As a longtime trading card game player with a few big fans of Disney storytelling in his household, I’ve been watching the rise of Disney Lorcana with great interest. That rise will continue this month with the two-phase release of its fourth set, Ursula’s Return, and after some hands-on time with its two intro decks, it seems this new batch of cards will continue fleshing out Ravensburger’s unique take on beloved mythology and the TCG medium.
For the uninitiated: Disney Lorcana puts players in the role of Illumineers, powerful mages who use their great imaginations and magical ink to bring their creations to life. These creations, known as glimmers, are recreations of characters and artifacts from beloved Disney franchises. The story behind the gameplay has players competing to gather the “lore” lost from the Great Illuminary, a repository of tales at the heart of the realm of Lorcana.
Glimmers of known characters are classified as either Storyborn, those lifted directly from their original tales; Dreamborn, those who represent a stronger, more fully-realized version of those original tales; or Floodborn, drastic deviations from the characters’ original destinies.
Ursula’s Return focuses on a particularly strong Floodborn glimmer of the sea witch Ursula from The Little Mermaid, who is released from the Great Illuminary and conspires to gain control over all of Lorcana. Defying her fully-realized power and sealing her away again is a struggle so big, it will spill to an entirely new product, Deep Trouble—a “TCG experience” that pits 2-4 players against a 50-card “scenario deck.”
Within the main card set itself, however, Ursula’s Return features another cohort of beloved and reimagined Disney characters, starting with those featured in the two Starter Decks.
I’ll likely bring either (or both) of these decks to the table when Deep Trouble launches alongside Ursula’s Return in independent game stores May 17.
The first of these, the Amber-Amethyst deck, will appeal to fans of recent classic Encanto. At this deck’s core is the Madrigal family, with most of the clan present, including Mirabel, her sisters, and her uncle Bruno. Even their magical home, Casita, is here as an Amethyst Location that generates a lore point at the start of your turn.
Mirabel’s Dreamborn iteration, “Gift of the Family,” buffs other Madrigal characters when she quests, while Bruno can leverage his gift of prophecy to save a character from being banished. Meanwhile, the conceited Isabela Madrigal—Golden Child prefers to be the only character to quest on your turn, but gets a buff if you play along.
The other Starter Deck from Ursula’s Return is Sapphire-Steel, and focuses on Hero glimmers. Frozen spearheads this deck with Anna—True-Hearted, a new Dreamborn version of the character as a queen who takes up the sword and shield to defend her homeland personally.
Unlike Isabela Madrigal, Anna wants to quest with other Hero cards, and will temporarily grant them an additional lore when they join forces. She also pairs nicely with Mickey Mouse—Standard Bearer, who gives another character +2 strength when he comes into play.
The returning Support, Bodyguard, and Resistant mechanics are prevalent as well, making this deck a strong contender for players who love having synergy between their cards. Characters who don’t have the Hero type tend to offer some serious utility, like healing or drawing cards.
Both premade options also include a taste of a new mechanic in Ursula’s Return: Sing Together mechanic, which allows multiple characters to exert themselves to cast a Song card instead of just one. This option is a small change that could have a genuine impact on Lorcana‘s strategy if future sets lean into it.
With these decks showcasing the power of synergy (and literal family), it seems Ursula’s Return will not only focus on a dastardly villain, but the power of friendship that can overcome her. Both include a healthy number of references to The Little Mermaid for good measure, nonetheless. I’ll likely bring either (or both) of these decks to the table when Deep Trouble launches alongside Ursula’s Return in independent game stores May 17.
From this early look, it seems Disney Lorcana is using this set to further enrich its lore, mechanics, and overall experience, as opposed to drastically expanding them with groundbreaking new features. As I mentioned ahead of the previous set’s launch, these early expansions will be critical for Ravensburger as it sets the tone and pace for the game’s future, and this seems a wise decision for the moment.
Perhaps the biggest takeaway from Ursula’s Return is “the power of friendship,” not only in the mechanics of its premade decks, but in giving the spotlight to a supplemental product highlighting how the game has always allowed for larger multiplayer groups.
My favourite thing about playing Magic: The Gathering, for instance, is the larger, more casual format I used to play with more than two friends, as opposed to that game’s more rigid, 1-on-1 Standard-play environment. Lorcana has been wired for this sort of play since day one, and Ursula’s Return will highlight that—potentially cementing it as a family game night standard for years to come.
Disney Lorcana: Ursula’s Return—available in booster packs, Illumineer’s Trove bundles, and the Deep Trouble premade experience—goes on sale on Friday, May 17 in hobby stores, and at other retailers on May 31. Click here to find a participating independent retailer in your neck of the woods, or here to learn about the game’s new competitive circuit.
