How Disney Lorcana’s Challenger mechanic works

A core Disney Lorcana mechanic, Challenge, has an additional keyword mechanic called Challenger that beefs up the power level of a Character you control.

Winning at Disney Lorcana TCG requires hitting 20 Lore before your opponent(s) reach 20. Characters on the battlefield can either Quest for Lore or Challenge another Character that is already Exerted (tapped). Characters never Challenge another player, and there are random effects, like Freeze on Elsa, Snow Queen that enable a Character to Challenge another Character that wasn’t Exerted at the start of your turn.

The act of a Challenge is a core mechanic in Disney Lorcana and the keyword Challenger was designed to buff the power levels of Characters that want to Challenge. 

What is Challenger in Disney Lorcana?

The Challenger mechanic immediately became a popular mechanic in Disney Lorcana with the release of The First Chapter through cards like Captain Hook, Forceful Duelist. The Steel Dreamborn has Challenger plus-two, increasing the one-drop’s Power from one to three.

• Challenger definition: Upon Challenging, this Character, or another Character, gets plus “X” Power.

A Character can increase its own Power, like Prince Eric, Dashing and Brave, or the Challenger ability can give another Character the bonus power. Merlin, Crab from Rise of the Floodborn, for example, gives a chosen Character plus-three when the Sorcerer enters and leaves play.

Other cards like Fairy Godmother, Mystic Armorer grant Challenger plus-three to another Character when the Fairy Quests. The Challenger keyword ability mechanic is also found on Action cards, added through the Rise of the Floodborn set.

Of the three Disney Lorcana Action cards at the time of writing, Legend of the Sword in the Stone is the best. The two-drop Inkable Action can get Sung into play, granting a chosen Character plus-three while Challenging. 

Challenging is a core mechanic in Disney Lorcana but for the time being Challenging has been gingerly scattered throughout only the Amethyst and Steel. This is mainly because it is both an offensive and defensive keyword mechanic that can quickly turn the tide when a powerful Character an opponent controls needs to be taken out.