Disney Lorcana starter deck card list, tips, and strategies

Entering the trading game card (TCG) space as one of the best new card games is Disney Lorcana, featuring three preconstructed Starter decks from The First Chapter and two from Rise of the Floodborn.

The release of The First Chapter exceeded demand, with players struggling to find cards. Even Starter decks were hard to come by, with some local game stores removing the booster pack as a way to provide Starter decks to customers and new players. Heading into the release of Rise of the Floodborn, Ravensburger increased production significantly while reducing the number of Starter decks from three to two.

All Disney Lorcana Starter decks come with a 60-card build and one booster pack. Most set launch events allow players to add cards from the Starter deck boosters into their deck for the event. Players can pull an Enchanted Rare from a Starter deck, as I did at my local game store through Pete, Bad Guy.

All Disney Lorcana Rise of the Floodborn Starter decks

After testing both of the Disney Lorcana: Rise of the Floodborn Starter decks, Tactical Teamwork, and Might and Magic, the two preconstructed builds play well with Starter decks from The First Chapter. Players will find some The First Chapter reprints within the Rise of the Floodborn Starter decks as if they were designed at the same time and meant to be played with one another.

Tactical Teamwork Amber and Sapphire Starter deck

The Tactical Teamwork Amber/Sapphire Starter deck has a strong go-wide strategy with plenty of card draw to prevent the build from running out of gas. Using the seven Dwarves to create a wide board of Characters that synergize with one another, players can then use that board state to interact with the two top-end cards in the Tactical Teamwork deck, The Queen, Commanding Presence, and Christopher Robin, Adventurer.

Disney Lorcana Amber/Sapphire starter deck tips

• The Sapphire color in the Tactical Teamwork Starter deck is great at drawing cards, so you don’t run out of gas.
• Pawpsicle is the best item in the deck and has amazing synergy with the build.
• Four Dozen Eggs is a solid song when attempting to Challenge beefy Steel cards in the Might and Magic deck.
• Don’t Ink, or Mulligan, The Queen, Commanding Presence if she’s in your opening hand
• Grumpy, Bad-Tempered gives all Dwarfs plus-one power.
• Try to get a Cruella De Vil, Fashionable Cruiser in your opening hand so you can start collecting Lore.
• Cheat out Items at a cheaper cost through Belle, Inventive Engineer.
• Judy Hopps, Optimistic Officer, and Pawpsicle are a solid combo.

Much like the top-end powerful cards from The First Chapter starter decks, there is only one copy of The Queen, Commanding Presence, and Christopher Robin, Adventurer in the Amber/Sapphire Rise of the Floodborn Starter deck. Finding these cards is great, but it won’t happen all the time. Players will need to use the built-in synergies like card draw, strong early-game drops, and building a wide board to win games.

I enjoyed playing the Tactical Teamwork deck, but I don’t feel it is the stronger of the two Rise of the Floodborn preconstructed decks. It is the best deck for new players as it contains a bunch of mechanics that will help strengthen gameplay when using other decks.

Might and Magic Amethyst and Steel Starter deck

Might and Magic Amethyst/Steel Starter deck in Rise of the Floodborn plays very differently from the Tactical Teamwork build. Instead of wanting to go wide and use Items, the Amethyst/Steel leans into the new Resist mechanic and is more of a Control deck.

Contained within the Amethyst/Steel Starter deck is a new Lorcana theme from Rise of the Floodborn called the bounce package. The bounce package is built around Merlin, Shapeshifter and Madam Mim, Snake, providing value every time you return a card to your hand. Players can use the bounce package to gain Lore while relying upon the Resist mechanic on Steel Characters to dominate the board state.

Disney Lorcana Amethyst/Steel starter deck tips

• Don’t Ink Kronk, Junior Chipmunk, as there is only one copy, and he is the largest Character in both Rise of the Floodborn Starter decks.
• HeiHei is the best card in the Might and Magic deck, returning to hand each time the Dreamborn is banished.
• Card draw is limited, so take advantage of it through cards like Kuzco, Wanted Llama and Cinderella, Knight in Training when you can.
• Prince Eric, Dashing Brave is a reprint and a strong one that pulled its weight during The First Chapter and will again in Might and Magic.
• Don’t Mulligan or Ink Merlin, Shapeshifter, if in your opening hand
• The Last Cannon is great against Items from the Tactical Teamwork deck

Overpowering your opponent and using the bounce package are the ways to win with the Might and Magic deck. The deck is full of beefy stated Characters and can win the long game as the Resist mechanic helps Characters stay on the board longer. Of the two new Rise of the Floodborn Starter decks, Might and Magic is stronger in my experience, but it is also slightly more complicated to pilot.

All Disney Lorcana The First Chapter Starter decks

Each of the three Disney Lorcana starter decks showcases a variety of gameplay styles available through the TCG. The decks were designed as an entry point, making it easier for new card players to test them out. And for the veteran TCG players, decks like Emerald and Ruby or Steel and Sapphire provide interesting combos and unique lines of play. 

Emerald and Ruby Lorcana starter deck

Of the three Disney Lorcana starter decks, Emerald and Ruby, is one of my favorite preconstructed builds. It’s a Midrange deck that provides a large number of recourses to mess with your opponent’s board state and strategies, splashed with Evasive Questing cards like Pongo and Peter Pan, Never Landing.

One of the key features I find fascinating in the Emerald and Ruby starter deck is the ability to steal Lore away from your Lorcana opponent through cards like Steal From the Rich, Rapunzel, Letting Down Her Hair, and Aladdin, Street Rat. The ultimate Lore drain and gain strategy is found on Aladdin, Heroic Outlaw, which sadly is only a one-of within the Emerald and Ruby Disney Lorcana starter deck.  

Disney Lorcana Emerald and Ruby starter deck tips

• A major downside to the Emerald and Ruby starter deck is that it lacks solid card draw, relying upon Mad Hatter, Gracious Host during the late-game.
• Players will want to take advantage of all the various forms of removal in the Emerald and Ruby starter deck, from returning Characters to a player’s hand through Cruella de Vil, Miserable as Usual, and Action cards like Dragon Fire.
• Players will want to remain open and flexible with the Emerald and Ruby starter deck, paying close attention to what their opponent is trying to accomplish and disrupting it when they least expect it
• Strong early-game cards are Aladdin, Prince Ali, Lefou, Captain Hook, and Peter Pan.  
• Don’t sleep on Jasper Common Crook. The Emerald three-drop has a solid defense of four and can prevent an opponent’s key Character from Questing on their turn when Jasper Quests.   

Steel and Sapphire Lorcana starter deck

The Steel and Sapphire Disney Lorcana starter deck is as close to a Control deck as TCG players will find among the three preconstructed decks. The goal of the build is to control the board state while ramping into big Characters that Quest for three Lore at a time or Challenge an opponent’s troublesome Character.

Preconstructed Control decks are difficult to pilot—especially for new TCG players. Players will want to make ramping a top priority within the build, using Characters like Gramma Tala and Mickey Mouse, Detective. The earlier a player can get to high-cost Characters, the better a shot they have at winning against the other two Lorcana starters.

Disney Lorcana Steel and Sapphire Lorcana starter deck tips 

• Make sure Gramma Tala is in your opening hand, as it is one of the strongest ramp cards during the early game. 
• Use cards like Hercules, True Hero, and Aurora, Dreaming Guardian to protect key Characters. 
• Don’t turn Items and Actions into Ink unless desperately needed! The starter deck is packed with Items, Actions, and Songs that will help your deck achieve what it was designed to do. 
• Use one-drops for Ink to curve into Gramma Tala, followed by Mickey Mouse, Detective.
• Late-game power hitters include both Simba Characters, Mufasa, and Maleficient, Uninvited. 

Amber and Amethyst Lorcana starter deck

Amber and Amethyst is likely one of the easiest Disney Lorcana starter decks to pilot. The starter deck has an Aggro/go-wide strategy that uses Reanimation from the discard pile to keep the board filled with plenty of threats to an opponent without really caring about what your opponent’s deck wants to do.

A combination of low-cost Characters and reanimation abilities allows the Amber and Amethyst starter deck to flood the board state with threats that can rack up Lore quickly while Challenging an opponent’s Exerted Characters. 

Disney Lorcana Amber and Amethyst starter deck tips

• The go-wide strategy is weak to AoE abilities found on cards like Grab Your Sword, located in the Steel and Sapphire Lorcana starter deck
• Players will want a strong early-game opening hand that includes one-drops like Pascal and Stitch, curving into cards like Maximus, and using Rafiki to disrupt your opponent’s board state early on. 
• Take advantage of card draw and card advantage through cards like YZMA and Friends on the Other Side. 
• Use vanilla cards like Olaf, On Human Legs, and The Wardrobe as early-game Ink cards.
• Top late-game performers are Flotsam and Jetsam, along with Moana, Of Mutunui, and Dr. Facilier, Agent Provocateur. 

I predicted the Amber and Amethyst Lorcana starter deck was likely to be the most popular build played at prerelease events, and it still is months after The First Chapter was released. It’s a strong deck that can overrun the other two starter decks quickly. The deck is easy to play for beginners and has a solid amount of depth for experienced TCG players. 

Update Aug. 9 1:15pm CT: Rules and how the Disney Lorcana Starter Decks performed at GenCon were added.

Update Oct. 21 11:30am CT: All tips and strategies for Disney Lorcana: The First Chapter Starter Decks were updated heading into the launch of Rise of the Floodborn.

Update Nov. 18 2:15pm CT: Both of the Disney Lorcana Rise of the Floodborn Starter decks were added