Surprising Disney Lorcana decks dominate largest tournament so far

A shift in the meta has players anxious for Rise of the Floodborn.

Image of Hades on boat in underworld piloted by skeleton with hands reaching out of fire river
Hades Lord of the Underworld | Image via Ravensburger/Disney

Over 250 Disney Lorcana players competed in the largest The First Chapter tournament to date this past weekend at the PPG MiamiCon TCG event, with variants of the Amber/Steel deck dominating the meta. 

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Heading into the release of Rise of the Floodborn next month, Disney Lorcana players showed off what they thought were the best decks within the Constructed meta at MiamiCon TCG, hosted by PPG through the Lorcana OP Tour. The Amber/Steel deck had been making waves at various local game store events over the past month, alongside other meta builds like Ruby/Amethyst, Sapphire/Emerald, and Sapphire/Amber. And the build’s power was on full display over the weekend at the Miami tournament.

Image of Amber Steel Lorcana deck by Jose Feliciano
Amber Steel by Jose Feliciano | Image via Ravensburger/Disney/Inkdecks

Within the top 16 performing decks at the PPG Lorcana OP tour in Miami were nine Amber/Steel decks, according to the standings. And in the top eight, there were five Amber/Steel decks. The only deck that came close to competing against Amber/Steel was Ruby/Amethyst Control. 

Earning first at the largest Disney Lorcana tournament to date was Jose Feliciano, piloting an Amber/Steel deck that included three copies of Hades, Lord of the Underworld—which is one of my favorite cards in The First Chapter. The four-drop unInkable Rare reanimates a Character from your discard pile to hand upon entering play. Ariel, Spectacular Singer is an ideal target, along with Beast, Rapunzel, Stitch, and Tinker Bell. 

Other Amber/Steel versions like the build piloted by second-place finisher Gabriel Torres added Tinker Bell, Tiny Tactician for card advantage and to give Tinker Bell, Giant Fairy a Shift target. And Alexander Gonzalez, who placed eighth, used techs like one copy of Part of Your World and two copies of Aladdin, Cornered Swordsman. 

Image of Ruby Amethyst deck by Rene Tetuanui
Ruby Amethyst deck by Rene Tetuanui | Image via Ravensburger/Disney/Inkdecks

The best Ruby/Amethyst Lorcana deck at the PPG Miami tournament was piloted by Rene Tetuanui, which leaned into the Magic Broom and Micky Mouse, Wayward Sorcerer synergies. Much like Hades in the Amber/Steel decks, Magic Broom reanimates a Character from any discard pile. But instead of ending up in hand, the Character gets shuffled back into that player’s deck. 

Much of the Disney Lorcana meta is slated to change in the coming weeks, though, with the launch of Rise of the Floodborn on Nov. 17 through local game stores. An official retailer launch will take place on Dec. 1.

Author
Image of Danny Forster
Danny Forster
Staff writer, lead beat writer for MTG and TFT
Danny has been writing for Dot Esports for over five years, first as a freelancer and now as a staff writer. He is the lead beat writer for Magic: The Gathering and Teamfight Tactics. Danny is also a solid Monopoly GO player, having beaten every main event without spending a dime. When Danny isn't writing or gaming, he's chilling by the water in Spacecoast Florida with his family and friends. He's always got a tan, because touching grass is important, and loves playing strategic digital and tabletop games. Past outlets Danny has written for include TheGamer and ScreenRant.