Hunny Heroes: Playing Coconut with Tim Schilder

On Friday, October 23, a buddy and I drove to Essen for SPIEL. I brought my Hunny Heroes deck. Before the show, I’d been talking to Tim Schilder, a Disney Lorcana game designer who leads work on the Coconut format. He’d given me a warm invitation to try Coconut with him. At SPIEL, four of us sat down to play. I didn’t win, but that rarely matters much to me in Coconut. What made my day was seeing my little Heroes do exactly what I’d brought them for: quest for lore and let Winnie put the next card in my hand.

A teaching game before we started

When I reached the Ravensburger booth, Tim was still playing Coconut. I had a look around, did the booth quests and taught a newcomer how to play Lorcana. That gave me a turn with the Amethyst and Steel Merlin deck. I’d played so much Coconut lately that some of the newer cards, especially Ink Drops, were unfamiliar. This time I got to try them while explaining the game. I enjoyed that first round. I hope the player across from me enjoyed it enough to play a second.

Merida playerMeridaBjörnWinnie the PoohTimUrsulaPhungiStitch

Want to set up your own game? You’ll find the four Coconuts we played in Essen with the rest of our printable CocoDex proxies here.

Four Coconuts, three linked characters

All four Coconuts started outside our decks. Their linked characters, on the other hand, are cards you can put in the list. I left out Winnie the Pooh – Hunny Wizard. I’d rather play cheap Heroes and leave one ink open for Winnie’s draw.

Merida – Wisp Conjurer can enter play exerted to draw a card. When another of your characters enters play exerted on your turn, she can draw again. Tim’s Ursula – Deceiver of All can replay a song she sang herself from the discard for free, then put it on the bottom of the deck. Phungi’s Stitch – Rock Star rewards little characters. When you play one that costs two ink or less, you may exert it to draw.

How the four of us ended up at the table

When Tim finished, a competitive Lorcana player joined us and picked Merida. I remember his deck but, embarrassingly, not his name. I’m hopeless with names. I gave him my number and we haven’t been in touch yet. If you’re reading this, drop me a line! I’d love to add your name here. Next time, a notepad is going on my packing list. Phungi from House of Lima was walking around with her camera when Tim asked if she wanted to join us. She said she usually got beaten up in regular Lorcana. We thought a four-player table might be different. Then she picked Stitch, of all decks. In our CocoDex ratings he’s an S-tier Coconut. She didn’t know that when she chose him.

Tim took Ursula and I unpacked Hunny Heroes in Amber, Amethyst and Steel. I’d built it especially for Essen in the CocoDex editor and found a few rough edges in the editor along the way. At the table I wanted to know one thing. Did I have enough cheap Heroes, enough protection and the right answers in the remaining slots to make my plan work against three opponents?

Phungi got going with Stitch. More and more characters hit the board, some for free, and her lore kept climbing. So much for getting beaten up. I’d have liked to see an answer to that board in my hand more often. Usually Tim had one. While Stitch was threatening to run away with things, the rest of us were pretty glad to have Ursula at the table.

Tim was playing Amethyst, Emerald and Steel. I liked how generous his deck felt at first. With Amethyst Chromicon he let all of us draw. If I remember right, A Whole New World hit the table more than once too. Only later did I realise where this was going. Tim wanted us to draw through our decks. Suddenly that next free card didn’t look quite so tempting. I’d never have thought of that.

My part of the plan was working. I found enough cheap characters with no abilities, could spend one more ink to draw, and almost always had someone at the table to challenge. In the photo I’d just found Phil. In my head I’d already added the next two or three lore: with Phil in play, every Hero I play earns one before anyone even quests. Trouble was, none of it was on my dial yet.

Merida didn’t get to show as much this game. I wouldn’t read too much into that. Picking up someone else’s deck for the first time against three opponents means making a mulligan decision before you really know the game plan. I’d chosen every one of my 60 cards myself. That’s a different starting point.

Suddenly I needed an answer to Ursula

Once we finally had Phungi’s board under control, the conversation changed. A moment earlier I’d been happy to let Tim handle things. Now there were enough little Heroes in front of me to make everyone start counting. Tim went after my board, and the rest of the table pitched in. That’s what I liked about this game. Nobody had to call off an alliance. All it took was someone else moving into the lead.

On my last turn I played Pete. In Essen he still occupied the slot that now belongs to Toulouse, so opposing actions were locked out for a while. I had enough lore on the table to win if I got another turn. But Pete doesn’t stop anyone from questing. After everyone’s work on my board the round before, Phungi and Stitch still made it over the finish line. That next turn I’d worked out so neatly never came.

I’d love to let Tim tell you himself how he plays Ursula. Maybe we can get him in for an interview and show you his list. In the meantime he’s already shared his Robin Hood and Nick Wilde decks on CocoDex.

COCODEX · DECK SPOTLIGHTHunny HeroesWinnie the Pooh · Björn

One ink for the next Hero

Of course I brought Winnie as my Coconut. I don’t run a single copy of his linked card, Winnie the Pooh – Hunny Wizard. When I play a character with no abilities, Winnie offers me a choice: pay one extra ink to draw a card. That’s why I want cheap characters. With three ink , I can play Aladdin – Cornered Swordsman, spend the third ink on Winnie and put the next card straight into my hand.

For five ink , Winnie is a 5/5 Hero who quests for two lore. Here’s the turn I’d rather take with that same five ink . I play Lilo – Making a Wish for one and Simba – Happy-Go-Lucky for two. Both are Heroes with no abilities. I spend my last two ink on Winnie’s Coconut ability, one as I play each Hero. I’ve put two Heroes on the table and drawn two cards. Playing Winnie himself and drawing just one card would take six ink .

That’s why I used the four slots his linked card could have taken for other cards. Cheap Heroes keep my hand full. At five, I like Beast – Tragic Hero, who draws me a card at the start of my turn if he’s undamaged. For one more ink , I’ll even take an uninkable card like Hades – Lord of the Dead. Whenever one of my other characters is banished during an opponent’s turn, I gain two lore. Anyone about to clear my board has to count those points first.

What two ink buy me depends on what I need. Aladdin brings two strength , one willpower and two lore. Simba – Happy-Go-Lucky has just one strength and quests for one lore, but four willpower lets him survive a lot more. Pinocchio – Star Attraction is the other extreme: three lore per quest, one willpower. Like Lilo – Making a Wish and the little Prince, he’s a target as soon as he exerts.

Why “Heroes” is more than a deck name

Amber, Amethyst and Steel give me cheap characters that can do two jobs. Almost all my characters with no abilities are Heroes. With Phil, or Philoctetes – No-Nonsense Instructor, in play, I gain one lore just for playing a Hero. Winnie can turn that same play into another card. Ling is an Ally himself but gives each of my Heroes an extra point of strength . Suddenly a little quester can trade with a character he’d otherwise have to leave alone.

Imperial Bow makes that choice especially interesting. For one ink and exerting the bow, a Hero gets Challenger +2 and Evasive this turn. Now even an exerted Evasive opponent is within reach. I could spend that same ink on Winnie’s next card. When someone’s about to win, I’d rather take the challenge.

Lantern and Grandmother Willow help with exactly that calculation. They reduce the cost of playing a character, leaving me that spare ink for Winnie.

Little Stitch has plans for later

Opening with Stitch – New Dog also sets up Stitch – Rock Star. Big Stitch lets me exert newly played cheap characters to draw. With Winnie and Rock Star ready to go, the same little character with no abilities can get me two cards: one for the extra ink , one for exerting him. Whether I want to leave him exposed to three opponents is part of the decision.

The names matter here. Lilo – Rock Star shifts onto Lilo and Stitch – Rock Star onto Stitch. Lilo & Stitch – Fun-Loving Friends can shift onto either. An early Lilo or Stitch leaves me more than one line later in the game.

For longer games I also have Beast – Tragic Hero and Rapunzel – Gifted with Healing. An undamaged Beast draws me a card at the start of my turn. If he’s taken damage in a challenge, Rapunzel can remove up to three of it, draw me cards for healing him and help get his draw back online for the following turn.

There’s almost always a target at a table of four

When my turn comes around, someone usually has an exerted character. Forest Duel gives my characters Challenger +2 this turn. If one is banished in a challenge, it goes back to my hand. Dr. Facilier – Agent Provocateur offers a similar line on opponents’ turns. When another of my characters is banished in a challenge, I may return it to my hand. Playing it again can trigger Winnie again.

Against decks that spread damage around the table, I like Can't Hold It Back Anymore. I exert a chosen opposing character, then move the damage counters from every other character onto it. Against a Robin Hood table full of damaged characters, that can clean up my board and take out a big opponent at the same time. Robin Hood – Champion of Sherwood plays the other side of that trade: when he banishes a character in a challenge during my turn, I gain two lore.

Giving little questers another round

Sometimes I’d rather put my exerted character back in my own hand. Madam Mim – Fox can return it when she enters play and challenge straight away thanks to Rush. Arthur – Wizard's Apprentice can even turn the trip home into lore. When he quests, I can take another of my characters back and gain two lore. My little quester has done its job and can draw me another card the next time I play it.

When the whole board needs protection, each card does a different job. Restoring Atlantis keeps my characters safe from challenges until my next turn begins. Kida – Protector of Atlantis instead reduces every character’s strength by three, including my own. Toulouse – Rough and Tumble costs only two and shuts off opposing actions until my next turn. At a table of four, that covers all three opponents. It’s the familiar Pete effect. In my current list, Toulouse has that job.

Anna – Mystical Majesty works even under that action lock. She’s a character and exerts all opposing characters when I play her. If someone is close to winning, I use that opening on my turn to challenge the crucial questers. Anna alone won’t keep them exerted into their next turn.

What matters near the finish line

Koda – Talkative Cub is one of my favourite multiplayer cards in this list. During opponents’ turns I can’t lose lore, so a late A Pirate’s Life can’t set me back again. Hades – Lord of the Dead asks the table a different question. While his effect is active, each of my other characters banished on an opponent’s turn earns me two lore. Anyone thinking of clearing my wide board should check my dial first.

And if the board does go? When I play Perdita – Devoted Mother or quest with her, she can play a character costing two ink or less from my discard for free. Lilo – Rock Star can do the same when she quests. If I get Pinocchio back this way, it counts as playing him: I can pay one ink for Winnie, draw a card and have a three-lore quester ready for next turn. That’s why the little characters still feel good late in the game.

60 cards · 44 characters · 14 actions (including 8 songs) · 2 items

44

Inkable

16

Uninkable

3.27

Average ink cost

75

Total lore pips

2.18 Average strength per character 3.16 Average willpower per character

Inkable to uninkable ratio 11:4 · Average lore per card 1.25

Ink curve

100–1

162

103

84

85

46

47+

Card breakdown

60

44 characters8 songs6 other actions2 items

Card typeDeck tagsInk colors

CocoDex community decks · Hunny Heroes by CocoDex Björn

I’d play the core of this deck again. My little Heroes drew me cards, held their own in challenges and kept me in the running right to the end. When I think about my next changes, I keep coming back to the turns where I needed Tim to answer Stitch. A deck is always a work in progress. That goes for our deck editor too. If something jumps out at you while building, write to us at info@cocodex.ink.

What sticks with me is our table of four. An invitation from Tim, Phungi out with her camera, and four people having a really good time in the middle of a noisy exhibition hall. That’s what I went to Essen for.

Take care and keep on inking! Sometimes you’re the fox, sometimes you’re the hare. This time I was the hare.

On her YouTube channel House of Lima Phungi takes you along to SPIEL Essen. In her convention video she talks to Tim about Coconut.

Watch on YouTube: Phungi talks Coconut with Tim at SPIEL Essen

This video is in German.

YouTube channelHouse of Lima