01 Origins: D23, Ravensburger's biggest bet
Disney Lorcana was announced at Disney's D23 Expo in 2022 — designed by Ryan Miller and Steve Warner, published by Ravensburger under license from Disney. It was Ravensburger's first-ever trading card game, and the company didn't hide the scale of the swing: North America CEO Filip Francke publicly described Disney Lorcana as the largest investment Ravensburger had ever made.
The pitch was straightforward but clever. Don't make "Disney Magic: the Gathering." Build a game that's easy to teach, beautiful to collect, and that takes characters fans already love seriously as a competitive engine.
The world: Illumineers, glimmers, and six inks
In Disney Lorcana's fiction you play as an Illumineer, a magical artist who summons glimmers — reimagined versions of Disney and Pixar characters — using a resource called lore. Decks are built across six inks, each with its own attitude:
If you're brand new to the rules, our beginner's guide to playing Disney Lorcana walks through a turn step by step.
02 The chaotic 2023 launch
The first set, The First Chapter, released early at local game stores (and at select Disney Parks) on August 18, 2023, with mass-retail rollout following on September 1, 2023. The set contained 204 unique cards.
Demand massively outstripped supply. Big-box shelves emptied within hours, online preorders sold through immediately, and resellers flipped sealed booster boxes for multiples of MSRP. Ravensburger announced reprints of The First Chapter and the second set, Rise of the Floodborn, to arrive around Holiday 2023 — the right move, but late enough that the scarcity narrative defined the launch.
The headline collector chase from set one was — and largely remains — Elsa — Spirit of Winter (Enchanted), with a long tail of valuable Iconic/Enchanted cards that still trade actively. You can see the current state of The First Chapter on its daily price guide.
03 The Upper Deck lawsuit
In June 2023, shortly before launch, Upper Deck sued co-designer Ryan Miller and Ravensburger, alleging that Disney Lorcana drew on an unreleased game Miller had worked on previously, referred to in filings as Rush of Ikorr / Shell Beach.
It became one of the more closely-followed disputes in modern TCG history simply because of the timing — a multi-million-dollar product had to ship through a legal cloud. We'll keep this section neutral and factual: the suit was filed, both Miller and Ravensburger publicly disputed it, and it became part of the public record. For an outside view, the original complaint is widely available in court records.
04 Cadence: roughly four sets a year
After the launch fire-fight, Disney Lorcana settled into a release cadence of about four sets per year — roughly one every three months — alongside organized-play kits, promo distributions, and special products. In August 2024 Ravensburger introduced Gateway, a beginner-focused product that included pre-built starter content for two players, lowering the entry cost for new tables.
If you want the high-level rotation picture without the lawsuit context, our set list & rotation explainer is the cleanest summary.
05 The 1,500-card milestone & Season 2
By May 2025, the game had 7 released sets and more than 1,500 cards, with Reign of Jafar launching that month as the 8th set. The same period saw Ravensburger formalise its competitive-play investment — including a Seattle office for the team — and a structured Challenge series leading into a World Championship.
2026 has been the second competitive season in full swing: Wilds Unknown in May 2026, Attack of the Vine! in July 2026, and a new premium Curator's Collection: Heroines Edition announced in June 2026 — Disney-Parks-and-Stores-only product aimed at collectors rather than competitive players.
06 Set timeline
Every set we currently track at InkSight, in release order, with links to its daily price guide. We've left exact release dates off the entries we can't cleanly confirm — the set list itself is the part you can rely on.
Companion products. In August 2024 Ravensburger added Gateway, a low-friction starter product for new players. In June 2026 the new premium Curator's Collection: Heroines Edition line was announced — six exclusive foils, $99.99, July 17, 2026, Disney Parks & Stores only.
07 Where to go next
If you came here to figure out where to start, the rest of the site picks up the thread: