He strategizes lesson plans for the week, but also strategizes his next card move. English teacher Aaron Boyle traveled to Milwaukee, Wisconsin October 24, to compete against other Disney Lorcana game lovers, also known as Illumineers. The tournament took place on Saturday, Oct. 25th and Sunday Oct. 26th with 2,027 other competitors.
Disney Lorcana is a two player trading card game where the main objective is to get 20 points, also known as lore points, before the opponent does. Players can challenge characters, sing songs, and quest for lore.
“It’s very similar to ‘Magic the Gathering’,” Boyle said.
The competition had two parts to it, with a side dedicated to the main tournament and another side for side events. Boyle said there were prizes for the winner, which is an automatic invitation to the Worlds tournament and a valuable serialized Mickey Mouse card.
“I’m going to give it my best,” Boyle said before leaving for the competition. “I really just want to see what it’s like and have fun.”
Boyle said he plays the game using the blurple deck, which consists of only blue and purple cards, which he tweaked a bit to better fit his game play. He said he made changes to his deck to fit in his favroite cards Genie (from “Aladdin”) and Elsa (from “Frozen”). He said he uses those the most because they have the highest synergy, meaning they are more powerful when played together, and also because of their play style.
“I play a very controlled, heavy deck where it is about having answers to the opponents board,” Boyle said.
Boyle returned from the tournament with a finish in the top half, 987th. He won three games but also lost three games, so he wasn’t able to make it to the second day of competition. On the second day, he played side games with other competitors who also didn’t qualify.
Boyle said the highlight of his trip was being able to connect with and meet other people in this community and have fun alongside his friends. “I did well and met some really cool people from all over the country and all over the world,” he said.
Lorcana has a local league that Boyle runs at Dragon’s Lair comic book store in Omaha. This is a non-profit that provides players of all ages to have fun and enjoy the game.
“I do this because I enjoy teaching people about the game and because I want them to have a game where they can feel safe and be themselves,” Boyle said.