It has finally happened! Aotearoa and Australia get to enjoy a brand spanking new Disney Lorcana set with the rest of the world. That means instead of boosters and Starter Decks, we get the full slew of products as they release. I have covered the snazzy new accessories already here, but now that I have played with the set, it’s time to see how it stands up.
How’s that weird story going?
So it seems like Ursula has been defeated. That means the heroes, and some villains, are enjoying a massive celebration. Along for the celebration are our favourite heroes from the Wreck-It Ralph movies. Suddenly the Great Illuminary has pieces falling off it, and they need to investigate what’s going on.
I hope that Ravensburger drops a version of the story we can read, because I would be lying if I said I fully understood what’s going on. But I am here for the cards, so let’s get to what matters.
What’s new in Shimmering Skies?
Mechanically, there is nothing new. Given the simple early days of the game and the consistent introduction of new mechanics, I am actually not complaining here. The set is a nice breather for both the characters in the story and the players. Going into a sealed or draft event is a chill experience since you don’t have to wrap your head around a mechanic as you try to use it for the first time.
For the cards themselves, though, there has been a big upgrade to Legendaries. These cards have been given a gloss on the character part. This is an awesome improvement, as the cards look fantastic, and it’s a design choice I haven’t seen in other TCGs. It’s unique and stunning.
Then, when it comes to characters, there are some old favourites and some newbies. Obviously, the biggest new addition is the Wreck-It Ralph cast. That gets us everyone from Ralph, multiple versions of Felix, as well as the crew of racers like Vanelope. Frozen characters aren’t new to Lorcana, but this set brings us heaps of characters and art from Frozen 2. This obviously has some new versions of Elsa, Anna, etc. but introduces others like the Earth Giant and the wind spirit called Gale. This slow drip of known versions of characters keeps old characters exciting and new in sets.
What ways can you buy the set?
As with before, there are still booster packs and Starter Decks. New to ANZ are the treasure troves, which are released with each set elsewhere. There are also all the new accessories, but none of those include the cards, so I will leave their coverage here.
Treasure Troves go for $110 in New Zealand and contain eight booster packs and some other cool stuff. The box itself has a nice dividing line down the middle, so you can fit two rows of cards in it. It then comes with some dividers with raised tags for each card colour, six sparkly D6 dice to use for damage counters, and a cardboard spinning lore counter. So with a Treasure Trove, you get $96 worth of packs and then pay $14 for the extras.
If you are building up a stash of cards, I reckon they are easily worth it. The cardboard box isn’t the stiffest thing, but it’s not bad. To make the recommendation clear, I have started using mine to store my stacks of cards, so I’m clearly happy enough with it. The D6 dice are nice and transparent, with glitter inside, giving them a sparkly Disney vibe. The cardboard lore counters are, well, fine. I have popped them in my deck box in case I can’t use the app.
Then there are the Starter Decks, which are Amethyst and Ruby, or Emerald and Steel. Amethyst and Ruby are headed by Elsa and Wreck-It Ralph, with a decent helping of cards from The Lion King and Aladdin. The Emerald and Steel has Scar and Kronk as its star characters and is loaded with heaps of The Lion King cards with decent smattering of Robin Hood in there.
The starter decks are solid and play well against each other, and best of all, they come with a booster pack. That means for the $33 price tag you get a $12 booster pack, so only pay $21 for a full 60-card deck that’s ready to go. On their own, they won’t be competitive at an event, but they are fantastic to start playing and learning the ropes. They still come with a paper mat to help you with your play area, some damage counters, and a guide to help with your first matches.
Both the Treasure Trove and the Starter kits are easy to recommend.
EVENTS!
Shimmering Skies releasing down under means we get event support! That means promo cards, prizes, and all kinds of awesome down at your LGS. Currently participating in events means you score a sweet Nala promo card. The card is normal in the set, but is holo and has some unique flare on it. Then over the four weeks, you can earn stickers on a chart to score some sweet prizes at the end of the season.
This is cool, but even cooler is that LGS stores got their hands on the set first. This meant you could buy it at a LGS before bigger chain stores, like EB, got it. This is a seriously clear message that Ravensburger is going to support the playing community, and I LOVE that.
It seems like the cool promo cards for store champs aren’t coming down here yet. But hey, for a first full set release, it’s a good start.
Should you check out Lorcana Shimmering Skies?
It’s a weird one. With no new mechanics, it’s not like this is the must-play set. Having said that, there are heaps of fun cards with some fantastic artwork. It almost feels like the game has found its stride now, and so it’s a nice, chill set to enjoy. There are heaps of great cards to load up your constructed deck. On top of that it’s fun to play in sealed and draft down at your LGS.
So is it the ‘must play’ set? Nah. Is it a fantastic and fun set to play? Hell Yeah!
There may not be much new mechanically, but this is a damn fine set that helps constructed and has plenty of sealed fun to be had.
Oh and new characters!
