Dr. Facilier

"I got friends on the other side."

Dr. Facilier is one of three playable Villains in the Villainous expansion, Wicked to the Core. He is from the movie The Princess and the Frog, released in 2009, in which he is voiced by Keith David and animated by Bruce W. Smith.

Dr. Facilier has a special mechanic called the Fortune pile. Some cards he plays go to the Fortune pile, while cards in his Fate deck can add other cards to it. When he plays The Cards Will Tell, he reveals three cards at random from the Fortune pile. Some cards (including his win condition, Rule New Orleans), have an effect if revealed in this way, some helping him, some harming him. Cards without a Fortune effect are simply discarded if revealed.

Objective

Dr. Facilier must play the Talisman and Rule New Orleans, and then play The Cards Will Tell to try and reveal Rule New Orleans from the Fortune pile.

Realm

Dr. Facilier's mover.

Dr. Facilier's Realm contains the following locations, from left to right:

• Voodoo Emporium
  • Gain 1 Power | Fate
  • Vanquish | Play a Card
• The Parade
  • Gain 2 Power | Play a Card
  • Discard Cards | Move an Item or Ally
• Tiana's Place
  • Discard Cards | Gain 1 Power
  • Play a Card | Fate
• The Bayou
  • Move an Item or Ally | Play a Card
  • Play a Card | Gain 3 Power

Villain deck

Dr. Facilier's Villain deck card back.

The following cards are in Dr. Facilier's Villain deck:

• Friends on the Other Side (×3)
• Masked Spirits (×3)
• Shadow Spirits (×3)
• Sleight of Hand (×3)
• The Cards Will Tell (×3)
• Voodoo Dolls (×3)
• Desperation (×2)
• Frog Form (×2)
• Terror (×2)
• Cane
• Illusion Powder
• Lawrence
• Rule New Orleans
• Shadow Man
• Talisman

These include 11 total Allies (Masked Spirits; Shadow Spirits; Voodoo Dolls; Lawrence; Shadow Man), 4 total Conditions (Desperation; Terror), 10 total Effects (Friends on the Other Side; Sleight of Hand; The Cards Will Tell; Rule New Orleans), and 8 total Items (Masked Spirits; Frog Form; Cane; Illusion Powder; Talisman). Note that Masked Spirits count as both an Ally and an Item.

Card Gallery

3 Copies:

2 Copies:

1 Copy:

Fate deck

Dr. Facilier's Fate deck card back.

The following cards are in Dr. Facilier's Fate deck:

• Almost There (×3)
• The Evening Star (×3)
• Big Daddy La Bouff
• Charlotte
• Eudora
• Juju
• Louis
• Mama Odie
• Naveen
• Ray
• Tiana

These include 6 total Effects (Almost There; The Evening Star) and 9 Heroes (Big Daddy La Bouff; Charlotte; Eudora; Juju; Louis; Mama Odie; Naveen; Ray; Tiana).

Card Gallery

3 Copies:

1 Copy:

Strategy

HOW to WIN as DR FACILIER Villainous Strategy Guide

Lord of the Board's strategy video.

Dr. Facilier is a very strong Villain, due in large part to the fact that he has very little in the way of moving parts if he isn't Fated. Most other Villains have multiple stages to achieving their Objective, where the Doctor only has to find three cards and play them, at a cost of only 7 Power. He also has a relatively cheap deck overall, and he almost never hurts for Power.

To win, Dr. Facilier must find and play Rule New Orleans and the Talisman, then move to his Voodoo Emporium and play The Cards Will Tell. The only challenge he faces (other than the usual shuffle luck) is his opponents adding cards to his Fortune pile, which they should be doing as often as they can. He can usually find his key cards fairly quickly, thanks to the fantastic Sleight of Hand, which should be played at every opportunity, but he is also sped up because his opponents will be effectively milling his deck whenever they play Almost There or Charlotte. That said, he should still be using Discard Cards frequently: only hold onto your key cards, Sleight of Hand, the Cane, Illusion Powder, and maybe Friends on the Other Side.

The Cane is one of the best cards in your deck, and can also ensure a quick one-turn win. If it's in the Voodoo Emporium, you can use it to access the Play a Card action at The Parade in order to play the Talisman and The Cards Will Tell in the same turn, winning before the Talisman can be stolen away from you.

Once your opponents start filling up your Fortune pile (and they will, if they're competent), you'll want to use Illusion Powder and Desperation to clear it out; keep an eye on how many cards your opponents are discarding. Don't be afraid to play The Cards Will Tell just to thin out the pile - remember you have three copies, and if necessary, you can get one back with Terror.

Dr. Facilier's deck is also filled with Allies, so don't be afraid to throw some down if you don't have anything better to do on a turn. Lawrence, Shadow Man and Voodoo Dolls are the best options (in that order), but Shadow Spirits can also do in a pinch. Only play Masked Spirits if you're going to Vanquish on the same turn; Frog Form is a much safer alternative. Remember there's a Vanquish action at the Voodoo Emporium, so set yourself up so you can defeat whoever is holding the Talisman and still play The Cards Will Tell.

When playing against Dr. Facilier, you want to get as many cards into the Fortune pile as possible, so Almost There is usually a safe option. Use The Evening Star to get Masked Spirits and Shadow Spirits in there as well, or any Ally that's threatening a Hero holding the Talisman. Early on, Tiana is fantastic, making Dr. Facilier's normally fairly easy game a lot harder. Once the Talisman is out, focus on weaker Heroes to steal it - prioritize ones with good on-play Abilities, like Big Daddy La Bouff and Juju. Eudora is great for this, as she can potentially bring out another Hero to immediately steal back the Talisman if she's defeated. If the Cane is played, try to get Juju out as fast as possible.