Exclusive: Upcoming Disney Lorcana and Disney Villainous crossover is pure gold

Seeing as Disney Lorcana and Disney Villainous celebrate the same beloved characters, it only makes sense we’d see a crossover eventually – and GamesRadar+ can exclusively reveal a special Lorcana card that combines both. 

Players will find a special foil Disney Lorcana card in the next expansion set, Shimmering Skies, a new version of the Disney Villainous: Introduction to Evil game due out this August. The card will depict Prince John, one of the original Villainous characters, and has been painted in the Villainous style.

You'll only be able to find this Lorcana card in Introduction to Evil (first seen during the Disney100 celebrations in 2023), which offers a more accessible and affordable route into Villainous. Be sure to look out for the identifying sticker on the front to make sure you're getting the new version with that Lorcana card inside.

Setting you back four ink, Prince John - Gold Lover has a solid mid-range cost. However, he can also be inked to add some resources to your inkwell in a pinch. Even if you don’t decide to ink down this cozy cat, his penny-pinching ways will continue to serve you thanks to his ability. Prince John - Gold Lover can be exerted to allow you to play an item with cost 5 or less for free from your hand or discard – definitely an ability that can come in clutch when your inkwell runs dry. 

Beyond his mechanical value though, this card is also just straight up nice to look at. While it’s definitely enhanced by the Villainous-exclusive cold foil treatment, this is in large part owing to the skills of the card’s artist, Yuri Cameirana. "When they asked me if I was interested in painting Prince John's promo, it was like a dream come true," Cameirana explained, "Robin Hood was by far my favorite Disney movie during my childhood, and it has a special place in my heart."

"We decided to reinterpret a scene of the movie," continued Cameirana. "We chose to depict Prince John in his iconic sleeping pose, surrounded by gold coins as a representation of his most distinct personality traits: childishness and greed. I followed the distinctive style of Villainous artworks, without line art and a more painterly style. This way, when you have that card in hand, you have a perfect fusion of the spirit of both Lorcana and Villainous."

While we’re expecting to see a whole swath of new cards in the upcoming Disney Lorcana Shimmering Skies set, the choice was made to have Prince John - Gold Lover as the Villainous tie-in card owing to the character’s history as one of the first villains featured in the base game, The Worst Takes It All. 

As explained by Ravensburger’s Head of New Games Marketing, Lysa Penrose, “In Disney Villainous, we work meticulously to stay true to existing canon stories and lore – there are no Floodborn or Dreamborn here.” So, in that same vein, the tie-in card is a similarly canon-adherent Storyborn. Once you factor in this and the painterly art style, Prince John - Gold Lover not only makes a cool collector card for Disney Lorcana fans but also integrates well with the feel of Disney Villainous as a whole.

If you’re hoping to get your paws on the new edition of Disney Villainous: Introduction to Evil and its Disney Lorcana crossover card, make sure to keep an eye out for that promo sticker when boxes hit shelves in August 2024. 

While you’re waiting for this new release, why not catch up with some great tabletop gaming picks you might’ve missed? Our list of the best board games has plenty to choose from. Alternatively, if you’re searching for more games like Disney Lorcana, our picks for the best card games could be just what you need.