Today, we're taking a look at the first of two starter decks for Disney Lorcana's latest set, Shimmering Skies. More specifically, it's the Ruby/Amethyst deck. While Ruby/Amethyst has been a main staple in the meta, this is a refreshing take that gives the player a solid foundation at this level of play, allowing for further expansion via booster packs or singles. Without further ado, let's take a look!

Contents

Like previous starter decks, Ravensburger did not deviate from the previous iterations. To be honest, the formula makes sense for the target audience. Both decks tend to aim toward new players, providing a paper playmat with turn instructions and pop out damage markers. In addition to the deck, you'll also receive one booster pack containing cards from the set. Here are the contents of the deck itself:

Ruby/Amethyst Starter Deck

• Characters (48)
• 1 Anna - Mystical Majesty
• 1 Elsa - The Fifth Spirit
• 1 Olaf - Happy Passenger
• 1 Vanellope von Schweetz - Random Roster Racer
• 1 Wreck-It Ralph - Demolition Dude
• 2 Archimedes - Electrified Owl
• 2 Archimedes - Exasperated Owl
• 2 Bruni - Fire Salamander
• 2 Daisy Duck - Spotless Food-Fighter
• 2 Donald Duck - Daisy's Date
• 2 Earth Giant - Living Mountain
• 2 Gale - Wind Spirit
• 2 King of Hearts - Monarch of Wonderland
• 2 Maleficent - Vengeful Sorceress
• 2 Mickey Mouse - Enthusiastic Dancer
• 2 Minnie Mouse - Dazzling Dancer
• 2 Rancis Fluggerbutter - Chocolate Charger
• 2 Snowanna Rainbeau - Cool Competitor
• 2 Taffyta Muttonfudge - Ruthless Rival
• 2 Taffyta Muttonfudge - Sour Speedster
• 2 The Nokk - Mythical Spirit
• 2 Turbo - Royal Hack
• 3 Anna - Eager Acolyte
• 3 Simba - Adventurous Successor
• 3 Taffyta Muttonfudge - Crowd Favorite

• Actions (7)
• 3 Hypnotic Strength
• 2 Glimmer vs Glimmer
• 2 Finders Keepers

• Items (3)
• 2 Retrosphere
• 1 The Sword Released

• Locations (2)
• 2 The Library - A Gift for Belle

How to Play the Deck

The deck is looking to utilize both Rush and Evasive to not only create constant board control pressure, but characters that are generally hard to remove. Once you have control of the board, you can start playing strong questers to race to 20 lore at breakneck speeds. You'll keep your hand full thanks to cards such as The Library - A Gift for Belle and Finders Keepers and characters off the board from supporting cards such as Hypnotic Strength and Glimmer vs Glimmer. Lastly, you'll want to try to close the game out with a well timed Anna - Mystical Majesty shift play into a heavily discounted Olaf - Happy Passenger.

Changes to Consider

It's extremely hard not to consider some of the staples that make Ruby/Amethyst such a strong, consistent deck in the meta, but we'll try our very best to stick to the theme here while bumping the power level up a notch:

• -3 Simba - Adventurous Successor
• +3 Cogsworth - Illuminary Watchman

With this change, you'll benefit by shifting your inkable vs uninkable ratio in a better direction. Cogsworth also provides Rush when played. Costing 1 ink to play means that it's impact when paired with a other character being played the same turn will always have your opponent wondering if you have it or not.

• -2 Retrosphere
• +2 Sugar Rush Speedway

Sugar Rush Speedway is a great thematic addition to the deck, looking to synergize with two of the three Taffyta cards, as well as The Library. Applying one damage to your character is a small cost, and if you are able to play The Nokk - Mythical Spirit afterwards, you can apply that damage directly on to an opposing character, if able.

• -2 Finders Keepers
• +2 Friends on the Other Side

Switching to a lower cost action - song gives us the opportunity to sing it for drawing 2 instead of paying 5 ink for 3 cards. With a deck like this, you don't want to lose the ability to apply pressure by being unable to frequently drop threats on the board.

Final Thoughts

Shimmering Skies brought two very thematic decks with some pretty decent power levels, compared to previous sets. It's nice to see Ravensburger continuing to add more value to these starter decks, and even including a single copy of Elsa - The Fifth Spirit this time around. With that, you have a pretty strong starter off the bat and with a few changes, something that's fun, thematic, and very straightforward to play by players of all skill levels.

Thanks for taking the time to read this article today, sponsored by CoolStuffInc. They are your number one source for anything Disney Lorcana, be it singles, sealed product, and supplies. Connect with me on X/Twitter for more Lorcana content.