How DeckFoundry scores Lorcana cards and decks.

The short version

A fit score, not a universal power ranking.

A powerful card can be a poor recommendation for a particular deck. A modest card can be exactly what that deck needs.

DeckFoundry uses deterministic, explainable rules. Given the same card data, settings, collection, and scoring version, it evaluates the same choices in the same way. The system does not chase popularity, copy a tournament list, or let marketplace relationships influence a recommendation.

The result is contextual. Change the format, ink pair, playstyle, theme, seed cards, card-type priorities, or available collection, and the best-fitting choices may change with them.

Layer one

How individual Lorcana cards are ranked.

Before scoring begins, DeckFoundry narrows the candidate pool to cards that fit the requested format and ink restrictions. If you choose to build from your collection, ownership and available quantities narrow that pool further.

Eligible cards are then compared using signals that describe how well each card serves the request and the deck in progress.

Not sure which style fits you? Read our guide to Lorcana Aggro, Control, Midrange, and Ramp playstyles.

Each selected card can carry plain-language reasons such as filling a curve need, matching a useful role, supporting a seed card, or strengthening a package. Those explanations matter more than a raw card number: they show why the choice belongs in this deck.

Context changes value

The deck is re-scored while it is being built.

Deck building is not sixty independent card choices. Every selection changes what the deck needs next, so DeckFoundry updates its context as copies are added.

A two-cost character may rank highly when the opening curve is thin, then become less urgent once that need is filled. A Shift payoff becomes more attractive when enough compatible bases are present. A fourth copy can be useful for consistency, while another card may be preferred if the deck already has enough copies or too much of the same function.

This is also why the same card can receive different recommendations in two decks. Its printed text did not change; its job, support, competition, and opportunity cost did.

Layer two

How a complete Lorcana deck is evaluated.

After the list is assembled—or after you import a deck into the Analyzer— DeckFoundry stops asking “Which card comes next?” and asks “Does this deck work as a system?”

Legality and completeness come first

Format legality, ink restrictions, deck size, and copy limits are hard construction rules. They are reported separately from softer quality preferences. An illegal or incomplete deck should not hide behind an ordinary-looking quality score.

Cost curve

The deck’s costs are compared with the shape expected for its requested playstyle. Aggro needs early pressure; Control can support more late-game cards; Midrange seeks useful plays across turns; Ramp needs both acceleration and meaningful payoffs.

Inkability

DeckFoundry checks whether the list has enough inkable cards to support consistent development without treating every uninkable card as a mistake. The goal is a workable balance, not a deck made entirely of inkable cards.

Role coverage

The evaluator checks whether important jobs are covered at useful quantities. The targets change with the selected playstyle: a Control deck needs different functional density than an Aggro deck, and a Ramp deck needs more than cards that simply add ink.

Synergy and dependency health

Shared tags are only part of synergy. DeckFoundry also looks for complete packages: Shift cards with suitable bases, effects with enough targets, and themes with enough support to function. Missing a defining dependency carries more weight than missing an optional interaction.

Playstyle alignment and game-plan focus

A deck can be legal and smooth but still miss the requested intent. These checks ask whether the curve, roles, and concentration of cards actually behave like the chosen playstyle—and whether the list is focused enough to execute a recognizable plan.

Theme alignment and seed support

When themes or seed cards are requested, the evaluator checks both inclusion and meaningful support. Merely placing a favorite card in the list is different from building a deck that helps it succeed.

From diagnosis to action

How DeckFoundry recommends improvements.

The Analyzer preserves the intent of the submitted deck. It identifies construction findings, highlights strengths and gaps, and looks for substitutions that improve the selected goal without silently turning the list into a different deck.

A useful substitution should do more than carry a higher isolated card score. It should remain legal, respect the ink pair and collection settings, fill the intended role, and improve the surrounding list. DeckFoundry therefore evaluates the proposed change in deck context and explains the reasoning behind it.

You remain the deck builder. Recommendations are starting points for testing, not commands: local metagames, matchup knowledge, personal sequencing preferences, and newly released cards can all justify a different choice.

Read the score honestly

What deterministic scoring can—and cannot—tell you.

DeckFoundry’s scoring rules are versioned and tested against legal-deck checks, controlled deck mutations, automated gameplay evidence, and human feedback. That evidence helps the system improve, but construction quality and gameplay results remain related rather than interchangeable.

Positive and negative feedback are both useful. They help reveal where a repeatable rule matches real play—and where a future generator or scoring version needs refinement.