I'm slightly worried about the fact that Mage Wars: Academy is called Academy rather than some other name that doesn't make it sound like preparation for the "regular" version of the game. Mage Wars: Academy is supposed to function independently of Mage Wars: Arena, right? Unless you're going for this:
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/WizardingSchoolI know Harry Potter is the major example everyone knows about, but they're not the only example of magic schools in fantasy literature. Harry Potter just popularized it. There are two kinds of magic schools: secondary and post-secondary. I'm really, REALLY hoping that the academy in Mage Wars: Academy is post-secondary, because
1. kids are probably somewhat less likely to fight safely and/or responsibly, so college-age mages would be better
2. kids probably don't know anywhere near as many spells as an adult mage, so magical combat at the post-secondary level would simply be more interesting
3. adults who are old enough to be able to independently choose to enroll themselves in a school that trains them to fight each other in a professional manner would be morally better received than kids who can't make that decision on their own being trained to beat each other up.
4. making the Academy in Mage Wars: Academy post-secondary sets it apart from Hogwarts.
