Disney Lorcana Keywords Explained: Mastering Game Mechanics
In Disney Lorcana, keywords are special abilities that appear on cards and provide unique effects during gameplay. Understanding these keywords is essential for building effective decks and developing winning strategies. This comprehensive guide will explain each keyword in detail, provide examples of cards that use them, and offer strategic advice for maximizing their potential.
What Are Keywords in Disney Lorcana?
Keywords in Disney Lorcana are standardized abilities that appear in bold text on cards. They represent specific game mechanics that modify how cards function during play. Keywords simplify card text by encapsulating complex rules into single terms, often followed by reminder text (in parentheses) that explains the ability.
Let's explore each keyword in detail to help you master these important game mechanics.
Bodyguard
Mechanic: When an opponent challenges one of your characters, you may shift this character to become the target of that challenge instead.
Strategic Value: Bodyguard allows you to protect valuable characters by redirecting challenges to your more resilient characters. This is particularly useful for safeguarding characters with high lore values or important abilities but low willpower.
Example Cards:
Mickey Mouse - Brave Little Tailor: A 2-cost Amber character with Bodyguard that can protect your more vulnerable characters
Mulan - Imperial Soldier: A Steel character that combines Bodyguard with high willpower
Beast - Transformed Prince: A high-willpower character with Bodyguard that can absorb significant damage
Strategic Tips:
Keep Bodyguard characters ready (unshifted) to use their ability when needed
Pair Bodyguard with characters that have high willpower or Resist to maximize their defensive potential
Consider including healing effects in your deck to repair damage on your Bodyguard characters
Challenger +X
Mechanic: This character gets +X strength when challenging.
Strategic Value: Challenger +X increases a character's offensive capability during challenges without making them overpowered in other situations. This allows for efficient character removal while maintaining balanced card design.
Example Cards:
Gaston - Determined Hunter: A Ruby character with Challenger +2 that becomes extremely threatening when attacking
Li Shang - Captain: Combines Challenger +1 with other combat abilities
Simba - Rightful King: A Steel character with Challenger +2 that can surprise opponents with unexpected strength
Strategic Tips:
Use Challenger +X characters proactively to remove opposing threats
Remember that the strength bonus only applies when your character initiates the challenge
Pair with effects that grant Rush to allow immediate challenging
Evasive
Mechanic: This character can't be challenged by characters with 3 or more strength.
Strategic Value: Evasive provides protection against high-strength characters, ensuring that your character can remain on the board to quest or use abilities without being removed by powerful challengers.
Example Cards:
Tinker Bell - Tiny Tactician: An Amber character with Evasive that can safely quest for lore
Abu - Pickpocket: A small character that uses Evasive to avoid being challenged
Jiminy Cricket - Official Conscience: Combines Evasive with useful abilities that you want to keep active
Strategic Tips:
Use Evasive characters primarily for questing rather than challenging
Remember that characters with 2 or less strength can still challenge your Evasive characters
Consider including ways to reduce opposing characters' strength to protect your Evasive characters from challenges
Reckless
Mechanic: This character must challenge if able.
Strategic Value: Reckless is generally a drawback that balances powerful characters by forcing them to challenge rather than quest. However, it can be advantageous in aggressive decks focused on board control.
Example Cards:
Stitch - Rock Star: A high-strength Ruby character with Reckless that excels at removing opposing characters
Maui - Demigod: A powerful character balanced by the Reckless keyword
Beast - Enraged: Has high strength and Reckless, making it a constant threat to opposing characters
Strategic Tips:
Build around Reckless by including ways to ready your characters after challenging
Remember that a Reckless character must challenge if it's ready and there are valid targets
If you want to quest with a Reckless character, ensure there are no opposing characters it can challenge
Resist +X
Mechanic: This character takes X less damage.
Strategic Value: Resist +X significantly increases a character's survivability by reducing all incoming damage. This makes characters with this keyword excellent defenders and persistent threats.
Example Cards:
Hercules - Hero in Training: A Steel character with Resist +2 that can withstand multiple challenges
Elsa - Snow Queen: Combines Resist +1 with other defensive abilities
Maleficent - Dragon Form: A powerful character with Resist +3 that's extremely difficult to remove
Strategic Tips:
Characters with Resist +X excel at blocking challenges from multiple smaller characters
Remember that Resist reduces damage from all sources, including direct damage effects
Pair with healing effects to make these characters even more resilient
Rush
Mechanic: This character can challenge or quest the turn it's played.
Strategic Value: Rush provides immediate impact by allowing characters to act the turn they enter play, rather than waiting a turn as is normally required. This creates tempo advantages and surprise opportunities.
Example Cards:
Aladdin - Street Rat: A low-cost character with Rush that can immediately quest for lore
Mulan - Reflection: A Ruby character with Rush that can immediately challenge
Genie - Free Spirit: A versatile character with Rush that provides immediate value
Strategic Tips:
Use Rush characters to respond to opposing threats immediately
Consider whether challenging or questing is more valuable in the current game state
Rush is particularly valuable in the late game when immediate impact is crucial
Shift X
Mechanic: Pay X ink to ready this character.
Strategic Value: Shift X allows characters to be used multiple times in a turn by paying additional ink. This creates flexibility and allows for powerful turns where you can both challenge and quest with the same character.
Example Cards:
Peter Pan - Boy of Many Talents: An Emerald character with Shift 2 that can be used multiple times
Merida - Skilled Archer: Combines Shift 1 with useful abilities
Flynn Rider - Charming Thief: A versatile character with Shift 2 for multiple actions
Strategic Tips:
Save ink during your turn to use Shift abilities when they provide the most value
Consider whether challenging or questing twice is more valuable in the current situation
Characters with lower Shift costs (Shift 1 or Shift 2) are generally more efficient than those with higher costs
Singer X
Mechanic: When this character quests, you gain X additional lore.
Strategic Value: Singer X accelerates lore gain, helping you reach the 20-lore victory condition more quickly. Characters with this keyword excel at questing and can create significant advantages in lore-focused strategies.
Example Cards:
Ariel - Part of Your World: An Amber character with Singer 2 that generates significant lore
Snow White - Fairest of All: Combines Singer 1 with other questing benefits
Moana - Wayfinder: A versatile character with Singer 1 for efficient lore generation
Strategic Tips:
Prioritize questing with Singer characters over challenging
Protect Singer characters with Bodyguard or defensive effects
Remember that the additional lore from Singer is in addition to the character's printed lore value
Support
Mechanic: This character can help another character challenge. Shift this character and add its strength to the challenging character's strength until end of turn.
Strategic Value: Support allows characters to combine their strength during challenges, enabling smaller characters to work together to remove larger threats. This creates flexible offensive options without requiring high-strength individual characters.
Example Cards:
Robin Hood - Skilled Archer: An Emerald character with Support that can help other characters challenge
Kristoff - Ice Harvester: A versatile character with Support for team-based strategies
Tiana - Waitress: A character with Support that can contribute offensively without directly challenging
Strategic Tips:
Use Support to help smaller characters challenge larger threats
Remember that using Support shifts the supporting character, preventing it from challenging or questing itself
Support can be particularly valuable against characters with high willpower or Resist
Ward
Mechanic: This character can't be chosen by opponents' abilities.
Strategic Value: Ward protects characters from targeted removal effects and abilities, ensuring they remain on the board to quest or use their own abilities. This is particularly valuable for key characters that form the core of your strategy.
Example Cards:
Belle - Inventive: A Steel character with Ward that's protected from opposing effects
Rapunzel - Tower Resident: Combines Ward with healing abilities for exceptional resilience
Cinderella - Gentle and Kind: A character with Ward that can safely quest for lore
Strategic Tips:
Ward only protects against targeted abilities, not challenges or global effects
Use Ward characters to carry important items or as key pieces in your strategy
Remember that your opponents can still challenge Ward characters normally
Additional Keywords from Expansions
As Disney Lorcana has expanded with new sets, additional keywords have been introduced to the game. Here are some of the newer keywords you might encounter:
Brave
Mechanic: This character can challenge characters with higher strength.
Strategic Value: Brave removes the normal restriction that prevents characters from challenging those with higher strength, allowing smaller characters to take on bigger threats.
Strategic Tips:
Use Brave characters to challenge key opposing characters regardless of their strength
Remember that the normal damage calculation still applies, so your Brave character may be banished
Pair with strength-boosting effects to increase survival chances
Deflect
Mechanic: When this character is challenged, the challenging character takes X damage before damage is dealt.
Strategic Value: Deflect punishes opponents for challenging your characters by dealing damage to the attacker before normal damage calculation, potentially banishing the challenger before it can deal damage.
Strategic Tips:
Deflect is particularly effective against characters with high strength but low willpower
Remember that Deflect damage is dealt before normal challenge damage
Opponents may avoid challenging your Deflect characters, allowing them to quest safely
Persistent
Mechanic: When this character would be banished from play, you may pay X ink. If you do, return it to your hand instead.
Strategic Value: Persistent provides resilience by allowing characters to return to your hand rather than being banished, ensuring you can replay key characters multiple times throughout the game.
Strategic Tips:
Save ink to use Persistent when valuable characters would be banished
Consider whether it's worth paying the ink cost based on the current game state
Persistent is particularly valuable for characters with powerful "when played" effects
Combining Keywords for Maximum Effect
Many of the most powerful strategies in Disney Lorcana involve combining keywords to create synergistic effects. Here are some effective keyword combinations:
Bodyguard + Resist +X
Combining these keywords creates extremely resilient defenders that can protect your other characters while absorbing significant damage themselves.
Rush + Singer X
This combination allows for immediate lore generation, accelerating your path to victory from the moment you play the character.
Shift X + Support
Characters with both these keywords can either act multiple times themselves or help other characters, providing exceptional flexibility.
Evasive + Ward
This pairing creates characters that are protected from both challenges (by high-strength characters) and targeted abilities, making them very difficult to remove.
Building Around Keywords
When constructing your Disney Lorcana deck, consider these approaches to keyword-focused strategies:
Lore Rush Strategy
Focus on characters with Singer X and high lore values
Include protection (Bodyguard, Ward) for your questing characters
Add Rush characters for immediate lore generation
Board Control Strategy
Emphasize characters with Challenger +X and Support
Include Rush characters for immediate challenging
Add Shift X characters for multiple challenges per turn
Defensive Strategy
Center on characters with Bodyguard and Resist +X
Include Ward characters for protection from abilities
Add healing effects to maintain your defensive line
Flexible Strategy
Focus on characters with Shift X for multiple actions
Include a mix of offensive and defensive keywords
Add Rush characters for immediate impact in various situations
Conclusion
Keywords are fundamental to mastering Disney Lorcana, providing the mechanical foundation for diverse strategies and playstyles. By understanding each keyword's function and strategic implications, you can build more effective decks and make better decisions during gameplay.
As you continue your journey as an Illumineer, pay close attention to how keywords interact with each other and with the broader game mechanics. Experiment with different keyword combinations to discover powerful synergies and develop your own unique approach to the game.
Remember that new keywords may be introduced in future expansions, continuously evolving the strategic landscape of Disney Lorcana. Stay curious, keep experimenting, and let the magic of these keywords guide your path to victory!
May your ink flow true, and your glimmers shine bright!
