D23 Expo is always a sight to behold – fans are treated with exclusives that can only be obtained there, and major announcements and surprise reveals are announced. Some things exceed all expectations. This year, it was “Disney Lorcana”. The new collaboration of Disney and Ravensburger had one of the most popular booths, perhaps surpassing Star Wars venues in terms of popularity and attendance.
The main reason for this boom of popularity was the reveal of seven of the playable cards in the debuting set of Lorcana. The set’s title was also revealed at the expo, which is going to be called “Disney Lorcana: The First Chapter”
As expected, the revealed cards included beloved characters from across the Disney universe, heroes and villains alike. The evil-doers consisted of 101 Dalmatians’ Cruella de Vil, Sleeping Beauty’s Maleficent in her monstrous dragon form, and Captain Hook from Peter Pan. The hero’s roster was slightly bigger, consisting of Robin Hood, Stitch, Elsa, and Mickey Mouse. The full titles of the revealed cards are as follows:
● Stitch – Rock Star
● Elsa – Snow Queen
● Cruella de Vil – Miserable as Usual
● Maleficent – Monstrous Dragon
● Robin Hood – Unrivaled Archer
● Captain Hook – Forceful Duelist
● Mickey Mouse – Brave Little Tailor
Mickey Mouse – Brave Little Tailor was given to every attendee of D23, and a seven-piece set of all the revealed cards were sold during the convention for $49.95. They were specially marked to differentiate them from later printings.
Comparisons Are Coming, but Are They Justified?
Some people were quick to start comparing “Disney Lorcana” to “Magic: The Gathering” for a variety of reasons, both stylistical and visual.
On first glance, the stylization of the card names is reminiscent of legendary cards from Magic, who tend to present their lore characters in different forms or reiterations by changing card names, types and their artwork. It wouldn’t be too surprising, for example, to see Maleficent in her human form in a future card reveal or set.
Each card was shown to have abilities, types, mana cost, attack and defense values and a flavor text. For instance, the card Mickey Mouse – Brave Little Tailor is of the ‘Dreamborn‘ and ‘Hero‘ type, and comes with the ‘Evasive‘ ability, which states: ‘Only characters with Evasive can challenge this character.‘ – this is comparable to Magic’s ‘Flying‘ keyword. The mana cost is shown on the upper left corner. In contrast to magic, there appears to be a single resource requirement. Each card’s flavor text is located below the ability description.
Another similarity with Magic would be the attack and defense value markers, but perhaps that comparison is unjustified. “Flesh and Blood” – one of the more recently released TCG franchises – incorporated the same type of markers with little to no comparison backlash.
However, people shouldn’t be too harsh with their comparisons – so far, game mechanics have been kept under wraps.
Regardless of certain similarities to “Magic: The Gathering”, “Disney Lorcana” is clearly doing something right. The game is extremely popular at the moment, and the cards are shown to have quite a value amongst collectors – the cards have appeared on ebay, with Mickey ranging from $200 – $300, and the full set selling for $2000.
Only time will tell whether or not the product will be successful, but whenever any news pop up, we’ll be sure to keep you informed.