Pokemon TCG Vs Disney Lorcana – Which Game Should You Play?

Sep 26

When it comes to trading card games, they all find their roots in a similar place. Disney Lorcana is no exception, and while there are great differences between Pokemon TCG and Lorcana, there are also plenty of similarities.

Let’s take a look at those differences, similarities, and how the two games compare for players.

Pokemon TCG vs. Disney Lorcana – Similarities and Differences

Challenging vs Attacking

Just like in Pokemon TCG, characters battle one another. How those battles impact the game strategically, however, varies greatly. In Pokemon, the entire game is centered around the two main “active” Pokemon duking it out. You win by knocking out Pokemon.

In Lorcana, combat is more of a side initiative. Theoretically you could win the game without ever attacking or “challenging” as it’s called in Lorcana other characters. The main way you win, however, is through “questing.” That’s when your characters don’t fight at all, but instead gain Lore.

The questing mechanic has no equal in Pokemon TCG, and it could very well be the single most drastic difference between the two games. More on that later.

Pokemon TCG is All About Attacking

While Disney Lorcana is really all about questing for Lore, attacking is the fundamental aspect of Pokemon TCG. In fact, the moment you attack, your turn is actually over. The rest of your turn is just buildup to that attack.

This emphasis on combat creates a more aggressive and fast paced feeling in Pokemon TCG than what you will get in Disney Lorcana. You really feel like you’re in a battle in Pokemon, whereas in Lorcana there’s other things going on that makes it feel less like a conflict and more like a game.

Disney Lorcana Has a Slower Pace of Play

Don’t let that heading fool you – Disney Lorcana’s pace of play is actually fantastic. But it is slower than Pokemon. Much slower. In Disney Lorcana, by turn two you are barely getting started, and will only have had the chance to play one or two characters.

By contrast, in a competitive Pokemon battle, by turn two if you haven’t setup your main attacker and board pretty much fully, you are behind. Pokemon can be over in 4 turns, and often is. Disney Lorcana, however, takes many, many turns because that’s how long it takes to play the Ink you need to play characters and actions.

While the fast pace of play in Pokemon can be really exciting and makes for great competition, it can also be stressful, and quite difficult for new players to keep up with.

Turns in Pokemon are a Lot Longer

Pokemon TCG is largely about drawing cards, and most of the best decks in the game have a way to help you draw a lot of cards reliably. However, more cards also means more decision making, and decision making takes time. Not to mention that other than a limit on one supporter and one energy per turn, you can play as many cards as you want. For this reason, turns in Pokemon can be very, very long. In Disney Lorcana, however, because everything you can do is dictated by how much Ink you have in your Inkwell, you have a very finite number of decisions to choose between. Which brings us to our next point.

Decision Fatigue in Pokemon is Real

Lorcana could very well advance to a point where there are ton of decisions to make at any given moment, the same as Pokemon, but right now, that’s not the case. And even for a fan of the Pokemon TCG like me, the change is nice.

Some of the best decks in Pokemon TCG require a lot of small decisions to be made every turn, and those small decisions often build up to a lot bigger things. It’s very easy to make the wrong decision when so many options are available at any given moment.

You may not notice the decision fatigue after a battle or two or even three. But after playing an entire League cup, for example, it wears you out.

Disney Lorcana, on the other hand, is pretty relaxing to play.

Pokemon TCG Has a Robust Competitive Scene

If you really like to play trading card games competitively, Pokemon has some really good options for you. The most popular one right now being the World Championships circuit. While World’s lets you play for 20k, many of the smaller (yet still very large tournaments) also award thousands of dollars to top finishers.

Disney Lorcana’s competetive scene is far, far less developed. Although their league play program is quite promising and more fun so far than the Pokemon TCG league play, there’s not championship circuit of tournaments for players to compete in, and certainly no tournaments offering cash prizes to the same degree Pokemon does.

So Pokemon TCG vs Lorcana – Which Should You Play?

Ultimately, which game you want to play is going to depend on a few factors, namely two: which do you like better, Pokemon or Disney? And what are you looking to get out of the game?

While only you can answer the first question, the second question is a little more straightforward. Because of the support for competitive play and strongly developed player base, really competitive players are likely going to have a better time picking up Pokemon TCG than Disney Lorcana.

In the Pokemon TCG world in general, there aren’t a lot of casual players. You’re either really really intense and going to every single major tournament possible, or you’re a collector. From what I’ve seen of Disney Lorcana, however, that game has the potential for a much, much larger middle-of-the-road player base, given to its wide appeal, more laidback play style, and yet satisfying depth and customizeablility to attract more seasoned card players.