The Ink Table Podcast Episode 16: "Whispers of Tomorrow"
A Fleeting Moment Frozen in Time
On this starry night, a clock tower stretches high above the city. Its face reads, 11:59 and 59 seconds. The second hand, frozen in place as time stands still. The world is alive. Streets are filled with parades, and ballrooms continue dancing.
Together, we gleefully celebrate in silent anticipation. We all know the truth. Eventually, the clock will strike midnight. And with it will arrive a Whisper of darkness. For tomorrow brings an ominous age of battle and discovery…Welcome to Fabled.
Welcome back to The Ink Table. We are 3 weeks removed from the pre-release of Lorcana’s 9th set. So pull up a seat and join the crew as they discuss their Fabled journeys thus far, and how they feel it would change.
The Pack Ripping Experience
When it was announced that there would be 171 reprints introduced in Fabled, many players and collectors took a stance that they would be purchasing less product if any at all. And while this seemed to be the majority sentiment of the wider audience, in many ways it has proven false as this stance has quickly shifted. Now it is difficult to find Fabled product at both Local Game Stores and big box retailers alike. This is possibly due to the beautiful Enchanteds, the brand-new Epics, and the extremely rare Iconic cards that would make up for all the reprints if you are fortunate enough to pull one. This is the first set that has a true chase card, and the hopeful idea of obtaining one will keep Fabled selling on its own.
*Check out the video below that showcases our first Fabled unboxing
State of the Inks
Thanks to The Forbidden Mountain for sharing this data on the breakdown of Ink Combinations represented at the first CCQ.
Recently PPG hosted the first Lorcana CCQ. With the lack of DLCs in the Season 2 competitive circuit, Ravensburger is partnering with other hosts to add both prizes and continental qualification for certain events. The 15k event that took place in Denver was the first to this.
While season 1 was dominated by Ruby/Sapphire decks, there was none to be seen in this event. And Emerald, which was arguably the weakest Ink color in the past, has found its way into many deck lists. While it is still way too early to tell and will surely shift as other sets are released, this data proves that Ravensburger has succeeded in shifting the meta.
And for those who are curious, Amber/Steel Aggro ended up winning the entire event.
The New Steelsong
Although Amber/Steel won this event, it did so using a newer aggro variations that began appearing around the time of the first Lorcana World Championship. In the past, this ink combination was famous for implanting an archetype that used characters with the Singer keyword and powerful Steel removal cards to keep opponents in check while balancing ink expenditure by having characters sing songs. This powerful deck archetype always found its way in top placings at local championships and major events.
But with set rotation happening, many of the singers and removal songs were rotated out of Core Constructed. Fabled gave us a “nice” surprise though, as that Singer keyword now belongs to Ruby characters for the first time. So that begs the question, are we watching a shift occur as Ruby/Steel now becomes the new Steelsong?
Whispers in the Distance
Now that Fabled has officially released, we (and Ravensburger) are already looking ahead at the next set, Whispers in the Well. The 11th set will take place both within The Great Illuminary, and within a “Well” hidden within The Illuminary. Will this be the in-game reality/personification of “the inkwell” typically referred to when addressing gameplay mechanics?
Whispers in the Well will have a darker tone releasing in the middle of Autumn and “Spooky Season”. Some new glimmers from Gargoyles and The Black Cauldron will debut here. Below, you can check out a few more of the products that have recently been revealed to release alongside this set.
BOOST?
Thanks to illumineertales on Instagram for sharing this clearer version of the single-player deck packaging
We know that a new glimmer type known as “Whispers” will be appearing in Lorcana’s 10th set. These are said to be ghastly incomplete versions of glimmers formed from ripped or torn pages of Lorebooks. And while we had an idea of how these characters would thematically play a role, we now have a clearer vision of how they will work mechanically.
As seen in the image above, it appears that these Whispers will have a new keyword called Boost. For a specific ink price (3 ink as it pertains to the showcased Simba), you can put the top card of your deck facedown under the Whisper. Each Whisper will seemingly have a unique ability that triggers once you perform the boost and place that card under them.