Villain's Court: Strategy Guide

Inspired by Inkborn Heroes' "Amethyst/Steel Midrange" on Dreamborn.

Every character is a Disney villain. The deck plays as straight Amethyst/Steel midrange: play efficient Villain bodies on turns 1 through 4, clear their questers with Steel's burn package, and close with Te Kā - Lava Monster or Maleficent - Formidable Queen when opponents run out of answers.

The Challenger density is the engine. Three of your characters have the Challenger keyword built in: Captain Hook - Forceful Duelist (+2 strength while challenging), Jafar - Wicked Sorcerer (+3 strength while challenging), and Te Kā - Lava Monster (+2 strength while challenging). Three more cards GRANT Challenger +2 on cast: Jafar - Aspiring Ruler's THAT'S BETTER on his entry, Hypnotic Strength (a 2-ink action that also draws a card), and Last-Ditch Effort (a 3-ink action that exerts an opposing character AND grants Challenger +2 to your character).

The math that wins games. Two Challenger +2 grants on one challenger stack additively. Examples: Captain Hook - Forceful Duelist (1 strength base) plus his native Challenger +2 plus Hypnotic Strength's Challenger +2 swings for 5 strength while challenging. Jafar - Wicked Sorcerer (2 strength base) plus his native Challenger +3 plus a Jafar - Aspiring Ruler grant plus Hypnotic Strength stacks to 9 strength while challenging. The combat ceiling on small bodies is unusually high here.

Reminder: a character with wet ink (just played) can't challenge the turn they are played. Let the ink dry overnight, then strike.

Matchup role. You attack THROUGH removal against wide aggressive opponents: Quick Shot and Fire the Cannons! clear their board faster than they rebuild. You become the slower deck against grind opponents (Let It Go, Princess Power) whose tall-willpower bodies beat your Challenger package: there, lean on Pull the Lever! (hand disruption mode) and Hypnotic Strength combat tricks instead of direct challenges.

Lore math. 12 cards in this deck quest for 2 lore. A realistic turn 5 board has 3 questers = 4 to 5 lore that turn. Target 20 lore by turn 8 or 9.

Single-pattern keep. Three cards: an inkable, a turn-2 character bridge, and Captain Hook - Forceful Duelist as your turn 1 attacker.

Always keep: Jafar - Aspiring Ruler in any opener. Best card in the deck at every stage. If you see him, keep him, every time.

Conditional keep on the draw: Madam Mim - Snake (and her twin Madam Mim - Fox), but only with a body already on board. JUST YOU WAIT and CHASING THE RABBIT both force you to banish her or bounce another of your characters to your hand on entry. Never deploy either Madam Mim on an empty board: she just banishes herself for nothing. Her real job is refreshing a damaged Captain Hook - Forceful Duelist or Maleficent - Vengeful Sorceress back to your hand, then sticking as her own body. Madam Mim - Fox also has Rush, so once you have a body to bounce, she can challenge the turn she enters.

Ship hands:

• All-action hands. Quick Shot plus I'm Stuck! plus Fire the Cannons! alone don't win games. You need bodies generating lore.
• Strength of a Raging Fire is a 2-of in the deck; never keep a hand waiting for it.

Ideal turn 1 through 3 line. Turn 1: play Captain Hook - Forceful Duelist (he quests turn 2). Turn 2: play Maleficent - Vengeful Sorceress (a 2-cost character that quests for 2 lore once her ink dries). Turn 3: play Jafar - Aspiring Ruler (he quests turn 4 for 2 lore, threatening a Challenger +2 buff on his next play). End of turn 3 you have 4+ lore on board, and the opponent must remove Jafar before next turn or eat a Challenger +2 swing.

Openers:

• Captain Hook - Forceful Duelist: 1 ink, 1 strength, 2 willpower, 1 lore, Steel inkable. Challenger +2 (gets +2 strength while challenging). Play him turn 1; his ink dries overnight, and from turn 2 he challenges exerted enemies for 3 strength. Don't ink him. Best turn 1 play, and his +2 combat buff compounds with board development.

Curve threats (2 and 3 ink):

• Madam Mim - Snake: 2 ink, 3 strength, 3 willpower, 1 lore, Amethyst inkable. JUST YOU WAIT on entry: banish her, OR return another chosen character of yours to your hand. Never play her on an empty board (she just banishes herself for nothing). Her real job: bounce a damaged Captain Hook - Forceful Duelist or Maleficent - Vengeful Sorceress back to hand so you can replay them fresh, then she sticks as a 3-strength, 3-willpower body that beats most 2-cost opposing characters in combat.
• Maleficent - Vengeful Sorceress: 2 ink, 2 strength, 2 willpower, 2 lore, Amethyst inkable, vanilla (no ability). Above-rate at the 2-cost slot. Quest her every turn once her ink dries; protect her. 2 lore at 2 ink is too good to lose to combat.
• Yzma - Transformed Kitten: 2 ink, 2 strength, 1 willpower, 1 lore, Amethyst inkable. I WIN: when this character is banished, if you have more cards in your hand than each opponent, you may return this card to your hand. Self-recurs out of the discard pile when you are ahead on cards. Curve filler that bounces back into hand if you keep your draw flowing.
• Jafar - Royal Vizier: 2 ink, 3 strength, 2 willpower, 1 lore, Steel inkable. I DON'T TRUST HIM, SIRE: during YOUR turn, this character gains Evasive (only Evasive characters can challenge him on your turn, but more importantly, he can challenge characters with Evasive on your turn). The deck's built-in answer to Evasive opposing characters. Aggressive 3-strength 2-cost body with on-your-turn Evasive.
• Jafar - Aspiring Ruler: 3 ink, 3 strength, 2 willpower, 2 lore, Steel inkable. The deck's best card. THAT'S BETTER on entry: chosen character gains Challenger +2 this turn. Buff a dry attacker about to challenge. Jafar himself can't challenge the turn he is played (his ink is still wet); from turn 4 onward he quests for 2. Don't ink him. Ever. He's a 4-copy card for a reason.
• Maleficent - Sorceress: 3 ink, 2 strength, 2 willpower, 1 lore, Amethyst inkable. CAST MY SPELL! on entry: you may draw a card. A 3-cost body that replaces itself in your hand. Mid-curve quester AND a draw engine.
• Madam Mim - Fox: 3 ink, 4 strength, 3 willpower, 1 lore, Amethyst inkable. Rush (can challenge the turn she enters) PLUS CHASING THE RABBIT on entry: banish her, OR return another chosen character of yours to your hand. Same forced-bounce or self-banish trap as Madam Mim - Snake. Once you have a body to bounce, she lands AND can challenge an exerted opposing character the same turn (4 strength on entry).

Mid-game bodies (4 ink):

• Captain Hook - Captain of the Jolly Roger: 4 ink, 3 strength, 4 willpower, 1 lore, Steel uninkable. DOUBLE THE POWDER! on entry: return an action card named Fire the Cannons! from your discard to your hand. Combined with Fire the Cannons! in the mainboard (3 copies), this is a Fire-the-Cannons recursion engine: cast one early, recur it with Captain Hook, fire it again. Effectively 4 to 6 Fire the Cannons! per game.
• Jafar - Wicked Sorcerer: 4 ink, 2 strength, 5 willpower, 1 lore, Amethyst inkable. Challenger +3 (gets +3 strength while challenging). He swings for 5 strength while challenging, AND his 5 willpower survives most opposing challenges. Quest him when safe; challenge when you need to remove a 4+ willpower body. Not a defensive-only body, despite the stat-line: the Challenger +3 keyword turns him into a serious combat threat.
• Jafar - Newly Crowned: 4 ink, 2 strength, 4 willpower, 2 lore, Amethyst-Steel dual-ink inkable (plays under either ink). His THIS IS NOT DONE YET ability only returns banished Illusion characters to your hand, and this deck runs zero Illusions, so the ability is dormant baseline. Treat him as a 2-lore, 4-willpower body. Multiple Jafar variants questing simultaneously generate 4 to 6 lore from the 3-to-4 ink range alone.

Closers (deploy when your board is established):

• Te Kā - Lava Monster: 6 ink, 5 strength, 6 willpower, 2 lore, Amethyst inkable. Challenger +2 (gets +2 strength while challenging). She swings for 7 strength on challenge AND has 6 willpower defending. Almost nothing challenges her profitably. Quest her when the board is safe; challenge when you need to remove a 5 willpower or higher opposing character.
• Maleficent - Formidable Queen: 8 ink, 7 strength, 7 willpower, 2 lore, Amethyst uninkable. Shift 6 (you may pay 6 ink to play her on top of another character named Maleficent instead of the full 8 ink). LISTEN WELL, ALL OF YOU on entry: for EACH of your characters named Maleficent in play, return a chosen opposing character, item, or location of cost 3 or less to their player's hand. With 1 other Maleficent on board you bounce 1; with 2 you bounce 2. Shift her onto Maleficent - Vengeful Sorceress or Maleficent - Sorceress (already on board) for the discount. A board-resetting finisher, not just a big quester.

Interaction (use precisely):

• I'm Stuck!: 1 ink Amethyst action. Chosen ALREADY-EXERTED character can't ready at the start of their next turn. Cast turns 1 or 2 to slow their best threat AFTER it has quested.
• Fire the Cannons!: 1 ink Steel action. Deal 2 damage to chosen character. Removes 2-willpower questers from play. Recurred by Captain Hook - Captain of the Jolly Roger on his entry.
• Hypnotic Strength: 2 ink Amethyst action. Chosen character gains Challenger +2 this turn AND draw a card. The +2 strength applies ONLY WHILE CHALLENGING (not on quest or while defending). Stack with Captain Hook - Forceful Duelist (1 strength plus 2 native Challenger plus 2 Hypnotic = 5 strength while challenging) or with Jafar - Aspiring Ruler's grant (3 strength plus 2 grant plus 2 Hypnotic = 7 strength) for huge combat swings.
• Quick Shot: 2 ink Steel action. Deal 1 damage to chosen character and draw a card. Spend freely (it always replaces itself).
• Pull the Lever!: 3 ink Amethyst-Emerald dual-ink action (plays under Amethyst here). Choose one: draw 2 cards, OR each opponent chooses and discards a card. Refuel mode (draw 2) or hand disruption mode (their discard). NOT a bounce or removal effect.
• Strength of a Raging Fire: 3 ink Steel song (2 copies). Deal damage equal to the number of characters you have in play to chosen character. Sung free by any 3+ cost character. Premium removal that scales with your board. Save it for opposing characters you cannot remove via combat (5+ willpower).
• Last-Ditch Effort: 3 ink Amethyst action. Exert chosen opposing character AND chosen character of yours gains Challenger +2 this turn. Two effects in one card: tap their best blocker AND buff your attacker. Late-game finisher tool: tap their wall, then swing past it with a Challenger-stacked character.
• Freeze: 2 ink Amethyst action. Exert chosen opposing character. Single-target lock for a turn.
• Magical Maneuvers: 2 ink Amethyst action. Return a chosen character of YOURS to your hand AND exert a chosen character. Bounce a damaged Jafar to your hand to replay him fresh; the opposing-exert clause is a bonus tempo swing on top.

vs. Amethyst/Sapphire Evasive (Unfavorable): Watch for: Dumbo - Ninth Wonder of the Universe, Hades - Looking for a Deal The deck you will run into most often. The Challenger +2 grant from Jafar - Aspiring Ruler is dead against opposing Evasive bodies you can't block in the first place. Their Evasive characters quest past most of your blockers. Your one built-in answer: Jafar - Royal Vizier gains Evasive during your turn via his I DON'T TRUST HIM, SIRE ability, letting him attack their Evasive characters. He becomes your primary anti-Evasive attacker. Strength of a Raging Fire is your only clean removal for Dumbo - Ninth Wonder of the Universe; save a copy. Pull the Lever! in hand-disruption mode disrupts their hand before Hades - Looking for a Deal assembles its draw engine.

vs. Amber/Emerald Aggro (Favorable): Watch for: Tramp - Street-Smart Dog, Grandmother Willow - Ancient Advisor Quick Shot and Fire the Cannons! clear their low-willpower flood faster than they rebuild, especially when Captain Hook - Captain of the Jolly Roger recurs a Fire the Cannons! from your discard. Madam Mim - Snake at 3 strength trades up into most 2-cost opposing characters. Don't let them establish 5 or more bodies questing simultaneously before you remove them: their wide development compounds faster than removal can keep up if you wait too long. Strength of a Raging Fire on turn 5 with 3 of your bodies on board deals 3 damage and clears their best Dog body.

vs. Amber/Steel Steelsong (Even): Watch for: Angel - Experiment 624, He Hurled His Thunderbolt Both midrange decks lean on Steel removal. He Hurled His Thunderbolt deals 4 damage to chosen character, clearing your 2 to 3 willpower villains for a one-sided exchange. Keep at least one 4 or 5 willpower body alive when they hit 5 ink (Jafar - Wicked Sorcerer at 5 willpower or Captain Hook - Captain of the Jolly Roger at 4 willpower). Pull the Lever! in hand-disruption mode disrupts their songs in hand before they can chain them.

vs. Ruby/Sapphire Control (Unfavorable): Watch for: Maui - Hero to All, A Pirate's Life Maui - Hero to All (6 strength, 5 willpower, Rush + Reckless, attacks the turn he is played) trades into your 4-willpower bodies cleanly; their Sapphire draw refills their answer pile faster than you deploy threats. Te Kā - Lava Monster at 5 strength and 6 willpower is the one threat their single-target removal can't easily clear without Maui. Get her down with Jafar - Aspiring Ruler's Challenger +2 stacking BEFORE they assemble their 6+ ink turn.

vs. Mirror (Amethyst/Steel Challengers) (Even): Watch for: Beast - Snowfield Troublemaker, Strength of a Raging Fire Both decks grind midrange with Challenger +2 stacking. Strength of a Raging Fire deals damage equal to characters in play; whoever's wider when it casts wins the trade. Te Kā - Lava Monster vs. their Beast - Snowfield Troublemaker is the swing matchup: deploy her first or eat their Challenger turn.

Against decks running 5+ willpower bodies you can't trade into: add 1 more Strength of a Raging Fire when inventory allows. Problem solved: your Challenger characters losing trades into 5+ willpower opposing characters. Premium removal answers what combat alone can't.

Against tribal aggro variants: swap a flex 2-cost slot for an additional Yzma - Transformed Kitten to deepen the curve. Combat-buff stacking via the Challenger +2 grants stays the same. Yzma herself doesn't carry the Challenger keyword innately.

Competitive Amethyst/Steel Villain upgrade path ($30 to $120 total, in-color picks only):

• Demona - Scourge of the Wyvern Clan (Amethyst, 6 ink, 5 strength, 6 willpower, 2 lore). AD SAXUM COMMUTATE on entry exerts ALL opposing characters AND ensures each player has at least 3 cards in hand. A board-wide tap effect on a 6-cost finisher. About $30 to $60 per copy. The headline competitive upgrade.
• Demona - Betrayer of the Clan (Amethyst, 4 ink, 4 strength, 6 willpower, 1 lore). Challenger +2 native, with STONE BY DAY (can't ready when you have 3+ cards in hand). A second Challenger keyword body for the mid-curve.
• Doc - Bold Knight (Steel, 2 ink, 1 strength, 3 willpower, 1 lore). DRASTIC MEASURES on entry: discard your hand to draw 2 cards. A mid-game hand reset for grinding matchups. About $1 to $3.
• Cheshire Cat - Inexplicable (Amethyst, 3 ink, 3 strength, 4 willpower, 1 lore). Boost 2 ink (once during your turn, pay 2 ink to put the top of your deck under this character). IT'S LOADS OF FUN: when you put a card under this character, move up to 2 damage counters from chosen character to chosen opposing character. A damage-shifting engine that pings opposing characters for 2 per Boost activation.

Note on inks: stay within Amethyst and Steel only. The 2-ink rule prevents adding Emerald cards like Genie variants or most Cheshire Cat versions (they are Emerald, not Amethyst). Only Cheshire Cat - Inexplicable is in-color for this deck.

Outlook. Infinity-legal across all sets (this deck has 12 cards from Sets 1 and 2 with no Set 5 or later reprint, so it is Core-illegal for tournament Core play). The Infinity format never rotates, so the deck stays playable forever in casual events, Discord, and kitchen-table games: buy once, play forever. Te Kā - Lava Monster and Maleficent - Formidable Queen are the two cards that drive the Infinity-only legality.