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Disney Lorcana’sfourth set, Ursula’s Return, is an epic showdown between the forces of good and evil for the very fate of Lorcana. As you might expect, Disney’s cast of heroes is at the forefront of this expansion, and this Hero-themed starter deck is a great way to break into the new expansion.
Heroes and Allies come together in this challenger-focused deck that excells at controlling the board through efficient trades and building lore quickly. If you’re looking for ways to take the Stand Together starter deck to the next level, this guide has everything you need.
Which Deck Is Best For You?
This guide featuresthree distinct versions of the Sapphire/Steel starter deck.
Hero decks are sure to make a splash in the meta this season, and Sapphire/Steel looks like the best fit for this archetype.
The decks in this guide are designed to maintain the specific characteristics of the starter deck, namely, all the synergies between heroes, allies, support characters, and songs that are already in the deck.
We’re making the best version of the starter deck possible, not the best Sapphire/Steel Hero deck possible.
Prince Eric, Dashing and Brave (x4)
Fortisphere (x4)
Pawpsicle (x4)
Thebes (x2)
The budget deck aims tohone in on the core strategies behind the starter deck while making it more consistent to play. While the original starter deck contained 38 Hero cards and, this budget version contains only 26, but with a greater emphasis on high-impact Heroes and cards that provide support to them.
The core of this any Steel hero deck isPhiloctetes, No-Nonsense Instructer, so while this is a rare card, it’s necessary to play four of them. Once Phil is in play, any hero you play will earn you one lore automatically. Mulitple Phils stack too, so if you manage to get two on the board each hero you play after that will earn you two lore immediately.
While the deck is focused on Heroes and Allies,Hiram Flaversham is a must-include in any Sapphire/Steel deck. The draw engine he creates, along with Pawpsicle and Fortisphere, is indespensible for this deck, which aims to play multiple Heroes every turn. Along with Hiram, you can add another Ally, Nick Wilde, for even more Pawpsicle consistency.
This version also adds a few copies of one other rare: One Last Hope.This song offers an incredible amount of board control for heroes like Prince Eric, Dashing and Brave or Hercules, Beloved Hero.
Removing threats from the board immediately helps high-value questers like Anna, True-Hearted and Philoctetes survive, while Bodyguard heroes like Kida, Royal Warrior and The Prince, Never Gives Up provide an extra layer of defense on the board.
Even if you don’t plan to challenge an opposing character, One Last Hope can be used to give a key character like Anna, True-Hearted +2 Resist, helping ensure they can stay on the board to quest again the following turn.
The game plan is all about building a strong board of Heroes that can take favorable tradeswith opposing characters thanks to the Strength buffs they recieve from Ling and Philoctetes. Hiram Flaversham ensures you will have consistent card draw, and when you need to pivot for a big quest turn, a Fortisphere can be used to turn him into a bodyguard.
This deck also keeps both Imperial Bow and Thebes, The Big Olive from the original starter deck. Whilethey’re both situational tools that may not be useful in every matchup, they have enough potential to warrent a spot in the deck.
Imperial Bow is the best answer to Evasive characters and can help some of the smaller heroes like Aladdin and Anna trade up into bigger threats, while Thebes offers lore gain for challenging, allowing you to control the board without falling behind on points.
Prince Eric, Daring and Brave (x4)
Our mid-cost version brings intwo of our biggest heavy-hitters on Sapphire and Steel: Cogsworth, Grandfather Clock and Cinderella, Stouthearted. Cinderella, Stouthearted represents and additional way to challenge opposing ready characters. Cogsworth is a defense powerhouse that will help ensure our challenging characters stay in the game, thanks to the Resist +1 he gives other characters.
Hercules, Beloved Hero increases from one copy to four as our only six-cost character.His large Willpower total and Resist +1 allows him to survive most challenges, and his Bodyguard ability gives him the power to protect a board full of vulnerable questers. At six Strength, he can also take down locations like The Queen’s Castle in one hit, provided you have a Ling, Imperial Soldier in play.
Adjust the number of copies of each card in these decks as you see fit. If you think having four Lings feels more consistent, go for it. The only rule is that the deck has to have at least 60 cards, so try experimenting with more cards if you want to.
The strategy remains largely the same, but now we have some big threats like Cinderella, Stouthearted and Hercules, Beloved Hero to help close out the game. Gettingmultiple Anna, True-Hearted into play can create the potential for explosive turnswhere you’re gaining tons of lore all at once.
Half of the deck is made up of heroes, so you shouldn’t have any trouble getting extra value out of Ling, Anna, Philoctetes, and One Last Stand.
In the best version of the starter deck we can finally include some legendary heroes. First up is Robin Hood, Champion of Sherwood Forest, a staple from Into the Inklands that alreadyone of the best characters in Steel, and gets even better with the new Hero synergies.
With Ling on the board, Robin Hoodcan no longer be targeted by Medusa, The Boss, which has been the character’s biggest weakness. Including Robin Hood, Beloved Outlaw allows Champion of Sherwood Forest to shift on turn three, and also adds another Hero to this deck.
Donald Duck, Becaneer seems to do everything this Hero-centric challenger deck wants to do. He gets all the advantages of being a Hero from Ling, Anna, and Phil, plus he gives other character’s extra lore when he challenges and banishes opposing characters.
One Last Hope lets Donald challenge ready characters and likely survive, and when he does, every other character gains an extra lore when questing - even the non-heroes.
Our third secret weapon is Little John, Reousrceful Outlaw.Little John synergizes with all of the bodyguard characters, including The Prince, Kida, and Hercules, to give them +1 Resist and an extra lore when questing. Considering two of these characters already have resist, one more resist can make a big difference.
This puts Hercules out of range of Maui, Hero to All, and saves The Prince from Madam Mim, Fox. What’s more, the Fortisphere can be used to turnanycharacter into a bodyguard. Little John has so much synergy with this deck, he demands to be included. It doesn’t hurt that he’s also a Hero.
This version of the deck has a higher top-end than the other two, meaningmaintaing card draw will be important as you climb up to seven ink and beyond. Playing Hiram at the right time is important, but it’s also important to protect him with your Bodyguard characters.
Cogsworth’s ability can also come in handy, as it puts Hiram out of range of Maui. If finding enough card draw becomes an issue, you may want to make space for A Whole New World in this version of the deck.
There are over 100 Hero cards in Sapphire and Steel, so there are countless ways to build this deck. Some other worthwhile considerations include Raya, Unstoppable Force; Hercules, Divine Hero; Ariel, Treasure Collector; and of course, Beast, Tragic Hero.
New cards likeLing and Philoctetes open all many new interesting lines of play that weren’t available before, and a deck like this is the perfect playground for experimenting with everything Ursula’s Return has to offer.
