Disney Lorcana trading card game’s launch set will be reprinted due to high demand

Disney Lorcana, the novel new trading card game, is a hit. The TCG launched at local game stores on Aug. 18 and, later, at select retail stores inside some Disney theme parks. But just one day ahead of its wider release at big box stores like Best Buy, scalpers are making a mint on the secondary market. That’s lead publisher Ravensburger to announce a reprint to meet demand.

On Thursday, clearly in the hope of quelling mounting discontent, the German maker of puzzles, toys, and board games announced the reprint on social media. It’s going to be a little while, however. The company said that additional booster packs of random cards should be making their way to stores by October. Meanwhile, a full reprint of the collection of more than 200 cards titled The First Chapter is not expected to reach the United States any earlier than the first quarter of 2024.

What that means for the busy holiday shopping season is unclear.

The primary way for new players to get into Disney Lorcana is through the purchase of a starter deck — a preconstructed set of 60 cards built around a singular strategy. Those decks are supposed to sell for just $16.99, but at time of publication they’re listed on eBay’s TCGPlayer with a “market price” of more than $30. That means that scalpers — or unscrupulous local game stores — are inflating the price of these decks in order to turn a higher profit. Fulfillment means hoarding inventory, and that hoarding in turn eats away at the available stock for those who simply want to play the game with friends and family.

Things only get worse when you’re looking at big ticket items like the Illumineer’s Trove gift set, which should only cost $49.99. TCGPlayer lists its market price as $139.90. A box of 24 booster packs? Should be somewhere around $144. Instead, its market price is $298.

“Our goal is for fans to be able to purchase and enjoy the Disney Lorcana TCG product at the suggested retail price,” Ravensburger said in a statement shared with Polygon, “and we will continue to take steps to ensure a level of availability and quality that keeps the market healthy for both collectors and players.”

Of course, this is nothing new for modern trading card games. During the pandemic the secondary TCG market exploded as folks locked up in their homes started looking for fast cash in their basements and attics. But card prices hit an all-time high in August when rapper Post Malone purchased a rare card for Magic: The Gathering for a cool $2 million.

But Magic is a game with a rich, 30-year history and tens of thousands of different cards produced in that time. Disney Lorcana is just a few weeks old, with just a handful of products. Cranking up production will help, but it remains to be seen how well the game grows from here.

If you’d like to try your hand at Disney Lorcana, your best bet is to make a call to your local game store and see if they’ve got a waiting list for when new product comes in. Otherwise, the gates will open online and in person starting Friday Sept. 1 at Best Buy, on the Shop Disney website, and at Miniature Market’s online storefront.