We recently revealed that there would be a new Gaston Lorcana promo card available at MCM London Comic Con. The full card has now been revealed, along with big (and positive!) changes to how promos will be made available.
In our most recent article on the next two Lorcana promo cards, we found the Gaston promo in a listing for MCM London Comic Con. It’s due to take place from October 27th to 29th, and we’ll be there!
The Gaston card was named, but not fully revealed. We also knew artist Matthew Robert Davies would be in attendance to sign cards. We assumed this might be a new Gaston from Rise of the Floodborn, but not one previously seen.
The full card has now been shown: Gaston – Arrogant Hunter, which is a The First Chapter card by Matthew Robert Davies. The announcement also teased the scavenger hunt fans are supposed to do to get the card.
It’s worth noting that it seems there is just the one promo at the event. There is also the chance to “Stop by our booth and get stuck into gameplay with #DisneyLorcana gamemasters“. It might be that some of the Lorcana team might be there to play against.
At Spiel Essen, Game Designer/Manager Steve Warner was there. He took on challengers, apparently taking twelve decks – and playing a previously unreleased new card.
Whipping this beast of a card out seems a bit harsh but Steve did it anyway. We’ve got more to say about this card and how powerful it could be. Steve managed to challenge twice and then quest with it, all in one turn.
Disney Lorcana Promo Card Symbol Changes
The eagle-eyed among you will have noticed the symbol at the bottom of the card is not an event-specific one. We were expecting an MCM Comic Con Logo, maybe something like below. Instead, the symbol is the same as on the Lorcana League promos from seasons 1 and 2.
With that, Team Lorcana made a couple of clarifications on the Lorcana HQ Discord that could have a big impact. Essentially, promo cards at future events will now have a normal promo logo instead of an event-specific one.
So for now at least we know: –
- New event promo cards will have the standard promo logo
- Gaston and other event promo cards will be available at different events – we don’t know how many or where
- New event promo cards will be available for the set currently available, and new ones from the new set will be available from each new set’s release
- Upcoming event promos will be available at roughly the same time in multiple regions, with different ways to obtain them
- Event stamps aren’t ruled out completely. Though it’s likely to be the norm for a while
Why This Needed To Happen
This is something that many of us have been talking about or hoping to see for a few reasons. Firstly, it’s really not hard to see that the promos have caused big problems at every event they were available at.
From the absolute chaos of Gen Con for Mickey Mouse – Musketeer (and the first cards) to a relatively organized time at gamescom for Goofy – Musketeer, and then back to chaos at Spiel Essen for Donald Duck – Musketeer, there have been issues.
Having queues that snake around aisles, block other attendees from getting to their own events, and risk safety and fun for everyone is a bad look. Buzz and raising the profile of the game is good. People being turned away after hours of queuing leaves a bad taste in the mouths of potential fans.
Really, it’s just that the game is suffering from its success. Everyone wants to play, collect, and find cool promo cards. When those cards also tend to sell for a lot of money, it draws in people who may be there just for the chance at a few promos.
Why This Is A Really Good Thing
Doing this means that you can get your promo, but people won’t FOMO as much and travel just for the cards. It means people just wanting to resell don’t have something that is as exclusive, so is less appealing.
It means collectors get more of a chance to collect locally – even if it means some travel. It also gives people with disabilities and issues dealing with large crowds a chance to collect in a safer environment.
Taking some of the exclusivity away means singular events will be less jam-packed. Promos will also lower in price, which is great for collectors.
Of course, certain parts of the internet will be very angry about this. But for them, this also means that current event-specific promos will probably become more valuable. From now on, things will get much better for regular collectors.
This lines up more with other card game promos, where it’s normally possible to get the same promo at different events. Sometimes the same promos just have slightly different stamps.
Will We See Specific Event Promos Again?
It hasn’t been ruled out. In our opinion, it’s almost certain they’ll return – but in a very different way. Having Lorcana at these trade events is done mainly to drum up interest in the game in people who otherwise might not have heard about it/
The Disney Lorcana team has been on a whirlwind tour that’s clearly been planned for a while. It seems like they had initially thought these events would be needed to get interest to a decent level. It was probably planned that it’d be possible to buy cards at them.
Clearly, the game is already at a level where it could hold its own events. This is where we think event promos will be available. Pokémon and Magic: The Gathering have these events, and having a promo available is a great way to draw people in.
Events of this scale are definitely on the cards, but big events take a lot of planning to get right. This is a Disney-licensed property, and the game is trying to focus more on casual gaming. Getting the tone wrong could put off people new to the game and card gaming in general.
While there will be official competitive events at some point – we think the focus of larger events will be less about winning and more of a “celebration” of the game. So ramble over, we think they’ll be back.
I have very vivid memories of going to the Millennium Dome as a kid and getting a Meowth promo at a massive Pokémon event. It had an official tournament, but also a tonne of different things to do around the franchise.
This is where we think the future of Disney Lorcana will be heading. What do you think?
