Today we’re just vibing.

With no big (first-party) tournaments coming up soon, Merlin and Maleficent are a little low energy, even with the release of a new set just around the corner. So now’s a time for reflection on the state of the game. How do you approach new sets that don’t have a competitive tournament associated with it? Maybe the break is worth it to avoid the constant churn and potential burnout. Bolstering the local community with Set Championships could be the appropriate answer, especially compared to how serious the last couple seasons of “DLC Prep” were.

So enjoy this lightly-edited, cozy episode while we recharge.

In games with experience points and a ranked ladder, Rank Decay is when a game punishes you for not playing. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It keeps players playing and gives them a reason to engage with the game, even if you’ve already achieved your goals.

There’s not a ladder in Lorcana (anymore, RIP Pixelborn), but the same sort of concept could be applied to one’s ability. You might not literally fall down ranks, but your skills do decay over time. But even more than just being rusty when coming back from a holiday break, if you want to achieve a higher level of success, you continuously need to challenge better and better opponents. And the best stage to do that is at a Disney Lorcana Challenge.

But what do you do when there’s only three in your country for the entire season? How do you prevent rank decay and, even more importantly, break your current skill ceiling?

Continuing our conversation on Disney's potential hidden strings within the game. This time: the new DLC Takeback rule. On the one hand, a more forgiving environment is a more welcoming one for new players and kids, arguably the target audience. On the other, DLCs are the highest level of competitive play open to all players. It makes sense to reward tight, correct play.

Listen, we all know we’re playing a Disney card game. But how much does Disney actually influence the game?

A conversation that’s adjacent to our ongoing series of “Please Know Who You Are Actually Mad At.” Disney undoubtedly has a hand in everything that passes through this game. And we can see creative design guided by the invisible corporate forces from other TCGs that don’t own their own IPs (*cough* Magic cough). Without knowing the inner workings of Ravensburger’s licensing deal with Disney, it may be an impossible question to answer.

But even beyond tilting at windmills about brand identity and licensing agreements, there’s a bigger picture when it comes to designing a Disney (TM) card game. From the language we use (challenging, questing) to the victory condition (gaining points instead of losing life) to a core, central mechanic the entire game revolves around (songs, characters), the Mouse is everywhere, even if he’s hidden from plain sight.

“In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death, taxes, and drama because of DLC tickets going on sale.” - Benjamin Franklin, probably

DLC Richmond tickets went on sale this week and it feels like a time loop story with how accurately we can predict what will happen before it happens: website doesn’t load, app crashes, false confirmations, and accusations of conspiracy theories. This time even featured calls for PPG to return, so we at least know this is a new iteration of the loop. With factors outside of a player’s control, there’s a lot of frustration with how the DLCs are managed. And at the core of it all is a feeling of helplessness that comes with trying to compete at the highest open level. So what is there to do? Well, we have some thoughts. Ravensburger: feel free to steal.

As we debrief from our DLC Milwaukee weekend, we talk also about the concept of goal setting: a way to be realistic about your skills and abilities while also pushing yourself to do better and better at each event. When you’re starting out, your goals can be as small as winning a game or a round at your local tournament. But as your experience grows, so, too, do your expectations for yourself. Taking on the challenge of a Disney Lorcana Challenge will be the toughest rung in most competitives ladder. So what are realistic achievements for you to set for yourself in a field of 2000 players? And does the current tournament structure facilitate or hinder that process?

It’s all in the timing.

Keeping tempo in a game like Lorcana relates to matching pace to the speed of the game and relative to your opponent. Tempo informs every decision you make, from deckbuilding to the endgame. When you start playing off-curve, trading multiple cards for one of your opponent’s, or just not answering a key threat at the proper time, you can fall behind - and quickly. There are typically ways to catch-up from a tempo negative position. However…

In this episode, let’s explore what the Fabled meta has become. It seems like a reasonably balanced meta (multiple archetypes are finding success), but deck viability doesn’t tell the whole story. What does the gameplay look and feel like when actually playing, and is this the type of gameplay we want to encourage?

You should really take this Ruby/Emerald list. Trust us, it’s awesome.

But if you still aren’t sold, let’s talk about what’s spinning around in our heads when it comes to choosing a deck for the upcoming DLC. It feels like a harder choice this season than it was last season. Rotation shook things up, and this is the first time where just compounding on a deck you’ve been playing isn’t necessarily an option (RIP Ruby/Amethyst). One deck has risen above the rest, with two or three others vying for attention. So do you choose the tier 0 deck and play out a battle of wits in the mirror all day? Or do you choose a challenger and hope to dethrone the king. Don’t worry too much; the next set is right around the corner. Maybe Ruby will be playable again.