Nothing you can say will convince me that it’s easy to get into a trading card game. That was true until I played Disney Lorcana TCG Gateway. Ravensburger’s Disney Lorcana is the first trading card game that made me understand why folks enjoy these kinds of games. Other TCGs I tried seemed too complex, the communities too unwelcoming. It was the opposite with Lorcana. The theme of Disney animation didn’t hurt, either. While it’s easy enough to learn to play the game using starter decks, Disney Lorcana Gateway is an ideal introduction for beginners or those who have taken a break. It makes the game so simple to pick up.
Disney Lorcana Gateway is packaged in a game box that comes with a game board, two starting decks, four reward packs, damage counters, and all the instructions you need. What elevates this above picking up two starter decks, aside from the game box packaging, is that it’s a progressive experience. The gameplay is designed to help you learn. While the rules and mechanics are specific to Disney Lorcana, I could see the methods and lessons about strategy applying to other TCGs.
The starting decks are Amber and Amethyst and Ruby and Sapphire. The guidebooks that come with the game simplify the ink colors to yellow and purple and red and blue. Each of the starting decks has 30 cards—nowhere close to the standard 60 card deck. With these 30 cards, you follow the rules and get comfortable with the game. The first 30 cards even have a specific order to set you up for success. Then you have to check off certain tasks during your game to proceed to the second gate. After that you’ll open another small pack of cards. You repeat this until you open the fourth and final pack of cards.
Each pack cleverly adds new cards types and/or abilities to help you expand your knowledge of the game. You’ll get to know items, songs, the support ability, shifting characters, and more. Alas, the game does not include location cards. The slow progression makes you take the time to stop and get to know your cards. Even though I’ve played Lorcana for about a year, I found using the checklists a positive challenge. They stopped me from falling into my usual strategies. For example, I’m the worst about remembering to use characters instead of ink to sing songs. But with the requirement to use characters to sing songs in order to move on to the next gate, I had no choice but to try it.
While Disney Lorcana Gateway is suited for beginners to the game, you can have fun even if you’re a seasoned player. As a bonus for existing players, the game board is solid. I might consider using it instead of turning to a play mat.
Disney Lorcana TCG Gateway is available exclusively at Target now for $24.99. It will be available at mass retailers and local game stores beginning on August 9.