Case Files · D23 2022
Status: Draft — rough publish for review
D23 2022: Maleficent – Monstrous Dragon
Ruby rule nine — when all else fails, turn into a dragon
5/P1 · folio slot photography forthcomingNine cost. Seven strength. A dragon large enough to cast a shadow across the entire Collector’s Set. Collector number 5/P1. Ruby ink. Storyborn Villain Dragon. DRAGON FIRE on play: you may banish a chosen character — and on the Expo face, the target language is still the sharper early wording: chosen opposing character. Retail later softened the sentence to “chosen character.” Same dragon. Slightly different fire code.
Flavor text reads like a lab safety poster written by someone who failed safety: “The ninth Rule of Villainy: When all else fails, turn into a dragon.” Luis Huerta supplies the wings. The Expo stamps supply the alibi.
How it got into collections
Portfolio only — not a freebie.
- Contained in the D23 Expo Collector’s Set ($49.99 decorative portfolio)
- Sold at the Disney Lorcana booth, D23 Expo 2022 (Anaheim), September 9–11, 2022
- Foiled; stamped D23 Expo + “1st”
- Part of the ~900-set weekend allotment (≈300/day × 3; Mushu Report wiki)
- Same weekend’s free booth giveaway was Mickey
1/P1+ pin — related bed, different drawer
Creator signatures (aftermarket): Co-designers Ryan Miller & Steve Warner were at the booth; Miller was widely reported excitedly talking with fans and autographing cards (TheGamer D23 interview). Many D23 specimens in the hobby carry creator ink (esp. Miller and/or Warner). Not factory-signed — booth/creator provenance. See the Collector’s Set page.
Specimen dossier
- Catalog ID
5/P1(D23 Expo printing; early set notation such as1 TFCmay appear)- Event of origin
- D23 Expo 2022 (Anaheim), September 9–11, 2022
- Publisher
- Ravensburger / Disney Lorcana TCG
- Associated set
- Promo Set 1 / preview of The First Chapter
- Illustrator
- Luis Huerta
- Franchise source
- Sleeping Beauty
- Finish
- Foil (Expo portfolio treatment)
- Flavor text
- Present — ninth Rule of Villainy line intact on promo and retail twin
Card anatomy
| Field | Observation |
|---|---|
| Type | Character |
| Ink | Ruby |
| Cost | 9 (inkwell-eligible) |
| Strength / Willpower / Lore | 7 / 5 / 2 |
| Classifications | Storyborn · Villain · Dragon |
| Ability | DRAGON FIRE When you play this character, you may banish chosen opposing character. (Expo wording; retail twin omits “opposing.”) |
An arrival that doubles as a removal spell wearing scales. Dragon Fire is the scientific justification for the nine-ink invoice: you are not only playing a body — you are editing the opponent’s board on the way in.
Promo vs. retail twin (diagnostic traits)
The retail twin arrives later in The First Chapter as Legendary 113/204 — same Huerta art family, same on-play banish toolkit — without the Expo stamps. Documented rules-text delta: Expo specifies opposing; retail says chosen character.
| Attribute | D23 Expo 2022 Promo | The First Chapter retail |
|---|---|---|
| Set code | 5/P1 (D23 Expo printing) | 113/204 |
| Rarity / marks | Promo; D23 Expo logo + “1st” stamp | Legendary |
| Finish | Foil (Expo portfolio treatment) | Non-foil and cold foil in set |
| Availability | Paid Collector’s Set only (~900 portfolios) | Packs / product after August 18, 2023 |
| Early design quirks | “Illus.” credit styling; early set notation such as 1 TFC; “opposing” in Dragon Fire | Standardized retail; “banish chosen character” |
Authentication checklist (loupe optional, honesty required):
- D23 Expo logo
- “1st” edition stamp
- Collector number
5/P1 - Foil finish
- Luis Huerta / Monstrous Dragon version
- Ruby · Storyborn · Villain · Dragon · 9 · 7/5/2 · Dragon Fire
- Flavor text present (ninth Rule of Villainy)
- Supporting tell: Expo “opposing” wording when readable
Miss the stamps and you may still have a perfectly respectable Legendary. Find the stamps and you have day-one Maleficent — rule nine, Anaheim edition.