Lorcana Challenge Lille
Recently we had the honor of hosting the world’s first ever Disney Lorcana Challenge in Lille – and it was an event for the ages. Players from around the world gathered at the Lille Grand Palais in appreciation for their favourite game and its characters. Whether it was to test their mettle against the best of the best or traveling with family and friends to learn a new game, there was something for everyone. In case you missed it and are looking forward to Lorcana Challenge Bochum, here’s everything that happened at Lorcana Challenge Lille.
Welcome to the Inklands
Entering Lille Grand Palais, we see walls adorned with some of Disney’s most beloved characters. Banners of Ursula, Floatsam, and Jetsam welcome the Illumineers and celebrate the release of the newest Lorcana set Ursula’s Return. After walking up the stairs, we enter the main hall for Lorcana Challenge Lille. A sea of tables extends farther than the eye can see. Thousands of fans gather around playing games, spectating their friends, and trading for their favourite cards. Even more banisters line the hall guiding players to their next event.
As we explore deeper into the Inklands, we see the stands dedicated to showcasing the finest Lorcana cards. Enchanted cards line the displays, garnering many photos and would be collectors. At the start of each day, players would line the stands looking to fill out their collectors, tweak their decks last minute, or just ogle the plethora of shiny cards available.
Just beyond the vendors we have the main headquarters of the event. Lorcana Challenge questions, side event sign-ups, prize-wall ticket redemption, or general info desk, here is your one stop shop for all your needs throughout the weekend. We have the amazing Fanfinity team, tournament scorekeepers, and Ravensburger ambassadors to help make sure this event runs as smoothly as possible.
Not only were there games to be played, or cards to be bought, but artists to meet as well. Lorcana’s own Alice Pisoni was present, and fans of her artwork lined up in droves to get photos and hopefully signatures on some of their favorite cards. Not only were there iconic cards from Lorcana’s history, but for some lucky attendees, they were able to bring their newly acquired Cinderella, Stouthearted promos made out to them or loved ones who weren’t able to attend this event.
The next step on our Lorcana Challenge Lille tour is the feature match viewing area. Sometimes after a long day of playing games and socializing, you just want to sit and relax. Behind the curtains we have a professional production team making sure that everyone is up to date on the latest developments happening in the Lorcana Challenge. And for those who just want to sit, chat, and watch some games, we have the perfect viewing area to spectate the feature matches on stream. All of this, and so much more: It was an amazing event. And we aim to only improve from here on out.
Rising to the Challenge
We had a spectacular turnout over the weekend for the first ever Lorcana Challenge. We initially opened up 1000 spots to and were overwhelmed by your response. The event sold out almost instantly. The players sent a clear signal: they wanted more., What else could we do but oblige. The player limit was increased all the way to over 2000 players, and we quickly sold out again. With a main event of this size, we knew we were in for a legendary tournament.
The first day had all 2000 players testing themselves to their limits, with nine rounds of Swiss. Only the best of the best could move on, with just the top 64 players eligible to play in the single elimination portion of Day 2. But fear not, because everyone still walked away with some goodies. Each Illumineer who participated in the Lorcana Challenge received a special Enchanted Dragonfire card and the top 128 players, regardless of making Day 2, received an Enchanted Let It Go card as well. There were prizes aplenty to go around, not only in the main event, but also for those who sought challenges beyond in one of the several side events as well.
Side Quests
For those looking for more casual fun, jamming games with their friends, or even looking to play Lorcana for the first time, Lorcana Challenge Lille had so many side events to choose from. The first side event to kick off the day was the Starter Deck event. Players here got a random starter deck from Ursula’s Return and many experienced cards from the new set, and even Lorcana itself, for the very first time.
This was also just one of many featured side events held over the weekend. Players gathered to play anything ranging from creating a sealed deck with six booster packs each, to single pack battles. For some, the main event may have been too daunting and decided to play their constructed deck in one of the many constructed side events. No matter the event participants all would play to earn Prize Tickets to redeem at the ever popular prize wall.
The Lorcana Challenge Prize Wall and Ravensburger Merchandise area fully displayed all the Lorcana cards, clothing, and promos a player could ask for. One thing that stood out were the Lorcana brand t-shirts and caps on show at the stall. Many jumped at the opportunity to own the first Lorcana apparel available to the public.
Another big hit were the special edition promo cards available through the prize wall as well. Everyone saw the Enchanted Rapunzels and Cinderellas players received for entering the top 32 players got and many were rightfully envious of the card. We knew we just had to make these available for everyone and players could redeem non-foil versions of these stunning alternate art cards from the prize wall as well. These were such a big hit that, by the end of the event, there were no more Rapunzels left to give, each found their way into a Lorcana collection by Sunday evening.
The ultimate prize on the prize wall was a well kept secret until the venue opened Saturday morning. A special limited edition Lorcana Challenge Play-mat Featuring Alice Pisoni’s brand new Cinderella, Stouthearted promotional art. For extra added detail, each of these play mats featured the Lorcana Challenge logo fully foiled along with more foiled special effects. This was a true collectors piece and an all around stunning work of art. This is certainly a beautiful play space for any Illumineer
The Grand Finale
Nearing the end of Lorcana Challenge Lille, the viewing area was quiet in anticipation. Several side events were going on and the event hall was very much alive, however, there was one bubble of silence near the stage where a large crowd had their eyes glued on the feature match played on screen. The Grand Finale of Lorcana Challenge Lille was about to begin. Your contenders for the first ever Disney Lorcana Challenge Champion were Frank Karsten piloting an Amber Steel “Steel Song” deck and Reece Benlier piloting a Ruby Amethyst deck.
One of the most interesting facts of the event was that, no matter how new or experienced, you have a shot at becoming a Lorcana Challenge Champion. Nothing exemplifies this more than the matchup between Karsten and Benlier. Karsten, a card game veteran and early adopter of Lorcana, and Benlier who started playing Lorcana at just the most recent set. Even without experience at the game, you could learn how to play with the most recent set Ursula’s Return and see yourself at the finals table in the next Lorcana Challenge.