Disney Lorcana announces Ursula’s Return and a new co-op game mode

The next set of cards for Disney Lorcana is called Ursula’s Return, and it will include characters from Encanto for the very first time. The set arrives at local retailers as expected on May 17, with a wider retail release on May 31 at places like Target and Amazon. The announcement, made live on Twitch Wednesday, also included news about a brand-new cooperative game called Illumineer’s Quest – Deep Trouble.

Encanto card previews featured in the livestream include main characters from the movie: Mirabel, Bruno, Dolores, Felix, Julieta, and Luisa. But the bigger reveal by far was the announcement of Illumineer’s Quest, a new cooperative way to play Disney Lorcana. The boxed game comes with two new decks filled with new cards, such as Mulan, Elite Archer; Mickey, Playful Sorcerer; and Yen Sid, Powerful Sorcerer. It also features a secret envelope, presumably with a card inside, that’s said to continue the game’s storyline.

From the official description of Illumineer’s Quest – Deep Trouble:

The game follows the Illumineers as they track down the malevolent glimmer Ursula to her lair at the edge of Lorcana. Unfortunately, Ursula has been preparing for the Illumineers’ arrival by entangling other glimmers with mind control as well as causing natural disasters to create seemingly impossible obstacles. It will take every bit of the Illumineers’ skill and teamwork to keep Ursula from cementing her hold on the realm of Lorcana. The game includes a guided gameplay area for Ursula, two preconstructed Disney Lorcana TCG player decks (featuring Disney’s Mulan and Yen Sid and built with cards from the first four Disney Lorcana TCG sets) and a fierce Ursula deck. This sea witch plays by her own rules.

Ravensburger added that the $59.99 game can be played solo, with up to two players using the included preconstructed decks, or as many as four players, if fans use decks that are already in their collection. Illumineer’s Quest has four difficulty levels, and players will be able to customize their decks to increase their chances — especially useful at the game’s most extreme difficulty level.

Incidentally, the new Mickey and Yen Sid — the elder sorcerer depicted in the “Sorcerer’s Apprentice” segment of Fantasia — both call back to the original Disney Lorcana set released in 2023, which included plenty of brooms just waiting for someone to control them en masse. All of the cards are expected to also be usable in the main, competitive game mode as well.

A serialized version of Mickey Mouse, Brave Little Tailor with a golden foil treatment will be up for grabs for those who make it into the top four in Disney Lorcana Challenge, the game’s upcoming competitive circuit. Additional cards and playmats, included in the gallery above, will be given to other players who land among the top 64 competitors at certain events.

Disney Lorcana Challenge events are open to all players who purchase a ticket. The competition will initially be capped at 512 players. The first two U.S. events will be held on May 25-26 in Atlanta and June 8-9 in Chicago. Tickets are expected to go on sale soon.

Update: Polygon has added additional details and clarifications based on a Ravensburger news release.