Disney Lorcana is a 2-player card game. You and your opponent are "Illumineers" who summon Disney characters using magical ink, then send them on quests to gather Lore. The first player to 20 Lore wins.
What you need
- A 60-card deck built from 1 or 2 ink colors (Amber, Amethyst, Emerald, Ruby, Sapphire, or Steel).
- Up to 4 copies of any single card.
- Something to track Lore (a die works fine).
If you're new, grab a Starter Deck — it's pre-built and ready to play.
How a turn works
- Ready — untap (straighten) all your cards.
- Set — resolve any "start of turn" effects.
- Draw — draw 1 card (player going first skips this on turn 1).
- Main phase — do as many actions as you want, in any order (see below).
- End — pass to your opponent.
What you can do during your main phase
- Ink a card — once per turn, put a card from your hand face-down in your "inkwell" to use as a resource. Only cards with the inkwell symbol around their cost can be inked.
- Play a card — pay the ink cost shown on the card to play a Character, Action, Item, or Location.
- Quest — exert a Character (turn it sideways) to gain Lore equal to its Lore value.
- Challenge — exert a Character to attack an opposing exerted Character. Both deal damage equal to their Strength.
- Sing a song — exert a Character whose cost is equal to or higher than the song's cost to play the song for free.
- Move to a location — pay the move cost to send a Character to one of your Locations.
One rule that trips up new players
"Ink still drying": a Character you just played cannot quest, challenge, or use exert abilities on the turn it enters play. It has to wait until your next turn — unless it has the Rush keyword (which lets it challenge immediately).
How you win (or lose)
- Win: reach 20 Lore.
- Lose: if you try to draw a card and your deck is empty.
Official rules PDF
Want the full rulebook? Download the official Disney Lorcana Comprehensive Rules below:
Download Comprehensive Rules (v2.1, April 2026, PDF)
Where to go next
Once you know the basics, browse tournament-winning decklists to see how real decks are built, or use our deck builder to try ideas. To learn about ink colors and dual-ink decks, read our dual-ink guide.