Phoenix Meta

Phoenix Meta, Set Championships, Tournament Report

A Whole New World: CH7 Archazia’s Island Set Champs Week 1 & The Reign of Linh

New Meta, New Season of Set Champs, & A New Reporter?! It really is ‘A Whole New World’ for the Arizona Lorcana Report.  The Lorcana Game Designers for Ravensberger have taken their players on a wild rollercoaster ride of emotions this season – changing the existing meta, literally, month after month.  Chapter 7: Archazia’s Island made its way to Big Box Stores on March 7th, 2025, bringing new and exciting options for players going forward. A month later, on April 8th, 2025, Ravensberger had announced their first ban-list for the game: Hiram Flaversham – Toymaker & Fortisphere, effective immediately. The news regarding this ban had players in an uproar. Some players rejoiced, others mourned. The majority of competitive Sapphire Item Decks (like Ruby Sapphire and Sapphire Steel) were now crippled without Flav’s extraordinary draw power. Now, another month later, the results of everyone’s hard work are being put to the test: Archazia’s Island Set Championships. Each weekend starting May 3rd until May 25th, Illumineers across the nation will showcase their deckbuilding and piloting skills for an opportunity to become ‘the Champion of Archazia’s Island’. This Champion will also receive the Hiro Hamada – Armor Designer Champion’s Playmat. Arizona’s Set Championships Meta Breakdown: Week One 🟡⚪️Watch out for the wide board of singers, your characters might not be safe even if your opponent doesn’t have any expendable ink! Amber Steel’s most popular variant this season is turning out to be Steel Songs.  Ariel – Sonic Warrior is coming back to the meta for additional damage on top of songs like Along Came Zeus and Strength of a Raging Fire. The new dual ink singer, The Trubadour – Musical Narrator is making his debut in the meta, almost replacing Ursula – Vanessa for her Singer 4 spot! 🟡🟢Even though Chernadogs didn’t make the top cut this week, this combo/aggro deck is still one to be weary of. Lady and the Tramp are making their way into the meta by using Tramp – Street Smart Dog’s ability to fuel the discard pile with characters and cranking out Chernabog – Evil Doer for free. Better hold onto your removal spells, you are gonna need them. 🟣⚪️ Birds, Draw Power, and Jafar? You can definitely count on both variants of Amethyst Steel to brew up something wicked. If you aren’t dealing with Iago – Spectral Parrot’s powerful statline on an evasive body, you could still get jumpscared by Giant Cobra – Ghostly Serpent’s ability to gain 2 lore. Thank goodness they’re illusions! Jafar – Striking Illusionist’s reign came early. Raking in 7 lore whenever he hears A Whole New World should be a crime. 🔴🔵Rest in Peace, Hiram Flaversham – Toy Maker. Even though Flav is gone, Ruby Sapphire still lives on! DKP’s Shark/Manor list has been inspiring players to keep this Tempo/Control deck alive and well! Maui – Half Shark takes control and siphons lore with ease when he hears Tipo – Growing Son and Gramma Tala – Keeper of Ancient Stories sing A Pirate’s Life together. Archazia’s Island Set Championship Leaderboards In the Phoenix and Tucson areas, there were SIX Major Events held on opening weekend!  Saturday, May 3rd J&J Gaming Factory – Glendale, 26 Players5140 W Peoria Rd #100, Glendale, AZ 85302 Final Standings1st – BloodscorN 🟡⚪️2nd – PoppyTrovey 🟡⚪️3rd – JeromeTPO 🟣🔵4th – Samnite27 🔴🔵5th – ChrM20 🔴🔵6th – ChinoDynasty 🔴🔵7th – Edygordo23 🟣⚪️8th – Gibson_elliot 🔵⚪️  Toy Temple HQ – Tempe, 12 Players2180 W University Dr, Tempe, AZ 85281 Final Standings1st – AK_Mario 🔴🟣2nd – JesS7 🟡🔴3rd – d_mcmxcix 🔴🔵4th – Jose160465xy 🟡⚪️ Isle of Games – Tucson, 28 Players7835 E Broadway Blvd, Tucson, AZ 85710 Final Standings1st – snapcastro 🟣⚪️2nd – NoaS8 🟡⚪️3rd – OiMDomino 🟣⚪️4th – Zinger 🟣⚪️5th – Yokidragon 🔴🔵6th – amontminy 🟡⚪️7th – Eeyore 🔴🔵8th – omontoya 🟡⚪️ Sunday, May 4th Play or Draw – Avondale, 17 Players965 E Van Buren St #116, Avondale, AZ 85323 Final Standings1st – ZachG07  🟡⚪️2nd – Nathan_G  🔴🔵3rd – MrUnlucky13 🟣⚪️4th – DavS53 🟡⚪️5th – Ilucasmac 🟣🟢6th – just_op 🟡⚪️7th – touchmyfluff 🟡⚪️8th – FrostFire420 🟣⚪️ Samurai Comics – Phoenix, 21 Players1602 E Indian School Rd, Phoenix, AZ 85016 Final Standings1st – DannySantana 🔴🔵2nd – Dsingxv 🟡⚪️3rd – TeacherOfMath 🟢⚪️4th – Csdfire 🟡⚪️5th – ccastillo 🟣🔴6th – Ashcap 🟣🔴7th – HeyHeyRawn 🟡⚪️8th – Gibson_elliot 🔵⚪️ IRL Cards – Tucson, 18 Players4444 E Grant Rd #115, Tucson, AZ, 85712 Final Standings1st – Stoneybologna 🔴🔵2nd – Eeyore 🟡⚪️3rd – ryanmalexander 🟡⚪️4th – snapcastro 🟣⚪️5th – Redeemer12 🔴🔵6th – AdamRenegar 🟣⚪️7th – ewal 🟡⚪️8th – Lucia333 🟡⚪️ Upcoming Set Champs Saturday, May 10th Phoenix Gaming Lounge4747 N Central Ave, Phoenix AZ, 85012 $25 entry, 128 Player Cap9AM Registration, Round 1 Starts at 10AMBest of 3, Cut to Top 8, Decklists RequiredAdditional prizing to Scale depending on number of entrants Showtime Sports Cards and Gaming3415 S McClintock Dr #111, Tempe, AZ 85282 $15 entry, 16 Player Cap9:30AM RegistrationBest of 3, Cut to Top 4 The Reign of Linh Thanks for sticking around and reading this far, Illumineer! I’m no LadyLore, but! I can safely say that I share the same passion for the game. I’m honored to take on this project. I started playing Lorcana when the First Chapter was first released, and I fell in love. At the time, I was playing two other TCGs (both casually and competitively) as well as studying to become a Level 1 judge for Magic: the Gathering. After my first few games playing Lorcana, it was almost instantaneous how my passion shifted from multiple different TCGs to another. Here we are, almost two years later, my love for Lorcana and its community has only grown. So much so, that I’ve spent a lot of my time and effort to have topped multiple Set Championships, I even became a Tournament Organizer and a Local Judge. Thankfully, with my years of knowledge of competitive play in other TCGs, I’ve turned it into fuel for how I think about Lorcana’s Competitive scene. I was more than excited when LadyLore asked me

Phoenix Meta, Tournament Report

What a Weekend for Lorcana Tournaments!

After a quiet Thanksgiving break, the Phoenix-area competitive Lorcana scene came roaring back this past weekend with not one, not two, but three exciting events! From high-stakes $1K tournaments to a unique sealed format, players across the region brought their A-game to compete, connect, and create some unforgettable memories. Let’s dive into the highlights. Saturday Morning: TopCut Gaming’s $1K Tournament Held at J and J Farming Factory, TopCut Gaming kicked off the weekend with a $1K tournament that drew 31 dedicated players. The Best-of-3 format consisted of six rounds of Swiss, expertly managed by Zach Singer, who added a touch of humor with a first-round apple raffle. (Yes, an actual apple.) Phoenix community, let’s make this a tradition! The tournament culminated in a Top 8 cut, with matches extending into the evening. The top 2 finalists ultimately split the prizing after a long day of competitive play. Here’s how the Top 8 decks broke down: Top 8 Decks: For additional perspectives on this tournament AZ Aquaman was present and recorded his thoughts on the tournament on his channel. Check it out here: https://youtu.be/y6FM6nlmOiI?si=2igCwaFpw-jOTbtO Saturday Evening: North Valley Games Chaos Wheel Sealed On the other side of the valley, North Valley Games hosted a Chaos Wheel Sealed tournament, run by local legend Daryl Robertson. This creative format used one booster pack from each of Lorcana’s first six sets, adding a layer of unpredictability and fun to the competition. The event was full of excitement, with players pulling Enchanted cards like Ruby Robin Hood (Set 5) and Emerald Jasmine (Set 4). After an intense day of play, Chris (ChrM20) emerged victorious, going undefeated across all 12 games—a truly impressive clean sweep! Top 8 Players: Congratulations to Chris on earning the coveted Arizona Lorcana Champion Trophy! Sunday: Gamers Guild Tempe $1K Tournament The weekend wrapped up with yet another $1K tournament, this time hosted by Gamers Guild in Tempe. Eighteen players competed in a five-round, Best-of-2 format before cutting to Top 8. Top 8 Players and Deck Colors: For deck lists from the event, visit Inkdecks.com. Final Thoughts This weekend was a shining example of Lorcana’s growing competitive scene and the incredible community driving it forward. Stay tuned for more updates, deck techs, and community highlights right here on LadyLore20.com! Until next time, keep shuffling and dreaming big!

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