There are a handful of eBay auctions up right now for a particular set of six trading cards packaged in a special cardboard presentation box. They’re all comfortably reaching toward $1,500 and their nearest Buy-It-Now peers are all set at $2,000 or more. Many of the sellers haven’t bothered with free shipping because they know that their listing will move without it. 

Are these cards made of pure gold or something? Nope, just cardboard. Are they holographic? Signs point to no, though the outer packaging is signed by members of the game’s development team. Is it Pokemon? Nope. Magic: The Gathering? Try again.

These cards are from a yet-to-be-released trading card game developed by historic games publisher Ravensburger in collaboration with Disney. Disney’s D23 Expo this past weekend offered a sneak peek at Disney Lorcana, expected to land in fall of 2023. Attendees had the opportunity to purchase this special commemorative set for $49.95. Ravensburger has assured its fans on social media that the cards featured in the show-exclusive set would be part of the game’s standard run of cards upon its release with the omission of the small D23 Expo logo in each card’s bottom margin. This seems to have done little to temper the fervor of Disney fans, however.

Where the visual presentation is concerned, the Disney Villainous publisher has really positioned this game for greatness. Ravensburger has proven themselves to be savvy patrons of the fine arts, sourcing magnificent new illustrations of beloved characters. The artwork on all of the preview cards has a level of finish reminiscent of contemporary Magic cards. The art is given generous space on each card showing off a beautiful depth and vivid colors that bring these characters to life without forcing realism upon them. 

The rules text on the cards themselves is minimal and seems to only gently lean on an understanding of a grander ruleset. Magic players will find some of the abilities familiar not in name but in function. The text is written carefully, flavoring themed abilities to the card’s character. 

We even get a little hint of the lore at play on Elsa’s card. “Recreated by magical ink, Elsa found herself in an unfamiliar new world. Fortunately, ice works the same way everywhere.” As a player, you are literally bringing the characters to life by drawing them in what very well could be a slight homage to the Epic Mickey video games.

Lore? Check. Arcana? Check. Lorcana seems to even have a whole fanbase champing at the bit a year before the game’s anticipated release. 

The game has a strong speculative aspect, and will no doubt succeed in harnessing the fleeting joy that one gets from opening a pack of random trading cards. Disney Villainous has more than proven Ravensburger’s competence in making a beautiful and well thought out game that enriches its IP instead of placing all of its weight on it. Board games are evergreen by nature, however. Collectible trading card games are alive. They need to be nurtured to rise above the noise in an already saturated genre. To keep the momentum going, Ravensburger will need to be ready to create and support a community around the game as well as build a network of retail partners who are willing to give players a place to play, connect, and trade. 

I’ve been a fan of TCGs ever since I was an awkward kid saving up couch change and leftover lunch money to buy an occasional pack of Pokémon Base Set cards from my local comic book store. I’m very excited to see where this all goes. I hope you are too!

Arch Anderson is a graphic designer and a huge fan of what happens at the intersection of creativity and constraints. See what he’s up to at archxilla.com!