It has happened. Aotearoa and Australia have caught up to the rest of the world in Lorcana. With the fourth set, Ursula’s Return, now out, we can watch and enjoy the cadence of new Lorcana sets as they release worldwide. But while we wait for Shimmering Skies, is Ursula’s Return worth checking out?
Ursula is back! From where?
Based on the story trailer, it seems like Bruno Madrigal has done some magic and brought back Ursula. Or he is corrupted by Ursula? I dunno; it’s hard to tell what the dang Lorcana story is from a YouTube trailer and some text and images on cards. She has King Triton’s trident, though, and is looking extra menacing.
I like the story being available and told through the cards, but also, let me read the story somewhere. Please, Ravensburger, I am begging you.
What does Ursula’s Return bring to the table?
Unlike the massive change that Into the Inklands got with lands, the changes in Ursula’s Return are a little more chill and iterative. There are two new mechanics that are modified versions of the current mechanics: Sing Together and Shift.
Sing Together allows you to sing some expensive songs by using multiple characters. An example I love is Second Star to the Right. This one costs a massive 10 to draw five cards. If you have a bunch of characters out, you can sing together to get your hand back up, which could be pretty dang empty. There are others as well that can empty the board of all characters below two lore, which would counter my aggro deck well.
Shift isn’t new, but like Sing, it has gotten a slight change. Shift cards allowed you to play a character card on top of another one at an ink cost; now it has been changed so some cards can be played for a shift cost involving discarding a card. One, for example, is Ursula, and to play her on top of another card called Ursula, you have to discard a song card.
There are some awesome new aspects of the game that open up, like using cards from your hand as ink or disposables for costs. It’s a nice iteration without being a massive change.
Who has joined the inky world?
Obviously, there are a heap of Ursula and Little Mermaid-type characters. I mean, the set is called Ursula’s Return. There are also heaps of new cards from Hercules characters. The biggest addition, though, is the Madrigal family from Encanto. Each of the siblings and more have their own cards, and they synergise with each other well.
On the whole, there aren’t too many new characters, but there is still a nice mix of characters that we already know.
The starter decks
I have been a big fan of the Starter Decks. If somebody wants to play the game competitively, then they won’t have the power level to last long, but as the title suggests, they are Starter Decks. In it, you get a prebuilt 60-card deck and a booster pack.
Previous decks were a great way to whip them out and jam the game, but Ursula’s Return ones seem slightly better than usual, and I could easily see modifying one of these as a base to build a reasonably competitive deck.
The Amber and Amethyst deck is heavily based around the Madrigal family and plays two of my preferred colours. The Sapphire and Steel is led by Hercules and a badass warrior version of Anna. If you are getting into the game, then you will be happy with either of these. If you want a fast way to jam against a friend, then both of these are an easy choice.
As always, you can pick up boosters and booster boxes. This set also has a multiplayer game called Illumineer’s Quest: Deep Trouble. This lets you and some friends play against Ursula. She basically flips cards over and plays whatever pops up. There are some side rules to make it easier or harder, but this is a fun take on a TCG. Unfortunately, it’s hard as hell to find, but I found someone with a copy so we could take it for a spin.
Should you check out Disney Lorcana: Ursula’s Return?
Ursula’s Revenge hasn’t made any massive changes, though there are some nice little evolutions in the gameplay that are shaping up nicely. But now that we have caught up with the rest of the world, we can find out firsthand what Shimmering Skies brings to everyone else.
Ursula's Return is a nice evolution for Lorcana, but outside of some dope cards. Lorcana is continuing to grow at an excellent rate.
