Designers | Ryan Miller and Steve Warner |
---|---|
Publisher | Ravensburger |
Release date | August 18, 2023 |
Type | Trading card game |
Players | 2 or more |
Website | www.disneylorcana.com |
Disney Lorcana is a collectible card game released by Ravensburger in collaboration with The Walt Disney Company in late 2023. [1] [2] [3] It is Ravensburger's first trading card game [4] and features characters from throughout Disney's film history. The game competes with other popular collectible card games like Magic: The Gathering, Yu-Gi-Oh! Trading Card Game, One Piece Card Game (as well as other Bandai produced card games) and the Pokémon Trading Card Game. Ravensburger North America CEO Filip Francke described Lorcana as "probably the largest investment that we have ever done into any type of project and initiative". [5]
During the 2022 D23 Expo event, booth attendees received a promotional card & pin of Mickey Mouse - Brave Little Tailor, while a collector set of 6 cards featuring Stitch, Elsa, Cruella De Vil, Maleficent, Robin Hood and Captain Hook were sold on site at US$50 each. A total of 900 sets were sold. [6]
The premier set, "The First Chapter", was released to board game stores on August 18, 2023 and major retailers on September 1, 2023. [7]
In June 2023, shortly before the game's release, Ravensburger and game co-designer Ryan Miller were sued by the latter's former employer, Upper Deck Company. The suit alleged that Disney Lorcana utilized game design elements from an unreleased trading card game, originally named "Shell Beach" and then renamed as Rush of Ikorr, which Miller worked on while at Upper Deck. [8] [9] [10] [11] Ravensburger had filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit. [12]
At an early release event at Gen Con tabletop game convention, customers waited in hours-long lines to purchase starter decks and booster packs. [13] Cards with particularly high rarity quickly resold for hundreds of dollars prior to the game's initial release, [14] while the promotional cards from the 2022 D23 Expo resold for prices between $1,000 and $3,000. [15]
With decks made up of at least 60 cards, [16] players produce "ink", a resource that allows cards representing characters, items, and song lyrics from Disney media to be summoned. [17] Turns follow a sequence of generating ink, playing cards, using actions from cards, and challenging opposing opponents' character cards. While interacting with each other's cards, players attempt to accrue twenty points (known in game as "lore") before their opponent. [13] [18]
Set number | Set name | Local game store release | Retail release | Notes | References |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | The First Chapter | August 18, 2023 | September 1, 2023 | [19] | |
2 | Rise of the Floodborn | November 17, 2023 | December 1, 2023 | Introduces "Resist" game mechanic | [19] |
3 | Into the Inklands | February 23, 2024 | March 8, 2024 | Introduces "Locations" card type | [19] |
4 | Ursula's Return | May 17, 2024 | May 31, 2024 | [19] | |
5 | Unnamed set | August 9, 2024 | August 23, 2024 | [19] | |
6 | Unnamed set | November 15, 2024 | November 29, 2024 | [19] |
The first expansion, "Rise of the Floodborn," was released on November 17, 2023. [20] This 204-card expansion added characters from Pinocchio, The Jungle Book, The Great Mouse Detective, and other properties, and introduced a "Resist" game mechanic. [21] The second expansion, "Into the Inklands," was officially announced on December 6, 2023. [22] This expansion, also 204 cards, introduces characters from DuckTales, TaleSpin, Atlantis: The Lost Empire, and Treasure Planet; it also introduces a brand new card type, "Locations." Locations are well-known spots from Disney movies and television shows, [23] and add a new mechanic and more strategy options into gameplay. [24] "Into the Inklands" debuted in hobby stores on February 23, 2024, and was released on March 8, 2024. [22] The third expansion, "Ursula's Return" Was officially announced in February 2024 and introduces characters from Encanto. "Ursula's Return" [25] will be available to mass markets on May 31, 2024.
Lorcana has been received well, having a score of 7.3 on BoardGameGeek, [26] a Recommended from Polygon, [27] and winning Best Ongoing Card Game at the 2023 Tabletop Awards. [28]