Lorcana: reviewing Reign of Jafar - first spoilers!

Hello, everyone!

Last week, we talked about the latest news on Lorcana, including information on upcoming sets, the big news about rotation starting in Fabled, and much more - if you haven't seen it, be sure to check it out!

Today, we're going to analyze Lorcana's next set: Reign of Jafar!

We've already had some cards revealed, and a lot of cool stuff to share about the eighth set of the game. Let's get to it!

Reign of Jafar will be the eighth set in Disney Lorcana. The pre-release is scheduled for May 30, 2025, and the official release on June 6.

The set follows the standard size for Lorcana so far: there will be 204 cards, although not all of them are new - as we will see in a bit.

We see some mechanics that started in the previous set, Archazia's Island - especially the multicolored theme, that is, cards that can only be used in decks that have the two ink colors indicated. Interestingly, just like Archazia’s, we will not find Locations in Reign of Jafar either.

Finally, another Disney original comes for the first time in Lorcana: Bambi! Some cards have already been revealed, which we will comment on later. If you are a fan of the brave little deer, on his journey of growth and maturity, get ready to enjoy the many references in the set!

At the time of writing this article, we have about 100 cards revealed - less than half of the set. We will talk about some highlights below, but don't worry! When the full set is available, you can surely expect more articles talking about it!

Something interesting, before we get to the new cards, is that we already have confirmation of some cards reprinted in Reign of Jafar. With the announcement of the game's Rotation in the Core Constructed format, reprints become even more important, as it allows you to use the card from any set it's been printed, as long as the card itself is valid in the current format.

So far, we have two confirmed reprints:

101 Dalmatians fans will be very happy with the reprint of Dalmatian Puppy - after all, it is an important card for the archetype. With this, and with the support from the last sets, the deck should continue to exist even after the rotation.

Captain Hook is a very important 1-Drop for Pirate decks, especially because it also has the Captain type. Even before these synergies appeared in the game, Hook was already widely used for its efficiency - which should continue, even with the rotation.

As explained, so far, these are the reprinted cards that have already been revealed. So let's talk about new cards! Here we have some highlights:

Jafar takes the Crown!

Jafar, the great villain of the Aladdin franchise, has also revealed himself to be the great villain of the current adventure in Lorcana! Similar to the fourth set, in which the Ilumineers faced Ursula, this time they face Jafar and his army of Illusions. Jafar's ability is extremely synergistic, combining card selection with ink advantage. He will be an excellent character to add to the Archazia's Island Starter Deck, which we analyzed in another article.

It's great to see that the illusion theme, started in Archazia's Island, continues to be developed and with good cards, such as Palace Guard. It's a 1-Drop with well-above-average stats, to compensate for its weakness due to the Vanish ability. However, if we consider that in the initial turns it can be quite harmful to spend ink and tempo to remove a 1-Drop, Palace Guard will tend to stick on the board for a few turns, enough to make the small investment of 1 ink worthwhile.

Let's hear it from team Canine!

Speaking of themes being developed, the characters from Lady and the Tramp also got new cards - and two great ones at that!

The Amber/Emerald combination has seen some success with the new deck called ChernaDogz, which we reviewed in another article. These two new cards, both Lady and Tramp, certainly favor this archetype, since they are great options and, when thinking about the rotation, can even replace ones that will leave the format.

Pull the Lever, Kronk!

It's so great when iconic scenes show up in cards, and this is a very funny one.

If you're not familiar with it, check out this video below:

Gameplay-wise, Pull the Lever! seems flexible enough to fit into Amethyst/Emerald lists - a deck that's been on the rise, due to the synergy between the different 1-Drop Diablos and Diablo - Devoted Herald.

Let's fix Hiram

You can't help but compare it to Hiram Flaversham - Toymaker, since both are 4-ink characters that trade an item for two cards. However, Wardrobe doesn't have the same high willpower, doesn't work on the same turn it's played, and doesn't stack Lore gain with card draw... maybe the attempt at a nerfed Hiram was too harsh.

More Mushu!

The Ruby/Steel combination has received a lot of support recently, which we even talked about in a previous article. Following this, the new Mushu brings a great combination of abilities that are very synergistic with what the archetype needs, although it still focuses on a somewhat reactive playstyle.

Bambi in the spotlight!

Another of Disney's classics makes a debut in Lorcana, and Bambi seems to have a good mix of effects to show up in competitive archetypes. Gaining Lore just by being played is quite advantageous, but Bambi can still be reused a few times - or, if the opponent prefers, they will have to commit ink to first remove Bambi, and then play something on the board.

Bambi brings an interesting and different kind of pressure, forcing your opponent to make choices that are not always advantageous, whether committing characters to prevent Bambi from Questing next turn, or wasting removal on a 1/1 character - which could make them lack removal for other threats.

It's a free Lilo!

The little Lilo has given way to a giant Lilo! But, more importantly, she is yet another character with the fantastic ability to be played for free. The power of this effect is undeniable - characters like Chernabog - Evildoer or Belle - Apprentice Inventor demonstrate how fast development can quickly decide a game.

Lilo can not only be played for free, but on top of that she is a character with good stats - a 4/4 with 2 Lore - and also has a great effect to ready another character. If, for example, you used a character to sing - and, with that, achieve the play-3-actions requirement -, Lilo herself can ready that character, allowing it to be used a second time - except for Quests, of course -, or even just to not expose it on the opponent's turn.

Reign of Jafar shows a lot of creative design in recent mechanics, and also shows some signs of how reprints will be important to keep certain archetypes viable in Core Constructed.

The set brings a lot of potential, and will probably have an impact on what we will see on the first Lorcana World Championship, at the end of June!

Also, be sure to share if any spoiler caught your attention!

When we have the complete set, we will do an analysis of impactful and potential cards for competitive play.

Cheers, and until next time!