Spellbook building same as Arena?

[Dr. Cheesesteak]

Hi all,

New player here, never played either MW games.  I know Academy is more new-user friendly, which is what makes me want to check it out.  But my question is, is the deckbuilding/spellbook building as deep and full of options as it is in Arena?  Or if I get 1 Core Academy set and the 2 Mage expansions, I'll be pretty much set w/ all I need (since it's supposed to be new-user friendly)?

Apologies if this is something asked a lot (didn't see it on only page of forums) and hopefully what I'm asking makes sense!  Maybe I coulda just asked "what do i need to buy..."

Anyway, thanks!

[Sailor Vulcan]

Mage Wars Academy is very deep. Mage Wars Arena is extremely deep. Academy has only been around for about a year and Arena has been around for over three years. Arena has a much larger card pool as a result. However, Academy's card pool will get bigger over time. Academy sets are also cheaper than Arena sets, so it would be easier to buy more of them. Academy cards can be played in Arena, but cards that were not released in an Academy set cannot be played in Academy.

The Academy organized play scene hasn't really gotten started yet.

I would recommend trying both games on OCTGN and then buying whichever one you prefer.  Or buy both if you like them both.


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[Zuberi]

If this is just asking what you should buy, then currently for academy there is only the core set and two expansions. Buying one copy of each is definitely enough for one person to build any book they want. If you're supplying two people with cards, there might be some fighting over who gets which card, but I still don't think it'd be that bad.

As for actually building books, both games use the same system, a point buy system, but academy uses fewer points, 40 instead of 120. This results in the books you build being only around half the size (you won't be including as expensive of cards either, so one third points results in one half the number of cards roughly). Overall I'd say this makes building books in academy easier just because of less to work with.

I will add though, that you don't HAVE to have every expansion in either game to enjoy it. Just getting the core set will provide you with ample enjoyment, and then just get expansions as you want them.

[iNano78]

I agree that 1 core and 1 of each of Priestess and Warlock expansions is a very good starting point for 2 players. Personally I like playing the recommended starting books of the Warlock and the Priestess over either of the Beastmaster or the Wizard, as I find them more flavorful and better balanced against each other. When you and your opponent(s) want to get deeper into the game, I could imagine getting a second copy of at least the Academy core set (and perhaps the expansions) so everyone has equal access to cards for book building purposes.