Bonus: How to Play Lorcana & Organized Play
*Podcast Episode Script: "Bonus: How to Play Lorcana & Organized Play"
*[Opening Music]*
**Faith:** Welcome, fellow Illumineers, to another episode of Quest for 5, your guides to the enchanting world of Disney Lorcana! I'm your host, Faith, and with me is my co-host, Michael.
**Michael:** That's right! Today, we're delving deep into the magical realm of Lorcana. If you've lost the rules, need a refresher, or just starting to learn how to play, you're in for a treat!
*[Transition Music]*
**Faith:** To begin, let's talk about what sets Lorcana apart. This trading card game has merged Disney's vast universe of characters, items, and songs into an exciting game. Think of it as a magical showdown where Hades and Moana can team up against Elsa and Cinderella!
**Michael:** Just like other popular TCGs like Magic and Pokemon, Lorcana has its unique mechanics. Understanding these differences is essential for anyone beyond collecting. Today, we've prepared an extensive guide to help you master the game!
*[Transition Music]*
**Faith:** First things first, let's talk about how to win in Lorcana. As an Illumineer, your goal is to gather lore by summoning characters, items, and songs, known as glimmers.
**Michael:** But, you'll need ink, the game's resource, to bring these glimmers into play. Sacrificing cards with a ring around their cost adds them to your ink pool, serving as your currency for summoning.
**Michael:** And don't forget, you can also win by making your rivals unable to draw another card! However, this victory route is virtually impossible at the moment, neither of us has even heard of that happening yet.
*[Transition Music]*
**Faith:** Now, let's break down the anatomy of a Lorcana card. Every card, be it a character, item, or song, features key elements. First, there are six ink colors: Amber, Emerald, Sapphire, Amethyst, Ruby, and Steel. Understanding these colors are crucial to your strategy.
**Michael:** Also, every card has a cost, a number in the top left corner representing the ink needed to summon the glimmer. Remember, a golden ring around the cost means the card can be turned into ink in your inkwell, a mechanic unique to Lorcana with similarities to mana from Magic.
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**Faith:** Speaking of deck building, to play Lorcana, you need a deck of at least 60 cards. It's essential to choose wisely, incorporating the right mix of characters, items, and songs. Starter decks are a great way to start, providing the right balance of cards and exposing you to a wide variety of potential strategies.
**Michael:** When building your deck, consider your strategy. Each color is associated with a specific approach. For instance, Steel hits hard, Sapphire is strategic, Ruby is fast, Emerald requires thinking ahead, Amethyst weakens opponents, and Amber focuses on healing and buffs. I play Amber and Saphire, letting me quickly build up my inkwell and playing stronger characters while buffing them with items and support characters.
**Faith:** Right, and I play Steel and Amethyst which quickly weakens my opponents glimmers and strikes hard and fast
*[Transition Music]*
**Faith:** Now, let's dive into the gameplay phases. Disney Lorcana turns are split into two phases: the Beginning Phase and the Main Phase.
**Michael:** In the Beginning Phase, you Ready your cards, Set any abilities that activate at the start of your turn, and Draw a card to strategize further. An easy phrase to keep in mind is “Ready, Set, Draw”, where in this order you ready your characters, take any set effects and than draw. Then, in the Main Phase, you fill your inkwell, summon glimmers, quest for lore, and challenge your opponents.
*[Transition Music]*
**Faith:** And that's the core gameplay of Lorcana! Remember, getting the hang of resource management with your ink, strategic card play, and understanding your opponent's moves are key to becoming a true Illumineer.
**Michael:** Absolutely! We hope this comprehensive guide helps you on your journey to mastering Lorcana. Up next, we have the basics of organized play
*[Transition Music]*
**Faith:** Now let’s dive into Organized Play, the official play program for Lorcana.
**Michael:** Organized play is a term familiar to many card game enthusiasts. It refers to a structured program provided by game developers to facilitate competitive events, both at local stores and grand international stages. In the case of Lorcana, it's called Lorcana Play.
**Faith:** Let's start with the basics. What exactly is Lorcana Organized Play?
**Michael:** Well it’s a structured environment for players to engage in competitive yet friendly matches. While it's focused on being fun and inclusive, there are still opportunities to win prizes.
**Faith:** One of the components of Lorcana Organized Play is the Lorcana League. Which is designed to be a welcoming, local, weekly event. Players can participate in an organized format, earn points, and trade them in for fabulous prizes. It's an excellent opportunity for newcomers to learn the game, as there are points for teaching others. To join, check with your local store for details. Many stores charge an entry fee, which often includes a booster pack, making it accessible for everyone.
**Michael:** That's right, ours charges $10/person and runs for 2.5 hours and comes with a free pack at the end. And speaking of prizes, players can earn promo prizes, including three special foil versions of cards from The First Chapter.
**Faith:** Additionally, there are exclusive pins featuring iconic Disney characters like Scar and Ariel. Plus, players can keep track of their progress with a convenient lore tracker, making the experience even more engaging.
**Michael:** Let’s elaborate on the format of Lorcana League events. The format can vary from store to store, but most begin with starter decks and gradually incorporate booster cards. The Core Constructed format, where players build decks with 60 or more cards using just two inks, is a popular choice. Stores have the flexibility to decide how they want to run events, whether through traditional brackets or more casual, friendlier matchups.
**Faith:** Our local store does mostly casual, friendlier matchups due to the limited number of players that currently have cards.
**Michael:** To find a local store hosting Lorcana Organized Play events, I recommend checking Google or social media platforms. Many stores post event information on their websites or Facebook pages. Feel free to reach out to them directly; they're usually friendly and welcoming, especially to new players.
*[Transition Music]*
**Michael:** Stay tuned for more tips, strategies, and updates in our future episodes.We’ll be posting some links to rule clarifications we thought were too in the weeds for this episode in the shownotes Stay posted for another episode on deck building. Don’t forget to rate and subscribe and follow us on social media @questfor5pod on;
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**Faith:** Thank you for joining us on Quest for 5. Until next time, keep summoning, questing, and may your inkwells never run dry!
*[Closing Music]*
