Spoiler season for Disney Lorcana’s next set started this week, and we’re already halfway done. Archazia’s Island is an exciting new adventure for Lorcana’s Illumineers that promises to teach us more about the world, while shaking up the game with brand-new dual-ink cards. We’ve already seen a lot of exciting new cards that have the potential to power up existing decks and, hopefully, give some brand-new deck archetypes the boost they need to compete with the big dogs.
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We all want to see strong cards… just not too strong. There’s a fine line between playable and busted in the hearts and minds of Lorcana players, and this week a Sapphire card was revealed that the online community has already decided is going to be a big ol’ problem.
You’re probably wondering, what kind of card could have everyone so worked up? Is it some kind of big monster with outrageous stats like a titan from Hercules or a new Chernabog? Is it another character with a strong ability and Ward, like Bucky? Is it one of the problematic Disney characters from the 1940s we don’t talk about anymore?
Nope, the card everyone’s terrified of is just a little ornamental leg wrap… thingy.
Scare A Lorcana Player By Whispering “Sapphire Coil”
The card that has everyone shaking in their little cowboy boots (mine says “Andy” on the bottom) is called Sapphire Coil. Coils are a unique item in Lorcana that is original to the lore of the game and didn’t originate in a Disney movie. They follow Sensor Cores, Chromicons, and Spheres as the latest object of power in Lorcana, and, just like the others, each ink color gets one. This week we saw the reveal of Amethyst Coil, Emerald Coil, and Sapphire Coil, but it’s only the Sapphire card that everyone’s panicking over.
The existence of non-Disney items and characters, like Venturo in Sapphire Coil, in Lorcana is somewhat controversial among fans, and this expansion is the first time one of the OCs has appeared on a card. That’s not what people are upset about though – they’re upset because Sapphire Coil is way too dang good.
Sapphire Coil is a two-cost inkable item that lets you reduce the Strength of a chosen character by two every time a card is put into your inkwell. While that may seem like an innocuous effect at first glance, it’s actually anything but. One of the most dominant decks in the competitive meta over the last year, and arguably the current best, is a Ruby/Sapphire deck called Sisu on Ice. This is a ramp/control deck whose name refers to a potent synergy the deck uses to wipe the opponent’s board: Ice Block and Sisu, Empowered Sibling.
It’s a simple yet powerful interaction. First you exert Ice Block to reduce the Strength of an opponent’s characters by one, then you play Sisu, Empowered Sibling to banish all opposing characters with two Strength or less. This play line punishes the opponent for building a wide board which is often the only viable strategy against control decks, so this is an incredibly powerful and essential part of the deck’s strategy.
And lo, here comes Sapphire Coil, an incredible – and seemingly unnecessary – upgrade to Ice Block. Though Sapphire Coil costs one more ink to play, its ability to reduce a character’s Strength by two and do it multiple times in a turn makes it a significantly more powerful version of Ice Block. That one-Strength difference puts exponentially more characters within Sisu’s range. The fact the Sapphire Coil is inkable is just the cherry on top of this wildly powerful card that has a lot of people wondering, ‘What the heck was Ravensburger thinking?’
How Scary Is Sapphire Coil Really?
It’s clear that Sapphire Coil has a lot of potential to boost an already dominant deck, but let’s break this down a little to see if the hysteria is warranted. Firstly, this isn’t necessarily a direct upgrade to Ice Block. The effect is stronger, but the price is also higher. A one-ink difference doesn’t seem like a lot, but that is double the cost of Ice Block.
Ice Block can also be activated for free, while Sapphire Coil can only be used if you are able to add a card to your inkwell. Yes, Sapphire Coil can be activated multiple times in a turn, and yes, it’s even better in multiples. But it’s a different card than Ice Block, which means there will be scenarios where Ice Block is better, and scenarios where Sapphire Coil is better.
We also have to take into account where Ruby/Sapphire is right now, and where it will be once another 204 cards are added to the game. Less than a month ago, Dinh Khang Pham brought a Ruby/Sapphire deck to Melbourne DLC that didn’t include any Ice Blocks or Sisus, and he won the whole thing – even besting a more traditional Ruby/Sapphire deck in the finals.
That’s not to say Sisu on Ice isn’t good anymore, but his win has certainly had an impact on how this deck is being built. With the new dual-ink cards entering the mix this set, we could be looking at an entirely different meta in March – one where Ruby/Sapphire needs Sapphire Coil just to keep up.
If indeed Sapphire Coil is as strong as it seems to be, we need to seriously consider how we’re playing against Ruby/Sapphire and exploiting its weaknesses. Most decks try to go under Ruby/Sapphire and race to 20 as fast as possible, while Pham demonstrated an effective way to go over the top and become the control deck in the matchup. One thing no one has been using for the last few sets is item removal. Cards like Benja, Guardian of the Dragon Gem and I Find ‘Em, I Flatten ‘Em may need to come back into the meta in order to keep Sapphire Coil decks in check.
In any event, it’s too early to raise the alarm bells just yet. Plenty of games have printed plenty of overpowered cards and have managed to come out the other side just fine, and Ravensburger has already demonstrated a willingness to quickly take action when a card is deemed to be a problem for the game. I’m still going to prepare for Sapphire Coil for all of my week one tournaments though, and I highly encourage you to do the same.
Disney Lorcana
- Original Release Date
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September 1, 2023
- Publisher
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Ravensburger
- Designer
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Ryan Miller, Steve Warner
- Player Count
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2-6 (suggested)
- Age Recommendation
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8+