Disney Villainous, Bigger and Badder - Villain Review
Today we return to the world of Disney Villainous! Unleash your inner villain, as I review the various villains of Bigger and Badder.
This is the seventh part in a series of reviews I’ve done for Disney Villainous, focusing on each character in turn. I’ve ranked the difficulty of each Villain, placing them as easy, medium, or hard. I’ve also outlined a basic strategy that I tend to follow when playing that villain, although it is by no means the definitive way to play. I’ll pick out my top 3 cards for each villain, although I’ll largely ignore those directly required for the villain to achieve victory – cards like the Crown and Trident for Ursula, Titans for Hades, the Magic Lamp for Jafar, and so on – unless I feel they contribute heavily to victory.
Bigger and Badder introduces us to three new villains, Syndrome from the Incredibles, Lotso from Toy Story 3, and Madam Mim from the Sword in the Stone. The Villains are varied in difficulty, making this great as an expansion for players with others from the Villainous range, but less good if you’re new to the game. For me, Bigger and Badder is one of the weaker box sets, alongside Despicable Plots, and I’d recommend picking up Wicked to the Core, Evil Comes Prepared, or Perfectly Wretched first, if you’re looking for new Villains to play.
You can see all my Disney Villain Reviews by clicking here.
Madam Mim
Difficulty: Easy
Madam Mim is an incredibly fun villain to play as; however, she’s also one of the strongest villains in the game. Madam Mim must defeat the 7 Merlin Transformations (Heroes), using a specific Mim Transformation (Allies). Although this sounds challenging, it’s easier than it seems, as you always start with a Merlin Transformation on your board, and when you defeat one, you immediately play the next. Mim is definitely a villain that feels like her victory is inevitable, so, when playing against her, you have to make sure you play quickly, or have a board that can Fate Mim again and again. Madam Mim is an incredibly strong board, probably in the top 3 with Evil Queen and Doctor Facilier, but she can be beaten.
Top 3 Cards:
As Big as a House
As Big as a House gives you an almost guaranteed way to gain Power quickly. It’s a Condition card that you play when another player gains 2 or more Power, allowing you to also gain 2 Power. This gives you the ability to play Transformations more readily, and also gets you half the Power you need to play I’ll Make the Rules. Whilst I find Mim doesn’t necessarily struggle for Power, this gives you far more flexibility with the cards you can play, and getting this early is especially beneficial.
Wizard’s Duel
Wizard’s Duel lets you play the top card of your Merlin Transformation deck. At first glance, this may not seem that strong, as you play Merlin Transformations when you defeat one, but having more than one play means you can potentially defeat more than one Merlin in a turn, racing towards your goal. With an easily accessible Move a Hero action, you don’t have to worry about being overwhelmed by Heroes. Additionally, you can potentially line up multiple Vanquish actions in a turn; by having four different Merlin Transformations at one location, and four different Mim transformations, you guarantee defeating four defeated Merlin Transformations in a turn, as you draw a new one when one is defeated.
A Sporting Chance
A Sporting Chance lets you recover cards from your discard pile, which is incredibly useful for Mim. Most Villains want to Vanquish Heroes to win, some even need to as part of their goal, and a Sporting Chance lets you choose a card from your discard pile to put into your hand. The main use for this is recovering a Transformation, especially if Bird Arthur or Germ Merlin have forced you to discard one or more Mim Transformations, or Merlin has been used to recover a Merlin Transformation. In the early game, or unlikely event that I have no other useful cards to recover, I like to use this to pick up As Big as a House, to let me generate a little bit of extra Power.
Unfortunately, A Sporting Chance doesn’t work against Heroes who don’t need to or can’t Vanquish Heroes – such as Evil Queen and Ursula, in which case you want to discard it as soon as possible.
Special Mention: The Transformations
Mim’s Transformations are essential for her victory, allowing her to defeat specific Merlin Transformations. However, each one also has a Vanquish action built in, meaning you can make use of one even if the specific Transformation it defeats isn’t in play. Rattlesnake Mim and Tiger Mim are especially useful for this, as both defeat Mouse Merlin, it gives you a bit of redundancy and allows you to play a Vanquish action where you need it.
Syndrome
Difficulty: Medium
Syndrome isn’t a difficult Villain to play as, his goal is relatively straightforward; however, the wording in his Villain Guide and on the Omnidroids can be a lot to take in for new players, leaving you feeling overwhelmed. It also feels like there’s more to keep track of than with some other Villains.
Syndromes playstyle can be fit into three phases. In phase one, you want to find and defeat Heroes, using your Omnidroids, to help you get to phase two. In phase two, you’re searching for Major Modifications. You have four of these cards in your deck, and you’ll need all of them to win – however, Monologuing and That Was Totally Wicked are quite punishing Fate cards, and may force you to go through your deck a second to find them. The final phase is simply a case of defeating Heroes as quickly as possible – your opponents will eventually run out of Heroes to play on you, so defeating a Hero every turn is essential.
I really enjoy playing as Syndrome, the pathway to his goal is broken down into separate stages, and it’s very satisfying to reach the final stage and know your opponent must now do everything they can to win before you do. Syndrome has a lot of Condition Cards, so you will need to pay attention to your opponent’s turns when you’re playing.
Top 3 Cards:
Who’s Super Now?
Who’s Super Now? is a Condition card that gets activated when another player plays a card, so playing this is incredibly easy. You then gain Power equal to the cost of the card playing, allowing you to really build your Power supply. I find this card really useful when trying to play Allies or Major Modification, as Syndrome can otherwise run out of Power, especially if you’re going to Syndrome’s Lair to play two cards.
Not a Sidekick
Like Who’s Super Now?, Not a Sidekick is one of the four types of Condition cards in Syndrome’s deck. This is an incredibly powerful card, allowing you to draw cards equal to the amount discarded by another player, which really helps you go through all your cards. As almost every Villain needs to discard cards to achieve their goal, you should make efficient use of it.
Velocipod Patrol
For my third card, it was a hard choice between Velocipod Patrol and Containment Unit. In the end, Velocipod Patrol just won. The main reason for this is the amount of control Velocipod Patrol gives you over your board. Because it can defeat Heroes in adjacent locations, opponents will be less likely to play Heroes to these three locations, forcing them to place them to a location of your choice, especially if you have more than one Velocipod Patrol. If your Velocipod Patrols are at Syndrome’s Lair, your opponent will want to play Heroes to Parr Residence, to stop them being defeated by the Patrols. If you can then get Omnidroid V.10 to Parr Residence, the Heroes are all set up ready for you to defeat them. The main downside of Velicopod Patrols, and any other Allies, is their vulnerability to That Was Totally Awesome, which can undo all your hard work.
Special Mention: Omnidroid V.10
How can one not mention the Omnidroids when talking about Syndrome? Omnidroid V.10 is your most powerful weapon to defeat Heroes, capable of defeating any of the Heroes in your realm. Additionally, Omnidroid V.10 isn’t discarded when used to defeat Heroes, so you can use it over and over again. Just make sure you defeat the Hero holding the Remote last, otherwise you’ll lose control of Omnidroid V.10!
Lotso
Difficulty: Hard
What can one say about Lotso? Lotso is one of the hardest and slowest Villains to play as. He must find and play his four Heroes, get them and Buzz Lightyear to the Caterpillar Room, and reduce the Heroes to zero strength, using cards or by defeating them. Individually, these goals are simple, but there are a lot of Fate cards that can seriously hamper Lotso’s ability to do so. On the flip side, Lotso is incredibly good at Fating other Villains, as hit Fate locations are both really strong for him, and his best defence is to Fate his opponents as much as possible. Playing with two people can make for an incredibly slow game, as Lotso struggles to achieve his goal, whilst denying victory to his opponent. I haven’t enjoyed playing with Lotso so far, but he could be more enjoyable with more players.
Top 3 Cards
Something Snapped
Almost all of Lotso’s cards move Heroes or reduce their Strength, putting you closer to your goal, yet Something Snapped is a Condition that activates when another player discards cards, allowing you to move all Heroes to the Caterpillar Room. With this card, it’s possible to achieve victory when it’s not your turn, and even if it doesn’t it gives you far more flexibility on which location to move to, as all your top row will be uncovered. As Something Snapped relies on other players to discard cards, it’s easy to play, as most, if not all, Villains need to discard to achieve their goal.
Woody’s Hat
Woody’s Hat is the only Item in your deck, and reduces the Strength of all Heroes, except Woody, by 1. This is a strong card for Lotso, with a relatively low cost, and is especially useful for reducing Rex’s Strength, who can’t usually be targeted if he’s with another Hero. You need to play Woody’s Hat after Woody comes into play, otherwise you’ll be forced to discard it.
New Toys Don’t Stand a Chance
This is one of the most cost-effective ways to reduce the Strength of Heroes, provided most of them are in the Caterpillar Room. Whilst this doesn’t work on Rex, him being in the Caterpillar Room still contributes to the effect of New Toys Don’t Stand a Chance. With three Heroes in the Caterpillar Room, you’ll be able to neutralise Hamm and Jessie, and significantly reduce the Strength of Woody. With fewer Heroes in the Caterpillar Room, the Bookworm or Locked Up may be better cards to play, so you can play New Toys Don’t Stand a Chance at the most opportune moment.
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Thanks for reading!
Chris