Lorcana: Highlights from Reign of Jafar - The 8th set!

Hello, everyone!

We have the entire set Reign of Jafar revealed! As usual, today we will be going over some cards that caught my eye - whether because of their unique design, a theme, or because they bring interesting possibilities for new and existing decks!

Remember that this set is the last one before the first rotation that will happen in Lorcana, so we will consider not only the card's potential for the current metagame, but also after sets 1 to 4 leave the Core Constructed format!

REMINDER: The cards listed below are not necessarily the best/most powerful ones in the set! The purpose of this article is not to prepare a buy list, but to point out some interesting synergies and possibilities, especially with an eye on the rotation. Let's go!

For general information about the set, be sure to check out last week's article, which also includes some card reviews. Remember that the set will be released officially from June 6th!

We'll review the cards by ink color, and at the end, the multicolored ones!

Amber

Little Mirabel has a Lore gain that is quite relevant for Song decks. In fact, thinking about post-rotation, if no 1-ink Singer remains in the format, Mirabel could very well occupy that slot. In practice, it's like it gains you 2 Lore - one for being played, and at least one more the following turn when it Quests.

Chief Bogo is another piece for the potential Bodyguards archetype. Curiously, yet another character with the ability to play characters for free. It's interesting to see how game design is trying to find a nice balance for this effect! Coming back to Chief Bogo, he's a bit like Mufasa - Betrayed Leader, except that he needs to see other cards banned, not himself.

Amethyst

With all the card draw in Amethyst, Octopus Soldier can easily trade with an opponent's stronger character. In the worst case scenario, Octopus will be a 2/2 on your turn, since it will grow with your draw for the turn. It's a simple, efficient, 1-cost card, helping to keep a deck's curve low.

The Madrigal family song is a great way to refill your hand and replenish your resources, especially in a longer game. At the same time, it can also be used to win a game out of nowhere, thanks to its Lore gain! Recent sets have shifted the focus of songs from Amber/Steel to Amber/Amethyst, and Fantastical and Magical could become an important part of it - even replacing A Whole New World, if it's not reprinted.

It's no secret that I have a taste for unusual synergies and combos. Monster has some really interesting potential, since it's one of the very few characters in Lorcana that can continually ready itself and then be used again. If we combine Monster with Donald Duck - Coin Collector - another card from the same set - it's possible to create a loop where you draw and discard your entire deck!

It may seem pointless at first, but this would actually allow for a gigantic turn where you eventually play free characters like Chernabog - Evildoer and Kristoff - Reindeer Keeper, and finish by using Monster to sing The Bare Necessities, and remove a Be Prepared or something like that, guaranteeing your gigantic board to win next turn.

Emerald

The Shift version of Fred is very nice, since it quests for 3 Lore and also draws a card! In another article, we talked about the Shift deck as a very cool budget option, and so far it seems that this set will bring some cool additions to the deck.

Speaking of support for other archetypes, Jock brings a very welcome effect to decks with many characters. Go Go Tomago - Darting Dynamo was being used precisely with the intention of gaining the last Lore points in a longer game, but it can be played around by an attentive opponent. Jock, on the other hand, can fill a more active role, and has much better stats than Go Go Tomago.

The Emerald ink had options like Clarabelle - Clumsy Guest to deal with items, and now has Archimedes. However, the bonus granted by the owl is extremely relevant, and works not only when it banishes an item, but when any item is banished by any effect during your turn. As if that weren't enough, it also generates 2 Lore!

Ruby

Speaking of simple and efficient cards, Mr. Snoops is a nice example - it trades with something from your opponent's board, and then draws you a card. It's the kind of card that doesn't seem much special, but in the context of a more controllish deck, dealing with an opponent's threat and still getting a resource back is quite relevant. In addition, it strengthens synergies around challenges, something that has been a focus of the Ruby ink.

For 3 ink, a 5/5 character is well above the curve. The balancing factor is that it takes damage when the opponent plays characters, but it's unlikely that the opponent will play five at once to deal with Prince John in one turn. This means it'll have a few turns on the board to generate value, and stack damage on it allows for numerous synergies - from moving damage around, commonly found in Amethyst, to bonuses from damaged characters, commonly found in Ruby.

This song combines two great effects: it can be played for free if you control enough characters to sing it, and at the same time, it can ready all of those characters - they won't be able to Quest, but they also won't take damage from challenges.

Its main use will be to enable challenges and deal with the opponent's entire board while keeping your own intact. Meanwhile, it also enables synergies with songs and actions - perhaps a potential Amber/Ruby archetype could emerge?

Sapphire

The Resist granted by Jasmine lasts until your next turn, so it can be an efficient way to not only win a challenge on your turn, but also protect a character on the opponent's turn, especially from actions like Fire the Cannons!, And Then Along Came Zeus, Let the Storm Rage On and others. For 1 ink, and still impacting your board, it seems to have a lot of potential.

Finally, Geppetto got his card in Lorcana! And with a unique effect, exchanging items in your hand for Lore when you Quest with him - has potential with cards that return items from the discard, like Tamatoa, and cards that refill your hand, like A Whole New World.

Once again, the words play a card for free show up. And since it's a song, it greatly enhances characters with Singer 6, such as Prince Naveen - Ukulele Player and Tiana - Natural Talent. Another card with a lot of potential, since it's also possible to ramp up to play it, thanks to lots of such cards on the Sapphire ink.

Steel

Dumptruck has weak stats, but its ability to deal damage immediately and without any conditionals can be very valuable - especially since it's not just on opposing characters, so synergies with self-damage effects also work with it. On top of that, it's a Pirate, so it also activates a lot of synergies within that archetype.

Paying 3 ink and drawing 3 cards is an absurdly efficient ratio - just compare it to Friends on the Other Side, for example. This card is strong, and can make a very aggressive Steel archetype viable, with many low-curve cards and 4 copies of Desperate Plan to continually refill the hand. Of course, eventual non-inkable cards can be easily recycled with cards like Mulan - Disguised Soldier and the like.

Mickey is certainly a 10/10! Jokes aside, this is the largest character in the game so far, and also best friends with Mickey Mouse - Inspirational Warrior! This combination will probably be one of the first new decks we will analyze when the set becomes valid.

Multicolored

Another card that makes Amber/Amethyst Songs viable, especially post-rotation. Tutoring a card is always relevant, and Antonio also solves another issue - singing something exposes your singing character to the opponent, but Antonio allows you to find a replacement for the next turn.

Basically a combination of two cards: The Bare Necessities and Gramma Tala - Storyteller. It increases the ramp options in Amber/Sapphire, while also helping to disrupt the opponent - in other words, two very synergistic effects.

The 101 Dalmatians archetype continues to receive good support, and is now well-established in Amber/Sapphire inks. Also, knowing that Dalmatian Puppy - Tail Wagger will remain in Core Constructed after the rotation means the deck can become a viable competitive option!

Again, thinking post-rotation, some Amethyst/Ruby controllish options may not be present, and Hades may prove to be a continuous source of cards and Lore.

We talked about the action cards in the last article, so we'll focus on Yzma: the whole synergy involving the 3 cards is very good - and very fun! Yzma allows you to continuously remove characters from your opponent's board while you have copies of Pull the Lever! in your discard, guiding the Amethyst/Emerald combination towards a more controlling focus.

Ruby/Emerald works around characters with damage, and Queen of Hearts takes advantage of this to potentially generate SIX Lore when she Quests. Combine this with cards like You Came Back, and you can pull off a win out of nowhere!

Maui leaves the Ruby ink and enters the Emerald/Steel combination. Although the stats are below average for a 6-cost, Maui makes up for it by generating 3 Lore and having a great effect when it is banished - also, the effect happens on any turn, and not just the opponent's, which gives you more control over it as well.

An interesting character for the items archetype, which can even be combined with Lucky Dime to generate an absurd amount of Lore in the same turn. It also has Evasive, which makes it difficult for the opponent to take advantage of the slightly low stats and remove it with a challenge.

And with that, we conclude our review of Reign of Jafar! Lots of new cards, many themes continued from the previous set, and also new themes. This shows that Lorcana has a lot of potential, and the game's design team shows a lot of dedication to it!

In a competitive view, the set should influence some archetypes as players prepare for the first Lorcana World Championship, at the end of June. But the true impact of the set will probably only be felt with the rotation, after the next set, Fabled.

What did you think of the set? Share with us!

Next week, we will analyze the Reign of Jafar Starter Decks and also some upgrades!

Cheers, and until next time!