Disney Villainousis a fantastic board game where the most popularDisneyvillains face off against each other, trying to complete their goals before everyone else, and become the ultimate villain. It was released back in 2018 and many expansions have been released since then, adding a lot of memorable characters to the roster.
Every single expansion pack is worth it, particularly if you want to have a full collection, but not all were made with the same quality or balance. Some expansions are more new player friendly than others, so if you want to know in which order you should buy these packs, look no further.
7Introduction To Evil
Remaking What Already Worked
While most expansion packs are standalone products (meaning that they can be used without the base game), they are hardly a replacement for it, since no other Villainous product boasts six villains for you to play as. Introduction to Evil aims to be a friendlier version of the base game, remaking Captain Hook, Maleficent, Prince John and Ursula, so they can be better used by people unfamiliar with the game.
This already makes it a lesser product than the base game, since Jafar and the Queen of Hearts are nowhere to be seen. On top of that, the rule changes heavily nerf Prince John (who was already fine as a new-player friendly deck) andcompletely alter Ursula.
That final Ursula change is the only one that can justify this edition, since the original version of the Little Mermaid’s villain was barely playable. Still, the Ursula in Introduction to Evil ends up having little thematic flavor when compared to its base game counterpart.
6Filled With Fright
Only One Villain Included
Filled with Fright is the first (and so far only) single character expansion for Disney Villainous, said character being Oogie Boogie from A Nightmare Before Christmas. It comes with its own set of mechanics, two six-sided dice, and a glow in the dark mover that represents Oogie Boogie himself.
The quality of this product can’t be understated, from the gameplay to the design, particularly when looking at the dice: they look just like the ones in the movie. Still, it is hard to look past the fact that only one villain is included; as nice as the product might be, you still need to buy at least one other expansion for it to be playable, and all those boxes are going to add up.
5Despicable Plots
A Lackluster Gaston
Despicable Plots works like your average Villainous expansion, adding three characters for you to play as either against each other, or combined with any of the other edition’s villains. It includes Lady Tremaine, The Horned King, and Gaston.
Lady Tremaine and The Horned King are great additions to the Villainous roster, even if their mechanics aren’t as new as one would hope. Still, they are a lot of fun, particularly Lady Tremaine and how she traps Heroes instead of vanquishing them.
The weakest link among these villains is Gaston, who suffers from gameplay and theming angles. Gameplay wise, his objective is simple yet easily foiled, but the worst part is his theming: nothing that you do in the game feels part of the movie, something that all other villains manage to do in their decks.
4Wicked To The Core
The First Expansion
Wicked To The Core marked a great start of how an expansion for Disney Villainous should be: three distinct villains, each with new mechanics that add complexity to the base game. While it works perfectly in that regard, it is also meant for more experienced players, since it can be easy to lose with these new characters.
Hades is the easiest to understand of the bunch, but is also easily countered, since he can’t hide his progress from his opponents: he needs to get four Titans from one end of the board to the other. Many cards are constantly pushing and tumbling these Titans down, so against aggressive players with faster villains, Hades is doomed.
Dr. Facilier and The Evil Queen aren’t that easy to counter, but they are far more complex to play. In fact, they mark the first time you can lose progress on your own, since a less than optimal play with these characters can waste what limited resources they have to win.
3Evil Comes Prepared
Fun Comes First
Evil Comes Prepared includes some of the hardest characters to win as, yet they are also the ones with the most fun mechanics. They might not be the ones you take to aDisney Villainous tournament, but they are a blast to play as among friends.
Scar and Yzma in particular are difficult to win as, and for completely opposite reasons. Scar is a slow character, although hard to counter (since he benefits from being attacked), while a few bad draws with Yzma can send her into an instant loss.
Still, they are both a lot of fun, with their mechanics shining as revivals of the movies, but they pale compared to Ratigan, the third villain of the set. Ratigan is a whole spy movie on its own, letting you strategize for a machiavellian win, or turn into a hulking beast when foiled and win with sheer force.
2Bigger And Badder
The Pixar One
Bigger And Badder marked the first time Pixar characters entered the Villainous fray, with Lotso from Toy Story 3 and Syndrome from The Incredibles being the chosen representatives. They are both meant for players familiar with the Villainous systems, but their complexities add a lot of fun to the game.
Both Lotso and Syndrome use negative tokens to reduce the strength of heroes, making them perfect for players transitioning from Disney to Marvel Villainous, where negative tokens are used by nearly everyone.
Yet the stand-out character isn’t a Pixar one, but an old villain from Disney history: Madam Mim. She’s a mischievous character that appeared briefly in The Sword In The Stone, and that brief appearance was enough to inspire one of the best decks in Villainous history, with two Fate Decks and a lot of combo potential.
1Perfectly Wretched
Peaked Villainous Excellence
The best expansion so far for Disney Villainous had to be Perfectly Wretched, since each character it added isn’t only balanced, they also come with new and fresh mechanics that set them apart from the rest of the cast. The chosen villains this time around are Cruella De Vil, Mother Gothel, and Pete.
Cruella and Gothel need no introduction, and their unique stories make for unique gameplay. Cruella needs to gather puppies for her coat, which take the form of unique tokens that she needs to collect all around the board, while Gothel has a unique interaction with Rapunzel, never vanquishing her and ensuring that she remains at the Tower.
Yet the clear standout is Pete, a classic villain from the black and white era of Mickey Mouse cartoons. Pete shines not only for his unique aesthetic, but also for how he functions: he has a random set of goals to complete at each location, which essentially changes how you approach him each time you choose to play as him, making each sitting one of a kind.
