Disney Lorcana launched in 2023 and became one of the fastest-growing TCGs ever. The game is beautiful — illustrated Disney characters you actually know — and the core mechanic (racing to 20 Lore) is simpler than most TCGs to learn but deeper than it looks to master.
The Six Inks
Lorcana's six Inks work like mana colors — they determine which cards you can play. Each Ink has a personality:
- Amber 🟡 — healing, support, and feeding lore to allies.
- Amethyst 💜 — magic, card advantage, and manipulation.
- Emerald 🟢 — trickery, evasion, and stealing advantages.
- Ruby 🔴 — aggression, speed (Rush), and direct damage.
- Sapphire 🔵 — knowledge, drawing cards, and control.
- Steel 🩶 — strength, big characters, and heavy banishment.
Standard decks use exactly 2 Inks. You can only play cards of those 2 Ink types.
The Three Card Types
- Character cards — your pieces on the board. Each has an Ink cost, a Strength (how much damage they deal in challenges), a Willpower (how much damage they can take before being banished), and a Lore value (how much lore they generate per quest).
- Action cards — one-shot effects (equivalent to Instants/Spells). Played for their effect, then go to the discard.
- Item cards — stay in play permanently and provide ongoing effects or resources.
- Location cards — newer card type; characters can move to Locations to gain benefits and quest for extra Lore there.
- Song cards — a subtype of Action that can be sung for free by a Character with enough Strength (Inkable cost ≤ Character's Strength).
The Inkwell Mechanic
Every card in your deck is either Inkable (marked with a circle border) or Non-inkable. Once per turn during your main phase, you may place one Inkable card from your hand face-down in your Inkwell. Each card in your Inkwell provides 1 Ink — your primary resource for playing cards.
Non-inkable cards are usually more powerful and can't be turned into Ink. You must balance your deck with enough Inkable cards to ensure you can consistently generate Ink each turn.
A Turn, Step by Step
- Ready step — exert (rotate) your ready cards, and ready your exerted ones. This is how Ink regenerates between turns.
- Set step — draw 1 card, then you may add 1 Inkable card to your Inkwell.
- Play step (Main Phase) — in any order and any number of times: play cards from your hand by paying their Ink cost, quest with ready characters, challenge with ready characters.
Questing vs. Challenging
Questing is how you gain Lore. Exert a ready Character to gain Lore equal to their ✦ value (shown on the card). A freshly played Character can't quest until your next turn — unless they have Rush.
Challenging is how you remove your opponent's Characters. Exert one of your ready Characters to challenge one of your opponent's exerted Characters. Both Characters deal damage equal to their Strength. A Character whose damage equals or exceeds its Willpower is banished (discarded). Only exerted Characters can be challenged — protecting unexerted Characters from challenge is a key strategic layer.
How to Win
First player to reach 20 Lore wins. Lore is tracked on a separate counter and never goes down once gained — it's a pure race. You earn Lore primarily by questing with Characters, and sometimes from card effects.
Beginner Tips
- Ink early, ink often. Missing your Inkwell placement in the first few turns puts you a turn behind — that's significant in a game this fast.
- Don't over-challenge. Challenging costs you a character's ability to quest that turn. Sometimes leaving an opponent's questor alive and racing for lore yourself is the right call.
- Protect your high-Lore characters. A Character that quests for 3 Lore per turn is a priority target. Keep them ready (unchallengeable) when possible.
- Start with a starter set. Lorcana sells two-deck starter sets for around $20. They include two 60-card decks and a lore tracker — everything for your first game immediately.
- Songs are tempo plays. Song cards played via a Character use no Ink — saving resources while still advancing your board is a skill that separates good players from great ones.