Gen Con 2026: Another Year, Another New "Disney Villainous" Tournament Champion

Three years ago — the year that Disney Lorcana launched at Gen Con — Ravensburger also gave its popular Disney Villainous game the tournament treatment. That brings us to 2026 and the fourth annual Disney Villainous Tournament, which once again crowned "The Worst" player.

If you've followed the history of this event, then you know that they love to mix up the format each time. This year, they started off with 48 available first-round slots, which whittled the competition down to a dozen second-round players. That meant a three-headed match-up to end the evening. Last year, while three players did compete in the final round, two were actual competitors while the third was game designer Mike Mulvihill.

When I arrived at the hall to watch the final battle, the first thing I noticed was that neither two-time winner Andrew Maine nor reigning champion Andrew P. were in attendance. That meant that we were for sure going to be crowning an all-new player to call "The Worst." Competing for the title were Rachel, Michael, and Courtney.

Before we get to the details of the finals, let's talk about the road there. To start off, the opening round featured the new Disney Villainous: Darkness Brewing, which includes the debut of the Sanderson Sisters and return appearances from Ursula, The Evil Queen, and Maleficent. Round 2 included a mix of villains, including Hades, Davy Jones, Oogie Boogie, and Ernesto de la Cruz from another new Villainous release, Success at Any Cost. Interestingly, all three finalists punched their ticket playing as a different villain, as Rachel won with Hades, Michael was victorious with Ernesto, and Courtney conquered with Davy Jones.

That brought us to what turned out to be a Frozen Finale. That's right: it was a triple Hans showdown! Seeing as the betrayer is also featured in Success at Any Cost, it makes sense to see him weasel his way into this event.

Once again, it was a hard-fought game — but it was Courtney who came out on top. Yet, her fate wasn't always so clear, as she was actually the last of the three players to complete the first phase and flip her board. Moreover, before the full details of Courtney's final move were revealed, those watching were led to believe that it was Michael who was about to clinch the win! But, with some clever maneuvers, she managed to eke out a thrilling victory.

Before Courtney was bestowed with the Golden Cauldron, all of the finalists were presented copies of Success at Any Cost signed by Mike Mulvihill. Then, it was picture time as Courtney was officially named "The Worst." Of course, after three years of Andrews, Courtney also becomes the first female Disney Villainous Gen Con Tournament champion.

Personally, this event has become an annual highlight of my Gen Con experiences. And while it's been awesome to see repeat players over the years, it was also exciting to have three fresh faces around the table for this year's finale. So, will Courtney return to defend her title in 2027? Stay tuned!

In the meantime, you can check out Disney Villainous titles Darkness Brewing, Success at Any Cost, and Come, We Fly available now.