Syndrome

> "*You can't count on anyone, especially your heroes.*"
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**Syndrome** is one of three playable Villains in the Villainous expansion, *Bigger and Badder*. He is from the movie *The Incredibles*, released in 2004, in which he is voiced by Jason Lee.

Syndrome has a unique setup and progression mechanic using Omnidroid tiles. He starts the game with Omnidroid v.X8 in Nomanisan Island on his side of the board, and he can upgrade his Omnidroid by using his current model in a Vanquish action and discarding it, then removing Major Modifications from his Realm. The first two stages are removed after being used to Vanquish, but the final Omnidroid v.10 remains on the board after being defeated using Syndrome's Remote, covering the top side of its location like a Hero.

Syndrome has access to Strength tokens - whenever an Ability tells him to modify Strength on a Hero, he places tokens on that Hero to indicate how much.

## Objective

Syndrome must activate Syndrome's Remote while at Omnidroid v.10's location to defeat it, then clear his Realm of Heroes. To do this, he must first upgrade his Omnidroid v.X8 to Omnidroid v.X9, then to Omnidroid v.10, using them in Vanquish actions and removing Major Modifications from his Realm. He can use 15 Years Later or Mirage to find Heroes for his Omnidroids to Vanquish, or wait until an opponent Fates him. To defeat Heroes, he can use his Omnidroids, his many Allies, and Bio Probe.

## Realm

Syndrome's Realm contains the following locations, from left to right:

* Parr Residence
	+ Play a Card | Fate
	+ Vanquish | Gain 1 Power
* Nomanisan Island
	+ Gain 2 Power | Play a Card
	+ Discard Cards | Play a Card
* Syndrome's Lair
	+ Play a Card | Vanquish
	+ Play a Card | Move an Item or Ally
* Downtown Metroville
	+ Discard Cards | Play a Card
	+ Fate | Gain 3 Power

## Villain deck

The following cards are in Syndrome's Villain deck:

* Major Modifications (×4)
* 15 Years Later (×3)
* Guards (×3)
* Not a Sidekick (×3)
* Velocipod Patrol (×3)
* Bio Probe (×2)
* Containment Unit (×2)
* Identification Please (×2)
* Security (×2)
* Who's Super Now? (×2)
* Zero-Point Energy (×2)
* Mirage
* Syndrome's Remote

These include 9 total Allies (Guards; Velocipod Patrol; Security; Mirage), 10 total Conditions (15 Years Later; Not a Sidekick; Bio Probe; Who's Super Now?), 4 total Effects (Containment Unit; Identification Please), 6 total Items (Major Modifications; Zero-Point Energy), and 1 Remote (Syndrome's Remote).

Syndrome also has his Omnidroids - v.X8, v.X9, and v.10 - which are printed on tiles.

## Fate deck

The following cards are in Syndrome's Fate deck:

* Force Field (×2)
* No Capes! (×2)
* Teamwork (×2)
* Dash
* Elastigirl
* Frozone
* Infiltrate
* Jack-Jack
* Mr. Incredible
* Monologuing
* That Was Totally Wicked
* Violet

These include 7 total Effects (No Capes!; Teamwork; Infiltrate; Monologuing; That Was Totally Wicked), 6 Heroes (Dash; Elastigirl; Frozone; Jack-Jack; Mr. Incredible; Violet), and 2 total Items (Force Field).

## Strategy

   Syndrome is a solid mid-range Villain, with the potential to win quite quickly with good shuffle luck, though certain Fate cards can set him back significantly. Once he reaches his endgame, he's mildly inevitable, as eventually his Fate deck will run out of Heroes, and he'll be able to take his place as the one remaining Super.

Syndrome's gameplay divides surprisingly neatly into three phases:

* "Alpha/Beta Testing" - an early game where you play Heroes onto yourself so your first two Omnidroids can Vanquish them
* "Major Modifications" - a midgame where you're churning through your deck to find your key Items and bring out your final iteration
* "Save the Day" - an endgame where you ruthlessly defeat every single Hero in your Realm before turning on your own creation

In "Alpha/Beta Testing", you want to quickly use 15 Years Later and/or Mirage to get out a Hero for your initial Omnidroid v.X8, and then later Omnidroid v.X9, to defeat, discarding them and letting you move on. You do need one copy of Major Modifications for the first upgrade, which shouldn't be too hard to find, and you can even keep it in hand to protect it from both Monologuing and That Was Totally Wicked. Typically opponents won't bother you too much in this phase, as Fating you will just give you Hero fodder, but if they do, you can use Identification Please to get your Omnidroids in proper position. Or, you can ignore any Heroes played by opponents and still use 15 Years Later/Mirage; just be aware that you will have to deal with the others at some point. This phase ends with Syndrome's Remote being added to your hand; it should be immediately played before it can be discarded by Monologuing.

For "Major Modifications", you want to quickly find the eponymous Items. Now, how and when you actually play them will depend on the two discarding Effects in your Fate deck. If you've already passed both of them by, you can play Major Modifications freely, which will open up space in your hand to draw into the rest more quickly. However, if they're both still pending, it would be prudent to hold onto your Major Modifications until you have two of them, then play one, keeping the other in hand until you've drawn the third, at which point play both at one of your two double Play a Card locations and immediately pull out Omnidroid v.10. This way, if Monologuing or That Was Totally Wicked hits, your losses are minimal. If you're stuck with the v.X8 a little longer than normal, feel free to throw down Major Modifications early, as if That Was Totally Wicked comes out, they'll just shuffle back in once you finally do use the v.X8. If any Major Modifications do get discarded, you will need to reshuffle, so discard relentlessly and make liberal use of Not a Sidekick until this happens; you're not guaranteed to lose, but your job does get significantly harder.

Because this phase is defined by *not* having any Omnidroids, you will be relying mostly on Allies to get rid of Heroes. Remember that your eventual goal is to have a Hero-free Realm, so be Vanquishing regularly while hunting for your Major Modifications. Make use of Containment Unit and Bio Probe as well; these cards will also be important in the next phase.

With the v.10 on the board, you can begin to "Save the Day". You now have a single mission: kill everyone. Use all of your tools to clear your board. Prioritize keeping Syndrome's Lair clear (though this may be difficult), as having access to a second Vanquish action will make this a whole lot easier. If there are multiple Heroes on your board, make sure to take out the ones not holding the Remote first, so you can continue to use the v.10; if you regain control of the Remote, the v.10 becomes a "Hero" itself at the top of your Realm.

This phase has the potential to get a little sloggy if your opponent Fates a lot, bogging you down with Heroes. However, there are only six Heroes in your Fate deck, so eventually the Fates will start whiffing, and then it's only a matter of time. Once all Heroes are dealt with, move to the location with the v.10 and the Remote, and Activate into your victory. Don't defeat the v.10 before other Heroes; once defeated, it flips over and covers the top row of its location *permanently*.

A full third of Syndrome's Villain deck is Conditions. This can make him somewhat frustrating to play against, as their number and ease of triggering can make it seem like he's reacting to something you're doing every single turn. Not a Sidekick can get you through your deck quite quickly, Who's Super Now? can net you a nice surplus in Power, and Bio Probe is an essential tool in the mid and late game for clearing your board. 15 Years Later is almost essential for the early game, and there are some tricks it can do to mess with your Fate deck later, but it largely becomes discard fodder by the endgame.

Countering Syndrome is relatively simple: bog him down with Heroes, preferring Syndrome's Lair where possible. Teamwork does require some planning, though - just try to stagger Heroes so they come out regularly, and try to get That Was Totally Wicked to appear when it will do maximum damage.

 **Villain deck**
*4 Copies:* Major Modifications
*3 Copies:* 15 Years Later • Guards • Not a Sidekick • Velocipod Patrol
*2 Copies:* Bio Probe • Containment Unit • Identification Please • Security • Who's Super Now? • Zero-Point Energy
*1 Copy:* Mirage • Syndrome's Remote
 **Fate deck**
*2 Copies:* Force Field • No Capes! • Teamwork
 **Unique mechanics**
Omnidroid

 **Wicked to the Core**
 **Evil Comes Prepared**
 **Perfectly Wretched**
 **Despicable Plots**
 **Bigger and Badder**
 **Filled With Fright**
 **Sugar and Spite**
King Candy • Shere Khan