Lorcana Meta Report – Shimmering Skies Week 3
It’s been a big week for Lorcana. Lorcana DLC Toronto went down over the weekend, but all eyes were on the side events as those large tournaments (150+ competitors) faced off with newly upgraded decks from the Shimmering Skies meta.
Of course, with so many decks from the old meta having played in Toronto, the numbers for the top Lorcana decks might look a little funny this week, but we’ll share them with you nonetheless, as well as get into some of the most interesting movements and trends in the metagame.
Let’s go!
Lorcana Ink Combos by Play Share
Lorcana metagame analysis breakdown
I do think we will see a significant change in these numbers next week as the results from last season’s Toronto DLC fade, however, there are still several interesting trends to watch here.
Amber Emerald dominated Toronto DLC
First of all, Amber/Emerald dominated the Toronto DLC. That could just be because Amber/Emerald was really strong in that format, or maybe we will see more Amber/Emerald discard in the future Shimmering Skies format. That deck did have a strong early showing in the current format when it won the Battle Bear tournament, piloted by Tera.
Personally, I think it will slip a few percentage points next meta report.
The meta evens out
If anything, these numbers serve to show one important point: the meta is evening out. While one deck still reigns supreme at around 20% of the play share, there are now two decks vying for the second spot on that list, and those two decks are Ruby/Amethyst and Ruby/Sapphire (big shocker, I know).
Ruby/Amethyst players are clearly gaining confidence in the tried-and-true deck combo and it’s seeing some strong top finishes at tournaments. You just can’t count that deck out!
Sapphire/Amethyst continues to gain traction
Whereas Sapphire/Amethyst became something of a meme deck last set, today it’s proven itself as a top contender in the meta. The deck that won one of the big side event tournaments at the Toronto DLC was in fact a Sapphire/Amethyst. That’s an incredible turn of events that should help spur Sapphire/Amethyst’s popularity onwards as we head deeper into the Shimmering Skies season.
Here’s the deck list that won it piloted by thirteen-year-old Gavin Ditchey
Sapphire/Steel gains popularity
Given the popularity of Amber/Steel, I figured it would only be a matter of time before Sapphire/Steel showed up a bit more in tournaments. While that 6% number is a little missleading since Sapphire/Steel was a big part of the Toronto DLC, Sapphire/Steel had a phenomenal finish at the Shimmering Skies format side event, where it took sixth place.
See the deck list that did it below, and also one of my favorite versions of Sapphire/Steel to date!
Amber/Amethyst toughs it out
Amber/Amethyst hyper aggro is still maintaining its spot in the meta, although it slipped a few points since last week. However, not many if any were playing the Ink combo in the DLC, so that’s pretty impressive that it’s maintained its spot in the meta, meaning we will likely see that percentage point of share trend upwards in the coming weeks.
Emerald/Steel makes a surprise comeback
Despite the fact that Emerald/Steel has had a rocky recent history and lost its spot as a tier-zero deck, I would not count this deck out. It finished second at one of the major side events, sporting an entirely new way of playing it that leverages Clarabelle and Mother Gothel.
I think there are a lot of exciting and different ways to play Emerald/Steel, and I would expect to see the Ink combo return in a big way to competitive play in the following weeks.
Here’s the deck that got second out of 170 by Ed Chiu.
Lorcana meta report: the big takeaway
The Shimmering Skies meta continues to be filled with variety and incredibly fun. What we are seeing is an obvious top deck, followed by many competitively viable options beneath it.
Again, while the play share will look very differently next week since it will be all Shimmering Skies format tournaments, I think it’s safe to say the positive trend towards variety and many deck options will continue.
