Mage Wars Academy Expansion Spoilers

[Bluebaron]

It is very hard to read, so voting on something that you do not know is kind of difficult. That said I would like to see an attack next. "Arcane missiles", when I read it correct, sounds interesting.

[iNano78]

New gameplay videos spoil several cards.
http://www.arcanewonders.com/academy-videos

Dodge will probably replace or work nicely in combo with [mwcard=MWSTX2FFE04]Brace Yourself[/mwcard] in many spell books.  They both have reveal cost of 0, both are Novice, so both only cost 1 sbp and 1 mana if using [mwcard=MW1Q09]Enchanter's Ring[/mwcard].  Nifty way to keep your most vulnerable Minor swarmy creatures alive, especially ones that are low on health and need to survive an attack to get more value out of them.  On a Major creature, if your Dodge fails, then Brace Yourself can still be used. 

Joined Strength is also nice for BM swarms (can transfer it from one Minor creature to another upon that creature's demise) but will also see play in Buddy builds, since it's kind of like a combination of Bear Strength and Lifebond, and it's so cheap to cast.

Question regarding Redcrested Cockatrice: "When (he) makes a counterstrike, he gains Melee +1 and his (quick) attack gains Piercing +1."  Is that just for that one counterstrike, or does he keep those bonuses (for the rest of the round? for the rest of the match - e.g. put a marker on him?)?  As written, it seems like it's a permanent bonus and would stack, so he could get really big through guarding.

Sistarran Robes is great for a mana-denial Wizard, turning [mwcard=MW1Q31]Mana Drain effects[/mwcard] (and others, like [mwcard=MW1E30]Pacify[/mwcard] and [mwcard=MW1E15]Essence Drain[/mwcard] and [mwcard=MW1J21]Suppression Orb[/mwcard]) into a mini-[mwcard=MW1I09]Drain Power[/mwcard] effect, stealing mana instead of just draining it.  The lower armor is compensated by the cheap mana cost.  Pairs nicely with a [mwcard=MW1Q32]Suppression Cloak[/mwcard].

[Laddinfance]

No, it's temporary. He only gets the bonus while he's guarding. There is no permanent bonus.

[iNano78]

Regarding the Azurean Genie, I like how his text ability is sort of like [mwcard=MW1J08]Hand of Bim-Shalla[/mwcard] with a 3-use cap.  His text says "As his action, ..."  Is that a quick action (e.g. can follow a move) or a full action?  I realize there isn't a difference in Academy, but his text seems ambiguous in Arena - and given that this ability only works to buff creatures in his zone, whether or not he can move before spending a token is pretty important.

Similarly, I assume Wychwood Faerie's reference to "you" means your mage, so her mana discount on enchantments and animal creatures only applies to spells your mage casts and not those cast by your familiars (e.g. [mwcard=MW1C13]Fellella, Pixie Familiar[/mwcard]) or spawnpoints (e.g. [mwcard=MW1J10]Lair[/mwcard]) - similar to the wording on mana-discount equipment (but equipment can only be equipped on a mage, so it's clearer who "you" is in those cases).

[Laddinfance]

Azuren Genie is a quick action.

You is in fact your mage on the Faerie.

[Lord0fWinter]

Updated with cards from newest video.

Cards include Crumble, Divine Reversal, Joined Strength, Leather Chausses, Lightning Jolt, Piercing Thunderstrike, Slavorg, Fang of the First Moon, and better quality images of the Redcrested Cockatrice and Sistarran Robes.

[iNano78]

Comparing Crumble to [mwcard=MW1I07]Dissolve[/mwcard], the only difference I see involves targeting an equipment rather than a mage... and the 2 mana reimbursement.  So... Crumble isn't countered by Nullify AND it's effectively cheaper (or at least, you get some of the mana back).  Am I missing something?  Seems like it makes Dissolve obsolete.

There's a "pants" slot now?  And I guess this means none of our Arena mages have been wearing pants...   

I like that this guy gets better as the match goes on.  And I love his built-in [mwcard=MWSTX2FFI06]Defend[/mwcard] that doesn't cost an action!  Definitely makes a swarm of cats a lot more interesting! [mwcard=MWSTX1CKC04]Makunda[/mwcard] alone doesn't do it for me, and Cervere is kind of a lone wolf... er, cat...

[SharkBait]

Crumble is also a full action. To me, that still leaves dissolve as the go to

[ManofMagic]

Piercing thunderstrike looks like a pretty awesome attack spell for 6 mana with piercing 2 regardless of the 0-1 range.

[sdougla2]

The card that I am most excited about from Academy so far is Fang of the First Moon. It gives a BM swarm build a much stronger followup.

In terms of the enchantments, I'm not expecting much from Iguana Regrowth. Most creatures small enough for the cost to not be prohibitive don't have that much armor, and for large creatures I prefer stronger sources of healing anyway. I may use it in Academy, but I don't see myself using it much in Arena.

Gator Toughness is much more interesting to me. It gives us a way to make a small or medium sized creature significantly harder to kill, and provides a nice middle ground between Bull Endurance and Rhino Hide. It should also be good on larger creatures, but I'm particularly intrigued by how much better it looks for small creatures than previous enchantments doing similar things. I can see it being a solid choice on Fellella or Huginn.

I wonder whether Wychwood Faerie will be worth the full action in Arena.

[pole287]

Crumble is a huge hit to the anvil throne warlord.

[iNano78]

Crumble is also a full action. To me, that still leaves dissolve as the go to

Ah, i missed the full action cost. That explains it. Still, pretty awesome.

[Laddinfance]

Almost everyone misses the full action cost when they first look at it. But that full action is key to making the spell viable, both in academy and arena.

[Sailor Vulcan]

@iNano78, you're right they introduced a new equipment slot! Since they have a slot for shoes but not socks, and pants but not underwear, I'm guessing the mages fight in their underwear (an maybe a bra too) until they have equipment on. That might sound terrible at first, but consider that if bikinis are acceptable to wear sometimes, and the bottom piece of a bikini is basically underwear, and the fact thy mage wars is both a sporting event in Etheria and somewhat like wrestling or martial arts competitions, then it sort of starts to make sense. I mean, otherwise they could hide things in their pockets, like mana flowers, or something, on their way into the arena. Alternatively, the equipment temporarily replaces or covers whatever they're already wearing. If the latter is case, then at the very least they enter the arena with socks, boxer shorts or a thin kilt or something, and a shirt or a bra. But honestly, that stuff can get damaged by acid balls too.

[iNano78]

The mental picture of a "full metal dwarf" wearing Gauntlets of Strength, Reflex Boots, Harshforge Plate chest piece, Helm of Command, Veteran's Belt... and a bikini bottom... because they didn't think there was a need for pants till now... hmmmm...

Are Leather Chausses legal in Arena? That is, is the "breeches" slot now available in Arena too, or is it strictly an Academy equipment slot?

P.S. Nice to finally see an equipment that uses the Shield slot specifically (rather than "or" or "and") in that Elk Stave, which is more-or-less the Nature version of Wand of Healing.