It’s time to take on the role of an Illumineer – as we make sure to get all Disney Lorcana Ink types explained for you!
Much like Magic: The Gathering has Mana, Pokemon has Energy and Achroma has Shards, Disney Lorcana also has a source of power that allows players to bring cards into play.
In the case of Disney Lorcana, that magical energy is called Ink, in keeping with the setting and themes of the game.
Also like those aforementioned card games, in Disney Lorcana the type of energy characterises the cards themselves; each fits within a broad theme and you’ll need to choose your Ink colours to fit around the characters and other cards that you want to use.
It’s worth noting that, unlike most other card games, the deck building rules in Disney Lorcana actually prevent you from using more than two different coloured Inks in a deck, so there’s no fancy six colour Ink decks possible using the current iteration of the rules.
Which Inks should you choose though?
Let’s find out, as we get all Disney Lorcana Ink types explained!
1. Amber
Covering all Ink types in alphabetical order, Amber is the first port of call for this article.
The Amber Ink type covers glimmers – that’s cards, in real world terms – which are focused, persistent and often community-minded.
Though not always leaders, they’re great at collaborating with others – as an example, the Moana of Motunui card allows you to ready all of your other Princess characters when it Quests.
Of the 34 Amber cards in The First Chapter base set, you won’t find many Villains – in fact, there’s only the Greek God of the Underworld, Hades, who appears in two different incarnations.
Otherwise, the Amber characters who tend to be on the Villain’s side in their respective stories are the henchmen or assistants – characters such as LeFou or Mr. Smee.
Not outright evil, then, but definitely not Heroes!
2. Amethyst
Amethyst Ink is much more magic-based than – for example – Amber, so you’ll find plenty of witches, wizards and other varieties of spellcaster here, along with animated objects and enchantments.
Amethyst glimmers tend to be very powerful indeed – with lots of control and manipulation of other glimmers in your hand, discard pile and in play.
As befits its darker hue, you’ll also notice that the 34 cards that use the Amethyst ink colour contain a much higher number of Villain characters.
In fact, there’s 10 Villain cards in The First Chapter’s Amethyst card selection – with Dr. Facilier, Jafar, Maleficent, The Queen, Ursula and Yzma giving this Ink many of its most powerful options!
3. Emerald
Balanced and flexible, Emerald glimmers tend to be able to cope well with changing strategies if needed.
The Emerald Ink type is well balanced between Hero and Villain characters, at least in The First Chapter, with seven Heroes and six Villain glimmers in its selection of 34 cards.
So, who can you find in the Emerald Ink colour?
Alongside characters such as Aladdin, the Genie and a few variations of Mickey Mouse (including a card that features his very first appearance in a cartoon, as a Steamboat Pilot!), you’ll also find some of the most villainous characters in Disney lore – such as Cruella De Vil, Mother Gothel and the shockingly duplicitous Hans.
Interestingly, though Dr. Facilier is an Amethyst character, his cards are an Emerald Item – which allow you to reduce the cost of other cards you bring into play.
This perhaps points to the fact that the more balanced and flexible Emerald Ink pairs well with the magic and enchantments of Amethyst.
4. Ruby
Brave, strong – and yet sometimes Reckless, which is an in-game keyword that can prove difficult to manage for a glimmer’s owner – Ruby cards have some of the best character options of all the Ink colours.
In our opinion, one of the very first cards revealed for Disney Lorcana is still one of the best – Mickey Mouse, Brave Little Tailor.
That’s because it can generate up to four Lore, has Evasive (so it can only be challenged by other Evasive characters) and has decent Strength and Willpower, at 5 for each.
It comes at a significant cost, however – Mickey Mouse, Brave Little Tailor will need 8 Ink to be cast!
Several very strong characters are Ruby Ink-powered – and, just like Mickey Mouse, Brave Little Tailor, they can often be quite costly to get into play!
Still, for players who like to build up a powerful cast of characters, Ruby is definitely a solid choice!
5. Sapphire
With five Villains and ten Heroes, Sapphire also has a great deal of choice with its characters.
The Sapphire glimmers tend to be a little more advanced, requiring some strategy and creativity to be effectively used.
Yet, like Ruby, there’s the possibility of generating plenty of Lore with Sapphire characters.
Unlike Ruby, Sapphire can move a little quicker thanks to the cheaper Ink cost of cards overall – yet they are definitely weaker in terms of their Strength and Willpower for the most part.
In Sapphire, you’ll find characters such as Aurora, Ariel and Belle – though they’ll be rubbing shoulders with more versions of Maleficent and Hades.
Incidentally, you may have noticed different keywords alongside the Ink symbol row in the middle of each card we’ve showcased here: Dreamborn, Floodborn and Storyborn.
For a heads up on what each of these terms mean, check out our Storyborn, Dreamborn, Floodborn Disney Lorcana article.
The options and lower cost that glimmers in Sapphire bring to the table make it a great complement to the slower moving, yet powerful cards in Ruby – making them a tempting choice to pair if you’re focusing on gathering Lore with lots of characters!
6. Steel
Wait, were we talking about Ruby having seriously strong characters?
Well, here comes Steel to brute force Ruby out of the conversation!
One of the most powerful characters overall in The First Chapter is a Steel character: Maui, Demigod.
With 8 Strength and 8 Willpower, Maui is a true force to be reckoned with – and this card will also generate three Lore too!
Maui, Demigod is far from the only option from this point of view though – with both Gantu, Galactic Federation Captain and Kronk, Right-Hand Man offering 6/6 when it comes to Strength and Willpower, as well as two Lore.
Gantu, Galactic Federation Captain even has a neat ability that stops Characters that cost 2 Ink or less from challenging your characters at all!
Tough, no-nonsense and featuring great support cards too, Steel seems to be a great Ink colour for beginner players.
How Do I Play Disney Lorcana?
You may have got this far, been intrigued by all the talk of Ink, Glimmers, Strength and Willpower – yet not know exactly how to play the game itself.
So we’re here to help you with that too!
Simply check out our How to Play Disney Lorcana: Trading Card Game article and get yourself armed with all of the details you need!
What Other Disney Lorcana Cards Are In The First Chapter?
Though we’ve given some examples of cards using the different types of Ink, we weren’t able to cover them all here.
Instead, you can check out the full set in our Disney Lorcana, The First Chapter Card List – which is a great resource for looking at every single option you have when it comes to the different Ink types in the game.
How Rare Is Each Card In Disney Lorcana?
Naturally, being a Trading Card Game, it’s a little more complicated than just picking and choosing the exact cards you want or need for your deck.
So you may find it useful to check out our guide to Disney Lorcana card rarity, which will let you know how likely you are to find the more powerful, highly sought after cards if you’re buying booster packs!
