Disney Lorcana: Winterspell Set Review
When Disney and Ravensburger released a themed set, I’m all about it; dropping the Winterspell release in the dead of winter is a fantastic idea, as the cards portray that wintery, holiday theme. The cards in this set, as almost always, are fantastic, with your favourite Disney characters all decked out in their winter gear, ready for fun in the snow. But good artwork only gets a Trading Card Game so far, so let’s dive into this set and what it brings to the Disney Lorcana universe!
Winterspell lacks the flash of other sets in the Lorcana franchise, and while that might sound like a dig at this quarters release, it’s actually a big ‘ol heap of praise. Lorcana sets release rather frequently, and it’s going to be tough to continue to top what has been done in the past. And in my opinion, Winterspell isn’t really topping much, yet is one of the more enjoyable releases for me in the last little while. It’s all about balance – there are dozens of cards in this set that will work well in other Lorcana decks I’ve built, and so far making some card swaps and improving my decks has been seamless. Winterspell isn’t vastly changing anything in the world of Disney Lorcana, and I love it. There are no major meta-game changes here, nothing that will turn this game on it’s head and force new strategies. It’s just a ton of really good cards that can be used for a wide variety of deck types.
That doesn’t mean minor changes haven’t happened. Research has shown – and was highlighted to me by the Nerdist – that more often than not, the player who goes first in Lorcana generally wins. With a good one-ink card, the first player can quickly take control of the game. A new keyword has been introduced in Winterspell called “Underdog” which allows a 2-Ink card to be played for one ink less. Should your deck have enough of these populated throughout, you might just find one in your starting hand as the second player; these cards also generally have other keywords as well, which make them useful even if not used on the first turn!
For many, the new movie/TV show sets are what’s going to draw you in; that was definitely the case for me. This deck is built around three films: Mickey’s A Christmas Carol, Pocahontas, and Darkwing Duck. I found the Mickey’s A Christmas Carol cards the most nostalgic, but I was a huge fan of Darkwing Duck back in the day as well, so to see some characters from that universe begin to appear is lots of fun for me. There is also room to grow, both within Darkwing Duck and Pocahontas. The latter, especially, is missing some notable characters that should make an appearance in future sets.
The Winterspell releases is appears very deliberate to me, bringing some new franchises into the game, providing some solid cards that will work in many deck types, while also trying to fix and issue that has been present in Disney Lorcana since the beginning. This set definietly lacks some flash, and for some that might be a problem, but I quite enjoyed this release and what it brings to the Disney Lorcana universe.
Article By Adam
