There’s a part of me, perhaps even the biggest part of me, that enjoys the Lorcana hype cycle more than the actual game. Before The First Chapter launched last month, I often told people to take a second and appreciate what a wonderful time it was to be a fan. Before we knew all the cards, before Elsa control decks dominated the meta, and before the constant disappointment over limitꦆed availability, we lived in a world of endless possibilities. I had the most fun discovering each new Lorcana card alongside the community, and as much as I love playing the game a🎀nd collecting the cards (when I can find them), sometimes I wish we could go back to when it all started.
I felt that feeling reawaken inside me when the next set, Rise of the Floodborn, was revealed earlier this week. Lorcana’s first expansion brings another 204 cards to the game, doubling the current roster, while introducing new Disney movies, including one of my all-time favorites, Raya and the Last Dragon. With the reveal of the first 12 cards, the hype cycle has begun again. We may know all the rules and have a lot more knowledge to base our expectations on, but that just means we can make even wilder predictions than eveওr before. To kick off spoiler season right, here are my more unreasonable, unrealistic predictions for Rise of the Floodborn. I know these things will never happen, but that’s part of the fun. No one knows what’s coming, so anything could happen.
Way More Floodborn
Starting off with one that will be partially true, at least. If the Floodborn are going to rise, we’re going to need A LOT of Floodborn. In The First Chapter, we had just 12: twꦍo of each color, six rare, 🎃five super rare, and one legendary. For Rise of the Floodborn, I think we’ll see double this amount.
Out of the twelve we’ve seen so far, four of them are Floodborn. We’ve also already seen a legendary, Belle, Hidden Archer. There’s no way that’s the only one in the set, so I expect each color will have a♔ legendary, a super rare, and two rare Floodborn. Who might we see get the Floodborn treatment? That’s where things get really interesting.
The gargoyle Beast featured on the playmat se♔ems like a lock for a Floodborn card. I think we’ll get another Mickey, and maybe even another Elsa. Maleficent seems likely, since we have so many options for one to target, and I’d love to see Hunny Wizar⛦d Unleashed for that vanilla Pooh Bear to shift into, who’s with me?
The other set mascots, Raya and the Queen of Hearts🎀, should get Floodborn cards as well, but then it’s time to get weird. Let’s see Floodborn Baymax wearing gold armor based on Iron Man’s God Killer armor. Let’s see Floodborn Donald as a legally-distin𝔉ct-from-Kingdom-Hearts mage. Let’s see Floodborn Pudge. He controls the weather.
The Death Of The Ruby/Amethyst Control Deck
Nothing would make me happier than to see the meta shift dramatically away from the Elsa Control deck. I know it’s not the only viable deck, and many people will argue that it isn’t even the best one, but enough people are already convinced that it’s the top deck (and invested hundreds into their set of Elsas) that thꩵey’re playing it at every LGS I visit. Unfortunately, it’s a miserable deck to play against and I wish it would go away.
The games take forever and it feels like there’s no counterplay. Unless you get lucky and draw perfectly with an extremely aggressive deck, playing against this deck feels like watching yourself s🉐lowly lose for 45 🎉minutes. Everything you play gets removed before you can quest, and your opponent will just sit there, hand full of cards and board full of items, waiting for you to exhaust all of your options. I don’t just want better answers for this deck, I would like to see it become completely non-viable come November.
All The Themed Decks Come Online
Lorcana co-designer and brand manager Ryan Miller often talks about his pirate deck, but no one can quite crack the code on that one𓄧, at least not with the cards we have right now. The same goes for villains decks, princess decks, and musketeer decks. There&rs🍸quo;s something there, but none of them really come together yet. With Rise of the Floodborn, I expect the true power of these themed decks will finally be revealed.
I want to see underperforming cards from The First Chapter get their moment to shine, because there’s too many cards waiting to be great right now. Moana, of Motunui; Mulan, Imperial Soldier; Jasmine, Queen of Agrabah; and Cinderella, Gentle and Kind all seem like they should be powerful, high-impact cards, but they’re missing some pieces to really bring them together. Likewise, Dr. Facilier, Agent Provocateur; Captain Hook, Thinking A Happy Thought; Hades, King of Olympus; Mother Gothel, Selfish Manipulator; and Scar: Shameless Firebrand all seem like they could be useful if they just got a little help. We have sorcerers, inventors, princes, mentors, dragons, and deities that all need some kind of synergies th🐻at open the door to more deckbuilding options, and I think Rise of the Floodborn will bring most, if not all of these themes online.
Powerline, Baby
The announcement mentions the films that will be represented in the next set, like The Jungle Book, Zootopia, and Pinnochio, but no one said those are the only films that will make an appearance in RotF. One of the most exciting things about The First Chapter was anticipating which characters might show up, and being surprised by ones we never saw com꧋ing, like John Silver from Treasure Planet. Until the 204th card is revealed, there’s always a chance that something completely out of left field could show up. That’s what I love about Lorcana’s spoiler season.
So here’s my formal written prediction that Rise of the Floodborn will introduce The Goofy Movie’s Powerline. Not only is he a 🎶beloved character, but he&👍rsquo;s got two of Disney’s best songs, which makes him perfect for Lorcana. Obviously he would have the Singer keyword, and both Eye to Eye and Stand Out would make excellent actions. A Goofy Movie is beloved by 90s Disney fans, and Powerline is a bonafide pop icon.