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Disney Lorcana dropped the 9th set in their magically charged trading card game earlier this month, bringing with it a slew of new and old cards as well as the biggest shake up to gameplay since its first set. Having now spent some time with the new set, a range of products on offer as well as the effect of card rotation on gameplay mechanics, it’s time to give my opinion on how Fabled lines up with what we’ve seen so far from Disney Lorcana.
Fabled launched with the standard product line up Lorcana fans have grown to know and love. With Booster packs, two new Starter Decks, the Illumineer Trove, new Deck Sleeves as well as two new Playmats, it followed in its brethrens’ footsteps of some good looking trading card game accessories and must haves. Fabled’s sleek minimalistic, beige design across this slew of products compliments the overarching ‘new slate’ meaning behind this set. Prior to launch it was deemed as a celebration set – a set of old and new cards, marking a major milestone for the Disney TCG in the way of its first card rotation (for the new TCGers, that meant the first 1-4 sets being deemed as unplayable in standard play).
As an avid Disney Lorcana player and collector, I was a bit apprehensive of the idea of Fabled when the first wave of set information was announced. An entire set made up of 171 reprinted cards and only 33 new cards made the collector in me sigh a little and ponder whether it would be worth a whole new binder and dedication to collecting 204 cards where 171 were ones I had already in a few other binders. But the player in me was very eager for the shake up.
Card Rotation meant a clean slate for gameplay, which after 8 sets released in a matter of just over 12 months, you could probably imagine the chaos that has riddled our shores and the scurry for some of the core, must have cards for some playable and competitive decks. We’re not talking 10 person pile ons at your local Costco or EB Games like our Pokemon cousins, but nonetheless still a difficult time for those newer to the game to come by such cards, let alone fork up the price that the TCG market had deemed them. Fabled was the answer to such a situation – allowing those newcomers and late arrivals a chance to get the game changing cards, whilst also rotating out some of the cards that had become a bit too overpowered than planned for – meaning a shake up and clean palette for Disney Lorcana’s gameplay.
Having spent a few weeks now with the set, I must say both the player AND collector in me have had such a fun time with this set, more than the previous ones. I’m not exactly sure what it is – maybe it’s the new rarities included in Fabled in the way of Epics, which have been a nice step between the standard high rarity of Legendary cards and the oh-so-shiny and sort after Enchanted cards, giving that pack opening dopamine hit more often; or maybe it’s been the nostalgia of seeing older cards in the way of reprints and actually being able to collect playsets of them this time around – I’m still trying to pinpoint the exact element giving this new, fresh TCG rush, but I’m glad for it either way!
We were lucky enough to get our hands on a few of the Fabled products currently out, thanks to Disney and Ravensburger, so have spent a good deal of time with what’s on offer for both old and new players. Cracking open a Fabled Illumineer Trove was an absolute delight! For those new to Lorcana, an Illumineer Trove is a box of goodies to get you set up to play, collect and organise. Inside a trove are a range of accessories to help you get starter – 8 Booster Packs, A Lore Counter, Damage Dice, Card Dividers and the box itself for Storage. Out of the full product line up I would definitely recommend any newcomer (and more established Lorcana fans) to grab a trove to get things started. I did a whole unboxing video of the experience which you can view here and see the fun for yourself, not to mention one of the beautiful, new playmats on offer in the way of Cinderella:
Speaking of getting things started, the two new starter decks for Fabled are a great way for those looking at getting into the playing side of Disney Lorcana to kick things off! The options this time round are the Amber (Yellow) and Sapphire (Blue) deck or the Ruby (Red) and Emerald (Green) deck.
The Amber Sapphire deck has a Disney Princess theme to it, featuring fan favourites like Mulan, Ariel, Belle, Cinderella, Aurora and more. Those players wanting to harness some princess power will love jumping into this deck – with some solid tips and advice videos from the Lorcana community on what to add to this starter deck to ramp things up even more and have your opponents beg for a royal pardon.
As for the Ruby Emerald deck, this one highlights not only a lot of the newer cards from the Fabled set, but the latest, beloved franchise brought into the game – The Goofy Movie. That’s right, you can hit your opponent with a board full of rocking memories in the way of Max Goof, Powerline and that catchy, catchy song, I2I. It’s the first time players have also seen the ‘Singer’ ability in the way of Ruby cards, so if you’re keen for not only some Goofy fun, but to bring a little surprise to your opponents then this deck may be the headliner for you!
All in all, Fabled in my opinion is a key set for any level of Disney Lorcana fan. Whether you’ve been in this TCG since day one, only recently got into it in the last few months or are a total newbie to not only this Disney fun, but to the TCG world – Fabled is worth the look at and is definitely full of Disney magic. I’m eager to see how the gameplay evolves from here post-rotation with both Set Championships coming up for Local Game Store leagues, as well as the first AUNZ competitive tournament for Season 2 kicking off in Auckland, New Zealand at the start of November. Both levels of competition are sure to showcase what players here Down Under are hitting the tables with, and help the rest of the community learn the ins and outs of what cards have made their way to the core cards needed in this new Fabled world.
Disney Lorcana Fabled is now available at your local game stores, as well as some major retailers. Check in with your local game stores too for information on learn to play sessions, weekly league and more if you’re looking for more ways to play. Wanting to connect with more Lorcana fans? Join @JustJakeAU on socials for more Lorcana fun.