Disney Lorcana Azurite Sea set analysis

Note: This article was written in the week of the release, so this is mainly theorycrafting. Let's get brewing!

Overall

• There are no new rules, keywords or card types in this set. There was no update to the comprehensive rules either.
• Cards with a new type of effect:
  • Lilo – Escape Artist is the first card that can be played directly from your discard but watch out: only at the start of your turn, so during your (ready) set (go) step.
  • Tiana – Restaurant Owner is the first “tax” card: she increases the cost for your opponent to do something, in this case to prevent losing Strength when challenging your characters.
  • Sisu – Uniting Dragon is the first card that gives you the chance to draw multiple characters (in this case only Dragon characters) “in cascade”: if you reveal a Dragon, put it into your hand, and you get to repeat the effect. We don’t have enough Dragons yet to make this cascade consistent as there are just 9 for the moment, and only 3 in Amethyst, but keep it in mind for later.
  • Genie – Wonderful Trickster is a great draw engine but also makes you discard your entire hand at the end of your turn. Guaranteed no cards in hand during your opponent's turn! Looking at you, Tiana – Celebrating Princess! By the way … Genie – Wonderful Trickster’s card number sits between the Amethyst Action cards…! Let's see if we get more "tricksters" who pull a similar stunt.
  • Peter Pan – Never Land Prankster is the first card that blocks your opponent from gaining lore through any method.
  • The Islands I Pulled From The Sea is the first (pure) Location tutor.
  • Hiro Hamada – Robotics Prodigy is the first card that allows you to search your deck for an item (or Robot character) card and put it on top of your deck. Putting it directly into your hand was too strong?
  • Yokai - Scientific Supervillain and Microbots may spawn a new type of deck. See Sapphire below.
  • Training Dummy is the first item that can exert to grant Bodyguard to a character each turn, without a self-banish cost.
• That’s a rather short list compared to what the previous sets brought, so there’s not that much brand-new brew space to explore. This set does however introduce several cards that could empower existing decks, bring alternatives or add the missing piece for decks that struggled so far. We've included cards that caught our eye below.
• The highest Strength on a character is only 6, although Tadashi Hamada – Baymax Inventor could grow bigger.
• Only 1 Song per color, and the most expensive one costs 4. There are no Characters with Singer. No Songs with Sing Together. You won't find a lot of new alternatives for Song decks.
• Only 4 characters with Challenger: 3 in Amethyst, 1 in Steel and none in Ruby.
• 10 characters with Evasive: 3 in Amethyst, 2 in Emerald and 5 (!) in Ruby.
• 3 characters with Resist, all in Steel.
• 5 characters with Rush: 3 in Amethyst, 3 in Ruby.
• Every color has 3 Floodborn characters: one uncommon, two rare/super rare/enchanted.
• Only 4 cards with Support: 3 in Amber, and just 1 in Sapphire (Inventors are apparently too busy with items).
• 6 cards with Ward: 4 in Emerald, 2 in Sapphire.

Amber

• Six Pirates + Pooh Pirate Ship (return Pirate from discard), joining the two Pirates we had before. Happy to see that Piglet – Pooh Pirate Captain finally gets friends to travel with. Winnie the Pooh – Hunny Pirate (cost reduction for Pirates on quest) and Jim Hawkins – Honorable Pirate (reveal 4 cards from your deck and put the Pirates in your hand) have card synergy. Amber stays true to its nature and wants you to quickly play multiple small Pirates, likely using the cards mentioned.
• Lilo – Escape Artist is a sneaky card. At a glance she may seem innocent, but similar cards in other TCG's have proven very strong. As she keeps coming back (only during the Set step!), your opponents won’t be able to ignore her and may need to banish her multiple times. But that’s playing fair. What about combining her with the new Hades - Strong Arm. If you can stomach banishing a little girl every turn, Hades’ ability becomes Dragon Fire. Look out for other self-banish costs or “when a character is banished” abilities.
• Chip ‘n’ Dale – Recovery Rangers, the uninkable 8 cost poster boys of the set, triggers my brewer's itch. The 6/6 with 3◊ has a very good ability effect that can bring multiple characters from your discard to your hand. The card cost and its ability’s trigger (you put a card in your inkwell) pushes me towards Sapphire ramp. After all, by the time you get to 8 ink in Amber, you likely don’t want to add more cards to your inkwell. Their Shift cost of 5 pushes me to look at the Chip and Dale cards where Dale – Mischievous Ranger draws my attention: he can put 3 cards in your discard. It makes sense to combine him with Chip ‘n’ Dale - Recovery Rangers who can bring characters back to your hand. Amber already has Revive to bring Characters directly from discard to play and Chernabog – Evildoer who becomes cheap to play when your discard contains a lot of characters. Can we build an Amber Reanimator Sapphire Ramp deck? Brew time!
• Simba – Pride Protector hasn’t stolen his name: when he’s exerted at the end of your turn, you may ready your other characters. That’s a very strong ability, especially with his cost, shift cost and stats. Combine him with Judy Hopps – Resourceful Rabbit of this set, and all your characters are readied at the end of your turn. You can also use Kanga - Nurturing Mother to protect him. He’s a nonbo with Bodyguards, making them redundant, or with Tiana – Restaurant Owner and other characters whose abilities only work when they’re exerted, ... but you can’t have it all...
• Speaking of Tiana – Restaurant Owner, she charges a high fee for challenging your characters efficiently. 3 ink to not lose 3 strength is very costly. It should keep your characters alive longer or prevent your opponent from playing more threats. Combined with Amber’s healing and other prevention cards, or with Steel’s Resist cards like Tiana – Celebrating Princess (opponent can’t play actions), or Emerald’s Reckless cards may prove to be a good strategy.
• Grand Councilwoman – Federation Leader brings Alien synergy, and in a good way: they get +1◊ when she quests. We now have 31 Aliens characters, but I don’t see a clear path to a go-wide Alien deck at the moment. The only other card with Alien synergy is the new Galactic Council Chamber – Courtroom in Steel. Is this a card that will become more meaningful in upcoming set releases?
• Nani – Caring Sister’s ability to reduce the Strength of a character by 1 for 2 Ink is costly, but perhaps affordable in Sapphire Ramp, and we’ve seen what Ice Block can do combined with Ruby. The new item Scrump may be better though?
• Sugar Rush Speedway – Finish Line is interesting, but very conditional. Its effect (3 Lore, 3 cards) is great but don’t forget that a character has to move from another location to this one. The move cost of 6 is steep for the result, so how can we avoid it? Unfortunately, Amber isn’t a great move color. Ruby provides several answers like the evident Sugar Rush Speedway – Starting Line that allows you to exert a dry character there and move it to the Finish Line for free at the cost of 1 damage to the character. Good deal! Voyage, and the new Moana – Kakamora Leader (Ruby), Magic Carpet – Flying Rug (Amethyst), the new Transport Pod (Emerald) also move characters for free. In Ruby, the Finish Line would have been a no-brainer, but is it worth a splash in Amber? Let’s see first see our analysis for Ruby.
• Only 1 character with Song synergy but Chief Bogo – Gazelle Fan is a conditional Singer. Only 1 Song: I Won’t Give In is another character recursion card but only for small Characters, usually not what Song decks are looking for, but may be useful in go-wide decks. The standout for Amber Song decks may be Naveen’s Ukelele as it acts as song acceleration. Is it worth a card slot though, given the Singer cards we already have?

Amethyst

• Still 0 Pirates in Amethyst. Next!
• Amethyst brings a few cards that manipulate the top card of your opponent’s deck. Mad Hatter – Eccentric Host should be able to foil your opponent’s plans once or twice, given he costs only 1 ink. A Very Happy Unbirthday and Mad Hatter’s Teapot may be the answers you’re looking for against decks that look for cards and put them at the top of their deck.
• No other new play designs for Amethyst, but several cards could be nice additions or alternatives.
• Genie – Wish Fulfilled draws a card so he should always be good, especially in bounce decks. Combined with Evasive, 2◊ and 4 Willpower, you understand why he’s not inkable.
• Rafiki – Ethereal Guide looks very expensive, even though we now get a new 1 cost Rafiki. Restricted to Sapphire Ramp, and even then, a win more card?
• Madam Mim – Truly Marvelous can combo with Revive but can especially gain you lore in the turn you play her.
• Tinker Bell – Queen of the Azurite Faeries brings Faerie synergy – by granting +1◊ to Faeries when she quests. She has nice states and is Evasive, and Floodborn, which makes it interesting to look into that other Fairie: Blue Fairy – Rewarding Good Deeds who draws a card when you play a Floodborn character. Fairy Godmother – Mystic Armorer and of course Tinker Bell – Giant Fairy are strong Fairies as well. That’s not a lot of Fairies though. Sleeper card?
• Yzma – Conniving Chemist: exert to draw to three cards if you have less than 3 cards in hand. That happens often late game, but with Genie – Wonderful Trickster (see above), you have just 1 card at the start of all your turns.
• Mama Odie – Solitary Sage (nice stats, but with a Song dependency), Making Magic, and Mystical Tree – Mama Odie’s Home could be nice in a move-damage counters-deck. But is that a mechanism to build a deck around, or do you want a few cards with the mechanism to complete a deck centered on another theme?

Emerald

• Four Pirates (joining the 4 we had before) + 1 Action with a Pirate upside. These are worth a look:
  • Captain Hook - Underhanded is also an anti-Pirate card as he prevents opposing Pirate characters from questing, and you will likely get a card draw out of him.
  • Daisy Duck – Pirate Captain is a standout here as she enables repeatable card draw, but it only works at a location. Luckily, Emerald has a location theme in previous sets. Pirate move deck with Ruby?
• Emerald continues themes of previous sets with characters with optional costs when you play them and characters whose abilities trigger when they are challenged. And even strong discard cards.
• Stitch – Little Trickster is a great filler card as he is inkable, is a Shift target, and his ability is repeatable. Even in late game, he should be able to take down a big target. and he is truly a trickster for collectors: card number 26, sitting right between Amber cards… We assume that Stitch pulled the trick by getting card number 26 and is intentionally Emerald (considering Stitch – Alien Buccaneer is in Emerald as well) because this is set 6’ 26th card and Stitch is also known as Experiment 626 😉.
• Go Go Tomago – Darting Dynamo could play a role in a combo deck because she can gain lore in the turn you play her, but you depend on your opponent having a high willpower character. Not sure…
• Jasmine – Royal Commodore’s ability can be backbreaking for your opponent if you can get their characters exerted. Do watch out with your characters as you'll only want to exert the ones you want back in your hand before you shift her in. Jasmin - Royal Seafarer is an ok Shift target - but that's where the dependency comes in - is the Seafarer good enough to play as a four of, or should we rely on Morph - Space Goo and play other bonkers Floodborns? Anyhow, we can now at least say that Jasmine is versatile: she heals in Sapphire, makes your opponent lose lore in Ruby, and in Emerald, she discards cards, now also exerts damaged characters, gives character Reckless and returns characters to hand.
• Peter Pan – Never Land Prankster nulls your opponent lore gain, through any method. The block is lifted when they challenge with one of their characters, so is there a way to prevent them from challenging? Like Jafar – Tyrannical Hypnotist?
• Hercules – Baby Demigod needs a lot of ink, but his Ward may keep him in play. Only in Sapphire ramp with Mufasa - Ruler of Pride Rock?
• Basil – Distinguished Detective has nice stats, a nice shift cost, and his ability (when you put a card in your inkwell, pay 1 to have an opponent discard a card) can be as backbreaking like the old Bucky was. Especially in Sapphire ramp. Basil doesn’t have Ward though, so he’s easier to take out than the old Bucky. Keep an eye on this one.
• Bend To My Will makes all your opponents discard their whole hand – uninkable for 7. Argh! Luckily (my opinion) it’s not a Song. This one + Basil in Emerald Sapphire Control Ramp?
• Perilous Maze – Watery Labyrinth has high willpower and a very annoying ability. Remember Cursed Merfolk – Ursula’s Handiwork? Now all your characters can have their ability, for a move cost of 1.
• Olivia Flaversham – The Toymaker’s Daughter joins the 2 cost, 1/1, 3◊ characters. Ruby and Amethyst already had one, and Sapphire gets a 0/2 in the new Hiram Flaversham – Intrigued Inventor. Will Steel and Amber get an uncondiational 2 cost 3◊ character as well?
• You Came Back readies a character for 3 Ink – and you can quest (again) with that character. Combo material sighted!
• Megabot (item) seems strong as it can either banish an item or a damaged character. It enters play exerted though.
• Owl Island – Secluded Entrance is built for an Action deck. Cost reduction and lore gain! Can we brew something good?

Ruby

• Twelve (yes, 12!!!) Pirates and Skull Rock – Isolated Fortress join the 5 Pirate characters and the Jolly Roger – Hook’s Ship we had before! Most of them are fodder but combined with the stronger Pirates (and locations) of this set and previous sets, you should be able to build an all-righty Pirate deck with Ruby now. Mickey Mouse – Pirate Captain (challenge without taking damage) and Wendy Darling – Courageous Captain (2 cost evasive with 2◊ if you play Pirates), looking at you!
• Moana – Kakamora Leader is the poster girl of this set, and she’s built for a locations deck. There are several great locations to move all your characters to, including Amethyst’s The Queens Castle - Mirror Chamber and Treasure Mountain – Azurite Sea Island.
• Raya – Kumandran Rider has a nice repeatable (but counterintuitive) ready ability, especially because she costs 4, and is a 3/3, 2◊.
• Vanellope Von Schweetz – Gutsy Go-Getter may be one of the best locations-matter-characters thanks to her card draw? Is this the card that location decks were waiting for? PS: don't exert her.
• Maui – Half Shark has again great stats for taking out big or multiple characters. His abilities though… returning an action card from discard to hand when he challenges + you gain 1 lore when you play an action? Be Prepared for that (although that will banish him as well) as he slots nicely in the big Ruby decks. It’s A Whole New World! But do explore further! Why not play him with an action that keeps Maui alive and make him challenge every turn? Like Amber’s Healing Touch?
• Scar - Heartless Leader is very efficient, as he can take out a character when you play him and he has 3◊, but make sure you have another character in play or you’ll banish him immediately.

Sapphire

• Just one Pirate, with solid stats and Support, but you’ll likely play him because he’s a Robot. It does double the amount of Pirates in Sapphire 😊
• Sapphire has a Robot and Inventor theme, or just let's say a Big Hero 6 theme! Most Inventors play well with items and 3 cards synergize with Robots.
• Tadashi Hamada – Baymax Inventor can grow very big in an item deck!
• Yokai – Scientific Supervillain and Microbots pushes to play a lot of items/Microbots as well… and those Microbots can be played for free. Gadget Hackwrench – Creative Thinker is a new (common!) card that could get high ◊ if you can chain play items ... like free Microbots. Brew time, as this is a whole new deck. Great that Microbots are inkable, but too bad Microbots is an uncommon… We'll need to find a way to keep drawing cards... splash in Amethyst for Genie - Wonderful Trickster or stick to the tried Hiram Flaversham - Toymaker Pawpsicle combination?
• Oswald – The Lucky Rabit + Hiro Hamada – Robotics Prodigy means that you can search your deck for Lucky Dime (or any other item) and play it for 2 ink when you put a card in your inkwell. Strong! Hiro Hamada – Team Leader also works well with Oswald.
• Yokai – Enigmatic Inventor works like Madam Mim for items, but watch out, you must play the item in the same turn. Look for items with play abilities, like Pawpsicle.
• Wassabi – Methodical Engineer is a nice item banisher.
• There are some new ramp cards to test:
  • Tadashi Hamada – Gifted Roboticist is an interesting slow ramp card as he should gain you some lore or trade him in for 2 cards in your inkwell.
  • Sail the Azurite Sea is also a nice new option for ramp decks. Great that it draws a card, considering emptying your hand is a weakness when ramping.
• Healing decks also got new playthings because Baymax is here! Personal Healthcare Companion can heal a lot in a ramp deck, and Baymax – Armored Companion heals and gains lore. Great that he has 6 willpower – but unfortunately, he can’t heal himself. You may want to bring a Baymax’s Healthcare Chip.
• Hiram Flaversham – Intrigued Inventor is Sapphire’s new 2 cost, 3◊ character, this time as a 0/2. Does Sapphire need him?
• Alice – Savvy Sailor is interesting as she has Ward and can give another character Ward and +1◊ until your next turn when she quests. Decent protector.
• We Could Be Immortals grants Resist +6 but only to your Inventors. There are 23 Inventors now, all in Sapphire and Emerald, but most are bad at challenging due to their low Strength. Meaning, this card will mostly be played defensively to safely quest or use exert abilities.
• Don’t underestimate Helping Hand. 1 cost, give Support to a character for a turn and draw a card. Strong!
• Jumbo Pop is not a bigger and better Pawpsicle because you get to draw the card only when you banish it, not when you play it. It does heal all your characters for 2.

Steel

• Steel gets more Pirates, finally good medium cost - high ◊ Characters, and several efficient cards.
• Eight Pirates joining the seven we had before. The 7 older Pirate cards didn’t have Pirate synergy but now four of the new characters require other Pirates to work, and Mr. Smee – Captain of the Jolly Roger wants you to play many Pirates (Ruby Steel?). John Silver – Stern Captain doesn’t care about other Pirates (he doesn’t care about others, does he?), but your opponents won’t like him taking down their ready characters!
• Steel finally gets medium cost - high ◊ characters:
  • Mr. Big – Shrewd Tycoon is just a 1/1 with 3◊, but his ability may keep him in play for several turns against some colors. Especially if you play Mouse Armor.
  • Gantu – Captain Crankyhead is only the second Steel character with 4◊, at 5 cost, as a 4/3. This is pretty exceptional in Steel, as he is the cheapest 4◊ card so far. No abilities though, and with 3 Willpower, he will be taken down quicker than Robin Hood – Daydreamer. If you play him, use other Steel cards as protection.
• Your opponent may not want to banish your Billy Bones – Space Sailor, but they can't ignore him either because of his 2◊.
• Wreck-It Ralph – Ham Hands… well now… a 6 cost uninkable 4/4, 3◊ (exceptional in Steel – there are only 10 with 3◊) who can banish any item or location when he quests (3 lore) to gain 2 more lore! Your opponent’s items or locations, but also your own! Be sure to take some with you for him to smash. Hiram Flaversham - Toymaker already showed that's possible. As Ralph says – he’s very good at what he does. Probably the best I know.
• Calhoun – Marine Sergeant is efficient and the early play a Steel deck looks for. 3 Strength can take out many early characters, and her Resist +1 can keep her alive in that phase. Even better, you get 2 lore when she takes out a character. Strong!
• Captain Amelia – Commander of the Legacy grants your other characters Resist +1 while they’re challenged. Let’s play several!
• Pluto - Guard Dog is an efficient Bodyguard as he starts as a 5/5.
• Hot Potato has nice flexibility – banish an item or deal 2 damage. Flexibility comes at a 3 ink cost though. Considering Steel can banish items with Characters, and it has several more efficient methods for dealing direct damage – this one may not make the cut.
• Ambush is in the right deck a 3 cost Dragon Fire.
• Unfortunate Situation circumvents Ward.
• King’s Sensor Core is great for Princes and Kings, even more when you have multiple. (Prince/King) card draw should be good. Can we build a Prince/King deck now? Steel has several Simba, Hercules and Beast cards… but not sure if we have enough cards already.