Analysis: Champion Frank Karsten's Decklist!
A deeper look into the DLC Championship champion's deck!
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Hello, everyone!
In today’s article, we’re going to analyze the list used by Frank Karsten, a Dutch player and champion of the Disney Lorcana Challenge Championship in Brazil on September 19!
If you missed our recap of the tournament, you can read the full article here:
https://copag.com.br/disney-lorcana/blog/detalhes/recap-dlc-championship-brazil-september-19th
LET’S GET DANGEROUS!
Inspired by the opening theme of the Darkwing Duck animated series, let’s take a look at the list Karsten used to reach the top of the podium at the DLC Championship Brazil:
This excellent *Emerald/Steel* list is one of the best examples of how archetypes focused on synergy, rather than individual power, can excel in Disney Lorcana.
The big question, of course, is always achieving the necessary consistency - decks that rely on synergies usually need two or more different cards to work together in order to gain a significant advantage in the game.
That’s why one of the biggest strengths of Frank Karsten’s list is the amount of card draw, giving the deck the consistency it needs to access all of its small synergies. Accumulating these value plays turn after turn creates the famous “snowball effect,” and at a certain point, the opponent simply can’t overcome all the advantage that has built up.
But let’s take a step back first and talk about the deck’s overall strategy before getting into the details of Karsten’s choices for the Brazilian event.
BEHIND THE BLACK CAPE
Karsten’s Emerald/Steel list, which many have affectionately nicknamed “Ducktectives” (a fun combination of the fact that it uses Darkwing Duck cards, which in Disney Lorcana also have the detective type), basically aims to establish some board presence during the early turns and gradually develop the board while drawing more cards.
That’s why the deck has so many options on the very first turn, with twelve 1-cost characters (4 copies each of Pegasus, Tod, and Darkwing Duck), plus four more options when you are not going first (thanks to White Rabbit’s Underdog ability).
Each of these characters not only establishes a character on the board on the first turn, but also sets up the turns that follow: Pegasus and White Rabbit, thanks to their evasive abilities, allow you to start the Lore race right away; Tod lets you bring out a Vixey - Forest Friend as early as the second turn; and Darkwing Duck provides synergy with Launchpad - Trusty Sidekick to draw additional cards.
On top of these, the deck has another option on turn 2 that is especially effective against decks with many songs: Ursula - Deceiver. Although it may feel like using Ursula without removing a card from the opponent’s hand is inefficient, it still provides very relevant information gain. This deck is able to make good use of that information, preparing several turns ahead for the potential threats the opponent may be setting up.
Ideally, then, the deck’s early turns are used to develop characters and establish some synergies, giving you small advantages.
Starting on turn 3, the deck ideally wants to bring out characters with a greater board presence and, more importantly, adapt to and respond to the opponent’s game plan.
This last point is extremely important: this Emerald/Steel “Ducktectives” list aims to reduce the opponent’s options while generating value, so you should always consider which play provides the most value not only on that turn, but also with the next few turns in mind.
If we watch the official broadcast of the event (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xjc1Q8zPJJ8), Frank Karsten does this several times. For example, in the tournament final, knowing that his opponent was running 4 copies of Chernabog - Unnatural Force, he deliberately used Launchpad’s ability before playing a Darkwing Duck - this way, he guaranteed a character in the discard, reducing the effectiveness of what would otherwise be his opponent’s best play.
Going back to the options from turn 3 onward, we have the copies of Darkwing Duck - Shadowy Superhero, which help with consistency alongside Launchpad. In addition, we have 4 copies of Mushu - Stealthy Dragon, 3 copies of Angela - Night Warrior, 2 copies of The Huntsman - On the Queen’s Orders, and finally 4 copies of Strength of a Raging Fire.
Mushu is another way to draw extra cards in the list, being especially important when you are going first - since that usually means you will have fewer cards in hand than your opponent. In addition, unlike Launchpad, Mushu draws cards while also advancing your Lore.
Angela, on the other hand, is the best way to deal with a more aggressive opening from your opponent, as she will usually ensure not only that you deal with an opposing character, but also that your own character is not as vulnerable to a counterattack.
Huntsman is an important piece when you need to guarantee a character on the board for the following turn - especially because of its synergy with the card we’ll discuss next.
And so, we arrive at one of the most important cards in the list: Strength of a Raging Fire. The famous song from the Mulan movie is the main way for “Ducktectives” to control the board, which also increases the importance of 3-cost and higher characters, as they are able to sing it and thus provide a huge ink discount - in other words, allowing the deck to use its resources efficiently while developing characters and dealing with the opponent’s board at the same time.
This is one of the reasons Huntsman is so important - in games against decks with many ways to remove characters, Huntsman guarantees a 3-cost character that is almost “untouchable,” thanks to Ward.
At 4 ink, we have several options that continue the plan of efficiently responding to the opponent’s board while advancing your own game plan and/or drawing more cards!
Elinor - Renowned Diplomat is a central piece, performing all of these functions - but requiring 3 exerted characters to do so. That’s precisely why Karsten chose a list with so many low-cost characters, ensuring a good number of characters to use both Strength of a Raging Fire and Elinor.
Angel - Experiment 624 is a way to put all the extra cards you draw with the deck to good use. Especially against fast decks full of small characters, Angel combined with Launchpad, for example, ensures that you can hit an opponent’s character every turn while still having another play available.
The Queen - Devious Disguise is an option with higher Strength, making it especially useful against decks with larger characters. Of course, you need to be careful because she is the only character in the deck exposed to threats such as Gaston - Superior Archer.
Finally, we have Max Goof - Rebellious Teen. Although he has a cost of 3, you will rarely play him without using his additional effect, which effectively means he has a “disguised” cost of 4. In short, if Strength of a Raging Fire is one of the most important cards in the deck, Max Goof ensures that you have some “extra copies” of the song by reusing one that was previously placed in the discard.
Finishing off the list, we have a single 5-cost character: Broadway - Sturdy and Strong. The powerful gargoyle serves as an excellent shield when you are ahead and start generating Lore quickly, but need to make sure your board is protected from a counterattack.
Broadway was specifically chosen to avoid exposure to cards that can easily deal with larger characters, such as World’s Greatest Criminal Mind or Gaston - Superior Archer. Once again, we can see how this list’s adaptability to the metagame allows it to find small advantages and develop them turn after turn.
LET’S GET INTO THE FIGHT!
And with that, we wrap up our analysis of Frank Karsten’s deck, our first-ever champion of the Disney Lorcana Challenge Championship in Brazil!
I hope you enjoyed it! Follow the blog for more news and Championship deck analyses, as well as other information!
See you soon!
