Disney Lorcana – Reigning Accessories
While Reign of Jafar might have kept things fairly conservative – outside of the sublime Palace Heist – the high quality Ravensburger have delivered on previous sets is matched here with another trove of treasures and a pre-constructed duo worth adding to any collection.
Reign of Jafar – Illumineer’s Trove
The bold red of this Illumineer’s Trove contrasts sharply against the soft emerald of the Archazia’s Island release, a shelf-candy storage solution that tries to balance the needs of Collectors and Players alike. The biggest change is the full colour card well dividers, now set-themed compared to the dull black of prior Trove boxes. While it admittedly looks nice, part of me liked the consistency of the prior boxes and the dull internals helped to highlight the cards. Some odd colour choices have led to perhaps the first set of Trove dice I’ve found difficult to use, the glittered orange occasionally blending in with the inset red numbers if the lighting in your play area isn’t as bright as it should be. Another rotating Lore wheel featuring Jafar is nice, but I’m still hoping we see official Lorcana spindown d20’s in the future.
Single Player Decks
As with each pre-con since Shimmering Skies, the Amethyst/Amber and Ruby/Steel combo decks here expect a certain level of familiarity with Lorcana mechanics and make for an interesting match-up when going head-to-head. A focus on Songs in the Madrigal heavy Amber/Amethyst necessitates aggressive Lore seeking from the get-go, lest the deck get out-paced by its Ruby/Steel counterpart which will seek to Challenge at every opportunity in an effort to synergise the many Rush/Reckless/Challenge bonuses it features. Of note is the fact that neither deck is particularly geared up for the higher difficulty levels of Palace Heist, so players wanting to start out with four player co-op using just the decks available in the Reign of Jafar wave will still likely need to bolster their decks with Boosters if they hope to secure a Hard victory against the evik Sorcerer. Often priced around $24.95AU, Lorcana Single Player Decks remain a great investment for kitchen table players like myself with some incentive for collectors – the ‘included Booster’ model seems to have worked so well Star Wars Unlimited has even cribbed it for their latest waves, so well done to Ravensburger on that particular decision.
Playmats and More
Unlike previous content waves, there were no sleeves or deckboxes forthcoming despite now being available through retail channels. I had at one point wondered whether these items would continue production – sleeves and deckboxes are some of the few Lorcana items still manufactured in China – given ongoing issues with tariff rates. While Reign of Jafar managed to get there in the end with these items, it remains to be seen whether Fabled will be so lucky. Fortunately, playmats were still aplenty and Hades makes a thematically appropriate villainous appearance in this wave alongside the Rescue Rangers, again providing a high-quality surface on which to conduct Lorcana play. Like a broken record I’m pining once again for an official acrylic token set like those found in Star Wars Unlimited and unlicensed capacity across the internet for MtG, but with enough d6’s or varying colours I’ve managed to make it work.
It’s a great time to be a Lorcana fan, with Ravensburgers ongoing support making it an easy choice as the primary TCG for my Disney-fan family. Ongoing affordability with products like Gateway, well-priced Single Player decks and options for solo and co-operative play with the excellent Palace Heist mean Year Three Lorcana, kicking off with Fabled later this month, has a lot to live up to.
