PASTIMES D23 CCQ TOURNAMENT REPORT

Pastimes D23 CCQ: Top 8 Decklists & Metagame Breakdown

ANAHEIM, CA — AUGUST 20, 2026

The Pastimes Events D23 Content Challenge Qualifier (CCQ #364058) delivered a masterclass in post-rotation Core Constructed deckbuilding. Over 128 players competed in Anaheim across 7 Swiss rounds on Day 1, with the Top 8 playoff returning for Day 2. Sourced directly from official Inkdecks metagame tracking, this report details the Top 8 Leaderboard, Breakout Archetypes, Spotlight Tech Cards, and the Official 60-Card Winning Decklist.

Pastimes D23 CCQ Top 8 Standings & Metagame Leaderboard

The Top 8 elimination bracket featured the following Core Constructed decklists:

Final Rank	Player Name	Record	Registered Deck Title & Archetype
🏆 1st Place Champion	Alessio	9-1-0	AA is the new RA (A/P Midrange)
🥈 2nd Place Finalist	Vijed	7-1-2	PYCauldron (A/P Midrange)
🥉 3rd Place Semi-Finalist	OAK333	7-2-0	Darkwing’s Paradise (S/E Detectives)
🥉 4th Place Semi-Finalist	iSantos	7-2-0	Lakers (A/P Midrange)
Top 8 Quarter-Finalist	Vo	6-2-0	Can’t beat em, join em (A/E Elinor)
Top 8 Quarter-Finalist	RSG Chilla	6-2-0	Club Broadway (S/E Detectives)
Top 8 Quarter-Finalist	[FT20]WhatTheBuck	5-1-2	CCQ (A/E Elinor)
Top 8 Quarter-Finalist	ENC_duo	5-1-2	Steel Emerald (S/E Detectives)

The Black Cauldron

Set 13 Secret Tech • Amethyst Item

REANIMATION ENGINE: Moves character cards from your discard pile directly underneath the Cauldron, allowing you to play them without risking hand discard disruption. Featured reanimation tech in Vijed’s 2nd Place deck “PYCauldron”.

Market Price: Legendary Item | Validate on TCGplayer Listings

In-Depth Archetype Strategy & Metagame Breakdown

Analyzing the tournament dataset indexed on Inkdecks reveals three core competitive strategies that dominated the top seats:

Amethyst / Amber Midrange

🏆 1st & 2nd Place ⚡ 9-1-0 Champion Record

Why It Won: Running 14 character drops between 1 and 2 ink (Eilonwy, Luisa, Rafiki, Grandmother Willow, Hamm) virtually guaranteed a Turn 1 character play every game. Combining early quester pressure with high-value mid-game threats like Dumbo — Ninth Wonder of the Universe (4 Ink) and Demona — Scourge of the Wyvern Clan (6 Ink) forced opponents into sub-optimal trades.

Secret Tech: Featured in Vijed’s 2nd Place build “PYCauldron”, The Black Cauldron reanimation loop stores banished questers to bypass hand disruption entirely.

Key Core Engine Cards

3x Eilonwy 4x Grandmother Willow 4x Dumbo 4x Demona The Black Cauldron

Steel / Emerald Location Engine

🥉 3rd, 6th & 8th Place 🛡️ Location Draw Engine

Why It Won: Playing the song Touch the Sky allowed players to move exerted characters directly to Paradise Falls — Exotic Destination without spending ink. This immediately unlocked Paradise Falls‘s +3 lore condition while drawing multiple cards off Touch the Sky, creating an un-interruptible resource engine that out-paced traditional control.

Breakout Synergy: Detective disruption packages combined with direct location movement.

Key Core Engine Cards

Touch the Sky Paradise Falls Darkwing Duck

Amber / Emerald Elinor Tempo

🏅 5th & 7th Place 📈 End-of-Turn Lore

Why It Won: By exerting 3 or more low-cost characters by Turn 3, players dropped Elinor — Renowned Diplomat (4 Ink) to trigger Coordinated Efforts at the end of every turn (+1 lore, +1 card draw, and 1 damage ping), establishing an unbeatable snowball effect.

Board Presence: Floods low-ink questers early to activate Elinor immediately.

Key Core Engine Cards

4x Elinor Diplomat Bobby Zimuruski Grandmother Willow Pocahontas

Paradise Falls Exotic Destination Official Lorcana Card Art

Touch the Sky + Paradise Falls Combo

Location & Song Tech • Emerald/Steel Combo

LOCATION DRAW ENGINE: Specifically, playing Touch the Sky moves exerted characters directly to Paradise Falls. As a result, this triggers massive card draw and lore gain loops. Notably, OAK333 used this synergy to capture 3rd Place.

Market Price: Rare Location | Validate on TCGplayer Listings

Official Pastimes D23 CCQ Finals Champion Decklist: Alessio (60 Cards)

The complete 60-card winning decklist “AA is the new RA” piloted by Alessio (9-1-0 record, Market Value $533.22 USD, Inkdecks #520776):

AA is the new RA (Amethyst Amber Midrange)

Piloted by Alessio • 1st Place Champion • 9-1-0 Record

CHARACTERS (46 CARDS)

3x Eilonwy — Princess of Llyr Amber

3x Luisa Madrigal — Pushing Through Amber

2x Rafiki — Mystical Fighter Amethyst

4x Grandmother Willow — Ancient Advisor Amber

4x Hamm — Piggy Bank Amber

3x Cheshire Cat — Inexplicable Amber

3x Agustin Madrigal — Exceptionally Kind Amber

4x Dumbo — Ninth Wonder of the Universe Amber

3x Isis Vanderchill — Ice Queen of St. Canard Amethyst

2x Sven — Leaping Reindeer Amber

3x Tigger — Bouncing All the Way Amethyst

4x Gaston — Superior Archer Amber

4x Hades — Looking for a Deal Amethyst

2x Luisa Madrigal — Confident Climber Amber

2x Ursula — Whisper of Vanessa Amethyst

4x Demona — Scourge of the Wyvern Clan Amber

ITEMS & ACTIONS (14 CARDS)

4x Junior Woodchuck Guidebook Amber

4x Besties, Assemble! Amber

2x The Horseman Strikes! Amber

Conclusion: D23 CCQ Broadcast Takeaways & Metagame Closing Argument

🎙️ Pastimes D23 CCQ Broadcast Retrospective

Scanning across the 7 Day 1 Swiss rounds and Day 2 Top 8 elimination matches broadcast live on Twitch, the Pastimes D23 CCQ established a definitive competitive baseline for Disney Lorcana Core Constructed. The tournament demonstrated that low-cost quester density paired with non-combat item reanimation (The Black Cauldron) is currently the most formidable game plan in the meta.

Final Closing Argument: Champion Alessio‘s 9-1-0 run proved that Amethyst / Amber Midrange consistently out-maneuvers both location draw engines (GreenSteel) and wide-board Elinor decks by maintaining relentless Turn 1 pressure while bypassing hand disruption entirely under The Black Cauldron. Moving into upcoming Regional Championships, competitive pilots must adapt by incorporating fast 1-2 ink removal or adopting dedicated item disruption to counter Amethyst/Amber’s dominance.

Pastimes D23 CCQ: Top 8 Decklists & Metagame Breakdown

The Black Cauldron

Amethyst / Amber Midrange

Steel / Emerald Location Engine

Amber / Emerald Elinor Tempo

Touch the Sky + Paradise Falls Combo

Official Pastimes D23 CCQ Finals Champion Decklist: Alessio (60 Cards)

AA is the new RA (Amethyst Amber Midrange)

🎙️ Pastimes D23 CCQ Broadcast Retrospective

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