The Ink Table Podcast Episode 10: "The Next Chapter

Answers At Last

Across realities, there exist two groups of Illumineers. One group’s story, we have keenly watched unfold. From the time of their arrival, surviving a Flood, sailing the open Sea, and visiting far off Islands; we have eagerly awaited to see what happens next. The other group…is us. Together we have learned and grown as the world of Lorcana has; but as of recent, there have been more questions than answers. Until now…Welcome to The Next Chapter.

Welcome back and thank you for pulling up a seat at The Ink Table. The reveal season for Reign of Jafar has recently wrapped up and while we can’t for its release on May 30th, we can’t help but keep reflecting back on all of the news given during Ravensburger’s May 6th livestream. Come join this deep dive into what our team has called “The most important day for Lorcana since its initial release”.

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A Date for Worlds

Finally, after what seems like an eternity of asking, dates for Lorcana’s first World Championship have been announced. The pinnacle of competitive play will take place June 28th and 29th at the Walt Disney World Resort. But hold onto your wallets Illumineers, because there is no reason to book a trip.

Shortly after an unfortunate leak, new Director of Communications, Greg Tito, went live on the Disney Lorcana Twitch to break the news that the highly anticipated event would be closed to the public. This was cited as a decision to give the participating players a VIP experience. Yet, this exclusivity goes against the original details in regard to a celebratory experience for the community, originally shared during a D23 panel. Majority of the community has felt that this is a monkey paw situation, but we are hopeful that Ravensburger plans to fulfill the vision they put in place during future events.

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A Look Into Reign of Jafar

Lorcana’s 8th set, Reign of Jafar is mere days away from its May 30th LGS release, and its reveal cycle has just wrapped up. So check out all of the listed points below to get a look at what will be in this set’s trove, new IP coming to the game, what the Enchanteds look like, the promos you can earn, and cards being…reprinted.

Trove Contents

We previously discussed the Reign of Jafar Illumineer’s Trove in a previous article when the product was first revealed, but now is the first time we get to see its contents. Once again, the trove will MSRP at $49.99 and contain 8 booster packs of the newest set, a lore counter, a set of dice, and unique card dividers representing each ink type. The lore counter will showcase the namesake of this set, in the form of Jafar. The dice give the appearance of little blocks of sand ornamented with blazing crimson numbers matching the themes and colors found throughout all of set 8’s packaging. Below you can see the actual cards that appear on the ink dividers.

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Arrival of the Forest Prince

Upon arriving on Archazia’s Island we were greeted by a boundless cast of cuddly critters. This is when we were first introduced to glimmers from both the Bolt and Aristocats. With such an emphasis on these pets and critters, our team couldn’t help but feel that there were a few more on the island waiting for us to meet. At one point, we even had a version of our blind ranking game dedicated to the critters that could have been on the island. Maybe that’s why it came to no surprise when Bambi was announced.

Dylan’s custom Thumper card created for The Ink Table Podcast’s Blind Ranking game.

An actual Thumper card being released in Reign of Jafar.

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Some of the best Enchanted Yet?

Art Set Lead, Mike Vaillancourt, has done a wonderful job working with artists to design the coveted cards we will be trying to get our paws on this set. The lush and vibrant natural colors found on Archazia’s Island have suddenly been consumed by Jafar’s magical illusion. He has transformed the entire island into his own personal palace and playground. The enchanteds, like a few other cards in the set, continue to have the running theme of the illusionary sand. It was also described that the characters showcased in the art have embraced the illusionary magic and have visually altered appearances based on their own desires. While the previous set gave us enchanteds that some considered artistic masterpieces, this set’s enchanteds individually tell a story through the passion, heart, and attention to detail crafted into the art of each one. Below are just a few of our favorites.

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Promo Need to Knows

You can receive this promo alongside the purchase/pre-order of a Reign of Jafar Booster Box.

When the new set releases, this promo will be awarded simply for participating in your LGSs launch event.

This promo will be a little harder to obtain as it will be rewarded to those participating in Ravensburger held events.

Weekly Play Promos will randomly be awarded at League Events

Promo that will be given to everybody who participates in a Reigh of Jafar Store Set Championship.

Promo that will be rewarded for those who place in the top 8 of a Reign of Jafar Store Set Championship.

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Lore Cards Return

We are super excited by the return of Lore Cards. First introduced in Archazia’s Island, Ravensburger has found another way to present the story of Lorcana to the players. We assume there will once again be 20 cards to collect. 1 side will be images that when put together form two 9x9 puzzles. The other side will continue the story of our favorite Illumineers as they ready to take on Jafar. And according to the card in this marketing image, Archazia is…missing!?

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Palace Heist

For the 2nd time since this game’s inception, we will be receiving an Illumineer’s Quest. This product is a co-op “board game” using Lorcana cards that sees us take on a big bad in the form of a Disney Villain. This itteration sees Illumineers teaming up to steal back the Hexwell Crown. The game will come with two single player decks, one being Amber/Steel and the other being Saphire/Amythest, along with a deck for Jafar to control. This will play different than the previous Ursula’s Challenge, and has improved in a couple of other ways. It now has a cardboard map rather than a paper sheet and comes with its own box for storage.

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Reprints?

These cards may look slightly familiar, but they are “new” cards. Captain Hook - Forceful Duelist was first introduced all the way back in The First Chapter, and Dalmation Puppy-Tail Wagger was first spotted during Into the Inklands. Everything about these cards, except for their art, perfectly match the original versions. So, what gives; why are these cards being printed again? We will do are best to explain in the next section.

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The Next Chapter

On May 6th Ravensburger and the Lorcana team held a broadcast on their Twitch titled “The Next Chapter”, and this may go down as the most important day in Lorcana history since its initial release. After a drought of updates, this event quenched our thirst for news. Not only did we get much of the Reign of Jafar information discussed above but also got a look at the roadmap for Lorcana’s future.

Set Rotation

When Lorcana’s 9th set, Fabled, is released Set Rotations come with it. Set Rotations are nothing new within the TCG market, but this is a new concept for our favorite card game. So how will it work? It is important to note that this will only affect Core Constructed, the format used during weekly league play, set championships, DLCs, Worlds, and many unsanctioned tournaments. But once the 9th set releases on September 5th, cards from sets 1-4 can no longer be used. This rotation is not a one-off event and will continue to take place over time. As shown in the image above, sets 5-8 will be banned from play alongside the release of the unnamed 13th set. According to Ravensburger, Set Rotation is occurring as an effort to keep the meta fresh. It is also a good way to balance “power creep” and introduce revamped versions of old abilities.

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Reprints!

We previously discussed the two cards that will be reprinted in Reign of Jafar, but Fabled will have much more to give as it pertains to this topic. Fabled will be a larger set than any of the previously released, yet it is reported that half of it will consist of reprints. Not every reprinted card will gain alternative art like Captain Hook and Dalmation Puppy, but some will. These reprints are meant to allow players to more easily collect older popular cards and meta staples that may be difficult to find now. Reprints will also have a direct relationship with Set Rotations; if a card from a set that has been rotated out receives a Reprint, then any version of that card with the same name can be used in deck construction.

Stitch - Rock Star is one of the first good examples we have of this. It has been confirmed that this is one of the cards that will receive a reprint in Fabled. Originally it was released in The First Chapter. Although that first set will be rotated out, the reprint (which doesn’t contain new art) will allow the original version and the Into the Inklands Set Championship promo version to still be used. Also announced was Infinity Constructed. This new format will allow players to play with all of their cards, even the ones not in rotation. It will have its own ban list, and details about where this format will be implemented will come in the future.

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New Rarities

To the resounding excitement to collectors, two new rarities will be added for us to collect. The first represented by the reprinted Elsa - Snow Queen is the new Epic rarity. This type will be rarer than Legendries, but will be found more often than Enchanteds. The second rarity, represented by the new Mickey Mouse - Brave Little Prince, is (pause for dramatic affect) Iconic. This will be the rarest type of card to collect being rarer than Enchanteds, and will likely be the most expensive cards we have seen in terms of value. It has been announced that there will be 2 to collect within Fabled, the Mickey shown above and an unseen Minnie Mouse who shares the cover of Fabled’s marketing images.

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Still Celebrating Goofy

Our last podcast episode revolved around celebrating the 30th Anniversary of The Goofy Movie. Now it seems Ravensburger wants to join in with the announcement that The Goofy Movie will make its first Lorcana appearance during Fabled.

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Whispers in the Well

The 10th set releasing in Q4 of 2025 has been announced and is titled Whispers in the Well. We now know that this set will include both The Black Cauldron (previously announced at D23) and…Gargoyles. You can even catch a glimpse at what appears to be one of the Gargoyles in the back-left of the image above. This image shows Venturo and possibly a Floodborn Detective Mickey in dark forest of some kind (maybe within the aforementioned “Well”) surrounded by glowing pages containing images of glimmers we have seen in the past. Mickey even seems to be casting a version of Ariel - On Human Legs, a card from the first set. A new glimmer type, known as Whispers, will be introduced during this 10th set. It will be interesting to watch the story unfold and see how these pages play a part with the new glimmer type.

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Things getting dangerous

The last bit of news shared on May 6th, is that Darkwing Duck will be making his debut in a future set.

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Thanks for joining us at

the ink table

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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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THE INK TABLE

The Ink Table Podcast Episode 8: "Side Quests"

Learning Together

A week has passed since we disembarked our vessels and stepped onto Archazia’s Island. Under the tutelage of the owl we have mastered the ability to cast dual ink glimmers. Our days have been filled with studying Story Stars and Knowledge Scrolls while critters endlessly bound around our feet. With this new adventure has come many new obstacles to challenge, and …a new quest.

Welcome back and thank you for pulling up a seat at The Ink Table where, for this episode, we are joined by our very first guest. And what better first guest to have than the Queen of Lorcana and the heart of our community, Rebekah Quests. The team had fun discussing specific underused cards and having Rebekah blind rank some custom ones that Dylan created; but more importantly, spent time hearing Rebekah’s story about her journey through the world of Lorcana and received some wise advice along the way.

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Spotlight Cards

Preston’s Pick: Hiro Hamada, Armor Designer.

Being from a dual ink combination that the guys previously expressed their excitement about, this pick comes as no surprise. What may come at a surprise is the fact that the combination and this card particularly are seeing little to no play.

7 cost inkable should not be an issue in Saphire that wants to ramp and get large cards like this out sooner. Not to mention that it is a Floodborn that can shift for 5. The stat line of 4 strength, 6 willpower, and questing for 3 makes for a phenomenal card. The ability is no joke either. Hiro allows for all of your Floodborn characters that have shifted on top of another card to gain both Evasive and Ward. This card itself would also benefit from this ability if shift was used to play it. While this card already has high enough strength to get past most Ruby removal and high enough willpower to survive an Along Comes Zues, the added Evasive/Ward abilities make this card almost untouchable.

The only thing that seems to be holding this card back is the dual ink combination. While on paper this would work well, a single card cannot change the viability of Emerald/Saphire decks. Maybe in future sets we will see more pieces align.

Rebekah’s Pick: Pepper, Quick-Thinking Puppy

Girl Power shines bright with this pick. An inkable 3 cost with 2 strength, 2 willpower, and only quests for one. An intermediate cost with a not so special stat line; what is it that makes this card so special? The ability In the Nick of Time states that while this card is in play, whenever one of your Puppy characters (including this one) is banished, you may put them into your inkwell exerted.

If you are anything like me, then this sounds like an easy way to turn your puppies into sacrificial ink. But Rebekah points out a much cuter combination. In the past, the Puppy archetype was restricted to Amber. But within Archazia’s Island, this has been expanded to include the Amber/Saphire combination. And with this came a new dual ink card (Pongo, Dear Old Dad) that allows you to look at the cards in your inkwell at the start of your turn and play a puppy character from there for free. This combination of putting puppies into your inkwell, just to play them for free makes for unique gameplay that sees Lorcana’s first experiment with inkwell manipulation to this degree.

This spotlight card was ironically a perfect fit by Rebekah for another reason. The flavor text “Pepper proves every puppy is part of the pack.” truly captures her personal thoughts when it comes to boosting smaller creators such as us. “Rising tides lift all ships.”

Dylan’s Pick: Clarabelle, News Reporter

This is not the first time, nor will it be the last, that Dylan speaks about this card. During the podcast he shared a personal connection to it, as his daughter shares one of her middle names with the Disney cow. Building a deck that is centered around the Support ability, has also been a passion project of his since Rise of the Floodborn.

While the cost of 4 isn’t ideal, the fact that it is inkable mixed with its abilities makes the card situationally worth playing in specific decks. This Clarabelle has both 3 strength and 3 willpower, while questing for an impressive 2 lore. Having Support is a plus; but it is her other ability Breaking Story that impresses Dylan the most. This ability boosts the strength of all other characters with Support by 1.

It is this ability that makes Clarabelle a core piece in getting that passion project deck to work. Another core piece is Alice, Growing Girl that both gives all other characters Support and quests for a whopping 5 lore when her strength is 10 or higher. The combination of Alice giving all of your characters Support and Clarabelle boosting their strength, makes it easy to quests for high amounts of lore in a single turn.

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Blind Ranking: The Critters That Could Have Been

In most episodes, the team typically has Preston blind rank custom cards that Dylan has created. Not being an artist, it is the abilities and core gameplay mechanics that make these cards interesting. Each set of custom cards showcased share a central theme. This time, each represented a critter that could have been present on Archazia’s Island but didn’t make the cut. And with a special guest in their presence, it was only fitting to have Rebekah play this special game. Take a look for yourself at the custom cards we have left down below, and make sure to check out Rebekah’s excited reaction to the prospect of a Flash Slothmore card.

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Words of Wisdom

As much fun as it was to discuss cards, the most important topics of conversation were much deeper than cardboard. Majority of the episode leaned into being a Q&A in which Rebekah was able to share some great advice and words of encouragement for new and experienced players alike.

The simplest piece of advice directed to new players or those straddling the line of attending play at a Local Game Store for the first time, is to check out the LGS on your own terms. Don’t let league play be the first time you step foot into the store. Find time to get a vibe check and familiarize yourself with the environment. And some advice for shop owners…. keep your bathrooms clean.

The most important lesson that can be taken away from the conversation is a sentiment and philosophy that The Ink Table was founded upon. Strengthening community play on all levels, local and broader, is the key to Lorcana’s continued growth and success. Make the game fun and welcoming to all who check it out. Whether a casual or competitive scene,

BE RESPECTFUL. Don’t be afraid to slow your gameplay down, answer questions, and take the time to teach the player setting across from you.

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Thanks for joining us at

THE INK TABLE

The Ink Table Podcast Episode 7: " The Duel Begins"

Duels on the Horizon

At last, our journey has come to an end…or is it just beginning. The Perilous Maze is finally behind us and the Azurite Sea has started to calm. A handful of familiar ships have docked in a bay off the coast of an isolated landmass. As you disembark your vessel, you notice tiny waves crashing into the shoreline beneath your feet; and when you look up, catch a glimpse at a pristine palace. A palace where a legendary duel will soon take place. Welcome to Archazia’s Island.

Welcome back and thanks for once again, or for the first time, joining us at The Ink Table. Coming straight out of launch weekend for Archazia’s Island, hosts Dylan Bailey and Preston McNair are excited to share their thoughts on some of the new Lorcana cards and recount listeners with tales of their launch event escapades. Some of the main topics being discussed carry the central theme of “duel”. The three main “duels” that will be covered include…

1. *Dual Ink

2. Duel of Foes

3. Duel of Friends

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Dual Ink

We start off with a play on words, with dual and duel being homophones. Arguably the biggest addition this set gave to the overall gameplay side of Lorcana, is dual ink cards. These cards see glimmers breaking the norm of single ink representation and allow cards to take on the characteristics of two different ink at the same time. In all fairness, the team has only participated in a couple of launch events so far. Without playing in a constructed format and being limited to what dual ink cards we could run, it is difficult for us to truly get a read on this new mechanic. Yet, these are still cards that have been on our minds for a long time, and we finally got to play with for the first time.

Back in December, Dylan created this custom dual ink card for the podcast’s Blindranking segment that sees Preston ranking cards in an order from 1 to 5 without seeing what card comes next. This particular card sees a dual ink combination of ruby/emerald and showcases glimmers from Disney’s Christmas short, Prep and Landing.

While this custom card was showed off in December 2024, the idea that we could one day see dual ink cards being added was a sentiment that the crew has openly shared since the first episode. It would not be until midway through January that Ravensburger would confirm dual ink being introduced and finally revealed a dual ink card. Below you can see a few of our favorite dual ink cards we played with over the weekend. What do you think; did we nail it?

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DUEL OF FOES

Only a few days before the release of Archazia’s Island, a wave of information and news flooded onto timelines in the form of product reveals for set 8, Reign of Jafar. This is the earliest that products have ever been revealed for a future set. So what gives; why overshadow your newest set?

Ravensburger and their marketing team visit many different roadshow events and cons. It seems most new product information we have been receiving has been coming from these events. Lorcana was first introduced to the public at Genon; and over the past year alone similar events have shown off not only Reign of Jafar but also showcased Fabled (a 9th set coming Q3 of 2025). Between the pressure put on the company by the constant need to always have something new to show at said events and the cries from Lorcana players, the news drop was almost unavoidable. For a deeper look into each product that was revealed in its entirety, including the new glimmers and a potential new mechanic, check out our linked article.

Lorcana’s story has been hinting at a climatic duel, and it seems the next two sets have been dubbed the battleground. The “duel” of foes will see Jafar, who has now put together both halves of the Hexwell Crown, face off against the Illumineers who are now being trained by Archazia herself. An interesting note is that we already know the outcome to the first part of this duel. It has been confirmed that this Jafar glimmer has/will take over Archazia’s Island. This information is part of the marketing description for Reign of Jafar and can also be seen in his enchanted card from this set.

The second half of this duel will culminate when Reign of Jafar releases at LGSs on May 30th, and everywhere else on June 6th. We will again be taking part in an Illumineer’s Quest; this time trying to take back the island and even the crown, in what will be known as Palace Heist.

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DUEL OF FRIENDS

The last of the “duels” we will be covering is the battle fought between our two hosts. Not only do the two duke it out in another round of Disney Trivia but share what it was like playing against each other during the sealed event…on the opening round. But before we dive into the outcome and what cards were named MVPs, Dylan and Preston wanted to spotlight a couple of their favorite cards from this set.

Preston being a Blurple player, was fascinated by the dual ink Anna, Ice Breaker and new direction that Amethyst/Saphire decks could go. The deck idea seems to lean on specific cards abilities that reward the player for exerting their opponents’ characters and finding ways to ensure they can’t ready.

Belle, Apprentice Inventor has been the talk of the town as of recent. The idea of a 3-drop character possibly being played on turn 1 both excites and scares players. It’s not just item decks that she will see play in either. We will surely see her next to any deck that uses things such as Pawsicle, Fortisphere, or Unconventional Tool. On the flip side, those facing off against Belle will be looking for cheap options with high strength or challenger that can take her out. This may be the single most impactful card the game has seen thus far.

Dylan, who the group has dubbed “the lorekeepr”, chose to spotlight two cards that have story driven implications hidden within their art. First on the tiny list is Treasure Guardian, Foreboding Sentry. One of the new mechanics introduced this set was the Illusion tag, and corresponding Vanish ability. This new tag currently seems underwhelming as we only have 2 Illusion characters (Iago & Rajah) and 2 other complimentary cards. Treasure Guardian is 1 of those synergy cards. But what makes this one so special? Within the art characters from Aladdin can be seen swirling around in the form of Illusionary Sand. Two of which are already Illusion characters. So could the other two be Illusions in the next set?

Merlin, Clever Clairvoyant has been an amazing card to cover over the past two episodes. It is expected for Preston to be excited by this card as it is another that would work great in his Blurple decks and is a shift target for the Floodborn Merlin he enjoys playing. Yet what excites Dylan the most about this card is the train that Merlin seems to be looking at. While a previous discussion centered around this train potentially being that of Big Thunder Mountain, with the help of a loyal subscriber, we think that we have now nailed down the train’s actual identity. It would appear to be the first train, the C. K. Holliday, that adorned the Disneyland Railroad. Maybe we will get a better look at it in Fabled.

The MVPs

These 4 were the ones that helped us the most during launch weekend. Preston was able to wipe the board with Bagheera, Guardian Jaguar’s built in Grab Your Swords. And in a format that it is easy to find yourself top decking, Jasmine, Inspired Researcher in combination with the plethora of Ally characters in this set, allowed Preston to maintain card draw. In a set that did not offer much in the form of removal, Dylan found King Candy, Royal Racer to be a royal surprise. But the most important of the MVPs was none other than Spaghetti Dinner. The “duel” between Dylan and Preston was slow and methodical with many trades. Then the plate of Italian noodles entered the fray. Once Dylan was able to passively gain 1 lore each turn from this item, he was able to run away with the game.

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THANKS FOR JOINING US AT

THE INK TABLE

Lorcana's Reign of Jafar Products Announced

Take a Look at the Set 8 Products

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We see a possible Floodborn, Dual Ink Jafar setting on a throne while wearing the Hexwell Crown, assumingly after taking over Archazia’s Island.

We are officially one week away from the release of Lorcana’s 7th set, Archazia’s Island. But before we even had the opportunity to set foot on the island, the Team at Ravensburger has gifted us with tons of information about the following set and the products that will be offered alongside its release.

While it is nice seeing what goodies await us in the near future, it is a shame that the story of what happens on Archazia’s Island has in a way, been spoiled. Up until now, we knew a battle was brewing between the Illumineers and the scheming Jafar glimmer; but we had “no idea” how the battle would play out.

As if the title of the set wasn’t enough, we now know that in Reign of Jafar, “Jafar has taken over Archazia’s Island, corrupting the beautiful haven into his menacing fortress.” And according to the blurb published on the Lorcana website, “His reign may be the greatest threat Lorcana has faced!”

The Reign of Jafar will prerelease at Hobby stores, Disney Stores, and the Disney parks on May 30th, before coming to big box retailers on June 6th. This 1-week gap between LGS and retail release is the shortest Lorcana has seen to this point and makes for multiple talking points we will surely discuss in our next podcast episode. But until then, let’s check out what other products will be offered.

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The first product we will look at is the Illumineer’s Trove. Upon first glance you may be awestruck by the lineup of glimmers we can see here; but a closer look may reveal some hidden secrets. Our favorite is the line work coiling around the packaging, forming one of Jafar’s cobras.

Jafar, who is front and center, seems to be controlling both sand and tiny metal scarabs. A Minnie Mouse glimmer stands guard while holding a shield that appears to be inspired by Amber ink. A Rapunzel glimmer swings around using her hair, while slinging either paint or seeds from a bag on her hip. Tiana and Bruno glimmers appear on the side of the packaging, and we will get a better look at them later.

While we have not seen the exact contents yet, looking at past troves should shed answers. It can be presumed that the contents will consist of 8 Reign of Jafar packs, a special lore counter, 6 damage dice, and 6 card dividers. We will cover this further, as information arrives.

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A better look at the art of the packs that will be sold as singles and appear in both the Illumineer’s Trove & Booster Box.

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Above we get our first look at the Single Player Decks this set will be offering. The first, is a Ruby/Steel deck showcasing a Stitch glimmer holding his patent Plasma Blasters and a Mulan glimmer holding the Last Cannon. The second, gives us the best look at the Tiana and Bruno glimmers discussed previously. They adorn what will be an Amber/Amethyst deck. And we can’t help but admire Bruno’s jacket that is decorated in Story Star calligraphy.

One peculiar thing that stands out is how many of the starring glimmers are associated with different items. Some of the items, like the ones held by Stitch and Mulan, have previously existed in the world of Lorcana. Others such as Bruno’s jacket, Minnie’s shield, and Jafar’s scarabs would be new to the game. This begs to question as to why the items are such a central focus across the art. I know we just got Dual Ink and the new Vanish ability, but could the next set give us another new game mechanic?

I theorize that certain cards, like the ones associated with the showcased glimmers, will have a mechanic similar to locations. These cards would see players exerting a specified amount of ink to attach an item to them in order to increase stats. While a mechanic like this could be restrictive, forcing glimmers to be paired with specific items; I hope that, if this mechanic does exist, it would work similar to songs. We all know how fun it is to have characters like Genie sing Let it Go or Aladdin sing Be Prepared. What fun it would be to have characters swap items. We could have Timon jam out on Sleepy’s Flute or Lady Tremaine pour herself a cup with the Mad Hatter’s Teapot. The possibilities are endless.

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The last of the Jafar themed products is the Illumineer’s Quest. This is similar to the product previously released alongside Ursula’s Return, that had us team up to take on the sea witch. The box gives a great look at what has become of Archazia’s once beautiful Island, now that Jafar has taken over. We also get to see our favorite Illumineers Shanzay, Venturo, and Martin as they prepare to go all Ocean’s Eleven in what has been dubbed the Palace Heist.

Thanks to fellow Illuminner Lorcana Villain we know a little bit about the contents of this item.

• 1 Palace Heist Rule Sheet

• 1 Palace Heist Playmat

• 2 cards featuring 4 battlegrounds

• 5 lore tracker tokens

• 29 damage counters

• 1 Reforged Crown tile

• 1 oversized Jafar card

• 1 Jafar draw token

• 50 card Jafar scenario deck with storage box

• 2 60 card player decks with storage

• 1 victory card (like the Half Hexwell Crown previously)

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Other products include deck boxes and card sleeves with the art of Sorcerer Mickey and Giant Tinkerbell from previous sets. And we will get two new playmats, one inspired by the Rescue Rangers and the other a glowing jade Hades sure to make others around you envious.

Thanks for joining us at The Ink Table

The Ink Table Podcast Episode 6: "Island of Duality"

Welcome to the Island of Duality

With only a few weeks left before the release of Lorcana’s 7th set, Archazia’s Island, we are dropping anchor and waving goodbye to the Perilous Maze that was the Azurite Sea. This next set is due to release at Disney Parks and Local Game Stores on March 7th, before later coming to big box retailers on March 21st. Archazia’s Island is not just the name of the next set, but the location in which the story of Lorcana will next unfold.

The previous set saw our main Illumineers and their glimmers following a mysterious map, that happened to point towards a location known as Owl Island. We know now that Owl Island and Archazia’s Island are one in the same. It’s on this island that we meet Archazia, a giant owl and an ancient illumineer who both holds the knowledge of using Dual Ink and guards a legendary forge used to craft powerful artifacts. While we learn from Archazia how to wield Dual Ink, a dark force works in the shadows. A particular Jafar glimmer has his eye set on putting the pieces of the Hexwell Crown back together and claiming the island as his own.

Welcome to your first look at this island. A place in which duality will be tested. A place where we learn to balance contradicting forces and learn to mix our paint, creating and crafting masterpieces beyond which was previously thought possible. And a place where the forces of light and darkness, good and evil will once again clash. So, join us around The Ink Table as we discuss some of the cards revealed from this set, play another round of Disney Trivia, and predict the future of Lorcana

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Cards You Should be Prepared to See

To this point Ruby/Saphire has consistently been one of the most dominant decks in the competitive scene. Probably why it was the most used ink combination at the North American Championship. Most of these competitive decks revolve around using items with Hiram Flaversham to draw cards, and a combination of Ice Block, Brawl, and Sisu to remove opponent’s characters.

While this combination has been fatal, many players have found ways to combat it by playing cards that increase their characters strength. Saphire Coil makes this harder to accomplish by removing 2 strength from characters, in comparison to the 1 removed by Ice Block. This card is also inkable whereas Ice Block is not. Its safe to assume then, that players will be making this switch.

One deck archetype that never seems to disappear is the Aggro deck. In a game that is won by being the first to get to 20 lore, this type of deck can accomplish that the quickest.

While Minnie Mouse, Storyteller does not quest for any lore on her own, her Gather Around ability has the potential to allow her to quest for multiple lore every turn. This stackable ability gives her 1 lore for every character you play in a turn. Using this ability late into a match, when you should have plenty of ink, or combined with cards like Lantern, it is possible to play a bunch of 1 and 2 drop characters allowing Minnie to quest over the finish line.

Another Lorcana staple that has been around since The First Chapter is the Steelsong deck. This archetype utilizes characters’ abilities to sing songs, allowing board control while maintaining ink to spend on more characters.

Pepa Madrigal, Sensitive Sister is a great addition to these decks while only being a common card. Her ability will allow the owner of this card to passively gain 1 lore every time they sing a song. In decks that have the potential to sing multiple songs in a single turn, this card will allow for quick lore gain, especially when combined with Sleepy’s Flute.

A different variation of the Ruby/Saphire deck that has made its way onto the scene during this previous set, was one based around heavy use of actions. Maui, Half-Shark has really been the one to lead this charge. He has two super powerful abilities. The first allows you to passively gain 1 lore anytime you play an action. The second allows you to return an action from your discard whenever he banishes another character; easily done with a stat line of 7 strength and 5 willpower.

Ratigan, Nefarious Criminal is the perfect complimentary piece to the shark. They share the same ability that gives passive lore when an action is played, although Ratigan has to be exerted for it to work for him. But you could easily have Ratigan sing a song with Maui on board, gaining 2 lore, then have the shark banish a character to return that song from your discard, and hard cast it to gain another 2 lore.

It has been well documented that we at The Ink Table Podcast have a fondness for Amythest as an ink. Not only are its glimmers mysterious and whimsical but provide well balanced tech cards that can do it all. Two of the biggest things Amythest cards do are produce card draw and produce passive lore gain when certain characters enter play.

In the past, many meta decks have included the package of the 4 cost Merlin, rabbit to draw cards and Merlin, goat to gain lore, when they enter and leave play. Azurite Sea gave us the 3 cost White Rose that gives a lore when you play her. But Archazia’s Island has now given us an even cheaper way to gain a quick unaccounted-for lore in the song This is My Family. Even as an uninkable, a two-cost song that allows you to gain 1 lore and draw a card will easily fit into midrange and aggro decks alike.

To this point Ruy/Steel has mostly been an ink combination left to those playing pirate themed decks. But one truth about those pirate decks and these inks in general is that they make for super aggressive play. These decks benefit from challenging and controlling the board.

Enter the new dual ink Mushu, Majestic Dragon. This card not only gives resist +2 to your characters when they challenge but also gives 2 passive lore when you banish a character in a challenge. Only a few other cards have this secondary ability, but if you can find a way to get them on the field at the same time it could be lethal. Imagine having a Calhoun or Floodborn Robinhood in play alongside Mushu, leading to a combined 4 lore from banishing a single character in a challenge. Throw in Sher Khan to gain an extra lore just for challenging, and you may never need to quest again.

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The Rise of Emerald/Saphire

One particular ink combination we have our eyes on this next set, is that of Emerald/Saphire. There are quite a few new cards, some utilizing the new dual-ink mechanic, that seem to set this deck up for success. A typical Saphire deck would want to ramp early at the cost of having characters on the board, in order to get their heavy hitters out quicker and to set up late game victories. This deck, to an extent, does the opposite. It relies on putting characters out early and setting up lines in order to use the shift mechanic of Floodborn characters.

Yokai, Intellectual Shemer allows characters to be shifted for 1 less. Hiro Hamada, Future Champion allows card draw when shifted onto. Hiro Hamada, Armor Designer gives two powerful abilities in Evasive and Ward to your Floodborn characters that have been shifted, including himself. Baymax, Giant Robot gives us a brand-new ability in Universal Shift, that allows him to be shifted on top of any of your characters. With a shift cost of 4, a perfect gameplay line is set up by playing Yokai on turn 2 and shifting Baymax for 1 less on turn 3.The action card Return of Hercules will allow you to play one of those costly Floodborn characters for free. And the new Ink Geyser will keep opponents’ inkwells in check, while leaving you in a good place to continue the shifting strategy.

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Cards We Are Excited About

While Preston loves this new Merlin card as it makes the perfect shift target for Merlin, Intellectual Visionary in his beloved Blurple deck; Dylan sees it as an easy way to ramp when combined with the location Merlin’s Cottage or the item Aurelien Gyrosensor. The crew also discusses the train that the clairvoyant Merlin can see in the card’s art, and how similar it is to that of the one on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. Could this be a hint towards something we will see in Fabled, or even the inclusion of Disney Park properties being included in the world of Lorcana?

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There is Always a Seat for You at

The Ink Table

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ASTRO BOT IN DEPTH REVIEW

“Sony just shook up the hierarchy of best platformers while not only producing an instant game of the year candidate, but also captivated hearts worldwide with its not-so-new protagonist. An innovative yet nostalgic expedition of ASTROnomical delights.”

— Dylan Bailey

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Astro Bot

Platform: PlayStation 5

Initial Release: September 6, 2024

Developer(s): Team ASOBI, Japan Studios

Price: $59.99

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“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step”. This proverb rings loud and true for Team ASOBI as they are flung into AAA spotlight. The PlayStation first party studio got its start in 2013 with The Playroom, an augmented reality tech demo coinciding with the release of the PS4. The Playroom was comprised of a collection of mini games intended to demonstrate the PlayStation camera and DualShock 4. This would also be the first introduction to “Astro Bot”. Although at the time, the bot we would one day be gushing over, looked slightly different. There was no Astro, just bots. In the demo, a hoard of intentionally simple-looking designed bots would swarm and interact with the player in a very, “Gru commanding an army of Minions” kind a way.

                In 2016 Team ASOBI provided Sony with another tech demo. This demonstration was called Playroom VR and was meant to show off the features of, as the name states, the PlayStation VR. The virtual reality demo is where our Bot started to catch some traction. A spin-off title of a beloved Robots Rescue mini game within Playroom VR, titled Astro Bot: Rescue Mission, set the stage for our little hero to rise apart from his mechanical brethren. Then in November of 2020, as the world began to come out of lockdown, we all came together for the launch of the PlayStation 5. With the launch of Sony’s newest flagship console, came the tech demo in which majority of this audience were most likely first introduced to Astro. Astro’s Playroom (finally a ‘game’ named after the protagonist) is still regarded as a must-play for players new to the console. Yet, Astro’s biggest adventure was just beyond the horizon.

                If I asked what the best first party Playstation game is, what would you answer? Many folks would turn towards Sony Santa Monica’s, God of War (2018) or Naughty Dog’s, The Last of Us Part 2. If you answer anything other than Astro Bot, on paper, you would be wrong. At the time of writing this, Astro Bot is sitting at a score of 94 on review cite Metacritic and a 95 on Opencritic. Not only is this the highest scoring Playstation game across both sites ever, but it also statistically catapults its way onto the podium for best platformer. In Team ASOBI’s first true opportunity at creating an AAA game, it is safe to say, they knocked it out of the park. The developer’s new title rivals that of Celste, Guacamelee!, Hollow Knight, Sonic Mania, and even Super Mario Odyssey.

                So, what is it that has both critics and players reviewing the game so highly? It starts with one word, pastiche. Merriam-Webster defines pastiche a “ a musical, literary, or artistic composition made up of selections from different works”. Astro Bot may be the greatest piece of pastiche ever conceived. The game borrows design from Super Mario Bros., having Astro visit different ‘worlds’ that each house their own levels. Within each level are power-ups akin to those found in later Mario World and Kirby games, needed for Astro to platform his way to the end. There are three types of collectibles in each level: coins (used as currency), puzzle pieces (used to unlock different shops within the hub world), and other bots.

There are over 300 bots to collect with 173 advertised as special bots, all dressed as characters from the PlayStation family past and present. Finding these bots felt like collecting Waddle Dees in Kirby and the Forgotten Land, but with nostalgic excitement every time a special bot is recognized. Every bot collected throughout the levels gets sent to a hub world called The Crash Site. And while it is fun to go around and interact with the bots here, there is a small chance that you will recognize every single one of them. If I have one complaint about the game it is that the record keeping system that keeps track of the bots collected, does not break down who the special bots are and the game(s) they are from. In a behind-the-scenes video posted on the PlayStation YouTube channel, Studio Director Nicola Doucet states, “One of the hopes we have is that the young generations will come across these special characters, then will be inspired to go to these older games and actually try them for themselves.” This goal would be easier to accomplish if there was an in-game mechanic who told you who they are.

                A PlayStation fiesta of characters and hodgepodge of borrowed game mechanics blend seamlessly. While it may sound as if the game just copies the homework of all the games that came before it, that is simply not the case. Astro Bot takes every lesson these previous works taught, and precisely refines them with both overwhelming charm and genre re-defining innovation. The DualSense controller becomes an extension of the game as its haptic feedback technology allows the player to feel every step and jump Astro takes, with the sensation changing on every surface. The controller’s built-in speaker acts as surround sound to the world. Upbeat audio tracks, audible footsteps, interactive and combative noises all blend into a symphonic atmosphere that pulls you through each level.

                Working in tandem with this are unique abilities specifically designed for each level, keeping each one feeling fresh. One standout being a Mouse power-up in a level titled Downsize Surprise. This ability sees Astro shrinking down to the size of a mouse and growing back to normal size at the command of a button. Not only does Astro’s height change, but the force perspective of the world changes with him. Allowing the tiny hero to parkour up leafy vines, ride floating bubbles, and zip across clotheslines that he would be too large to do at normal size. I found myself having ‘ah-ha’ moments repeatedly when it came to these power-ups. After spending time with one and getting used to it, players will find themselves in a different level using the same ability in a completely different way. For example, in one level Astro needs to turn into a metal ball in order to roll across beds of spikes, while another uses the ball ability to prevent Astro from being crushed by the jaws of a crocodile.

                Pastiche creates an overwhelming sense of nostalgia. Innovation in audio and physics make for an all-around good gaming experience. And when it all collides, you are presented with some of the best moments the game has to offer. Two of these moments stand out to me in particular.

                The first comes near the end of the first galaxy Astro visits. For context, each galaxy has a boss you will face at the end in order to obtain an item used to progress the story. The first galaxy, Gorilla Nebula, has you facing off with a giant mechanical gorilla named Mighty Chewy. It is in the last level before the boss fight, titled Construction Derby, that the player has their first encounter with the beast. The level sees Astro jumping and dashing through a live construction site atop a bunch of cranes and skyscrapers. Then suddenly the camera rotates and stills, transforming the level into a 2D side-scroller with Mighty Chewy chasing Astro with an open hand, ready to crush. I couldn’t help but draw a comparison between this and the original Donkey Kong arcade game. This comparison is further drawn when you actually clash with the behemoth who starts throwing items in the player’s path, to prevent Astro from reaching him. It’s in this moment that if you realized where the inspiration for this fight came from, you will find yourself breathtakingly admiring just how far video games have come.

                The second highlighted moment comes after Mighty Chewy has been vanquished. This is when you learn that there are not only special bots, but each galaxy has a special level completely inspired by a PlayStation game or series. These unique one-off levels also see Astro transmogging his abilities and appearance by borrowing an item from the character who inspired the special level. The attention to detail in these levels left me mesmerized. There were so many surprising elements that I was utterly confused as to how they pulled it off. Somehow, you were no longer playing Astro Bot, but were fully immersed in whatever game the developer wanted you to be in. Yet, the whimsical playfulness and cute charm was still there dancing perfectly in tune with another game without stepping on any toes.

                The first of these levels allows Astro to borrow the Leviathan Axe from God of War’s Kratos. An electric-pop re-mix of a GoW soundtrack sets the mood. You press the R2 button to use your ability and it flies through the sky. Alas, it does not return. Anybody familiar with the game that gave life to this special level instantly understands what to do. The Leviathan Axe is thrown and recalled in the same manner as the aforementioned title. The sneaky green glow of Odin’s ravens can be obliterated. You blow into the mic of the DualSense, replicating the horn being blown to call upon the World Serpent. You smash three bell shaped enemies in a perfect line, as if they were preventing you from opening a chest. The axe is stuck into columns, freezing them in place to platform up. You never want levels like these to end. But when they do, you are driven to continue Astro’s journey in hopes you’ll run across another like it.

                Astro Bot reaches towards perfection as it somehow flies close to the sun, with no fear of melting wings. The game is intended for a younger or family-based audience. It’s the type of game you would typically have no choice but turn to Nintendo for. A welcome to the PlayStation family, that normally pushes out more mature content. But don’t get it twisted; this game is an amazing experience for casual and hardcore gamers alike. Level design walks an invisible tightrope between fun and challenge, accommodating both groups. And for those who would like to face an even higher difficulty, already announced DLCs will be adding more challenge levels and speed trials along with some new special bots.

                While the protagonist may seem plain in design compared to a mustached plumber or chilidog eating hedgehog, Astro is memorable in his own rights. I have said a lot of words, but none truly capture the emotions of curiosity and bliss felt while playing. Gameplay Programmer, Akira Ishii speaks on this better than I ever could. He explains, “This ASTRO BOT is a love letter to our game fans…We created this game with love, and we hope the love letter reaches everyone”. That love and heart that the developers bled into the game, left me with a smile on my face the entire time. And after obtaining the game’s coveted platinum trophy and moving on to something new, I couldn’t help but feel as if I had said goodbye to a dear friend. As I reflect on the memories shared with the bot, I could not view Astro Bot as anything other than a masterpiece. I only hope my friend is ready to collect some well-deserved trophies of his own.

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