Disney Lorcana has big things planned for 2026, including the Lorcana debuts of Pixar films like Toy Story, The Incredibles, Turning Red, and Coco. There are also welcome updates to the ways played can jump into those new sets, with additions like a Two Player Starter Set and Pre-Release packs for Wilds Unknown. Lorcana is kicking off its big year of releases with the delightful set Winterspell, and after having the chance to get some time with the new set, we’re revealing the 4 things we absolutely loved about the new set, as well as the 3 things we didn’t.
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7. Winterspell’s Whimsical Designs Are Some Of The Series’ Best
Just from an aesthetics point of view, Winterspell is easily one of Lorcana’s most dazzling sets. Granted, the winter and holiday theme fits Disney’s wonderful roster of characters to a tee, but Ravensburger went above and beyond in terms of making these cards simply radiate joy.
Winterspell’s cards just make you smile, and it doesn’t hurt that Ravensburger chose many characters that fit the theme and holiday cheer aspect of winter so well. Stitch was a perfect spotlight character, and all of his cards certainly stand out, but so do stunning cards of Rapunzel, Belle, Angel, Winnie the Pooh, Moana, Kanga, Elsa, Tod, Lilo, Fangmeyer, Grandmother Willow, Pocahontas, Widow Tweed, and more.
This set is simply beautiful, popping with vivid blues, purples, greens, and golds, and every card feels like it belongs on the wall in a frame. Once you get into the different rarities like Epic and Enchanted, the cards manage to get even more impressive.
6. No Starter Decks
That brings us to our first negative, but it doesn’t have to do with the cards themselves. The first flaw of the set is simply that it doesn’t come with two Starter Decks, which most Lorcna sets typically have. If you want to assemble a Winterspell deck, you’ll need to either grab a Lumineers Trove (which is admittedly awesome and well worth picking up) or Booster Packs and Booster Boxes.
Starter Decks in Disney Lorcana often do a fantastic job of showcasing different approaches in play styles, and they also highlight the set’s big mechanics or character debuts. Starter Decks also make any set that much more approachable for new players, and Winterspell’s mechanics and character roster make it a perfect set for new players to jump into. As of now, though, they will need to assemble their own decks from opening packs, and that’s a hurdle that more casual fans might not want to deal with, and they might miss out on a great set because of it.
5. Winnie the Pooh, Stitch, Frozen, Mickey’s Christmas Carol, and The Fox & the Hound Shine
Part of the appeal of Winterspell is its stellar character roster, and while there is a big debut that we’ll talk about later, the set also needs to be commended for how it utilizes several other franchises.
Lilo and Stitch have been featured in several sets now, which could lead to some redundancy and filler content with yet another spotlight. Thankfully that’s not the case at all, and whether you’re building a Stitch-centric deck for the first time or adding new cards to deck you’ve already got in progress, there are several cards here you’ll want to add to your set, including Lilo Snow Artist, Stitch Carefree Snowboarder, Jumba Jookiba Prolific Inventor, and the incredibly useful Ohana Means Family, which lets you not only remove damage but also draw more cards.
The same goes for Frozen and Winnie the Pooh, who have had previous spotlights in other sets, and yet just like Stitch, these new versions all range from useful to must-have. Standouts include Kanga Peaceful Gatherer, Tigger Bouncing All the Way, Elsa Ice Artisan, The Cold Never Bothered Me, and Do You Want To Build A Snowman.
There’s also the outstanding new additions to the game in The Fox and the Hound and Mickey’s Christmas Carol, which not only fit the theme but carry a versatile mix of abilities that will help just about any deck build. Cards like Education or Elimination, Copper Hound Pup, Tod Knows All the Tricks, Goofy Ghost of Jacob Marley, and Donald Duck Fred Honeywell all add value, and they look fantastic to boot.
4. Items Are Underwhelming and Lack Impact
In our last pick, we highlighted a lot of actions and songs, but one thing we didn’t mention much is Items. That’s for a reason, as aside from Darkwing Duck-specific items, most of the items in Winterspell just aren’t all that exciting, and don’t seem to offer much in the way of direct impact.
There are exceptions, obviously, but most Item cards are only going to have a limited impact, either because of the cards they affect in this particular set or in how they interact with your deck. For example, John Smith’s Compass is great in theory, as it lets you reveal the top card of your deck and add a cost 3 or Pocahontas card to your hand. That said, the trigger is if none of your characters challenged this turn, and at least in many of my games, that happens incredibly infrequently.
The same limited effect problem is also true of Mother’s Necklace, and that just gets a character Evasive. Pot of Honey is useful, especially for its 1 cost, and Retro Evolution Device is also pretty useful at 3 cost, but most of the items fall into the previous trap, and if they don’t, the effect may not be worth the cost it takes to play the card in the first place.
3. Unique and Powerful Locations
In stark contrast to Items, Locations this time around are a complete home run. All of the locations throughout Winterspell are useful to play, and almost all of them feature extended effects that reward players for making them an important part of their strategy.
Graveyard of Christmas Future, for instance, lets you put the top card of your deck under it facedown whenever you move a character there, and at the start of your turn, you may put all cards from under the location into your hand. You have to banish it if you do that, but you can use this strategy to instantly give yourself a wealth of options when you’re running low on cards later in the game, and that’s huge.
Scrooge’s Counting House is another winner, as it lets you boost and put the top card of your deck under the location, and for every card you have under the location, the Counting House gets an extra defense and +1 lore, and it already gets you 1 lore right off the bat every turn. Game Preserve and Darkwing Tower are also winners, so if you’re looking for great locations, Winterspell has you covered.
2. Zootopia, Mulan, And Moana Leave A Little To Be Desired
While some of the other returning characters and franchises found new ways to impress, some returning franchises leave you feeling a bit underwhelmed. Zootopia, Mulan, and Moana’s card designs are stellar, but the card abilities and what they do on the battlefield are less so.
Granted, none of these cards are bad, per se, and there are two fantastic cards that I’ll highlight in a second, but overall, everything else just feels either redundant or like they won’t add anything to your Winterspell deck moving forward. Fangmeyer Icy Officer is fine, but it will only be useful in a Zootopia-focused deck, and there’s not enough in Winterspell to make that an option here. Mchorn Ice-Cold Officer is fine as a bodyguard, but not terribly exciting, and Judy Hops Snowball Patrol’s delightful artwork can’t make up for a rather boring Resist +1 2 and 2 card that likely won’t get a lot of play.
Mulan’s Marching Off To Battle, Fa Zhou Honorable Warrior, and Mulan Ready for Battle cards aren’t terribly exciting or impactful within the framework of Winterspell’s other cards either, and Moana and Maui continue that trend. That said, there are two from this area that do shine, and those are Gramma Tala Connected to Nature and Tamatoa Seeker of Shrine, which can be incredibly useful and pack a punch if they get onto the battlefield.
1. Darkwing Duck Makes A Grand Debut
The unquestionable star of Winterspell is everyone’s favorite hero, Darkwing Duck, and Ravensburger knocked his debut out of the park. This set feels like longtime fans of the show put this set together, and there are so many cool versions of not only Darkwing but also his supporting cast, arsenal of gadgets, and his epic lineup of villains.
Whether you’re going with Darkwing Duck Crime Fighter, Darkwing Duck Cool Under Pressure, or Darkwing Duck Dashing Gadgeteer, there’s a version of the hero that you’re going to want to use. There’s also his lovable sidekick Launchpad, his awesome plane The Thunderquack, as a host of villains, including Morgana Macawber, Isis Vanderchill, and his arch nemesis Negaduck, who has several powerful versions to mix into your deck as well.
Even his Action cards impress, with the useful Let’s Get Dangerous that can possibly allow you to play a character for free, as well as The Terror That Flaps In The Night, which lets you deal 3 damage if you have a Darkwing Duck in play (but still lets you do 2 damage even if you don’t). The cards look fantastic visually, and they feel like they were created by real Darkwing fans, so expect plenty of Darkwing-focused decks to happen from here on out.
Winterspell prerelease starts on February 13th, and the full set is available on February 20th.
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