Adventure Time Card Wars - DarkLands Cooperative Expansion
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The FroGames review
Creatures emerge from the DarkLands; you and your friend burn cards to block them. One gets through the barrier, then another. The Overlord casts a Curse, and someone swears. In the end, you won't remember if you won, but you'll remember the moment you sacrificed everything to stop just one.
WHAT IT'S ABOUT
The first cooperative battle in the Land of Ooo
DarkLands Cooperative Expansion is the first cooperative mode for Adventure Time Card Wars, the tactical card game based on the iconic episode of the Cartoon Network animated series. Designed by Jared Saramago and Ryan Sutherland, published by Cryptozoic Entertainment in 2025, DarkLands transforms the original 1v1 duel into a desperate defense against dark forces.
You two join forces to face relentless waves of sinister DarkLands creatures and a powerful Overlord armed with devastating Curses. It works like a tower defense: you must eliminate the boss's cards before too many cross the field. Four factions to combine to create sinister pairings in the Army deck, four Overlords to defeat, and the constant tension of a collapsing castle and falling partners.
What they're saying abroad
"You and a friend join forces to face relentless waves of sinister DarkLands Creatures and a powerful Overlord."
You and a friend join forces to face relentless waves of sinister DarkLands Creatures and a powerful Overlord.
— Cryptozoic Entertainment
It's the first time Card Wars asks for collaboration instead of challenge. And this changes everything: the anxiety is no longer about beating the other, but about saving both. First read, August 2026.
— FroGames
Adventure Time Card Wars: DarkLands Cooperative Expansion
FrogScore · FroGames editorial rating · first read: based on rules and official presentation, updated with initial playsThe threats you'll face
Creatures, Curses, and Overlords
DarkLands Creatures
<cite index="2-11,3-7">44 Creature cards</cite> that emerge from the Army deck and advance towards your castle. Each faction has a style: some swarm, others hit hard. They must be eliminated before they pass your defenses.
Overlord's Curses
<cite index="2-11,3-7">40 Curse cards</cite> that the Overlord casts against you. Devastating effects that sabotage your strategies, burn resources, and apply pressure. Each Overlord has thematic Curses.
Overlord
<cite index="3-7">Four different bosses to defeat</cite>, each with HP, unique abilities, and a personalized set of Curses. Defeating him is the only way to win, but first, you must survive his waves.
Barriers
<cite index="2-11,3-7">5 Barrier cards</cite> representing your defenses. When Creatures pass them, they start attacking the castle or partners. Keeping them intact is crucial.
🎲How to playThe rules in four steps▼
How to play
The flow of each round
Each turn is a cycle of threats, defenses, and sacrifices.
Draw Creatures from the Army deck and place them on the field. Some advance immediately, others wait. The more that appear, the more the pressure mounts.
The Overlord casts a Curse. Variable effects: losing cards, direct damage, sabotage. You must endure it and adapt.
Play cards from your Card Wars decks to attack Creatures, defend Barriers, support your partner. Each card costs resources: choose what to sacrifice.
Surviving Creatures advance. If they bypass the Barriers, they strike the castle or your partners. Check the defeat conditions: if they are met, you lose.
⏱️Your first gameThe chronicle, moment by moment▼
A game in five moments
What happens at the table
Not the rules. The experience.
Desperate Preparation
Choose your two Card Wars decks, prepare the Overlord, shuffle the Creatures. Look at the Curse cards and realize this game will be brutal. Position the Barriers and hope they suffice.
First Waves
Creatures start appearing. At first, it seems manageable: you block one, eliminate another. Then the Overlord casts the first Curse and someone loses a key card. Tension rises.
Pressure mounts
Creatures accumulate. One bypasses a Barrier, then another. The castle loses HP. You start sacrificing cards to stop the worst threats, but every choice comes at a cost.
The Critical Moment
The Overlord casts a devastating Curse. One of you is on the verge of elimination, the castle is almost destroyed. Burn everything you have to stop the final wave. A die roll, a card, a gamble.
Victory or Collapse
Either you defeat the Overlord before the castle falls, or the Creatures overwhelm you. If you win, you'll cheer. If you lose, you'll look at the card you should have played two turns ago. Then you'll play again.
🐸Good to know beforeThree honest things, from friends▼
Good to know before
What to really expect
Not standalone
<cite index="1-4,1-5,6-4,6-5">This is not a standalone product: it requires two Adventure Time Card Wars decks to play</cite>. If you don't already own the base game, this expansion alone is not enough. You will need to acquire two Collector's Packs or compatible decks.
High draw luck
You draw Creatures and Curses from decks: a brutal sequence can destroy you in a few turns, a favorable sequence can make the game manageable. Strategy counts, but the deck determines how hard it will hit you.
Insufficient BGG data
The game has only 4 votes on BoardGameGeek at the moment. There are no full reviews, public balance tests, or feedback on difficulty/scaling. We are buying on faith in Cryptozoic's design and the promise of cooperative tower defense.
🏆Victory and defeatWhat the ending rewards▼
How it ends
How to win and how to lose
<cite index="1-3,6-3">Defeat the Overlord before your castle is overrun or one of you falls</cite>.
Victory
- Reduce the Overlord's HP to zero by hitting it with your cards
- Hold out long enough to eliminate all Creatures and inflict direct damage to the boss
- Manage resources, Curses, and waves without letting your defenses collapse
Defeat
- Your castle is overrun: too many Creatures bypass the Barriers and destroy the castle's HP
- One of the two partners falls: a player's HP reaches zero due to direct damage or Curses
- You can't keep up: the waves accumulate and overwhelm you
DarkLands takes the Card Wars duel and flips it: the challenge isn't to beat the other, but to save both. And that changes everything.
💬Frequently asked questionsQuick answers before checkout▼
Frequently asked questions
FAQ about Adventure Time Card Wars: DarkLands Cooperative Expansion
Can I play DarkLands without already owning Card Wars?
<cite index="1-4,1-5,6-4,6-5">No. DarkLands is not standalone: it requires two Adventure Time Card Wars decks to play</cite>. You must already own the base game or acquire two compatible Collector's Packs before buying this expansion.
What mechanics does Adventure Time Card Wars: DarkLands use?
Cooperative tower defense with hand management, card-based conflict resolution, and wave-based boss fights. <cite index="10-2,10-4">It functions like a tower defense: the two of you must eliminate the boss's cards before too many cross the field</cite>. Hand management from the original Card Wars, random threat draws, combined actions.
How many different games can I play?
<cite index="3-7">There are four Overlords to defeat, four factions to combine to create sinister pairings in the Army deck, and four unique DarkLands Landscapes</cite>. Each combination changes the game: good replayability, but not infinite. After 10-15 games, you will have seen most of the combos.
Is it hard to learn if I already know Card Wars?
If you know Card Wars, learning DarkLands is immediate: it adds the tower defense system and cooperative rules on top of the basic mechanics you already master. New rules in 10 minutes, first cooperative game right after. If you do NOT know Card Wars, you will have to learn both systems together.
Is the edition for sale in Italian?
No. This edition is in English. Texts on Creature, Curse, Overlord cards and the rulebook are in English. There are no official Italian translations of DarkLands currently. Proficiency in English is required to play without slowdowns.
The people behind the game
Who invented it, who designed it, who publishes it — and what else they've done.
Adventure Time Card Wars: DarkLands Cooperative Expansion is the first cooperative expansion for the Adventure Time Card Wars tactical card game, for 2 players, 30-60 minutes, ages 14+. Designed by Jared Saramago and Ryan Sutherland, published by Cryptozoic Entertainment in 2025, it introduces a cooperative tower defense mode: face waves of dark Creatures and powerful Overlords armed with devastating Curses. Four Overlords, four combinable factions, four unique DarkLands Landscapes. Requires two Card Wars decks to play (not standalone). Available on frogames.business.
Adventure Time Card Wars - DarkLands Cooperative Expansion
Frequently Asked Questions
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