Disney Lorcana’s third set, Into the Inklands, introduces an entirely new card type to the game: Location cards.
Given that these have not been seen before in Disney Lorcana and are not referenced in the original rules, it’s important to know how to use Locations in the game, especially as we’re sure that many players will be using them.
So let’s take a close look at Location cards and how to play them, with a step by step guide!
What Does A Location Card Look Like?
Unlike all other Disney Lorcana cards, Locations are horizontal or landscape oriented, rather than in vertical or portrait orientation.
This makes them immediately distinctive and recognisable, as you can see from the Maui’s Place of Exile, Hidden Island card above.
How To Play A Location Card From Your Hand
To get a Location into play from your hand, it’s treated just like a normal card; it has an Ink cost which must be paid in order for it to be played. In the example above, you’ll see that Maui’s Place of Exile, Hidden Island has an Ink cost of 2, which we’ve highlighted with a red circle.
As with any other card, you can also use Locations as face down Ink cards, as long as they have the Ink symbol surrounding their cost. Again, this is exactly the same as any other card in the game; you can see that this symbol is present on Maui’s Place of Exile, Hidden Island from the image above.
So the trick is knowing exactly what a Location actually does, why you want it in your deck and what to do with it once it’s in your play area; this is where new rules come into effect.
How To Move Characters To Location Cards
Once a Location card is in play, you can move Character cards to them, which will then give each character a special, Location-related bonus ability or effect.
So, how do you move a Character card to a Location?
On the left hand side of the card is a move cost, which we’ve highlighted with a red circle in the above image. To move a character to a location, this cost must be paid in Ink.
Once you’ve paid the cost in the standard manner, which in this example means Exerting 1 Ink card in your Inkwell, you can choose to move a Character to the Location.
There is no limit to the number of Characters that can be moved to a Location.
Once there, a Character cannot move to another Location unless the one they’re currently on is banished, at which point all Characters there are not considered to be at a Location.
It’s also important to note that Characters cannot move to an opponent’s Location; they can only be moved to their owner’s Locations.
What Are The Pros And Cons Of Characters Being At A Location?
There are no bonuses or penalties for being at a Location, aside from whatever is printed on the card.
Maui’s Place of Exile, Hidden Island gives all Characters that move there the keyword Resist +1, which means that they reduce any incoming damage applied to them by 1 point.
Can Locations Be Challenged?
One of the most interesting things about Location cards is that their horizontal, landscape orientation means that they are, technically, permanently Exerted.
Of course, to challenge in Disney Lorcana, the card you’re challenging must be Exerted – which means that yes, Locations can be challenged!
Note that a Location does not have a Strength of its own, so when challenged it doesn’t deal damage to the challenging card.
It does, however, have Willpower, which we’ve highlighted above.
This is treated in the same way as Willpower on any other card.
Once a Location’s Willpower is reduced to zero or less, by having Damage counters applied to it that are equal or greater than its Willpower value, the card is banished and placed in the owner’s discard pile.
Damage can only be removed from Locations by a card effect if the effect specifically mentions that it also applies to Locations. Otherwise, the effect of damage removal can only be applied to Characters.
Can A Location Gain Lore?
If there are one or more Lore symbols on a Location card, that Location can gain Lore.
Though previously, Lore was usually gained by Questing Characters, Locations cannot Quest.
So instead, Locations generate their Lore during the Set step of the Beginning Phase, on their owner’s turn (with the Beginning Phase consisting of the Ready, Set and Draw steps).
In the Forbidden Mountain, Maleficent’s Castle example above, you’ll see that it has one Lore symbol – so its owner will gain one Lore per turn, during the Beginning Phase.
How Many Locations Can I Have In My Deck?
Using the standard deck building rules, it is possible to have four copies of any specific Location card in a deck, as long as they match one of the Ink colours already present in your deck.
Locations are not considered unique unless specified as such on their card, so multiple copies of the same Location can be in play simultaneously.
Will Other New Card Types Arrive In Disney Lorcana?
Into the Inklands is the third set for Disney Lorcana, and Location cards are the first new card type that have been introduced since The First Chapter was released.
It’s the perfect time for Locations to make their appearance, as Into the Inklands has a strong adventure and exploration theme; sending Characters off to new places is definitely in keeping with the feel of the set!
Though nothing further has been announced at this stage, we wouldn’t be surprised if new types of cards continue to be added to Disney Lorcana, and we here at Card Gamer will always be ready to give you the lowdown on any new additions to the game!
