Lorcana Meta Report – Shimmering Skies Week 4
Now that Shimmering Skies has been out in the wild and had its full retail release, we’re getting an even better look at what the meta is going to be for the remainder of the season. While it’s still early days, it’s not that early anymore. Decks that showed a ton of promise are staying on top, while others that were less obvious picks have grown in popularity.
Below, let’s take a look at the current meta share of each deck by Ink combo as well as take a look at specific deck types that are standing out in the field. All of this data is based on the tournament results collected by my friends at Inkdecks which is a phenomenal site for seeing what decks are popular in the current Lorcana meta.
Lorcana Ink Combos by Play Share
Lorcana metagame analysis breakdown
For the most part, the metagame has continued to take shape along the same lines as what we’ve seen since Shimmering Skies first released. Amber/Steel continues to dominate as the most popular choice due to its versatility, while Ruby/Sapphire is a close second due to its outright ability to dominate.
My guess is we will continue to see these two decks vie for dominance throughout the Shimmering Skies season.
While those two are definitely the “big two” in the game right now (meaning you will want to play a deck that has an answer to them), there are a few other interesting movements in the metagame that you might have missed.
Sapphire/Amethyst falls out of popularity
Despite having a fairly devoted fanbase, the Sapphire/Amethyst combo that people were so excited about heading into Shimmering Skies has – for the time being – largely fallen out of the metagame. While there was one deck recorded for getting first, it wasn’t a significant force in the last week at tournaments.
While that could certainly change overtime, it could be that this deck will be far less popular this season than many had hoped.
Emerald/Amethyst gains significant popularity
Since the start, Emerald/Amethyst has been a popular deck archetype. Today, it’s once again popular. Leveraging the combined power of Clarabelle’s draw support with the incredible bounce mechanics that made the Ink combo great in Into the Inklands, players are finding that this deck offers a powerful middle ground in the current metagame between aggro and control.
See the deck that won a major tournament below by Sander.
Another popular way to build this Ink combo right now is to combine Jafar with Clarabelle’s draw power to gain an incredible amount of lore passively. While I’m not sure that particular variant will stick in the long term (as it largely hasn’t in the past), Emerald/Amethyst will likely be a power in the meta for the remainder of the season.
Sapphire/Steel edges up slightly in the ranks
Sapphire/Steel’s relative absence from the metagame compared to where it was in the past has continued to confuse me given its relatively favorable matchup against Amber/Steel. That being said, it’s holding onto its play share at around 6%. While that’s not an improvement since last week’s meta report, as other decks have dropped in popularity Sapphire/Steel’s resistance (pardon the pun) has helped it break into the top five decks in the game right now.
Emerald/Steel hangs on at the bottom of the meta
Stripped of its former prestige, Emerald/Steel defies all odds and remains meta relavant. Although there are a number of ways to play it, the two most popular center on an aggressive/discard approach to the game and a more damage/centric version featuring the memorable Beast – Relentless.
Below, find my deck that won first place at a local tournament featuring Robin Hood and Beast – Relentless.
Lorcana meta report takeaways
While the game has diversified from the darkest days of Ursula’s Return, we are clearly seeing a trend of a handful of decks making their way to the top due to their decent matchups against other decks.
That being said, given the changes and movements we’ve seen so far, my guess is that we will continue to see a variety of decks do well at various levels of competition, making this a friendly meta for those who want to build something outside of the big three currently dominating tournaments.
