Set 14 deck spotlight: Amber/Sapphire Judy Hopps Detectives, with six Judys and two Shifts
Set 14, Hyperia City, adds Zootopia Detectives to Amber. With Sapphire’s Judy Hopps cards they make an all-character Core Detective deck. Here is the list Lorcana content creator Dan Arnold shared on Dreamborn, with its key cards, game plan, weaknesses and a one-tap import link.
This list comes from Lorcana content creator Dan Arnold, shared on Dreamborn as “Zootopia Detectives Week 1 Update” (updated October 13, 2026). It’s a first-week list after Set 14’s release, and the page doesn’t list a tournament result.
Six Judy Hopps
Core (Sets 9–14) has six versions of Judy Hopps, and two of them can Shift onto a Judy.
Judy Hopps – Uncovering Clues (Sapphire, cost 4)
When played and whenever she quests, look at the top 3 cards of your deck and you may put a Detective character card into your hand. Almost the whole deck is Detectives, so she rarely misses.
Judy Hopps – Always Vigilant (Amber, Shift 2)
If you played another character this turn, she can banish a character with 5 strength or more. Shift 2 onto any Judy.
Judy Hopps – Lead Detective (Sapphire, Shift 4)
During your turn, your Detectives gain Alert and Resist +2: they can challenge Evasive characters and take 2 less damage.
The other three cover the early game: Helpful Officer (Amber, cost 1, removes 2 damage), Day Camp Instructor (Sapphire, cost 2, Support, an extra card into your inkwell if you played another character this turn) and On the Case (Sapphire, cost 3, puts an opposing item into its player’s inkwell while you have another Detective).
How the deck works
Two characters a turn
Judy – Day Camp Instructor, Judy – Always Vigilant and Nick Wilde – Toy Drive Officer all ask whether you played another character this turn. The deck has 23 characters costing 1–2 and only 4 cards at cost 3: play a 1- and a 2-drop on turn 3, or a cheap character and then Always Vigilant with Shift 2 on turn 4, and those effects trigger easily.
Nick Wilde – Toy Drive Officer (Amber, cost 4)
Draws a card at the end of your turn if you played 2 or more characters.
Support for strength
Most Detectives have 2–4 strength. Eilonwy, Daisy Duck – Ghost Finder and Judy – Day Camp Instructor have Support, and Nick Wilde – Providing Backup gains it with another Detective: when they quest, they add their strength to another character so it can win a challenge.
Nick Wilde – Providing Backup (Amber, cost 2)
Gains Support while you have another Detective.
Mid and late game
Elisa Maza – Hardworking Detective (Amber, cost 4)
With another Detective in play, look at an opponent’s hand and make them discard a non-character card of your choice.
Fangmeyer – Icy Officer (Amber, cost 5)
Returns a Detective character card from your discard to your hand, so a banished Judy comes back.
Daisy Duck – Paranormal Investigator (Sapphire, Shift 4)
While she’s exerted, cards enter opponents’ inkwells exerted, so the new ink can’t be used that turn.
Nick Wilde – Inquisitive Harbormaster (Amber, Shift 4)
3 lore. Whenever he quests, a chosen character gains Adventurous: it can’t challenge and must quest.
Full list (60 cards: 36 Amber, 24 Sapphire)
List by Dan Arnold, Dreamborn
Import this deck into the InkLora Deck Builder
Once imported, Deck check below your deck reviews every card and compares the deck with the meta decks.
Game plan
- Early (cost 1–3): Higgins, Eilonwy, Judy – Helpful Officer, Nick – Providing Backup and Darkwing Duck; try to play two characters every turn.
- Mid game (cost 4–5): Judy – Uncovering Clues finds Detectives. Play a cheap character, then Shift 2 Judy – Always Vigilant, or use Gaston, to banish a big opposing character. Fangmeyer brings back banished Detectives.
- Late game (6+): Shift 4 into Judy – Lead Detective so every Detective can challenge safely; Daisy – Paranormal Investigator slows the opponent’s ink, and Nick – Inquisitive Harbormaster quests for 3 lore a turn.
Weaknesses
- Removal only hits big characters: Gaston and Judy – Always Vigilant only banish characters with 5 strength or more, so small ones have to be challenged. There is only one Let It Go, the catch-all removal, so you won’t always draw it.
- Ward: Gaston, Judy – Always Vigilant and Let It Go all choose a character, so they can’t target characters with Ward.
- More uninkable cards: 48 are inkable; Judy – Day Camp Instructor, Nick – Toy Drive Officer and Fangmeyer are not.
For a tournament-tested Detective deck, pick “Sapphire/Steel Detectives” in Deck check in the Deck Builder.
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