What Changed with Fabled (and Why it Matters Right Now)

Release & legality. Fabled's LGS prerelease started Aug 29 with wide release Sep 5. It's the first set to bring reprints alongside new cards, plus the new Epic and Iconic rarities. Most importantly, Core Constructed rotation begins here. Sets 1-4 rotate out; reprinted cards from those sets are legal again in Core.

Practical takeaway: week-0 lists lean on "back-in-format" reprints and efficient curve toppers. Example: Hades - Infernal Schemer is back via Fabled, powering Sapphire ramps and finishers.

Weekend Tournament Results: Quick Snapshot

South Side Gaming - Fabled 15 Case Release (126 players, 8/30)

• Winner: Steel/Amethyst (Thiago)
• Top Cut mix:

  • 5 Amethyst/Sapphire
  • 2 Amethyst/Steel
  • 1 Amethyst Ruby

The Encounter - Fabled 10 Case Pre-Release (73 players, 8/30)

• Winner: Sapphire/Amethyst (Logan Taylor)
• Top Cut mix:

  • 3 Amethyst/Sapphire
  • 4 Amethyst/Steel
  • 1 Amber/Steel

Read the standings and all decklists: inkdecks.com has full pages for both events

The Week-0 Core Constructed Meta (Early Read)

What's winning:

• Amethyst/Sapphire (Blurple): leans on Tipo - Growing Son and Sail the Azurite Sea to ramp, then sticks sticky midgame bodies and closes with Hades - Infernal Schemer and Elsa payoffs. Dumbo - Ninth Wonder of the Universe is the new engine piece that draws and banks lore while granting that same activated ability to your other Evasive characters.

• Amethyst/Steel midrange/aggro: early pressure from Calhoun - Marine Sergeant and friends, evasive threats from Genie - Satisfied Dragon, and Elsa/Dumbo spikes to swing races. This color pair won the largest event of the weekend.

Why it works: clean ramp, a resilient threat base, and new or reprinted payoffs that still play to the table (not just hand checks). The format is open. Week-0 is never solved.

Winning Decklists with Ratios

1) Steel/Amethyst - 1st @ SSG Fabled 15 Case Release (126 players)

Pilot: Thiago - Main: 60 cards - Inkables: 48 (80%)

Curve highlights: 11x 1-cost, 13x 2-cost, 18x 3-cost, 11x 4-cost, 7x 5-cost

Steel/Amethyst | Thiago

• Characters (56)
• 1 Belle - Accomplished Mystic
• 2 Jafar - Aspiring Ruler
• 2 Jasmine - Fearless Princess
• 2 Madam Mim - Tiny Adversary
• 3 Palace Guard - Spectral Sentry
• 3 Rajah - Ghostly Tiger
• 3 Treasure Guardian - Foreboding Sentry
• 4 Calhoun - Marine Sergeant
• 4 Captain Hook - Forceful Duelist
• 4 Diablo - Obedient Raven
• 4 Doc - Bold Knight
• 4 Dumbo - Ninth Wonder of the Universe
• 4 Elsa - The Fifth Spirit
• 4 Genie - Satisfied Dragon
• 4 Genie - Wish Fulfilled
• 4 Giant Cobra - Ghostly Serpent
• 4 The White Rose - Jewel of the Garden

• Songs (4)
• 4 Strength of a Raging Fire

Deck source with full stats: inkDecks. (inkDecks)

Play pattern idea: pressure early with Calhoun (Resist + Level Up) and Hook, pivot to evasive clocks via Genie - Satisfied Dragon, then set up Dumbo turns to keep cards flowing and bank extra lore while chipping in the air. White Rose gives free lore on play to keep pace in races.

2) Sapphire/Amethyst - 1st @ The Encounter Fabled 10 Case Pre-Release (73 players)

Pilot: Logan Taylor - Main: 60 cards - Inkables: 50 (84%)

Curve highlights: 6x 1-cost, 16x 2-cost, 14x 4-cost, 12x 5-cost, sprinkling of 6-8s

Sapphire/Amethyst | Logan Taylor

• Unknown (42)
• 2 Baymax - Armored Companion
• 2 Elsa - Spirit of Winter
• 2 Tick-Tock - Ever-Present Pursuer
• 3 Basil - Practiced Detective
• 3 Iago - Giant Spectral Parrot
• 3 Madam Mim - Elephant
• 3 Rafiki - Mystical Fighter
• 4 Belle - Accomplished Mystic
• 4 Dumbo - Ninth Wonder of the Universe
• 4 Elsa - The Fifth Spirit
• 4 Genie - Wish Fulfilled
• 4 Hades - Infernal Schemer
• 4 Tipo - Growing Son

• Actions (14)
• 2 Finders Keepers
• 4 Hypnotic Strength
• 4 Sail the Azurite Sea
• 4 Vision of the Future

• Songs (4)
• 4 Into the Unknown

Deck source with full stats: InkDecks. (InkDecks)

Play pattern idea: Tipo on 2 plus Sail the Azurite Sea is the classic double-ramp opener. Curve into Genie - Wish Fulfilled and Elsa - The Fifth Spirit to stabilize, then Hades and Elsa - Spirit of Winter finish long games. Dumbo converts spare ink into cards and lore and spreads that ability to your other Evasive bodies.

Card Accuracy Corner (Quick References)

• Dumbo - Ninth Wonder of the Universe (4-cost Amethyst): Evasive. Breaking Records - exert, pay 1 ink: draw a card and gain 1 lore. Making History - your other characters with Evasive gain the same activated ability.
• Tipo - Growing Son (2-cost Sapphire): on play, you may put a card from hand into your inkwell facedown and exerted.
• Sail the Azurite Sea (2-cost Sapphire Action): this turn, you may put an additional card from your hand into your inkwell facedown; draw a card.
• Calhoun - Marine Sergeant (2-cost Steel): Resist +1; Level Up - during your turn, whenever this character banishes another in a challenge, gain 2 lore.
• Genie - Satisfied Dragon (3-cost Steel): during your turn this character gains Evasive.

Advanced Tips (Sidebar)

• Ramp math matters. In Blurple, mulligan for Tipo or Sail. A 2-ink start into Sail lets you hit 5 on turn three for Belle/Elsa. That's how you beat aggressive A/S lists to the board.
• Dumbo discipline. Treat Dumbo's draw-and-lore mode as a tempo sink. Use it when you can still hold board; otherwise, spend ink on bodies first.
• Steel answers. In A/S, Calhoun's Resist makes challenges efficient. Look for trades that trigger Level Up to steal games on lore tempo.

Upcoming Events (So You Can Test this Stuff)

• Charlie's Collectible Show - Stone Mountain, GA: multiple Lorcana events next weekend. If you're local, expect more Core Constructed data here and plan for week 1-2 meta shifts. (Charlie's Collectible Show)
• The Ink Inc Open - Westminster, MD: This event is hosting multiple tournaments, including a $10,000 core-constructed main event, with a 10 box youth tournament, and capping off with a $5,000 infinity format. An entire weekend of amazing competitive Lorcana gameplay. (Ink Inc.)

FAQ (Quick Answers for Searchers)

What won Disney Lorcana tournaments this weekend?

Steel/Amethyst won a 126-player Fabled 15 Case Release event; Sapphire/Amethyst Items won a 73-player pre-release. Decklists above; full standings on Inkdecks. (InkDecks)

When does Fabled release and what's legal?

LGS prerelease began Aug 29; retail is Sep 5. Core Constructed rotates Sets 1-4, with reprints returning specific staples to legality.

What are Iconic/Epic cards?

New collector rarities introduced with Fabled. Iconic is rarer than Enchanted; Epics sit between Legendary and Enchanted.

Is week-0 meta final?

No. Early results heavily feature Amethyst-Sapphire and Amethyst-Steel, but the card pool just reset. Expect changes as players refine lists.

Next Steps

1. Build one of these two. If you like clean lines and inevitability, craft Sapphire/Amethyst. If you want to set the pace and punish stumbles, play Amethyst/Steel. (InkDecks)
2. Test for mirrors. Prepare for Items mirrors with greedy mulligans and practice Dumbo priority.

Thanks for reading. Week 0 is always exciting in a new meta. Tune in next week for updates on Disney Lorcana. This article was brought to you by CoolStuffInc, the best place for all Disney Lorcana products, and other popular TCGs. Love reading or hearing me yap about TCGs? Follow me on X!