The Ink Table Podcast Episode 23: “Heroes Will Rise”
Cardboard Clash
Metal rings as blades clash in a tournament of champions. The strongest warriors still stand, even after waves have already been eliminated. But even as the mighty show a display of dominance, a brave few run straight towards the fight. All the while, those with the strongest of hearts reach out to care for the ones that can no longer fight. Though it may look very different, it is in moments like this…that Heroes Will Rise.
Welcome to The Ink Table, where we are recapping some major Disney Lorcana competitive news, discussing the next set rotation, and showing off some new products coming down the line.
New Trivia Series
Before we begin, we want to bring attention to a new video series on our YouTube channel. Some of the most fun we have had in the past while recording our Podcast episodes was when we took the time to play some Disney Trivia. We had so much fun doing this, that we have decided to make it a standalone series for all to enjoy.
While this isn’t something we will add too in scheduled intervals, it is set to be another branch in which we bring unique Disney Lorcana content. And our hope is to turn this into a gameshow-esk series where you may see your favorite content creators “pulling up a seat” and joining us at The Ink Table to partake in the fun.
DLC Ghent
March 6-8 was an important and unprecedented time for the Disney Lorcana trading card game, as it saw the largest competitive event to date. Disney Lorcana Challenge Ghent saw a combined total of 4,000 Illumineers facing off in two 2,000 player main events over the course of Friday and Saturday, leading to the top players of each event clashing in top cut on Sunday.
In the Grand Finals we saw an Amber/Emerald Dogs mirror match, that ended with Zan Syed becoming a two-time Disney Lorcana Challenge Champion and punching his ticket to the World Championships.
A look at some of the data collected from this event showcases some interesting results particularly related to the winning deck. For starters, it is important to point out that this was a European challenge event. Why is that important? Well, the same way that certain cultural characteristics are defined by continental borders, so is the popularity of what decks are played. Amber/Emerald Dogs tends to be more popular in NA. So the fact that many Europeans at the time had little practice against the deck, could have played a role in its overall success.
While Amber/Emerald was not the most popular deck among the 4,000 players, particularly on Friday where it was only being ran by 14.5% of Illumineers, it did seem to have the most success. During the Friday main event, it ended with a 22% conversion rat into top cut. And it saw a 17% conversion rate into top cut on Saturday. Not to mention that 10 of the top 16 decks were variations of the Dog deck; and the grand finals was a mirror matchup that looked like a playdate at the dog park.
We are excited to see how the rest of Disney Lorcana Challenge Season 2 plays out. Will Zan Syed have continued success during future events? Will Amber/Emerald Dogs continue have its dominant run….or will it be decimated by the next set rotation? (more on set rotation later)
NA/EU Championships
The North American Championship will occur August 28th-30th, 2026 at the Disneyland Hotel at Disneyland Resort.
The European Championship will take place September 11-13th, 2026 at Disney Newport Bay Club & Disney Hotel New York – The Art of Marvel at Disneyland Paris.
Prizing for each event will be as follows:
Top 64: Down in New Orleans promo & Playmat
Top 32: The Headless Horsement promo & playmat
Top 16: Tinker Bell promo
Top 8: Golden BLT & Worlds Invite
The main event in each of these Championships will use the most up to date version of Core Constructed where only cards from sets 9-13 will be legal.
Impending Set Rotation
When the 13th set of Disney Lorcana, Attack of the Vine!, releases in Q3 2026, the entire Core Constructed format will be flipped on its head. (Pending any reprints) Many of the staple cards that have become core integral pieces to high profile decks, will no longer be legal to play.
In a way, the timing is strange. This set rotation will occur before the NA/EU Championships. And almost every deck that would have been used to earn qualification into the events, will be impacted. Players who have relied on specific synergies and strategies may not have access to them any longer. While rotation is primarily used to keep the meta fresh and eliminate barrier of entry for new players, the timing will also make for a more interesting watch of these major events.
We have taken the time to put together a small list of a few of the more meta impactful cards that are on the chopping block (https://dreamborn.ink/decks/PgE3UzDFLlC5d3rgyb3z) and below you can find clips from our Podcast breaking down the rotation and impacted cards even further.
Upcoming Products
Launching alongside the 12th set of Disney Lorcana, Wilds Unknown, we will see the launch of 4 new playmats that feature:
Merida - Gifted Archer
Goofy - Super Goof
Rapunzel - High Climber (limited raffle via Run Fair/EQL from June 12-14th)
Foiled Toy Story Playmat with Wilds Unknown key art (Disney Exclusive)
The GAMA Expo ran from March 1-5, 2026 in Louisville, Kentucky. At this event, Ravensburger gave us our first look at the next Disney Lorcana Illumineer’s Quest titled The Great Hunny Rescue.
This product will release October 3, 2026 and will MSRP at $59.99.
The Co-Op adventure sees a variation of Winnie the Pooh - Hunny Wizard teaming up with some of his friends from the 100 Acre Woods in attempt to rescue a pignapped Piglett, and get to the heart of what is causing the out-of-control vines.
We expect to see an expansion to the glimmers receiving the Hunny classification introduced in Fabled.
It has been stated that this will feel more like an RPG Quest.
