WHAT ARE ZONE TYPES?
In Disney Lorcana, a zone refers to a physical or nonphysical space used for gameplay purposes. Importantly, all zones are considered separate from one another, even if they physically occupy the same area. Understanding the different zones and how cards move between them is crucial for playing Disney Lorcana correctly.
There are two main categories of zones:
Public Zones: Cards in a public zone are publicly known. Players can look at or count the cards in any public zone at any time. The public zones are:
Play: This is where your characters, items, and locations are played. Only these card types can be in the Play zone. It is a public zone.
Inkwell: This is where players put cards with the inkwell symbol {C} to use as ink to pay for other cards. Each card in the inkwell counts as 1 {I}. It is a public zone.
Discard: This is the single faceup pile where actions are put after resolving and where other cards are put after being banished from play or discarded from the hand. It is a public zone. Players can look at and count the cards in any player's discard pile at any time. A player can also look at and rearrange the cards in their own discard pile.
Private Zones: Cards in a private zone aren't publicly known. Players can't look at them unless directed by a game rule or effect (e.g., drawing a card). Players can count the number of cards in a private zone at any time. While a private zone is revealed, it’s not considered private. The private zones are:
Deck: This is where players hold the cards they may use in a game. Cards in the deck remain facedown at all times, and players cannot look at or change the order of cards in their decks during a game. Players can count the remaining cards in any player's deck.
Hand: This is the zone where cards drawn by a player are held. There is no maximum hand size, but it can't have fewer than 0 cards. Players discard cards from their hand to their discard pile.
There is also a nonphysical zone called:
Bag: This isn't a physical space but is where triggered abilities created by the game wait to resolve. Only triggered abilities can be added to the bag. You can think of it as a place to put "marbles" (triggered abilities) until they are resolved. A player can look through the bag to select the one they wish to resolve next.
Other important rules regarding zones:
Moving between zones: Whenever one or more cards would leave play, the game first checks if any abilities would trigger from them or others leaving play. If a card enters a private zone from play, any information on or connection to the original card is removed. All effects, damage, and other characteristics are removed, and that card becomes a new card.
Fail to find: If an effect allows a player to look at one of their private zones for a specific card or a card of a specific type, they may "fail to find" that card.
Card-specific zone references: If card text references a specific zone where "that" card is put or located, only that zone is checked. If the referenced card has changed zones, the effect checking that zone fails, even if another card with the same full name is in the zone.
Turn order resolution: Required actions generated from a game state check happen in turn order. Triggered abilities that occur as a result of a game state check are added to the bag as soon as the check and any required actions are fully completed.
End of Turn Phase: Effects that end at the current turn end in the End of Turn Phase. If effects would be added to the bag as a result of effects ending, those effects are resolved.
Beginning Phase - Ready: During the Ready step of the Beginning Phase, the active player readies all their cards in play and in their inkwell.