Disney Lorcana for Beginners: How to Play & What to Buy First

Disney Lorcana is a two-player trading card game from Ravensburger where you play Disney characters as "glimmers" and race to be the first to collect 20 lore. It is one of the easiest modern card games to learn: you build a 60-card deck from one or two ink colours, put cards into your inkwell to pay for others, and send characters questing for lore while your opponent tries to challenge them. This beginner's guide covers how Lorcana plays, the six inks, what to buy first, the Core and Infinity formats, and what's coming next with Into the Inkdark.

Disney Lorcana at a glance

• Players: 2 (plus co-op Illumineer's Quest boxes you can play solo or together)
• How to win: be the first to reach 20 lore
• Deck: at least 60 cards, up to 4 copies of a card, one or two ink colours
• Inks: Amber, Amethyst, Emerald, Ruby, Sapphire and Steel
• Booster packs: 12 cards
• Formats: Core (the newest sets, Fabled onward) and Infinity (every set)
• Next set: Into the Inkdark, released 12 February 2027 (prerelease 5 February)
• Buy Lorcana in Ireland: starter decks, booster boxes, a Trove and co-op Illumineer's Quest in stock, shipped tracked from Dublin

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How to play Disney Lorcana

Each turn you do three things: add ink, play cards and use your characters. Here are the key ideas.

The inkwell: how you pay for cards

Once per turn you may put one card from your hand face down into your inkwell. Only cards with the swirly inkwell symbol around their cost can be inked. To play a card, you exert (turn sideways) ink cards equal to its cost. Every card is either a resource or a play, so the first choice each turn is which card you can spare as ink.

Questing for lore

Characters earn lore by questing: you exert a ready character and gain lore equal to the lore value on its card. A character you've just played has "drying" ink, so it can't quest or challenge until your next turn. The first player to 20 lore wins.

Challenging

Your characters can challenge an opponent's character, but only one that is already exerted (one that quested or challenged last turn). Both deal damage equal to their Strength; when a character's damage reaches its Willpower, it is banished. That's the core tension of Lorcana: questing earns lore but leaves your character open to a challenge.

Card types

Besides characters there are actions (one-off effects, including songs that characters can sing instead of paying ink), items (lasting effects) and locations (places characters can move to, some of which earn lore each turn).

The six inks: which colour suits you?

Every deck uses one or two of the six inks. These are the general playstyles players associate with each, which is a good guide when you're choosing a first deck:

• Amber: supportive and steady, with healing, protection and singing
• Amethyst: tricky and magical, with card draw and returning characters to hand
• Emerald: sneaky and evasive, disrupting your opponent's plans
• Ruby: aggressive and fast, removing characters and pushing for lore
• Sapphire: methodical, with extra ink, items and building value
• Steel: tough characters and board control

Most decks pair two inks that cover each other's weaknesses. A starter deck does that pairing for you, which is why it's the easiest way in.

What to buy first

Starter decks: the cheapest way to learn

A starter deck is a ready-to-play 60-card deck built by Ravensburger, with two foil cards of the characters on the front, game tokens, a rulebook and a 12-card booster pack to start customising. Buy two different ones and you and a friend can learn together. We have starter decks from five sets in stock, from Rise of the Floodborn (€14.99) and Into the Inklands to Ursula's Return, Shimmering Skies and Azurite Sea.

Illumineer's Quest: learn it co-op or solo

If you'd rather learn without an opponent, Illumineer's Quest: Palace Heist (€55.99) is a standalone co-operative adventure: you team up (or play solo) against Jafar, who runs his own deck across four difficulty levels. It includes two ready-to-play 60-card player decks, so it doubles as a two-player starter.

Booster packs, boxes and the Trove: for building and collecting

Once you know the game, booster packs (12 cards) are how you grow a collection and improve a deck. An Illumineer's Trove bundles 8 boosters with a storage box, lore counter and damage dice, a nice first "box" for a new player: the Reign of Jafar Illumineer's Trove is in stock. For collectors there are full booster boxes of Reign of Jafar and Azurite Sea (24 packs), and the Azurite Sea Stitch Collector's Gift Set with four boosters and an exclusive Stitch promo card.

Ravensburger's newest beginner product is the 2-Player Starter Set: two ready-to-play decks, deck boxes, tokens and lore trackers in one box, designed for people new to the game.

Core vs Infinity: which cards can you play?

Lorcana has two main formats, and it's worth knowing which one you want before you buy:

• Core is the main competitive format. As of November 2026 it uses cards from Fabled onward. Once a year the four oldest sets rotate out.
• Infinity lets you use cards from every set ever released, apart from a short banned list.

To be clear, the starter decks, boxes and Trove we currently stock are from the earlier sets (Rise of the Floodborn to Reign of Jafar), so they are not legal in Core. They're ideal for learning the game, playing at home with friends and family, Infinity games, co-op and collecting, but if your goal is Core tournaments you'll want cards from Fabled onward. Rotation doesn't stop older cards working at the kitchen table; it only matters for organised Core events.

What's next: Into the Inkdark and Cosmic Quest

Into the Inkdark is the next set, with prereleases on 5 February 2027 and a full release on 12 February 2027. Ravensburger has teased a villain-focused set with Hades scheming in the mines. It is also the first Lorcana set with Collector Boosters, which carry a new top rarity called Illustrious. After that comes Cosmic Quest, a space-themed set due in the second quarter of 2027. Follow both on our TCG release calendar.

Lorcana card rarities

Lorcana cards come in Common, Uncommon, Rare, Super Rare and Legendary, plus special rarities collectors chase: Enchanted (alternate full-art foils), Epic (introduced with Fabled) and Iconic (only two per set, far rarer than Enchanted). Into the Inkdark adds Illustrious, found only in Collector Boosters. Ravensburger doesn't publish official pull rates, so treat online odds as estimates. Protect your best pulls: our guide to sleeves and toploaders covers it.

Disney Lorcana FAQ

Is Disney Lorcana easy to learn?

Yes. It's one of the easier trading card games to pick up: you add one card a turn to your inkwell, play characters, and quest for lore while avoiding challenges. A starter deck or a co-op Illumineer's Quest box is the easiest way to learn.

How many cards are in a Lorcana deck?

At least 60 cards, with no more than 4 copies of any one card, using one or two of the six ink colours.

How do you win at Disney Lorcana?

By being the first player to collect 20 lore. Characters earn lore by questing, and your opponent tries to stop you by challenging your exerted characters.

What should I buy to start playing Lorcana?

Two starter decks (one for you, one for a friend) or a two-deck product like Illumineer's Quest: Palace Heist. Each starter deck is ready to play straight out of the box and includes a booster pack.

Are old Lorcana sets still playable?

Yes. Every set is playable in the Infinity format and at home. Only the competitive Core format rotates: as of November 2026 it uses cards from Fabled onward.

When does Into the Inkdark come out?

Disney Lorcana: Into the Inkdark releases on 12 February 2027, with prereleases from 5 February 2027. It introduces Collector Boosters and the new Illustrious rarity.

Where can I buy Disney Lorcana in Ireland?

Phoenix TCG stocks Disney Lorcana starter decks, booster boxes, an Illumineer's Trove and Illumineer's Quest: Palace Heist, shipped tracked from Dublin across Ireland and the EU.

More guides from Phoenix TCG

• How to protect trading cards: sleeves, toploaders and storage
• Christmas TCG gift guide Ireland 2026
• TCG release dates 2026–2027: the full calendar

Rules, formats, rarities and release details from Ravensburger's official Disney Lorcana announcements at disneylorcana.com. Product images are our own store listings. Disney Lorcana and all Disney characters are trademarks of Disney; the game is published by Ravensburger.