What is Disney's Lorcana TCG?

Disney Lorcana is a collectible card game where you, as an Illumineer, summon glimmers (Disney characters) and other magical items to collect "lore" and win the game! Here's a quick walkthrough on how to play:

1. The Goal:
The first player to reach 20 Lore wins the game! You primarily gain lore by sending your Character cards on "Quests."

2. What You Need to Play:
    A Deck: Each player needs a deck of at least 60 cards, containing no more than four copies of any single card (by its exact name). Your deck can only contain cards from two different "Ink" colors (Amber, Amethyst, Emerald, Ruby, Sapphire, or Steel). Starter decks are a great way to begin.

    Lore Tracker: Something to track your Lore (the starter decks come with one, or you can use the official app or a die).
    Damage Counters: Tokens to keep track of damage dealt to characters.

3. Setting Up the Game:
    Shuffle and Draw: Both players shuffle their decks and draw a starting hand of 7 cards.
    Mulligan (Optional): You can choose to return any number of cards from your hand to the bottom of your deck and draw that many new cards. You do this once, then reshuffle your deck.

    Determine First Player: Decide who goes first (e.g., coin flip, die roll).
    Set Lore to 0: Both players set their Lore tracker to 0.

4. Anatomy of a Lorcana Card (Key Elements):
    Cost: The number in the top-left corner, indicating how much Ink you need to pay to play the card.
    Inkwell Icon: A golden swirled border around the cost means the card can be placed into your Inkwell (as Ink). Cards without this icon cannot be used as Ink.

    Ink Type: The colored band behind the card name, indicating its Ink color.
    Name: The name of the card.
    Abilities/Effects: The special rules or text of the card.
    Strength (Characters): A star-shaped icon indicating how much damage a character deals in a challenge.
    Willpower (Characters): A shield-shaped icon indicating how much damage a character can take before being "banished" (discarded).
    Lore Value (Characters): A number (usually in a diamond) indicating how much Lore you gain when the character "Quests."

5. How a Turn Works (Two Phases):
Each player's turn has two phases: Beginning Phase and Main Phase.

A. Beginning Phase:
    Ready: Turn all your "exerted" (sideways) cards upright. This includes characters, items, and Ink in your Inkwell. They are now "ready" to be used again.

    Set: Check for any "start of turn" effects on your cards and resolve them.
    Draw: Draw one card from the top of your deck. (The first player skips this step on their very first turn of the game).

B. Main Phase:
This is where you take most of your actions. You can perform these actions in any order you choose, as many times as you can afford, with one exception:

    Add a Card to Your Inkwell (Once Per Turn):
        Choose a card from your hand that has the Inkwell icon around its cost.
        Show it to your opponent, then place it face-down into your Inkwell area.

        Each card in your Inkwell provides 1 Ink, regardless of what's on the front. Once a card is in your Inkwell, it stays there for the rest of the game and its original text/abilities no longer apply. This is how you generate resources to play other cards.

    Play Cards:
        You can play Character, Item, or Action cards from your hand by paying their Ink cost.
        To pay, "exert" (turn sideways) that many Ink cards from your Inkwell.
        Characters: Enter play in the "ready" (upright) position, but their "Ink is still drying," meaning they cannot "Quest" or "Challenge" (or use abilities that require exerting) on the turn they are played, unless a specific card ability says otherwise (like "Rush").

        Items: Placed above your Inkwell and can be used immediately (if they have an ability).
        Actions: Resolve their effect immediately and then are placed into your discard pile.
        Songs (a type of Action): Can be played like a regular Action (by paying its Ink cost), OR you can "sing" it by exerting a Character you control whose cost is equal to or greater than the Song's cost. This allows you to play the Song for free!

    Use Abilities:
        Some Characters and Items have abilities. You can activate these by paying any listed costs (which may involve exerting the card itself, or Ink).
        Remember, Characters generally cannot exert on the turn they are played.

    Quest:
        You can send your "ready" Characters (those whose Ink has dried) on Quests.
        To Quest, exert the Character (turn it sideways).
        Gain Lore equal to the Lore Value printed on the Character card. Update your Lore tracker.

    Challenge:
        If you want to disrupt your opponent's Lore gain, you can Challenge their Characters.
        Choose one of your "ready" Characters (whose Ink has dried) and exert it.
        Choose one of your opponent's exerted Characters to Challenge.
        Both Challenging and Challenged Characters deal damage to each other simultaneously, equal to their Strength value.
        Place damage counters on the Characters to track the damage. Damage is persistent and remains on the Character until it is banished or an effect removes it.
        If a Character takes damage equal to or greater than its Willpower, it is "banished" (placed into its owner's discard pile).

6. Winning the Game:
The game ends immediately when a player reaches 20 or more Lore during their turn.

Important Reminders:
    Exerting: Turning a card sideways to show it's been used.
    Readying: Turning an exerted card upright to show it's ready again.
    Ink is Drying: Characters cannot exert (Quest, Challenge, or use most abilities) on the turn they are played.
    Damage is Persistent: Damage stays on characters between turns.
    Deck Out: If a player needs to draw a card but their deck is empty, they lose the game.

This walkthrough covers the core mechanics. As you play more, you'll encounter various keywords and card interactions that add depth to the game. Have fun illuminating!