In 2024,Disney Lorcanareceived four new sets with introductions to new mechanics, such as Locations, alongside some cool additions, such as the Sing Together mechanic.With so much for players throughout the year, it can seem hard to decide what set was truly the best based on everything that came with the released sets.
From the staple cards that you may have forgotten were released in these sets to cards that have fans asking them to be nerfed, Lorcana had a ton of content in each themed release that’s well worth a look. From traveling into the Inklands to sailing the Azurite Sea, which set was the ultimate of 2024?
Azurite Sea
We finally set sail with the launch of Azurite Sea. Pirates take center stage, and Locations seem more fun than ever. With Big Hero Six and Rescue Rangers at the forefront, the Enchanted cards in this set were some of the most visually stunning, creating scenes with sketched style art that was either hit or miss with fans.
Unfortunately, Azurite Sea had some pretty disappointing Legendary cards (Hercules, Baby Demigod, and Hades, Strong Arm) and some amazing can’t miss options (Maui, Half-Shark, Oswald, The Lucky Rabbit), and some with potential (Simba, Pride Protector, Tiana, Restaurant Owner and Yzma, Conniving Chemist). While each color had a strong identity with the sixth set, aside from the standout that is Genie, Wish Fulfilled, and Pluto, Guard Dog, you probably won’t see much from set six making its way to future sets.
Shimmering Skies
Outside of some unique staples and slight mechanical interests, this set was pretty, bright, and flashy but not as interesting in terms of gameplay. There were a few staple cards and some cool mechanics, with Pete, Games Referee, becoming a staple in Steel decks with an ability thatcaused quite a stir in the community. Mufasa and the beautiful Enchanted art isn’t just there for looks either; though short-lived, the ability to reset all of your ink in your inkwell was a novel idea that created some pretty cool interactions.
Clarabelle slightly solved the card draw problem that Emerald didn’t even have, thanks to its card draw engine paired with discard. Elsa, The Fith Spirit, reintroduced the Legendary Elsa, Spirit of Winter, with a new Floodborn target, and Naveen proved to be a beautiful and valuable card for the right deck, though not quite as impactful as first imagined.
The biggest staples here are probably Elsa and Pete, leaving the other Legendary cards behind for simple slots for a Super Rare and Uncommon card that are still seeing play. While the artwork was top-tier, not much was added in terms of truly amazing content. It still comes out as a solid entry to the 2024 sets.
Ursula’s Return
While no set is perfect, Ursula’s Return is very close to it. From featuring some classic princesses again as Enchanted alternate art, to lots of options that you’ll still see in several decks. This set introduced the Sing Along ability, which has been used to create some great moments. FromUnder The Seabeing a staple in Emerald/Amber decks to potentially wiping your opponent’s board when paired with songs or abilities that reduce their Strength to ensure they’re affected by the ability. Several cards in play paired with have created a similar effect; in essence, it’s a board wipe for a new color combination.
So much utility came from this site, including cards likeGoofy - Super Goofwhich allowed for collecting lore while challenging with a Rush character. All of this was before mentioning staples such asBelle - Accomplished Mysticallowing you to move damage from opposing characters, surpassing certain restrictions such as Resist and even allowing you to place damage on your own characters to create some cool combos. We can’t leave this set behind however without talking aboutDiablo - Devoted Herald.
The card that was a part of the first-ever Disney Lorcana errata, involvingBucky - Squirrel Squeak Tutor, leaving players wondering whether it’stime to also ban the birdas well. There are so many cards you can add here because Ursula’s Return was just stacked with so many viable options. The staying power of this set is truly astonishing, given how many great options it provides.
Into The Inklands
Locations, locations, locations. Into the Inklands was the adventure into what Lorcana could provide after The First Chapter set the tone, and Rise of the Floodborn secured what Disney Lorcana would be. This set introduced Locations to the game, drastically changing the landscape of what Lorcana first was. Several staple locations were added to the game that you’ll still see today, and the mechanic added even more options to what you could use in your deck.
Cards likeThe Queen’s Castle - Mirror Chamber,Lucky Dimeshow the versatility and the staying power of set three, with game–changing ramifications for Amethyst and Sapphire decks you’ll still see several sets later. Steel saw its own set of staples includingMr Smee - Bumbling MateandRobin Hood - Champion of Sherwoodwhile songs likeAnd Then Along Came Zeussolidified Steel Song as a top deck contender.
Emerald saw great additions includingMorph - Space Gooto capitalize on all of the Floodborn targets added in Rise of the Floodborn and provide options for cards likeBeast - Tragic Herothat didn’t previously have a suitable target to Shift onto. Amber saw cards likePiglet - Pooh Pirate Captain, a very good low-cost quester that can take away games for those not paying attention, andKida - Protector of Atlantis (Enchanted)withgorgeous Enchanted artworkand an ability that would become even more useful with inclusions of cards from later decks such asUnder The Sea
Of course, there’s no way you can omit characters who terrorized the scene for quite some time.Ursula - Deceiverwas a slight solution to the prevalence of Steel Song, but it wasUrsula - Deceiver of All (Enchanted)that made everyone truly realize just how powerful songs could be. Coupled with previously released Songs likeLet The Storm Rage Onand you can see how Emerald Steel began to grow into a real threat, with Emerald settling its roots finally.
Then, the ultimate litmus test was released withMadame Medusa - The Boss, a card that had players questioning the validity of every card released after. “Dies to Medusa” was a well know saying, because she could be placed down and wipe out several heavy cards in the meta. The importance of the magical number three became very apparent when she was introduced in Into The Inklands. There’s just no better set than what this one gave to players in 2024.
