Local game stores provided trading card gamers a chance to fully experience Disney Lorcana: The First Chapter following its global big retailer launch on Sept. 1 through casual league play that featured direct match-ups and multiplayer pods.
Despite a global shortage of Disney Lorcana products following The First Chapters’ launch on Sept. 1, the lack of cards hasn’t slowed down players from gathering and competing against one another. Tournaments hosted by PPG at the Nan Desu Kan convention this past weekend and the upcoming MiamiTCG event have showcased a developing meta.
Players are testing that meta out on Pixleborn. And for those who can’t make the trip to conventions or want the tabletop TCG experience, local game stores are running casual league play through Ravensburger and Disney Lorcana’s first organized play model.
The first organized play model for Disney Lorcana encourages both competitive and casual gameplay. Players earn points by attending, winning matches, and “participating in other activities,” according to Ravensburger. The “other activities” are casual play modes, like a multiplayer pod.
Unlike the MTG Commander format which has decks built around a commander and its color identity, Disney Lorcana multiplayer is a wild-west free-for-all. But it still manages to capture Commander gameplay feels by naturally incorporating politics, allegiances, and some healthy trash talk.
I was fortunate to have grabbed some The First Chapter cards on Aug. 18 and had time to play at my local game store last weekend for the first time in the league. Due to a lack of cards, most played with slightly altered Starter Decks while I crafted a jank reanimation build. When it came to multiplayer pods, though, we all used slight variations of the Disney Lorcana Starter Decks. And the decks performed even better than they do during direct matches.
Alliances were quickly formed against the Amber/Amethyst decks while it was a straight-out-of-the-box Emerald/Ruby deck that won the pod. The entire league play experience was immensely enjoyable, even though I lost every game I played.
Players who are interested in experiencing multiplayer Disney Lorcana gameplay can search for a participating local game store on the Ravensburger site. The gameplay is casual and Ravensburger has provided stores with a full kit that includes prizes like booster packs, promo cards, pins, and more,
