Disney Lorcana Shimmering Skies Starter Decks Review

Thanks to our good friends at Ravensburger, we had the opportunity to look at the brand new Disney Lorcana decks for the Shimmering Skies expansion. Like with the last set, the actual game of Lorcana is not being drastically changed, although new cards with varying abilities are keeping us interested in the trading card game a year after launch!

The two new decks, A Roaring Guest List featuring many characters from the Lion King, and Ready to Let Loose, featuring lots of characters from Frozen 2, are some of the best decks to be released yet. The Frozen themed deck, specifically, is probably the strongest pre-constructed deck that Ravensburger has released for the game – in our plays with these decks, this one often beat custom built decks, which is saying a lot!

As always, it’s good to remind ourselves what comes in these decks, and why they are a great starting spot for prospective Lorcana players!

• A 60-card deck, where two of the cards are foil
• A player’s guide booklet with rules and a quick-reference turn-order
• A small paper play mat
• A lore tracker token and 11 damage tokens
• A Shimmering Skies booster pack with 12 extra cards

One criticism of Disney Lorcana starter decks since the release of the second chapter of cards was that the starter decks contained a mixture of new cards and old cards. Honestly, this makes a lot of sense because as new cards are released, they work well with older cards and make more sense as a complete deck. Still, Ravesnburger has heard the criticisms of their starter decks, and the Shimmering Skies release includes starter decks that are completely comprised of cards from this brand new set.

While I am on the fence about this, because I think a mixed deck is a better deck, I do understand why fans of the game prefer to get a handful of brand new cards. Not only are they great for supplementing collections for future deck building, they are also a great way to learn any new ideas, synergies, or mechanics that might be introduced with this set. I see the value on both sides, I suppose.

With this release, players get to experience two different deck setups and strategies, which I think is really great. I’ve always hoped that Ravensburger would include a small pamphlet with starter decks that outlined what kind of deck it was, and how it could be valuable. It would be a great educational opportunity to give players even more information about the game and how it can be played. For example, with these two starter decks, we get one that is great for throwing down mid-game combos and another that is great at controlling the board with Rush and Evasive cards. Understanding the difference between a Control Deck and a Combo Deck is a key ingredient for building great custom decks. Without some major help from the Internet, it might be hard for casual or new players to understand these concepts.

Still, the fact that Ravensburger is releasing unique decks each and every chapter is  fantastic. Unlike other TCGs where the decks just seem to highlight certain cards, Lorcana decks ALWAYS seem to adhere to a specific play style, even if it’s not stated anywhere. As far as I’m concerned, I hope they keep this up with future releases.