New TCG Rush of Ikorr Gameplay and Set Release Review

TCG players looking for something fresh and new, Upper Deck Entertainment has something for you. Rush of Ikorr is a relative newcomer to the TCG world, launched on June 11, 2025, with four separate starter deck options for players. In play, it feels like a combination of Lorcana, Magic: The Gathering, and Pokémon, taking elements of each but combining them into something brand new.

Here’s the kicker; while you can play 1v1, Rush of Ikorr is undeniably meant for team games of 2v2 or 3v3, and the experience is significantly better with more players.

Foundation of Rush of Ikorr

Rush of Ikorr takes an interesting approach to its lore. Rather than falling into the trap of so many card games with generic mythology backgrounds, the game poses the question of what would happen if every mythology, from every time period, was thrown together at once.

This passage from its rulebook sheds some light on that, “For ages, each pantheon believed itself solitary and supreme in its dominion over creation. But the Ikorr shattered that illusion. Deities of every culture had to contend with the new reality that they were not alone…especially in their ambitions for power and domination.”

Each of the four starter decks features an avatar from a different mythos. Pharaoh’s Command is built around an Egyptian theme and features Isis, Empyrean Beacon as its Avatar. Olympian Thunder is Greek-themed with Zeus, Crowned in Thunder as its Avatar. The Japanese-inspired Stunning Presence boasts Amaterasu, Sky’s Light as its primary card, while Moonlit Magic sports Ix Chiel, Lady Rainbow from Mayan mythology.

That said, no deck is strictly one mythology or another; cards from a faction (called Loyalty in game terms) can appear in any deck. 

Gameplay

The base gameplay is straightforward and easy to understand for anyone who has played a TCG before, and that’s a good thing. The rules were somewhat confusing initially, but with some steps, I was able to figure out the game based on later instructions.

There are three core card types: Champions, which are your monster/character cards, Spells, which is self-explanatory, and Locations, which are the equivalent of Stadium cards in Pokémon TCG.

There are also Avatars, which are like Planeswalker/Commander cards in Magic: The Gathering, but unlike MTG, Avatars have no attack or defense. Instead, you can spend Ikorr to activate their effects.

And then there are Infusion cards, and they’re what separate Rush of Ikorr from the rest of the pack.

These clear, flexible cards can be played over compatible Champion cards to give them a larger range of abilities and effects.

For example, one Infusion card will allow you to draw a card when that Champion is removed from the field. Here’s the thing: they have to be placed onto the cards before the game starts, and you can only have one type of Infusion card per deck. And because they change the texture of the card, the only real way to implement them is by playing with sleeves.

That said, while I haven’t been able to find a confirmed number of cards for Rush of Ikorr, the Infusion cards create more than 2,740 different deck combinations, allowing players to make minute tweaks that can have a big impact on how the game is played.

Make Ikorr an Event

As for why I say it’s a game suited for team play: if you play 1v1, it tends to be over quickly. The goal of the game is to gather 10 Ikorr (or 15 if you’re playing with more people). Ikorr is like Lorcana’s Lore; it’s a resource that cards can gather varying amounts of and is secured at the start of the next turn. Take out the opponent’s champion before they secure it, and you can slow the game down.

It doesn’t take long to reach this goal, and games tend to be quick as a result. Late-game strategies are hard to implement when the match is over inside of 10 minutes.

Rush of Ikorr takes a page from Hearthstone and doles out Influence, its version of mana, at a rate of one per turn. On turn one, you start with one influence, and then get another on turn two, etc.

More players mean a longer game, and that opens up the potential for more shenanigans. Many cards in Rush of Ikorr are clearly intended to be used as part of a team, providing support to other players and increasing their damage output.

Rush of Ikorr Artwork

The card art is downright gorgeous. Many of the cards had me pausing mid-play just to admire them (especially the Avatar cards), and there are small details throughout each card that make them all worth admiring.

Final Conclusion

I’ve had a great time with Rush of Ikorr so far. While it doesn’t exactly break new ground, it does breathe fresh air into tried-and-true mechanics by combining them together in a way I haven’t seen, offering an experience that is easy to pick up and play that belies the depth of strategy available to TCG veterans.