Unexpected CompetitionHello, everyone!In our recent articles, which you can check out by clicking here and here, we've provided some analyses of the major recent events featuring the Winterspell set in the Core Constructed format.We've seen some decks stand out in these initial tournaments, and gradually these decks being "answered" by others, thus creating an interesting and healthy competitive metagame for Lorcana (at least so far).We've also seen something very important: space for rogue strategies, that is, reasonably unexpected or uncommon strategies, that show up, and not only surprise, but also succeed.So today, we're going to analyze an unusual list, but one that has already proven successful in the competitive scene: Amethyst-Steel Locations! Let's go!Amethyst-Steel LocationsThe list we're going to analyze today was used by Carlos Andreacchio at DLC Melbourne in February 2026. Carlo made it to the Top 8 with this list, a fantastic result that earned him the sought-after Golden Mickey, besides qualifying for other tournaments.Here is the list he used:Even though this ink combination already exists in the Metagame, Carlo opted for a very different direction, with a deck focused on Locations.Let's then understand the game plan of this deck and the choices made by Carlo in deck-building.AmeSteel Locations - Game PlanAmeSteel Locations is an aggro deck, meaning it focuses on winning the Lore Race against the opponent simply by fast-speeding to 20 Lore.Normally, aggro decks focus on cheap and efficient characters, aiming for at least one quest, ocasionally two or more, to advance their Lore advantage effectively. However, since our deck today focuses on Locations, this logic changes slightly. Even so, no card in the deck costs more than 3 ink, so we can see that the tendency is to make many plays in the early turns, focusing either on ending the game quickly or finding an opportunity to refuel.The great advantage of Locations is that, to deal with them, the opponent needs to invest in characters and then use them in Challenges. The deck uses this to its advantage, forcing the opponent to expose characters in the early turns, otherwise the Locations will generate an immense amount of Lore without any opposition.Of course, let's highlight that all 18 Locations in the deck passively generate Lore; that is, at the start of each turn you have one of them on the board, you will receive Lore as indicated in the Location. In other words, chaining two or three Locations puts considerable pressure on your opponent to answwer to your board, and if you are properly prepared, you can take advantage when your opponent tries to respond inappropriately to these threats.Let's analyze the cards in the list to better understand the role of each one.Locations, Locations, LocationsAs mentioned, the deck features eighteen Locations, almost a third of the total cards. The goal is to use the Locations as a win condition and a tempo play, forcing the opponent to respond suboptimally. Although they have effects and abilities, the main function of the Locations is to generate lore and provide constant pressure on the opponent.Zootopia and Fairy Ship are ideal turn 1 cards when you start the game, as they immediately put good pressure on the board. Fairy Ship is a vanilla Location, but Zootopia invariably helps with consistency, for example, by swapping non-inkable cards for inkable ones, or helping to find a specific card.Castle Wyvern and Seven Dwarf's Mine are the 2-cost cards, and both have relevant effects that help with board control. Elsa's Ice Palace, the only one costing 3 and the only one that cannot be inked, is useful in specific situations, to lock down a larger character, especially in more controlling decks with fewer characters available to remove your Locations.1-Cost CharactersWhen you're not going to start with the first turn, it's important, instead of playing a Location – which can be a very passive play – to play a character to prepare your board and face your opponent's.Captain Hook remains one of the best 1-cost options, with the potential to challenge and make positive trades with much higher-cost characters.Mulan doesn't have such strong stats, but it helps find specific cards, for example, a Fire the Cannons! against a Dog Deck, or discard a second copy of Doc - Bold Knight, etc. She's a cheap and versatile character, and greatly helps with deck consistency.2-Cost CharactersAt 2-costers, some characters complement the Lore Race, while others focus on countering the opponent's threats.Lilo and Nala are excellent Lore generators that require a certain investment from the opponent to remove them. Therefore, they complement the continuous Lore generation of Locations well, and put opponents in a difficult choice, as they will hardly have the resources to fight them all at once.Calhoun and, in a way, Honeymaren, take advantage of how the deck indirectly forces the opponent to exert characters. In this way, even when your opponent removes a Location, you can still gain some advantage – especially with Calhoun, which also helps against fast decks full of minor characters.Finally, Doc costs 2 ink, but isn't exactly a 2-cost character. His main function is to be played last from the hand, becoming an efficient 2-card draw. He is also the only Knight-type character in the deck, which synergizes with Seven Dwarfs' Mine - Secure Fortress.3-Cost CharactersAt the top of the deck's curve, we have the 3-cost characters, whose main function is to help secure the final Lore points when you need to close out the game.Giant Cobra and White Rose can generate Lore directly and maintain a reasonable board presence as well. Giant Cobra also synergizes well with Doc, emptying your hand so Doc can draw new cards.John Silver deserves special mention for being the only card in the deck that directly synergizes with Locations. It further enhances their role and reinforces the tempo advantage we've mentioned several times. When your opponent tries to forgo removing your Locations and attempts to match their Lore, it's precisely John Silver that will break that equation.Actions and ItemsRounding out the deck, we have two last cards, each with a very distinct function.Fire the Cannons! is the main tool for dealing with faster decks, being extremely useful against a number of problematic characters - Grandmother Willow - Ancient Advisor is perhaps the greatest example today.On the other hand, Amethyst Chromicon is particularly useful against slower decks because, along with Doc, it will allow you to fill your hand and find more resources turn after turn, especially the direct-Lore gain to finish a longer match.ConclusionAmethyst-Steel Locations proved to be a deck with the right tools to attack the metagame, and it's no wonder it achieved an excellent result.Of course, the skill of the deck's player cannot be disregarded either; they not only had an unusual list but were also well-trained and prepared for several more well-known decks.Finally, it's worth highlighting that Amethyst-Steel Locations is a relatively budget deck, showing that in Lorcana, having the most expensive deck is not an immediate synonym for success. Factors such as metagame, skill, and preparation/knowledge are as important as, or even more important than, the choice of deck itself.And that's it for today! I hope you enjoyed it, and please leave your feedback in the comments.Best regards, and until next time!
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