Shimmering Skies - Lorcana Review
Disney Lorcana has hit its fifth wave with the release of Shimmering Skies, a milestone that also brings the card pool to in excess of 1000 cards just in time for the games one year anniversary. With such a convergence of milestones, you might think Shimmering Skies is here to upheave the current Lorcana format with something massive like new card types, keywords and the like. Instead, Shimmering Skies focuses on character introductions and deck refinement as places like Australia finally catch up to the US release schedule.
A huge array of product was sent to Player2 in preparation for the Shimmering Skies launch, with everything item available represented. A card folio, Tiana sleeves and matching deck box, an Encanto playmat, a Shimmering Skies Trove box, numerous boosters and the Amethyst and Ruby Starter Deck allowed us to dive in to the gameplay changes but also get an idea about how best to accessorise when getting deeper into the Lorcana system.
Shimmering Skies introduces characters from Wreck-it-Ralph to the Lorcana universe, represented heavily in across 15 cards of the Ruby aspect of the Starter Deck we received, while Frozen 2 makes up almost the same card count of the Amethyst aspect. This is an interesting deck to field, with a push/pull between the card draw and enemy exertion focus of the Amethyst half while Ruby emphasises Rush characters (these can act the turn they are played) and Evasive characters. Feeling like a mid-tempo deck at my current skill level, it’s one that would benefit from some tweaking to get things done a little faster as in my plays it suffered against quicker decks. There are definitely some interesting synergies to be had in this Starter but a few plays will reveal areas for improvement. Lorcana consistently uses its Starter composition to provide solid gameplay experiences while encouraging exploration of deck construction in a way that feels rewarding as players solve the ‘puzzle’ of a Starters weaknesses. In terms of overall Lorcana meta, Ruby/Amethyst remains one of the top ranked Ink combinations, with Shimmering Skies providing the first Starter Deck to combine these two Inks officially. It remains to be seen if this particular combo will remain competitive going forward, but it’s a nice way to give players a chance to check out the possibilities of these two Inks, especially if they have Starters and boosters from prior waves which will significantly expand their deck construction options to the tune of 170+ cards at minimum.
Art wise, Shimmering Skies continues to maintain the high standard set by the waves before it across the board, with Dreamborn and Floodborn designs allowing the designers and artists to go wild with Character versions. That’s not to say that Storyborn cards are a disappointment by comparison as many of these are quite striking indeed. While there are smatterings of other IP woven throughout Shimmering Skies, it’s The Sword in the Stone, The Lion King and Robin Hood that seem most heavily represented across almost all Ink colours. While this is sure to please some players running thematic decks using these characters and settings, it’s also a reminder that even 1000+ card in, there is a wealth of Disney IP yet to be touched by Lorcana. While Pocahontas and Rescue Rangers are confirmed in the near future and Pixar properties have been promised for 2026, there are still huge gaps to be filled. Outside of the new characters in this Wave, I found the new Chromicon Item cards interesting, as these highlight the particular strengths of their respective Ink colour and could work well to increase synergy when leaned into. Having not run an Item heavy deck yet, these are a welcome addition when I want to experiment with such a build.
Outside of new cards, Lorcana players are also spoilt for choice with the accessories available now, many of which didn’t make their way into Australia during our ‘catch-up’ era. Two playmat designs are available – Belle and Casa Madrigal, each of which features a high-quality art print on neoprene and a grippy rubber backing. Especially if playing with unsleeved cards, a neoprene mat is almost mandatory and these serve their purpose well, albeit the lack of a dedicated Lore counter as part of the design a slight let down, if one that’s understandable given the varying Lore counts proposed by upcoming draft variants.
The full-art premium sleeves and deck box are competitively priced compared to similar items in the space and will no doubt be a must-buy for many players. The sleeves feel good to the touch and despite not being a full matte product don’t provide anywhere near the glare of other sleeves. A single pack of 65 sleeves will be enough to cover a Starter deck with a few spares, while the deck box itself can hold up to 80 sleeved cards. Given the pace at which Lorcana plays, I can’t ever see myself wanting to run more than the minimum 60 cards required of a deck, but who knows where the meta can end up over time. The only slight issues present with the deck box design is the lack of a ‘cobra’ style neck on the back which would be more egregious were it designed to hold more than 80 cards.
The Shimmering Skies Illumineer’s Trove is a premium-priced product which upgrades the tactile experience of Lorcana and provides 8 booster packs and a storage solution in one. A Lore tracking disc and six 12mm D6 dice to track effects and damage are a welcome addition over the included tokens in each Starter Deck but obviously won’t cover more than a single player. An option to purchase more of the dice separately from a Trove would also be welcome, as a single Trove box can hold easily two Booster Boxes worth of cards if left unsleeved and purchasing an entire box is a better value proposition than a Trove box if purely chasing new cards. While effective for storage, it’s unfortunate that the Trove box itself isn’t quite sealed against the elements and would benefit from a coat of sealant to avoid water damage, something I discovered when rushing through the rain to a game meet-up. For a more casual player running a single deck though, the Trove box is an effective way to transport a fully sleeved deck box and a few hundred cards for deck building or tweaking.
The Lorcana card portfolio, which is the first of its kind officially, features art from The First Chapter and Rise of the Floodborn waves on either cover and can hold up to 252 side-loaded cards, sleeved or unsleeved. The generic spine art featuring the six Ink colours feels like something that will become painful for collectors in the future, but for now will work perfectly to display a full Lorcana wave while keeping it protected. Presumably the next release wave will see an Inklands folio design at minimum while Ravensburger plays catch-up with this product line for a little while. Given my already extensive collection of cards, I’m loathe to begin using the folio as a display method as it feels like it will lead me down the path of collecting mania, but for anyone already holding on to a full set of any wave this is a great way to sort and organise them in an official Lorcana capacity.
Shimmering Skies is a wave that thrusts Australian players fully into the world of Lorcana in a number of ways, most notably putting us on an even playing field for content in terms of the overall meta game, but also letting fans Down Under fully embrace the rage of accessories and upgraded items to enhance their collecting and playing experiences. It will be interesting to see where the dust eventually settles on what changes this wave brings in hindsight, but for now I’m content to perhaps finally break down my Starter Decks and become more adventurous in my deck construction experiments while I wait for some patriotic Rescuers 2 cards to be announced.
Shimmering Skies was reviewed using Lorcana products kindly gifted to Player2 by PR.
