I haven’t exactly had an authenticDisney Lorcanaexperience so far. Then again, with the relative scarcity of cards available, maybe nobody has. I’d had my eye on Lorcana since it was revealed, wanting to get into a card game but struggling with the idea of jumping into a hamster wheel already in motion, and being a cringeDisneyAdult (I’m looking at the Little Mermaid ears in my office as we speak) meantLorcana was the perfect TCG for me. As Rise of the Floodborn sees wide release, I’ve been able to get my hands on some packs, and I’ve missed this feeling.
Though I had kept a lookout for Lorcana for a long while, my colleagues Eric Switzer and Joe Parlock, whojointly wrote our review of The First Chapter and the game overall, had far more expertise than I. So I lived vicariously through them as new cards and mechanics were revealed, and they speculated as to what they could all mean. Then as we knew enough to build decks and as early cards were sent out, I watched those two learn the game and pass those teachings on to me, likesage hermits on the outskirts of the village passing knowledge down to the children.
It was an ordeal, as many of you will remember, to preorder The First Chapter. Or order The First Chapter. Or otherwise acquire The First Chapter in any way. I eventually found a store that had them in stock, and bought myself the starter decks. It was a way to ensure I’d have enough cards to play with my wife, whilenot going wild splashing the cash for drawings of Elsa. Then, before the game came out, I went wild splashing the cash for drawings of Elsa and managed to secure a Trove and an Elsa deckbox.
That seemed like a sensible amount - full decks and then a Trove’s worth of packs to beef it up. I was set. I mean, was I even going to play that much? That was good, right? That was good. Except it was delivered when I was away working at Gamescom, my wife sending me the photo of all those cards waiting to be opened when I got back. I had planned on heading to the Lorcana booth at Gamescom to getthe limited edition card, but you only had to take a selfie with Mickey Mouse for that. I didn’t need to buy cards.
On the first day, I bought five packs of cards. But I mean, it was kind of for work, right? I sent photos to my wife, and she told me how excited she was to play. She didn’t have a deck box, so I figured I’d go back the next day and get her a Captain Hook deck box… but there must have been an error at the cashier because they also gave me five more packs? Weird. I went back to complain about this shoddy cashiership the next day and ended up with another five, what the heck? I eventually left Gamescom having bought 25 packs of cards.
I had a great collection, and loved playing with other staff from TheGamer atGamescom, learning the rules more practically, and was able to add to it when I got home with that Trove. I ended up just a handful short of a full set:Tinker Bell, Giant Fairy; Belle, Strange but Special; Mickey Mouse, Brave Little Tailor; Beast, Wolfsbane; andJohn Silver, Alien Pirate.
Yeah,I don’t have Big Tink. Me!And they say there’s justice in this world…
I had a solid set of cards and a lot of dupes that allowed me to build some formidable decks to share with friends and play together. But as the dust settled and the wait for The Rise of Floodborn grew, I couldn’t help but feel as though I was missing out a little. I started wandering into the sorts of stores that might sell Lorcana while I was out and about, but it was all out of stock. I got it all in one go, and with limited interest in getting hardcore into the scene (playing with friends served me just fine), it felt like I was on pause until Floodborn rolled around.
Of course, as you’ll likely also remember,getting our hands on Flooborn hasn’t been any easier. In fact, despite Lorcana’s popularity being more established by now, it has been far harder. Many of the online retailers have permanently shown their supply as out of stock, and that has not updated yet even with the full rollout. However, one store did allow you to preorder just three booster packs, and those arrived today.
Soon they will all be mine…
The scarcity of the packs did make them feel special, so I understand why companies sometimes play with availability to drive up demand. It also wasn’t a huge eruption of cards at once, nor the steady stream of Gamescom. I don’t know when I’ll get my hands on more cards to start making a new deck. All I know is these three packs are reminding me of the joy of Lorcana, and that sometimes, less is more.
I don’t think my pulls are even that great.I live for Princess Decks, and these three packs between them only gave me Mulan, Free Spirit and Raya, Headstrong, neither of which are the best version of those characters in this set. I also got Enchantress, Unexpected Judge, which looks cool, and bothJudy Hopps, Optimistic Officer and Pawpsicleto give mean in-road to the meta. But mostly, it’s just nice to open cards again.
Eventually,the supply and demand chain will sort itself outandI’ll be able to buy Lorcana cards freelyand have to remember to budget. But after feast and famine, this tiny morsel reminds me of why I enjoy it so much in the first place.
