INKDEX
Lorcana Deck Archetype

Amethyst / SteelHard Control · Disrupt then banish

One of Lorcana's premier control archetypes. Amethyst's bounce and exert effects soften threats; Steel's banish actions remove them permanently. The deck has answers to almost everything — fast aggro, midrange threats, value engines — and closes with Steel's heaviest finishers once the board is empty.

What each ink brings

Top cards from each ink

The pieces you'll see in nearly every Amethyst/Steel decklist. Click through for full card details and current prices.

The gameplan

Amethyst/Steel is a hard control deck. The plan unfolds across the early, mid, and late game.

Sample 60-card decklist

A representative tournament-style shell. Quantities are starting points — most lists swap a few flex slots based on the local meta.

Estimated cost ~$318
Tier Mid-budget
Total cards 60

Strengths & weaknesses

Strengths

  • Hardest matchup for aggro decks
  • Multiple removal types — answers to almost any threat
  • Multiple win conditions — Elsa, Beast, Mrs. Incredible
  • Banish actions are game-winning vs midrange

Weaknesses

  • Slow — must survive turns 1–5
  • Limited card draw — can run out of answers
  • Boring to play against (some find it boring to play with too)

Matchup notes

Rough guide to how Amethyst/Steel performs against the most common archetypes you'll meet at events.

Favored
vs Amber/Ruby aggro — Banish + Bodyguard shuts down their pressure.
Favored
vs Emerald/Ruby tempo — Removal clears their board faster than they can replay.
Even
vs Sapphire/Steel item-control — Card-draw vs removal; depends on their item resilience.
Even
vs Amber/Steel midrange — Mirror-ish; whoever resolves their turn-7 finisher first wins.
Unfavored
vs Amethyst/Sapphire card draw — Their hand never runs out; you can't answer everything.
Unfavored
vs Ruby/Amethyst burn — They race you with damage before you stabilize.

Other ink combos to explore

Each of the 14 other dual-ink combinations has its own personality.