With the third Disney Lorcana set, Into the Inklands, mere weeks away, publishers Ravensburger have made some very exciting announcements for products and events in 2024.
Not only have they announced Disney Lorcana TCG Gateway – a new set intended for players to learn Disney Lorcana as they play – but they’ve also revealed plans for local and regional tournament events!
So let’s take a look at what’s on the cards for Disney Lorcana.
What is Disney Lorcana TCG Gateway?
With Disney being one of the biggest brands on the planet, it’s perhaps no wonder that Lorcana, the first Disney trading card game (or TCG), has been so successful.
The power of the brand has seen Lorcana drawing new players and fans of all ages to the game, which could well be their first ever experience of TCGs.
Us longer term TCG players forget just how daunting it can be to learn how to play TCGs if you’ve never seen them before; years of playing Magic: The Gathering, Pokemon, and other games has trained us to pick up on certain, familiar mechanics and game ideas.
Absolute beginners or simply very young players may well feel out of their depth when it comes to Lorcana, as simple and streamlined as it may seem to veteran players, or even those of us with a bit of experience of tabletop gaming beyond Monopoly.
Though Lorcana has done very well thus far with its Starter Decks and straightforward rules, it’s definitely not a bad idea to widen the audience for the game, or encourage players to dive a bit deeper into its mechanics than they may have the confidence for right now.
Which is where Disney Lorcana TCG Gateway comes in.
Though there are currently no images for Disney Lorcana TCG Gateway, we do know is that it’s a set that’ll come packaged with enough cards for two players to each make their own 60 card deck.
However, they’ll start the experience by playing against each other with decks of 30 cards.
Then, in a very clever touch, as they progress through the different stages of learning game concepts and mechanics, players will steadily be able to add more cards to their deck.
Eventually, each player will have a full, 60 card deck that they’ll know inside out, which they can then use exactly as they are or as a basis to improve upon through deck building.
The Disney Lorcana TCG Gateway set will also include a game board with two character standees. Though no further details have been released on this aspect of the product, we can safely assume that it’ll be used to track Lore totals and possibly even Ink.
Disney Lorcana TCG Gateway has a release date of 8th August, with an RRP of $24.99/£22.99. This is particularly notable, as single player Starter Decks of 60 card currently sell for $17.99/£17.99.
Though Starter Decks do have a booster pack included, in addition to a full 60 card deck, it still seems like the Disney Lorcana TCG Gateway will be great value – and it’ll provide a similar, friendly and accessible way to learn and continue playing, in the same way that the Pokemon Battle Academy does for the Pokemon TCG.
What Local Lorcana Tournament Events Have Been Announced?
Disney Lorcana has had local event support from the beginning, as well as having Ravensburger foster a great relationship with independent game stores by consistently providing them with product releases two weeks ahead of mainstream, mass market retailers.
Yet now, they’ve announced a slightly different way that they’ll treat in store, organised play events going forward, with Set Championships.
The first of these is due to be the Into the Inklands Championship, which is due to begin in April 2024.
Approved stores will be able to host these events, which will see players able to use Into the Inklands cards to compete for exclusive prizes.
The top four winners of each store event will receive an exclusive Stitch, Rock Star card; excitingly, it’ll be a card that’s at the highest level of rarity in Lorcana: Enchanted.
You can check out more details on Enchanted cards in our handy guide to Disney Lorcana Card Rarity.
The top two winning players at each event will also take home an exclusive Stitch, Rock Star play mat.
The cards and play mats will only be available as prizes in these events, so they’re no doubt going to be highly sought after for Lorcana fans!
What Regional and Worldwide Lorcana Tournament Events Have Been Announced?
As it’s still a new entry to the TCG arena, with players also having difficulty getting their hands on cards, thanks to demand significantly outstripping supply, Disney Lorcana has been bereft of organised, major tournaments.
However, that’s set to change, as Ravensburger have announced the Disney Lorcana Challenge.
Regional events will be held, allowing players to qualify for either the North American or European Championships.
Lorcana’s first Worldwide Championship event will then follow in 2025.
Though there are no more concrete details on these events, we do know that the launch of the regional events will begin in May 2024. If this piques your interest, you’d better get started on polishing up those deck building skills and strategies!
When Will New Disney Lorcana Sets Be Released?
Into the Inklands, the third set for Lorcana, is launching in independent, specialist game retailers on 23rd February, 2024. Mass market retailers will receive their stock for launch on the 8th of March.
You can take a look at our guide on Into the Inklands Products and where to buy; we’d highly recommend pre-ordering, as both The First Chapter and Rise of the Floodborn have sold out pretty quickly following their own launches!
Ravensburger have now confirmed release dates for subsequent sets throughout 2024, though no names or other information has been confirmed.
Set 4 will be released on the 17th of May, set 5 on the 9th of August and, finally, set 6 on the 15th of November.
It’s highly likely that the sets will also follow the same patterns in terms of first releasing into specialist stores, then mass market retail two weeks later, but we will of course be able to confirm this as more updates are released.
So stay tuned to Card Gamer for more details and news on Disney Lorcana as it arrives!
