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The latest expansion forDisney LorcanaisShimmering Skies, and while the set doesn’t officially release until August, Screen Rant was able to check out the new Starter Decks a bit early. Fans of the trading card game from Ravensburger will be pleased to learn that the new cards featured in the decks have some of the coolest artwork to date - and have nice, balanced builds ideal for beginners or longtime players looking to shake up their current decks.
As usual withDisney LorcanaStarter Deck releases, there are two new decks hitting the market for thenewShimmering Skiesexpansion. BothStarter Deck boxes come with a ready-to-play deck of 60 cards (including 2 foil cards), 11 damage counters, a paper playmat, a paper tracker token, game rules, and a booster pack(made up of 11 random cards fromShimmering Skies). This time around,there’s an Emerald/Steel deck and an Amethyst/Ruby deck to choose from.
The new cards featured in theShimmering SkiesStarter Decks have some of the coolest artwork to date - and have nice, balanced builds ideal for beginners or longtime players looking to shake up their current decks.
Disney Lorcana: Shimmering Skies Amethyst & Ruby Starter Deck
Review & Overview Of New Shimmering Skies Cards
Disney Lorcana: Shimmering Skies’Amethyst/Ruby Starter Deck features Elsa fromFrozenand Ralph fromWreck-It Ralphon the cover of the box, and these are the two foil cards included. True to its cover, this deck features mostly cards from those two IPs, althoughLorcanaregulars like Maleficent, Donald Duck, Mickey Mouse, and Simba all have cards here, too. This Starter Deck relies heavily on using abilities, which seems an ideal fit for those who love strategizing.
The Amethyst/Ruby Starter Deck has some fairly interesting new cards with intriguing abilities. TheFrozencharacters work well together, asthe newElsa - The Fifth Spiritcard’s Rush ability lets her come into play and challenge within the same turn. As recommended in the booklet, this can be paired withCrystallizeto great effect.
Anna - Mystical Majesty, meanwhile, can use Exceptional Power to exert all opposing characters, which works great withOlaf - Happy Passenger, since that card’s Clear the Path ability means paying 1 less Ink per every opponent’s exerted characters. With an Ink of 9, but a 6/6 Strength and Willpower, it’s ideal for getting the card into play quickly
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Not to be outdone, the featured Ralph card here,Wreck-It Ralph - Demolition Dude, has an ability called Refreshing Break that allows players to gain 1 extra Lore for every 1 damage on him. His Willpower is a modest 4, however, so while this can be good for getting extra Lore near the end of the game, I’m not quite sold that it’s a good card to play early on, especially on its own.
Disney Lorcana: Shimmering Skies Emerald & Steel Starter Deck
Review & Overview Of The Newest Lorcana Starter Deck
Disney Lorcana: Shimmering Skies’Emerald and Steel Starter Deck features Scar fromThe Lion Kingand Kronk fromThe Emperor’s New Grooveon the box and on the foil cards included inside. Both movies are prominent in this deck, butThe Lion Kinggets the majority with 2 two different Shenzi cards, Banzai, Scar, two different Simba cards, two different Ed cards, and Zazu making up a large portion of the included cards. Mainstays like Robin Hood get multiple cards, and Pete and Heihei can be found within, too.
The Emerald/Steel Starter Deck forShimmering Skiesis all about combos. For anyone who enjoys maximizing damage, this might just be the ideal deck.Shenzi - Head Hyenais a highlight, since this card’s ability, What Have We Got Here?, gains 2 Lore every time a hyena card challenges a damaged character. She also gets +1 Strength for every hyena in play. Considering how many hyena cards are in this deck, there’s a ton of potential here.
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The two featured cards on the box, however, are more about helping out the player.Kronk - Head of Securitywill let the player move a character with a cost of 5 or less into play for free whenever Kronk banishes a character.Scar - Vengeful Lionlets the player draw a card whenever a character challenges an opponent’s character that is already damaged. These certainly have their uses, butI found the “overwhelm an opponent with hyena cards” strategy to be pretty useful(and fun).
Are Disney Lorcana’s Shimmering Skies Starter Decks Any Good?
How The Latest Decks Compare To Previous Ones
Both Starter Decks forDisney Lorcana: Shimmering Skieshave their uses, andthey seem well-balanced in terms of Character, Location, and Action variety. Both are nice additions to theStarter Decks already being offeredfrom previous sets, and they’re both built in a way that should be easy enough to learn from a newcomer’s perspective. Compared to previous Starter Decks, they seem on par with what I’ve come to expect fromLorcana(and by that I mean they’re really good).
Artwork has been a major boon withDisney Lorcana, and both the Emerald/Steel and Amethyst/Ruby deck feature some excellent art that show off characters like Kronk, Robin Hood, Hercules, and Minnie Mouse in new varieties. It’s hard to say which of these new Starter Decks is better - it really just comes down to which deck or playstyle interests players most. Overall, the newShimmering SkiesStarter Decks are fun, easy-to-learn, and effective additions toDisney Lorcana.
Copies of the new Shimmering Skies Starter Decks were sent to Screen Rant for the purpose of this review.
