Quick answer
CardSpicy describes the game from the publisher’s own introduction to it, so this is Disney Lorcana as Ravensburger and Disney set it out. The game is built from six inks — Amber, Amethyst, Emerald, Ruby, Sapphire and Steel — and four card types: glimmers, items, actions and locations. A deck uses at most two inks and holds at least 60 cards. The two-ink limit is the constraint that decides most of what a deck can do.
Six inks, four card types, two inks per deck. Everything else about how a Lorcana deck is built follows from those three numbers.
The six inks
Ink is the resource the game runs on, and it is also the game’s organising idea: every glimmer belongs to one or two inks, and the ink a card sits in says something about what it does. The six are the equivalent of colours in other card games.
| Ink | What the publisher says it is for |
|---|---|
| Amber | Teamwork, and the power of songs. |
| Amethyst | The mystical side of the game. |
| Emerald | Flexibility — glimmers who adapt to whatever the game presents. |
| Ruby | Speed and daring, working quickly to reach a goal. |
| Sapphire | Invention and cleverness. |
| Steel | Boldness and size, in both build and spirit. |
Because a deck is limited to two inks, choosing them is the first decision in building one rather than the last. A single-ink deck is legal and gives up the second ink’s options in exchange for consistency; a two-ink deck trades a little consistency for a wider set of answers.
The four card types
Every Lorcana card is one of four things, and each one behaves differently within a turn.
| Type | What it does |
|---|---|
| Glimmer | The character cards, and the centre of the game. A glimmer can quest for lore, and it can challenge an opposing glimmer. |
| Item | An object that stays in play and provides a benefit on an ongoing basis, rather than once. |
| Action | A one-time effect. Actions resolve and are then gone, which makes them the cards a player holds for the moment they are needed. |
| Location | A place on the board. A location gives abilities to the glimmers that travel to it, and some produce lore at the start of a turn. |
One sub-category is worth calling out because it is used as though it were a fifth type. A Song is a special kind of action card, and a character glimmer can sing a song rather than the card simply being played. The rules set out what a glimmer needs in order to sing one, and it is the reason Amber is associated with songs rather than with generic effects.
What a legal deck needs
The requirements are short, and they are the same at every level of play.
- At least 60 cards. A deck holds no fewer than 60, and every card in it must belong to one of the deck’s inks.
- At most two inks. Every card in a deck has to be usable within the ink or inks the deck has chosen.
- Damage counters. Damage is tracked physically on the cards, so a deck is not complete without them.
- A way of tracking lore. Lore is the score a game is played to, and it has to be counted somewhere — a lore counter, a pad, or the tracking components that come in a product such as an Illumineer’s Trove.
Pre-constructed decks are the shortest route to a legal deck: they arrive ready to play, and a player who wants to build their own can start by changing one of them rather than by opening packs and starting from nothing.
Where Lorcana sits next to the other games
Two things separate Lorcana from the Japanese card games CardSpicy indexes. It is published by Ravensburger, a games publisher rather than a card-game specialist, and it is built on licensed Disney and Pixar characters rather than on a setting the publisher owns. That is why the set releases are organised around films — a set introduces characters from a specific film or studio alongside the returning cast — rather than around a continuing storyline.
For a collector, the practical consequence is that a Lorcana set’s identity is often a single Disney property, which makes completing a themed collection a different exercise from completing a set by number. The rarity ladder is the other half of that picture.
What this page does not claim
- It does not restate the full rules. Card interactions, timing and the exact cost of singing a song are governed by Ravensburger’s own rules documents, which are the source for play.
- It does not give the contents of any product. Product contents change by set and have changed within sets, so each is published on its own product page.
- It prints no prices and makes no valuation or investment recommendation.
Frequently asked questions
How many inks are there in Lorcana?
Six: Amber, Amethyst, Emerald, Ruby, Sapphire and Steel. Each has its own character, and a deck may use at most two of them.
How many cards does a Lorcana deck need?
At least 60 cards, plus damage counters and a way of tracking lore. Every card in the deck must belong to one of the deck’s inks.
What is a Song in Lorcana?
A Song is a special kind of action card that a character glimmer can sing. Ravensburger’s own rules set out what a glimmer needs in order to sing one.
What do Location cards do?
A location gives abilities to the glimmers that travel to it, and some locations produce lore at the start of a turn.
Are glimmers the same as characters?
Yes. Glimmers are the character cards at the centre of the game: they quest for lore and they can challenge opposing glimmers.
Sources
Sources and scope
- Disney’s own introduction to the game on the Disney Parks Blog — the four card types and what each does, the six inks and the description of each, the note that a Song is a special type of action card that a character glimmer can sing, the deck requirement of at least 60 cards, and the need for damage counters and a way of tracking lore.
- Ravensburger’s own product pages and rules material for Disney Lorcana TCG — the ink limit of two per deck, the composition of pre-constructed decks, and the contents of products such as the Illumineer’s Trove.
- Ravensburger’s set announcements — the pattern of introducing characters from a specific Disney or Pixar film with each set, including the first Pixar characters in Wilds Unknown and the Coco debut in Hyperia City.
- Scope note: only details published by the publisher or by Disney are stated as confirmed. Rules interactions are governed by Ravensburger’s own rules documents rather than by this page. No prices are given.
Rules, inks and card types are set by the publisher. Check Ravensburger’s own rules documents before relying on anything here for play.
Related reading
- Disney Lorcana cards
- Disney Lorcana in mainland China
- Disney Lorcana Hyperia City
- Other card games
- The Card Protection Guide
- Card sleeve sizes, explained
- Card accessories
Where to go next
- The CardSpicy card index — every card we track, with its PSA 10 population and market history (195 cards).
- The illustrator index — every artist behind those cards, card by card (110 artists).