Right now, Sapphire and Steel Disney Lorcana players are reeling following a recent ban announcement from Ravensburger. While necessary, this announcement marks a major turning point in the ever-evolving history of Disney Lorcana. As usual, following bans in any TCG, the Lorcana metagame has now been left open. Many players are currently scrambling to replace their banned cards or try out new strategies entirely. With this in mind, you might be tempted to see what Amber has to offer. If you're looking to do exactly that, we've got you covered. Here are the top five Amber cards post the release of Archazia's Island.
5. Lilo - Escape Artist
One of the most enduring -and maybe most exasperating- cards on this list, Lilo - Escape Artist comes in at number five.
Lilo - Escape Artist offers any Amber player one of the best early game drops that has to be constantly kept in check due to her two lore scoring potential.
Coming in packaged with a recursion ability and an inkable nature, anyone running Amber can easily have Lilo at four copies and still get mileage out of her at any stage of the game.
4. Piglet - Pooh Pirate Captain
One of the more modest cards to make it to the list, Piglet - Pooh Pirate Captain doesn’t have a lot going for it at first glance. With a low stat line and conditional capabilities, this Piglet looks like a fairly typical low-cost card.
However, where Piglet shines is his ability to reward players who opt to build a wide board as soon as possible. Once two other allied characters can be spotted, Piglet automatically jumps to a three lore score, forcing the opponent to at least invest something to turn off Piglet’s ability, if not outright get rid of him.
As a Pirate Captain, Piglet can easily support Steel’s popular Mr. Smee - Bumbling Mate who needs a Pirate Captain present on the board to prevent Smee’s self-inflicting damage.
3. Cinderella - Ballroom Sensation
Amber’s most popular cards tend to see a very low investment when it comes to ink cost, as Cinderella - Ballroom Sensation takes the third spot on this list.
Unlike Piglet and Lilo, Cinderella - Ballroom Sensation only comes with a Singer 3 tacked on her. Her low stats make her ripe for easy board removal while giving the opponent some leeway when it comes to the lore race.
However, those with a keen eye should be able to discern that Cinderella offers her controlling player access to 3 ink cost songs as early as turn 2 while freeing up the inkwell for other plays.
Depending on Amber’s partner color, opponents can see Steel ripping through any early game set-ups with the likes of Let the Storm Rage on or Strength of a Raging Fire. Sapphire can easily bump up Amber’s ink ramp with One Jump Ahead.
Meanwhile, the likes of Amethyst and Emerald can start their card advantage manipulation with popular staples like Friends on the Otherside or Sudden Chill.
2. Rapunzel - Gifted with Healing
This is like the third time we’ve made a list like this, and Rapunzel - Gifted with Healing has made an appearance. Unfortunately for Amber players, Rapunzel is probably the quintessential example of a staple.
Damage to your roster is inevitable, and Gifted with Healing easily synchronizes with Amber’s main characteristic, healing. By taking advantage of more robust early game characters like Nala - Mischievous Cub, Rapunzel is just simple card advantage.
Even when played suboptimally, Rapunzel - Gifted with Healing will, at worst, replace herself -healing 1 damage to draw 1 card- to an overall +2 to her controlling player’s hand if she can heal up to 3 damage.
What’s probably the sticking point of this card is not her in-game capabilities. It’s the fact that Gifted with Healing is from The First Chapter of Disney Lorcana. Ravensburger is pretty notorious for not reprinting older sets, so getting your hands on this vital piece of Amber’s arsenal will be a daunting task.
1. Daisy Duck - Donald's Date
Daisy Duck - Donald’s Date taking the top spot is probably not a surprise to many. Even with her uninkable nature, Daisy Duck is a pretty robust turn 1 drop that can quest pretty heavily if left alone.
Her 1 in strength allows Daisy to trade with any early game challenges while she quests for 2 lore. As if that wasn't enough, Donald’s Date has probably one of the better control capabilities that could make Emerald quite green with envy.
Being able to peek at the top card of the opponent’s deck by just questing is so out of place in an ink color like Amber.
Thankfully, Donald’s Date does come with a slight drawback. Should the top card looked at be a character, then the opponent can happily add said card to their hand.
There is, however, emphasis on the word ‘slight’ because should the card not be a character, you can easily deny a very important piece of the opponent’s early to mid-game arsenal by sending the card to the bottom of the deck.
In organized tournaments, there are no rules stating that opponents should reveal their deck’s ink combinations. So, depending on the match-up, Donald’s Date can easily start wreaking havoc on any deck that has a good amount of actions, items, or locations in the roster.
Outside the game, there’s the fact that Donald’s Date was released back with Shimmering Skies (the 5th expansion). As a Super Rare versus Rapunzel’s Legendary, there’s some sound logic as to why she took the top spot despite Gifted with Healing’s capabilities.
Daisy Duck - Donald’s Date is just easier to find and won’t break your wallet too badly if you do find a copy of her on the second-hand market.
That’s our list for Amber’s Top 5 cards for the current cycle. As more time passes, we’ll eventually see how the current meta will develop. Ravensburger’s recent actions are still fresh, so it’ll take some time for the next batch of deck testing to yield their results.