Author's Bio: Antonio Faillace Antonio is a huge Disney fan since childhood and has been playing trading card games from a very young age. Therefore, Disney Lorcana was the perfect combination for him. Since the game's release, Antonio has been passionate about Disney Lorcana and has shared that passion with the Brazilian player community through his articles.

 

Hello, everyone!

On September 19, we had the conclusion of this year’s Disney Lorcana competitive season in Brazil, with the prestigious Disney Lorcana Challenge Championship Brazil (or “DLC Championship,” for short). The event took place at Clube Esperia, the same “home” as our two Disney Lorcana Challenges, held in April and July.

Unlike the two previous events, the DLC Championship was not an open-entry event. To be among the Illumineers qualified for the event, players needed to have finished in the Top 16 of one of the Challenges held, or have placed Top 2 in the LigaLorcana Circuit.

The thirty-four Illumineers who achieved these results were then qualified for the Championship - a select group featuring some of the best players from Brazil and around the world!



Of course, the DLC Championship was the main highlight of the day, but it was far from being the only Disney Lorcana event at the venue! To welcome and celebrate the select group competing against one another to determine the first DLC Championship champion in Brazil, we also saw dozens of Illumineers enjoying the various side events, the many stores and trading areas, the Brazilian artists who were signing their creations, and so much more. It was a true celebration of this first competitive season in Brazil!

BRAZIL - WHERE LEGENDS PREVAIL!

Returning to the main event, the sheer quality of the Illumineers in attendance was undeniable. Many analysts even pointed out that the Brazilian Championship was, in practice, a true preview of the Disney Lorcana World Championship, considering the numerous champions and competitive “heavyweights” among the 34 participants.

It was difficult to pick a favorite, especially with so many strong title contenders. There was a lot of anticipation surrounding the performance of Dinh Khang Pham, the reigning World Champion, for example, but he ultimately did not make the Top Cut. Other big names also fell short, such as Chris Oyola (champion of the July São Paulo DLC), Schuyler Duntz (finalist of the North American Championship), Danielle Stella (semifinalist of the European Championship), among others.

And on Brazilian soil, the star of Frank Karsten, a TCG veteran and a true legend in Disney Lorcana, shone brightly - a two-time DLC champion, including the honor of being the first DLC champion in history, at DLC Lille (France) in May 2024.

To his already brilliant résumé, Frank Karsten now adds another honor: becoming the first DLC Championship Brazil champion!



Karsten became champion playing the deck that has been making waves since the rotation in the Core Constructed format - the Emerald/Steel combination, focused on playing numerous low-cost characters with the Evasive ability, along with efficient ways to both draw cards and remove opponents’ threats.

Although it is not a deck known for “absurd” plays, the greatest strength of Emerald-Steel is precisely its efficiency and adaptability, allowing for a flexible game plan and placing even greater importance on player skill - two extremely important aspects for someone with Frank Karsten’s playstyle!

THE RICHNESS OF THE CURRENT METAGAME

The event was played in the Core Constructed format, and with the release of the 13th Edition, Attack of the Vine!, a wide variety of strategies and archetypes are appearing across major tournaments.

In fact, beyond the rotation itself, the impact of Attack of the Vine! is clearly visible, with many cards appearing across numerous decks and even playing a central role in some of them, such as the new Emerald-Sapphire Mickey & Minnie, a deck centered around the powerful Mickey Mouse & Minnie Mouse - Adventuring Duo!

The champion’s list, which we saw above, also highlights an aspect that remains consistently important in any Trading Card Game: card draw - in other words, the ability to accumulate resources and, with them, continuously outpace the opponent’s game plan.

Elinor - Renowned Diplomat remains an important tool for Emerald ink, which now also has Mushu - Stealthy Dragon as another draw option in the same color. In Steel ink, we also have the addition of Launchpad - Trusty Sidekick, along with a few copies of Darkwing Duck - Crime Fighter and Darkwing Duck - Shadowy Superhero, allowing players to draw extra cards turn after turn.

Amber ink’s acceleration is also an important factor in the metagame, with cards such as Pluto - Friendly Pooch, Hamm - Piggy Bank, and Grandmother Willow - Ancient Advisor serving as essential tools for combining speed and board impact. Decks such as Amber-Amethyst use this acceleration to bring out high-value characters several turns ahead of schedule!

In addition to acceleration, Amber also provides good board control tools, such as Gaston - Superior Archer, which is often combined with cards featuring the Support ability. The idea is to increase the Strength of opposing characters so that Gaston can then target them.

Last but not least, Demona - Scourge of the Wyvern Clan stands out as one of the most relevant high-ink-cost threats in the format. In addition to her, important Amethyst characters are concentrated at cost 4, such as Isis Vanderchill - Ice Queen of St. Canard and Sven - Leaping Reindeer. These help with board control, while Demona combines board control with card draw.

In short, the Brazilian DLC Championship showed how open the Core Constructed metagame continues to be and, beyond the decks themselves, how important Illumineer skill remains! We saw four different decks reach the semifinals in São Paulo, along with many others throughout the official broadcast.

Next, let’s highlight the lists that made it all the way to the Top 8 of the event:

• 1st - Frank Karsten - Emerald/Steel
1x Aladdin - Doing His Part
3x Angel - Experiment 624
3x Angela - Night Warrior
4x Broadway - Sturdy and Strong
4x Darkwing Duck - Crime Fighter
2x Darkwing Duck - Shadowy Superhero
4x Elinor - Renowned Diplomat
3x Launchpad - Trusty Sidekick
3x Max Goof - Rebellious Teen4 Mushu - Stealthy Dragon
4x Pegasus - Gift for Hercules
4x Strength of a Raging Fire
2x The Huntsman - On the Queen’s Orders
3x The Queen - Devious Disguise
4x Tod - All Alone
4x Ursula - Deceiver
4x Vixey - Forest Friend
4x White Rabbit - Late Again

• 2nd - Clément Fusade - Amber/Emerald
4x Akood et Emuti
2x Alan-a-Dale - Loyal Bard
4x Angel - Siren Singer
4x Chernabog - Unnatural Force
4x Circle of Life
4x Gaetan Moliere - Clever Burrower
1x Lenny - Toy Binoculars
4x Malicious, Mean, and Scary
3x Max Goof - Chart Topper
3x Max Goof - Rebellious Teen
4x Meilin Lee - Losing Control
4x Milo Thatch - Getting His Hands Dirty
4x Prince Phillip - Vanquisher of Foes
4x Strike a Good Match
3x To Wither a Flower
4x Tod - Clever Fox
4x Ursula - Vanessa

• 3rd - Fabian Häuselmann - Emerald/Sapphire
4x Dr. Bushroot - Evil Botanist
4x Hades - Infernal Schemer
4x Hades - Meticulous Schemer
4x Mickey Mouse - Bob Cratchit
4x Mickey Mouse - Detective
4x Mickey Mouse & Minnie Mouse - Adventuring Duo
4x Milo Thatch - Getting His Hands Dirty
4x Minnie Mouse - Curious Adventurer
4x Minnie Mouse - Practical Traveler
4x Minnie Mouse - Spinning Skater
4x Scuttle - Birdbrained
2x Spooky Sight
4x Strike a Good Match
2x The Queen - Devious Disguise
4x Tod - Clever Fox
4x Winifred - Exasperated Elephant

• 4th - Federico Mecozzi - Amber/Emerald
4x Aurora - Holding Court
4x Bobby Zimuruski - Spray Cheese Kid
4x Dale - Ready for His Shot
4x David - Protective Snowboarder
4x Elinor - Renowned Diplomat
2x Finnick - Tiny Terror
4x Grandmother Willow - Ancient Advisor
2x Mickey Mouse - Expedition Leader
4x Mike Wazowski - Heroic Climber
4x Nani - Stage Manager
4x Pluto - Friendly Pooch
4x Pocahontas - Guiding the Tribe
4x Pocahontas - Peacekeeper
2x Rapunzel - Tower Defender
3x The Queen - Regal Monarch
4x Thomas - Wide-Eyed Recruit
3x Ursula - Deceiver

• 5th - Irvin Rodin - Amber/Amethyst
4x Besties, Assemble!
4x Cheshire Cat - Inexplicable
4x Demona - Scourge of the Wyvern Clan
3x Dumbo - The Flying Elephant
3x Gaston - Superior Archer
4x Grandmother Willow - Ancient Advisor
4x Hamm - Piggy Bank
4x Isis Vanderchill - Ice Queen of St. Canard
3x Luisa Madrigal - Confident Climber
4x Luisa Madrigal - Pushing Through
3x Nakoma - Waiting Out the Storm
2x Ohana Means Family
4x Rafiki - Mystical Fighter
4x Stitch - Carefree Surfer
2x Sven - Leaping Reindeer
4x The Horseman Strikes!
4x Tigger - Bouncing All the Way

• 6th - Zan Syed - Amber/Emerald
4x Aurora - Holding Court
4x Bobby Zimuruski - Spray Cheese Kid
4x Dale - Ready for His Shot
4x Elinor - Renowned Diplomat
4x Grandmother Willow - Ancient Advisor
4x Meilin Lee - Lead Vocalist
4x Mickey Mouse - Amber Champion
4x Mickey Mouse - Expedition Leader
4x Mike Wazowski - Heroic Climber
4x Pluto - Friendly Pooch
4x Pocahontas - Guiding the Tribe
4x Pocahontas - Peacekeeper
2x Thomas - Wide-Eyed Recruit
4x Tod - Clever Fox
2x Under the Sea
4x Ursula - Deceiver

• 7th - Daniele Stella - Amber/Emerald
4x Akood et Emuti
2x Alan-a-Dale - Loyal Bard
4x Angel - Siren Singer
4x Chernabog - Unnatural Force
4x Circle of Life
4x Gaetan Moliere - Clever Burrower
1x Lenny - Toy Binoculars
4x Malicious, Mean, and Scary
3x Max Goof - Chart Topper
3x Max Goof - Rebellious Teen
4x Meilin Lee - Losing Control
4x Milo Thatch - Getting His Hands Dirty
4x Prince Phillip - Vanquisher of Foes
4x Strike a Good Match
3x To Wither a Flower
4x Tod - Clever Fox
4x Ursula - Vanessa

• 8th - Bruno Arruda - Amber/Amethyst
3x Agustin Madrigal - Exceptionally Kind
4x Besties, Assemble!
3x Cheshire Cat - Inexplicable
4x Demona - Scourge of the Wyvern Clan
3x Dumbo - The Flying Elephant
4x Gaston - Superior Archer
4x Grandmother Willow - Ancient Advisor
4x Hamm - Piggy Bank
4x Isis Vanderchill - Ice Queen of St. Canard
2x Luisa Madrigal - Confident Climber
4x Luisa Madrigal - Pushing Through
2x Ohana Means Family
4x Rafiki - Mystical Fighter
4x Stitch - Carefree Surfer
1x Sven - Leaping Reindeer
4x The Horseman Strikes!
4x Tigger - Bouncing All the Way
2x Ursula - Whisper of Vanessa

NOBODY LIKE U

Of course, if you want to follow all the rounds and the Top Cut of the event directly, be sure to check out the official broadcast on the COPAG YouTube Channel, which you can find at the link below:

https://www.youtube.com/@CanalCopag/streams

From the first round all the way to the grand final on Sunday, along with plenty of other content - interviews, trivia, games, spoilers of future promotions, and more - everything was brought to you by the broadcast team with plenty of enthusiasm and care!

If you weren’t able to follow it this time, be sure to follow the Copag channel so you can be notified about the next broadcast!

TO INFINITY AND BEYOND!

Today’s article brought you a recap of the event, and over the next few weeks we’ll bring you more analyses of the metagame, the most successful decklists - including the champion’s - and what to expect from the World Championship later this year.

To wrap things up, once again, we’d like to thank the entire Disney Lorcana community in Brazil! Brazil is officially on the global competitive Disney Lorcana map, and in a way that is uniquely ours. And there is certainly much more to come in the future!

Thank you, and see you soon!