Disney Lorcanarevealed a new mechanic players have been expecting for a while, but it doesn’t quite live up to the hype. PerceptiveLorcanaplayers noticed that several characters from the upcomingArchazia’s Islandset seemed to be prominently sporting two different colors in their artwork. As colors on cards are typically used to signal what color ink those cards have, many theorize thatArzhazia’s Islandwould featureLorcana’s first batch of cards with multiple ink colors. Sure enough, previews have confirmed thatArchazia’s Islandwill feature several dual-ink cards.
While it’s exciting to seeLorcanastepping into some new design space,thesenew dual-ink cardsaren’t quite what some might have hoped. This is likely because of the wayLorcanaworks differently from other trading card games (TCGs) when it comes to its color system. The similarities betweenLorcanaand other card games may have created a certain expectation about dual-ink cards that the reality of its mechanics just doesn’t make possible.
Lorcana’s New Dual-Ink Cards Are Underwhelming
The Revealed Dual-Ink Cards Are Not Hugely More Powerful Than Single-Ink
Now thatLorcana’s dual-ink cards are here, it seems likethey aren’t going to be much more powerful than their single-ink counterparts. That isn’t to say the revealed dual-ink cards are bad. Bell, Mechanic Extraordinaire seems like a lot of fun to build around, and Lady, Miss Park Avenue can be a cheap way to recover some cards in the right decks. The problem is that these cards don’t seem overly powerful compared to similar single-ink cards of the same cost.
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According toLorcana.gg, Maleficent, Monstrous Dragon still has astrong showing inLorcana’s meta. As a more flexible nine-cost card that can fit into more decks, it wouldn’t be surprising to see this version of Maleficent continue to be more of a staple in the game than the new nine-cost dual-ink Belle. This is a little disappointing, given the extra restrictions that come along with playing a dual-ink card.
BecauseLorcanaonly allows food decks with two different ink colors,the number of decks a dual-ink card can enter is severely limited. Due to this limitation, there would perhaps be an expectation that these cards would be a bit more powerful than their single-ink counterparts. However, this isn’t really possible due to howLorcana’s ink system works.
Lorcana’s Ink Mechanics Make It Harder To Balance Multicolor Cards
Ink Can Be Spent For Any Color, Meaning Dual-Ink Cards Are Just As Easy To Play
Although a dual-ink card may present more limitations when building a deck,it isn’t actually any harder to play than a single-ink card. This is becauseLorcana’s colors don’t factor into the cost of playing them. Unlike other TCGs, where multicolor cards need several different resources to be played or to function properly,Lorcana’s dual-ink cards don’t have the same limitations. It doesn’t matter what color aLorcanacard is when trying to play it; only players have enough ink to do so.
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Although this ink system means thatLorcana’s gameplay is both simpler and more consistent, it also means that the game loses some complexity in terms of how it can balance cards.Magic: The Gatheringuses its multiple colors to balance more powerful cards without having to ramp mana costs up to an extreme number. For example, a colorless card that costs five generic mana is less powerful than a card that costs one mana of each color because.Although the number of mana needed is the same, it’s more difficult to ensure one has each specific color.
Because a five-colorMagiccard or aPokémonattack that requires multiple energy is more difficult to pull off, they get to be more powerful. In contrast,a nine-cost dual-ink card inLorcanais just as easy to play as a nine-cost single-ink card. This means that, despite putting more restrictions on the type of deck one can build, these cards can’t be hugely more powerful because they aren’t any harder to get onto the board.
What Role Dual-Ink Cards Will Play In Lorcana
Dual-Ink Cards Will Help Solidify Two-Color Strategies
Although dual-ink cards might not be wildly more powerful than their single-ink counterparts, that doesn’t mean they can’t still play an important role inLorcana.One thing that dual-ink cards can do better than single-ink cards is tobe more specific with their abilities. Because dual-ink cards can only go in certain decks,Lorcana’s designers don’t have to worry about how they interact with every other card in the game. Instead, these cards can be carefully crafted to meaningfully interact with cards of their two colors.
Dual-ink cards could be a great way to show newer players how to build around a certain color. It’s likely not a coincidence that the two new starter decks feature some dual-ink cards for their face characters.DisneyLorcanais showing players the role dual-ink cards will play in the game as something to build a strategy around. New dual-ink cards could also beef up existing strategies or signal new ones for atwo-color pair. While they don’t have more raw power than single-ink cards, dual-ink cards could still significantly impact the game.
