Disney Lorcana's latest set of Starter Decks offers players a Pirate and Inventor-themed adventure, with plenty of great cards from across several iconic films. From Treasure Planet to Big Hero Six, the Azurite Sea Starter Decks are bringing a lot of exciting new cards to the table that fans will want to get their hands on. Some fan-favorite characters, such as Baymax and Jim Hawkins make appearances, as well as some lesser-known folks.

Of course, across both decks, the artwork is sublime. However, for those who can only afford one, or just want to start off with a single deck, deciding between the two can be hard. They both have their strengths and weaknesses, so it can be easy to go for the one with the more popular characters. However, while both decks reviewed well, there is a clear winner between them, one that newcomers and returning fans will absolutely want to pick up.

Pros & Cons Of The Emerald/Sapphire Deck

Has A Lot Of Strategy But Can Feel Unfocused

The Disney Lorcana Emerald/Sapphire Azurite Sea deck is all about Inventors and items. There are several Inventor cards within the deck, with each one serving to buff the others while also working synergistically with items and locations. The "Institute Of Technology, Prestigious University" location card, for example, will give Inventors +1 Willpower, while also gaining a free lore if there is a character on it.

Its biggest strong suit is the various strategies players can pull off when combining Inventor cards with Items. "Hiro Hamada, Robotics Prodigy", for example, can take an item from the deck and then place it on the top, allowing players to grab it immediately after. While there are some of Azurite Sea's best cards in the Emerald/Sapphire decks, it's the way that every card, including the more cannon fodder characters, come together that makes it such a useful and powerful deck.

However, the biggest problem with the Emerald/Sapphire Azurite Sea deck is that it's a bit unfocused. There aren't that many items in the deck to pull off the Inventor/item strategy effectively, so players are overly reliant on specific character cards to make it work. Additionally, while the Emerald/Sapphire deck card list is full of some impressive names from the Big Hero Six and Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers films, it can sometimes feel a tad bloated. There are too many useless character cards that just don't fit with the main theme of the deck.

That being said, there are a handful that have their uses. For example, "Aunt Cass, Biggest Fan", while not an Inventor, does work synergistically with them by giving one +1 lore whenever she quests. It's a nice boost, one that can make for some interesting strategies if any of the six available items are still buried within the deck. However, for the most part, especially when compared to the Amber/Ruby deck, the Emerald/Sapphire Azurite Sea deck can lack a sense of cohesion.

Pros & Cons Of The Amber/Ruby Deck

It's Aggressive But Expensive

The Disney Lorcana Amber/Ruby Azurite Sea deck is a Pirate-themed one, and has a pretty strong sense of cohesion to it. Firstly, this is a deck about amassing a huge group of Pirate characters who are ready to challenge anything thrown at them. As a lot of the Amber/Ruby deck's cards are cheap, players can throw them out quickly. This works perfectly in conjunction with the location cards, of which there are plenty.

If players can get "Moana, Kakamora Leader" into play, one of Azurite Sea's new cards, she can move any amount of characters in-play to the same location for free, and then gain +1 lore for each character.

For example, if players can get "Moana, Kakamora Leader" into play, one of Azurite Sea's new cards, she can move any amount of characters in-play to the same location for free, and then gain +1 lore for each character. That can completely turn the tide of battle, especially if the player has been able to get a lot of Pirates into play. "Jim Hawkins, Honorable Pirate" is also ideal at getting Pirate characters into play, as he can look at the top four cards of the deck and put any Pirate card into the player's hand.

There's a subtheme to the Amber/Ruby deck that sees players actively wanting their cards to be damaged. Damaged characters tend to get significant advantages, such as if they go to the "Ratigan's Party, Seedy Back Room Location". If that location has one or more damaged characters on it, then it gains +2 lore. Players can win quite easily with a combination of difficult to banish locations and a plethora of Pirates ready to challenge.

The main weakness of the Amber/Ruby deck is just how expensive some of these cards can be. Both "Jim Hawkins, Honorable Pirate", and "Moana, Kakamora Leader" cost seven ink to play, which is not insignificant. Players will really have to get into the late-game in order to play them, by which point they're a little redundant. It isn't enough to completely write this deck off, as there are plenty of very valuable cards that are worth using, but it's worth considering.

Why The Best Azurite Sea Starter Deck Is Amber/Ruby

It's Better Themed And More Cohesive

By far, the best Azurite Sea Starter Deck is the Amber/Ruby one. It's got a more cohesive theme, not just aesthetically as the Pirate theme fits better with the whole sea angle, but also mechanically. It's more satisfying to have all the various Pirate characters working together and then pull out a card like "Moana, Kakamora Leader", than attempt to synergize the Inventor and item cards in the Emerald/Sapphire deck.

Of course, that isn't to say that the Emerald/Sapphire deck is without value, as it is still an incredibly impressive option and perfect for those who've been wanting some Big Hero Six cards. However, there are far more opportunities for strategies to fall through and players to be left with no way of winning with the Emerald/Sapphire deck than there are with the Amber/Ruby one. Players who appreciate a more aggressive play style will also prefer the Amber/Ruby one.

Ultimately, like with even the best Lorcana Starter Decks, it can often come down to the characters included and the overall theme. For those looking to get started with Lorcana, both of these decks provide the perfect opportunity to do so. They're not particularly set up for competitive play, so doing some tweaking with additional cards is a must. However, while the Amber/Ruby is a better deck overall, they both contain enough good cards that those looking to get started or just try out the latest Disney Lorcana cards can pick either up and have a good time.

Source: Ravensburger North America (ravensburgerna)/YouTube