The Reign of Jafar has only just begun. Corruption of Archazia’s Island has twisted it into a menacing fortress, and ghostly illusions push his treacherous agenda. Can our favourite Disney characters rise to the challenge, or will the realm of Lorcana succumb to its greatest threat?

Yes, it’s that time again, when the team behind the Disney Lorcana trading card game send us an amazing care package, only this time, we’ve received something I hadn’t seen before, so I’m more excited than ever to explore the contents!

Of course, it wouldn’t be a new release without a couple of booster packs and pre-built single-player decks. The pre-built decks are a fantastic way to dip your toes into the Disney Lorcana trading card game for the first time, giving you everything you need to get started. Centred around two characters on foil cards, the 60-card deck is curated towards beginners and comes with everything you’ll need along your journey through the realm of Lorcana, including a paper play mat, damage counters, a tracking token, and the game rules. The packs we received feature Lilo and Mulan, uniting Ruby and Steel, and Tiana and Bruno Madrigal, combining Amber and Amethyst.

They also offer an opportunity for more experienced players to build upon, providing a solid foundation to build upon, with the included booster pack holding twelve randomised cards. You can also buy these separately, either as individual packs or as a box filled with 24 packs, and they are the best way to discover all 200+ cards released in the Reign of Jafar event. They’re also the best way for collectors to get their hands on some of the rarest cards in the series, guaranteed to uncover two cards with a rarity of Rare or higher, three Uncommon cards, and six Common rarity cards, with any of those having the potential to be a nice and shiny foil card.

The Illumineers Trove is one of my favourite ways to receive new cards, and in my opinion, it’s the perfect gift idea. It comes packed with eight booster packs, damage counter dice, a Lore Counter, and coloured card dividers, all stored in a box decorated with Reign of Jafar-themed artwork. Using the coloured divider cards and the storage box, collectors and players can organise their collection based on Inks, with the box capable of housing far more cards than you receive in the eight included booster packs.

Another favourite of mine is the material play mat. Similar in make to a high-quality mouse pad, the Disney Lorcana play mats feature incredible artworks from the franchise, and this time, we received one including the mighty Zeus, surrounded by a swirling miasma of souls as he draws energy from Megara. Measuring 61 by 34.3cm, or 24 by 13.5 freedom units, they provide plenty of space to safely play your cards, with the soft material surface preventing accidental scratches. Even if you don’t play Disney Lorcana, they make for an incredible mouse pad, so if you do spot your favourite characters, I would still encourage you to grab one!

Dual-Ink Glimmers make their return in Disney Lorcana Reign of Jafar, allowing players to add exciting and powerful characters to their roster before laying siege to Jafar’s Palace, however, Jafar has some tricks of his own. Illusions have joined the release, featuring spectral versions of your favourite characters. As devious as Jafar, they are as likely to hinder your progress as they are to support your advance, and their ethereal forms will fade from existence at the slightest provocation.

However, what excited me the most was the Disney Lorcana Reign of Jafar Palace Heist scenario box set. Jafar will stop at nothing to maintain his hold over Archazia’s Island, but you can put an end to his scheming.

It’s a new instalment of the Illumineer’s Quest, something I haven’t had the chance to experience until now, where players strive to end the Reign of Jafar. Presented as a self-contained game, it comes with everything two players will need to step up to the challenge. While the rules support up to four players, they also allow you to take him on alone…

Radiating more NPC energy than the Supreme Sorcerer of Lorcana himself, Jafar’s 50-card scenario deck has been designed to be self-playing. It allows a single player to experience the scenario, with Jafar releasing creatures and setting traps throughout the game. I’ve never considered that possible for trading card games, but the magicians behind Disney Lorcana have worked out a way to do it.

The Palace Heist play mat is printed on thick card that folds open to set the main stage, with oversized cards representing Jafar and your goal: The Reforged Crown. Damage counters and tracking tokens are printed on a thick and durable card, while players can choose one of the two pre-built 60-card decks included in the game. The player decks are also completely compatible with the ‘regular’ Disney Lorcana trading card game, allowing you to play them against other people, or use your favourite deck to take on Jafar.

Once you’re done, everything packs away nicely. The decks come with themed storage boxes, one for each player deck, and one for Jafar’s scenario, as well as a zip-lock bag to keep all of the tokens together, and it all packs away into the board game-like box to neatly pack away.

Receiving the latest range of products from the Disney Lorcana trading card game always brings a smile to my face, but the Reign of Jafar left me shaking with excitement. Whether you’re starting the adventure for the first time or you’re returning to recruit new heroes, the Disney Lorcana Reign of Jafar release is bound to have something that captures your attention.

Written by: Mathew Lindner