i bought academy but haven't played yet, and i'm not sure i will...
i like long and complex games (and you didn't convince me that it's fast as much complex as arena ) and have no time to play very often, so...i use it as an expansion for arena!
+1 except I don't use Academy cards at all. Too much emphasis on low level spells used by younger mages and In-Zone combat. We enjoy Arena style for the movement and distance elements that it brings to the battle. Without a large arena the multilayered Conjuration spells dont make much sense. I am hoping to get a core set of players ready for multiplayer Domination play since I think that will help demonstrate the game experience to groups of players faster.
When I am teaching new players they all agree that Academy feels too much like other games in the market. For them they see Arena as having a uniqueness with the board and movement elements that make it more interesting to play. However, they also all agree that they needed someone to walk through the rules and game play with them in order to learn the game. So the learning curve is higher but the rewards are also higher.
How many people have you taught Academy to and what games were they comparing it to?
I realize this question was posed to another person, but I have to say in my short experience with Academy, I would say it's not only appropriately named, but does exactly what it's intended to do: introduce new players to the Mage Wars IP. I've only had Academy for about a month now. In that time, I've taught the game to four individuals. After just a few games, all four people were like, "So, when are you going to show me the big version." After playing Arena, they don't really have an interest in Academy. So it appears, Academy will be my go to source for introducing Arena.