprising new abilities or a reimagined outfit that stands out from their usual look.

• Gameplay Role: Floodborn cards often come with interesting or enhanced abilities compared to their Storyborn counterparts. They can provide unexpected combos or stronger effects, reflecting the idea that they’ve been flooded with extra power.

3. Dreamborn

• Definition: Dreamborn characters are imaginative, dreamlike interpretations of Disney figures - often combining whimsical or surreal elements that deviate from any established storyline.

• Gameplay Role: Because they’re “born of dreams,” Dreamborn cards can introduce creative mechanics to the game. They might enable more unusual strategies - for instance, synergy with other Dreamborn or special triggered effects that break normal TCG conventions.

Why Do These Categories Matter?

• Deck-Building Themes: Certain Lorcana cards and actions trigger or boost characters based on whether they’re Storyborn, Floodborn, or Dreamborn. If you’re aiming for synergy, pay attention to these labels.

• Visual Variety: Beyond mechanics, these categories offer flavorful art styles that differentiate standard Disney appearances from more fantastical or alternate-universe spins.

• Collectibility: Some players love to chase unique Floodborn or Dreamborn variants for their artwork. If you’re a collector, these subsets can be fun to hunt down.

For beginners, the key takeaway is that each category offers a different flavor of your favorite Disney characters. As you build your deck, keep an eye out for synergy effects that specifically mention one of these three terms. This way, you can create combos that feel both cohesive and thematic.

One of the most exciting parts of any TCG is building your own deck. As a beginner, the easiest way to start is with a pre-built Starter Deck (we’ll recommend some in the next section). However, it’s helpful to understand the deck construction rules and some basic deck-building tips:

• Deck Size: A Lorcana deck must contain at least 60 cards. In casual play, you're free to build a deck containing more than 60 cards, but typically tournament-styled games will stick to 60.

• Ink Colors Limit: Your 60 cards can only include up to two different ink colors. For example, you might choose to build an Amber/Amethyst deck, or a Ruby/Emerald deck. This means if you like cards from three colors (say Ruby, Emerald, and Sapphire), you’ll have to drop one and stick to two. Choosing your ink color combination is usually the first step in deck-building, as it defines what pool of cards you’ll draw from.

• Card Copies: You can have at most 4 copies of the same card in your deck. “Same card” means same card name – for instance, Mickey Mouse – Brave Little Tailor is a different card than Mickey Mouse – Wayward Sorcerer, so you could have up to 4 of each of those (because they have different subtitles). But you couldn’t have 5 copies of Brave Little Tailor in your deck. The starter decks typically include 2 or 3 copies of key cards, and as you collect more you can trade up to having 4 if desired.

• Balance of Card Types: A good beginner deck has a mix of characters (probably the majority of your deck), some actions for surprises or removal (cards that banish or bounce enemy characters), maybe a couple items if they suit your strategy, and a few songs if your characters can make use of them. Characters are your bread and butter since they earn lore and challenge.

• Cost Curve: Pay attention to the ink costs of your cards. You want a range of costs so that you have things to do at every stage of the game. If your deck is full of expensive 6+ cost cards, you’ll struggle in early turns with nothing to play. Conversely, if it’s all cheap 1-2 cost characters, you might run out of steam later or get overpowered by bigger cards. A balanced “mana curve” (or ink curve in this case) might include a healthy number of low-cost cards (cost 1-3) for early game, a solid midrange (cost 4-5), and a few heavy hitters (6-8) for late game finishers.

• Synergy: Starter decks are built around simple synergy – cards that work well together. As you build your own, look for combos or themes. For example, some cards might boost all characters of a certain trait (like all Princesses get +1 lore). Or perhaps you want to focus on a keyword – e.g., a deck full of characters with Evasive (they can’t be challenged except by other Evasive characters) and cards that take advantage of that. Early on, don’t worry too much about perfecting synergy, but keep an eye out for cards that clearly complement each other.

• Learn from Starters: A great way to learn deck-building is to play with two starter decks, then try swapping some cards between them or adding new ones from booster packs. See how it changes the feel. Maybe you pull a strong Emerald card from a booster pack and decide to slip it into your Emerald/Ruby deck, replacing a less useful card.

As a beginner, consistency is key. Having 4 copies of a card dramatically increases the chance you draw it when needed. So if you find a card is really vital to your strategy, aim to include the maximum allowed copies (4) in your deck list. On the other hand, if a card is situational or just for fun, 1-2 copies is fine.

Lastly, sleeve your cards (more on that in a moment) and shuffle thoroughly. A well-shuffled deck prevents clumps of high-cost or low-cost cards from sticking together, ensuring you get a good variety during gameplay.

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):

• 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)

• 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 diceor 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)

Please note that the above links are affiliate links, and we may earn commission on any purchases made through them.

When you have these items, you’re all set to play at home or at your local game store’s casual play events. Now, let’s solidify your understanding with some visual learning.

Sometimes the easiest way to learn a TCG is to watch it in action. We’ve gathered a couple of highly recommended YouTube videos that will help you see how Disney Lorcana is played and pick up tips on gameplay flow:

• “How to Play Disney Lorcana” – This beginner-friendly tutorial walks you through a sample game, step by step. It’s perfect for visualizing the turn order, how questing/challenging works, and seeing the cards up close. Watch it here:

• Disney Lorcana Gameplay Demo – Want to see a full game? Check out this gameplay demonstration where two players (one of them a designer of Lorcana) with starter decks face off, explaining their moves as they go. It’s a great way to learn strategy and common plays:

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

As you watch, try to follow along with your own cards if you have them, or pause and rewind to catch things you don’t understand. Don’t worry if you don’t grasp everything immediately – it becomes clearer with practice.

Congrats – you now have a solid grounding in the basics of Disney Lorcana!

From here, the best way to learn is to start playing. Try solitaire play (play both sides) to test mechanics, or rope in a friend or family member to play some casual matches. Once you’re comfortable, you might consider venturing to a local game store for casual play nights or even beginner tournaments (more on finding local groups in a later post in this series).

As you continue to learn, be sure to read the little rule insert that comes with starters or check out the official Comprehensive Rules PDF (if you want all the nitty-gritty details). There are also great communities online, like the Lorcana subreddit and Discord, where fellow players discuss rules and share tips.

Before you go, we’d like to invite you into our community at Antsy Labs. 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.  

If you’re interested in getting early updates, exclusive previews, and the first chance at snagging our upcoming product at an early-adopter price, join our early access mailing list.

Simply enter your email in the form at the end of this post to subscribe.

Stay tuned for Part 2 of our Disney Lorcana series, where we’ll dive into advanced strategies and deck-building tips for Disney Lorcana.

Until then, shuffle up, have fun, and let the lore hunt begin!