The Lorcana Challenge in Bologna, Italy will take place on the 3rd and 4th of August. The tournament will be two days, day 1 will be a Swiss format, with 2 games and 9 rounds. Day 2 will be a top 64 best-of-3 single elimination. You can get all the information on the signup and venue here.
This article will help you prepare for the upcoming Challenge, using the data from the previous Lorcana Challenge in Fort Worth, Texas.
Bucky will not be banned for this event, so Emerald Steel is playable at its strongest. This article will quickly help you understand the Set 4 Lorcana meta and what to expect in the upcoming tournament.
1- Emerald Steel
4 Aladdin - Brave Rescuer
4 Ba-Boom!
4 Beast - Tragic Hero
4 Bucky - Squirrel Squeak Tutor
4 Diablo - Devoted Herald
4 Diablo - Maleficent's Spy
4 Donald Duck - Perfect Gentleman
4 Hidden Cove - Tranquil Haven
3 Jafar - Dreadnought
4 Let the Storm Rage On
1 Robin Hood - Beloved Outlaw
4 Robin Hood - Champion of Sherwood
4 Strength of a Raging Fire
4 Tinker Bell - Giant Fairy
4 Ursula - Deceiver
2 Ursula - Deceiver of All
2 We Don't Talk About BrunoThe Bucky Errata doesn’t take place until Set 5, so the Emerald Steel discard deck will be a popular choice in Bologna, Italy. This deck has proven to be a consistent choice in tournaments, and if you’re going to the Lorcana Challenge, you have to bring a deck that can put up a fight against it! You’ll likely face multiple players on the Emerald Steel discard deck, and knowing how the deck works and how to beat it, can be a life savor.
The Emerald Steel decks aim to play Bucky – Squirrel Squeak Tutor on the board as early as possible and start slamming Floodborn Characters to force you to discard cards from your hand. Diablo – Devoted Herald is how this deck generates resources. With Evasive, you can exert Diablo – Devoted Herald without having to worry about it getting challenged. Beast – Tragic Hero is another way to get card resources and will force opponents to damage him to shut it down.
Some lists have been adding Prince John – Greediest of All is another option to draw resources as he can also be challenging to remove off the board.
2- Ruby Amethyst
4 Be Prepared
4 Brawl
4 Chernabog's Followers - Creatures of Evil
4 Flynn Rider - Frenemy
4 Friends On The Other Side
4 Madam Mim - Fox
4 Madam Mim - Snake
2 Madame Medusa - The Boss
4 Magic Broom - Illuminary Keeper
4 Maleficent - Sorceress
4 Maui - Hero to All
4 Merlin - Goat
4 Merlin - Rabbit
4 Sisu - Emboldened Warrior
2 Sisu - Empowered Sibling
4 The Queen's Castle - Mirror ChamberThe bounce control deck is one of the safest choices to bring to a tournament. It has a chance to win against almost anything thrown at it thanks to its ability to adapt to different game plans, switching between aggressive or defensive playstyles. This deck won first place in the last Lorcana Challenge, so we might see more players picking it up as a safe choice for the event.
With Madam Mim – Fox and Madam Mim – Snake, you can return your Characters to your hand. This is useful since you have multiple Characters that benefit from being returned, activating their effects. Cards like Merlin – Goat and Merlin – Rabbit are targets you can return.
With Ruby’s control cards, you can Banish bothersome cards that enable the opponent’s game plan, slowing them down on the board and potentially putting you ahead of the opponent. Be Prepared is your strongest removal, forcing the opposing player to take a different approach to the game when you have 7 Ink ready.
3- Amber Steel
4 A Whole New World
4 And Then Along Came Zeus
4 Ariel - Spectacular Singer
4 Baloo - von Bruinwald XIII
3 Grab Your Sword
4 Lawrence - Jealous Manservant
3 Let the Storm Rage On
4 Rapunzel - Gifted with Healing
4 Robin Hood - Beloved Outlaw
4 Robin Hood - Champion of Sherwood
4 Sleepy's Flute
4 The Queen - Commanding Presence
4 The Queen - Regal Monarch
3 Tinker Bell - Giant Fairy
4 Ursula - Vanessa
3 World's Greatest Criminal MindThe Amber Steel deck saw a lot of success in the Fort Worth Challenge, with one player managing to get second place! This deck is all about building up a powerful board and taking value traded to put you ahead of the opponent. Using damage Songs, Amber Steel can control the board, making it exceptionally difficult for the opponent to catch up. With Ursula – Vanessa and Ariel – Spectacular Singer in the list, you can Sing higher-cost songs on earlier turns, putting you ahead of your opponent.
Sleepy’s Flute is one way this deck generates Lore, and since it has access to a lot of Songs, it’s not a biggie to activate it. If you’re against a deck with no answer to Sleepy’s Flute, this will turn into a race to whoever manages to hit 20 Lore first.
The list can run out of resources quickly, so we rely on A Whole New World for resource generation and gain an edge over the opponent. A Whole New World is also great against discard decks that try to bleed you out of resources quickly.
4- Ruby Sapphire
3 Be Prepared
4 Brawl
4 Develop Your Brain
4 Fishbone Quill
4 Gramma Tala - Keeper of Ancient Stories
1 Great Stone Dragon
2 Hercules - Daring Demigod
4 Hiram Flaversham - Toymaker
3 How Far I'll Go
2 Lucky Dime
4 Madame Medusa - The Boss
3 Maleficent - Monstrous Dragon
2 Maui - Hero to All
4 One Jump Ahead
4 Pawpsicle
4 Pegasus - Flying Steed
3 Sisu - Empowered Sibling
4 Tamatoa - So Shiny!
1 VitalisphereRuby Sapphire is a popular choice in these tournaments, but it didn’t perform as expected in the last Lorcana Challenge, with none of the Ruby Sapphire players making it into the top 8.
This is a ramp deck that uses One Jump Ahead, Fishbone Quill, and How Far I’ll Go to accelerate its game plan and start playing high-cost cards. Hiram Flaversham – Toymaker plays a crucial role in this deck’s resource strategy as well, banishing an Item to draw you two cards. For as long as Hiram Flaversham – Toymaker sticks on the board, you’ll gain a resource advantage over your opponent, forcing them to find answers to shut it down.
With access to Ruby cards, this deck can control the board and keep the opponent from freely questing. This buys you enough time until Tamatoa – So Shiny! and Lucky Dime carry the game.
5- Sapphire Steel
4 A Whole New World
1 And Then Along Came Zeus
3 Arges - The Cyclops
2 Ba-Boom!
2 Beast - Tragic Hero
2 Belle - Strange but Special
4 Cogsworth - Grandfather Clock
4 Fishbone Quill
4 Fortisphere
2 Gaston - Intellectual Powerhouse
3 Grab Your Sword
4 Hiram Flaversham - Toymaker
3 Let It Go
2 Lucky Dime
3 Mickey Mouse - Detective
4 Mr. Smee - Bumbling Mate
4 Pawpsicle
2 Rise of the Titans
4 Tamatoa - So Shiny!
4 Tinker Bell - Giant FairySapphire Steel is another Ramp deck that has been finding more success in tournaments. This deck wants to ramp up and quickly play A Whole New World to gain a resource advantage over the opponent. A Whole New World is a game changer against the popular Emerald Steel decks, letting you replenish your hand and continue your late-game strategy.
Hiram Flaversham – Toymaker plays a crucial role in this deck’s resource strategy as well, banishing an Item to draw you two cards. For as long as Hiram Flaversham – Toymaker sticks on the board, you’ll gain a resource advantage over your opponent, forcing them to find answers to shut it down.
Tamatoa – So Shiny! and Belle – Strange but Special can Quest for a lot of Lore, combined with Lucky Dime! you’re on your way to winning games!
6- Amber Emerald
4 Ariel - Spectacular Singer
3 Cri-Kee - Lucky Cricket
4 Diablo - Devoted Herald
4 Diablo - Maleficent's Spy
4 Kida - Protector of Atlantis
3 Mother Knows Best
3 Painting the Roses Red
4 Prince John - Greediest of All
4 Sir Hiss - Aggravating Asp
4 Sudden Chill
4 The Bare Necessities
4 The Muses - Proclaimers of Heroes
3 Under the Sea
4 Ursula - Deceiver
4 We Don't Talk About Bruno
4 You Have Forgotten MeWe don’t see a lot of Amber Emerald decks floating around, but the archetype performed in the last Lorcana Challenge, managing to make it into the top 8. This could encourage more players to pick the deck up and give it a try in a competitive setting.
So Amber Emerald is a discard deck but it doesn’t rely on Bucky as part of its game plan. Instead, the list runs Sudden Chill, The Bare Necessities, Ursula – Deceiver, and We Don’t Talk About Bruno to bleed opponents’ resources and force them to rely on top decks.
Since many of the Characters you play don’t have a lot of Willpower to pose a threat, so we use The Muses – Proclaimers of Heroes, Cri-Kee – Lucky Cricket, and Kida – Protector of Atlantis to boost their Willpower.
Prince John – Greediest of All and Diablo – Devoted Herald are your resource generation cards to make sure you don’t run out of resources.
7- Red Mufasa
2 Chernabog - Evildoer
4 Gaston - Despicable Dealer
2 Lady Tremaine - Imperious Queen
2 Madame Medusa - The Boss
4 Maleficent - Monstrous Dragon
4 Maui - Hero to All
1 Mickey Mouse - Brave Little Tailor
4 Mother Gothel - Withered and Wicked
4 Mufasa - Betrayed Leader
4 Mulan - Injured Soldier
3 Nessus - River Guardian
3 Piglet - Pooh Pirate Captain
4 Pluto - Friendly Pooch
3 Pongo - Determined Father
4 Rapunzel - Gifted with Healing
2 Sisu - Emboldened Warrior
2 Sisu - Empowered Sibling
4 Stitch - Abomination
4 Stitch - Carefree SurferThere are always Red Mufasa fans who show up to tournaments. This is an aggressive deck that uses Mufasa – Betrayed Leader to put pressure on the board. The opposing player can’t simply ignore Mufasa – Betrayed Leader since he’s Questing for 2 Lore, but if they Banish him, you’re still developing the top card in your deck, keep the Lore generation going.
However, this deck struggles against the popular Emerald Steel deck, so it’s not always the best choice to bring, but who am I to stop a Mufasa fan from bringing their favorite deck?
8- Amber Amethyst Hyper Aggro
2 Arthur - Wizard's Apprentice
4 Baloo - von Bruinwald XIII
2 Befuddle
4 Chernabog's Followers - Creatures of Evil
4 Donald Duck - Musketeer Soldier
4 Lilo - Making a Wish
4 Madam Mim - Fox
4 Madam Mim - Snake
4 Magic Broom - Illuminary Keeper
4 Maleficent - Biding Her Time
4 Merlin - Goat
4 Pascal - Rapunzel's Companion
4 Piglet - Pooh Pirate Captain
2 Pinocchio - Star Attraction
3 Pongo - Determined Father
4 Simba - Protective Cub
3 The Queen's Castle - Mirror ChamberAlthough not a top competitive deck, some players will bring the Amber Amethyst hyper aggro deck, mostly because it’s a cheap deck to build and easy to pilot. This deck wants to Quest for a lot of Lore with its low-cost Characters and close out games as fast as possible.
You’re not trying to match the opponent’s development, instead, generate Lore quickly and force them to play defensively and clear your low-cost Characters.