A Stockholm Open CCQ victory secured Aska Rögnudóttir the first qualification spot for last season’s European Continentals. But behind that result is a player who is refreshingly honest about the challenges of competing, finding the right deck and learning to trust her own ability.
For our latest JTC interview, we caught up with Aska to talk about her journey into Disney Lorcana, the excitement of her Stockholm win and her hopes for Season 3. We also tried to get to the bottom of those captaincy rumours. Tried being the important word.
For anyone who hasn’t had the pleasure of getting to know you yet, could you introduce yourself and tell us how you found Disney Lorcana?
Nice to speak with you! I’m Aska. I’ve played card games since I was a little kid. I used to be the only kid on the playground who actually knew how the Pokémon card game worked! Then I learned to play Yu Gi Oh, and I played Magic for a long time.
I found Lorcana at the tail end of Set 8, when I got to play with some friends’ cards and discovered green steel and purple steel. I learned just how much I loved the ideas in the game, like the inking system and the way lore works. I found it all very cool.
Last season, you became the first player to qualify for the European Continentals by winning the Stockholm Open CCQ. What was that experience like?
Oh, Stockholm Open? Yeah, Stockholm was really cool. It was such a cool win, and I really loved playing purple steel in that format.
I remember being so despondent when I had to play against blurple and then blue green on the draw in the Top 8, so every win felt so exciting.
With your Continentals place secured so early, did you feel more relaxed, or did it bring its own pressure?
I’d say the pressure probably got to me a bit for Continentals. Because of the event drought, I didn’t have a good way to judge what my level was beforehand, so I think I evaluated myself a little incorrectly when I picked the Mouse deck. I think I should have believed in myself a little more, honestly.
But I think being qualified early helped me a bit with the other events before that, where I managed to make Top 32. Complicated!
When you’re picking a deck for a major event, what makes it feel like an “Aska deck”?
Um, it probably has steel cards!
That aside, I really like decks that build up an incremental advantage and can take advantage of having a powerful mulligan. Like when purple steel got Christopher Robin, or when you can mulligan for just the right one drops in green steel.
I will play anything as long as it wins, but I do believe you have to click with something. So I mostly break ties with preferences, instead of basing all my decision making on having a preference.
We see the results, but there’s always more happening behind the scenes. What was your biggest challenge last season?
Oh, this Set 13 format was really not my vibe. I struggled before rotation piloting the Dogs deck, and then the Princesses deck afterwards. Nothing I played in Set 13 really felt like it clicked.
Having a big break, and then having a format I struggled so much in be the Continentals format, was quite challenging for me. I’m hoping to reclaim some of my form in Season 3.
For someone who watched your Stockholm win and thought, “I’d love to achieve that one day,” what advice would you give them?
My friend Bernardo has a saying: “Luck is when preparation meets opportunity.”
I think everything isn’t always going to work out for you or click just like that, no matter how hard you try. But you should challenge yourself, develop what you’re good at and keep trying.
That way, you can blossom into a player who can win an event on the right day.
Finally, looking ahead to this season, rumours abound that you’ve taken up a position of leadership or captaincy. Care to comment?
I don’t really speak to the press... but I’ve gotten this question a lot. Maybe there’s something in the air?
Aska leaves us with plenty to think about, even if we’re no closer to an answer on that final question. Her approach to competition is a reminder that a big win doesn’t remove the uncertainty. There are still difficult formats, deck choices to reconsider and moments when believing in yourself matters as much as the preparation.
A huge thank you to Aska for taking the time to speak with us. We’re excited to see what Season 3 brings for her, and we’ll keep an ear out for whatever might be in the air.
Aska will be joining us at the Inkbound Invitational Qualifier in Newport Pagnell. Limited tickets still available.
Play to the end. Every point matters. This is the JTC Standard.
Luke Franks
Tournament Manager
JTC Events