The Ink Table Podcast Episode 9: "We All Goof"
Goofy Times
When last we met, we were joined by a new guest on this “Quest”. And although our guide has released our hands and sent us upon the land, the quest continues. Now we recklessly and foolishly explore the world, together, it is ours to discover. Yet, with any new adventure, mistakes are bound to happen. But that's okay. Because the truth is, sometimes….We All Goof.
Welcome back and thank you for pulling up a seat at The Ink Table. While at one point this episode was once set to be a celebration of The Goofy Movie’s 30th Anniversary, some recent blistering news decided to crash the party. Join the team as they celebrate all things Goofy, explain why now’s the best time is to become a D23 member, and dive deep into Lorcana’s first ever card bans.
The First Card Bans
On April 8th, 2025 Ravensburger and the Lorcana team announced that Hiram Flaversham - Toymaker and Fortisphere would immediately be banned from Core Constructed formats of play. The press release making this announcement was specific to encourage players to continue using them during casual and at home play not using the Core Constructed format.
So, what formats will really be affected by these bans? The most prevalent are DLCs, National Championships, and (the still dateless) World’s. While these Ravensburger produced events may have time to adjust, many unofficial sanctioned tournaments (those large cash prize/ case tournaments you see online) that also follow Core Constructed left players fretting to make changes.
What does this mean for local play at your LGS? When it comes to weekly league, Steve Warner (Ravensburger Game Design Manager and co-designer for Disney Lorcana) explains that “It is up to your store on if they wish to run core constructed, or something else.” The Lorcana team follows this up by adding that “…the only time Core Constructed is required by stores is during Set Championships.”
Hiram Flaversham
“Specifically, the inability for opposing players to interact with Hiram Flaversham – Toymaker felt less enjoyable than we want in a game of Disney Lorcana. Items such as Fortisphere that Hiram's ability banished before opponents could interact with the combo, gained a large advantage that was virtually unstoppable.”
“[drawing] 4 cards is a bit much before you can really deal with him is a bit much. This would normally counteract discard completely with just 1 card. Combined with new strategies that Sapphire has from Archazia Island, made the ability to counterplay vs Hiram much less likely.”
Hiram Flaversham - Toymaker alone is not an issue. The card has existed since Lorcana’s second set, Rise of the Floodborn. So why ban the card now, five sets later? With set championships and larger tournaments looming in the distance, Ravensburger decided to announce changes to the game that they believe will bring balance and shake-up the meta. Hiram has been used for some time now, and many more cards have been added over time that combo with his ability.
The ability Artificer allows Hiram to banish an item when he is played and when he quests, allowing a player to draw 2 cards each time one is banished. This leads to that “…inability for opposing players to interact with Hiram Flaversham – Toymaker.” With Hiram in play, you could play an item and immediately banish it using his ability before opponents even have an opportunity to get rid of that item themselves. Having 6 willpower also allows him to stay in play and activate this ability more than just once, leading to tremendous amounts of card draw.
Fortisphere
“Fortisphere was banned because we feel it placed too much emphasis on players using items in Steel, which is not aligned with the Ink's core strengths. Rather than fostering strategic depth and diverse gameplay, playing these cards together often led to predictable and one-sided outcomes.”
“Fortispheres' effect of drawing a card when it is played is an issue with the number of cards they have that are drawing cards. Items synergy is not normally a steel mechanic (quite the opposite really), and the number of cards in steel drawing leads to to much consistency.”
The ban of Fortisphere came a little out of left field. Prior to these bans, there had been little to no calls for this card to be removed. Yet, Team Lorcana found this card presented its own problems. The first of these problems is its continuous presence in Steel decks. As the primary ink color that plays a role in banishing items from play, the designers believe that the addition of Fortisphere in many decks did not correlate with Steel’s core values.
The second, and bigger, problem this card presents is card draw. When played, Fortisphere allows the player to draw one card. This is a powerful ability alongside the fact that it is inkable and costs 1 to play. According to Steve, “Pure card draw is an Amethyst identity. Other colors have card draw in their own conditions.” The type of card draw received from Fortisphere would fall under that “pure card draw” category, as there is no other stipulation coinciding with it. Typically, within Steel drawing cards have some form of relationship with discarding cards from your hand. Some examples included drawing a card then choosing one to discard or discarding all the cards in your hand before drawing x amount. Listed below are some cards that do meet this requirement.
Our Personal Thoughts
While the ban of Hiram Flaversham - Toymaker will have a bigger impact on the meta, it is the loss of Fortisphere that has hurt us the most. While the reasons given by Steven Warner may hold some truth, it was not until this most recent set that they decided to pursue the issue. “…with 50% of the player base playing sapphire, that is an issue that we couldn't ignore.”
Although Fortisphere is a Steel card, Archazia’s Island gave rise to a Saphire/Steel deck that became quite prevalent on the competitive scene. This led to majority of top players either playing Saphire/Steel or Ruby/Saphire. The Saphire takeover occurred in this set due to, “…new strategies that Sapphire has from Archazia Island”. It was these new strategies and combos between older and newer cards that created an unfair advantage and over consistency that ultimately led to these bans.
Belle, Apprentice Inventor is a 3 cost card that can be played for free if you banish an item. Very similar to the previously discussed Fortisphere is, Pawpsicle, another 1 cost item that allows you to draw a card when played.
Being able to run up to 4 copies of both of these cheap items, some decks granted Belle 8 targets that would allow her to be played on your opening turn.
Tamatoa - Happy as a Clam allows up to 2 items to be returned from the discard to your hand when he is played with his ability Coolest Collection. And with his second ability I’m Beautiful Baby! allows items to be played for free whenever he quests.
Tamatoa allows those cheap 1 drop items that let you draw cards to be recycled and played again. This caused there to be little downside to banishing an item to play the Belle for free. This recycling combo is what pushes Hiram over the top. His ability to draw 2 cards by banishing an item (that already allowed you to draw 1 card) becomes a broken loop, as the same items can be played and banished again with the help of the crab.
Combinations like this see players quickly cutting through their decks and consistently finding predictable patterns that lead to victory. Decks like these may have a high win percentage, but they cause unfair imbalances in the game. In the end, Ravensburger is aware of this problem and are hoping for the bans to shake things up. While none of the other discussed cards were name dropped by Steve or the Lorcana team, it is a safe bet that these were the new strategies in the current set they did speak about.
In truth, Hiram and Fortisphere may one day be unbanned as new combinations and counters are found in future sets.
Blind Ranking: Celebrating Goofy
In this episode The Ink Table team celebrates the 30th anniversary of The Goofy Movie by dedicating their custom card game purely to… Goofy. Each custom card showcases a different version of the goof from onscreen, in-the-park, and some of his other past depictions. Per usual, Preston will be blind ranking Dylan’s custom cards (1-5) from best to worst. Go check out the podcast to see how they stack up in his ranking. But while you are here, check them out for yourself down below. We are particularly proud of the Kingdom Hearts inspired card.
Should You Join D23
D23 has always been a nice club for the biggest Disney fans to flaunt their love and receive some cool perks in return. One of which is the ability to attend a new multicity event taking place all summer long, D23 On the Road: A Goofy Movie - D23 .
Tickets on Sale Now!
And while this Goofy inspired event may be something that piques the interest of some, there has been a handful of recent perks designed with Lorcana players/collectors specifically in mind. The first is a promotional D23 exclusive card given to those who become Gold Members. Showcased above, Iago - Out of Reach, is a set 8 card from the upcoming Reign of Jafar. His art has the mouthy bird perched on what is sure to be Jafar’s staff and has a consistent artistic touch of swirling sand throughout the entire card. While everybody will be able to get their hands on this card when the new set releases at LGSs on May 30th, this version will be a D23 member exclusive.
Another recent perk was a surprise lottery for the Disney Lorcana D23 2024 Collector’s Set. This limited collection originally released at a Ravensburger booth during the D23 Expo along with Disney Parks and Stores. And while the box retailed at $99.99, it quickly sold out and has resold online for about $200 minimum ever since. Yet a surprise lottery, once again, exclusive to D23 members allowed the opportunity at a second chance to obtain this collection at its original retail price. Two members of our team were fortunate enough to obtain it through this method. With potentially more perks coming in the future, maybe now is the best time to join.