Disney Lorcana Meta Report: Ursula’s Return – Week 3

Introduction

Welcome to Lorcana.gg's weekly meta report! Each week we analyze the state of the meta using data from the previous week of tournament play. Our tier list is updated with the latest data, while this meta report will go over what it all means, as well as highlighting some particularly strong and interesting decks in each archetype.

The tier list is separated into three tiers. Tier 1 has the strongest decks, usually with multiple top 8 performances in major tournaments. Tier 2 and Tier 3 decks are a notch below the top tier, with these decks usually having one or two weaknesses keeping them from dominating the meta.

Meta Overview

Pixelborn is no more. It officially removed its support for Lorcana on June 16. But with the end of Pixelborn, came the release of the final batch of meta stats. So let's use those, for the first and last time in Ursula's Return, to compile our tier list. We'll be using all the games since the launch of Return, both to ensure a complete meta picture and to get a large enough sample size of games (the last week of Pixelborn had a much lower amount of games played than usual, for obvious reasons).

The Pixelborn stats tell a similar story to the tournament stats. The top three decks are taking up the bulk of the meta, with Sapphire/Steel sort of stuck in between as a "tier 1.5" deck. The rest of tier 2 and tier 3 is left trying to catch up with those four decks at the top.

There was only one major tournament this week and the top 8 spread was pretty diverse. So despite the popularity of the top few decks, they aren't the only viable options for competitive tournaments. With Set Championships on the way, as well as more Lorcana Challenges, we should hopefully see some continued diversification of the meta.

For now, the tier list...

Tier List

Tier	Deck Name	Meta Share	Win Rate	Top 8s
Tier 1	Emerald/Steel Bucky Discard	14.1%	49.7%	2
	Ruby/Sapphire Sisu on Ice	11.4%	50.1%	1
	Amethyst/Ruby Bounce Control	8.4%	49.9%	1
Tier 2	Sapphire/Steel Ramp Wheel	6.5%	50.3%	1
	Amber/Emerald Discard	4.8%	50.2%	0
	Amber/Ruby Red Mufasa	4.5%	50.1%	0
	Amber/Steel Steelsongs	3.0%	50.1%	1
Tier 3	Amethyst/Emerald Tempo	1.9%	50.1%	1
	Amber/Amethyst Hyper Aggro	1.0%	50.0%	1
	Amethyst/Steel Tempo	1.0%	49.9%	0

Tier 1

Emerald/Steel Bucky Discard

Emerald/Steel Bucky Discard remains on top of the tier list, in both meta share and in tournament top 8s. The deck looks to be in a very good position going into Set Championships. Bucky - Squirrel Squeak Tutor is just a hard card to counter, especially when played on curve.

This Bucky deck won the one large tournament from this past week, a 94-player event in France. This list from Kazé has a couple interesting inclusions in Helga Sinclair - Femme Fatale and Ariel - Sonic Warrior. Obviously, both are Floodborns for Bucky, but they also provide a bit of extra damage based removal that synergizes with each other.

Ruby/Sapphire Sisu on Ice

The Sisu on Ice deck looked like it was going to be dominant at the outset of the Ursula's Return meta. It has since been reined in a bit by Bucky. It still remains a very strong deck, just not quite as oppressive as originally feared, which is a good thing.

Here is a Sisu deck which was top 4 at the tournament in France. This deck by RobsTheBrave is the first time I've seen Aurora - Lore Guardian make one of these lists. It's a nice way to protect your items from cards like Benja - Guardian of the Dragon Gem while also giving you some improved draws from its Royal Inventory ability.

Amethyst/Ruby Bounce Control

Amethyst/Ruby is third in meta share on this final Pixelborn-based tier list. And that's with a slow start for the deck, as people experimented with other builds and lists at the beginning of this Return meta. It has now settled in as a solid third tier 1 deck.

This list from VintageRedPanda scored a top 8 finish at the tournament in France. This list is very similar to Kurt Spiess's list that came in 4th place in Chicago. The main difference being Panda has removed one Be King Undisputed and one Be Prepared, to include two copies of Lady Tremaine - Imperious Queen.

Tier 2

Sapphire/Steel Ramp Wheel

The Zoolander "Blue Steel" deck keeps threatening to break into tier 1, but hasn't quite got there yet. Maybe the Set Championships will be the time when the deck really shines? Its matchup spread is pretty favorable, although it takes a good bit of meta knowledge to pilot it correctly.

The deck had a very mixed performance at the 94-player French tournament, where most Sapphire/Steel decks finished in the bottom half, but did have one list that finished in 2nd place. This just goes to show the deck's difficulty. And hats off to Skadi, who made it to the finals with this list.

Amber/Emerald Discard

The Amber/Emerald Discard deck has seen quite a bit of play online, although it hasn't yet reliably translated to tournament results. There will probably be more experimentation with the archetype offline and we will see what results those changes may bring in the upcoming Set Championships and DLC events.

This Discard build from Swed came in top 32 at the tournament in France. This is the first time I've seen Bucky - Squirrel Squeak Tutor make the list in this archetype. While this deck doesn't run quite as many Floodborns as the Emerald/Steel list, Bucky can still be a powerful discard tool.

Amber/Ruby Red Mufasa

Mufasa continues to be the poster boy of tier 2. The deck has never been overpowered but is always at least solid. That trend remains in Ursula's Return, based both on the online stats and tournament results.

Here is a Mufasa deck which was in the top 16 of the French tournament. The list comes from Smoxie and includes some fun choices such as Peter Pan - Pirate's Bane, a solid Evasive threat which can sometimes take out a Mr. Smee - Bumbling Mate for free.

Amber/Steel Steelsong

We've seen how Steelsong has been struggling in the tournament meta and the Pixelborn stats tell a similar story. It's barely above tier 3 level and this includes the early days of the Return meta, when people were still experimenting to see if cards like Ariel - Sonic Warrior or Philoctetes - No-Nonsense Instructor would be a valuable inclusion. Time will tell if the deck can be refined enough to bring it back to a strong footing.

All that being said, Steelsong did manage a top 8 finish on the week, with this list from The Emo Pizza (hilarious name btw). Piglet - Pooh Pirate Captain has seemed to become a staple of the deck, after he helped secure the win for Frank Karsten in DLC Lille.

Tier 3

Amethyst/Emerald Tempo

I'm surprised to see Amethyst/Emerald all the way down in tier 3. I guess players weren't excited by the deck's possible new cards in Ursula's Return? But cards like Pegasus - Gift for Hercules and his Floodborn counterpart seemed like perfect additions to the archetype. This might just be a deck that increases in popularity as the meta rolls on.

This deck from Raclem landed in the top 8 at the French tournament. The aforementioned Pegasi make the list, as well as the big bad from this set, Ursula - Sea Witch Queen.

Amber/Amethyst Hyper Aggro

This is the first time we've seen Amber/Amethyst Hyper Aggro make the tier list this meta. It should have a good matchup into the Ruby decks, but as usual would struggle into any Steel-based deck. With two of the three tier 1 decks being Ruby-heavy though, maybe this little deck could make a comeback?

It did manage a top 8 at the tournament in France over the weekend. This list from Morgan is nearly identical to the typical hyper aggro list from last meta, with the only new addition being Donald Duck - Musketeer.

Amethyst/Steel Tempo

Amethyst/Steel Tempo rounds out the tier list this week, just barely making it alongside the Amber/Amethyst Hyper Aggro deck. This deck archetype really didn't get anything new from Ursula's Return, leaving it behind the power curve of the other top decks in the meta. It will likely languish in tier 3, as a result, unless some favorable meta conditions arise or an innovative build breaks through.

This was the best performing deck from the Amethyst/Steel Tempo archetype in the one tournament this week. The list from Scarface cracked the top 20 despite including zero cards from the new set. It is just straight-up the Amethyst/Steel deck from last meta doing its best to compete in this new meta.

And that's the meta report for the week. It is very sad to see Pixelborn gone. Not only was it a great tool for deck building and testing, it was also a great tool for evaluating the Lorcana meta as a whole. Perhaps, if the promised webcam version of Pixelborn can see the light of day, we may in the future have a way to evaluate a broad swath of the meta.

As for the meta, it looks like a three horse race right now with Sapphire/Steel nipping at their heels. With Set Championships and DLC Bochum a couple weeks away, with DLC Forth Worth soon after, the race to find the meta breaking deck is on. What deck's might rise and fall before then? We'll have to wait and see.

Until next week, good luck and have fun!