AW is going to have 4 releases this year.  I think they are working the best they can to produce cards that are balanced and adding new content that will change the look and feel of this game.  Academy has introduced some interesting ideas and hopefully will be even more experimental going forward.   Also having two different designers on each line will hopefully expand the game faster with new content and ideas. 
As far as PvS I am super excited over the sneek peaks of the cards so far.  I do think if we don't have anything groundbreaking yet from academy this set will change many things in the direction of this game. 

This year should not be filled with doubt.  We should be filled with excitement and enthusiasm over what is in store for Mage Wars this year, I know I am.

So going over Tom vasel video of priestess academy set, there are some cool protection and healing spells from the new set.

Remove curses
Cure
Mend
Restore + 10 life dissipate 3
Paladins valor
Circle of protection
Glancing blow
Asyra's touch

Restore and glancing blow are both solid new editions and could be very painful to deal with especially if it's not coming from the Mage but from Cassiel!

And we still have much more from the PVS set to hear about!!!

I will be playing more holy school mages once both of these expansions come out.

That is crazy,  your depiction is exactly what i was thinking or imagining for a holy light wall, even down to the high extension dealing damaging flying units.   Sounds great. 

 Very cool.  I'm wondering if the promo card is going to be released in the lost grimore expansion as well? Pretty sweet card.  I like the angel too....allowing some more aggressive holy builds!!!

I don't know for sure if it's fading out.  I love this game and hope that it continues to expand and build upon this amazing thematic experience. 

Since it released I thought it would be an awesome game.  I held off for 3 years from trying it.  There are a few reasons behind that tho.  Number one I was a new gamer around 2012 and zero groups to experience a variety of games with.  I also am super busy working 3 jobs and raising two kiddos.  Secondly was the amount of complexity it seemed to have out of the gate with just the base set, and lastly was the supposed game length which scared me away for the longest time. 

In the past year and half my gaming groups have grown and met a variety of different gamers. One of my buddies had the game and we tried it out.  I was hooked by the first play.  I lost a horrible death... but had one of the best gaming experiences ever.  I have bought 2 core sets and almost every expansion (I plan on buying the rest and the new stuff later this month  ). It is my most played game of 2015 and don't Think it's going to change this year either.

by not releasing a new set of mages for Arena in the past couple of years, has hurt the overall excitement level in the community, and it appears others are noticing.
However,  the newness has not wore off on me.  I do hope the releases pick up and everyone buys them.  Academy is a great effort and I think it will help expand the popularity.

[u]Illusionist [/u]
School:  Mind, lvl 1 Air
30 life, 0 Armor, 10 Channel

Increasing Astral Vision: During the Deployment Phase you may place one Astral Eye marker.  Whenever you, or an object you control, casts an Astral Projection spell, you may target a zone containing a friendly Astral Eye marker, or target an object in that zone or bordering that zone.  Then destroy that marker.
 
Mirror Image: Pay 5 mana, quick cast spell.  Cast a mirror image creature of your mage.  This creature has Astral Projection trait, and the incorporeal trait, +1 Upkeep.   3 health.  Elusive trait, pest, and Physic immune.  Energy Blast: Range quick, Ethereal Attack, 0-1 range, 2 dice, 7+ Stagger.  (special rules apply)

Energy Blast: Pay 1 mana, quick cast spell.  Range attack, 0-1 range. Ethereal Attack.  2 Dice, 5+ stagger  11+ Double Stagger
3 Melee Attack

Notes:
Astral Eyes marker; counts as a conjuration.  It is flying, and may move once per turn as an action.  They have one health, zero armor, and incorporeal.  Increasing Astral Vision functions in the same way as vine spreading. 
Mirror Image special rules:  there are 3 mirror image cards. 


Couple of spells I’m thinking about. 

Incantation- Energy Wave
Illusionist Only
2 cost. Destroy Astral Eye marker: target Astral Projection creature in same zone as destroyed eye marker.  Choose one:  increase health by 1, activate a mirror image creature, give +1 to melee or range attack

Conjuration- Mirror Wall: (Astral Projection)
Illusionist Only
4 health, incorporeal.  Non passable, blocks sight.  Whipping Tendrils:  Pay one mana to make an attack.  Melee attack: 2 dice.  9+ stuck

Enchantment- Berserk
2 cost. 2 Reveal.  Reveal when creature is activated and attacking.  Instead of attacking creature of choice. Creature attacks itself.  Destroy berserk after attack. 

Incantation -  Red Eye
Illusionist Only
2+X cost.  Target friendly Astral Eye marker; Choose enemy creature that creature immediately spends its action marker, may move, and attack another enemy creature of your choice.  Destroy that Astral Eye marker.  X is enemy creature activated level.


The Illusionist is an expert in mind manipulation and being able manifest projections into physical objects.  The astral vision ability allows his abilities to expand and cast objects into those zones with Astral projection trait.   Mirror Image and energy Blast allow the mage to quickly get some fire power out and allow some ways of staggering the opposing creatures and or mage.

It is my first fan creation I have worked on, so I apologize if it may not be as fine tuned as some would like.   I just really enjoy this game and wanted to share.  Let me know what you all think.   

Minature Market just posted recently preorders for preistess academy and lost grimore!  No preorder for warlock expansion yet so I would assume the other two would be released around the same time hopefully!

I was a little worried too about the decision to make both academy and domination and not offering a solid arena expansion with two new mages prior to their release.   Also the timing of academy being released was not perfect either with the new marvel VS  system and Ashes rise of the Phoenix born both offering dueling card games.  They were released last year too that flooded the market even more with dueling card games.   


However after using the academy cards in arena I'm very impressed with the options of a Wizard and the beast master.   I think academy has some very solid cards that I will include in many of my books.  Especially books revolving around swarms and small creatures.  I look foward to the other acadamey releases as well as any thing Arcane wonders produces.  Mage Wars is such a great game!