The Ink Table Podcast Episode 12: "Crowning Achievements"
Heavy Weighs the Crown
August 18, 2023….a Disney inspired trading card game was introduced to the world, and a global phenomenon was born. Since then, we have all been on our own paths journeying through the world of Lorcana. Recently, many of us have been taking on Jafar and trying to steal back the Hexwell crown…But for 28 other Illumineers, their path has looked a little different. And they have been battling it out for a crown all their own.
Welcome back and thank you for pulling up a seat at The Ink Table. The world of Lorcana has been abuzz since the first ever World Championship. We, like many of you, have been strapped into the emotional rollercoaster that has proceeded. Join us as we discuss both the highs and lows, and our hope for the future.
But First…
Thank you to everybody who hung out in the official The Ink Table Podcast Discord over the course of World’s weekend. The Ink Table expands over international borders and includes folks from The United States, Canada, Ireland, and beyond! It would have been extremely difficult to pull off an inclusive watch party with all of you, if it wasn’t for the Discord server. Thanks for making it an awesome experience! And if you haven’t joined yet, you are missing out. It’s the place that the “Table Talk” never stops.
The team is also super excited to announce that we will be attending Gen Con in Indinapolis, Indiana July 31st – August 3rd. We were fortunate enough to receive Press Badges, and plan to create content for you straight from the show floor. We will be attending many events centered around other TCGs and boardgames; but our primary coverage will be on…Lorcana. Some of the Lorcana events we will be participating in include Quest Events, Standard Tournaments, and Sealed Events (that include The First Chapter), and the 2nd Anniversary Celebration Panel. This last event will be an extremely important moment, as it will be the first time we receive further news on Fabled, Whispers in the Well, and other future sets.
World Championship
The inaugural Disney Lorcana World Championship took place on June 28-29th, at the Walt Disney World Resort. This major event was sadly not open to the public but was livestreamed to the general audience through the official Lorcana Twitch channel. The two day event saw 28 players playing through 7 rounds of Swiss, competing in both Super Sealed and Triple Deck Constructed (two new competitive formats), with the competitors who received 5 wins moving on to day two.
The entire tournament was, in a way, dominated by three guys. Zach Bivens (3rd), Edmond Chiu (2nd), and Dinh Klang Pham (1st) were the odds-on favorites coming into the tournament. And they continued to solidify that, by being the first people to qualify for the second day of play. Ed and DKP respectively both went 3-0 in the Super Sealed portion of competition, that many other contestants seemed to have a hard time with. This showcased their ability to deck build and their understanding of how cards interact with each other, outside of the normal Core Constructed format.
Some of our favorite highlights were Mo Shamblin’s round 7 game to progress to day 2, the appearance of a couple of Emerald/Sapphire item decks that had been talked about in our Discord chats leading to the event, a surprising Aggro Puppy deck, and the unbelievable final match between Ed and DKP. In the end, Dinh Klang Pham was crowned the first ever World Champion and was awarded a 1/1 Golden Mickey Mouse - Brave Little Tailor card. Even after a rare misplay where he played a Fire the Cannons onto a Rhino who had resist +2, he was able to keep his composure and get the job done, with an Amethyst/Steel Brooms deck nontheless.
Overall, the event was a success. The judges were wonderful at officiating and quickly resolved any issues. The broadcasters did a phenomenal job both commentating, interviewing, and hosting all around. It was wonderful to hear one of our favorite Illumineers Rebekha Quests doing some commentating; especially after once stating on our podcast that she understands that isn’t what Ravensburger has brought her on for. Liam, Brandon, Baker, and JDZ also put on a spectacular show. Liam looked phenomenal in his Mickey Disney-bound; and JDZ has planted his flag as “the peoples’ commentator”. The players would also do their part in defining the tone with the respect that they showed each other before, during, and after each match. In the most Disney way possible, it was a magical experience.
The Looming Shadow
Yet, no matter how well the championship went, it was ultimately overshadowed by a plethora of news that fully ingulfed the community’s attention for better or worst. Throughout the broadcast, Steven Cooper, the Sr. Tournament Operations Manager for Ravensburger and the broadcast team would drip feed long awaited information for the 2nd season of Lorcana competitive play. Majority of the community was left with a sour taste towards the news that was shared.
The Good
The Prize Wall will once again be making a return to DLCs. Playmats, Non-Foil Promo versions of season 1 and 2 prize cards, hats, and pins can be won by turning in a corresponding number of tickets that will be earned by participating in the main competition and other side events. Foil versions of some cards will be rewarded based on performance. Pegasus - Gift for Hercules, who is now a confirmed reprint for Fabled, will be rewarded for participation. Mulan - Charging Ahead will be reward for obtaining 5 wins, Simba - Pride Protector for reaching the top 64, and Elsa - Ice Maker for the top 32. Golden serialized Brave Little Tailors will return for those who place in the top 8.
More counties will be involved in Season 2. Illumineers from Brazil, Japan, China, and other Asian territories will get the chance to compete and leave their mark on the game. According to the information given thus far, there is set to be 38 competitors at the next worlds. There will be more events in the 2nd season than in the first. But…at what cost?
The Bad and Ugly
While it will be nice to involve other markets and Illumineers from all over the globe, many within North America and Europe feel left out, and even feel as if something has been stolen from them. There was almost a 7 month drought of information when it comes to DLC news. So many people were starving for info and had high expectations based upon the performance of the first season. So nobody was truly prepared for what they got as it pertains to DLC locations in North America and Europe.
Both North America and Europe would “only” receive 3 DLC events, with the 3rd of each country hosting Infinity Constructed as the main format. Many of the cities that previously held these events, will not be featured in the 2nd run. And not only that, but the new locations seem to be geographically clustered together rather than dispersed across multiple regions and markets. While Richmond and Indianapolis are closer to us than any of the previous challenge events, we do not wholeheartedly agree with the locations that were selected. We feel comfortable enough to speak on the North American market, and believe that at least one of the events would have been better served further westward or southward.
Season 1 NA DLC Locations (Including National and World Championships)
Season 2 NA DLC Locations
Hope for the future
In truth, the circumstances that Ravensburger has found themselves in recently is unfortunate to both them and the community. But as creators and members of the community that others look towards for information and acceptance, we believe it is more important for us to educate rather than help light torches. The overall situation that is Season 2, sucks! But what has lead to this?
For starters, PPG, the partner that Ravensburger had during the first season that helped put these events on, are no longer partners with them. They have now gone on to create their own circuit of events that focuses strictly on the competitive side of the game and involves large cash prizes. And while we may have waited around 7 months for DLC news, Steven Cooper, the man charged with putting these events together has only been there for around 4 months. So things are quickly shifting and changing. It is safe to say, this is not being produced under the same circumstances of the original season (that had its own problems).
Ravensburger has done a much better job as of recent being vulnerable and transparent. They continue to do the weekly “LoreCasts” and have even accepted the backlash from the community. They encourage the criticism and want to learn what the community believes would make things better. The most important thing they have done, is continued to push the idea that Lorcana as a whole and the DLCs should be a place for the community to come together and celebrate. They want events to be open for many to come and experience and not solely focused on competitive play. We at The Ink Table truly believe that the future for Lorcana is bright, and that with proper time Season 3 will come closer to meeting expectations.