The Ludarium Academy · Trading card game course · Free

First Ink

An unofficial Disney Lorcana course for beginners

Pick the right first product, learn how a turn works, read any card, and walk into your first weekly play night and prerelease ready to play.

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The Disney Lorcana play area for two players. On each side: a lore tracker starting at 0, the play zone with characters, an item, and a location, the inkwell behind it with facedown ink cards, some exerted sideways, and the deck and discard pile to one side. Each player's hand stays off the table, hidden.Free printable teach sheetSetup, a turn, scoring, and three tips on one page.

Six levels, 22 lessons

Start with lesson one

  1. Level 0 · Learn to play

    Lamplighter

    After this level: Pick the right first product, play a full game by the current rules, read every part of a card, and teach a friend in ten minutes.

    1. 01How to Start Playing Disney Lorcana: Your First Product
    2. 02How to Play Disney Lorcana: Rules and How a Turn Works
    3. 03How to Read a Disney Lorcana Card, Part by Part
    4. 04How to Teach Disney Lorcana in Ten Minutes

  2. Level 1 · Beginner

    Scribe

    After this level: Skip the common rules slips, ink with a plan, choose quest or challenge on purpose, upgrade a starter deck, and enjoy your first weekly play night.

    1. 05Your First Ten Games of Disney Lorcana: Mistakes to Skip
    2. 06What to Ink in Disney Lorcana: Inkwell Strategy for Beginners
    3. 07Quest or Challenge: The Big Decision in Disney Lorcana
    4. 08Upgrading Your First Disney Lorcana Deck on a Budget
    5. 09Your First Disney Lorcana Weekly Play Night

  3. Level 2 · Intermediate

    Storyteller

    After this level: Pick an ink pair, build a legal 60-card deck from scratch, win trades for the board, and build a solid 40-card deck at a prerelease.

    1. 10The Six Disney Lorcana Inks and How to Pair Two
    2. 11How to Build a Disney Lorcana Deck from Scratch
    3. 12Winning Trades and Board Control in Disney Lorcana
    4. 13Disney Lorcana Prerelease Survival Guide

  4. Level 3 · Advanced

    Enchanter

    After this level: Put real odds on your opening hand and mulligans, count the lore race in turns, weigh cards against tempo, and read your opponent's ink and hand.

    1. 14Disney Lorcana Odds: Opening Hands, Mulligans, and Ink
    2. 15The Lorcana Lore Race: Counting Turns to 20
    3. 16Card Advantage and Tempo in Disney Lorcana
    4. 17Reading Your Opponent in Disney Lorcana

  5. Level 4 · Tournament ready

    Contender

    After this level: Play a timed best-of-three under the official tournament rules, register a legal deck, and choose and tune it for a Set Championship field.

    1. 18Disney Lorcana Tournament Rules for Your First Competitive Event
    2. 19Best-of-Three Disney Lorcana: Play or Draw, Time, and Matches
    3. 20Choosing a Deck for a Disney Lorcana Set Championship

  6. Level 5 · The championship path

    Loremaster

    After this level: Know every rung from Set Championships to the World Championship, and follow a six-week practice plan toward your next qualifier.

    1. 21Disney Lorcana Tournaments: What Comes Next
    2. 22A Practice Plan for Competitive Disney Lorcana

Every lesson is free to read here, any time. Sign up and they also arrive by email, one at a time, so the course keeps you learning between game nights.

Who it is for

  • New players who want to learn Disney Lorcana the right way, from the first ink.
  • Disney fans and parents buying a first product, maybe for two people at once.
  • Collectors with a stack of shiny cards who are curious about the game itself.
  • Anyone nervous about walking into a game store's weekly play night for the first time.
Players
2 (3 or more with the multiplayer rules)
Play time
About 20 to 30 minutes a game
Ages
Ages 8 and up
Rules as of
Hyperia City (Comprehensive Rules version 2.3.0, effective October 16, 2026), ahead of Into the Inkdark on February 12, 2027
Start with
Disney Lorcana 2-Player Starter Set
First store event
Weekly Play at a store listed on the Ravensburger Play Hub

Set alerts

Release dates, a prerelease checklist, and beginner buying notes before every new Disney Lorcana set.

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Play near me

Learning in Indianapolis? Join the Indianapolis list for first word on local learn-to-play nights as The Ludarium grows toward its first lounge.

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Questions

What is the best way to start playing Disney Lorcana?

Start with a product made for two new players, such as the 2-Player Starter Set: two ready-to-play 60-card decks, lore trackers, and a rulebook. Learn with a friend first, then visit a store's weekly play.

How do you win a game of Disney Lorcana?

Be the first player to reach 20 lore. You gain lore mostly by sending your characters on quests. A player who ends their turn with no cards left in their deck loses.

How many cards are in a Disney Lorcana deck?

A constructed deck has at least 60 cards, uses no more than two ink types, and holds no more than 4 copies of a card with the same full name. Sealed decks at a prerelease need only 40 cards.

Does the first player draw a card in Disney Lorcana?

No. The player who takes the first turn skips the draw on that turn. Everyone else draws at the start of every turn.

What does exerted mean in Disney Lorcana?

An exerted card is turned sideways because it has been used this turn, for questing, challenging, singing, or paying ink. Only exerted characters can be challenged, so questing leaves your character open to attack.

What is an ink drop in Disney Lorcana?

Ink drops arrived with Hyperia City. Some cards give you one, and you put an ink drop counter in your inkwell. Each one pays for 1 ink, then leaves the game once you use it.

Teach sheet · PDF · Rules as described in the Disney Lorcana TCG Comprehensive Rules, version 2.3.0 (effective October 16, 2026, for Hyperia City); official rules.

Unofficial. Not affiliated with or endorsed by Ravensburger or Disney. Disney Lorcana is published by Ravensburger, an official licensee of Disney. Disney characters and names are trademarks of Disney.