Lore Rush: Strategy Guide

Pure Amber/Ruby aggro. Win by arithmetic, not improvisation. Flood the board with 1 to 3 cost characters by turn 3, quest with every character whose ink has dried (anything you played last turn or earlier), and close the game before your opponent's midrange stabilizes. The deck tops out at 5 ink by design. Past turn 6 their midrange out-paces you and the game is gone.

Three pace checkpoints. These are the only turns that matter:

• Turn 3. 5+ lore on board: on pace. If you are below 5, the mulligan failed.
• Turn 5. 10+ lore accumulated: closing window. Count to 20 from here.
• Turn 6. 15+ lore or you've lost: the cliff. Past turn 6 every decision is whether to gamble or concede.

The quest-vs-challenge rule. Every character that challenges instead of questing costs you 1 or 2 lore that turn. Only challenge when (a) the opposing character would out-lore you if left alive, or (b) your character dies anyway in the next attack. Every other turn, quest.

Matchup role. You are the attacker in every matchup. You are never the slow deck.

Two opening keeps.

• Option 1. Pace keep (default): any 1-cost character plus a 2-lore engine. 1-costs: Roger Radcliffe - Dog Lover, The Queen - Regal Monarch, Pluto - Friendly Pooch. Engines: Friend Owl - Cantankerous Neighbor, Grandmother Fa - Spirited Elder, Sir Kay - Unruly Knight. 3 lore on board by end of turn 2.
• Option 2. Power keep: a 1-cost character plus any 2-cost bridge character plus Koda - Smallish Bear in hand. Koda is 3 lore for 3 ink, the best rate in the deck. Land him on turn 3 and you are at 6 lore on board by end of turn 3.

On the play vs. on the draw:

• On the play: prefer Option 2. You curve harder; the opponent is one answer-turn behind.
• On the draw: prefer Option 1 plus keep Dragon Fire if in hand. Removing their opening quester clears the way for yours to land safely.

Never keep: Isabela Madrigal - In the Moment (5-cost, dead in your opener), Lost in the Woods (4-cost song, starves your early curve), multiple 3+ cost cards, Dragon Fire on the play (just put it into your inkwell).

Ideal turn 1 through 3 line. 1-cost character quests turn 1, then a 2-lore engine quests turn 2, then Koda - Smallish Bear lands turn 3. End of turn 3 you are at 6 lore on board, generating 3+ lore each turn, and ahead before their midrange deploys its first threat.

Openers. Play turn 1, quest starting turn 2:

• Roger Radcliffe - Dog Lover / The Queen - Regal Monarch / Pluto - Friendly Pooch: your turn 1 plays. Their ink dries overnight; quest every turn from turn 2 onward. Queen has the best stats (2 strength, 2 willpower, 1 lore, inkable). Pluto - Friendly Pooch is uninkable but his GOOD DOG tap ability discounts your next character that turn by 1 ink. Tap him to play Koda - Smallish Bear for 2 ink instead of 3. Don't over-think it: play what you drew. Put surplus copies into the inkwell once one of each is on board.
• Aurora - Holding Court: 1 cost, 1 strength, 2 willpower, 1 lore, Amber inkable. Her ROYAL WELCOME trigger makes the next Princess or Queen you play this turn cost 1 less when she quests. Quest her turn 2, then play The Queen - Regal Monarch (a Queen) for 0 ink the same turn. Note: Isabela Madrigal - In the Moment is NOT a Princess subtype, so Aurora's discount doesn't apply to her.
• Higgins - Undercover Officer: 1 cost, 2 strength, 2 willpower, 1 lore, Amber inkable. Set 10, Core-legal. Curve-fill 1-cost character.

2-lore engines, the spine of your lore math:

• Friend Owl - Cantankerous Neighbor / Grandmother Fa - Spirited Elder / Sir Kay - Unruly Knight: 2 ink, 2 lore bodies. Above-rate at the 2-cost slot (1 lore per ink is the benchmark these hit). Play on turn 2, quest from turn 3 onward. These get you to 10+ lore by turn 5.
• Taffyta Muttonfudge - Ruthless Rival: 2 ink, 2 lore. Same role, slot fill.

Mid-curve threats:

• Mickey Mouse - True Friend: 3 ink, 3 strength, 3 willpower, 2 lore, inkable. Safe turn 3 play. 3 willpower survives most opening challenges, freeing him to quest repeatedly.
• Koda - Smallish Bear: 3 ink, 3 lore, inkable. Single best card in the deck by lore efficiency (1 lore per ink at 3 ink is exceptional). Low willpower makes him a removal target; play him with other bodies on board, not into an open challenge.

Closer:

• Isabela Madrigal - In the Moment: 5 ink, 4 lore, uninkable. Highest lore rate in the deck. Her I'M TIRED OF PERFECT trigger makes her unchallengeable until your next turn whenever one of your characters sings a song. The deck runs 8 songs (4 Lost in the Woods plus 4 You Can Fly!). Land Isabela the turn before you sing, then sing on her next turn: she quests for 4 lore behind a song-protection shield. Without a song that turn she is a 3-strength, 3-willpower body that dies to most opposing characters, so only deploy her bare with 2+ other questers absorbing challenges.

Functional uninkables, almost never put into the inkwell turns 1 through 3:

• Dragon Fire: hard uninkable. You cannot put it into the inkwell at all. Always hold for play.
• Lost in the Woods and Koda - Smallish Bear: technically inkable, but inking either one throws away your finishing power. Treat them as functional uninkables. Effective uninkable count across all three is about 10 cards.

Interaction:

• Dragon Fire: 5 ink Ruby action. Banish chosen character. Save for 2-lore bodies that would out-pace you. Don't waste on 1-lore questers.
• Lost in the Woods: 4 ink Amber song. All opposing characters get -2 strength until your next turn. Sung free by a 4+ cost character. Board-wide opponent debuff (not bounce or removal). Blunts their entire combat for a turn.
• You Can Fly!: 2 ink Ruby song. Chosen character gains Evasive (only Evasive characters can challenge them) until the start of your next turn. Sing with 2-cost characters when ink is left. Don't hold for "better timing": the value comes from using it.
• Twitterpated: 1 ink Ruby action. Chosen character gains Evasive until the start of your next turn. Cheap protection on a key quester.

vs. Amethyst/Sapphire Evasive (Unfavorable): Watch for: Dumbo - Ninth Wonder of the Universe, Hades - Looking for a Deal The deck you will run into most often, and your hardest matchup. Their Evasive characters bypass your challengers entirely, and Hades - Looking for a Deal generates more lore each turn than your wide flood once he sticks. Lore-race plan: 16+ lore by turn 4 before their engine assembles. Below 12 lore by turn 4 the matchup is slipping.

vs. Amber/Emerald Aggro (Even): Watch for: Tramp - Street-Smart Dog, Under the Sea Mirror-shape race. They go wider via Grandmother Willow - Ancient Advisor cost reduction enabling a turn 3 Tramp line. Your advantage is Ruby removal: Dragon Fire the first 2-lore Dog quester to land. Watch for Under the Sea as a one-sided sweeper around turn 5 (it puts every 2-strength-or-less opposing character on the bottom of their deck); don't overextend past 5 questers in one turn.

vs. Amethyst/Steel Challengers (Favorable): Watch for: Strength of a Raging Fire, Beast - Snowfield Troublemaker Their removal scales with their own board, not yours, so it lags your turn 1 through 3 flood. Strength of a Raging Fire on turn 3 with 2 of their bodies in play deals 2 damage, clearing your 1-willpower 1-cost characters but not Aurora or Pluto. Lore-race past turn 5 before their Location and Challenger plan stabilizes.

vs. Amber/Steel Steelsong (Favorable): Watch for: Angel - Experiment 624, He Hurled His Thunderbolt Songs are slower than direct lore. Rhino - Power Hamster Resist +2 doesn't matter to your questers (you are not attacking). Their plan peaks at turn 5 or later with Angel - Experiment 624 scaling; you need to be at 15+ lore by then. He Hurled His Thunderbolt clears 2 of your questers but you replay faster than they can sweep.

vs. Ruby/Sapphire Control (Favorable): Watch for: Maui - Hero to All, A Pirate's Life Their game plan starts at 4 to 5 ink while you are at 12+ lore. Maui - Hero to All is a 4-cost Challenger that arrives a full turn after you should have closed. Don't play 3-cost characters without a 1-cost already questing. Single-target removal can't keep up with a wide board if you lead with the cheap stuff.

vs. Mirror (Amber/Ruby Aggro) (Even): Watch for: Aurora - Holding Court, Dragon Fire Pure speed. Whoever lands a turn 1 1-cost AND Aurora - Holding Court by turn 2 gets a turn ahead. Dragon Fire their first 2-lore body when it lands. Removing a 2-lore quester immediately is worth more than saving Dragon Fire for "later" in this matchup. Don't challenge a 1-willpower quester into another 1-willpower quester (you both die for no lore swing); let them burn challenges into your questers and replay.

Against challenger-heavy opponents (opponents with efficient 2-cost Challenger characters that kill your 1-to-2 willpower questers): swap 2 copies of Stitch - Alien Dancer for 2 copies of Rapunzel - Sunshine. Problem solved: questers dying before they generate lore. Rapunzel's 1-strength, 4-willpower body survives challenges that kill Stitch.

Against control-heavy opponents (Let It Go, defensive shells with high-willpower blockers): swap 1 copy of Lost in the Woods for 1 extra Dragon Fire. When opponents play high-willpower characters, direct removal beats a board-wide strength debuff.

Infinity-format upgrade path (the Infinity format allows pre-Core sets and never rotates). Swap 4 copies of Pluto - Friendly Pooch for 4 copies of Stitch - New Dog (Set 1), 3 copies of Aurora - Holding Court and 1 copy of Higgins - Undercover Officer for 4 copies of HeiHei - Boat Snack (Set 1), 2 copies of Rapunzel - Sunshine for 2 copies of Sleepy - Nodding Off (Set 2), 2 copies of Stitch - Alien Dancer for 2 copies of LeFou - Bumbler (Set 1), 2 copies of Jim Dear - Beloved Husband for 2 copies of Dinglehopper (Set 1). Trades defensive stats for more 2-lore bodies and item utility. Infinity-legal forever.

Outlook. This deck is Core-legal through Set 13. Two card releases would shift this list: any new 2-cost, 2-lore character with 2 strength and 3+ willpower in Set 12 Wilds Unknown would directly upgrade Grandmother Fa - Spirited Elder (her 1 strength, 1 willpower stats are the weakest 2-cost link). Any new 1-cost, 2-lore character would be transformational (the deck currently caps 1-cost characters at 1 lore). Either way, the Infinity format never rotates, so this list stays Infinity-legal forever even after a Core rotation.