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Disney Lorcana’sfirst set, The First Chapter, includes over 200 cards across six inks for you to brew decks, test out ideas, and get to grips with the game. However, if you’d rather skip the theory-crafting and get right to shuffling up, the three starter decks are the way to go.
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The Simba and Aurora deck is a Sapphire/Steel deck that combines heavy beaters with items and light control elements. Get to know what’s in the box, and even the lines of play, with this guide.
Prince Eric, Dashing And Brave (x2)
Ransack (x2)
Smash (x2)
Key Cards
Ramp Cards
The strength of this deck is its sheer number of expensive cards that, once they get onto the board, can be difficult to deal with. Getting high-cost cards out can be difficult, but luckily this deck has a few tools that will help you ramp up and build your ink pool quickly.Gramma Tala, Storyteller;Mickey Mouse, Detective; and the songOne Jump Aheadare all important cards that add extra ink to your inkwell, allowing you to play cards likeMufasa, King of the Pride LandsandMaui, Demigodbefore your opponent has a way to deal with them.
Hercules, True Hero
The Bodyguard keyword really comes in handy when defending your bigger questing cards. Bodyguard forces your opponent to challenge Hercules before it can challenge anything else, which buys you crucial time.
Despite the lower cost, this is a card you’ll want to playlater on, when you have bigger assets worth defending. For instance, if you get this out alongside a Maui, Demigod; your opponent will then need to deal a total of11 damage to remove Maui,rather than the usual eight. Combine this with healing cards like Magic Golden Flower, and Hercules can become a real roadblock.
Hard Removal Cards
One of this deck’s weakness is that it hasno evasivecharacters. You won’t be able to challenge Evasive characters with any cards except Simba, Returned King, of which you only have one copy. To deal with Evasive, you’ll need to rely on actions that deal direct damage to targets.Fire The Cannons can take out Peter Pan, Never Landing,whileSmash is a great way to deal with Pongo, Ol' Rascal.You’ve also got one copy ofGrab Your Sword, which is a great tool for clearing a board full of cheap characters that would otherwise make it difficult for you to keep up.
The Lions
If you’re able to ramp early on, your strategy should then be to dominate the board with your large menagerie of lions.Simba, Returned King, Mufasa, King of the Pride Lands, Simba, Rightful Heir, and Scar, Mastermindcan control the board and quest with impunity thanks to their large pools of willpower. It only takes a couple of lions to really put your opponent on the back foot, and Hercules, True Hero can help you keep the from getting banished.
This deck has a lot of great mid-game cards that will help you keep the pressure on while you build up to your big lions. Maleficent, Univited is a five-cost card with three lore and six willpower that is a great card to stall with while you get the final two or three ink you need into your inkwell
Your Opening Hand And When To Mulligan
When assessing your opening hand for this deck, there are a few things you’ll want to keep in mind:
Sapphire/Steel Playstyle
This deck is all about ramping up your inkwell early and playing big cards so you can win quickly before your opponent has a chance to react. In an ideal game, you would play ramp cards likeGramma Tala, StorytellerandOne Jump Aheadduring your first few turns, then start dropping five or six-cost cards as early as turn three. If you can manage to getMufasa, King of the Pride LandsandSimba, Returned Kingout early enough, you cantake such an early lead that your opponent won’t be able to catch up. Try to keep control of the board when you can make favorable trades against weaker characters, and use tools likeHercules, True Hero; Coconut Basket, and Magic Golden Flowertokeep your big characters safe and healthy.
Of course, you’re not going to get the perfect cards every game, but this deck is versatile enough that you should be able to stall for awhile while you build your inkwell. Action cards likeFire the Cannons and Smash will help you keep Evasive cards off of the board,while three and four-cost cards with two lore likeJasmine, Disguised and Malificent, Sinister Visitor can keep the pressure onand force your opponent to trade instead of quest. If you’re able to stall long enough to get six or seven ink in your well, your big lions will eventually turn the game in your favor.
Weaknesses
Unlike the other starter decks, this deckhas no Evasive cards.You won’t be able to sneak ahead with Evasive characters, and you’ll be forced to react with action cards when your opponent plays their own. This is ahigh risk, high rewarddeck that can win quickly if you manage to draw your ramp cards, but can easily fall behind decks with better tempo.
