Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom by Michael Cummins, Mon 11 Jul '16

"One of the things Wendy and I like to do at the Magic Kingdom is to play Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom, SotMK for short. To be honest, my favorite part of playing the game is just casually making my way around the park with my wife.  There aren't any long lines to stand in, the game doesn't mind if you distract yourself in a shop or stop to listen to a live band or take lunch.  More, it feels like you're in on a secret, and you begin feeling sorry for all the people rushing from ride to ride."

- Cummins Family Blog

What is Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom?

"Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom is a free interactive adventure game played throughout the park ... In the game, you help the wizard Merlin to keep evil villains from taking over the Magic Kingdom. Merlin sends you on adventures to different parts of the park to fight these villains.

Each land in the park hosts a different adventure within the game, with different villains in each adventure."

- touringplans.com

"Our family loves that even when we get home from the park, we can still have fun through card collecting and game strategy."

- wdwprepschool.com

In case you’re new to the game, Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom is an in-park interactive experience in which guests join forces with Merlin to defeat Disney Villains who are scheming to take over Magic Kingdom Park. Guests use maps to search for villain hideouts throughout the park, visit magic portals and use magic spell cards to foil each villain’s plan. Deciding which card to use is my favorite part – there are 70 cards in the base set, plus two limited-edition party cards you can collect that each feature a different Disney character, and each character has a magical power unique to him or her. And some spells are stronger than others.

- disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog

How does one get started?

"The Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom (hereafter, SotMK) game is played with Spell Cards.   You can obtain one pack (containing 5 cards) of spell cards each day in the Magic Kingdom.    Your admission ticked will be scanned to record that you've received your cards for the day.

Spell cards are distributed at two locations.   The main location is the Firehouse at the Town Square end of Main Street USA, between City Hall and the Emporium.   A secondary location is in Liberty Square behind the Christmas shop."

- thesorcerersapp.wordpress.com

Yes, if you are just starting out, having only 5 cards the first time you play is all you need.  You begin your game at the Easy level.  At this level, what kind of card you are playing doesn't really matter.  The game wants you to merely become proficient at playing the game mechanically - where to travel around the park, how to hold up the cards so the cameras can see them, etc.  When you defeat Hades your first time, you can opt to be promoted to the Medium level.  At the Medium level, the villains have strengths and weaknesses, and the kinds of cards you wield against them will now count.  But your first time?  No, you don't have to worry about how many cards you have or what kind they are.

How do I play the game?

"When you pick up your first set of cards, you'll view an instructional video explaining how to use them and the object of the game. Then you'll be sent to another location to start your first adventure. Each location in the park is associated with a unique symbol: an eye, a feather, a dragonfly, or something along those lines. Look for these symbols on the map to find the best route to your starting point."

- touringplans.com

"To defeat a villain you will need to go to 4-5 different portals. Some of these portals will introduce you to the villain (or their henchmen), while some will require spell cards.

Merlin will instruct you when to play your spell card. When you have completely defeated a villain, you will be instructed which portal to go to next to start your next adventure. Defeating all villains will lead you to the final battle against none other than Hades himself."

- wdwprepschool.com

"Each game consists of 9 rounds, where you are battling against villains ranging from Jafar to Ursula. Each battle with a villain will send you to 4-5 different portals within a land, and each battle tells a different story complete with custom animation made for Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom. For example, you will battle Scar by going to 4 or 5 different stops throughout Adventureland. The game will keep directing you on which portal to go to next. Once you have vanquished the villain, the game will point you to where to go next to fight the next villain."

- guide2wdw.com

"All you need to do to cast a spell card is to hold it up facing the portal. Be sure to keep it still, as the game will have a hard time recognizing which spell you are casting if you are waving your card around."

- guide2wdw.com

How different is gameplay on Easy, Medium and Hard?

"All cards win all battles on Easy"

- Bob the commenter on disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog

"When cards are used in the game several times, they become stronger — so playing all of your cards a few times while on Easy difficulty will give you an advantage when you begin playing at the harder levels."

- thesorcerersapp.wordpress.com

It's my understanding that on Medium difficulty, the villains have specific strengths and weaknesses, but at Hard, that now becomes randomized.

I'm presently playing on Medium, powering up all my cards as I prepare for the Hard life.

(Medium/Hard) "The audio at each step holds clues to which cards you should use against advanced villains. For example, if a villain says something like “Don’t toy with me!” then you should look for cards with characters that are toys, such as the Toy Story characters; references to “being spotted” suggest using cards with characters from 101 Dalmatians; and so on."

- touringplans.com

(Medium/Hard) "Combinations of cards (up to 3 at a time) can be played to strengthen your attack."

- thesorcerersapp.wordpress.com

(Medium/Hard) "When you cast a spell on a villain that is resistant to that type of spell, the spell casts at one level below your current power for that spell. If the villain is weak to the spell, the spell casts at one power level higher than your spell’s current power."

- disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog

(Medium/Hard) "Repeated use of a spell during a single battle depletes the spell of its potency, so when facing a villain it’s best to use at least three different cards of the correct type for that villain. Spell power regenerates between battles, so the loss isn’t permanent."

- disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog

(Hard) "To figure out which spell types (Gross, Charming, Strong, Flying, Wishful, Quick or Energy) will defeat a villain, simultaneously cast several cards of differing spell types on the first turn of a battle. On that first turn, watch the power levels of the spells you’ve cast. If you watch carefully, you’ll learn which spell type worked best against the villain. When you see a spell hit the villain at full power, you’ll know that’s the type of spell you need to cast."

- disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog

Now, the weakness of each villain will change with each game. This changes the strategy significantly. The challenge on the Hard level now is to figure out which spell type is the correct one to use on the villain. In order to do so, the guests need to know the animations of the cards and which animations represent the highest power level.

At the first encounter, the guest should simultaneously cast several cards of differing Attack types and then watch the animations. The correct spell type will show at the highest power level. If none of the cards read are of the correct spell type, the battle at that portal will end. If one of the cards read was the correct card, the battle will continue. The guest must quickly deduce the correct spell type and then use just that Attack type for that encounter.

- disney.wikia.com

There's an App for that

My wife is a big fan of "The Sorcerer's Apprentice App", which is available for both the iPhone and Android.  It helps you keep track of your inventory and gives you advice about your next battle.

The Sorcerer's App on iTunes

The Sorcerer's App at the Google Play store

Trading Cards

There are a total of 70 different spell cards. This is where the fun really comes into play - trying to collect all 70 cards in order to maximize your spell casting abilities.

There are 9 different spell classes and 7 different attack types among the cards. Cards 1-22 are the rare (star) cards, 23-40 are common (crescent moon), and 41-60 are very common (planet). Cards 61-70 are the very rare lightning cards.

- wdwprepschool.com

There are also "Party Cards" that are released every year for Mickey's Not So Scary Holloween Party and Mickey's Very Merry Christmas party.   This year will see the release of P9 and P10.

The rare lightning cards are often called "bolts" by traders.

Have you heard of the FaceBook group, "Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom Helpers"?  I'd recommend joining the group, even if you aren't into trading.  it's a great community.

If you're in the park, stop by Totruga Tavern, across from the Pirates of the Caribbean.  Chances are good that you'll find some card traders there.

 Playing SotMK on Medium: Villain Weaknesses and Strengths

"The villains and their weaknesses and strengths are as follows"

- disney.wikia.com