Ravensburger has the new trading card game Disney Lorcan successfully launched in Germany - the sets of the trading card game with the “House of the Mouse” license are gradually arriving in online retail and at stationary specialist retailers.
Ravensburger pursues the distribution of Disney Lorcan a strategy that specialized retailers in particular can be pleased about. The Disney Lorcana sets have been available there since August 18th. Only on September 1st will all other dealers be allowed to take part. So if you're currently wondering why the online shopping giant Amazon doesn't have the new trading card game in its range yet: that's why.
“Disney Lorcana is a perfect blend of Disney magic, Ravensburger games expertise and several years of dedicated work and investment,” says Filip Francke, Ravensburger Global Head of Games and CEO North America. “So it has Disney Lorcan the potential to change the lucrative market for trading card games.” Ravensburger loudly announced the new trading card game in autumn 2022. Now, around a year later, things are already starting after the surprising announcement at the time.
Disney Lorcana: Let's Go Luminari!
The Disney Lorcan TCG fans do what they do with other trading card games: tear open packs, put together decks, discuss strategies and ultimately bring the individual decks to the table in competitive games. However, it takes experience to get this tactical. In modern trading card concepts, entry works through so-called starter sets, i.e. with prefabricated decks of cards that are intended to provide the basics.
In Disney Lorcana, players take on the role of wizards the Luminari - and use magical ink to bring a team of Disney characters to life on the gaming table. If you look at the dimensions of Magic the Gathering, Pokémon or Yu-Gi-Oh, fans familiar with the Disney universe might have doubts about the diversity. Although there are countless stories from the “House of the Mouse”, there are not a lot of iconic characters – which also act as lures in the title. So the creative minds behind the new trading card game use a trick. The highlight to keep the selection of cards as large as possible in the future: These are called “Glimmer” and appear both in a familiar form and in a completely new interpretation.
On the table it looks like this: Fans play characters, actions and items from their hand and decide whether they want to use their “glitters” to challenge their fellow players or collect legends. The first person to collect 20 legends wins.
An Smartphone App accompanies the publication and, last but not least, serves fans as a database for all available cards. The “Disney Lorcana” Trading Card Game companion app contains an overview of all cards and also offers users the opportunity to get an overview of their own card collection. You can also create a wish list of cards that users would like to add to their deck.
The deck building function offers Trading Card Game (TCG) newcomers and experienced TCG fans the opportunity to create and manage their own decks directly on their smartphone. Other highlights of the app include easy-to-access game explanations and videos, a legend counter feature, and the latest Disney Lorcana TCG news and updates. The app can be downloaded from the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store
Disney Lorcana: The First Chapter - all available sets
When it comes to the release pace, Ravensburger is more or less based on the genre standard. The Launch of Disney Lorcana is done with the first chapter, which includes more than 200 playing cards. At the start, fans collect their trading cards from three starter decks, booster packs, a gift set and the “Illumineer's Trove”.
The Starter decks consist of a balanced set of cards that players can get started with straight away. There are three different starter decks, each containing 60 cards in two of the six “ink” colors – Amber and Amethyst, Emerald and Ruby, and Sapphire and Steel. The starter decks also contain a booster pack and markers. Each booster pack consists of twelve random playing cards, including a foil card and two cards with a rare, epic or legendary rarity. The prices for the starter decks currently vary in specialist retailers: on average you can expect to pay twenty euros per starter set.
The Gift set Includes two oversized foil trading cards and two playable foil cards featuring “Mulan – Imperial Soldier” and “Hades – King of Olympus”. Four booster packs and markers are also included. The costs are around 29,99 euros, but sometimes go up to almost 50 euros.
The Illumineer's Trove will be the ultimate introduction to Disney Lorcana: The First Chapter. It contains eight booster packs, two deck boxes and a player's handbook in a themed storage box. The price is around 50 euros.
Individual boosters are also available to buy: at a price between 7,99 and 9,99 euros. Each contains 12 random cards from the set: The First Chapter. The boosters are available on the market in three different designs – with Mickey Mouse, Frozen and Maleficent on the foil cover. However, it is important to know: It is not guaranteed that a booster pack will contain cards with the character shown on the front.
If you want, you can – as is typical for the genre – dig deep into your wallet and order a whole display of boosters straight away. They are currently available for around 200 to 240 euros. It then contains 24 individually packaged boosters, which ultimately leads to an average purchase price of 8,30 to 10 euros.
As the Accessories There are also themed and illustrated play mats, card sleeves, deck boxes and folders. Card sleeves, for example, cost around ten euros and a pack contains 65 pieces. A scrapbook costs around 20 euros, as does a play mat. And the deck box with space for 80 “sleeved” cards costs just under seven euros.
Ravensburger itself published its recommended retail prices early on:
- Starter Decks
19,99 Euro (RRP) - Booster Pack
5,99 Euro (RRP) - Gift set
29,99 Euro (RRP) - Illumineer's Trove
54,99 Euro (RRP)
Basically, the following applies: demand regulates the price, especially on the secondary market. For some products from Disney Lorcan Significantly higher prices are now being paid, especially on auction platforms.
According to Ravensburger, further content will be available quarterly: “Four sets will be published each year,” the publisher announces.
Disney Lorcana: Organized Play in specialist retailers
The Organized Play program supports events on site for fans, including the game evenings in local toy stores that are well known from the TCG scene. Qualified toy retailers receive a so-called Organized Play Kit from Ravensburger with promo cards, pins and other prizes for the players. Here too, the publisher relies on well-known structures from the trading card scene.
Through these measures, Ravensburger wants to build a community around Disney Lorcana and thus support the longevity of the game. It is not uncommon for meetings to be set up in local game stores to discuss strategies and decks or exchange cards.
And: Specialized toy retailers can use the “Organized Play Kit” to organize tournaments or support Disney Lorcana league games. Players earn points primarily by playing, bringing a friend to play, or teaching someone the rules. They can then exchange these points for a prize. The contents of the Organized Play Kit support a twelve-week league play program.
A list of participating local toy retailers should be published before launch disneylorcana.com be available.
