Princess Power: Strategy Guide

Inspired by blackthespianqueen's "Princess Power!" on Dreamborn.

Princess tribal, wide board, with a hidden Support engine. A 60-card Amber/Sapphire deck that wins through sheer 2-lore density: this list runs many characters at 2 lore. The board floods, the opponent can't remove them all, and you out-lore them turn by turn.

The hidden engine: Princess + Support synergy. Three of your characters have the Support keyword: Eilonwy - Princess of Llyr, Mulan - Free Spirit, and Tiana - Warm and Happy. Support means: whenever this character quests, you may add their strength to another chosen character's strength this turn. So a Support character quests for lore AND pumps a teammate for a combat trade. Then The Great Illuminary - Radiant Ballroom turns this into an engine: any character with Support gets +1 lore AND +2 willpower while at the location. Mulan at the Great Illuminary quests for 3 lore (2 base + 1 location buff), survives behind 5 willpower (3 base + 2 location buff), AND pumps a teammate's strength via Support. That is the most efficient quester in the deck.

Three key turns:

• Turn 2: play Aurora - Regal Princess. A 2-cost, 2-strength, 2-willpower, 2-lore Sapphire character. The single best 2-cost in the deck. She quests for 2 lore starting turn 3.
• Turn 4: second 2-lore quester lands. Snow White - Fairest in the Land, Anna - True-Hearted, Cinderella - Gentle and Kind, or Tiana - Warm and Happy. End of turn 4 you are questing for 4 to 6 lore that turn.
• Turn 6: top-end or location online. Moana - Of Motunui (3-lore closer that also readies your other Princesses on quest) OR Motunui - Island Paradise (1-lore-per-turn AND turns banished characters into your own inkwell) OR The Great Illuminary - Radiant Ballroom (the Support buff engine). Past turn 7, this deck out-paces almost any opponent.

Quest first, challenge only when forced. Princesses are questers, not fighters. A 2-lore Princess questing for 3 turns generates 6 lore; the same Princess dying in a challenge generates 0.

Snow White - Fairest in the Land is unchallengeable. Her HIDDEN AWAY ability says "This character can't be challenged." Period. Once she lands she quests for 2 lore every turn forever, untouchable by any opposing character. Always protect her with combat answers; she is the deck's safest lore generator.

The two locations, used correctly:

• Motunui - Island Paradise (2 cost Sapphire, 5 willpower, 1 lore, move cost 1). Generates 1 lore per turn if a character is at it. REINCARNATION: whenever ANY character is banished while at this location, you may put that card into YOUR inkwell facedown and exerted. So if an opposing character is banished while at Motunui (via your removal or a combat trade), you get them as ink. Convert opposing losses into your ramp.
• The Great Illuminary - Radiant Ballroom (3 cost Sapphire, 9 willpower, 0 lore, move cost 2). Does NOT generate its own lore. WARM WELCOME: Support characters get +1 lore AND +2 willpower while at this location. Move Eilonwy, Mulan, or Tiana here to unlock the engine.

Matchup role. Slower deck against aggressive opponents (Anna - Braving the Storm absorbs hits while density out-lores them from turn 5 onward). Faster deck against slow midrange (flood the board so their removal can't keep up). In the Let It Go mirror you are the deck that runs out of gas last.

Two opening keeps.

• Option 1. Curve keep (default on the play): a 1-cost Princess plus a 2-cost Princess plus a 3-cost Princess. 1-cost: Aurora - Holding Court or Eilonwy - Princess of Llyr. 2-cost: Aurora - Regal Princess or Anna - Braving the Storm. 3-cost: Mulan - Free Spirit, Li Shang - Seasoned Strategist, or Belle - Inventive Engineer. You start questing turn 2 at 2 lore per turn from turn 3 onward.
• Option 2. Engine keep (default on the draw): Be Our Guest (a 2-ink Amber song that looks at the top 4 cards of your deck and may reveal a character to put into your hand) plus any 2-cost character plus a 4 or 5 cost Princess (Snow White - Fairest in the Land, Anna - True-Hearted, Moana - Of Motunui). Digs for the right gear when you are a turn behind on draw.

On the play vs. on the draw:

• On the play: prefer Option 1. You are already on curve, the 2-lore engine pays off immediately.
• On the draw: prefer Option 2. The tutor finds your 2-cost. Be Our Guest on turn 2 plus a 2-cost character already in hand puts you on curve even going second.

Conditional keeps:

• Be Our Guest: keep when you have a 3+ cost card behind it. Always play turn 2 if in hand.
• Trials and Tribulations: a 2-cost Amber song that gives chosen character -4 strength until your next turn. Keep versus known aggressive opponents. Slams a 3-strength threat down to -1 strength (it can't attack profitably). Not a card filter or tutor.
• Anna - Braving the Storm: 2 cost, 1 strength, 4 willpower, 1 lore. Keep versus aggressive opponents. 4 willpower absorbs challenges while still questing for 1 lore (or 2 with another Hero on board via I WAS BORN READY).
• Heal What Has Been Hurt: a 3-cost Amber song that removes up to 3 damage from chosen character AND draws you a card. Keep in opening hand versus aggressive opponents; otherwise put it into your inkwell.

Never keep: hands with no characters under 3 ink, Let It Go (5-cost song, dead in an opening hand), and 5-cost characters alone like Moana - Of Motunui, Rapunzel - Creative Captor, or Maid Marian - Delightful Dreamer without a lower-cost curve around them.

Ideal turn 1 through 4 line. Turn 1: play Aurora - Holding Court. Turn 2: play Aurora - Regal Princess (she quests for 2 from turn 3). Turn 3: play Mulan - Free Spirit. Turn 4: play Snow White - Fairest in the Land. End of turn 4 you are at 7 lore on board, no combos required.

1-cost openers. Play turn 1, quest starting turn 2:

• Aurora - Holding Court: 1 cost, 1 strength, 2 willpower, 1 lore, Amber inkable, Hero/Princess. ROYAL WELCOME: whenever she quests, you pay 1 ink less for the next Princess or Queen character you play this turn. Quest her turn 2, then play The Queen - Regal Monarch (a Queen) or another Princess for 1 ink less the same turn. Note: Aurora's discount only triggers on Princess and Queen subtypes (Isabela Madrigal in other decks is NOT a Princess and does not benefit).
• Eilonwy - Princess of Llyr: 1 cost, 2 strength, 1 willpower, 1 lore, Amber inkable, Ally/Princess. Support (whenever she quests, you may add her 1 strength to another chosen character's strength this turn). Alternative turn 1 play. Her 2 strength trades into early opposing challengers better than Aurora's 1, AND when she quests she can pump a teammate's strength for a combat trade the same turn. Pair her with The Great Illuminary - Radiant Ballroom for +1 lore on quest and +2 willpower.

2-lore 2-cost characters, the core:

• Aurora - Regal Princess: 2 cost, 2 strength, 2 willpower, 2 lore, Sapphire inkable, vanilla (no ability). The single most important 2-cost character. 2 lore at 2 ink is the rate every curve slot wants. Play turn 2; she quests for 2 from turn 3 onward.
• Anna - Braving the Storm: 2 cost, 1 strength, 4 willpower, 1 lore, Sapphire inkable, Hero/Queen. The defensive alternative facing aggressive opponents. I WAS BORN READY: gains +1 lore while another Hero is in play (almost always true here, including Aurora - Holding Court). 4 willpower absorbs challenges. Prefer Aurora - Regal Princess in non-aggressive matchups; Anna - Braving the Storm in aggressive matchups.

3-cost central pieces, play turn 3, quest for 2 from turn 4 onward:

• Mulan - Free Spirit: 3 cost, 2 strength, 3 willpower, 2 lore, Amber inkable, Hero/Princess. Support (whenever she quests, you may add her 2 strength to another chosen character's strength this turn). Above-rate at the 3-cost slot AND pumps a teammate for combat trades. At The Great Illuminary - Radiant Ballroom, she becomes a 3-lore quester with 5 willpower.
• Li Shang - Seasoned Strategist: 3 cost, 2 strength, 4 willpower, 2 lore, Sapphire inkable, vanilla (no ability). Higher willpower than Mulan, same lore rate.
• Belle - Inventive Engineer: 3 cost, 2 strength, 3 willpower, 2 lore, Sapphire inkable, Hero/Princess/Inventor. TINKER: whenever she quests, you pay 1 ink less for the next item you play this turn. Combined with Queen's Sensor Core in this deck (an item), she discounts your Sensor Core deployment. Third 3-cost option, with a small item-cost discount stapled on.

4-cost 2-lore payoffs:

• Snow White - Fairest in the Land: 4 cost, 2 strength, 2 willpower, 2 lore, Amber inkable, Hero/Princess. HIDDEN AWAY: this character can't be challenged. Period. Unchallengeable. Once she lands, she quests for 2 lore every turn forever; no opposing character can stop her. The safest 2-lore quester in any Lorcana deck.
• Cinderella - Gentle and Kind: 4 cost, 2 strength, 5 willpower, 2 lore, Amber inkable, Hero/Princess. Singer 5 (counts as cost 5 for the purpose of singing songs, so she can sing Let It Go for free without needing an actual 5+ cost character). A WONDERFUL DREAM: exert her to remove up to 3 damage from chosen Princess character. So she is a healer for damaged Princesses AND a free-sing for Let It Go. Two tools on a 5-willpower body.
• Tiana - Warm and Happy: 4 cost, 3 strength, 4 willpower, 2 lore, Amber inkable, Hero/Princess. Support (when she quests, you may add her 3 strength to another chosen character's strength this turn). Above-rate stats AND pumps a teammate by +3 strength on quest (massive combat enabler).
• Anna - True-Hearted: 4 cost, 2 strength, 4 willpower, 2 lore, Sapphire inkable, Hero/Queen/Knight. LET ME HELP YOU: whenever she quests, your other Hero characters get +1 lore this turn. Almost every character in this deck is a Hero, so when Anna - True-Hearted quests and other Heroes quest the same turn afterwards, each gains +1 extra lore that turn. A 6-lore turn becomes 9. The hidden lore-amplifier.

5-cost closers:

• Moana - Of Motunui: 5 cost, 1 strength, 6 willpower, 3 lore, Amber inkable, Hero/Princess. WE CAN FIX IT: whenever she quests, you may ready your other Princess characters; they can't quest for the rest of this turn. So she quests for 3 lore AND unsticks your already-exerted Princesses so they can challenge. Use her readying effect on a turn you need combat answers. Her 1 strength can't trade, but her teammates can challenge once readied.
• Rapunzel - Creative Captor: 5 cost, 3 strength, 6 willpower, 2 lore, Sapphire inkable, Hero/Princess. ENSNARL: when you play this character, chosen opposing character gets -3 strength this turn. Lands as a removal trick (drop an opposing 3-strength quester to 0 strength) AND a 6-willpower wall.
• Maid Marian - Delightful Dreamer: 5 cost, 4 strength, 4 willpower, 2 lore, Sapphire inkable, Princess. HIGHBORN LADY: when you play this character, chosen character gets -2 strength this turn. Same on-entry combat trick as Rapunzel - Creative Captor (a smaller -2 instead of -3), on an aggressive 4-strength body.

Locations:

• Motunui - Island Paradise: 2 cost, 5 willpower, 1 lore, move cost 1, Sapphire. Generates 1 lore per turn while a character is at it. REINCARNATION: whenever ANY character is banished while at this location (yours OR opposing), you may put that card into YOUR inkwell facedown and exerted. So opposing banishments at Motunui become your ink. Effectively converts removal into ramp.
• The Great Illuminary - Radiant Ballroom: 3 cost, 9 willpower, 0 lore, move cost 2, Sapphire. Does NOT generate its own lore. WARM WELCOME: Support characters get +1 lore AND +2 willpower while at this location. Move Eilonwy, Mulan, or Tiana here for the engine. (You CAN move non-Support characters here too; they just don't get the buff.)

Songs and actions:

• Trials and Tribulations: 2 cost Amber song. Chosen character gets -4 strength until your next turn. Combat-removal-via-debuff. Slams a 3-strength threat down to -1 (they can't attack profitably). Sung free by any 2+ cost character.
• Be Our Guest: 3 cost Amber song. Look at the top 4 cards of your deck; you may reveal a character card and put it into your hand. The rest go on the bottom of your deck. The deck's primary character tutor. Sung free by any 2+ cost character.
• Heal What Has Been Hurt: 3 cost Amber song. Remove up to 3 damage from chosen character AND draw a card. A heal that also replaces itself. Sung free by any 3+ cost character.
• Or Rewrite History!: 3 cost Amber song. Return a character card from your discard to your hand. Recursion for a lost quester. Sung free by any 3+ cost character.
• Ever as Before: 2 cost Sapphire song. Remove up to 2 damage from any number of chosen characters. Multi-target heal. Sung free by any 2+ cost character.
• Let It Go: 5 cost Sapphire song. Put chosen character into their player's inkwell facedown and exerted. Single-target soft removal. Sung free by any 5+ cost character OR by Cinderella - Gentle and Kind via Singer 5 (counts as 5 for singing purposes).
• Queen's Sensor Core: 2 cost Amber item, inkable. SYMBOL OF NOBILITY: at the start of your turn, if you have a Princess or Queen character in play, gain 1 lore. ROYAL SEARCH (tap and pay 2 ink): reveal top card of your deck; if it's a Princess or Queen, you may put it into your hand. Passive 1 lore per turn AND a card-filter activated ability.

vs. Amethyst/Sapphire Evasive (Even): Watch for: Dumbo - Ninth Wonder of the Universe, Hades - Looking for a Deal Width race against Evasive characters you can't block. Your 2-lore density races their engine in the first 5 turns. But Dumbo - Ninth Wonder of the Universe drawing 2 or 3 cards each turn is the engine you can't out-pace late. Let It Go tucks Dumbo cleanly into their inkwell. Either pay the song's full 5 ink, or have Cinderella - Gentle and Kind sing it for free via her Singer 5 ability. Don't challenge into their Evasive characters; quest past them and out-lore them.

vs. Amber/Emerald Aggro (Unfavorable): Watch for: Tramp - Street-Smart Dog, Under the Sea Their wide Evasive flood undercuts your wide-board math before your density kicks in. Mulligan hard for Anna - Braving the Storm plus Heal What Has Been Hurt: her 4 willpower absorbs challenges while you build up the character count advantage. Watch for Under the Sea as a one-sided board reset (it puts every opposing 2-strength-or-less character on the bottom of their deck); don't deploy 5 or more Princesses on the same turn until they've spent their Under the Sea copies.

vs. Amethyst/Steel Challengers (Favorable): Watch for: Beast - Snowfield Troublemaker, Strength of a Raging Fire Their removal scales with their own board, which lags your wider flood. Strength of a Raging Fire deals damage equal to characters they have in play; it clears your 2-willpower 2-cost characters but not Cinderella - Gentle and Kind (5 willpower) or Anna - True-Hearted (4 willpower). Push past their Challenger trades with raw character count, and let Be Our Guest refuel your hand after each clear.

vs. Amber/Steel Steelsong (Favorable): Watch for: He Hurled His Thunderbolt, Angel - Experiment 624 Their songs are slower than your raw 2-lore density. Anna - True-Hearted's LET ME HELP YOU stacks +1 lore on every other Hero this turn; a 6-lore turn becomes 9. They cannot keep pace. He Hurled His Thunderbolt (4 damage to chosen character) clears 2 of your 2-willpower characters per cast, but you replay through Be Our Guest tutoring.

vs. Ruby/Sapphire Control (Even): Watch for: Maui - Hero to All, A Pirate's Life Their hard-removal threatens your top-end (Moana - Of Motunui, Maid Marian - Delightful Dreamer), but they cannot single-target your whole 30+ character density. The Great Illuminary - Radiant Ballroom plus a Support character at the location plus Motunui - Island Paradise generate lore their removal can't easily disrupt. Accept their single-target trades and out-pace via raw character count.

Against aggressive-heavy opponents (Lore Rush plus 20 Lore in 20 Seconds dominating your local meta): swap 2 copies of Maid Marian - Delightful Dreamer for 2 copies of Anna - Braving the Storm (max copies). The problem this solves: aggressive decks punish your low-willpower 2-cost characters. More 4-willpower bodies = more answers to their opening pressure.

Against control-heavy opponents (Let It Go variants, slow Sapphire decks): swap 1 copy of Let It Go for 1 copy of Or Rewrite History!. When opponents play defensive tall-willpower shells, recursion (return a Princess from your discard to your hand) beats single-target soft removal.

Against location-heavy opponents: cut both copies of Queen's Sensor Core for additional removal at the higher cost slot. Sensor Core's passive 1 lore per turn is worth less when opponents have their own location lore sources.

Tier 1 upgrade ($5 to $10): max copies of Mulan - Free Spirit plus max copies of Snow White - Fairest in the Land, plus Enchanted-art alternate printings on the Auroras. Pure 2-lore density boost; the deck's central strategy is maximized with max copies of the 2-lore 3-cost and 4-cost characters.

Tier 3 upgrade ($15 to $30): swap 2 copies of Belle - Inventive Engineer plus 2 copies of Maid Marian - Delightful Dreamer for Set 12 Wilds Unknown Princess releases. Watch for any new 2-cost, 2-lore Princess as a direct stackmate for Aurora - Regal Princess.

Outlook. Core-legal through Set 13 rotation. No near-term rotation risk on the central card slots. Any new 2-lore 3-cost Princess with Ward (can't be chosen by an opposing effect) or Rush (can challenge the turn played) would be a major upgrade. The Infinity format never rotates, so this list also stays Infinity-legal forever (buy once, play forever if you skip Core tournaments).