Disney Lorcana · Set 1 Starter Deck
The First Chapter Emerald & Ruby: Upgrade Guide
Cruella and Aladdin lead the most aggressive of the original decks: cheap characters, combat tricks, and removal that clears the way to challenge.
At a glance
Emerald & Ruby · Aggressive villains
How it plays out of the box
This deck wants to fight. Ruby characters hit hard, Emerald brings tricks and bounce, and the plan is to win challenges until your opponent has nothing left to quest with. Aladdin is the payoff: a 4-point swing every time he banishes something on your turn.
It asks more of you than the other First Chapter decks. You have to decide when to challenge and when to quest, and the tricks only work if you save them for the right fight. Played well it beats the other two original starters more often than not.
The cards on the box
Cruella De Vil - Miserable as Usual
The First Chapter #72
When she's challenged and banished, you may return a character to its owner's hand.
Aladdin - Heroic Outlaw
The First Chapter #104
Shift 5. When he banishes a character in a challenge on your turn, you gain 2 lore and each opponent loses 2.
Other cards to know
The rating: power 3, difficulty 3
The strongest of the three original decks, with real removal, but it rewards careful timing more than the others.
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 the expensive characters that do nothing the turn they arrive first, then the weakest stat boosts. Keep the removal: Dragon Fire and Mother Knows Best are the reason this deck wins.
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: Song tempo
The modern version of Emerald and Ruby plays songs and singers. Bounce and discard songs slow your opponent down, and singers let you cast them without spending ink, so you keep developing while they rebuild.
This direction overlaps with the Fabled Emerald and Ruby starter, which is a good second purchase if you like it.
Powerline - World's Greatest Rock Star
Fabled #110
Singer 9. When he sings, look at the top 4 cards and play a song from them for free.
Max Goof - Rebellious Teen
Fabled #75
Returns a cheap song from your discard to your hand when played.
Mother Knows Best
Fabled #99
The Fabled reprint of the box's bounce song, legal in Core.
Malicious, Mean, and Scary
Whispers in the Well #97
A free song for a cost-3 character that puts 1 damage on every opposing character.
Upgrade direction 2: Removal-heavy aggro
Keep the plan, upgrade the parts. Characters that profit from challenges, plus removal that costs less than the character it answers, let the deck keep attacking all game.
Shere Khan and Lumiere are cheap, so play them early; they're weak late when your opponent has bigger characters.
Shere Khan - Menacing Predator
Fabled #104
Gain 1 lore whenever one of your characters challenges.
Lumiere - Fiery Friend
Fabled #121
Your other characters get +1 strength.
Dragon Fire
Whispers in the Well #133
The Whispers in the Well reprint, so the deck keeps its best removal in Core.
Chernabog - Unnatural Force
Winterspell #77
Shuffles an opposing character into its owner's deck when played.
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 & Ruby deck → The link goes through our TCGplayer affiliate link; see our affiliate disclosure.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Emerald and Ruby First Chapter deck the best of the three?
We rate it the strongest of the three out of the box, mainly because it has removal the others lack. It's also the hardest to play well, since its tricks and challenges reward good timing.
Can I still play it in tournaments?
In Infinity Constructed, yes. In Core Constructed, only the cards reprinted in Fabled or later are legal, so a Core version means replacing most of the box with newer printings and newer cards.
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.
Create Free AccountDisney Lorcana card names and images are the property of Disney and Ravensburger and their respective owners. ©Disney. TurnZero HQ is not affiliated with, sponsored, or endorsed by Disney or Ravensburger. Card data and prices come from Lorcast, which republishes TCGplayer market prices.