The real killer for team games is definitely the time commitment.  My group didn't actually finish our game (people had to leave), but we did play for a solid 4.5 hours (I estimate the game would have been over in 5.5 to 6 hours total).

I'm hardly surprised. Considering how long a 2 vs. 2 already takes (~ 4-5h), I'd not even consider playing with more players.

I don't think anything needs to be changed on the forums. A simple [DM] tag should be enough when talking about domination. Otherwise, everyone should expect the post to be about arena.

True, that might be even better.

I understand, but in that case I think your friends would be even better served by having Academy at their disposal, not, as an introduction to the real game ? Now, you're just going to show them a different game.

Nope. They already know how to play the regular game. they neither need nor want or a dumbed-down version (and I don't either, since I feel it's too close to what existing CCG/LCG have to offer).

The most important issue for them is how long the game takes (although we've finished games in under one hour...) and multiplayer support. And I think (hope!) that Domination mode will help in both regards. I also feel that it's more interesting than simple player eliminiation.

There's a separate issue, and that's buy-in: I don't see that happening, no matter how well Domination will be received. However, we're playing other games (e.g. several of FFG's LCGs) where we also have the situation that there's a single player who owns all the cards. It's not a problem, though, because online deckbuilders are available, so they can still design their own decks. So it could work the same way for Mage Wars using OCTGN or this site's spellbook builder.

What do you expect me to have done? Asked them to lay out every single spell side by side on the only two tables they had available, and monopolize most of their space for half an hour so I could painstakingly take pictures of each and every one, after their booth was already open?

I would expect no less!

Inquiring minds want to know!

How do we add card draw into this game?

Okay, here's the obligatory naysayer's reply: Why the heck would I want to? If I'm removing everything from the game that makes it different from M:TG, why not just play M:TG?

What really surprised me was this match took right around 30 mins from set up to victory.

And that's why I'll probably be playing Domination mode exclusively in the future and never look back.

If there is no players, create them by yourself

There is no better thing that spreading the game you love

Creating new players by spreading the love?
That would work, except it takes so long until those kids are old enough...

Personally, I'm a big fan of the spell classification used in the Ars Magica RPG. It does have it's oddities, but they are easily explained by thinking about the medieval understanding of the world.

In Ars Magica Posion Gas would definitely belong into the Air realm ('Auram') because it's gaseous. Liquid poisons would belong to the Water realm, though ('Aquam').

Lightning actually belongs to the Fire realm ('Ignem') because light and thunder are just side-effects. What it really does is set things on fire!

Another oddity are Ice spells: They actually belong to the Earth realm ('Terram') because ice is solid.