Disney’s first major foray into the trading card game (TCG) space, Lorcana features an immersive world where players take on the role of powerful mages known as Illumineers. In your journey, you’ll utilize six types of magical ink that bring iconic Disney heroes, villains, songs, and items to life. Information on Lorcana’s gameplay has finally been revealed, and below you’ll find official tutorial videos plus information on the game’s keywords and mechanics!
Card Types
- Characters (glimmers)
- Most common card type
- Used to challenge, quest to gather lore
- Cannot be exerted on first turn played
- Items
- Can be exerted on first turn played
- Effects can be used more than once
- Actions
- One and done usage
- Go to the discard pile after being played
Almost all cards can be converted to ink for your inkwell. Cards that can be converted to ink are marked by a gold swirl around the card’s casting cost as seen below.
Ink Types
Mechanics & Keywords
Strength & Willpower – Found only on character cards, strength indicates how much damage that character can inflict during a challenge, while willpower represents how much damage that character can withstand. These numbers can be found on the right side of each character’s typeline box.
Exert – The act of turning a card sideways. Indicates when a character challenges or quests, or when the ability of a card is activated and requires exertion.
Lore – The reward for sending glimmers on quests. Players race to reach 20 lore in order to win the game
Challenge – Characters may challenge another already exerted character by exerting themselves.
Quest – Characters quest by exerting and earn lore based on their lore value, indicated in the bottom right of the card.
Evasive – Characters with evasive can only be challenged by other characters with evasive.
Shift – The shift ability lets you play a card with shift on top of another card with the same name. The new card on top gains all the qualities of the old card, including the abilities, damage, whether they are exerted, etc. If the card being shifted has been in play longer than one turn, the new card on top will be able to exert the turn it is played.
Rush – A character with rush may challenge the same turn in which they are played.
Challenger – Characters with challenger will gain a bonus to their strength stat when they challenge another character.
Ward – Characters with ward cannot be chosen by opponents except for being challenged.
Official How to Play Videos
- 60-card decks featuring up to two ink combinations
- Players race to collect 20 Lore
Steps of a Turn
- Ready – turn all your cards upright
- Set – check for effects that happen at the start of your turn
- Draw – draw one card for turn
Lorcana’s The First Chapter is scheduled to release on August 18 in local game stores and September 1 for mass-market retail. You can view our gallery of each Lorcana card previewed to date below.