UpperDeck Announces Legendary: Marvel Villains Deck Building Game

Last year, I was able to pick up Legendary: Marvel Deck Building game from UpperDeck entertainment. It is a card game that lets you recruit heroes into your deck, so they can be used to increase your power and abilities to defeat the Mastermind and his villains. The concept is hard to wrap your head around at first if you’re new to the deck building genre, but once the first game is done, there’s a simplicity and depth to the game that brings you back for more. For the uninitiated, all the cards you need to play are in the box. You do not buy booster packs, but they release quarterly expansions to add characters to the ever expanding roster of heroes and villains.

Since the original game has come out, there have been one big and two small expansions. Dark City was the first big expansion and brought more X-Men to the table than you can shake a stick at, plus some more street level heroes (Blade, Daredevil, Punisher). The second release saw Fantastic Four come to the game. This of course gave us the team plus Silver Surfer and some galactic level threats (Galactus and his heralds). Currently, this month, Paint the Town Red brought some spider-friends into the fold, including Moon Knight and Carnage!

As of 2014 GAMA Trade Show upper deck has announced the next big box expansion and it is taking the Legendary concept to new levels. This new release flips the players roles and puts them into the villains seat. The hero deck is now the villain deck, and you’ll recruit baddies to be on your side. You’ll start with a Hydra Hand instead of SHIELD agents, and there will be a new wounds and bystander cards with different abilities added as well. We don’t have the specifics yet on the game’s characters, but will definitely be picking this up when it releases this June.

Official news from UpperDeck:

[alert variation=”alert-success”]On June 25th, the new Legendary: Marvel Deck Building Game box will be released.  Brenner confirmed that Legendary: Marvel Villains Deck Building Game is a reboot of the core set for theLegendary: Marvel Deck Building Game.  “When I say rebooting:  all new art, new mechanics and the catch is, you’re actually playing as the villains against the good guys, rather than the heroes against the villains.”  He said the “Mastermind” role will be played by heroes like Professor X or Odin, but the “Mastermind” name will change.

“They have their plans they’re trying to accomplish as good guys, and as the villains, you’re trying to thwart that,” Brenner explained.  “So it’s going to be more PvP-centric.  We renewed all the starting hands; they’re going to be Hydra hands; it’s going to be really interesting.  I liken (game play) to any time there was a cool Star Trek mirror universe episode, those were the coolest episodes on the planet.”

Brenner went on to confirm that while this is a new starter, it will be compatible with all existing product, and that Upper Deck will continue to produce the first core product.  “The first set is not being retired.  We’re very sensitive to that.  I think this is a good starting point for new players.  I think it’s a good different way to play for current players.  It’s a fun alternative way to play the game,” he said.  “These will both live on the shelf, at the same time.”

Legendary: Marvel Villains Deck Building Game box will include 500 cards, a game board and a rulebook.  MSRP is $59.99.

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Source: ICv2 | BoardGameGeek