7 best Into the Inklands amethyst cards in Disney Lorcana
Something kinda magic.
Disney Lorcana - the trading card game that features a roster of characters and references from across Disney animated history - has gotten its latest set, Into the Inklands. Adding a total of 204 extra cards to the collection, Into the Inklands has a lot of exciting new things to offer Lorcana players: including even more amethyst cards.
Amethyst is the Lorcana ink colour that’s most closely associated with magic and sorcery. Its characters are usually either known for being magic users themselves or are alternative versions of characters who are now capable of harnessing it. In terms of gameplay mechanics, amethyst isn’t as clear cut as the other colours in the trading card game, but typically revolves around providing players with either ways to benefit themselves or screw over their opponents. Amethyst cards can rely on a specific set of circumstances to work, however, the rewards for doing so are often great.
Best Into the Inklands amethyst cards
- Rafiki, Mystical Fighter
- Ursula, Sea Witch
- Treasure Guardian, Protector of the Cave
- Stratos, Tornado Titan
- Maleficent, Mistress of All Evil
- Jafar, Striking Illusionist
- Magica De Spell, The Midas Touch
When it comes to which characters are featured in the amethyst ink cards in Into the Inklands, players can expect to see icons from the likes of Aladdin, The Little Mermaid, Hercules, Ducktails and Alice in Wonderland. For players who enjoy having plenty of strategic options and love seeing a combo come together perfectly, here are the seven best Into the Inklands amethyst cards.
1. Rafiki, Mystical Fighter
Cheap but deadly
The wise advisor to both Mufasa and Simba, Rafiki is best known for his brain rather than his brawn. However, new amethyst card Rafiki, Mystical Fighter looks to flip this perspective on its head by turning the mature baboon into a martial force to be reckoned with.
Easily the most impressive aspect of Rafiki, Mystical Fighter is its Challenger keyword ability, which grants the character a bonus plus three to its willpower when challenging an opposing character. This means that even though Rafiki, Mystical Fighter begins with zero willpower, using the card to challenge will bump that up to a three - which is an excellent deal considering that the card only costs a single ink to play.
Furthermore, Rafiki, Mystical Fighter has the Ancient Skills ability, which means that whenever the character challenges a hyena character it doesn’t take any damage. Although there is only a single Hyena character in Lorcana at the moment - Shenzi, Hyena Pack Leader - there are sure to be more added in the future, thereby making this ability more useful. As it stands, the cost to willpower ratio when Rafiki, Mystical Fighter challenges makes the card more than a strong enough early play.
2. Ursula, Sea Witch
Keep opposing characters wrapped up
There are a number of great Ursula cards found in Into the Inklands, across a range of different ink colours. One of these cards is Ursula, Sea Witch - a three-cost amethyst card that has some okay stats, three willpower and three health, but an even better ability.
The You’re Too Late ability allows the player to choose an opposing character to not ready at the start of its next turn, whenever Ursula, Sea Witch quests for lore. This means that not only does the player gain lore everytime Ursula, Sea Witch quests, they’re also able to prevent one of their opponents’ exerted characters from readying at the beginning of the player’s next turn.
Playing Ursula, Sea Witch is a great way of putting a roadblock in front of your opponent very early on in a Lorcana game. Should an opponent be able to play a card with a particularly good ability that triggers when exerted or readied early on, then Ursula, Sea Witch enables you to shut that card down at a cost of just three ink.
At the very least, players will need to spend resources removing an otherwise unremarkable card from play. At best, you’re stopping your opponent from benefiting from potentially a star card from their deck. Either way, Ursula, Sea Witch is a great card for neutralising strategies that are built on readying and/or exerting cards.
3. Treasure Guardian, Protector of the Cave
Location vocation
Not exactly a major character in Aladdin, the Treasure Guardian - that’s the cave mouth that’s shaped like a tiger’s head - undoubtedly plays an important role in the film’s events. This is possibly why it’s been given its own Disney Lorcana card in Into the Inklands and a very good one at that.
Treasure Guardian, Protector of the Cave is a four-cost amethyst card that has some seriously incredible stats for that much ink: offering a six willpower and six health character, with the ability to quest for a total of two lore. Those kinds of stats are usually reserved for cards that cost at least five ink, sometimes even seven, meaning that you’re getting an amazing deal paying just four with this card.
The catch here is that Treasure Guardian, Protector of the Cave has an ability - called Who Disturbs My Slumber? - that prevents the character from challenging or questing unless it’s placed at a location. Location cards are an entirely new type of card introduced in Into the Inklands, with many characters’ abilities being directly tied to them.
Despite this particular stipulation making Treasure Guardian, Protector of the Cave useless unless at a location, location cards are well worth putting in your deck - not just because they make this card a lot more viable but also because they grant you passive lore every turn, meaning you don’t need to actively quest with them to get it, and cannot be targeted by direct damage unless the card being used indicates it can.
Considering how good location cards are shaping out to be in Into the Inklands, Treasure Guardian, Protector of the Cave is well worth putting into your deck alongside them thanks to its amazing stats and cheap cost.
4. Stratos, Tornado Titan
More than a storm in a teacup
Stratos, Tornado Titan is one of four titan cards being introduced in Into the Inklands - each representing a titan from Hercules - who is commanded by Hades to climb Mount Olympus and defeat his brother, Zeus. Though Stratos and their siblings are unsuccessful in the animated film they’re featured in, they certainly have a good chance of taking your opponent down in Disney Lorcana - if they’re used in the right way.
An amethyst card costing five ink, Stratos, Tornado Titan may not have great stats for its cost - with four willpower and four health - but its keyword and ability more than make up for this. Stratos, Tornado Titan has the Evasive keyword, meaning that it cannot be challenged by another character unless they too are Evasive, thereby making it a lot harder to take down. And opponents will want to take Stratos, Tornado Titan down thanks to its Cyclone ability - which gains the player lore equal to the number of titan cards currently in play.
Though this ability is dependent on you one, getting the titan cards out at the same time and two, keeping them alive, it’s still exceptional when you consider you can have up to four copies of the same card in your Lorcana deck. Even if you don’t combine your amethyst cards with the titans found in the steel ink colour, that’s still a lot of potential lore on the table. With multiple Stratos, Tornado Titan cards in play at once - that’s a pile of lore in a single turn.
What’s more is that Pyros, Lava Titan - a steel card costing five ink - has the Eruption ability, which means that on a player’s turn, whenever the character banishes another character in a challenge, they can ready a chosen character. This ability combined with Stratos, Tornado Titan enables the player to gain the lore from having Pyros, Lava Titan in play and potentially ready up Stratos, Tornado Titan to once again use its Cyclone ability. Otherwise, players can use various other cards with ready up abilities in Into the Inklands - such as Moana, Born Leader - that otherwise stipulate characters cannot quest again but have Stratos, Tornado Titan become exerted to gain lore through its ability.
5. Maleficent, Mistress of All Evil
The one and only
Maleficent, the sorceress from Disney’s Sleeping Beauty, is as iconic as she is for a reason. From the stunning outfit to her cutting barbs to her ability to become a dragon at will, Maleficent deserves her place in the very competitive Disney villain hall of fame. Maleficent, Mistress of All Evil is a Lorcana card that does the character justice, not just because it uses her most iconic title but also because it’s damn powerful.
Though the card’s stats aren’t anything to write home about - a five-cost card with two willpower and three health isn’t usually a good deal - its two abilities certainly are. Dark Knowledge allows players to draw a card every time they quest, which in itself is a great ability considering you get two lore and card draw for the same action: which is invaluable in the late game, when you often have fewer cards.
When this combines with Maleficent, Mistress of All Evil’s other ability, Divination - which allows players to move a damage counter from a chosen character to an opposing character of the player’s choice - Dark Knowledge becomes even more powerful. Using these two abilities in conjunction with each other will give you lore, card draw and the ability to move damage from your characters to your opponents’ in a single turn, which is damn effective.
Considering how many cards in Into the Inklands also facilitate card draw - such as Shenzi, Hyena Pack Leader and Huey, Savvy Nephew - it is entirely possible to form an entire deck around playing copies of Maleficent, Mistress of All Evil alongside cards that enable card draw to banish opponents’ characters and protect your own.
6. Jafar, Striking Illusionist
Slither all the way to victory
Jafar is possibly one of Disney’s most well known sorcerers, using his powers to control minds and, eventually, turn into a gigantic snake. So it makes sense that he has found a place in the amethyst card family, multiple times now.
Jafar, Striking Illusionist is a seven-cost card with four willpower and five health, which isn’t terrible when it comes to Lorcana stats. Where the card really shines is in its various keywords and its ability. Jafar, Striking Illusionist has the Shift ability, meaning that players can pay five ink instead of the usual seven to play this card as long as they can play it on top of another Jafar card - such as Jafar, Lamp Thief and Jafar, Dreadnought - thereby making this expensive card that much easier to play.
This card also has the Evasive keyword, which means that it cannot be challenged by another character unless they have Evasive on their turn, making it that much harder to get rid of - and opponents will want to get rid of Jafar, Striking Illusionist because of its ability. Power Beyond Measure allows players to gain a lore on their turn - whilst Jafar, Striking Illusionist is exerted - whenever they draw a card.
Putting this card into a deck filled with cards that specialise in providing lots of card draw - think of Maleficent, Mistress of All Evil, Shenzi, Hyena Pack Leader, Huey, Savvy Nephew and Lucky, The 15th Puppy - means potentially raking in tons of lore in a single turn, as long as you’re able to draw them at the right time and keep them alive.
7. Magica De Spell, The Midas Touch
Everything that glitters is gold
A sorceress, master thief and antagonist to Scrooge McDuck, Magica De Spell has a lot of tricks up her very stylish sleeves. These tricks are very much on show with the new Lorcana card Magica De Spell, The Midas Touch - a seven-cost amethyst card that was built to be put into an item-heavy deck.
With four willpower and six health, Magica De Spell, The Midas Touch is already a pretty decent card. Add to this its Shift ability - which allows players to pay five instead of seven ink if they can play Magica De Spell, The Midas Touch on top of another Magica De Spell card - and Magica De Spell, The Midas Touch is a good Disney Lorcana card.
However, what makes this a great Lorcana card is its ability. Magica De Spell, The Midas Touch has the All Mine ability, which allows players to gain an amount of lore equal to the ink cost of one of their items in play whenever Magica De Spell, The Midas Touch quests. Whilst a fair number of items costing just two or three exist in Lorcana - they’re often intended to be cheap - there are several items that cost four ink to play such as Binding Contract, Vault Door and Heart of Atlantis.
But easily the best item to pair with Magica De Spell, The Midas Touch is Lucky Dime, a new item introduced in Into the Inklands. Not only is this thematically appropriate, considering that Magica De Spell has an obsession with the coin in Ducktails, but it will also get you a whopping seven lore if you’ve played it alongside Magica De Spell, The Midas Touch.