Important Tips I Learned About Lorcana Sealed During The Reign of Jafar Prerelease

Sealed events in Lorcana are a great way to sharpen your fundamentals, especially for newer players or casual fans looking to build real in-game experience without worrying about having the perfect deck. I recently joined a Reign of Jafar prerelease, and while I didn’t walk away with a tournament win (my friend and I decided to just split the finals prize :D), I did learn a lot about how this format works—and what really matters when you’re opening random packs and building on the spot.

Here are the most important things I picked up that might help you the next time you dive into a Lorcana Sealed event.

Playing Something Every Turn is Crucial

Lorcana, in general, rewards early tempo—but in Sealed, that tempo snowballs fast. If you miss playing a character in the first three turns, it’s really easy to fall behind in board presence. Your opponent starts Questing early, and suddenly you’re forced into reactive plays just to catch up.

Even a weak early drop can be better than nothing, because in Sealed, keeping bodies on board helps you maintain some control and trade more effectively later on.

In This Format, Stats > Flashy Effects

Characters with no abilities (a.k.a. vanilla characters) might look boring in a Constructed deck, but in Sealed, they’re low-key MVPs. Why? Because Sealed is full of challenge-based gameplay. You’re constantly trying to get favorable trades, and that means Strength and Willpower numbers matter more than anything. Sometimes, though, you get gifted with bomb cards that both have good stats and abilities – in which case, lucky you, go play them!

Of the two, Willpower is arguably more important. A character that can survive multiple challenges gets you more value over time. Strength matters too, but if you’re trading 1-for-1 and still losing board control, you’re going to struggle. Lore gain is often secondary—you only get to Quest consistently when you’re already ahead on board anyway.

Evasive and Rush Are Premium Keywords

Most keywords in Sealed are nice-to-haves. But Evasive and Rush? They’re game-changers.

Evasive characters tend to be smaller, but because your opponent can’t easily interact with them, they get to Quest relatively safely until another Evasive card shows up on the other side. That extra Lore can add up quickly.
Rush punishes Exerted characters. It gives you the power to pick favorable trades the moment a card hits the board. When everyone’s trying to survive trades and stay ahead, getting to act immediately is huge.

If you pull any cards with either of these two keywords, prioritize them highly.

Forget Fancy Combos—Simple Synergies Win

Don’t get too caught up trying to build wild combos from your Reign of Jafar cards. The truth is, most of the time you won’t have the luxury of pulling off multi-card or expensive setups. Instead, look for straightforward abilities that synergize well together.

Cards that can Exert, Resist, or provide buffs to allies can swing a board in your favor. When a game stalls—and they often do in Sealed—a couple of simple combat-based abilities used correctly can break the deadlock.

Items Are Strong (But Only the Right Ones)

Items are generally great value in Reign of Jafar Sealed because they don’t usually leave the board. But not all Items are created equal. The best ones either help you break through board stalls, like giving Exert/Resist, or provide lasting advantage through consistent triggers.

Don’t be afraid to include a few strong Items—but skip the ones that are too slow or situational. Do include at least 1 item removal, though, as some items in Reign of Jafar Sealed are quite powerful in the format.

Manage Your Uninkables

This is a classic Sealed tip, but one worth repeating in Reign of Jafar: be mindful of how many Uninkable cards you include. A few powerful ones can help you secure the win, but too many and you risk clogging your hand in the early turns, forcing you to Ink away cards you would’ve rather played later.

Remember: It’s Okay to Just Enjoy the Packs

One of the best things about prereleases is that they’re always fun. There’s no competitive pressure. You don’t need to have a deep understanding of the meta. You just crack packs, build something on the fly, and see what happens.

That unpredictability is part of what makes Sealed so refreshing. You’ll try cards you wouldn’t normally play. You’ll discover new synergies. And best of all—you’ll improve as a player… while getting new cards and hopefully opening an Enchanted!

If you’ve never joined a Lorcana Sealed event before, I highly recommend giving it a try. It’s a great way to experience the game’s mechanics more deeply, and it’s arguably the most fun way to learn and connect with your local community.

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