Disney Lorcana is a trading card game where players can build a deck with up to two different ink colors and battle each other to see who can be the first to earn 20 lore in a game. As of writing, the game has 6 different ink colors to choose from, each with their own unique characteristics. Let's take a look at the inks and what they offer as options for your next deck.

The Ink Colors

Amber

Official description

The Breakdown

Amber does a really great job of establishing a wide board thanks to cost reduction effects through characters, actions, items, and locations. This allows you to play cheaper, more impactful characters for either its card effects or just raw questing power. Amber is one of two inks that currently have access to Bodyguard characters, which synergize well and will protect other characters by forcing your opponent to attack exerted characters with Bodyguard first. If you want to focus on a deck with Action - Songs, Amber is the exclusive ink with characters that have the Singer keyword. This allows your characters to sing songs, replacing the cost requirement of the Song with the value that Singer provides. Ariel - Spectacular Singer is a great example of a 3-cost character that can "sing" a song up to a cost of 5 with Singer 5. Amber tends to pair well with Ruby and Steel. If you're looking to play a fairly consistent powerhouse deck, I strongly recommend Amber/Ruby. For an explosive midrange deck, I would consider Amber/Steel with plenty of Songs.

Amethyst

Official description

The Breakdown

Amethyst is a really strong support ink to consider if you need some additional utility. Players looking to use this ink will benefit from methods of drawing cards, bouncing characters back to benefit from additional on play effects when replayed, and moving damage from your characters to your opponent's characters. Amethyst really tends to pair well with all the other ink colors. If you're looking for a low to the ground aggro-style deck, consider going Amethyst/Amber. For a solid consistent top contender, Amethyst/Ruby has been a solid choice from The First Chapter to Into the Inklands. If you like a ramp/control style deck, look no further than Amethyst/Sapphire. If you're looking for a simple, yet masterful deck, consider Amethyst/Steel for draw and removal through direct damage.

Emerald

Official description

The Breakdown

Emerald just happens to be one of my favorite inks right now in Lorcana. It's got characters with Evasive, discard effects, and really pesky characters and effects that sometimes cause your opponent to reconsider their options. If the opponent lets too many opportunities pass by, the game could be over before they know it. Emerald tends to pair well with Amethyst and Steel. If you're looking for a deck with a lot of flexibility to navigate through many lines of play, I recommend my favorite, Emerald/Amethyst. If you're looking to punish your opponent by dealing with their characters on the board with damage removal while discarding their hand, Emerald/Steel is the way to go.

Ruby

Official description

The Breakdown

Ruby has a lot of tools under its belt for dealing with board presence. They have the most removal in the game, and even one of the best removal actions in the game, Be Prepared. With that, they have a bunch of ways of gaining lore through challenging as well as questing. If you're looking for an ink with some explosive plays, make sure you include Ruby at the top of that list. Other than the pairings I've mentioned above, Ruby also tends to pair well with Sapphire for a strong control/ramp style deck.

Sapphire

Official description

The Breakdown

Sapphire has some of the best items in the game, for a reason. They tend to synergize well with characters that can help draw additional cards, even further reduce item costs, and ramp into more ink to create a huge gap in tempo for your opponent. Being able to make powerful plays earlier than your opponent plays off very well if you can maintain a strong board presence through characters and locations. Sapphire tends to pair well with Steel if you're looking for a strong deck to pilot. I've been told it's unforgiving, so be sure to practice a bit and understand your lines of play before bringing this to locals.

Steel

Official description

Steel glimmers are strong. Large and imposing, armored, or just plain powerful, Steel glimmers can apply huge amounts of brute force to get the job done.

The Breakdown

Steel is another one of my favorite inks of Lorcana, simply because of how versatile it is. Steel brings a lot of utilize when it comes to dealing raw damage as a means of removal. Steel also does a good job at letting you get through you deck faster by the means of drawing and discarding effects, and even a powerful song called A Whole New World than can discard your hand and have you draw another 7 cards. I've already mentioned Steel's best pairings above, so be sure to check on those if you need a refresher.

Conclusion

The beauty of Lorcana is the flexibility in which it allows you to plays with up to two ink in your Constructed deck. This allows you to merge aspects from two inks you enjoyed the most. Try out a few of the recommended pairings mentioned above, or try your own. Regardless, be sure to send me your results on Twitter/X at @_EmeraldWeapon_ as I'm always exploring new ink combinations.

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