Disney Lorcana · Set 5 Starter Deck
Shimmering Skies Emerald & Steel: Upgrade Guide
Scar and Kronk lead a deck that damages opposing characters, then profits from challenging them with Hyenas and card draw.
At a glance
Emerald & Steel · Damage and Hyenas
How it plays out of the box
The deck puts damage on opposing characters, then turns every challenge into a card from Scar or lore from Shenzi. Jaguar Lair forces damaged characters to attack, which walks them into your challengers.
It's powerful when it gets going, but it's a combo deck at heart: the first damage has to land before the payoffs work, and you need to track which characters are damaged.
The cards on the box
Scar - Vengeful Lion
Shimmering Skies #93
Ward. Draw a card whenever one of your characters challenges a damaged character.
Kronk - Head of Security
Shimmering Skies #185
Shift 5. When he banishes a character on your turn, play a character with cost 5 or less for free.
Other cards to know
Shenzi - Head Hyena
Shimmering Skies #91
+1 strength per other Hyena, and gain 2 lore when a Hyena challenges a damaged character.
Ed - Laughing Hyena
Shimmering Skies #74
Deals 2 damage to a damaged character when played.
Tropical Rainforest - Jaguar Lair
Shimmering Skies #102
Opposing damaged characters gain Reckless.
The rating: power 3, difficulty 4
Strong payoffs that need setup, and a lot to track for a starter.
Both numbers are TurnZero HQ's own editorial read, not an official Ravensburger rating. Power compares the deck out of the box against the other starter decks, not against a tuned tournament list. Difficulty is how much the deck asks of the person playing it.
What to cut first
Cut characters that neither deal damage nor profit from damaged characters, then the Hyenas you only have one copy of.
A Lorcana deck needs at least 60 cards, no more than 4 copies of a card with the same full name, and at most two inks, so every card you add means one you take out. The deck building rules →
Upgrade direction 1: Damage everything
Emerald now has songs that damage the whole opposing board, which turns on every payoff in the deck at once.
Malicious, Mean, and Scary
Whispers in the Well #97
1 damage on every opposing character, free with a cost-3 singer.
To Wither a Flower
Attack of the Vine! #101
2 damage to every damaged opposing character.
Elinor - Renowned Diplomat
Wilds Unknown #86
Pings a character, gains lore and draws at your end of turn.
Windstorm
Attack of the Vine! #203
1 damage to every opposing character and location.
Upgrade direction 2: Steel challengers
Strengthen the challenging half with Steel characters that gain lore or cards from winning fights.
Rapunzel & Flynn Rider - Unlikely Pair
Attack of the Vine! #100
A dual-ink Emerald and Steel character that loots when it quests.
Pluto - Steel Champion
Whispers in the Well #191
Gain 2 lore when another Steel character banishes something in a challenge.
Lilo - Best Explorer Ever
Fabled #174
Your other characters gain Challenger +2 the turn she's played.
Strength of a Raging Fire
Fabled #201
Removal that grows with your board.
Core or Infinity
As of October 2026, this deck is not legal in Core Constructed as sold, because Core uses sets 9 (Fabled) onward. A card counts as Core-legal when any printing with its full name is, so the cards from this box that were reprinted in Fabled or later can still be played there. The whole deck is legal in Infinity Constructed, which allows every set, and at any kitchen table.
Every upgrade pick on this page is from set 9 or later, so all of them are Core-legal. Core Constructed vs. Infinity →
Buying the sealed deck? Search TCGplayer for the Emerald & Steel deck → The link goes through our TCGplayer affiliate link; see our affiliate disclosure.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Scar starter deck good?
It's capable, at power 3, but it's one of the more demanding starters. Learn to damage first and challenge second, and it gets much better.
What is Reckless?
A Reckless character can't quest and must challenge each turn if able. Jaguar Lair gives it to opposing damaged characters.
Build the upgraded deck in TurnZero HQ.
Add the deck to the Deck Lab, make your swaps, and it checks the list against Core Constructed or Infinity as you go. Publish it to share the link. Free to start.
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