[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":392},["Reactive",2],{"post-/blog/on-the-play-vs-on-the-draw":3},{"_path":4,"_dir":5,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"title":8,"description":9,"date":10,"tags":11,"author":15,"body":16,"_type":386,"_id":387,"_source":388,"_file":389,"_stem":390,"_extension":391},"/blog/on-the-play-vs-on-the-draw","blog",false,"","On the Play vs On the Draw: The First-Player Choice","In Lorcana the first player skips their first draw. Here's what that trade really costs, who it favors, and how to play from each side.","2026-04-16",[12,13,14],"strategy","theory","beginner","FloodBorn",{"type":17,"children":18,"toc":379},"root",[19,28,42,49,147,166,172,194,291,305,311,354,360],{"type":20,"tag":21,"props":22,"children":24},"element","h1",{"id":23},"on-the-play-vs-on-the-draw",[25],{"type":26,"value":27},"text","On the Play vs On the Draw",{"type":20,"tag":29,"props":30,"children":31},"p",{},[32,34,40],{"type":26,"value":33},"At the start of a Lorcana game, one player goes first — and to balance the tempo\nadvantage of acting first, ",{"type":20,"tag":35,"props":36,"children":37},"strong",{},[38],{"type":26,"value":39},"the player on the play skips their very first draw.",{"type":26,"value":41},"\nThat one rule creates a genuine strategic choice and changes how you sequence the\nearly turns.",{"type":20,"tag":43,"props":44,"children":46},"h2",{"id":45},"what-each-side-gets",[47],{"type":26,"value":48},"What each side gets",{"type":20,"tag":50,"props":51,"children":52},"table",{},[53,75],{"type":20,"tag":54,"props":55,"children":56},"thead",{},[57],{"type":20,"tag":58,"props":59,"children":60},"tr",{},[61,65,70],{"type":20,"tag":62,"props":63,"children":64},"th",{},[],{"type":20,"tag":62,"props":66,"children":67},{},[68],{"type":26,"value":69},"On the play",{"type":20,"tag":62,"props":71,"children":72},{},[73],{"type":26,"value":74},"On the draw",{"type":20,"tag":76,"props":77,"children":78},"tbody",{},[79,98,119],{"type":20,"tag":58,"props":80,"children":81},{},[82,88,93],{"type":20,"tag":83,"props":84,"children":85},"td",{},[86],{"type":26,"value":87},"Acts first?",{"type":20,"tag":83,"props":89,"children":90},{},[91],{"type":26,"value":92},"Yes",{"type":20,"tag":83,"props":94,"children":95},{},[96],{"type":26,"value":97},"No",{"type":20,"tag":58,"props":99,"children":100},{},[101,106,114],{"type":20,"tag":83,"props":102,"children":103},{},[104],{"type":26,"value":105},"First-turn draw?",{"type":20,"tag":83,"props":107,"children":108},{},[109],{"type":20,"tag":35,"props":110,"children":111},{},[112],{"type":26,"value":113},"Skipped",{"type":20,"tag":83,"props":115,"children":116},{},[117],{"type":26,"value":118},"Drawn as normal",{"type":20,"tag":58,"props":120,"children":121},{},[122,127,137],{"type":20,"tag":83,"props":123,"children":124},{},[125],{"type":26,"value":126},"Early advantage",{"type":20,"tag":83,"props":128,"children":129},{},[130,135],{"type":20,"tag":35,"props":131,"children":132},{},[133],{"type":26,"value":134},"Tempo",{"type":26,"value":136}," — develops a turn ahead",{"type":20,"tag":83,"props":138,"children":139},{},[140,145],{"type":20,"tag":35,"props":141,"children":142},{},[143],{"type":26,"value":144},"Cards",{"type":26,"value":146}," — one extra card seen",{"type":20,"tag":29,"props":148,"children":149},{},[150,152,157,159,164],{"type":26,"value":151},"So it's a clean trade: the player on the play is ",{"type":20,"tag":35,"props":153,"children":154},{},[155],{"type":26,"value":156},"one card behind",{"type":26,"value":158}," but ",{"type":20,"tag":35,"props":160,"children":161},{},[162],{"type":26,"value":163},"one turn\nof tempo ahead.",{"type":26,"value":165}," The player on the draw is a step slower but has more raw material.",{"type":20,"tag":43,"props":167,"children":169},{"id":168},"cards-seen-by-a-given-turn",[170],{"type":26,"value":171},"Cards seen by a given turn",{"type":20,"tag":29,"props":173,"children":174},{},[175,177,184,186,192],{"type":26,"value":176},"Because of the skipped draw, the two players see a different number of cards. On the\nplay you've seen ",{"type":20,"tag":178,"props":179,"children":181},"code",{"className":180},[],[182],{"type":26,"value":183},"7 + (turn − 1)",{"type":26,"value":185}," cards; on the draw, ",{"type":20,"tag":178,"props":187,"children":189},{"className":188},[],[190],{"type":26,"value":191},"7 + turn",{"type":26,"value":193},":",{"type":20,"tag":50,"props":195,"children":196},{},[197,219],{"type":20,"tag":54,"props":198,"children":199},{},[200],{"type":20,"tag":58,"props":201,"children":202},{},[203,209,214],{"type":20,"tag":62,"props":204,"children":206},{"align":205},"right",[207],{"type":26,"value":208},"Turn",{"type":20,"tag":62,"props":210,"children":211},{"align":205},[212],{"type":26,"value":213},"On the play (cards seen)",{"type":20,"tag":62,"props":215,"children":216},{"align":205},[217],{"type":26,"value":218},"On the draw (cards seen)",{"type":20,"tag":76,"props":220,"children":221},{},[222,240,257,274],{"type":20,"tag":58,"props":223,"children":224},{},[225,230,235],{"type":20,"tag":83,"props":226,"children":227},{"align":205},[228],{"type":26,"value":229},"1",{"type":20,"tag":83,"props":231,"children":232},{"align":205},[233],{"type":26,"value":234},"7",{"type":20,"tag":83,"props":236,"children":237},{"align":205},[238],{"type":26,"value":239},"8",{"type":20,"tag":58,"props":241,"children":242},{},[243,248,252],{"type":20,"tag":83,"props":244,"children":245},{"align":205},[246],{"type":26,"value":247},"2",{"type":20,"tag":83,"props":249,"children":250},{"align":205},[251],{"type":26,"value":239},{"type":20,"tag":83,"props":253,"children":254},{"align":205},[255],{"type":26,"value":256},"9",{"type":20,"tag":58,"props":258,"children":259},{},[260,265,269],{"type":20,"tag":83,"props":261,"children":262},{"align":205},[263],{"type":26,"value":264},"3",{"type":20,"tag":83,"props":266,"children":267},{"align":205},[268],{"type":26,"value":256},{"type":20,"tag":83,"props":270,"children":271},{"align":205},[272],{"type":26,"value":273},"10",{"type":20,"tag":58,"props":275,"children":276},{},[277,282,286],{"type":20,"tag":83,"props":278,"children":279},{"align":205},[280],{"type":26,"value":281},"4",{"type":20,"tag":83,"props":283,"children":284},{"align":205},[285],{"type":26,"value":273},{"type":20,"tag":83,"props":287,"children":288},{"align":205},[289],{"type":26,"value":290},"11",{"type":20,"tag":29,"props":292,"children":293},{},[294,296,303],{"type":26,"value":295},"The player on the draw is always exactly one card ahead in what they've seen — which\nmatters when you're calculating your odds in the ",{"type":20,"tag":297,"props":298,"children":300},"a",{"href":299},"/tools/draw-calculator",[301],{"type":26,"value":302},"draw calculator",{"type":26,"value":304},".",{"type":20,"tag":43,"props":306,"children":308},{"id":307},"who-wants-the-play",[309],{"type":26,"value":310},"Who wants the play?",{"type":20,"tag":312,"props":313,"children":314},"ul",{},[315,326,344],{"type":20,"tag":316,"props":317,"children":318},"li",{},[319,324],{"type":20,"tag":35,"props":320,"children":321},{},[322],{"type":26,"value":323},"Aggro wants the play.",{"type":26,"value":325}," Tempo is everything to a deck that's racing; being a turn\nahead on board is worth more than an extra card.",{"type":20,"tag":316,"props":327,"children":328},{},[329,334,336,342],{"type":20,"tag":35,"props":330,"children":331},{},[332],{"type":26,"value":333},"Control often likes the draw.",{"type":26,"value":335}," The extra card and the chance to ",{"type":20,"tag":337,"props":338,"children":339},"em",{},[340],{"type":26,"value":341},"react",{"type":26,"value":343}," to the\nopponent's development suit a deck that wins the long game.",{"type":20,"tag":316,"props":345,"children":346},{},[347,352],{"type":20,"tag":35,"props":348,"children":349},{},[350],{"type":26,"value":351},"Midrange usually takes the play",{"type":26,"value":353}," by default, but it's the archetype most likely\nto choose based on the matchup.",{"type":20,"tag":43,"props":355,"children":357},{"id":356},"playing-each-side-well",[358],{"type":26,"value":359},"Playing each side well",{"type":20,"tag":29,"props":361,"children":362},{},[363,365,370,372,377],{"type":26,"value":364},"On the play, ",{"type":20,"tag":35,"props":366,"children":367},{},[368],{"type":26,"value":369},"press your tempo",{"type":26,"value":371}," — you're ahead on board, so develop and apply\npressure before your card disadvantage catches up. On the draw, ",{"type":20,"tag":35,"props":373,"children":374},{},[375],{"type":26,"value":376},"use your extra\ncard and your reactive position",{"type":26,"value":378}," — let them commit, then answer efficiently. Either\nway, knowing which resource you're long on tells you which game to play.",{"title":7,"searchDepth":380,"depth":380,"links":381},2,[382,383,384,385],{"id":45,"depth":380,"text":48},{"id":168,"depth":380,"text":171},{"id":307,"depth":380,"text":310},{"id":356,"depth":380,"text":359},"markdown","content:blog:on-the-play-vs-on-the-draw.md","content","blog/on-the-play-vs-on-the-draw.md","blog/on-the-play-vs-on-the-draw","md",1782391356696]