Pack Rush is an official way to play Disney Lorcana with almost no preparation. Each player opens two boosters and immediately turns their contents into a small deck. It is not a shortened Starter Deck or normal deck construction: a few setup rules change so cards from several inks can work together.
If you want a product for Constructed play, use our Starter Deck, booster or Trove Pack guide. This article focuses only on setting up and playing Pack Rush correctly.
What each player needs
Each person needs two unopened Disney Lorcana booster packs. They may come from the same set or different sets. You also need clear zones for deck, discard and inkwell, a lore counter, and damage counters.
Choose the first player before opening. Open both packs without looking through the cards, set aside the marketing or puzzle cards, and shuffle every playable card together as your deck.
| Element | Pack Rush | Constructed play |
|---|---|---|
| Deck | Contents of two boosters | Prepared list |
| Ink restriction | None for deck building | One or two inks under normal rules |
| Starting ink | Two marketing or puzzle cards | No cards placed in advance |
| Goal | Reach 15 lore | Reach 20 lore |
| Empty deck | Shuffle the discard pile | Normal loss rule applies |
Turn marketing cards into ink
The two marketing or puzzle cards become your first two ink cards. Put them face down and ready in your inkwell. They are not part of the deck and have no other text. This ensures both players begin with resources even when the opened cards contain few naturally inkable options.
Use only the two cards removed from your own boosters. For the difference between ready, exerted and drying, see our guide to ready, exerted and drying.
Build the deck and opening hand
- Open two boosters without checking their contents first.
- Remove both marketing or puzzle cards.
- Shuffle every playable card together to form the deck.
- Put the two removed cards face down and ready in the inkwell.
- Set both lore counters to zero.
- Draw five cards and use the permitted hand alteration.
For the hand alteration, once only, set aside any cards you wish to replace without revealing them, draw the same number, then shuffle the set-aside cards back into the deck. Look for a hand that can use the two starting ink and continue developing resources.
What changes during play
Normal Disney Lorcana rules apply except for Pack Rush adjustments. The first player to reach fifteen lore wins. Because the target is lower, every quest matters and a character generating several lore can demand an immediate response.
There is no ink-colour restriction for building the Pack Rush deck: play every card you opened. Printed costs and conditions remain unchanged. You still pay costs, respect drying and choose legal targets. Use our guide to reading a Disney Lorcana card when checking symbols.
If you need to draw from an empty deck, shuffle your discard pile to create a new deck. Keep the discard pile clearly separated from the inkwell so this can happen without confusion.
The Poke-Geek first-turn routine
- Read before inking: identify difficult costs and late-game cards.
- Keep a curve: retain at least one early play rather than only spectacular cards.
- Count lore: calculate what the opponent can gain next turn.
- Quest or challenge: challenge only when removing a threat is worth more than your lore gain.
Pack Rush has more randomness than a prepared deck, but the decisions remain clear. Take a moment after shuffling to inspect costs and effects that require a specific character or card type.
Common mistakes
Building a two-ink deck
Pack Rush removes the ink restriction for deck construction. Do not remove cards of a third colour.
Putting marketing cards in the deck
They begin face down as ready ink. They are not drawn and have no effect text.
Playing to twenty lore
The Pack Rush target is fifteen. Announce it before the game.
Losing when the deck is empty
In this format, the discard pile becomes a new deck when a draw is required.
Ignoring normal rules
Costs, drying, questing, challenges and abilities still follow Lorcana rules unless the Pack Rush sheet says otherwise.
Setup checklist
- two unopened boosters per player;
- a first player chosen;
- all playable cards shuffled;
- two marketing or puzzle cards placed as ready ink;
- a five-card opening hand altered no more than once;
- lore at zero and the target announced as fifteen;
- deck, discard and inkwell clearly separated.
When you want to move to a prepared list, browse the Poke-Geek Disney Lorcana collection and use the beginner guide to choose your next format.
Ready for a quick game? Take two boosters per player, turn the marketing cards into starting ink and complete the checklist before revealing your hand.