Disney Lorcana Meta Report: Into the Inklands – Week 9

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 online and 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 that boast a high meta share (percentage of games played) and 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

The second week of Set Championships has concluded and, as the dust clears, the biggest winner has to be Amethyst/Emerald Tempo. Its meta share jumped this week, moving up into tier 1, and the deck also bagged the most top 8s on the week. This tracks with many people's reports of their local Set Championships, where Amethyst/Emerald decks were not only plentiful but were a very strong and competitive deck overall.

The loser of the Set Championship period was probably Sapphire/Steel Ramp Wheel, which falls out of tier 1, due to a dropping meta share, and also came up empty on top 8s this week. The deck just hasn't been performing very well in the current meta and players are starting to move away from it to other options.

The other deck that has struggled in this meta is Amethyst/Steel Tempo. It also has had disappointing tournament results the past couple weeks and its meta share is dropping fast. It may not even make it onto the tier list next week, at this rate. One deck that did fall off the list this week is the Sapphire/Amethyst Blurple Ramp deck. Its meta share is just under the 2% minimum, but we might see it rise again, especially if some of the other decks keep dropping. The deck managed to bring in one top 8 finish for the week, which is notable. It's certainly a fringe choice, but is a deck to keep an eye on.

The rest of the tier list remains largely unchanged. The Ruby control decks continue to hold the top two spots in the meta, with the Discard and Tempo options there right behind them. The remainder of the Inklands meta may end up being a tug of war between these competing archetypes, unless we see some real innovation in the final weeks before set 4 release.

Without further ado, the tier list...

Tier List

Tier	Deck Name	Meta Share	Win Rate	Top 8s
Tier 1	Amethyst/Ruby Bounce Control	12.4%	49.9%	10
	Ruby/Sapphire Pawpsicle Control	9.4%	49.9%	5
	Emerald/Steel Discard	9.0%	50.4%	7
	Amethyst/Emerald Tempo	8.9%	49.9%	11
	Amber/Steel Steelsongs	8.8%	50.1%	3
Tier 2	Sapphire/Steel Ramp Wheel	5.4%	49.8%	0
	Amber/Ruby Red Mufasa	4.5%	51.1%	0
	Emerald/Steel Bucky Discard	3.3%	48.7%	3
Tier 3	Amber/Amethyst Hyper Aggro	2.5%	49.6%	0
	Amethyst/Steel Jafar Wheel	2.4%	49.2%	1
	Amethyst/Steel Tempo	2.0%	50.4%	0

Tier 1

Amethyst/Ruby Bounce Control

No shocker to see this deck on top once again. Amethyst/Ruby Bounce Control is just such a strong and flexible archetype. It really doesn't have any truly terrible matchups, which is probably why players love bringing it to tournaments. You don't have to worry about bracket RNG as much when you are never heavily unfavored in any matchup.

This list from Sam W. came in 2nd place in a 53-player Set Championships tournament in California. This much more low to the ground version of the list has become pretty popular of late. Cards like Minnie Mouse - Stylish Surfer have returned to the deck, as they allow it to have a more aggressive early game, which is key in the Ruby/Sapphire Pawpsicle Control matchup.

Guide:

Ruby/Sapphire Pawpsicle Control

Unlike the other Ruby control deck, Ruby/Sapphire Pawpsicle Control is susceptible to some bad matchups. The deck can struggle against decks that can take an aggressive line, as it typically spends the early game just ramping or getting its draw engine online. But it is very powerful in the late game, which keeps it competitive in most control-vs-control matchups, which are pretty common in Lorcana.

Here is a deck from s4iler that won a 54-player Set Championship tournament in Canada. More and more Ruby/Sapphire players are cutting McDuck Manor - Scrooge's Mansion from their lists. The card is no longer needed as a win condition, when you can just Lucky Dime a Belle - Strange but Special instead.

Guide:

Emerald/Steel Discard

Emerald/Steel Discard falls a bit in meta share but still has a good week on the tournament scene with seven top 8s. This was a reversal of last week, where the Bucky version of the deck had more top 8s. But it seems, whichever version of the deck you choose, you have a good chance in any tournament you enter.

This deck from ArtB took home the win in a 55-player Set Championship tournament in France. Friar Tuck - Priest of Nottingham has been a solid, new addition to many Emerald lists. His immediate discard effect makes him preferable to Daisy Duck - Secret Agent as a turn 4 play after playing Prince John - Greediest of All on turn 3.

Guide:

Amethyst/Emerald Tempo

The Amethyst/Emerald Tempo deck has really come into its own over the past few weeks. Once a fringe deck, it has worked its way into the upper echelon of the meta. This week, in addition to a rising meta share, the deck had the most top 8s with an impressive eleven. The archetype is clearly a strong one and the optimal list has still not been settled on. Some Amethyst/Emerald players have been experimenting with a small discard package and the initial results are promising.

For now though, the full tempo list has been having great results. This list from MaxK3 came in 2nd place in a 53-player Set Championship tournament in Germany. Tinker Bell - Most Helpful is a nice tech inclusion. Giving something like Madam Mim - Fox Evasive, allows the deck to deal with the Minnie Mouse - Stylish Surfer's that have been popping back up again.

Guide:

Amber/Steel Steelsongs

Steelsongs' Set Championship performance has been a bit underwhelming. What was once briefly the top deck in the meta, it has fallen further down towards the middle of the pack. It also managed only three top 8s on the week, the lowest of all the tier 1 decks. The poor performance can likely be attributed to some tough matchups it has to navigate, Ruby/Sapphire Pawpsicle Control especially.

Pixelborn has begun breaking this deck out into separate archetypes based on whether it is running Lantern, Sleepy's Flute or Pride Lands - Pride Rock. It's true that these cards have all been mutually exclusive but the rest of the list is so similar that what you decide to run is more a tech choice than an archetype change, in my opinion. So we'll keep them all under one umbrella.

For our Steelsongs deck spotlight, here is a Lantern list from Chris M. which won a 53-player Set Championship in California.

Guide:

Tier 2

Sapphire/Steel Ramp Wheel

It's been real tough sledding for the Sapphire/Steel Ramp Wheel deck of late. The deck has fallen out of tier 2 and deservedly so. The top 8s are just not there for this deck to be considered amongst the top tier. It seems that the control tools of Ruby are just a better pairing with Sapphire's ramp.

This deck from Jacob Robarge got 2nd place in a 27-player Set Championships tournament in Ohio. This deck has a little bit of everything from item synergy to ramp to locations to songs to Resist with Cogsworth - Grandfather Clock.

Amber/Ruby Red Mufasa

The Mufasa deck holds steady in tier 2, where it has resided for much of the Inklands meta. It's no tournament monster, as evidenced by its lack of notable top 8s this week. It's simply an okay deck but one that can take players by surprise if they aren't prepared for it.

Here is a Mufasa deck from Travis Flittner which won a 27-player Set Championship in California. Interesting that the deck doesn't run any 1-drops, not even Pluto - Friendly Pooch. This certainly helps Mufasa - Betrayed Leader from low-rolling, but does mean you are passing turn 1 every time.

Emerald/Steel Bucky Discard

Bucky Discard languishes in tier 2 but it's probably the best of the decks outside of tier 1, to be honest, at least in a tournament setting. It has multiple top 8s again this week. Emerald/Steel discard has proven to be a good archetype and it's mostly down to personal preference whether you build the deck with discard songs and actions or if you want to go with Bucky - Squirrel Squeak Tutor as your discard tool.

Here is an interesting list from FraM11, which took 2nd place in a 55-player Set Championship tournament in France. The deck runs a whole host of Evasives like Don Karnage - Prince of Pirates and Ray - Easygoing Firefly to make their board harder to deal with. It also has Flotsam - Riffraff, for some reason?

Tier 3

Amber/Amethyst Hyper Aggro

The Amber/Amethyst Hyper Aggro deck has probably the most polarizing matchup spread on this tier list. If you queue into Ruby/Sapphire Pawpsicle Control, you are heavily favored. But any Steel deck can wreck your day, especially Amber/Steel Steelsongs. If you have a good bead on your local meta, and the matchups are favorable, then the Hyper Aggro deck can do work for you.

For example, this list from Frank Arie came in 2nd place in a 38-player Set Championship in the UK. Perdita - Devoted Mother is great top-end for this deck, allowing you to bring back a Simba - Protective Cub or Pinocchio - Star Attraction. Also of note, this is the first time I've seen It Calls Me make a competitive list.

Amethyst/Steel Jafar Wheel

Jafar Wheel manages to remain on the tier list and even brought home a top 8 performance on the week. As we mentioned last week, the full Jafar-Wheel combo is not one you can rely on and, as such, most Amethyst/Steel decks have begun to cut a few of both cards for more consistency across the rest of the deck. If you happen to hit the combo, great, but it's not your only game plan.

This list from Idris Gil, which managed a top 8 in a 55-player Set Championship tournament in France, showcases that new direction for the deck.

Amethyst/Steel Tempo

Amethyst/Steel Tempo has had quite a drop in meta share on the week. It's not too surprising though, as the deck has been struggling in the current meta. After only one top 8 last week, it didn't get any in large tournaments this week. It seems the Amethyst/Emerald deck is just a much better option if you want to play tempo.

Here is an Amethyst/Steel deck that did do well though on the week, winning a 36-player Set Championship tournament in the US. The list from Taylor Crumlich does trade a bit of early game tempo for some late-game power in Cinderella - Stouthearted.

That's a wrap on the Set Championships. From all accounts, it seems like most events were fairly well attended and well run. Hopefully those of you who competed did well or, at the very least, had a fun time!

With only a few weeks left before Ursula's Return releases on May 17, it will be interesting to see how much the meta may change before then. We also have Lorcana Challenge events coming shortly after that, although the first Challenge events won't have set 4 cards included, so the current meta will be relevant for those events. Which decks will players be bringing to Atlanta and Lille? And which will perform the best? We don't have too much longer to wait to find out.

Until next week, good luck and have fun!