Return of Jafar has hit major retail as of this publication so everyone is out in Disney Lorcana world enjoying an all-new set of cards. But looming over the festivities celebrating this villainous tyrant is the specter of the game’s first set rotation. But fear not, because many of our favorite cards are going to be reprinted in the upcoming Fabled set, which I’m very excited for as I think it stands to offer up a sort of “Greatest Hits” package that could also serve as a core set for the next generation of the game. I’ve already cast my ultimately futile votes for which cards need to be reprinted from The First Chapter, and now it’s time to turn attention to Rise of the Floodborn.
I have a lot of fond memories of this set- I feel like this was when I realized, OK, this game is really a Thing. Some of the most fun times I’ve had with the game so far were with the 2nd set and its league play. However, this was also the set where I feel like certain aspects of the metagame became oppressive, and the whole Ruby Amethyst bounce thing got pretty old, pretty quick if I’m being honest. Granted, this was also the set where Emerald discard started happening, and I’m sure that annoyed other folks almost as much. Without further adieu, here’s my picks for this set’s Fabled reprints!
I feel like this is just a great core card for Amber songs, and I also feel like it remains kind of an understated and underrated item. It’s a great simple card with an excellent effect that plays well in any deck that is using songs, and when paired with Sapphire item builds it increases the possible synergy. I’ve always argued that cards that support the end game goal are often superior choices, and this is one of those.
I really disliked Amethyst this set because of Madam Mim abuse, but that whole bounce thing is a key part of the ink’s identity so I think we’ve got to bring something up with that effect. I think this is the choice, a reasonably balanced card that bounces a character to gain 2 Lore. It’s much less easy to exploit and while continuing to provide this kind of effect for the next rotation.
I played a lot of Emerald in this set and one of the cards I flipped out over at the start was this terrific “Murderbeast” card. However, it never really seemed to take off. Sure, there were some combos that would pop off intermittently and you’d see this iteration of Beast doing some serious damage but it was never a consistent hit. With new direct damage options in the new cycle, I’d like to see this card have another chance to shine.
I could almost write the same blurb for this card as Beast – Relentless. When this card was first shown, people flipped their churros. It sounded awesome, and who doesn’t want to see Belle as a stealthy archer? It also seemed like an ideal fit for Emerald discard. But she was hard to play right, and she required too much setup for a payoff that didn’t necessarily win you the game. As discard adjust to the new rotation, I’m hoping to see new ways of looking at this card- hopefully with some cool new artwork to boot.
Look, it’s still my favorite card in the game so you know I had to do it. And it’s still a really fun play that gives discard a huge lore push as well as an overarching strategy. The idea is simple- get the cheap Flynns to the table, burn their hand down, and drop this Floodborn down to rack in the Lore and maybe win the game.
I think “great cards that never really worked out in the meta” may be an overarching theme here because this is another one. Shere Khan’s Don’t Insult My Intelligence is a great ability in an aggro or control deck because the ability applies Lore gain (the goal of the game) challenges. It’s reasonably priced inkwise, inkable, and on a standard 3/3 body so it’s already a solid card. It just needs some (waving hands) thing to really blow up.
One of those sneaky cards where at first you are like “nah” but then you play someone that really makes the most out of it with good combos and a grasp on what makes this song a great one for Ruby. Unlike some of the others on this list, this card did see a lot of play and looking over some of the new damage interactions in Reign of Jafar, I think this would be a great one to see a reprint. It’s also a good example of a more advanced, nuanced card that opens up a lot of avenues for skilled players.
The whole blue item thing looks to be pretty strong heading into the new rotation, despite losing Basil and Fortisphere- along with all the other main cards that have driven item play to this point. I like this card because it gives Sapphire an easy card draw option that plays off item play, and also is an item itself for anything that that plays off items. A good example of how each ink handles mechanics differently, and a good utility card for Fabled.
Possibly the most ridiculous card in Disney Lorcana, except for maybe the giant Mickey in Reign of Jafar, I want to see this card stay in the game. Period! I don’t care if it’s not “playable”, because it’s fun and awesome and the times I have managed to get out, I feel like I’ve won simply by playing the card even if I lose because I spent so much time and so many resources just to play it. With The Goofy Movie coming into the game, my dreams of all Goofy deck must be fulfilled!
This is another card that has always been good and seen play, but I think that there’s never been a really great shift target for it. It’s also a great card to not only support Steel challenge, but also to introduce a card draw effect. It’s a solid uncommon offering with much to offer- and given that we are in the Reign of Jafar, there’s never been a better time for this card. Plus- the card just looks bad ass, and I’d love to see another artist take on this “Mecha cobra” take on the character.
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