Since Lorcana released, I have been very invested in checking out each new chapter, because with each one comes some amazing art. Winterspell is the next chapter in series and puts a frozen spin on events, as a cold snap has impacted the design of everything. Of course, as it is a new chapter there are a host of new series getting a chance to enjoy the spotlight and some of them were surprises.

Each chapter has a new catalyst for the events that are taking place and this one is due to an Elsa glimmer losing control and much like in the movie, snow ends up everywhere. By everywhere we mean it, as the new cards include some familiar faces like Lilo and Stitch, but now on the snow-covered shores of Hawaii, or Darkwing Duck and the city of St. Canard, but now with snow among the roofs and streets. Newer additions to the series include Pocahontas and Fox and the Hound. Much like Disney Infinity, there is a cohesive theme that connects all of these cards and it is the snow, but it is not the normal snow you might expect to see. The snow was created by a Glimmer, which are made from ink and light, so their interactions with the world match that.

What this means is that for Winterspell, there is a sense of unease to the snow, it is still white and at a small glance you will likely not think anything of it, but the more you look, the more unease you will sense. Now characters like Pocahontas or The Fox and the Hound, they have snow in their worlds, so it is not unlikely to see them in it, but seeing Stitch snowboarding or Jumba and a host of experiments playing in the snow, when all those characters call Hawaii home, that triggers the vibe of something not quite right. This carries over into how the ice mingles into each shot, snow and ice go hand in hand after all, but here the ice is sharper looking and more jaggered. Once you notice this, you will be hard pressed not to see it and of course, it begs the question, what is really going on.

Now those who are fully invested in the lore of Lorcana will find that out as they play, so I won’t put my thoughts down here. But what I will talk about are the cards, because again they feature some amazing art and this time, picking a few favourites was much harder. One of the first ones I got was the Goofy – Klutzy Skier, which was drawn by Louise Jones. This was one of new style of cards that drops the border from around the art, letting more of it shine through. In fact a number of the foil cards were quite delightful to see reflect under the light, even Amos Slade looks good in foil.

For those non-foil cards, the two that really stood out to me were the Jumba Jookiba and Let’s Get Dangerous. The former features Jumba playing in the snow with a host of experiments, including experiment 625 aka Reuben. That card was drawn by Leonardo Giammichele and shows off a playful side of the character that is not often seen, or never seen in the case of the live action version. The latter of the two, Let’s Get Dangerous, shows off Darkwing Duck as he engages in a battle with Megavolt, QuackerJack, Bushroot and Negaduck. The last one also had their own card which showed off just how evil they can be, look at the eyes and you will see it. The ensemble card was designed by French Carlomagno and gives off the vibe that Duckwing might be in over their beak, with that group of dastardly foes.

One of the series I was surprised to see get a look in here was Mickey's Christmas Carol, mostly because all the others that were known, were either snow-adjacent or not connected to it. Mickey's Christmas Carol is set in the Winter months of the north and the movie has snow in almost every shot, it is tied to that season. What was enjoyable about their inclusion was that many of the cards reminded me of moments in the movie, Scrooge walking past folks asking for some coin, Minnie inside baking and cleaning up the house and even Mickey walking down the street with Tiny Tim on his shoulders. If the folks at Ravensburger wanted to be lazy, they could have easily taken stills from the movie and used those, but these are all new drawings, and yet they still evoke that same sense of delight that the movie does.

I would be remiss not to mention some of the new Enchanted cards, which feature some amazing art. In fact, the art style here reminds me of some of the early design work from Frozen, not in the sense that the characters are from there, well excluding Else of course. No what I mean is that they have this Nordic art vibe to them, with more easily defined lines and a simple design that still registers as something important. I don’t believe I will ever get my hands on one of these cards myself, but anyone who does will have something special in their deck.

For those that play Lorcana, Winterspell could be a game changer as the story has potential to be something special, the changes to the way some cards can be played is big. The art on the cards continues to be amazing and the countless artists who design these cards are again proving why I love what is present, because even if I don’t like a character, looking at you Amos, the art for them is still incredible. Winterspell is a more approachable set, but this one does not have a starter set like the rest. Anyone who is continuing their adventure will find some great cards and hopefully some great ways to enjoy the game going forward.

Lorcana Winterspell is available now, you can get your set from a few retailers like Disney Store, Ravensburger Store, EB Games, Good Games and other specialty card game stores.