Lorcana: Wilds Unknown Core Constructed in Review

Hello, everyone!

We are past the halfway point of the year, and soon—at the end of July—the 13th set, Attack of the Vine, will launch. This release will also bring us the yearly Core Constructed rotation, meaning sets 5 through 8 will no longer be legal in the format.

In other words, we are in the final weeks of the current Core format, but there is no time to slack off! Several events are still on the close horizon—most notably the second Disney Lorcana Challenge in São Paulo, organized by Copag Games.

So, let’s get ready for these events and review the state of the format since the arrival of Wilds Unknown!

Right now we have eight valid sets in the format, which is the largest possible number under the current Rotation rules. These are the sets:

- Shimmering Skies

- Azurite Sea

- Archazia’s Island

- Return of Jafar

- Fabled

- Whispers in the Well

- Winterspell

- Wilds Unknown

Before the release of Wilds Unknown, we published an article reviewing the best decks at the time. However, the 12th Set has certainly shaken up that metagame!

We have some decks that remain strong and prevalent, some new decks, and some classics that can always emerge and deliver results in the hands of skilled Illumineers.

Let’s discuss some of the standout decks in each category, using decklists from the recent DCI CCQ in the US—which drew over 150 players! As always, a big thank you to InkDecks for providing the lists.

The Stablished Archetypes - with Upgrades!

As is common in card games, dominant decks often manage to adapt and incorporate new cards from recent sets, thereby maintaining a strong presence in the metagame. Let's take a look at a few of them!

Amber-Emerald Dogs

The deck that won the previous DLC in São Paulo in the hands of Zan Syed remains a major force in the current metagame.

Wilds Unknown introduced two new cards for the archetype: The Queen - Devious Disguise and Elinor - Renowned Diplomat. Both align with the deck's goal of flooding the board and provide continuous card draw. Capitalizing on the fact that both share the Queen character type, the deck has also incorporated Aurora - Holding Court as an additional 1-drop option.

Overall, the strategy remains a continuous process of playing characters and accumulating value, utilizing various card-draw options—most notably Tramp - Street-Smart Dog, which continues to be the most crucial piece for the deck's consistency.

Amethyst-Sapphire Ramp

Affectionately nicknamed Blurple—combining the Sapphire and Amethyst inks—this remains the premier ramp deck.

The Sapphire ink brings two fundamental cards to the archetype: Tipo - Growing Son and Sail the Azurite Sea. These help jump-start ink production, allowing for a quick ramp-up to major threats like Demona - Scourge of the Wyvern Clan and Hades - Infernal Schemer.

New additions to the deck have improved threat deployment following the initial ramp phase. Merryweather - Feisty Fairy combines excellent stats with the Ward ability, while Mrs. Incredible - Super Stretchy offers a versatile option—providing either Evasive capabilities or accelerated Lore generation, depending on your needs.

Emerald-Sapphire Ramp

Another option that combines ink acceleration with powerful threats, this time pairing Sapphire with Emerald.

In fact, we recently highlighted this deck, which also received significant additions in Wilds Unknown: alongside the aforementioned Merryweather - Feisty Fairy, there is another key addition in Milo Thatch - Getting His Hands Dirty. The latter not only helps with board control but also draws cards, protects itself via the Ward ability, and—on top of that—generates three Lore!

Furthermore, the potent combination of Malicious, Mean, and Scary and Prince Phillip - Vanquisher of Foes remains capable of winning many games; combined with Clarabelle - Light on Her Hooves, the deck maintains resources throughout the match while building up its board presence.

New Archetypes!

With the various options introduced in Wilds Unknown, we have new decks that appear to still be evolving and finding their place in the metagame.

Amber-Amethyst Dale

This deck emerges as one of the best midrange options in the format, largely due to a new card: Dale - Ready for His Shot.

Featuring several characters with high Willpower, the deck can completely dominate the board once Dale hits play; suddenly, the opponent runs out of options for favorable trades via Challenges, and without direct removal, the match falls firmly under your control.

Furthermore, the Amethyst pairing provides a powerful sequence of characters along the ink curve: Cheshire Cat - Inexplicable, into Genie - Wish Fulfilled, into Elsa - The Fifth Spirit, and finally Demona - Scourge of the Wyvern Clan.

In short, it is a classic midrange deck that consistently seeks the best value at every point of the ink curve, while also incorporating some ramp thanks to Grandmother Willow - Ancient Advisor and Hamm - Piggy Bank.

Ruby-Sapphire Actions

This is perhaps the closest thing we currently have to a "combo" deck in Lorcana—or a combination-based deck, usually simply referred to as "combo."

The idea is to chain together several low-cost actions that also draw cards—such as Inner Strength, Dangerous Plan, Helping Hand, Develop Your Brain, and even some ramp via Sail the Azurite Sea.

This sequence of actions helps you quickly play larger characters, like Lilo - Causing an Uproar or Olaf - Snowman of Action. Against an opponent with many small characters on the board, the combination of Next Stop, Olympus and Maui - Half-Shark can completely turn the tide of a match.

Amber-Ruby Toys

This is perhaps the most iconic archetype in Wilds Unknown, as it features numerous cards from the Toy Story franchise.

The deck's greatest strength is the synergy between Toy characters, particularly with the song You've Got a Friend in Me, which is almost guaranteed to draw you two cards—especially since there are forty-five Toy characters in the deck.

Furthermore, the combination of low-cost characters and those that generate significant Lore—notably Wind-Up Frog - Sid's Toy and Bullseye - Loyal Horse—allows you to maintain board pressure while preparing to replenish resources using Jessie - Lively Cowgirl and Babyhead - Leader of Sid's Toys.

Finally, at the top of the deck's curve, Sid Phillips - Toy Surgeon can snatch victory out of nowhere, turning a trade involving several of your smaller characters into a massive Lore burst.

Consistent Options

Last but not least, let's highlight two archetypes that were prominent in the format but have lost some ground following Wilds Unknown—perhaps because they didn't receive as many upgrades as other decks. Nevertheless, they remain consistent and will always be powerful in the hands of experienced Illumineers:

- Amber-Steel Songs, which we highlighted in this article—and was also the runner-up deck at the DLC São Paulo back in April;

- Amethyst-Steel Midrange, which we highlighted in this other article and remains a popular choice, even if it has appeared less frequently in recent tournaments.

And that wraps up our review of the latest metagame trends following the release of Wilds Unknown!

The current Core Constructed season will peak in this final Disney Lorcana Challenge before the rotation, and all eyes will be on São Paulo. Will one of the new archetypes take the win? Or will it be an established deck? Or perhaps a surprise prepared by Brazilian Illumineers?

Be sure to tune in to the official broadcast on COPAG's official YouTube channel—I’ll actually be one of the casters for the Portuguese stream, and I’m really excited to see the best players in action!

Cheers, and see you next time!