Disney Lorcana: Azurite Sea, the sixth major set of the ongoing TCG, is incredibly well-themed. Everyone loves pirates, right? There’s something so compelling about the fantasy of taking to the high seas, and swashbuckling with your closest friends. Azurite Sea does a great job of translating this fantasy into all ages-friendly gameplay, with set card art and Starter Deck design buoying themes of freedom, exploration, and camaraderie.
Thanks to Ravensburger, I’ve been hands-on with the two Starter Decks of Azurite Sea – an Amber/Ruby Jim Hawkins / Tigger Pirate deck, and an Emerald/Sapphire Go-Go Tomago and Gadget Hackwrench Inventor deck – and so far, there is a clear and fantastic standout.
As you may guess from the very title of this article, I am deeply enamoured by the Amber/Ruby Pirate-themed Starter Deck – and not only because it’s nice to see Treasure Planet represented.
Before I dive in, I do want to discuss the Inventor-themed Starter Deck. Thematically, this deck follows the practical Disney crew working to create all manner of inventions, as the more daring explorers take to the high seas. While some characters are depicted as actually being on the high seas, most are in their element – tinkering away in workshops or investigating mysterious circumstances.
The point here is to place Inventors, buff those Inventors, and wield their abilities to get tricky with gathering lore. Some Inventors rely on the actions of players, while others (like Hiro Hamada, Team Leader) give direct boosts to defence and attack. If you get clever with your deck, and lucky on card draw, you’ll want to play Gadget Hackwrench to speed progress – she’s a Shift character that allows you to reduce the cost of playing Inventors by one ink, as long as you have an Item in play.
While I enjoyed seeing the tricks of this deck in action – its Item cards are particularly handy – the theme doesn’t feel superbly strong, and the inclusion of some characters (Heffalumps and Woozles? Heathcliff? Prince Phillip?) is rather odd. With Azurite Sea mostly focussed on pirate-theming, this Starter Deck felt a bit beige and unfocused. It’s fun and mechanically interesting, but personally, I felt it lacked flavour.
Read: Disney Lorcana: Azurite Sea launches in November 2024
The reality is it paled in comparison to the Pirate-themed Starter Deck, which proved to be the absolute star of the show. This deck is more aggressive and meaner than the Inventor-themed deck, allowing its controller to pursue lore, while also pushing back the lore of their opponents with some lucky draws.
The theming stands out immediately while playing. Nearly every character is depicted as being on the high seas, and with an important role to play on deck. There’s Wendy, John, and Michael Darling swashbuckling on deck, and claiming treasure. There’s Owl from Winnie the Pooh in the crow’s nest, searching for danger. Rabbit has seemingly been stranded on an island, left behind for being indignant. And there’s Moana travelling solo, working to secure ropes.
A combination of excellent art and theming makes every card in this deck shine.
I particularly like the dynamism of Tigger, In The Crow’s Nest, Moana looking fierce as the Kakamora Leader, and, of course, Jim Hawkins, Honourable Pirate with his funky tricorn hat. While secondary to mechanics, the artwork ties the whole deck together, and gives it a real sense of prestige.
Beyond looks, Tigger is also a particularly powerful card, as he gains strength whenever you play an action. That can speed up his lore accrual significantly, giving a clear advantage. While this deck isn’t stacked with action cards, there’s enough to ensure you’re spicing up gameplay, and gaining lore faster than your opponent.
Jim Hawkins also makes for a great companion, as he can aid card draw – something I feel most Starter Decks still haven’t quite got right. In most games, you’ll end up with only one or two cards left by your fifth turn, meaning play relies on luck, rather than strategy. Should you play Jim, you may gain an additional Pirate card for your hand, giving you more opportunity to experiment.
Another cool card I loved playing was Jasmine, Rebellious Princess. She’s not a Pirate, but a thief – whenever she quests, she provides two lore and each opponent loses one lore. Because of this ability, she immediately becomes a target on the battlefield – but while she’s around, she makes a devastating impact.
In addition to these cards, there’s a bunch of others in the Pirate-themed Starter Deck that allow you to buff your crew with card draw, to rescue some characters from banishment, and to buff existing crew members. That’s where that all-important theme of camaraderie comes in – as you play characters, you get a cool crew forming, with buffs and boons granted for multiple Pirates in play.
I’ve had a blast playing other Starter Decks in past sets, but this particular deck is swiftly becoming my new favourite. In the combination of its themes, the excellent artwork on cards, its neat mix of characters, and its synergy, this Amber-Ruby Pirate Starter Deck really is a standout.
Disney Lorcana: Azurite Sea officially launches in hobby stores on 15 November 2024, and in general stores on 25 November 2024.
Two Disney Lorcana Starter Decks were provided by Ravensburger for the purposes of this review.
