After Recent Bans, Disney Lorcana's Meta Is On The Rebound

The first juicy meta report following Disney Lorcana’s first-ever card bans has dropped, and things are looking… great. Seriously, the meta has quickly evolved into a diverse and competitive field, without any one color dominating or one deck bending the entire meta around it. I know a lot of people were worried the bans would give Emerald/Steel Discard a clear path to victory, but as of this moment, that doesn’t seem to be the case.

Disney Lorcana Finally Killed The Rat, So What Happens Next?

Is Sapphire’s reign over? Has the door been opened for Discard?

With Set Championships quickly approaching, there isn’t a lot of time for this new meta to settle. Creative players will be able to use that to their advantage, as we’ve already seen with weekend tournament results, and those hoping to secure a Hiro Hamada, Armor Designer Promo and playmat should keep a close eye on each and every new development. Let’s run down the current state of the meta, post-bans.

Sapphire Is Picking Up The Pieces

One of the most impressive (and telling) outcomes of the Hiram Flaversham ban is that Ruby/Sapphire appears to still be a top tier deck. DLC Melbourne winner Dinh Khang Pham piloted his version of Ruby/Sapphire to the top of a 131-player event in Germany over the weekend, proving that this archetype is still plenty powerful, even without Sapphire’s classic draw engine. Do you need to be as talented as DKP to have this kind of success with Ruby/Sapphire, now that it isn’t quite as forgiving? It remains to be seen.

On the other hand, Sapphire/Steel is back on the struggle bus post-ban. This ink color combo lost not just Hiram, but also Fortisphere, making the item-focused value deck seemingly non-viable competitively. Blue Steel devotees are still hammering away at the more aggro “Kiwi” version of the deck, but in terms of tournament results, it, like most aggro decks, is going to be tier two at best.

As I said last week, Amethyst/Sapphire gets a stealth buff from the Hiram ban. Amethyst gives it great card draw, and it still does a great job loading big threats onto the board and outvaluing its opponents. It’s not putting up big numbers yet, but it’s the kind of deck that will do very well at Set Champs.

The New And The Old-New

As expected, Emerald/Steel Discard is seeing a lot of success. Fortunately, it doesn’t seem nearly as oppressive as some feared it would be. Part of the reason for that is a new Amethyst/Ruby build that’s keeping it in its place (more on that) but generally speaking, people are building their decks with answers for Diablo, Devoted Herald. It’s a powerful deck that can effectively win some games by turn three with the right curve. Expect to see it a lot at Set Champs, and if you’re playing it, expect to see a lot of people tech’d for you.

If you combine both Emerald/Steel Discard and the new Amethyst/Emerald Discard into one category, the Discard archetype is by far the successful in the new meta.

At the start of every set, Amethyst/Ruby is pronounced dead. At the end of every set, Amethyst/Ruby finds its way back on top. The new Amethyst/Ruby Evasives deck throws out a lot of the ink color combo’s staples in favor of more answers to Diablo, and as it turns out, a deck full of high-value Evasives is pretty strong against a lot of other decks, too. There’s a lot of flexibility in this deck right now so if you’re considering it for Set Champs, start fine tuning your list as soon as possible.

The biggest winners from the bans, in terms of win percentage, are Amethyst/Steel and Amber/Steel – two powerful midrange decks that thrive when the meta is diverse. Amethyst/Steel was teetering on the edge of being top-tier last set thanks to Calhoun, Marine Sergeant, but with the addition of Giant Cobra, Ghostly Serpent, it has reached a critical mass of good cards. It’s no surprise to see it dominating. Amber/Steel suffered under the reign of Ruby/Sapphire, but with fewer to contend with, it’s back in tier one where it belongs.

These decks don’t represent the entire meta. In fact, the fourth-best category, according to Inkborn Heroes’ meta breakdown, is “Other”. That tells us people are still experimenting and discovering new strategies. Lorcana is starting to heal from the Reign of Hiram, just in time for next month’s Reign of Jafar.