As the launch of Disney Lorcana rapidly approaches, there has been a lot of speculation about the next chapter of the game. Humans are inherently greedy, and so we're always thinking about the next thing. These new cards are great! When are we getting more? Lorcana had some great reveals in the run-up to the entire unveiling (TheGamer's reveal of Rapunzel being my unbiased favourite), but now that we know what all the cards are, attention has turned to what will come next. Disney has a deep bench, and there are classic songs and characters absent, but amongst all the requests, there's one I have above all - please keep Star Wars and Marvel out of it.
I have nothing against Star Wars or Marvel. I wouldn't say I'm a Star Wars fan, but I've seen all of the movies and played most of the games, and I like it enough. Marvel is a different story. Though my interest has waned during Phase 4 of the MCU as Marvel muddles its way out of the post-Endgame mess with far too many shallow TV shows, I am a full-blown Marvel fan. Pandemic break aside, I've seen every Marvel movie since the first Avengers in the cinema during its opening week. I have the t-shirts, I have the video games, god help me, I have the Funko Pops. But I still don't want them in Lorcana.
While both Star Wars and Marvel are owned by Disney, they don't have Disney vibes. The magic of Lorcana has been in the deeper cuts, in the affection for animation with some brilliant card art, and in the cosiness that comes with the aura Walt Disney Animation Studios brings. Making it 'here's a bunch of things Disney owns' goes against this spirit and would dilute the appeal of the game.
In TheGamer's own list of requests, the responses were varied. Mine was simple - Raya, from Raya and the Last Dragon. I've written this week about my desire to build a Princess deck in the game, and the more Princesses we have, the more diverse that deck can be. Others went for their favourites that were absent, deeper cuts from properties already represented, stars from those currently out in the cold, and some even branched out beyond the core Disney group of Lorcana's first chapter into a bunch of things Disney owns. But I believe this is a clear hierarchy.
Firstly, we have any movie from Walt Disney Animation Studios, which is what all your favourite Disney movies are. Then there are a couple of other movies that aren't actually WDAS, but fit the tone perfectly - think A Goofy Movie and Nightmare Before Christmas. Those aren't in the game yet, but I expect they will be eventually and I won't have any complaints when they do. Likewise, I think we'll get Pixar in the near future, and I welcome that day. That should be the cut off.
Next in line there are the Disney Channel cartoons, the Muppets, the Disney channel live-action shows, Marvel, Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Fox animated projects like The Simpsons, and then general movies Disney somehow owns like The Banshees of Inisherin or Die Hard. None of those should be in the game, but as the list goes on they get more wrong. I don't think either should be in Lorcana, but I think Hannah Montana is more suited to the vibe than Darth Vader. I'd take Kermit before I took Peter Griffin, but I wouldn't take Kermit.
There can be some debate over this list order and the cut off point (Disney cartoons and The Muppets could argue they fit the vibe as much as Jack Skellington), but I am convinced that once we get to Marvel and Star Wars that debate ceases. Both have had numerous card games down the years, and Marvel is still riding a decent wave of Marvel Snap even after the initial hype wore off. But this is not just an objection to Star Wars specifically, it is a desire to preserve what Lorcana represents. It is a celebration of Disney's characters, and Han Solo and Iron Man are not Disney characters even if Disney owns the rights to them.
Lorcana has walked the tightrope well so far, managing to use Disney's most recognisable assets in a way that feels fresh, while maintaining a sense of love and fandom. It isn't just using the Disney name and a handful of characters we know, it is being creative and compelling with a whole manner of Disney deep cuts. Still no Raya, but you can't win them all. To start throwing in the big guns just because they're on Disney Plus and you can wastes all of the potential Lorcana has. The game's future is not in spreading further throughout Disney's empire, but in digging deeper into its own wells to conjure something great.