Lorcana has had an insanely successful start in the TCG world with organized play events drawing thousands, and reaching the top five best selling TCGs in the world. Along the way, many fabulous sets have been released that have introduced new mechanics and powerful strategies into the game.

In this list, we’ll be looking at the strongest cards from each set so far to highlight this incredible year in Lorcana.

#1 Be Prepared

To this day, Be Prepared is likely the strongest card of all time in Lorcana. Really, no card even comes close to match this card’s ability to destroy the entire board. While at first some players (myself included) speculated that wiping the board of both yours and your opponent’s characters might not actually be all that advantageous, because Ruby has so much card removal it usually works out in your favor to hit a Be Prepared.

The most common pairing is to use Be Prepared either with Sapphire or Amethyst, and each has their own pros and cons. But regardless, the end result tends to be utter dominance of the playing field!

#2 A Whole New World

Unlike some games that have gradual power creep obsolete older cards, Lorcana started out very strong, introducing staples into the game that are largely unmatched by the cards released today. A Whole New World is one of them. This powerful song lets you discard both players hands and draw a new hand of seven.

While early on it felt a little risky to play this card as you never know what you’re letting your opponent draw into, it became clear that getting to refresh your hand and access those new resources a turn ahead of your opponent can easily be game changing in the right circumstances.

The deck that mostly uses this card today is the powerful Amber/Steel archetype – one that has been prevalent in the Lorcana meta since the very beginning of the game and just as relevant today as ever.

#3 Maui – Hero to All

Maui is a character so strong that in many ways he has helped shaped the meta even today. Because of his prevalence and strength, it’s become standard to only play locations with will power enough to withstand an attack from him. He’s also a key consideration in player’s mind when they face down any Ruby deck as he can quickly decimate your strongest characters and then be easily healed up via Pawpsicles or bounced back to the hand with Madam Mim.

Despite plenty of strong cards coming out over the sets we’ve had, and even a new and powerful Maui – Half-Shark card, none have really met the sheer power and versatility of this five-cost, Inkable powerhouse.

#4 Tinker Bell – Giant Fairy

If you play a Steel deck chances are pretty good you are running Tinker Bell in it. Another first set wonder card, Tinker Bell is extraordinarily versatile. She deals damage to the board when played, and also dishes out another two damage to any opposing character when she banishes a character in a challenge.

Tinker Bell unlocks potential board clearing capabilities for those adept at using her. What’s more, she can be shifted for a reasonable cost. While many don’t bother shifting her anymore, I find it to be the best way to use her to gain maximum damage output right out the gate.

#5 Hiram Flaversham – Toymaker

Flaversham felt handy when he first came out, but I don’t think anyone realized just how deadly he would be eventually. In many ways, his draw support remains unmatched today, and he has enabled the item-focused Ruby/Sapphire powerhouse deck to dominate the meta for some time.

The strongest pairing is to use him to banish one of your Pawpsicles to draw two cards. That’s three cards in total if you played Pawpsicle that turn and combo it with “Artificer.”

But it’s really not just his ability that makes him strong: it’s that insane six will power, making Flaversham an absolute chore to deal with early in the game for most decks that simply can’t hit that hard.

#6 Robin Hood – Champion of Sherwood

When Into the Inklands came out, Robin Hood felt like the strongest card in the set. He’s pretty insane especially given the fact you can shift him for just three Ink. Robin Hood is an insanely helpful challenger as he lets you gain lore from winning challenges, and he has the added benefit of granting you a card when he is banished.

He remains one of the most well rounded characters in the game and many Steel decks still run him well after Into the Inklands hit the shelves.

#7 Madame Medusa – The Boss

Talk about meta-defining cards. Whenever an exciting new legendary character comes out it feels like the Lorcana community does a “Medusa” test to see whether or not the card is actually relevant to the meta. Three strength and under? Maybe not.

Medusa makes it very difficult to get big powerhouse cards out with hopes of them lasting long enough to make an impact, and that’s why her impact on the game is still felt to day several sets after she was first introduced.

#8 Diablo – Devoted Herald

Many consider Diablo to be the single strongest card in the game. Indeed, he does feel a little broken at times and even beyond the power level of the game to date. Perhaps in some future version of the game Diablo will feel right at home next to a plethora of other, hyper-powerful and free-to-shift characters. As it stands today, Diablo is essentially the only character with the alternate shift mechanic being used commonly in the game.

As early as turn two (as crazy as that seems) you can get this character into play and start using its Circle Far and Wide ability to draw cards whenever your opponent draws. This enables you to unlock insane draw capabilities while Diablo remains pretty difficult to deal with early in the game thanks to its Evasive keyword.

#9 Madam Mim – Fox

The Madam Mim bounce package blew people away when it came out in Rise of the Floodborn. To date, Amethyst/Steel remains the best Lorcana starter deck thanks to the fact it actually included most of what you needed to use this combo in it.

While there’s more to this powerful combo than this card alone, Madam Mim – Fox is your strongest of the group, letting your bounce one of your characters to reuse its when played effect the following turn, as well as containing the powerful combo of Rush and four strength.

She’s still the backbone of just about every Amethyst deck out there today, and will be for the foreseeable future.

#10 Cinderella – Ballroom Sensation

While not all Amber decks run Cinderella (many prefer to go harder into aggro playing characters with two lore), Cinderella remains Amber’s most deadly singer. Playing Cinderella means you can start singing one of Steel’s many powerful three-cost songs as early as turn two. This makes it very, very difficult for your opponent to build up a board that will be able to challenge you once your really strong characters start getting into play.

The early game matters a lot in Lorcana as whoever gets momentum first will often end up winning. While that’s the case in any TCG, it feels especially hard to come back in Lorcana once you get behind.

Lorcana has had a legendary year and the still new TCG has cemented itself as one of the best in the world. Thanks to powerful cards like these, people everywhere are playing this game – whether it be their first TCG ever or one of many. Let’s just see if any of the cards to come out over the course of this game’s second year add even more power and versatility to the game!

The Strongest Lorcana Cards So Far