Lorcana: DLC Singapore review and decklists!

Hello, everyone!

On November 29th, we had the first Disney Lorcana Challenge of the current competitive season in Asia! The event took place in Singapore, at the beautiful Marina Bay Sands Expo & Convention Centre.

It was a very interesting event, and a tad different from the previous ones that have happened this season! If you want to check out our articles about the previous DLCs, we had DLC Bologna and DLC Milwaukee.

So let's analyze the DLC Singapore!

DLC Singapore had some peculiarities compared to the other two DLCs that happened around the world for this season, and therefore it's important to discuss these differences to understand how they impact results, especially regarding deck choices and specific cards seen in the lists.

This DLC was initially played in a Best of 1 format, meaning a single game to decide the winner of the match, instead of the tradition Best of 3 games.

The event had 409 participants and featured 7 Swiss rounds before the cut to the Top 64. Until the Top 16, it remained Best of 1, and from the Top 8 onwards it switched to the Best of 3 format, continuing until the final.

Metagame

When analyzing the metagame of an event like this, the difference in choices between decks designed for a Best of 3 and a Best of 1 is evident.

Beyond the issue of adjustments and tech cards, the deck selection itself is affected, as the trend is to see even fewer experimental decks. Furthermore, due to the nature of Best of 1 – or Bo1, for short – faster decks are favored, as they can establish a winning position more quickly, thus putting more pressure on the opponent. This will result in errors or suboptimal plays, favoring the more aggressive deck.

The organizers of this DLC did not made public the decklists or any ink combination chart for the tournament, but as far as results go, what was seen was the continued dominance of three colors: Amethyst, Sapphire, and Steel. Any two of these three, in the current metagame, indicate a deck that can be considered Tier 1, as can be seen from the results of the DLCs in USA and Europe.

Therefore, it's no surprise that Amethyst-Steel was the most popular deck in the Top 64 of the event, especially after winning the DLC in Milwaukee, demonstrating great strength and resilience. Two elements that are even more relevant in a Bo1 environment!

An example decklist from this archetype reached second place in the Challenge. Also, I'd like to thank InkDecks for their efforts in compiling and sharing the lists!

On other side, we again saw few decks excelling with Ruby. While today the top of the metagame is dominated by variations of the three colors already mentioned, unfortunately, we must also consider the combinations linked to Ruby at the opposite point, that is, in the lower tiers of the meta.

However, perhaps there is a light at the end of the tunnel: an interesting list made Top 32 at the event – ​​the best result for a deck with Ruby in the tournament. The highlight is the very strong interaction between Maui - Half Shark and Next Stop, Olympus, allowing for turns of significant lore gain with Maui Shark decimating the opponent's weaker characters. A list with a lot of potential!

The Champion - Jacob Frank, with Amethyst-Sapphire

Jacob Frank, from Austria, played 7 rounds of Swiss, and at the end he had 5 wins and 2 losses. He entered the top cut in 61st place, and due to being a low seed, meaning he was ranked below his next opponents, he played all top cut matches on the draw. None of that could stop him, and in the end, now in a Best-of-3 series, Jacob Frank was crowned champion of DLC Singapore!

Here is the champion's list:

It's interesting to see how the new set, Whispers in the Well, is already showing its impact on this list, with some additions: Cheshire Cat - Inexplicable and Demona - Scourge of the Wyvern Clan, among the characters, and Junior Woodchuck Guidebook in the items.

The color Amethyst, already impactful with its efficient card draws, gains another tool with the Junior Woodchuck Guidebook, while Demona is a bit more conditional, but with great 5-6 attributes. Cheshire Cat also has an excellent ability, which helps a lot against the proliferation of Resist characters.

The combination with Sapphire allows combining card draw with ink acceleration, resulting in a very strong and very consistent deck, including very few non-inkable cards. The acceleration allows you to not place as much importance on the deck's 3-drop curve, preferring to focus on highly relevant 4-drops such as Dumbo - Ninth Wonder of the Universe, Iago - Giant Spectral Parrot and Genie - Wish Fulfilled.

Finally, at the top of the curve, we have Hades - Infernal Schemer and Monstro - Infamous Whale to finish up a game where you only one final push to win.

The event in Singapore marked the first DLC of the new season outside of the Europe-North America axis, and was also very important for the local community.

Perhaps the most wonderful thing about the event itself was the positive energy from a community excited about the game, and the celebration when several local players had real chances to become champions in friendly territory, without any disrespect or disregard for those who came to play and support the event.

And that was another review! I hope you enjoyed it.

Remember to leave your comments and feedback below!

Hugs, and until next time!