The Secrets to Playing Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom

Tucked away in our “go bags” for Disney World trips is a folder stuffed with what appears to the untrained eye to be Disney trading cards.  These are our tools that we use to go on an adventure as members of Merlin’s squadron of apprentice sorcerers. The objective is to gather shards of a stone, four pieces in all, before Hades and his band of evilness do.

To join in the adventure, you start at the Firehouse on Main Street, USA, or behind Ye Old Christmas Shoppe in Liberty Square.  Here, you and your fellow sorcerers get instruction on “portals,” a map of their locations within the Magic Kingdom, and a pack of Spell Cards to get started. (One pack of cards, per day, per guest).  You get to try a test run of what you need to do to play the game, and you get to try to open the game, so that you may face the villains with confidence.  Once you have gone through the tutorial, a cast member hands you your map, your portal “key,” and your first packet of cards.  You can play solo if you wish, or, you can play as a team or family and take turns.

In order to play, you must locate your assigned portal by using the map handed to you.  Sometimes, they can be a little tricky.  Most of the portals are tucked away in areas where guests don’t normally hang out long, so you do go a little of the beaten track.  Once the starting portal has been located, (which can be any portal), you step on to the emblem in front of it, and hold up your key card, and if you do it correctly, a short animation appears that gives you the identity villain that you are facing and the location of the next portal, and you are off.  Once you find the location of the next portal, you stand in the appropriate spot, hold out your key card, and another animation sequence opens up, and you have your first encounter with the villain for your sequence.   Once the animation is played, the screen changes to “Cast Your Spell” and this is when you would hold up your “spell card.”  Defeat the villain in your encounter, and you are directed to your next portal…and the whole thing starts all over again until you gather the shard.  You repeat this whole process until you have all of the shards that create the crystal.

A portal open with special information!

Below are a few helpful tips for anyone new to the experience.

Pay attention to the card you use; it makes a difference. Spell choice is key in the game’s advanced level. Villains may be susceptible or resistant to certain spell types, which are: Gross, Charming, Strong, Flying, Wishful, Quick and Energy.

It is helpful to know a little about the villain you are facing. 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.

You sometimes need to use more than one spell card especially as you go deeper into the game. When used correctly, simultaneously cast spells can “boost” each other making all the spells hit with greater power. When used incorrectly, simultaneously cast spells can reduce their overall effectiveness.

Cards do get stronger as you use them, and the stronger they are the more animation gets added to your experience. However, if you keep using one card at each portal, it can temporarily lose some of its ability to work its magic.  It will regenerate between battles, so the loss is only temporary.

The game has three levels, easy, medium and hard. At the end of a full game, you’re graded at Bronze, Silver or Gold Sorcerers Level. The more battles you win, the closer you’ll be to earning a gold (and vice versa). Achieving Gold status gets increasingly difficult as you go to medium and hard levels.

There are over 70 cards you can collect that each feature a different Disney character or characters, and each character has a magical power unique to him or her. And some spells are stronger than others. If you are playing as a group, use only one key card.  Cards get stronger as you use them. Cards can be traded with other players, or purchased off of Ebay just like pins.  If you are looking for someone to trade with, you can make connections at most portals or you can sometimes find fellow sorcerers at Tortuga Tavern, which is located across from the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction. We like to play when the lines to the attractions are too long, or if we are waiting for the starting time of our FastPasses to an attraction.

Debbie Walden has years of travel planning experience and over 40 trips to Disney under her belt! Contact Debbie to plan your next Disney vacation and maybe discuss more secrets for Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom!