Wilds Unknown sees characters from Toy Story, Brave and The Incredibles join the Disney Lorcana TCG for the first time – and is available for prerelease on May 8th in game stores and select Disney Parks and stores. The set will be available everywhere a week later on May 15th.

“The addition of glimmers of characters from Pixar films is one of the most exciting moments in the ongoing story of the Disney Lorcana TCG,” said Elaine Chase, Head of Category for Trading Card Games at Ravensburger.

“Everyone has fond memories of growing up with Woody, Buzz Lightyear, and the rest of the toys, reliving the adventures of the Parr family, joining forces against the Omnidroids, and watching as Merida embarks on a journey where she forges her own path. Now fans can have fun collecting those cards and create decks to play together with family and friends.”

Enchanted cards in Wilds Unknown will feature an Art Nouveau-inspired style dubbed Lore Nouveau. This art style is also depicted in the rarest cards of the set, known as Iconics, which also feature full-art and additional foil treatments. Merida – Formidable Archer and Buzz Lightyear – Jungle Ranger are the two Iconic cards in Wilds Unknown.

Anna Stosik, Art Director at Ravensburger on Disney Lorcana TCG, said: “Working with artists on each Disney Lorcana TCG card is a real thrill. We all have such a strong connection to these characters and applying the themes of working together to travel through these fantastic locales is enlightening.

“I think the Lore Nouveau style looks fantastic. The artists and card art directors put a ton of love and thought into these compositions and it’s wonderful to see the familiar Disney characters in this new and unexpected way!”

Following Wilds Unknown is the 13th Disney Lorcana TCG set, Attack of the Vine!, which prereleases at game stores on July 17th and will be available everywhere July 24th. Glimmers of Pixar’s Boo, Mike Wazowski and Sulley from Monsters, Inc. will make their debut appearance in the set, as Illumineers must team up stop a monstrous vine growing out of control.

The story arc will reach its peak this fall in a new product called Illumineer’s Quest: The Great Hunny Rescue. This cooperative all-in-one package releases in October. More information will be available at Gen Con 2026.

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Landing on September 5th, Fabled will introduce two new rarities to look for in each booster pack: Iconic and Epic. Iconic cards are extremely rare, with only two appearing in each set, while Epic cards will appear more often than Enchanted cards and feature special artwork and foil treatments.

Fabled will also mark the first time the game will rotate cards out of being legally available to competitive players to include in their decks. The first four sets will rotate out of the Core Constructed format, but will still be available to play in a new format called Infinity Constructed.

“To keep the competitive game thriving, rotating out older cards to encourage new strategies and fresh deck designs is a really important part of the next chapter,” said Ryan Miller, Brand Manager and Co-Designer of Disney Lorcana TCG at Ravensburger.

“But because we know there are cards in those early sets that are important to a lot of fans’ deck-building strategies, and we know not everybody got the cards they wanted the first year, we’re re-printing some cards from those first sets in Fabled. Including Enchanted versions of some fan favourites!”

Before Fabled launches in September, the eighth set – Reign of Jafar – arrives this summer. Alongside the set, Ravensburger is also launching a new co-op experience called Illumineers’ Quest: Palace Heist that pits up to 4 players against Jafar and his minions. The pre-release events in game stores and Disney store locations for Reign of Jafar start on May 30th, while packs will be available everywhere June 6th.

Also new from Ravensburger is the Collection Starter Set. Elaine Chase, Chief Marketing Officer for TCGs at Ravensburger describes it as: “the perfect way for Disney-lovers to jump into and start collecting cards showing off their favourite characters and moments from Disney classics.”

Elsewhere, the Disney Lorcana World Championship takes place on June 28th and 29th. 28 of the world’s best players will compete to become the first annual Disney Lorcana TCG World Champion. Fans around the world can watch live on twitch.tv/DisneyLorcana.

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The special Moana – Adventurer of Land and Sea promo card will be available at ODEON theatres in select European countries while supplies last.

The standard version of the card will be featured in an upcoming Disney Lorcana TCG set.

Moana 2 lands in UK cinemas from November 29th.

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The Store Summit included presentations and brand insights from visiting Ravensburger representatives, including Naomi Kim, International Product Manager – Disney Lorcana US and Tim Schilder, Game Development Manager. They were joined by UK team members Ben Lovell, Disney Lorcana TCG Category & Sales Manager, Lea Dillenseger, Product Marketing Manager and Alex Parker, Organised Play Coordinator.

Visitors also witnessed an exclusive behind-the-scenes tour of the fourth Disney Lorcana Challenge Event, taking place over the weekend at the NEC.

“We were blown away by the numbers attending the event and the resulting feedback,” said Alex Parker, Organised Play Coordinator at Ravensburger.

“We were able to share exclusive brand insights with the attendees and provide a platform for them to put forward suggestions, developments and ideas around how we can continue to grow our working relationship with them going forward.

“Organised play and in-store events is key to the long-term growth of Disney Lorcana and hobby stores are our eyes and ears into the player network, establishing safe community hubs and spaces where fans can gather and play. The Summit provided a great way for us to share ideas in a collaborative environment.”
Over 2000 players from across Europe gathered for the fourth Disney Lorcana Challenge event. Top-performing Illumineers were able to take part in side events to earn various rewards and exclusive items, with successful participants able to secure qualifications for future Lorcana invite-only events.

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Azurite Sea sees characters from Disney’s Big Hero 6 join Disney Locana for the first time, including Baymax, Hiro Hamada, Honey Lemon, Wasabi, Go Go Tomago and Fred.

Also debuting in the new set are Chip and Dale, Gadget Hackwrench, Monterey Jack and Zipper from Chip ’n’ Dale Rescue Rangers.

The Disney Lorcana TCG set Azurite Sea will include two starter decks featuring combinations of Ruby/Amber or Sapphire/Emerald, booster packs of additional cards and a new Illumineer’s Trove.

New accessories include two playmats featuring Elsa – The Fifth Spirit from Disney’s Frozen and Donald Duck – Buccaneer. New card sleeves and deck boxes will feature Scar – Vengeful Lion from Disney’s The Lion King and Winnie the Pooh – Hunny Wizard from Disney’s Winnie the Pooh.

Azurite Sea, the sixth set of Disney Lorcana TCG, will be released at local game stores and select retail locations at Walt Disney World Resort, Disneyland Resort and Disneyland Paris on November 15th. This will be followed by mass market retailers on November 27th.

Also on the way is the Stitch Collector’s Gift Set. The set includes a Stitch-themed portfolio, four Azurite Sea booster packs and a unique “Stitch-Alien Buccaneer” water foil promo card. This water-inspired foil treatment marks the first time this type of foil treatment has been used in Disney Lorcana.

The Stitch Collector’s Gift Set will be available for fans to purchase at local game stores and select retail locations at Walt Disney World Resort, Disneyland Resort and Disneyland Paris on November 15th. This will be followed by mass market retailers on November 27th.

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I met a guy at Gen Con whose daughters had been struggling with reading. They decided – on their own – to work on their reading so that they could play Disney Lorcana. I don’t know if I’ve ever had a bigger compliment on my work in my entire career! I spoke with someone who met the best man at his wedding through Lorcana… What a wonderful thing for a game to do; to forge these bonds and friendships.

Amazing. The game has evolved over the course of the four sets, both in plot and some abilities on cards. How do you manage the flow of that? How do you ensure new sets don’t throw things off balance in the game?
We have a whole game design team – run by Steve Warner – split between designers and developers. Designers come up with brand new cards and developers put it through the ringer. It’s a key part of any TCG; you need a dedicated group to stress test it. And having done all of that, you’ll still get the odd card that slips through and is more powerful than we expect. It’s the nature of the game.

On the strategic planning side of things, year after year we’re looking at how we want the game to grow and evolve – but it needs to always be accessible to new players. People need to be able to get into the game through every set. You have design for lots of different people, and the nice thing is that we have 204 cards to do that! We can have a bunch of cards for the tournament players, a bunch for the thematic players, a bunch for new players… A lot of our work centres on looking at sets from those angles.

Steve and I talked early on about wanting to avoid putting too many new mechanics in every set. We don’t want every set to introduce new mechanics… It should have new cards with new abilities, but we don’t want big major new mechanics. We added Location cards with Into the Inklands, but we do that carefully. If we do that too often, the game becomes too complicated, especially from a deckbuilding standpoint… And deckbuilding is already a complicated process, especially for folks that have never done it before.

Absolutely. So in staying away from big new mechanics, what do you look to add with each set?
Long-term, we look at what could be exciting about a new set. We could introduce a new franchise, or a focus on character that hasn’t had that attention before – like we did with Wreck-It Ralph. That franchise has a whole bunch of cards coming up in set five, Shimmering Skies. We look at what’s going to be fun and exciting in terms of what’s new. It shouldn’t be mechanically driven.

On that, what guides decisions about which franchises to bring into the game?
We have a whole narrative team made up of fantastic writers and narrative designers. They work on the overall story regarding the world of Disney Lorcana, as well as the stories of each set – and arcs across sets. For example, the first four sets had an arc centred on the return of Ursula. It’s a mix of their input, alongside input from marketing and Disney. We work very closely with Disney and they’ve been great. I’ve never seen a licensor be so excited about a product. They’re also very big on attention to detail, which is great because that’s one of my ingredients to a great experience… It takes love, attention to detail and hard work.

And details matter because even if a player or collector doesn’t notice those things, they’ll feel those things. Attention to detail is how we communicate the love that we have for this game and these characters. It’s important for consumers to know that this game is made by people who love it.

Absolutely. There are plenty of cards which I’d consider a ‘deep cut’ – something more obscure. What is benefit of those, or is there a limit to how obscure you can go?
It’s actually hard to go too deep. We have 204 cards in each set, so we can afford to devote some of those to deep cuts. And people who do love those – the Atlantis fans or the Treasure Planet fans – know we’re talking directly to them with those kinds of cards. And that’s really fun.

We had a single Treasure Planet card in set one and when we revealed it, people went nuts. On the forums, once the excitement died down, I saw someone ask: “What’s Treasure Planet?” People were saying “Oh you’ve got to watch it!” and so on… So here’s someone who hadn’t seen the movie before, and I guarantee they’ve seen it now. That’s a fun aspect of the deep cuts. It keeps stories alive for people who maybe hadn’t experienced them yet.

Another example is The Sword in the Stone. I don’t consider it a deep cut per se, but I do think it’s an underrated masterpiece – that’s why there’s so much of it in the game! Ha! Ultimately, it’s not a question of how deep can we go. It’s more about how much of a set should be made up of deep cuts. If you have that moment too often in a set, it can be off-putting. You don’t want to alienate people. We’re still experimenting with getting that mix right, but it’s one of the most magical parts of Lorcana.

Great insights. You’re putting fresh spins on iconic characters time and time again with these sets. What does it say about Ravensburger’s approach which means Disney has been supportive of these kinds of ‘big swings’?
Part of it is because Ravensburger has been working with Disney for 60 years. The companies have a long history of collaboration across puzzles and games, including, more recently, on Disney Villainous. And Villainous is important to the Lorcana conversation because it helped Ravensburger establish trust with Disney fans. These characters are so beloved by so many people – fans need to know that a company like Ravensburger is going to take good care of them. I can’t speak for Disney, but I think they feel that way about us.

They’ve also understood that a Trading Card Game is a content beast. Being able to reimagine characters is a key component of long-term success with something like this. But we also understand that there are limits… We wouldn’t change the moral compass of a character. We won’t make a hero into a villain – unless they’re being controlled.

Do you have a favourite ‘twist’ that you’ve put on a character?
I love our ‘smart’ Gaston – the Intellectual Powerhouse card. If you look at the card, he’s written his plan on the chalkboard… But it’s the same plan as in the movie. He’s not smart, he’s just smarter… It’s the same plan, he just wrote it down! He’s still buff, he’s still a narcissist – the twist is that he’s slightly smarter than he was before. Whatever we do, we take great care to not take a character in a direction that would signal to fans that we don’t understand or love a character.

Before we start to wrap up, I imagine you’ve been working solidly on Lorcana for years now… What keeps you enthused and excited about the brand?
It’s a good question. The number one thing is being close to the community. Going to locals, going to events, seeing the happiness we’re putting out into the world… It’s easy to forget. Look at what you do Billy. You do a lot of writing and put a lot into doing this for the industry, but you don’t always see the effects of what you do. Then you’ll host the Play Creators Awards or the Play Creators Conference, and you’ll see first-hand how excited everyone is and it rejuvenates you.

That’s very true.
The best analogy I have for making games is that it’s like the feeling of getting someone a gift, and being excited for them to open it. You only have that feeling if you know the person. It’s important for us to have experiences with people who are enjoying the game and making memories with it. So that’s what keeps me enthused – going out and playing the game with people and witnessing the game be a platform for connection.

From a game designer standpoint, it can also help just to play a lot of games. Or to work on my owns games. Both help me rejuvenate. It’s about stretching those creative muscles on something different so you can come back to the main project with a fresh perspective.

Great answer. Last question! Do you have any cards in particular that you’ve been especially excited to see land over the past year?
I was very excited about Location cards. From a design standpoint, it might have been slightly early for a whole new card type to enter the game, but we really wanted the narrative and thematic flexibility they provide. Once we had Location cards, then pretty much anything from a Disney film we could put on a card… We have Action cards, Item cards, Character cards, Songs and now Locations.

I love it when you hear a player talking during the game and it sounds thematic, like “I’m going to move Mickey to Pride Rock.” It just sounds thematic, even though it is something you’re doing in the game.

Set five, Shimmering Skies, arrives this month. First in the hobby stores and then at mass and online. What is behind this strategy of launching with hobby stores and indies first?
Hobby is where the community is born and grows, because that’s where the events are done. We wanted to give them special recognition for that. The other thing is that there are a lot of Disney fans new to this hobby. The idea of going into a store to play the game is novel to them, whereas to gamers it’s pretty normal. I wanted them to have that experience and it’s been great. I’ve speak to a lot of store owners and I always ask: “Are we bringing new people into your store?” The answer is always a resounding “yes” and that’s great.

Ryan, this has been great. I have one last question… Have you seen Lorcana have an impact on the wider TCG industry in any way?
I don’t know that we’ve changed any business’s decisions, but friends I have at places like Pokémon and Wizards of the Coast are excited about Lorcana. They understand that we’re helping bring new people into the world of TCGs. If these people enjoy Lorcana, chances are they’ll also want to see what else is out there. That was actually one of my goals. I think Trading Card Games are really fun and more people should play them. It’s a fun way to make friends and find a community.

Ryan, a huge thanks again. Let’s catch up soon!

The post Ravensburger’s Ryan Miller on what goes into crafting new sets for Disney Lorcana appeared first on Brands Untapped.

Mojo Nation is excited to reveal a new card for the upcoming fifth set of Disney Lorcana, Shimmering Skies.

The new Pete card – ‘Pete – Wrestling Champ’ – sees Mickey’s nemesis in wrestling attire celebrating in the ring, and features art from Rinati Hidayat.

Shimmering Skies will be released first at local game stores, Disney Stores and Disney Parks on August 9th, followed by mass market retailers and DisneyStore online on August 23rd.

Check out the card below:

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No pressure!
Ha! I loved it! I was an amazing experience. But yes, I worked in character design, in comics and as an art director on several TV shows and video games before Lorcana.

Amazing. And before joining Ravensburger, you did the art for some Disney Lorcana cards as a freelance artist.
That’s right. I started with the first set. It was a privilege because I got to do one of the first Aurora cards, Aurora – Regal Princess. I was so happy to be there at the start of this project and it’s been great to see how huge the game has become. People love this game. And since joining Ravensburger as an Art Director on Disney Lorcana, I love the game even more!

As you mentioned, you’re now in-house at Ravensburger working on Disney Lorcana. What has the collaboration with Disney been like?
It’s amazing. They give us a lot of freedom. It means a lot of the work can reflect the artists’ styles – and our artists are very talented. Our artists also have their name on each card, which – when you consider the size of the characters and brands we’re designing for – is a privilege. Ultimately, it’s helped capture the attention of fans. They love these unique interpretations of Disney characters. I mean, look at Malia Ewart’s work on the Belle – Accomplished Mystic card! And by the way, I can look at a card and recognise the artist! But yes, it’s great that Disney gives us that freedom.

What guides the style of these cards?
We actually take inspiration from the artists themselves. They can propose ideas. That’s the unique freedom we have with Lorcana. It’s a truly collaborative process. We start the process together and we guide each other. That’s why artists love to work on Lorcana. It’s awesome.

And how long does it take, from idea to completion, to create a card for Disney Lorcana?
It takes about seven weeks.

Wow! And how many artists are you working with?
We work with about 200. It’s a lot! And that spans artists we regularly use and some who did in and out.

Interesting. Now, before we dive into one of the cards you designed, I wanted to ask about cult characters… It must be fun putting a spotlight on characters that maybe haven’t been the focus of large merchandise programmes before. As a card-carrying Emperor’s New Groove enthusiast, I’ve been pleased to see Kronk, Kuzco and Yzma given their moment in the sun through Lorcana!
That’s one my favourite Disney movies too! I want to design an Yzma card one day! And coming from Argentina, she represents my country and culture. I love her!

But yes, in every set we include a character that might be more obscure, or cult, from the movies or a TV show. Emperor’s New Groove wasn’t a huge success at the time, and hasn’t had lots of merch, but it has fans – and they’re super excited when they do see those types of characters in the game.

Absolutely. Now, let’s talk about a card you illustrated: Mirabel Madrigal – Prophecy Finder. What was important to convey through the art in this card?
That card is actually connected to a few others in the Ursula’s Return set. Mirabel is building Bruno’s vision and some of the other Encanto cards are building it too. Luisa Madrigal – Magically Strong One is involved in that, and the Vision Slab item card is the final piece. It was a great collaborative process to tell this connected story through the cards.

Are you an Encanto fan?
Yes!

Does being a fan help the creative process?
It helps a lot! And I actually did fan art of these characters before I even got this brief, so they knew I could do it justice! When I got given those cards, I was so happy because I wasn’t just doing Mirabel… I did Luisa Madrigal – Rock of the Family and Pepa Madrigal – Weather Maker. I wanted the whole family, but it would’ve been too much work! Being a fan is important because you know the personalities of the characters. It made it easy to engage with these characters. It makes things easy.

And does your animation background come into play at all when working on Lorcana cards?
Yes. We want the cards to have that ‘sense’ of animation. We want them to feel alive and in motion… That’s why we use some many artists that have worked in animation.

Samanta, this has been great. Before we start to wrap up, how many cards have you illustrated for the game so far?
14 that have been released, with more to come!

Are there any in that line-up that you’re especially proud of?
The first card I did, an item card, was Beast’s Mirror, and that was special. But my favourite so far is the third card I did, a song card called Part of Your World. I love it because the co-director of The Little Mermaid, John Musker, is a friend of mine, so it was a privilege to do that card. And he loved the card!

Oh! You showed him?
Yes, he knows all about Lorcana and that card. It was a privilege to do that. And it was a challenging card to do because we wanted it to be a representation of her dream. I loved the concept.

Amazing. Last question: what fuels your creativity?
Watching the movies! And looking at the work of the animators who designed the characters in the first place. When I had to draw Mirabel, I looked at sketches from Disney Animation’s Jin Kim. They really inspire me.

Great answer. Thanks again Samanta!

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Ha!
It inspires me all the time. I am ready to spend hours thanking people for creating such wonderful cartoons! So, I had spent most of my life drawing, until people started to notice my work on social media. Many people started writing to me with job offers to various projects, and this is what happened with my invitation to Lorcana. Although it wasn’t always card games! I’ve worked in animation, book illustration, and concept art for computer games. I really like trying new things, so I’m always open to suggestions.

You mentioned being a big Disney fan. Lorcana must be a dream gig?
Absolutely. As soon as I was told that this job was related to drawing cartoon characters from this studio, I immediately agreed without hesitation. I would like to work directly at this studio one day… In fact, this is my dream. Therefore, it’s an honour for me to be a part of a project that is so closely related to my dream. I can draw my favourite characters, even come up with outfit concept arts! It’s just amazing… The tasks are always interesting; the world of Lorcana is very creative.

Lorcana is your first TCG project. Was there a big learning curve?
I didn’t know a lot, I didn’t understand a lot… A lot of things were new to me in the process of working with the team, but they were very kind to me. I studied with colleagues, and the art directors explained everything to me very clearly and positively! I’m actually a fan of board games, and the gaming industry in general. I’m not an active player on my own, but I like to follow the news in the world of games, watch streams, and sometimes play with friends. Games are a completely different facet of art. Players can influence the events of the game, unlike a movie viewer. The player is in the process, and not just an observer of the action. So, for me, it’s magic.

And talking specifically about Lorcana, card collecting takes a special place in the hearts of people. There are a lot of talented people working on the cards, so it’s not surprising that people collect them not only for the game. Many people ask for autographs from artists as a keepsake. It’s so cute, and it brings people together! Many games, especially board games, make us closer to each other, and that’s great.

Let’s dive into one of your cards: Ursula – Sea Witch Queen. What brief were you working from for this card?
Ursula should be placed in the centre of the composition. She was solemnly putting on the crown of Triton. She revelled in power, and around her were her faithful servants, Flotsam and Jetsam. I think many people would be interested in seeing such twist in the original cartoon, and here it is, realised in Lorcana! Ursula is the Queen of the Atlantic!

She certainly is! Can you talk us your design process? What did you want to capture and convey about the character?
An interesting element of many illustrations for Lorcana is the effect of the ink on the characters! In Ursula’s case, it was an Amethyst ink. I love the way Ursula was suited to everything related to this ink… Lilac-pink colours and spirals! It was interesting to work on her look. I also tried to portray Ursula in a turn, her tentacles in motion.

Due the work being vertical, I had a lot of space for additional details like Ursula’s cave, where she had been doing all her villainous deeds. Also, I liked the idea of adding a cauldron at the bottom of the card, because the bubbles coming out of it complemented the overall composition. The bubbles also help plunge the viewer into the depths of the sea world.

The main focus is on the action itself, with Ursula putting on the crown and everything going into a whirlwind of evil spells… This process is unstoppable and soon she will become the most powerful evil witch of the Atlantic Sea!

Your passion for the character shines through! Does being a Disney fan help your creative process?
Absolutely. While working on Lorcana cards, I reviewed many Disney cartoons to refresh my memories of scenes that could be suitable for working on compositions, silhouettes and new looks for the characters. I am happy to draw characters from classic Disney films so I can express my love, admiration and respect for my favourite stories. I often turn to official concept art in my work to accurately depict and get into the character.

I always think about how to make storytelling art… How to immerse the viewer in the action in the picture and how to draw a character reliably. Cinderella does not move and pose like Ursula, and vice versa. Also, I often listen to songs from the films. For example, with Ursula, I constantly listened to ‘Poor Unfortunate Souls’. It helped get me inspired, it’s just incendiary! Ursula, like many Disney villains, is imposing and charismatic… It was a lot of fun to draw her.

You did a great job. Huge thanks again for taking time to chat.

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Providing a deep dive into Ravensburger’s hit Disney Lorcana TCG, the full title of Tim’s session is: ‘Inside Game Design – Or How To Enhance Cards with Pixie Dust!’

“I’m delighted to have Tim speaking at this year’s event,” said Mojo Nation’s Billy Langsworthy.

“Disney Lorcana has been huge this year, and I know our audience will be excited to see behind the curtain when it comes to design of the game.”

This year’s Play Creators Conference is taking place at London’s Stamford Bridge Stadium on Wednesday, June 26th.
To book your ticket, head to: https://playcreatorsconference.co.uk/product/play-creators-conference-ticket/

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