Disney Lorcana Ink Types: Definition & Strategy Guide
When it comes to the six different Ink types in Disney Lorcana, there is no one overall loser, and no one overall winner. After all, you need two Ink types in your deck in order to have a really strong Lorcana deck. For this reason, different types have strengths and weaknesses that pair better with some types than others.
That being said, some are more well-rounded than others. In this list, we’re going to be highlighting each ink type – what makes them great, what their potential weaknesses might be, and which is the standalone strongest ink type of them all.
*Updated December 5, 2023 to new cards and strategies revealed in Rise of the Floodborn.
Emerald Ink Explained
“Emerald glimmers are flexible. Gifted with the ability to adapt to changing circumstances, they are never caught off guard. Quick-thinking but not necessarily book-smart, they navigate their environment—whether physical or social, natural or artificial—with ease.”
In The First Chapter, Emerald was not a particularly strong ink type on its own. It needed to be paired with the hyper powerful Amethyst Ink or the aggressive Amber ink type to get the edge it needed to be competitive.
That’s largely changed thanks to Rise of the Floodborn, however. Emerald might just be the single biggest buffed ink type, benefiting from a new and powerful draw engine thanks to Prince John – Greediest of All.
Emerald Ink isthe king of discard
In Lorcana’s second set, Emerald really begins to take shape, and become more distinct as an ink type. It’s strongest capability (and one that was only hinted at in The First Chapter) is discard. Emerald has a range of cards that enable you to reduce your opponent’s ability to win the game. Cards like Daisy Duck – Secret Agent, discard a card each time she quests, while Lucifer – Cunning Cat deals a decisive blow to your opponent’s hand.
In a game like Lorcana where what you have in your hand is everything, actively discarding your opponent’s best cards before they can play them can give you a huge advantage. But discarding isn’t the only thing that Emerald does well. Thanks to Prince John, every time your opponent discards a card, you draw a card.
Prince John – Greediest of All
Market price: $8.17
Emerald Ink’s Strengths and Weaknesses
Unparalleled discard capabilities.
Strong questing characters with high lore value.
Not a strong challenging deck.
Weak board clearing options.
Emerald’s best ink combo:
Pair Emerald with Steel to control the battlefield.
Pair Emerald with Amber to discard your opponent’s hand.
Ink #5 – Amber
“Amber glimmers are purposeful. Patient and dedicated, they’re able to pursue causes and ambitions with single-minded persistence. They often work within communities, either from above as a leader or from within as a healer, bodyguard, or just a loyal follower.”
Amber is the Ink that excels at healing.
Amber has some incredible highlights, but it lacks the power of stronger colors, particularly in the late game.
That being said, Amber is incredibly versatile, and that versatility really shines when combined with other Ink types like Steel to win games quickly or cause damage while taking advantage of constant healing.
My favorite of these cards due to its versatility is the Rapunzel – Gifted with Healing card.
Amber Ink Key Card: Rapunzel Gifted with Healing
Four the cost of only four, you get access to a beefy character with two lore and one of the best draw capabilities in the game.
Amber is king of singing
Rise of the Floodborn introduced several powerful characters with the Singer ability, further emphasizing Amber’s distinction as a deck that’s great for signing songs to gain an advantage over your opponent. The strongest among these characters is actually the cost one Cinderella – Ballroom Sensation. Although she is only a cost one character, she can sing songs that would otherwise cost three, thanks to her singer keyword ability.
Amber’s best ink combo
Pair Amber with Steel to unlock one of the best decks in Lorcana.
Pair Amber with Emerald to build a powerful discard deck.
Ink #4 – Sapphire
“Sapphire glimmers are intellectual. Intelligent and creative, they excel at strategy, invention, and the arts. They can almost always know something, plan something, or invent something that will win the day. ”
Sapphire does what it does well better than anyone else, and that’s getting cards into your Inkwell. However, the main weakness here is that it can sometimes be hard to see what Sapphire is getting those cards into your Inkwell for. On its own, it doesn’t always have the kinds of payoffs from having a bunch of extra Ink around as you would expect from a deck that specializes in this approach.
That being said, Sapphire has incredible potential, and when paired with another Ink type, it can massively accelerate your game.
From this particular Ink type, my favorite card is Belle – Strange but Special.
Sapphire Ink Key Card: Belle – Strange But Special
Starting with my favorite first, Belle is the one card in all of Sapphire that helps make sense of why you want so much Ink in your Inkwell.
Not only does she offer you the unique and broken ability to add a card each turn to your Inkwell, if you have 10 or more cards there she gets an incredible 5 Lore!
Sapphire is king of items
In addition to its singular capability to accelerate ink into your inkwell, Sapphire is an ink type focused very powerfully on leveraging item cards. The strongest item card right now in Sapphire is arguably Pawpsicle. This handy item can be played for a cost of one, is inkable, and can be brought back via Nick Wilde’s ability, and also discarded to enable better draw support via Flaversham or Judy Hopps.
Sapphire Ink’s Strengths and Weaknesses
The best deck in the game for accelerating the Ink in your Inkwell.
Powerful draw engine thanks to Pawpsicle.
Limited late game powerhouses given the focus on ramping up Ink, making it necessary to pair with powerful control inks like Ruby.
Sapphire’s best ink combo
Pair Sapphire with Ruby to unlock a powerful control deck with strong draw support.
Ink #3 – Ruby
“Ruby glimmers are daring. They use their speed and bravery to defy the odds. They are often warriors, explorers, and daredevils. ”
While other Ink types on this list so far have offered strong versatility and actions and abilities but lacked late game prowess, Ruby is the opposite. Ruby contends with Amethyst for the best late game power, capable of dominating the board with cards like Maleficent - Monstrous Dragon and Dragon Fire.
However, it doesn’t have much to help it outside of its combat capabilities and board clearing. Ruby absolutely needs to be paired with an Ink type that can take care of its massive draw support weakness and range of capabilities outside of challenging and board control.
My favorite card from this Ink type is Mickey Mouse.
Ruby Ink Key Card: Mickey Mouse – Brave Little Tailor
This Mickey Mouse card is so incredibly strong it’s almost mind blowing. Five Strength and Will Power and four Lore and the Evasive ability makes Mickey Mouse – Brave Little Tailor the most well rounded card in Disney Lorcana.
Ruby is king of banishment
If it wasn’t clear as of The First Chapter, Lorcana’s second set has certainly made it official – Ruby is the king of banishing cards, making it the ultimate component for a control deck – one that wins through sheer power over the course of a long game.
Cards like Lady Tremaine – Imperious Queen join Ruby’s already incredible line of banishment cards like Dragon Fire, Be Prepared and Maleficent – Dragon to totally dominate the battlefield.
In addition to delivering incredible banishment options, however, Ruby also excels at challenging – having multiple cards that enable decks to be built entirely around challenging opponents.
Ruby Ink’s Strengths and Weaknesses
Unparalleled challenging strength.
Incredible late game and board control.
Weak draw support.
Ruby’s best ink combos
Ink #2 – Steel
“Steel glimmers are strong. Large and imposing, armored, or just plain powerful, Steel glimmers can apply huge amounts of brute force to get the job done.”
Steel has one thing going for it, and in the current meta, that one thing is a good one thing to have – draw support. Steel has the best draw support of any other Ink type, and in trading card games, draw support is arguably the strongest function of all.
Its strongest draw support cards are Tinker Bell – Tiny Tactitian, Beast – Tragic Hero, Beast’s Mirror, Ransack, and the formidable A Whole New World.
That being said, Steel also offers plenty of other goodies that make it a powerhouse in its own right. Cards like Fire the Canons can erase weaker or damaged opponents from the board early on, while Captain Hook – Aggressive Duelist can cut through strong opponents from the get-go.
Steel can pretty much coexist with any other Ink Type thanks to its phenomenal draw support and thrive.
Steel Ink Key Card: A Whole New World
A Whole New World is arguably the single most effective card in all of Disney Lorcana right now, enabling you to discard your hand and draw seven new cards while also forcing your opponent to do the same.
Steel is the king of Resist
Rise of the Floodborn brought with it a powerful new keyword ability – Resist. Resist reduces the damage characters take, and right now Steel characters are the only ones with this powerful ability natively.
“Amethyst glimmers are wondrous, for this is the otherworldly ink of sorcerers, sages, animated objects, and other glimmers who use their special powers to achieve their aims. They are incredibly powerful when they have access to their amazing abilities but may land in trouble if they’re stripped of those or tap into power they can’t control.”
Finally, number one on this list is the formidable Amethyst Ink type. Amethyst is unique on this list as it is the only Ink type that has it all. It has strong formidable power and control like Ruby, but also strong draw support almost comparable with Steel, and the ability to mess with your opponent’s field like Emerald.
Amethyst is a power house in and of its own, and when paired with other Ink types, it becomes almost unstoppable. This is why Amethyst and Ruby is one of the best and most popular decks in Lorcana right now. And of all its incredible cards, none is more impressive than what is undoubtedly the single most powerful Character in all of Disney Lorcana: Elsa - Spirit of Winter.
Amethyst Key Card: Elsa – Spirit of Winter
Elsa lets you deep freeze your opponent’s characters, letting you pick them off with actions, while also preventing them from questing or challenging next turn.
Amethyst is the king of bounce
Although Amethyst was already a formidable ink type thanks to cards from The First Chapter, Rise of the Floodborn brought a powerful new mechanic to the foreground, and Amethyst is its strongest manifestation. The “bounce” mechanic is the unnoficial name for bringing cards back to your hand from the field. Thanks to the Sword in the Stone cards introduced in Rise of the Floodborn (including Arthur – Wizard’s Apprentice, Merlin – Goat and Madam Mim – Fox), Amethyst now has access to not only a powerful range of cards but the unparalleled bounce mechanic these cards provide.
Amethyst’s best ink combo
Pair Amethyst with Ruby to create a powerful ink combination.
