Community Is the Win Condition

This week, The Lorcana Muses are diving into the chaos and excitement of a brand-new Disney Lorcana season. We celebrate Lesley’s Set Champs win, talk through Team Muses’ strongest season yet, and step fully into deckbuilding Christmas Land as Attack of the Vine and rotation shake up the meta.

We also talk about preparing for bigger competitive events, knowing your rights as a player, when to call a Lore Guide, and how to advocate for yourself while keeping the game fun, fair, and community-focused.

Happy questing!

Laugh Love Law

Real conversations. Real people. Real impact. A podcast about life, law and...

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Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:08

Welcome back to the Lurcon Amusings podcast. I'm Nikki. I'm Leslie and I'm Brittany. Thank you all for joining us. Um, we're gonna get right to it. So we will start as usual with our weekend update. And I guess I'll start on Friday where uh Brittany and I got to live out our millennial dreams and went to the Hillary Duff concert, which I guess is Disney appropriate. So it was what dreams are made up. Absolutely. It was super fun.

SPEAKER_01 0:43

We took a crazy chance, yes, and did a crazy dance. Why not?

SPEAKER_02 0:47

Oh my goodness. So yeah, we sung a lot of hits and we danced, and it was really crowded. It was a sold-out show and it was a wonderful experience. Even though we were in the heat out here in Arizona, it was an outdoor concert. Oh my gosh, it was an outdoor concert.

SPEAKER_01 1:04

It was, yeah, it was it was quite warm.

unknown 1:07

Uh-huh.

SPEAKER_01 1:08

Um, by the time she was on stage, it was a lot cooler than it had been because it was night. Um, and so it had dropped by like 15 degrees from where I had been. And it was actually kind of breezy, so it was not that bad. It was still very warm.

SPEAKER_03 1:24

I was gonna say, I'm like, even not bad at night in Arizona at this time of year.

SPEAKER_01 1:29

I think it was like 98. Yeah, yeah, some something else. But honestly, like we had drink enough water and it was good enough. And Nikki got us these fans, and those were absolutely great. Like they were great.

SPEAKER_02 1:43

Nice, yeah. So, and we also treated ourselves to a VIP area just to chill out because we really didn't know the opening groups, so we figured we'll just sit and chill and we had dinner and just enjoyed kind of being in a nice area before we had to go into the crowds.

SPEAKER_01 2:01

Yeah, and it I felt kind of bad because most of the time at least know a little bit of the opening acts for the concerts I go to, and I knew one song out of either of the opening acts. And so I was like, okay, well one of them is like a 22-year-old artist, and I can't remember her name now.

SPEAKER_02 2:18

Oh Jade something.

SPEAKER_01 2:20

Yes, okay, Jade Lamac.

SPEAKER_02 2:22

No, sorry, sorry, Jade.

SPEAKER_01 2:24

You had a very beautiful voice. Yes, yes, uh, but did not know their music at all. And then I did know Larue. Yes, but I didn't realize I only knew the one song, yeah, which is the titanium song. So that was it, but yeah, and then and then Hillary did a great show. She did. Um, and it was a good mix between her older stuff, her mid-range stuff, and her newer stuff. Newer stuff, yeah. Because like she definitely had like there was definitely gaps in times she made music. Yeah, so it's like your hat. And so I was like, oh yeah, I knew most of the I think there was one song. I was just like not quite, didn't know all of the words. So, but I was it was fun. It was a lot of fun.

SPEAKER_03 3:05

Nice.

SPEAKER_01 3:06

I'm actively wearing some of the merch today, yeah. I thought about my hat as well, and it's like wearing my amateur psychologist hat, one of my favorite of her new newer songs, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 3:18

Nice. I'll have to give her newer ones to listen because I only really know her from her Disney days, honestly.

SPEAKER_01 3:23

Yeah, yeah, obviously, it's more mature and uh adult themed, not Disney friendly, but not as yeah, it's not quite as Disney friendly, but she mixes everything back in.

SPEAKER_03 3:33

Um, you know, I know I still look young, but I don't just listen to Disney appropriate music.

SPEAKER_02 3:40

Just saying.

SPEAKER_01 3:41

Yeah. I would say most of the music I listen to is not always Disney. Correct. I I definitely listen to Disney.

SPEAKER_02 3:49

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_01 3:49

Yeah, I listen to more non-Disney than Disney music.

SPEAKER_03 3:52

Yeah. I I felt like you guys were like parenting where you're just giving me that warning. Like it's not very family-friendly content.

SPEAKER_02 4:00

I was giving our listeners content. Our family friendly listeners, but um, yeah, so that was Friday, Saturday. I uh have some family in town, so we just did some family things, and I know my two gals here did some set champ stuff, and we do have a big congrats to Leslie.

SPEAKER_03 4:26

Why are we congratulating you, Leslie? I have no idea. Um, no, Chris and I went down. This is our life now because we're driving everywhere for Larcana, apparently. We went down to Tucson for the last tournament of the set, and originally wasn't supposed to play, but there was a spot that opened, and I decided to bring my blurple for one last spin, and I got first place there. So that was a fun weekend, very nerve-wracking. Because we were talking to Eddie last week about just like holding your nerves in competition night. And I don't know. I whether it's like uh like a league night or a set champs or DLC, I'm a nervous wreck regardless of what I'm playing. But I yeah, it was very exciting. Blurble finally worked for me this set, and everyone was super nice to me, especially when they saw how nervous I was.

SPEAKER_01 5:15

Yeah, I I was so proud of you because I was at home. I didn't play at all on Sunday, and I stayed at home because I was definitely recuperating from the long weekend and getting ready, you know, for the rest of the week. But I was watching your run on my phone. How's she doing? And then started, you know, messaging in our team Discord, like, how's she doing? Who's she who's she playing against? What are they playing? Oh my gosh. Asking a bunch of questions, just kind of watching our team and how well they're doing. So it was really fun. I I am a very, very proud team captain this set champs season. Our team did phenomenally, and even not just the teammates that made top eights to get the cards or got their chance, set champs mats, which there are a lot of. I'm just so, you know, happy about the camaraderie and the teamwork and the just general accomplishment that people are seeing and how well everyone's just like holding themselves in this time and just spending time to also have fun. And I just like, yeah, just so super proud.

SPEAKER_03 6:18

Yeah, I mean, I was gonna brag on like winning was of course awesome, but what was even more awesome was opening my chat, like the our group chat afterwards, and just seeing how many of our teammates I didn't had no idea. I had no idea that Chris was updating everybody the whole time. Well, Chris and Logan were there, and so they were updating people the whole time and people were asking, and so and I wasn't paying attention because I was like nervous. Uh, you were focused, yeah, focused nervously right now. And uh, and so I opened up a chat afterwards on the drive back, and I was like, holy cow, there's like over a hundred messages of people just like asking how I'm doing, asking about the update. And and it was really funny because there was one line in there where Logan said it's not looking good, and it was regarding my finals match. And I I was also feeling that way because I was like, holy cow, it's not looking good. And I ended up winning that. Like they had 18 lore, and I had to get to 20 in like two turns, or they like, anyways, I had to top deck my removal. I top decked my removal, it worked, but at the time it was not looking good. And Logan said, I said that when it was not looking good, not because I didn't think you were gonna win. And I was like, I totally understand because I didn't think I was gonna win. And that top deck removal was what got me the final match, but just how excited everyone was for me and like the amount of people invested in this like tournament that I'm in. And I'm like, I I love our team, so I'm just very, very grateful for that. And I I hope that that other people who are on teeth different teams, like that's what they experience too, because they're like, if we're not here to have fun and enjoy the game, like what's the point, I guess. And I know there's been a lot of like controversy going around with other teams and things like that, but I feel like most of the Lorcana community is here because we love the game. And I think that I hope that people carry that forward in in the way they conduct themselves, I guess.

SPEAKER_01 8:08

Yeah, and I mean, one of the pillars of our team is community, and I feel like I really try to keep that piece of our team at the forefront as much as possible. And I'm always just in awe of how well like that tenant of our team like continues to be at the forefront.

SPEAKER_03 8:26

Well, and our team has grown so much, both actually growing in size and also um skill-wise, I think, because because we are so supportive of each other, we help each other practice and like always encouraging each other, like this set champs, like you said, has been one of the most successful ones for us. And I feel like it's because everyone's really stepped up their game, everyone's really like been there for each other, and it's it's showing in the amount of success that we're having at the local level.

SPEAKER_01 8:54

Yeah. And we're just hoping that that translates now to the new CCQ and LCQ coming out. Yeah, let's hope. And the and the next, you know, the next season of all of Disney Lurk on a competitive scene and all of that. Because I know that that's where a lot of us are like have our eyes set is like kind of to the next yeah, to the to the next to the next step. Even if like we just all want to keep continuously improving um while also keeping our love of the game.

SPEAKER_03 9:23

Yeah. So yeah, that was my weekend. Very exciting.

SPEAKER_01 9:28

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 9:28

Congrats.

SPEAKER_01 9:29

Uh I I will say staying up till 3 a.m. with your dogs on 4th of July is so fun. Yeah. No, people were doing fireworks all night long, and my dogs just do not handle them well. Most don't. So it was like it was like basically two really late late nights in a row. And so that was so part of the reason why I was glad I didn't play on Sunday. Because on Saturday, honestly, I because I played we played in the set champs on Saturday after going to the concert on Friday.

SPEAKER_02 9:59

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 9:59

And I was, I did not play well.

SPEAKER_02 10:01

I I was very tired. I surprised you when because I did not get any. I was like, I did not play well.

SPEAKER_01 10:08

I had a good time. Yeah. I met some new people, but I yeah, no, I was like, okay, well, I guess this was a good last set champs in the season. I think I went, I think I won. Maybe possibly two. I don't even remember the last match I played against Mikey. We were both in, we were both out of it by then. So I I don't even remember how it went. But yeah, nope. It was not it was not the best room for us. But yeah, no, we have we added two new teammates to our team this week, too. And so excited to see where they're at. So shout out to our new teammate Bryce and our new teammate Jake. And uh, well, maybe we'll have Jake go off to the podcast because limited is his favorite. So maybe get his take on some limited cards coming up soon.

SPEAKER_02 10:50

Very cool. So we did have a lore cast last week. Big news was no reprints this set, which is pretty cool and exciting. Although I thought the morph card was a reprint. However, it is a different color. It's in a different color, so I guess purple is everything. Um did you guys have any takeaways from the lore cast at all?

SPEAKER_01 11:19

I was surprised because I did think there was gonna be at least a few reprints. Yeah, um, just because that's what happened the last time we had a rot right before a rotation, right? Um I knew I knew it wasn't gonna be as many, but I was surprised there was none.

SPEAKER_02 11:32

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 11:32

I'm not, I'm actually happily surprised. I I didn't necessarily want reprints the first time because I just like I like what rotation is planning on doing, right? I like that it's a refresh for the game. I like that it causes people to monitor and adjust their playstyles and kind of take a take a moment to look at the cards that they might have overlooked when other cards were still, you know, the main the main metagon.

SPEAKER_03 11:57

Yeah, there's definitely cards that are in that will soon to be the rotated set that morph morphed the game, right? Um things like Elsa, the five-drop Elsa. That made playing anything with two health not good.

unknown 12:13

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 12:14

I mean, cat is still in the game, and that still like does make two health characters not very good, but there's a lot of two health characters that do other things for your deck, and now it's a little bit more possible to play it because Kat is more situational. Whereas Elsa can always tap something down. She has rush, she has evasive. So it's like anything that you play would be gone in a purple deck by at least like at the latest turn five, essentially. Right. Um, so I think that rotation is forcing people to re like you said, re-evaluate cards and also different play styles because things that weren't possible really in a competitive meta before are now going to be possible because I think Elsa, I think tramp, and not just the seven drop tramp, but the two drop tramp, that made uh the game like it had it forced the game into a very specific like archetype, archetypes, yeah. And I feel like now it's more wide open. So yeah, we'll see. Although Mike Wazowski. Mike Wazowski.

SPEAKER_01 13:15

That card is a terror. I'm just gonna I'm just gonna say it's gonna be pandamonium. I'm very excited to play some panda cards. Yeah, the temporary shift pandas. It's so fun. I've because I've tried during some of our initial like play testing. I'm like, I've tried both of the temporary shift pandas. They're both super fun because I love to challenge. So, like this shifter one that doesn't take damage or removes all the damage on that turn, and then it's a temporary shift, right? That one's pretty cool. And then the singer, she's so fun. I was like, and she can sing Pirate's Life. Yeah, speaking of rotated, right? Yeah. Cards that got reprinted. Yeah, so it's it's a very fun, silly deck. Um, I don't know how well it's gonna do, like on an actual competitive level. Yeah, but I I have fun with it. No, I was like, I was like, ooh, it's super fun to try it, right?

SPEAKER_03 14:11

Yeah. So I'm like, normally when a new set comes around, I don't really pay attention to the new cards, and I'm like, I'll just wait till it releases and then figure it out from there. But I was able to get a ticket to the LCQ this weekend. Yeah. And so now I'm like, well, now I have to focus and actually think about what cards I want to play. But I know this will come as a shock to both of you. But the first deck I built was a Lilo and Stitch deck. What? Don't say it's so. It was very fun plaything. I mean, when it works, because I feel like a lot of aggro decks are pretty high roll-y, right? But uh, we were play testing just last night, I think. I don't remember my days anymore. We're just play testing, and I dropped like turn one, Lilo, putch, punch, put, and and Daryl like lost his mind. And then the next or this third turn, I shifted the new Lilo and Stitch, which is like the resist quest for three, support for three. That card is so good. I was at like 12 more. That is crazy. That's so fun.

SPEAKER_01 15:14

Yeah, yeah. No, I love like initial decks just because they are more kind of kitschy, yeah, and like you're using a lot, a lot of the new cards, like because that they're the freshest ones. Yeah, you just want to try it out. You just want to try it out, and so it's really I it's funny to see all the people like putting together all these decks. I I saw like a a deck list for like a Ruby emerald up like locations deck, and it looked very fun because I want locations to be good, but still probably aren't gonna be that great comparatively to some of the faster decks.

SPEAKER_03 15:51

Yeah, Chris has Chris is always the deck builder. So he's played, he's built like probably 15 or 20 decks at this point, trying to figure out how what to play. And he tried the red steel with the violet and dash shift. And at first he was like, I don't know if this is gonna work, like because red steel is always missing something to make it work. And he said, Wow, this the card is actually really good. And the dash that lets you quest and draw a card, yeah, or play it from the top of your card. That card is really good too. And so it he's he's having a lot of fun with that deck right now. It's not gonna be his competitive competitive deck, but he's definitely building it and playing it when you get a chance to do that.

SPEAKER_01 16:28

Yeah, I I have no idea what a what my competitive deck is gonna look like. Yeah. Right now, I'm kind of just kind of looking and seeing what kind of decks look good or what would fit more of my playstyle because I can't play anything that's not control because I mean I can physically play those cards.

SPEAKER_03 16:46

Yeah, I I'm with you on that.

SPEAKER_01 16:47

I I have a hard time when there's no removal in a deck. Yes, yeah, right. Even if even if it's like physical removal would be challenging. Yes. Yes, if I have challeng the ability to challenge, I'm great, but or sing removal or something like that, but no removal equals no fun to me.

SPEAKER_03 17:05

So yeah, that that Lilo and Stitch deck I built was really fun to play, but the only removal in it was strength. And for me, I'm like, that's that that just doesn't gel with my style. And when we were play testing, our teammate Logan, who helped me build the deck because he is very good at deck building, he he's very knowledgeable. He kept telling me, like, don't do that. I'm like, but but I want to challenge, but I'm he's like, You're supposed to be questing, and I'm like, but I want to challenge.

SPEAKER_01 17:32

No, that's that's how I feel. I know that about myself. So this last deck I played for Set Champs, I actually quit our color challenge before the last weekend because I was just so tired of just losing to Blurple. Yeah. And so I changed to Amber Amethyst, which is supposed to beat Blurple. Oh, yeah. But I also picked a very random list where our teammates brand Brandon and Daryl had picked this deck list for me to play. Uh-huh. And it was like a Pocahontas shift deck that was way more aggro than anything I've ever played in a long time. It's like your husband doesn't know you. And I was like, well, and it was like an amethyst deck, and it wasn't running there's no way for me to remove things. Yeah, I will I was having a very hard time trying to think about how to play with that play style. And it was just we're being tired on top of it. And being untired on top of it. So it was like the first time I was playing a deck in a set, and then it was also a set chance. Yeah. And it was also not quite my style, which I was like, okay, I know I agreed to making this deck, and I said sure, and all that. And I was like, I regret this. I was like, maybe I should have just stayed in the color challenge and just lose to the blurbs. And there was a lot of blurbs in that one. So I probably still wouldn't have done that great. But and I still lost to a blurb in the room on that deck because it was different than I was

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SPEAKER_01 18:51

playing.

(Cont.) Community Is the Win Condition

SPEAKER_03 18:52

Yeah, I I say like every set I try an aggro deck and then I relearn that I'm not an aggro player. Like not at all.

SPEAKER_01 19:00

I mean, I feel like playing aggro has its own set of skills of like some patience that I might not have. And which I don't feel like I'm impatient, but I'm also I I don't want your side of the board to get out of control from in my perspective.

SPEAKER_00 19:15

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 19:16

I want to feel like I have fored presence before I start questing or before I gain too much lore and things like that. And so, like you could say I have control issues, but but I'm not an amateur psychologist or anything like that. But I uh yeah, I I don't think I still don't feel comfortable playing aggro style decks as a thing. Like I like gaining passive lore from locations, I like gaining lore from songs, like I like gaining lore from questing. I don't mind questing, but I need at least some you need place, you need answers. Like it feels like, yeah, it feels like if I don't challenge or have straight removal, it don't feel like I have the answers for other decks.

SPEAKER_03 19:57

Yeah, that's what it feels like to me when I'm playing more aggro type decks is is like I'm when you're winning, it feels great, right? Because you're just you're just blowing your opponent away. You're just questing, questing, questing. They can't do anything about it, it's too fast. But when you're not winning, like I think this is what agro players mostly accept is like you either are winning or you don't, right? Yeah. Because if you the turn the game gets to like turn six or seven and you're an agglayer, it's pretty much over for you. And and I think I'm not comfortable with that. Like I don't, I can't accept that. For me, I'm like, I want a deck that no matter what the situation is, and it may not always happen, but I can always think about how I can dig for an out. And and I that I struggle with that a lot when with aggro decks because there is no out you can dig for. You're either winning or you're not.

SPEAKER_01 20:45

Yeah, and I feel like that's part of why I could play burn as an option, even though it is more of an aggro style. Yeah. Because there's options to dig. Right. Right. Like, and now that deck is completely like the amber amethyst, amethyst amethyst steel, like burn deck. Basically, all of those pieces are being rotated. There are still some burn pieces in other color.

SPEAKER_03 21:09

Yeah, because the amethyst emerald burn was a thing for a little bit.

SPEAKER_01 21:12

Yeah. Yeah. I didn't ever like that version. So I didn't like that version, but I liked the other one. The amethyst steel version. And so it's one of those things where you just have to know which things are your styles. So being able to draw cards, I feel like helps you find more answers when you can draw cards to find some of those, you know, yeah, more and ramping.

SPEAKER_03 21:34

Yeah, which is also going away. It's not really going away, but only ramp left is unequable ramp.

SPEAKER_01 21:41

Yeah, I played against a honey deck, which had all the honey characters. But they were playing ramp, like they were playing one jump, which is basically the only two drop ramp, right? And so they were playing the baby roo, and then they sang one jump, and like they were definitely playing all of the honey characters, and they played Hundred Acre. Woods, like it was definitely like leaned into the honey deck.

SPEAKER_03 22:03

I like that that like theme decks are, or I guess in magic it's called tribal decks, but theme decks or tribal decks are are uh getting support, which is really fun.

SPEAKER_01 22:13

Yes. Yeah, I I mean I'm all I'm always hopeful that they're actually gonna be competitively viable. And I know there are elements of them that are like sometimes the hero archetype helps you like with certain princesses with with like the queen sensor, princess, things like that. Like I feel like we're like on that cusp of being hyper competitive, but it never feels like it's quite the most competitive.

SPEAKER_03 22:39

Well, and I think that it's not gonna feel like that again until towards the end of this rotation, because the reason why it became more viable is we had such a wide set of cards to choose from. And so you can grab like the really good card from set five and the really good card from set eight and and put it together. Whereas now we're down after rotation, we'll be down to five sets. And it'll be the medal will be wide open, but you won't have enough cards to make like the viable theme decks, I think.

SPEAKER_01 23:08

Yeah, I saw a deck list that looks very close to being very hyper competitive while also being a theme deck as a detective's list.

SPEAKER_03 23:17

Oh, that's that's what I was gonna say too, is like I think with the exception of the detective's deck.

SPEAKER_01 23:21

I was like the detective decks, which which I love.

SPEAKER_03 23:24

I'm glad that the detective decks will still be around.

SPEAKER_01 23:27

So yeah, so I'm kind of curious because most of that set deck that was already things that weren't gonna be rotated out.

SPEAKER_03 23:35

Right.

SPEAKER_01 23:35

And they did introduce a few more detectives in this new set to go with that, namely the shift, darkwing, and mcquack. Um launch pad. Launchpad, that's the one.

SPEAKER_02 23:47

I was like, nope, not not McQuack, same difference, same difference.

SPEAKER_03 23:52

Yeah, darkwing and launch pad. There's a duck. There's a duck.

SPEAKER_01 23:58

I'm mixing all my ducks in my head. I don't have my ducks in my head. No. But yeah, so I saw some lists that were looks very looked at least on a paper level, looked competitive, right? Yeah. A lot of deck lists look competitive until you actually play them, right? And then you're like, oh wait, that doesn't actually work. No. So you're like, oh look, it has a curve, it has low end incables, it has like it has removal, and then you actually play it and you're like, this doesn't work.

SPEAKER_03 24:23

Yeah. I uh I'm very envious of people who are good deck builders. I am not one of them. I I feel like I'm decent.

SPEAKER_01 24:30

Yeah. But I just know people are better. Yeah. Yeah. And so that's one of those things.

SPEAKER_03 24:36

Yeah. For me, it's like I can take an already established deck list and make changes to my play style and make it good for me and how I feel comfortable competing with it. But to build a deck list from scratch, I just it feels so overwhelming because there's so many cards. I always end up with like four different types of archetypes I'm trying to build in the same deck, and it never is cohesive. Yeah. I guess that's like the hardest part for me is finding a cohesive deck. So I leave it to the people who are wiser. And luckily, our teammates, there's several of them. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 25:10

They're already posting stuff. So I've already been taking a look, like, oh, this looks interesting to give a try. But I'm the same way. Like, I like will be like, okay, I'm gonna do this, and then I'll pick 900 cards, and then I'm like, yeah, none of this works. So yeah, I'll take a look at what's out in the meta and then say, well, maybe I could try this card instead of this one and see, does it work better? Does it work worse?

SPEAKER_03 25:33

So it's all trial. Yeah, I'm also I always end up with like 80, 90 card decks, and I'm like, what do I cut?

SPEAKER_02 25:41

I want to do everything.

SPEAKER_01 25:42

Yeah, I mean, I that's how I start. I start with like 90 cards. And then and then I am like, okay, what is so I always ask myself when I'm deck building, like, what is the point of the deck? Like, how do I want to win? Right. Obviously, you have to quest to win, right? You have to get, well, you have to gain lore to win. Yeah. You don't have to quest. But you have to gain lore to win. So you have to make sure that that is part of your strategy is at some point you have to win the game.

SPEAKER_00 26:06

Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 26:06

Um, and then you always have to ask yourself, okay, how am I gonna get to that point? And what am I gonna do about my opponent? Now, if you're playing aggro, you might not do anything about your opponent and your win condition is just to go really fast. But I always am like, okay, what is this deck trying to do? And then how exactly, like, where's my curve at? Right? You need a curve of cards, like you can't only play one drops unless you're playing, I guess, uh, only one drops deck, but a rock star stitch deck. Oh my gosh. Yeah. And so then you just kind of like ask yourself all those same strategies basically that we do when we're playing draft. Yeah. Right. So, like, where is your removal? What is your like what are you, what is the main point of your deck that whole time? And you have to just keep asking yourself that. Does this card do what you need it to do? If not, you get rid of it.

SPEAKER_03 26:56

Yeah. I mean, I can like I love sealed and I I do play around with deck building because I feel like it is helpful as a competitive player to think about how a deck is built and why things are added or taken out. I can build a deck in a pinch. Is it gonna be good? Probably not, but it will be playable, you know, and it's those things too, just thinking about, you know, what what's your way to win, what's your removal, what's your like goal for the deck. My problem is I get stuck in Christmas land, is what Chris and I call it. And and I have too many goals for a deck.

SPEAKER_01 27:28

Yeah, no, so I'm always like, how are you gonna win and what and how are you gonna get there? And that basically can only be your two questions you ask yourself. Yeah. You can't you can't be your you can't get there two ways. You have to be able to only get there once.

SPEAKER_03 27:40

I mean, there are decks out there that have multiple win conditions, which I think do make them more like versatile. Yes, thank you. I couldn't think of the word versatile, but I think that's where the skill of deck building comes in. Because like I can build a decent deck that does one thing. I know I I say like it's not gonna be great, but I can do it. And but being able to build a deck that is tech for multiple types of decks, other decks, and have it be cohesive, I think that's like the skill that I don't have.

SPEAKER_02 28:10

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 28:11

I I guess what I mean, like it has like one way to win is you can't have like the way you're winning, like if you have more than one one condition, they can't be so adverse to each other.

SPEAKER_03 28:22

Yes, yes.

SPEAKER_01 28:22

So they have to be able to work together to get you to that same space.

SPEAKER_03 28:26

Yeah, well, it's like I mean, the two card interactions in the like a Louisa and a Dale, like those are counter to each other, right? So like you don't want to really play a Luisa, the shift six four in a Dale deck because or Bullseye and Dale because the the the health of the character is less than their uh strength. I'm trying, I'm trying not to use magic terms.

SPEAKER_01 28:47

So like yeah, so like when because Dale uses their willpower, right? Like so you're trying to like so no, I completely understand that. I I misplayed my Dale at one point in the deck I played this weekend for the only time because I had Dale in that deck. And it's like that was really dumb. I have characters that have very low willpower right now and actually more strength. So didn't think that through. So you don't have to really think through your actual playlines and know your deck before you actually play it. But yeah, thinking about like what cards are coming out this set, we have all every card has been revealed. Yes. So we definitely are in full deck building Christmas land right now. Christmas Land. Christmas Land comes with shiny cards. Yes, it does.

SPEAKER_02 29:36

All of the amazing enchanted. Yeah, they're really cool. I know that I have uh my eye on a few that I'd like to see being opened, but uh mainly the Peter Pan and Tinkerbell, I think looks really awesome, and the Sully and Boo as well. What about you guys?

SPEAKER_01 29:54

I really like the Darkwing Duck and Launchpad one, McDuck or McMuff. I like that one a lot. I like the the art on it and then the violet and dash.

SPEAKER_03 30:08

Yeah, that one was look looks really cool.

SPEAKER_01 30:10

Somebody, um one of the content creators that got early product to do like promo stuff, they opened one and it is it was so shiny and beautiful, and it I just love how all the metallic all the sh silvery pieces are very metallic and they look raised. And I'm I just want to be able to open them and see them in person. But the only one I really want to open is my iconic.

SPEAKER_03 30:38

I was gonna say, have you opened zero enchanted this set, but you opened the iconic?

SPEAKER_01 30:43

I would be a hundred percent fine with that. All right, yeah. I'm like, I'm like, I'm trying to save all of my luck to open an iconic Beauty and the Beast, because I got my nails done. They are bell and beast, and I got a themed. Yes, they got uh some roses, like they are ready to go.

SPEAKER_03 31:02

They're ready to crack that iconic. Ready to crack the iconic. So I really like the Mike Wazelski enchanted. I mean, I don't know if I'll play that card because it's not quite in my style, but I really love the art they chose for it. I do wish that they covered up his face a little bit or had a quote on there that's like, hey, I'm on an enchanted or something, you know, like something more on theme with Mike, but it's a really cool looking card. Yeah, agreed. I like I like the art style they chose for this and how different it is for every like pair. And I think because you were saying it was like movie poster looking art, which Cinnama. Cinnamon.

SPEAKER_02 31:42

I like it. That's how that's how you introduced it. Yes, Cinnamon.

SPEAKER_01 31:47

Yes, but it was attack of the vine.

SPEAKER_02 31:50

So many variations of uh the reflection.

SPEAKER_03 31:54

What if it was attack of the mind?

SPEAKER_01 32:00

I I wouldn't be uh seriously talking to big grammar.

SPEAKER_02 32:03

Uh I'd be like, why would the grammar police? I'd be like, that is not how the masses works out. Well, I know we're all excited to open some packs next week, so yeah, we're we're getting close. Not quite close. Not not quite next week, but we're getting close. Yeah, I am excited.

SPEAKER_03 32:25

Yeah, yeah. I I'm very excited, and especially because we're a lot of the team is doing the LCQ. I'm I'm very excited to start actually being able to play with the cards and yeah, I know.

SPEAKER_01 32:37

And just like playing with proxies and all of that right now, and it's just like wild to actually play with real cards. It feels like I feel like I play so much better with real cards versus Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 32:46

I'm also excited for post-rotation and just seeing what the meta brings and and just seeing what people do with the new cards and and all the tournaments that are coming up, right?

SPEAKER_01 32:56

Yeah, yeah. So we actually are gonna host our own tournament as the Muse's Podcast at Game Out Post Mesa on August 8th. I think it's the ninth. It's definitely the 8th. Okay.

SPEAKER_02 33:08

I made the flyer and I don't even remember.

SPEAKER_01 33:10

Like it's on my calendar. So it will be August 8th. That will be starting at 12:30 with a 12 o'clock registration. Um, so super excited to have Game Out Post Mesa help us host that event. Yes. And it'll be core constructed for everyone that's practicing that playing at the CCQ for D23 and also getting ready for the LCQ or getting ready for nationals. So I'm really, really excited to be able to host another one of those. Have been gathering raffle prizes for forever for this tournament. So have a lot of great raffle prizes, including an enchanted, at least one enchanted. We might have more than one. I have to go through all the stash. Lots of pack like packs from different sets. We have some Japanese packs, we have some winner spell packs, and we'll probably get some attack of the vine packs thrown in there too. And then we have some like additional things like mat tubes and viper sleeves, and just some a lot of random like like lore uh counters counters and things like that. So we have lots of prizing that Team Muses has g given us, that the store has given us, that I've been collecting, just been gathering, because it's been a while since we've hosted a tournament, but love to be able to host local tournaments for our Arizona folks. Or if anyone wants to travel to us for that, it won't be like an extensive one, but if we hit 25 players, it will be at least one K in pricing and uh raffles, so and then it'll increase from there. So it'll be super fun, and we'll keep talking about that every episode up until then, so everybody is well aware of that. Um, but we also are like thinking about rotation and what's gonna be leaving our fair game. So we will be hosting our own little funeral again. So before the last rotation, we hosted a funeral and we'll be doing that again for our farewell cards like the also we have mentioned. Yes. Um I'm gonna miss the genie. Yeah. Yeah. So uh we'll be kind of looking for input. If anyone has cards that they want to, I know that Rovinsberger is also doing an immemorial segment here coming up soon. Send us some shout out which cards you will be sad to see go.

SPEAKER_03 35:31

Yeah, so I mean, we will be sad to see cards go, but with the upcoming rotation and um new tournament season and season three of the competitive Lorcana kicking off. Uh wanted to talk a little bit about how to conduct yourselves and events. Um, not necessarily like in a good or bad way, but more like, you know, what to do if it's your first event, it's it can be helpful. Like when I went to my first DLC, no clue what I was supposed to be doing. Didn't know I could call a judge over. I mean, I did, but it felt intimidating. Um, didn't really know how to do any of that. I didn't feel comfortable doing that, right? And so, given a lot of the controversy that's been happening around the game lately and big tournaments and stakes getting bigger as the game grows, wanted to talk a little bit about what you can do as a player to protect yourself, to have keep yourself enjoying, give yourself a good time at these events, even if they can be nerve-wracking, right?

SPEAKER_01 36:26

Yeah, no, I think it's always important for players to know their rights as a player, basically. It's not that serious, but it's also you there are tournament rules and guidelines that everyone must follow. And if it's ever something that you feel like you should you everyone has access to the rules, right? Everyone has access to the rules documents, everyone has access to the document that no one is above you when it comes to how the game is played. Everyone should be playing on a fair and unbiased playing field. And with that comes your ability to call a judge, no matter what the situation is.

SPEAKER_03 37:05

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 37:06

Um, you that is always well within your right. And I want that to just be clear for on any level of gameplay, a competitive gameplay. Like you should have any tournament that has basically prizing, should have a lore guide, right? Have someone there for you to call. And it shouldn't feel intimidating for you to do that. And if your opponent makes you feel that way, intimidation is not allowed in this game. Yeah. So I know it doesn't feel fantastic. And if you're on the receiving end of someone calling for a lore guide, it's not always you.

SPEAKER_03 37:39

Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 37:40

Right. Like I accidentally knocked a card off of my own playing field and had to call a lore guide over. And that my opponent didn't know I had knocked the card down because I didn't want to draw the fact that I had been I was playing Sapphire. And so I didn't even look to see what card was there because it I didn't want to see the revealed information because then, you know.

SPEAKER_03 38:00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 38:01

And so I didn't want to be like, hey, I totally have a card here. It could have been any number of cards that I had inked secretly.

SPEAKER_03 38:07

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 38:08

Right. Uh, but it's one of those things that my opponent did feel slightly uncomfortable by me calling the lore guide over, but it's just a part of this game. Yeah. And it shouldn't be something that people should be intimidated by. You can call a lore guide over if you need to take a break to go to the restroom. Like that is in the rules, right? So being able to take a pause and getting an extension to use the restroom is in within your rights as a player.

SPEAKER_03 38:35

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 38:35

So part of that is just something that you should be aware of what the rules are. If you are lucky enough to be playing at a high table toward the end of a tournament and you have the ability to intentionally draw, you are only allowed to ask your opponent one time to intentionally draw.

unknown 38:53

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 38:53

A singular time. That is what is written in the rules. And you cannot do anything other than ask a singular time. And the only way to win a game of Lorcana is to play a game of Lorcana.

SPEAKER_03 39:04

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 39:05

And so, like, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 39:07

And I wanted to talk about the other side of that because my very first tournament ever, I've never done competitive card play. I've I play cards forever, but I've never done any competitions. My very first tournament ever, I somehow made it to top eight. And I was sitting at number one seed. And the the at the end, you know, everybody that or everybody else in the top eight, I think, had more tournament experience than I did. And so they were talking about drawing and they were talking about strategies on like when to, you know, whether they should draw in or play it out. And my opponent said, We should draw. And I said, I don't know if I want to draw. Like, I don't understand what's happening right now. And then other people who were his friends jumped in and also were like, you should draw, you should draw. And letting other people pressure you into doing something, that never feels good. Um, for me, I just wanted to play. And I felt like everybody pressuring me at that moment to draw and not play kind of threw me off for like my finals match or the top eight match. And I think that knowing as a player that if somebody is asking you over and over again to draw and you don't want to draw, that's also a time to say, no, you're only allowed to ask me once. And I've already said no, I want to play it out, or to call Lore Guide over. Because letting somebody intimidate you into making a choice just because it's a right choice for them is not is is not right. And so because of that draw, I think they did the math. And for them it was good to draw. For me, I got dropped down into a seed where I couldn't get first choice playing in the final or in the top eight match. And that to me, like I regret not saying anything, but being my first tournament, I was very intimidated. And I think like the community is wonderful, but there are always gonna be people taking advantage of somebody who doesn't have as much experience as them, right? There are people who know how to play the game and play the metagame, right? And so I think learning to speak up is one of the biggest things that I've struggled with this whole time and I'm getting better at, but it's something that knowing the rules really helps feel helps you feel empowered for speaking up.

SPEAKER_01 41:08

Yeah. And I just don't ever want people to feel like this player, you know, people know their name, right? They're well known in the Lord Chronic, meaning they're a well-known competitive player. That doesn't mean that you don't have the same rights as them. You do, you do. And like from everyone's perspective, everyone is following the same rules and they should be following the same rules. And those rules should be unbiased. And the lore guides that help you make those game decisions should also be unbiased, right? So it's one of those things that like you have to really trust that the lore guides were that were hired for an event are use using as much integrity as possible, but you can also advocate for yourself as well in those situations.

SPEAKER_03 41:50

Yeah, I do think it's hard because this game has gotten so much traction that the more well-known players do carry a lot of more clout with them. And, you know, if you're coming into a situation and you you don't really know what the story is, maybe there is a tendency to to give more credence to the person that's more well known for the game. But I think that's why we have the head judge, like there's different levels of judges, right? So there's your table judge, there's like the I don't know what the levels are, but it goes all the way up to head judge. And so you can appeal and you can ask for a different opinion as well. And I think that's something that people need to know because it doesn't just end at the table judge's call.

SPEAKER_01 42:35

Yeah. And we always like we always want to take a moment and like know that we don't know every situation that happens. So like there's a lot of news that happens in this game, and people are quick to judge situations that they weren't at or don't know have firsthand knowledge of. But like hearing everyone's perspective and not knowing exactly how things all worked out is always gonna be part of this game. It's like we don't know exactly how everything went down, or we don't know all the pieces. We can hear people's opinions and um points of view, but that's that's just that that their opinions and their points of view, and we won't ever know like full truths about these situations.

SPEAKER_03 43:14

Two sides to every story. I've heard though there's like three sides to every story, right? Like there person one sides, person two sides, and then the truth, right? Yeah, yeah. Um, because there it's somewhere in between, right? Nobody wants to talk about a situation that happened and paint themselves in a bad light, and so you're never gonna get the full truth from either party.

SPEAKER_01 43:33

Yeah, so but in the very end, it's just like no know your rights as a player, know know the game and know the rules of the game as much as you can before you go to mega mega bigger tournaments, I was about to say mega events, and just give people the benefit of the doubt, but also just know that you have rights.

SPEAKER_03 43:53

Yeah, that's what I always struggle with and why I get nervous at big tournaments is I in the moment it always feels like, well, I I should just give them the benefit of the doubt. But now I've played more at competitive events and I've seen players in our own teammates too, where it's like, hey, I saw this thing happen, I don't quite understand. I'm just gonna call a judge over so we can talk about it. Like, there's ways to call a judge over without being like, you did something wrong, you know, or whatever. It there's no reason to escalate the issue. It's more just, hey, something feels off. I'm not quite sure. Let's call somebody over so we can talk, talk it out.

SPEAKER_01 44:27

And yeah, and and then have and have somebody there to help you analyze the situation. Yeah, help you understand what's happening for sure. It's never it's you don't you want to give people the benefit of the doubt, but you also want to be able to protect yourself and your game state. Right. Right. Yeah. But without that serious note, like this game, this game is meant to be fun, but as we balance both the competitive and the casual, and you know, trying to like love the art of the game and play it like with these fun Disney characters, like we just want to continue to remember that this is fun. Yeah, it's a game. It's a fun game, it's a fun game, and we can get as hyper competitive as we want, but we want always want to just remember to be good people at the very end of it. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 45:11

I think just playing the game with integrity, and I think most of our community does, and it's just the few bad apples, right? And and that's where you do have to be a little more careful, but also most people you meet are gonna be the friendliest people. We all just really love the game, we all really want to like meet other people and and build this community up. And I and that's what I love about the Lurcana community. Definitely, absolutely. All right, and with that, happy questing. Happy Questy.