Let me start out by saying, this is a first impression of the trading card game Disney Lorcana. This is not, nor is it meant to be, a full review of the game because right now, I don’t own enough of the product to give you a review of the game. Disney Lorcana is out, but it’s barely out, and that might be a good spot to start talking about the game, after you know how it plays.

How To Play Disney Lorcana

Disney Lorcana is a multiplayer, though probably mainly two player, card game. In it you are trying to get to 20 lore before your opponent does. The first player to twenty lore wins the game, it’s as simple as that.

On your turn you do a few different things. Firstly, you draw a card and get the option to ink a card. This is to take a card from your hand with the cost circled on it, and put it face down in your inkwell. These ink cards then are turned and used to play out the other cards in your hand. And finally you can challenge your opponent or go questing for lore.

When you challenge your opponent in Lorcana, they each deal each other damage based off of their strength and can knock the other out if it matches or exceeds their willpower (defense). If they don’t, the damage persists on them until someone challenges them again. You only challenge if the opponents character quested or challenged last round. You also quest in the game. That uses a separate stat. You use that to move up on the lore track.

On your opponents turn you watch what they do and repeat the process. There is not reaction system that is used. It is just the first to twenty lore who wins.

Initial Rollout

So, I think the important part to talk about is the initial rollout of the game which we are in the midst of. Right now the game is out and it’s out to local game stores. The downside is that the amount of product released is low. So low that booster boxes are being sold either by stores or online at twice the value.

The nice thing is when you local game store isn’t marked up it isn’t a bad. And often stores use limits on how much you buy to keep the prices down. The issue is that speculatory buyers pick up product and then sell it on eBay or other locations are a much higher.

This is making the game hard to find and hard for those who want to be able to play the game to actually be able to play the game. All the product is gone from stores, and now it is a matter of waiting for the general retail release which will sell fast.

The Game Play

The game play is a lot of fun. But my experience is that I got starter decks. And the starter decks for Lorcana are not without their flaws. It is mainly a lot of common cards in the decks and it is not built for combinations to be pulled off. It is meant to be basic to give you an idea of how to play. For that reason, it is hard to give it a full review.

But what I like about the game is the simplicity of it all. I worry about my turn and less about your turn. I spend the ink I want and don’t need to spend any on your turn. It makes the game simpler which makes it accessible.

And the game play is very fast. I got through two games during a lunch at work, maybe twenty minutes per game. So if you want a game in that trading card space that is easy and fast to play, Lorcana is very good for that.

What I Want to See More Of

Better Distribution

Firstly, I want to see more cards. September 1st it is getting a wider release and I hope to grab some cards. But if not, they’ll continue stocking cards at that point. This rollout plan while solid for the local game stores to get people in and sell cards, has created a weird scarcity and early collectability issue with the game.

Deck Construction

I also want to deck build. That is an element of the game that I think sounds interesting. It is simple in that you take any of the two colors and put them together. And you decide the ratio of cards. So you play with a sixty card deck and as long as you have a card of a color, you can build it with two colors. Each color seems to, but isn’t super well defined, in what they do better than other colors.

For me, this is very interesting because the starter decks, like I said, aren’t great. And I think it’ll raise my experience with the game to a higher level because it is more interactive in what you do. I don’t mean between players, I mean between the cards that you have.

Is It Played?

This one seems pretty obvious, but how does it grow? Is Lorcana a game that will be played? Right now it is a concern for me if it is a game that will be played. I am happy to see that local game stores are having events. I want to know how many people attend those events or not.

Lorcana is a collectable card game right now more than an actual game. This is not due to Lorcana not being a fun game, it is due to the rollout of it and it being Disney. It is bought more by collectors than it is people who want to play, at least that is my feeling. And if it is not played, it’ll stop being collectable and stop being a game.

Final Thoughts on Lorcana

Lorcana is, like I said, a fun game. I think it has the potential to be a better game as more comes out. But Ravensburger is smart with how they have put out the game in terms of complexity. Disney is a very accessible theme. And that means that as a game it should be one that anyone can play. And I think Lorcana is that, once it is available that is.

Right now I give Lorcana a 7 out of 10, a C+ to B- range in my normal grading system. It is a fun game, but it doesn’t standout to me. I think it could work into a B+ range with better decks. And I like deck construction in my TCG’s so, that is an element I want to play around with. I really think it is going to be a better game for me because of that.

How you been able to find and play Lorcana? Let me know your initial thoughts on it.

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