Ravensburger has so far taken a very hands-off approach to card balancing, preferring to let the meta self-correct while relying on extensive playtesting prior to set launch to ensure cards are released in a balanced state. But one card has drawn a lot of ire from the community recently, due to its persistent presence and unfun play patterns. That would be Bucky - Squirrel Squeak Tutor.
And now Ravensburger has decided to act and has announced an errata for Bucky, going forward. From the official Disney Lorcana site:
Hello, Disney Lorcana TCG players. We have an announcement regarding a card that will be receiving errata in all formats starting with the Shimmering Skies hobby release on August 9th, 2024.
Errata is not something we take lightly or want to do too often, so we want to give some context for our plans. Errata and bans going forward will be planned to be effective at the hobby launch of the next set, unless a change is deemed immediately necessary. We want to preserve a fun environment for the game, and address cards that cause negative experiences for players at all levels. We’re looking for ways to make printed versions of the updated card available to players later this year, and it will be corrected in any future printings.
Starting August 9th, 2024, the following card will be changed as follows:
Bucky – Squirrel Squeak Tutor
Rise of the Floodborn (Set 2)
Cost: 2 -> 3
Keyword: Ward -> No keyword ability
Updated ability: SQUEAK Whenever you play a Floodborn character, each opponent chooses and discards a card. -> Whenever you play a Floodborn character, if you used Shift to play them, each opponent chooses and discards a card.
Context: Ursula’s Return gave Bucky players the opportunity to discard multiple cards from opponents’ hands as early as turn 2 while building up a board that was very difficult to interact with, creating a stressful environment that just wasn’t fun. Ward also made Bucky close to untouchable, taking away player agency to deal with a powerful and cheap threat. For these reasons, we’re increasing Bucky’s cost to 3 and removing Ward from him. Additionally, we feel that requiring Shift better represents the Floodborn experience, as many decks utilizing Bucky have mostly ignored using the Shift mechanic (outside of one sinister bird).
Please keep in mind, for Challenge events, Shimmering Skies will be legal on August 30th, but the errata will go into effect immediately, so the Challenge event in Toronto on the weekend prior will have the errata in effect even though Shimmering Skies is not legal for the event. We apologize for missing the mark on this card and hope you understand why we’re taking steps to preserve a fun experience.
Lastly, as we’d like the Disney Lorcana TCG to remain a welcoming experience for players new to TCGs, please be understanding and helpful with those who may not follow changes like this. It can be tough to keep up with, so we’re working to provide an update on the app as soon as we can.
Thank you for your support of the Disney Lorcana TCG.
Disney Lorcana TCG Global Organized Play Team
Meta Impact
Well, this will certainly shake up the meta ahead of next month's DLC events. The Emerald/Steel Bucky Discard decks have been dominating the meta for the past few weeks, pulling it numerous top 8s compared to most other decks. The recent DLC in Bochum had half of the top 32 made up of Bucky decks (although the finals was an Amethyst/Ruby mirror match). So the deck was quite strong, for sure, but I think the real reason this happened was because he was just so miserable to play against. It's one thing to stop your opponent's game plan by efficiently reacting to their plays, it's another entirely to just stop them from being able to play the game in the first place. It's a real feels bad for players and I think the Disney Lorcana team was right to step in and dial it back a bit. Discard synergies should still be good, but now, hopefully, not as oppressive.
There are also the financial impacts to consider. For competitive players, Bucky will certainly drop in value as this new version of the card is not nearly as good. But collectors may be interested in this now nerfed version of this card. We will have a full analysis of the market impacts of this decision soon.
Still, until the errata goes into effect next month, I imagine many people will want to get as much use out of the squirrel as possible, so expect to see lots of Emerald/Steel at your Set Championships or other local events.
An avid player of card games since he got hooked on the Star Wars CCG back in his teens, Phil "gutshot" Bicking is excited to share his years of expertise to players of Lorcana.
