A No-Pressure Way to Start Playing Lorcana In Person

Why play in person

The Lorcana community at your LGS is more welcoming than it looks from outside. Most players remember being new. Showing up without a competitive deck isn't a problem, it's normal. Playing in person also supports the store hosting the events, which is what keeps the game alive locally.

Find an event near you

If you don't already have a shop you go to, check the Ravensburger Play Hub. It lists local stores running Lorcana events so you can find something close by instead of guessing which shops even carry the game.

Start with a starter deck

I hadn't played in a while and didn't have anything close to a competitive deck when I walked back into my local store. I grabbed a two player starter deck, one of the newer ones, Buzz Lightyear and the Incredibles themed, for myself and my seven year old daughter. I took the Toys deck, she took the Incredibles side. Starter decks aren't built to win. They're built to teach you the game, and that's the whole point when you're starting out. Whatever the current two player starter deck is when you walk in, grab that one. It'll have the newest cards and it's built to be playable straight out of the box.

Play, lose, and ask questions

I took that starter deck straight into games against other players. I lost plenty. What mattered was asking questions during the games themselves. Why they played a card, what a card actually does, whether there was a better play. People like explaining the game, especially to someone who's clearly there to learn and not there to crush them.

Ask about cheap singles before you leave

Before you head out, ask the store if they carry cheap singles. A lot of shops have a bulk bin or discount singles wall with commons and uncommons for pocket change. A few bucks there can round out a starter deck fast, and it's the one place spending a little money at the shop makes sense.

Let the community upgrade your deck for free

This is the part people don't expect. Commons and uncommons that players have extra copies of are easy to trade for, and a lot of players will just give them to you outright if they've got a stack of duplicates. I've done it myself for other new players. It costs nothing to hand over a card you'll never use, and it keeps someone new in the game. By the end of a session or two, your deck looks different, built partly by you and partly by the generosity of the people you just met.

Try a pack rush or sealed event

If your store runs pack rush or sealed events, they're a great entry point. Nobody plays their own constructed deck. Everybody opens fresh packs and builds on the spot, so new players and veterans start from the same place. You walk away having opened packs, started a collection of the current set, and played real games, all at MSRP.

Start casual before you sign up for a tournament

Most stores run casual locals alongside their official championship and tournament events. Jump into the casual nights first. It's a much less intimidating way to get reps in, and nobody's tracking standings or points while you're still learning the rules.

Bottom line

If you want to get into Lorcana without spending much, without a competitive deck, and without knowing anyone, this works: find a store on the Ravensburger Play Hub, grab a starter deck, hit a casual night or a pack rush event, and start asking questions. The community will take it from there.

Want the online-buying route too? See How to get into Disney Lorcana for starter picks, a budget first deck, and two-player bundles.