RECAP - DLC São Paulo - July 4-5
How the metagame presented itself in the tournament?
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After all the excitement of the Disney Lorcana Challenge in April, the Disney Lorcana competitive circuit returned to Brazil in July for our second Disney Lorcana Challenge of the year!
On July 4-5, the city of São Paulo once again hosted this prestigious event, welcoming Illumineers from around the world to compete.
If our first DLC put Brazil on the Disney Lorcana competitive map, our second event firmly established the country's place on the circuit. Not only did we see Illumineers from across the globe return to enjoy the event, but Brazilian Illumineers also arrived more prepared than ever!
Of course, just because it was a competitive event doesn't mean every Illumineer was focused solely on winning. The welcoming atmosphere, camaraderie, and sportsmanship - not only among Brazilian players, but among participants from every country - could be felt throughout the event hall during both days.
Beyond the Challenge itself, there were countless opportunities for everyone to enjoy. We hosted dozens of side events, dedicated Learn to Play areas, cosplay contests, artist meet-and-greets, and much more. It was another magical weekend that only Disney Lorcana can deliver!
HISTORY ALMOST REPEATS ITSELF - OR DOES IT?
During the main event, many eyes were on American player Zan Syed. After winning the April Challenge, he returned determined to defend his title.
Zan once again reached the Grand Final, this time piloting a different deck from the one he used in April. At the first event, he played Amber/Emerald Dogs, but for the July Challenge he brought the brand-new Ruby/Sapphire Actions deck, which quickly became one of the tournament's biggest breakout archetypes.
However, on Brazilian soil, it seems the green and yellow colors refuse to lose. Zan was defeated in the Grand Final by the outstanding Christopher Oyola, also from the United States, playing an updated version of Amber/Emerald Dogs.
Chris Oyola is a Disney Lorcana veteran, but until now he had never claimed a Disney Lorcana Challenge title. He was also coming off a recent Top 8 finish at DLC Dortmund in Germany, arriving in São Paulo in excellent form.
The championship match between Chris and Zan went the distance, requiring all five games to determine a winner. Chris demonstrated exceptional mastery of the deck, giving Amber/Emerald Dogs yet another victory in São Paulo while earning his place in the Disney Lorcana Hall of Fame with his first Disney Lorcana Challenge championship.
THE EVER-CHANGING METAGAME
The São Paulo event was played in the Core Constructed format, meaning only the most recent Disney Lorcana sets were legal for deck construction.
Compared to the previous Challenge, the biggest change was the addition of Wilds Unknown, which introduced a variety of new tools and allowed established archetypes to evolve.
As seen in the champion's decklist above, two new cards played a major role in Amber/Emerald's continued success. Both The Queen - Devious Disguise and Elinor - Renowned Diplomat enabled the deck to continue executing its core strategy of using characters that generate card advantage, ensuring it rarely runs out of resources.
Other notable additions included the actions Inner Strength and Desperate Plan, which allowed Ruby to form a powerful partnership with Sapphire and gave rise to the new Ruby/Sapphire Actions archetype.
We also saw entirely new archetypes emerge, including Amber/Amethyst Dale, built around Dale - Ready For His Shot, and Amber/Ruby Toys, which focuses on characters from the Toy Story franchise and their unique synergies.
Overall, the second Disney Lorcana Challenge São Paulo showcased an incredibly diverse metagame, featuring both proven archetypes and exciting new strategies all competing to establish themselves at the top of the format.
Below are the decklists that reached the Top 16 of the event:
Chris Oyola - WINNER - Amber/Emerald
• 4 Aurora - Holding Court• 4 Bobby Zimuruski - Spray Cheese Kid
• 3 Chief Powhatan - Protective Leader
• 4 Elinor - Renowned Diplomat
• 2 Emerald Chromicon
• 4 Grandmother Willow - Ancient Advisor
• 4 Lady - Decisive Dog
• 2 Lady - Miss Park Avenue
• 4 Lilo - Escape Artist
• 1 Look at This Family
• 4 Nani - Stage Manager
• 1 Pluto - Friendly Pooch
• 3 Rhino - One-Sixteenth Wolf
• 4 The Queen - Devious Disguise
• 4 Tramp - Enterprising Dog
• 4 Tramp - Street-Smart Dog
• 4 Under the Sea
• 4 Ursula - Deceiver
Zan Syed - FINALIST - Ruby/Sapphire
• 1 Break Free• 4 Develop Your Brain
• 4 Dig a Little Deeper
• 4 Distract
• 4 Grab Your Bow
• 4 Helping Hand
• 4 Inner Strength
• 4 Let It Go
• 4 Lilo - Causing an Uproar
• 4 Maui - Half-Shark
• 1 Next Stop, Olympus
• 4 Olaf - Snowman of Action
• 1 One Jump Ahead
• 4 Sail the Azurite Sea
• 4 Scuttle - Birdbrained
• 3 Tipo - Growing Son
• 4 Vision of the Future
• 2 What Else Can I Do?
Darian Saracevic - Top4 - Amber/Emerald
• 4 Aurora - Holding Court• 4 Bobby Zimuruski - Spray Cheese Kid
• 3 Della’s Moon Lullaby
• 4 Elinor - Renowned Diplomat
• 2 Emerald Chromicon
• 4 Grandmother Willow - Ancient Advisor
• 2 Jessie - Lively Cowgirl
• 4 Lady - Decisive Dog
• 2 Lady - Miss Park Avenue
• 4 Lilo - Escape Artist
• 4 Nani - Stage Manager
• 4 Rhino - One-Sixteenth Wolf
• 4 The Queen - Devious Disguise
• 4 Tramp - Enterprising Dog
• 4 Tramp - Street-Smart Dog
• 4 Under the Sea
• 3 Ursula - Deceiver
Irving Rodin - Top4 - Amber/Emerald
• 4 Aurora - Holding Court• 4 Bobby Zimuruski - Spray Cheese Kid
• 2 Chief Powhatan - Protective Leader
• 3 Della’s Moon Lullaby
• 4 Elinor - Renowned Diplomat
• 2 Go Go Tomago - Darting Dynamo
• 4 Grandmother Willow - Ancient Advisor
• 4 Lady - Decisive Dog
• 2 Lady - Miss Park Avenue
• 4 Lilo - Escape Artist
• 4 Nani - Stage Manager
• 4 Rhino - One-Sixteenth Wolf
• 4 The Queen - Devious Disguise
• 4 Tramp - Enterprising Dog
• 4 Tramp - Street-Smart Dog
• 4 Under the Sea
• 3 Ursula - Deceiver
Fabian Häuselmann - Top8 - Amber/Emerald
• 4 Aurora - Holding Court• 4 Bobby Zimuruski - Spray Cheese Kid
• 3 Della’s Moon Lullaby
• 4 Elinor - Renowned Diplomat
• 2 Emerald Chromicon
• 4 Grandmother Willow - Ancient Advisor
• 2 Jessie - Lively Cowgirl
• 4 Lady - Decisive Dog
• 2 Lady - Miss Park Avenue
• 4 Lilo - Escape Artist
• 4 Nani - Stage Manager
• 4 Rhino - One-Sixteenth Wolf
• 4 The Queen - Devious Disguise
• 4 Tramp - Enterprising Dog
• 4 Tramp - Street-Smart Dog
• 4 Under the Sea
• 3 Ursula - Deceiver
Felippe Rossello - Top8 - Amber/Emerald
• 4 Aurora - Holding Court• 4 Bobby Zimuruski - Spray Cheese Kid
• 4 Elinor - Renowned Diplomat
• 2 Emerald Chromicon
• 1 Go Go Tomago - Darting Dynamo
• 4 Grandmother Willow - Ancient Advisor
• 4 Lady - Decisive Dog
• 2 Lady - Miss Park Avenue
• 4 Lilo - Escape Artist
• 2 Mickey Mouse - Expedition Leader
• 1 Mowgli - Man Cub
• 4 Nani - Stage Manager
• 4 Rhino - One-Sixteenth Wolf
• 4 The Queen - Devious Disguise
• 4 Tramp - Enterprising Dog
• 4 Tramp - Street-Smart Dog
• 4 Under the Sea
• 4 Ursula - Deceiver
Henry Sauer - Top8 - Amethyst/Sapphire
• 1 Belle - Accomplished Mystic• 4 Cheshire Cat - Inexplicable
• 4 Demona - Scourge of the Wyvern Clan
• 4 Elsa - The Fifth Spirit
• 2 Fauna - Good-Natured Fairy
• 1 Finders Keepers
• 4 Hades - Infernal Schemer
• 3 Hades - Looking for a Deal
• 2 Into the Unknown
• 3 Isis Vanderchill - Ice Queen of St. Canard
• 4 Junior Woodchuck Guidebook
• 2 Let It Go
• 4 Merryweather - Feisty Fairy
• 2 Monstro - Infamous Whale
• 3 Mrs. Incredible - Super Stretchy
• 3 Rafiki - Mystical Fighter
• 2 Royal Guard - Octopus Soldier
• 4 Sail the Azurite Sea
• 2 Scuttle - Birdbrained
• 2 Tamatoa - Happy as a Clam
• 4 Tipo - Growing Son
Josh Wong - Top8 - Amber/Emerald
• 4 Aurora - Holding Court• 4 Bobby Zimuruski - Spray Cheese Kid
• 3 Della’s Moon Lullaby
• 4 Elinor - Renowned Diplomat
• 2 Emerald Chromicon
• 4 Grandmother Willow - Ancient Advisor
• 2 Jessie - Lively Cowgirl
• 4 Lady - Decisive Dog
• 2 Lady - Miss Park Avenue
• 4 Lilo - Escape Artist
• 4 Nani - Stage Manager
• 4 Rhino - One-Sixteenth Wolf
• 4 The Queen - Devious Disguise
• 4 Tramp - Enterprising Dog
• 4 Tramp - Street-Smart Dog
• 4 Under the Sea
• 3 Ursula - Deceiver
Jonathan Lam - Top16 - Amethyst/Sapphire
• 4 Demona - Betrayer of the Clan• 4 Demona - Scourge of the Wyvern Clan
• 4 Dumbo - Ninth Wonder of the Universe
• 4 Elsa - The Fifth Spirit
• 4 Hades - Infernal Schemer
• 4 Into the Unknown
• 4 Junior Woodchuck Guidebook
• 4 Let It Go
• 4 Merryweather - Feisty Fairy
• 4 Mrs. Incredible - Super Stretchy
• 4 Rafiki - Mystical Fighter
• 4 Royal Guard - Octopus Soldier
• 4 Sail the Azurite Sea
• 2 Tamatoa - Happy as a Clam
• 2 Tigger - Bouncing All the Way
• 4 Tipo - Growing Son
Bruno Arruda - Top16 - Emerald/Sapphire
• 1 Bend to My Will• 1 Buzz Lightyear - Jungle Ranger
• 4 Cinderella - Dream Come True
• 4 Clarabelle - Clumsy Guest
• 4 Clarabelle - Light on Her Hooves
• 4 Develop Your Brain
• 1 Ink Geyser
• 3 John Silver - Alien Pirate
• 4 Malicious, Mean, and Scary
• 2 Merryweather - Feisty Fairy
• 4 Milo Thatch - Getting His Hands Dirty
• 1 Moana - Curious Explorer
• 4 Prince Phillip - Royal Explorer
• 4 Prince Phillip - Vanquisher of Foes
• 4 Sail the Azurite Sea
• 4 Tipo - Growing Son
• 3 Under the Sea
• 4 Vision of the Future
• 4 You’re Welcome
Cassiano Mendes - Top16 - Amethyst/Sapphire
• 1 Belle - Accomplished Mystic• 4 Cheshire Cat - Inexplicable
• 4 Demona - Scourge of the Wyvern Clan
• 4 Elsa - The Fifth Spirit
• 2 Fauna - Good-Natured Fairy
• 1 Finders Keepers
• 4 Hades - Infernal Schemer
• 3 Hades - Looking for a Deal
• 2 Into the Unknown
• 3 Isis Vanderchill - Ice Queen of St. Canard
• 4 Junior Woodchuck Guidebook
• 2 Let It Go
• 4 Merryweather - Feisty Fairy
• 2 Monstro - Infamous Whale
• 3 Mrs. Incredible - Super Stretchy
• 3 Rafiki - Mystical Fighter
• 2 Royal Guard - Octopus Soldier
• 4 Sail the Azurite Sea
• 2 Scuttle - Birdbrained
• 2 Tamatoa - Happy as a Clam
• 4 Tipo - Growing Son
Renan Santos - Top16 - Amber/Emerald
• 4 Aurora - Holding Court• 4 Bobby Zimuruski - Spray Cheese Kid
• 2 Della’s Moon Lullaby
• 4 Elinor - Renowned Diplomat
• 1 Emerald Chromicon
• 2 Go Go Tomago - Darting Dynamo
• 4 Grandmother Willow - Ancient Advisor
• 4 Lady - Decisive Dog
• 2 Lady - Miss Park Avenue
• 4 Lilo - Escape Artist
• 2 Mickey Mouse - Expedition Leader
• 2 Mowgli - Man Cub
• 4 Nani - Stage Manager
• 4 Rhino - One-Sixteenth Wolf
• 4 The Queen - Devious Disguise
• 4 Tramp - Enterprising Dog
• 4 Tramp - Street-Smart Dog
• 4 Under the Sea
• 4 Ursula - Deceiver
Rafael Yuiti - Top16 - Amethyst/Sapphire
• 1 Belle - Accomplished Mystic• 4 Cheshire Cat - Inexplicable
• 4 Demona - Scourge of the Wyvern Clan
• 4 Dumbo - Ninth Wonder of the Universe
• 4 Elsa - The Fifth Spirit
• 4 Hades - Infernal Schemer
• 3 Hades - Looking for a Deal
• 2 Isis Vanderchill - Ice Queen of St. Canard
• 4 Junior Woodchuck Guidebook
• 4 Let It Go
• 4 Merryweather - Feisty Fairy
• 4 Mrs. Incredible - Super Stretchy
• 4 Rafiki - Mystical Fighter
• 4 Royal Guard - Octopus Soldier
• 4 Sail the Azurite Sea
• 2 Sven - Leaping Reindeer
• 4 Tipo - Growing Son
Ícaro Nunes - Top16 - Amethyst/Sapphire
• 3 Cheshire Cat - Inexplicable• 3 Colors of the Wind
• 4 Demona - Scourge of the Wyvern Clan
• 4 Dumbo - Ninth Wonder of the Universe
• 4 Elsa - The Fifth Spirit
• 4 Hades - Infernal Schemer
• 4 Hades - Looking for a Deal
• 2 Into the Unknown
• 4 Junior Woodchuck Guidebook
• 4 Let It Go
• 4 Merryweather - Feisty Fairy
• 2 Mrs. Incredible - Super Stretchy
• 4 Rafiki - Mystical Fighter
• 3 Royal Guard - Octopus Soldier
• 4 Sail the Azurite Sea
• 3 Tigger - Bouncing All the Way
• 4 Tipo - Growing Son
Lucas Redorat - Top16 - Amethyst/Sapphire
• 1 Belle - Accomplished Mystic• 3 Cheshire Cat - Inexplicable
• 4 Demona - Scourge of the Wyvern Clan
• 3 Dumbo - Ninth Wonder of the Universe
• 4 Elsa - The Fifth Spirit
• 3 Fauna - Good-Natured Fairy
• 4 Hades - Infernal Schemer
• 2 Hades - Looking for a Deal
• 1 Inkrunner
• 1 Into the Unknown
• 1 Isis Vanderchill - Ice Queen of St. Canard
• 4 Junior Woodchuck Guidebook
• 4 Let It Go
• 4 Merryweather - Feisty Fairy
• 1 Monstro - Infamous Whale
• 1 Mrs. Incredible - Super Stretchy
• 2 Rafiki - Mystical Fighter
• 3 Royal Guard - Octopus Soldier
• 4 Sail the Azurite Sea
• 2 Scuttle - Birdbrained
• 1 Sven - Leaping Reindeer
• 2 Tamatoa - Happy as a Clam
• 1 Tigger - Bouncing All the Way
• 4 Tipo - Growing Son
Danilo Ribeiro - Top16 - Amethyst/Sapphire
• 4 Cheshire Cat - Inexplicable• 4 Demona - Scourge of the Wyvern Clan
• 4 Dumbo - Ninth Wonder of the Universe
• 4 Elsa - The Fifth Spirit
• 4 Hades - Infernal Schemer
• 4 Hades - Looking for a Deal
• 4 Junior Woodchuck Guidebook
• 4 Let It Go
• 3 Merryweather - Feisty Fairy
• 2 Mrs. Incredible - Super Stretchy
• 4 Rafiki - Mystical Fighter
• 4 Royal Guard - Octopus Soldier
• 4 Sail the Azurite Sea
• 2 Sven - Leaping Reindeer
• 2 Tamatoa - Happy as a Clam
• 3 Tigger - Bouncing All the Way
• 4 Tipo - Growing Son
YOU'VE GOT A FRIEND IN ME!
If you'd like to relive all the excitement from both days of competition, the entire event was streamed live on the COPAG YouTube channel, and you can watch the broadcasts here:
https://www.youtube.com/@CanalCopag/streams
From the opening round on Saturday through the Grand Final on Sunday, our commentary team covered every match while also bringing viewers behind the scenes with coverage of the cosplay contest, side event areas, and much more.
If you missed the event live, be sure to subscribe to the Copag channel so you won't miss the next broadcast!
WE'RE JUST GETTING STARTED!
Today's article offered a general recap of the event, but don't worry - we're only getting started!
Over the coming weeks, we'll bring you a complete breakdown of the tournament metagame, take a closer look at several standout decklists, and discuss what lies ahead for the Disney Lorcana competitive circuit in Brazil.
Finally, we'd like to thank the entire Disney Lorcana community in Brazil, who once again demonstrated the brilliant and magical way that make this country so special - a perfect match for the wonder and magic of Disney, creating an unforgettable weekend for everyone involved.
Thank you, and see you again soon!
