In this guide, we’re going to be going over how to upgrade our favorite Lorcana starter deck so far – the Amethyst/Steel starter deck to make it stronger and even more fun to play with.

*Updated December 4, 2023 to include info on how to build a competitive Amethyst/Steel Lorcana deck.

Which Lorcana starter deck is best?

Right now, we recommend getting the Amethyst Steel starter deck if you are looking for the best Lorcana starter deck. It has the latest cards, and one of the best mechanics in the game – the bounce mechanic thanks to Madam Mim. Amethyst/Steel is a competitively viable ink combination as well, and you can get many of the cards you’ll need to build a top Lorcana deck with in this starter deck.

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Amethyst/Steel Starter Deck List

In case you can’t see it so well in my pictures above, here’s the list again thanks to dreamborn.ink.

3 Prince Naveen - Penniless Royal
2 Freeze
3 Lilo - Galactic Hero
2 Prince Eric - Dashing and Brave
3 Chip the Teacup - Gentle Soul
2 Eli La Bouff - Big Daddy
2 Dr. Facilier - Savvy Opportunist
3 Merlin - Goat
1 The Huntsman - Reluctant Enforcer
2 Merlin - Crab
2 Beast - Forbidding Recluse
2 Benja - Guardian of the Dragon Gem
1 Tiana - Celebrating Princess
1 Merlin - Shapeshifter
1 Merlin - Rabbit
2 The Prince - Never Gives Up
2 Cinderella - Knight in Training
2 Merlin - Squirrel
3 Tiana - Diligent Waitress
2 Last Cannon
3 Madam Mim - Snake
2 Mouse Armor
2 Hercules - Hero in Training
1 Kronk - Junior Chipmunk
2 I'm Stuck!
3 HeiHei - Persistent Presence
2 Lawrence - Jealous Manservant
1 Madam Mim - Fox
3 Kuzco - Wanted Llama

More seasoned Lorcana players will notice one thing right away – there are far too many different types of cards in this deck to really be competitive. Competitive Lorcana decks run multiple copies of the same cards, and less different cards. This makes it more likely that the card they really want to draw will be drawn.

That being said, this starter deck is still pretty good right off the bat and gives you A LOT to work with if you want to upgrade it.

How we upgraded the Amethyst/Steel deck to be even more fun

Of course, part of the fun of trading card games is customizing and building your own deck. For this upgrade project, we took only cards found in the starter deck and the other Rise of the Floodborn products we got on release day (for a full rundown of what we opened, see our Rise of the Floodborn review).

I really liked the interplay between the Merlin and Madam Mim cards, so our upgrade focused on leveraging that as well as some of the stronger steel cards we got not only in the starter deck but in our products.

Here’s what we came up with:

This deck actually worked really well once upgraded, and it didn’t take anything more than what we got in our Rise of the Floodborn products.

Of course, we also were lucky enough to pull a few powerful cards that really helped this deck out.

Beast – Tragic Hero

Beast – Tragic hero works really well in this budget Amethyst/Steel deck list. He has good stats, gives you an extra draw every turn, and when he’s hurt, he gains strength.

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The starter deck already comes with a couple of Cinderella’s. We went ahead and further leaned into Cinderella, again because we were lucky enough to pull a Cinderella – Stouthearted.

Cinderella – Stouthearted

Cinderella – Stouthearted is one of the strongest characters to be introduced in Rise of the Floodborn. She can be played via shift onto one of your lower cost Cinderella’s, and pairs really well with this budget deck.

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Although we made several other, smaller edits that made this deck stronger and more fun to play, another card we were lucky to pull is the Madam Mim – Purple Dragon card. This card pairs really well with this deck thanks to the focus on putting cards back into your hand.

Madam Mim – Purple Dragon

Madam Mim – Purple Dragon is the single strongest Amethyst card to come out of Rise of the Floodborn. It works really well with this Amethyst/Steel budget deck because it has great stats, incredible lore value, and lets you put two cards back into your hand.

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Additional edits that made this deck stronger and more fun

Increasing card count for key Merlin cards.
Including the uber powerful “Let the Storm Rage On” card.
Including some Pinocchios cards and the Floodborn Pinocchio – On the Run.
Adding the Jafar Dreadnought for extra challenging and strong draw support.
Adding two more “I’m Stuck” action cards which pairs well with Pinocchio and Binding Contract to ensure your opponent’s can’t ready next turn.

While the starter decks are certainly worth picking up and give you a lot of the bones for your new Rise of the Floodborn deck, picking up additional product or shopping the singles market online will help make your deck stronger and more fun. Focusing on multiple copies of each key card will help ensure that you draw the cards you need when you need them, and hasten your route to victory.

Checkout our Lorcana deck building guide for more tips and tricks to build a strong Lorcana TCG deck.

How to Build a Competitive Amethyst/Steel Deck

We’ve gone over how to upgrade your Amethyst/Steel starter deck with cards you might find lying around in your Lorcana products. Below, however, we’re going to share an example deck list that we put together for players looking to play competitive matches at their local league.

Amethyst/Steel is a strong pairing that’s seeing a lot of success right now in competitive play. While it might not be the most elite of the top tier decks, it is still considered a top tier Lorcana deck by many. Here’s our list that we put together.

Amethyst/Steel Deck List

2 Elsa - Spirit of Winter
4 Friends On The Other Side
4 Pascal - Rapunzel's Companion
3 Mickey Mouse - Wayward Sorcerer
3 Tinker Bell - Tiny Tactician
4 Magic Broom - Bucket Brigade
4 Grab Your Sword
2 Madam Mim - Purple Dragon
3 Elsa - Gloves Off
3 Tinker Bell - Giant Fairy
4 Merlin - Goat
3 Merlin - Shapeshifter
3 Benja - Guardian of the Dragon Gem
3 Merlin - Rabbit
3 Arthur - Wizard's Apprentice
4 Madam Mim - Fox
1 The Sorcerer's Spellbook
4 Magic Broom - Industrial Model
3 Let the Storm Rage On

Amethyst Steel Basic Strategy Guide

In this deck list, you can leverage some incredible bounce abilities – meaning bringing cards from the field back into your hand. Merlin is great for this deck. Although he hasn’t seen a ton of competitive play, he’s actually quite good – enabling you to gain extra lore for each card that returns to your hand.

Of course, Arthur – Wizard’s Apprentice is a key card for this deck, enabling you to quest for a total of five if you combine him with the powerful Merlin – Goat.

Last but not least, you have some pretty strong options late game thanks to Elsa – Spirit of Winter, Madam Mim – Purple Dragon, as well as a fantastic attacker in the form of Tinker Bell – Giant Fairy.

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