The Set 5 Lorcana Challenge Seattle took place this weekend! We witnessed amazing games and a versatile meta where various decks performed well, proving a healthy Lorcana meta. There have been some shits in the meta compared to previous Lorcana Challenges, most notable is the rise of the Emerald Steel deck again.
Players usually fight tooth and nail to reach the top 8, securing the golden Mickey Mouse. They can let out a sigh of relief, but things aren’t over just yet, three more wins and one of those top 8 players can cement their name as the winner of the Lorcana Challenge.
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1st Place Emerald Steel Luke Goodwin
1 Anna - Diplomatic Queen
2 Ba-Boom!
4 Beast - Tragic Hero
4 Diablo - Devoted Herald
4 Diablo - Maleficent's Spy
1 Doc - Bold Knight
2 Hidden Cove - Tranquil Haven
3 Hypnotize
4 Let the Storm Rage On
4 Morph - Space Goo
3 Pete - Games Referee
4 Prince John - Greediest of All
4 Strength of a Raging Fire
4 Sudden Chill
3 The Muses - Proclaimers of Heroes
2 Tinker Bell - Giant Fairy
4 Ursula - Deceiver
4 Ursula - Deceiver of All
3 We Don't Talk About BrunoYet again, Emerald Steel takes first place in a Lorcana Challenge, beating Amber Steel in the finals and proving it’s one of the best, if not the best archetype in this game.
Emerald Steel is a discard deck, relying on cards like Hypnotize, Ursula – Deceiver, and Sudden Chill to cut down on opponent’s resources, making it difficult for them to set up late-game pressure. Combined with its draw engines, Diablo – Devoted Herald, Prince John – Greediest of All, and Beast – Tragic Hero, Emerald Steel can further increase the resource gap, ensuring you have more plays to make in the late game.
This list has multiple control cards to help keep the opponent’s side of the board in check. The Muses – Proclaimers of Heroes, Let the Storm Rage On, Strength of a Raging Fire, and We Don’t Talk About Bruno can all help keep opponents from overtaking the board and slowing down their Lore generation. It can be difficult for them to rebuild a threatening presence in the late-game if you’ve discarded most of their hand.
Morph – Space Goo has been a popular inclusion again in Emerald Steel lists, allowing you to play Beast – Tragic Hero or Tinker Bell – Giant Fairy on earlier turns.
2nd Place Amber Steel Shawn Leung
4 A Whole New World
3 And Then Along Came Zeus
4 Ariel - Spectacular Singer
2 Baloo - von Bruinwald XIII
4 Cinderella - Ballroom Sensation
3 Daisy Duck - Donald's Date
2 Gaston - Baritone Bully
3 Lawrence - Jealous Manservant
4 Let the Storm Rage On
4 Mr. Smee - Bumbling Mate
4 Pete - Games Referee
2 Prince Naveen - Ukulele Player
4 Rapunzel - Gifted with Healing
4 Strength of a Raging Fire
2 The Bare Necessities
4 The Queen - Commanding Presence
4 The Queen - Regal Monarch
3 Ursula - VanessaWe haven’t seen Amber Steel perform well in the last two Lorcana Challenges in Birmingham and Las Vegas. Many players moved to other decks, however, in Seattle, Amber Steel had a great showing, making it into the finals, and was one game away from winning it all.
Amber Steel Steel Song is all about singing Songs with Characters like Ariel – Spectacular Singer, Ursula – Vanessa, and Prince Naveen – Ukulele Player to put more pressure on the field. This allows you to continue developing a presence on the board while still playing Songs like Let the Storm Rage On, Strength of a Raging Fire, and And Then Along Came Zeus to keep control of the board.
Since you’re playing multiple cards in the mid-game, you’ll find yourself quickly running out of resources, this is where A Whole New World plays a huge role in this deck’s game plan. The list has multiple Characters that can Sing A Whole New World, which will replinish your hand and potentially disrupt the opponent’s strategy by discarding valuable cards in their hand.
Interestingly, this list is running Gaston – Baritone Bully, a perfect card to Sing 5-cost Songs like A Whole New World.
3rd Place Ruby Amethyst Logan Schneider
4 Be Prepared
4 Brawl
4 Chernabog's Followers - Creatures of Evil
2 Elsa - The Fifth Spirit
4 Flynn Rider - Frenemy
4 Friends On The Other Side
2 Lady Tremaine - Imperious Queen
4 Madam Mim - Fox
4 Madam Mim - Snake
2 Madame Medusa - The Boss
3 Magic Broom - Illuminary Keeper
3 Maui - Hero to All
2 Merlin - Crab
4 Merlin - Goat
4 Merlin - Rabbit
4 Sisu - Emboldened Warrior
2 The Library - A Gift for Belle
4 The Queen's Castle - Mirror ChamberRuby Amethyst has always performed in the past Lorcana Challenges, and it’s no different in Seattle. Logan took this Ruby Amethyst list all the way to third place, beating different popular meta decks. The Ruby Amethyst list combines the Amethyst’s Bounce mechanic and Ruby’s control cards in one deck. Madam Mim – Fox and Madam Mim – Snake can return one of your Characters to your hand through their play abilities. The return ability synergizes with your Merlin – Crab, Merlin Goat, and Merlin Rabbit to trigger their abilities for added value. You can also use it on Characters like Madame Medusa – The Boss to replay her and activate her Banish ability again.
Ruby has multiple control cards to Banish opponents Characters weaken their presence on the board. Cards like Lady Tremaine – Imperious Queen, Madame Medusa – The Boss, and Be Prepared are important control cards in this list and can help protect your The Queen’s Castle – Mirror Chamber from getting Banished easily.
4th Place Ruby Amethyst Michael Majors
4 Be Prepared
4 Brawl
4 Chernabog's Followers - Creatures of Evil
1 Elsa - The Fifth Spirit
3 Finders Keepers
2 Flynn Rider - Frenemy
4 Friends On The Other Side
2 Kuzco - Wanted Llama
2 Lady Tremaine - Imperious Queen
4 Madam Mim - Fox
4 Madam Mim - Snake
2 Madame Medusa - The Boss
2 Magic Broom - Illuminary Keeper
4 Maui - Hero to All
2 Merlin - Crab
3 Merlin - Goat
4 Merlin - Rabbit
4 Sisu - Emboldened Warrior
1 The Library - A Gift for Belle
4 The Queen's Castle - Mirror ChamberAnother Ruby Amethyst list made it all the way to the top 4. This list though, runs three copies of Finders Keepers, an Action that draws 3 cards, perfect for slow matchups where you need the late-game value.
Top 8 Lorcana Challenge Seattle
5th Place Ruby Sapphire Jacob Schmidt
4 Brawl
4 Chicha - Dedicated Mother
3 Donald Duck - Focused Flatfoot
2 Fang Crossbow
4 Fishbone Quill
2 Great Stone Dragon
2 Hide Away
4 Hiram Flaversham - Toymaker
4 Ice Block
1 Kuzco - Selfish Emperor
4 Maleficent - Monstrous Dragon
4 Pawpsicle
3 Queen of Hearts - Impulsive Ruler
3 Scar - Vicious Cheater
4 Sisu - Daring Visitor
4 Sisu - Empowered Sibling
4 Tamatoa - So Shiny!
4 Vision of the FutureRuby Sapphire ended up in the 5th place in the Lorcana Challenge Seattle. This is a ramp deck that uses Fishbone Quill and Great Stone Dragon to accelerate its game plan by gaining more Ink. The longer the games take, the better the odds are for this deck to win the game.
Since you’re ramping up with Fishbone Quill, you’ll find yourself quickly using up your resources, so resource value cards like Hiram Flaversham – Toymaker are important to replinish your hand and continue making big late-game plays.
The Ruby Sapphire ramp deck is known for its control power, using Brawl, Sisu – Empowered Sibling, and Maleficent – Monstrous Dragon to Banish Characters and weaken opponents’ board presence. However, this list looks a bit different than what we’re usually used to, cutting out cards like Be Prepared, Madame Medusa – The Boss, and Lucky Dime for Fang Crossbow, Donald Duck – Focused Flatfoot, and Scar – Vicious Cheater. It also cuts out Ramp cards like One Jump Ahead for a stronger early presence with Queen of Hearts – Impulsive Ruler.
Tamatoa – So Shiny! is the late-game win condition, offering added value and a lot of Lore generation when it Quests. Usually, the Ruby Sapphire players will use Lucky Dime to generate more Lore from Tamatoa – So Shiny!, but since this version doesn’t run it, games can stretch out longer.
6th Place Emerald Amethyst Sean Keeton
1 Anna - Eager Acolyte
4 Beast - Relentless
2 Belle - Accomplished Mystic
4 Clarabelle - Clumsy Guest
2 Clarabelle - Light on Her Hooves
2 Cogsworth - Illuminary Watchman
4 Elsa - The Fifth Spirit
4 Friends On The Other Side
2 Kit Cloudkicker - Tough Guy
4 Madam Mim - Fox
4 Madam Mim - Snake
4 Merlin - Goat
4 Merlin - Rabbit
3 Mystical Rose
2 Peter Pan - Shadow Finder
2 Pinocchio - Talkative Puppet
3 Rafiki - Mystical Fighter
3 Sir Hiss - Aggravating Asp
4 Ursula - Deceiver
2 Ursula - Sea Witch QueenEmerald Amethyst fights its way into the top 8 decks in the Lorcana Challenge Seattle. This deck has the bounce package with Madam Mim – Fox and Madam Mim – Snake who synergize with Merlin – Goat and Merlin – Rabbit.
Interestingly, this list is running Mystical Rose, Anna – Eager Acolyte, and Peter Pan – Shadow Finder, three cards we don’t see much of in this deck. Mystical Rose works with Beast – Relentless and Belle – Accomplished Mystic, giving you more Lore when you Quest with Beast – Relentless and moving Damage Counters from Belle – Accomplished Mystic to one of the opponent’s Characters. Peter Pan – Shadow Finder is a great answer for rested Evasive Characters like Diablo – Devoted Herald, to shut down the value they offer to the opponent.
Beast – Relentless is an aggressive inclusion, allowing you to attack or Quest with him multiple times a turn. He works great with Characters that move damage counters like Belle – Accomplished Mystic. Clarabelle – Light on Her Hooves
Ursula – Sea Witch Queen is our strongest late-game play. We usually want to Shift her through Ursula – Deceiver, letting us play her ok turn 5. Ursula – Sea Witch Queen Quests for 3 Lore and Exerts one of the opponent’s Characters, allowing us to Challenge it. At the same time, we’re shutting down an opponent from Singing Songs, which could disrupt their game plan.
7th Place Ruby Amethyst Jonathan Ball
3 A Pirate's Life
4 Amethyst Chromicon
4 Be Prepared
4 Brawl
4 Chernabog's Followers - Creatures of Evil
1 Flynn Rider - Frenemy
4 Gathering Knowledge and Wisdom
4 Goofy - Super Goof
4 Kuzco - Wanted Llama
4 Magic Broom - Illuminary Keeper
2 Maui - Hero to All
2 Merlin - Crab
4 Merlin - Goat
2 Peter Pan - Shadow Finder
2 Prince Eric - Expert Helmsman
4 Sisu - Emboldened Warrior
4 The Library - A Gift for Belle
4 The Queen's Castle - Mirror ChamberWhen it comes to consistency, Ruby Amethyst is one of the best choices to pick up for competitive tournaments. Three Ruby amethyst players made it into the top 8 Lorcana Challenge Seattle, two of which ended up in the top 4.
This list looks a lot different than the 3rd and 4th place Ruby Amethyst lists, running cards like A Pirate’s Life, Gathering Knowledge and Wisdom, and Goofy – Super Goof.
Gathering Knowledge and Wisdom gives you 2 Lore, so it’s perfect if you need that little push to win the game. A Pirate’s Life is similar to Gathering Knowledge and Wisdom, giving you two Lore to speed up your strategy. Additionally, A Pirate’s Life will lose opponent 2 Lore, slowing them down from winning the game. As for Goofy – Super Goof, he’s a Rush attacker that gains you two Lore whenever he challenges a Character.
So looking at these three cards, it’s obvious this Ruby Amethyst list is taking a more aggressive approach, trying to cheat out wins quickly before opponents get to stabilize the game.
8th Place Emerald Steel Cesar Acuna
2 Anna - Diplomatic Queen
4 Beast - Tragic Hero
4 Diablo - Devoted Herald
4 Diablo - Maleficent's Spy
2 Hidden Cove - Tranquil Haven
3 Hypnotize
4 Let the Storm Rage On
1 Lucifer - Cunning Cat
4 Morph - Space Goo
4 Pete - Games Referee
3 Prince John - Greediest of All
4 Strength of a Raging Fire
4 Sudden Chill
3 The Muses - Proclaimers of Heroes
2 Tinker Bell - Giant Fairy
4 Ursula - Deceiver
4 Ursula - Deceiver of All
4 We Don't Talk About BrunoEmerald Steel took two top 8 spots in Lorcana Challenge Seattle, showcasing the strength of this archetype and its consistency. The top 8 list looks very similar to the first place, the only notable difference is the Lucifer – Cunning Cat, a discard option to cut down on opponents’ hand size.