Earlier this year Mickey Mouse released into the public domain. Not how you think, because Disney still owns and protects the depiction of their mouse-y mascot with red pants, big eyes, and big round ears. But the black-and-white depiction of the original Steamboat Willie is now open to public recreation. We've seen some... strange reclamations of public domain Disney characters already with the release of Winnie the Pooh's Blood and Honey, a horror film of our favorite stuffed bear. And there's more where that came from with horror interpretations of Steamboat Willie in video game form as well. However it goes with these public domain interpretations it's safe to say that these are intense milestones for Disney characters, proving their longevity and elevating their legacy.

As we celebrate Disney's milestone let's take a handy look at the Lorcana cards of our favorite mouse. Here are the Top 5 Mickey Mouse cards released so far in Disney's Lorcana.

5. Mickey Mouse - Musketeer

There was an opportunity here to have the subtitle be Mouseketeer and it was completely abandoned. Musketeer Mickey makes it onto this list for the simple fact that he has an incredible 7 Willpower and Bodyguard. The Musketeer theme is fun and cute, but it hasn't come together into a full deck. Maybe we'll get more Musketeer's in the future, but for now Mickey leads the trio with a bonus to their Strength. Given the low 2 Strength on this card it's hard to rate him any higher. He can survive challenges and defend his friends, but he's likely not defeating anyone in return so they're going to turn around and attack again. However, the art here depicting Mickey is great. The cube-shaped symmetry of the castle and trees adds a flavor of weirdness that I enjoy while sticking to the Musketeer/fantasy genre. Mickey himself looks a bit silly with oversized gloves and ears coming out of his massive hat. I love the balance of over-the-top and Disney.

4. Mickey Mouse - Friendly Face

Not only is this Mickey Mouse more playable because of his ability that triggers when questing, he has a powerful 3 lore that brings you closer to your goal when you use it! Friendly Face seems to come from Mickey Mouse Playhouse which my daughter was obsessed with when she was younger. I still hear Mickey's instructions haunting me while I sleep. Mickey is friendly here because he invites other friends to come on your side of the table after he quests. Offering a massive 3-ink discount on the next character can be game changing, especially when you're so far into the game that you can afford a 6-ink Mickey in the first place. Mickey's outfit seems to be more in-line with a butler than someone I wanna hang out with, and the background feels plain and boring. Nothing special art-wise but at least the card is near playable.

3. Mickey Mouse - Trumpeter

This Mickey Mouse cheats in the best way. I talked about this card in my recent Top 10 list of cards from Into the Inklands. Friendly Face might seem like the best at welcoming his friends to your side of the table - but Trumpeter is much better. The difference here is that the Trumpeter puts a target on his back and is much easier to banish. He'll turn around a lot more bang for your buck if he ends up getting out at least one other character. It's not much a surprise since you're telegraphing your free character, but being able to ambush your opponent with a sudden 9-ink drop like Sir Goofy is devastating. Strangely, I feel like Trumpeter should also be a singer with his musical motif, but since he's playing an instrument instead of actually using vocals I'll let it go. I'm excited that Trumpeter has the Steel ink icon as a pin on his hat - it begs a lot of questions about the in-world meaning of the different colors of ink that I find fascinating. Brown coat, feather hat, and trumpet all make sense and look good. The background of this art is nothing, and in some instances even looks like it was left at the sketch stage. It feels unfinished and a lot left to desire.

2. Mickey Mouse - Detective

This card was a promo for The First Chapter and turned out to be a great form of ramp for Sapphire. I have a lot of beef with cards like Fishbone Quill that ramp from your hand, and Detective Mouse does a great job of side stepping that as well as giving you a 3 Willpower body on the board. Taking from the top of your deck won't slow you down and put you at a disadvantage where you need to be top decking. GET A CLUE is one of my favorite ramp abilities even 3 sets in, and I'll defend this card all day. The ramp comes early enough to impact the necessary jump between turns 3 and 4, shoring up your inkwell even further if you've already Jumped Ahead. Detective Mouse is the second oldest iteration of the Mouse's here - coming from a Little Golden Book published in 1985 where he's approached by famous actress Lola and tasked with finding her missing Poodle. The art is fine, leaving something to be desired in the background again but the outfit, the tech, the pose, and the nod to the art in other Lorcana cards really lands for me.

1. Mickey Mouse - Brave Little Tailor

We all knew this was coming. Our guy from the D23 show where Disney Lorcana was originally previewed. He's been used in marketing and promotional materials everywhere. For months we wondered exactly how Evasive would work and what the little diamonds meant. We all complained that 8-ink for 5 Strength and 5 Willpower was too much or too little, then we complained about complaining about that. The truth is that Brave Little Tailor has become the iconic Venn diagram of Lorcana and the Mouse. Now just iconic, but he's a pretty good character with Evasive to keep him alive and 4 lore! Brave Little Tailor originated in a short film from 1938 and was a retelling of the fairy tale The Valiant Little Tailor. Everything about this card speaks for itself, including the wonderful art that has become resoundingly associated with Disney Lorcana and the community we've built here.

Thanks for reading. Share your favorite Mickey Mouse card with me on Instagram or @wlsobel.