With a rash of problems souring the experience of the two biggest games in the trading card game market lately, ripping into Hyperia City, the latest set in Disney Lorcana, felt like a balm for the soul. Still steeped in beautiful original art, Lorcana feels separated from some of the worst factors weighing down this particular corner of the tabletop gaming market. Plus, there’s so much to enjoy about Hyperia City, the game’s 14th set, from the Disney properties it draws upon to the ways it shakes up basic gameplay foundations.
That being said, the future isn’t necessarily promised to be all sunshine and rainbows. Next year could be pivotal for the game, as some potentially drastic changes are in store for better or worse. In this way, Hyperia City is like a culmination for the current era of the game, as it prepares to bravely embark upon new frontiers in the next two sets, and a feather in the game’s hat for another strong calendar year.
So, here are the things that have us excited for the proper launch of Hyperia City (and both excited and nervous for next year of Disney Lorcana):
Digital Play Is Coming
It’s not actually related to Hyperia City itself, but right as the hype engine for the new set kicked into gear, Ravensburger gave fans some news at D23 that they’ve been waiting a very long time for: a digital version of the game is coming soon to mobile and desktop.
A Disney Lorcana app has existed from day one, and is a great resource for looking up cards and even tracking the score in games. However, the game itself has been missing a way to play virtually, either against other players or a computerized opponent. Thanks to Magic: The Gathering and Pokemon Trading Card Game‘s long history of digital adaptations—including the success of their present apps, Magic Arena and PTCG Live—such an aid almost feels mandatory for a TCG in 2026.
App versions are a great way to introduce new players to the game and teach them the rules. It’s also a handy option when you can’t play in person, or want to test out a deck before assembling it physically (especially when the cards you want to test are prohibitively expensive). A digital iteration will surely help introduce a whole new world of Disney fans to the game… whenever it arrives.
A Motley Crew
Each of Disney Lorcana‘s sets will appeal to different people for different reasons, from gameplay mechanics to creative inspirations, or even for which Disney movies or series are featured prominently. I admit some of my favourite sets so far have been those that feature the most beloved properties in my household—Shimmering Skies was exciting for adding Wreck-It Ralph, while you can’t go wrong with more Frozen or Beauty and the Beast glimmers, and of course, good ol’ “Mickey-de-Mouse” (as Pete would say). Hyperia City has one of the more interesting ensembles of franchises in a Lorcana set to-date, though.
Coco is the big focus this time around, as the new Disney franchise getting the big spotlight. Then you also have strong presences for Big Hero 6 and The Sword in the Stone, representing the broad academic range of the M.A.G.I.C. academy in town, a school for both techn—ology and magic. There’s also the complete cast of The Aristocats to bring a taste of city life, many of the Disney Princesses show up to show the metropolis’ social scene, and updated cards for Zootopia show up to connect the card game to the recent box office smash sequel. And while Mickey and Minnie are present, they aren’t taking up much space for a change.
In terms of design and the franchises covered, Hyperia City is firing on all the right creative cylinders. I have several different decks I want to experiment with now, and not just limited to the franchises I know and like already—like full Aristocats or Big Hero 6 decks—but also franchises I’m less invested in, like A Goofy Movie and the epic Powerline—Megastar, who could make Singer decks explode. There’s something new and something old for everyone here, and it’s not the same old tricks that the game often goes back to.
Reinventing The Inkwell
Unlike other TCGs, Disney Lorcana has taken its time in rolling out new card mechanics. Locations were added in the third set, Into the Inklands; dual-ink cards followed in the seventh, Archazia’s Island; and the previous set, Attack of the Vine!, played around with the Shift mechanic and putting duos of characters on single cards. Initially, I found this slow pace of mechanical expansion jarringly slow compared to my roots in Magic: The Gathering, where each set can easily throw a handful of new keywords and gimmicks at player, but I’ve come to appreciate the more laidback pace Ravensburger has employed. Each addition feels more important, and gets the time to develop.
One of the hallmarks of Hyperia City, however, has the potential to have a very big impact on the game moving forward. Many cards in the set allow players to generate “ink drop” tokens, a resource that provides an alternate way to play cards. Ink drops persist between turns until they’re used, existing outside of (and in addition to) the usual inkwell process. Not only does this give players some intriguing options for casting cards, many glimmers also interact with them in unique ways.
Each of the six coloured inks in the game have their own methods for generating and utilizing this new resource. Some characters will create tokens when they come into play, or when certain events occur (such as a card leaving play, or a glimmer questing). Other cards may have bigger, stronger effects if an ink drop is used to cast them, such as the Big Hero 6 Sapphire action Intense Research; meanwhile, Baymax—Amped Up can “Supercharge” your normal ink well, while Wasabi—Called Into Battle gets powered up so long as you have at least one drop at your disposal.
It feels like Hyperia City is just scratching the surface of this new element, and I’m curious to see how it will change up the game’s dynamics moving forward. (Keep an eye out for physical ink drop token cards in packs, or cardboard punch-out tokens in products like the Prerelease Kits, to help you represent them on the board.)
Shadows on the Horizon: Into The Inkdark
Amidst all the excitement of one set’s launch, I admit I’m a little concerned about the next set. Into the Inkdark, Disney Lorcana‘s 15th set, will release in February, and this time, the focus is on the villains. This is an area where Ravensburger shines, as proven by their successful franchise of Disney Villainous board games, and those who love the baddies (especially Hercules‘ Hades) will surely be eating well.
What I’m a little worried about is a new product debuting in this set: Collector Boosters. These are a new type of booster packs that cost more, but feature only foil cards inside. You get a higher chance of pulling Enchanted or Iconic cards, the highest two rarities, and even better, there’s yet another rarity exclusive to these boosters called Illustrious. Just when I thought Ravensburger couldn’t raise the bar for variant art much higher, they blew a hole in the ceiling, as the two Illustrious cards for Into The Inkdark (Malificent and the Evil Queen) look absolutely stunning.
Yet, what troubles me is the impact this could have on the overall market for Disney Lorcana, given the volatility of the TCG industry right now. The pull rate on Enchanted and Iconics is already too low (I feel); there is no official rarity rate published, but community polling puts the odds at pulling 1 Enchanted in every 96 packs, and 1Iconic in every 1500 packs, which means 1 in every 63-64 booster boxes or so. Iconics are stunning, from their special art to the unique foiling processes used on them, and they deserve to be rare and highly-valued… but perhaps not at such a vastly prohibitive rate.
Collector boosters will make Enchanted and Iconic cards a little more accessible, but also further crunch the issue downward by stacking another rarity on top. As of this writing, there are currently 10 printed Iconics available (about to become 12 when Hyperia City is released, adding Mickey Mouse—Best In Town and Cinderella—Unintentional Icon to the list); according to Collectr, their values range from around $1500 to $11,400 CAD. Based on this, how hard and expensive is it going to be to pull an Illustrious from these new premium boosters?
Should modest collectors just give up on hope on ever owning these, or maybe even finding packs to buy at all? It was hard to find any Disney Lorcana on shelves already earlier this year, when resellers—the same variety that have been making Pokemon a miserable experience for the last two years—desperately sought out Buzz Lightyear—Jungle Ranger from Wilds Unknown; will it be this way again come February? Will Hyperia City be the last set fans can look back on fondly for a while?
Hyperia City Itself Is Pure Disney Magic
One of the things that I love most about Disney Lorcana is the sheer spirit of creativity with which Ravensburger’s designers reimagine and reinterpret classic Disney characters. I’ve often praised the TCG for succeeding where other games like Disney MirrorVerse have gotten lazy—the depictions of beloved characters in Storyborn, Dreamborn, and Floodborn iterations are more inspired than the simple “what if Donald wore sci-fi power armour?” concepts that powered that now-delisted mobile game, and I’ve been waiting for them to do even more with these creations, perhaps starting with fiction or comics.
Ravensburger has made a great first step in this department with the Official Collector’s Guide books; each covers four sets, including pieces of very short fiction about the original Illumineer characters and the story of each expansion, alongside full card galleries. They’re a great keepsake and go a long way to bring the game’s flavour to life.
Hyperia City (the in-game setting) continues to fill me with hope that the game will continue to move forward in this department. Like Lorcana itself, it’s a microcosm of Disney’s spirit and philosophy, mixing whimsy with science to make real life magic for fans just like the Imagineers behind the theme parks have done for 70 years. Nature thrives alongside architectural marvels, and music is in the air. I hope this isn’t a quick introduction and then farewell forever, because Hyperia City seems like a great backdrop to tell more stories with the Illumineers and their various Glimmers—or dare I hope, in more substantial stories set within this universe.
