Disney Lorcana, the trading card game I break down from A to Z

I’ve been collecting Disney Lorcana since it first came out, so I’ll cover everything you should know before you jump in: what it is, how you play, what it costs, where to buy it, and the traps to avoid. The goal is to give you a clear picture, for parents discovering the game and curious readers alike.

One quick note first, since people often mix things up: Lorcana is a paid game you have to buy. If you’re looking for the collector cards given out for free in the parks, check out the free collector cards instead. And for the collectible keys, head over here.

Disney Lorcana is a trading card game that launched in 2023 as a joint project between Disney and Ravensburger, created by Ryan Miller and Steve Warner. It’s two things in one. On one hand, it’s a game: you build a deck (a stack of cards you pick) and battle it out, in the spirit of Pokémon or Yu-Gi-Oh!. On the other, it’s a set of collectible cards people gather just for fun.

The game puts you in the role of an Illumineer, someone who brings Disney heroes together. Each set spotlights different characters and worlds, and since 2026 the game has also included Pixar franchises (Toy Story, The Incredibles, Brave).

The goal is easy to grasp: whoever collects 20 Lore points first (Lore is how the game keeps score) takes the win. Putting characters into play costs Ink, which is the game’s resource. Ink comes in six colors, and each has a personality of its own.

You don’t need to memorize everything to get started. If you mostly want to play, grab a ready-to-play starter deck: the rules are included and you can start a game right away. If you mostly want to collect, booster packs are what you need (more on those below).

Every card belongs to one Ink color:

A few words come up a lot:

Disney Lorcana costs money. Here are the products you’ll come across most often, with approximate prices (they vary by retailer). A booster pack (sometimes called a card pack) holds 12 cards, including one foil card with a random rarity that can go all the way up to an Enchanted card. It’s the basic buy for collectors. The mix inside a booster never changes: 6 commons, 3 uncommons, at least 2 cards of a higher rarity, and the foil card. Besides the cards, the lineup also includes accessories (storage boxes, illustrated card sleeves, playmats) and a mobile app for browsing cards and managing your collection.

As with books, your Disneyland Paris annual pass won’t get you a discount on anything Lorcana.

A card’s rarity shows how tough it is to come by. You can spot it thanks to a tiny symbol at the bottom middle of each card. Below is the full scale, starting with the easiest to find and ending with the hardest. For a sense of scale, a regular chapter includes 204 numbered cards (72 commons, 54 uncommons, 48 rares, 18 super rares, and 12 legendaries), while Enchanted cards carry numbers higher than 204.

Enchanted cards rank among the most wanted, especially sorcerer Mickey and Elsa. Chapter 9 brought two new tiers, Epic and Iconic. Today, Iconic is the toughest rarity to pull, and only two cards exist at that level: Mickey and Minnie.

That’s what makes opening a booster pack so unpredictable: you never know what you’re going to get. I was lucky enough to pull an Enchanted card from my very first packs, and hunting for rares is definitely part of the fun.

If you want a set before everyone else, you have two options: Disneyland Paris or a specialty game store. New releases often arrive there early, several days before they hit major retailers (Cultura, Fnac, King Jouet, Micromania) and online stores (Amazon).

At Disneyland Paris, you’ll most often find Lorcana at The Storybook Store, the bookstore on Main Street in Disneyland Park, and sometimes in other shops in the park or in Disney Village (like World of Disney). Early releases happen there regularly: for example, the Winterspell chapter came out early at Disneyland Paris in February 2026, one week before its general release.

Every three months or so, a fresh set (known as a chapter) hits shelves, which works out to around four each year. Below, I keep track of every chapter released to date.

Lorcana is only one of many things you can pick up during your visit. For a broader overview, my guide on what souvenirs to bring back from Disneyland Paris is a good start, and all the shops at the resort will show you which store carries what. If you need the official list of partner stores, check the official Disney Lorcana website, which keeps its retailer locations current.