+Michael Reppenhagen Now that I've watched your full review, oof. I thought they had all those great ideas in mind when they were making these. It turns out they just borrowed some ideas from Heroscape and threw a Magic skin on it with terrible quality. Why not just make a standalone Heroscape port that people who still play Heroscape could then use the pieces of? In fact, I would really love it if they just completely molded the Heroscape universe into Magic with crossover in both. (So, we get legendaries from the cards in Heroscape form and old Legends from the game like Agent Carr and Raelin popping up as Magic cards.) It could have been really subtly done and really exciting - revealing Utgar as a plane and Marro has a tribal creature type. They wouldn't have had to brew up new worlds for ages. I guess it just takes too much effort away from the card game. It's a real shame their spending so much time brewing up exciting new universes like Zendikar, Ravinca and Innistrad. Seriously, Wizards, stop being lazy.
+Michael Reppenhagen This "review" does not cover the actual mechanics of the game. All of the cards, abilities, creatures, and Planeswalkers act and play uniquely. Each of which carry over the essence of their respective character's gameplay style, mechanics, and operation. I don't know what else you could expect about a board game based on a card game. I thought the mechanics were handled wonderfully and it translates into fun and diverse gameplay. Watch the review by The Dice Tower for an actual look at how the game plays. Keep in mind that it would also cost you more than $200 to buy a playable-out-of-the-box copy of Heroscape, while this game is currently $25 on Amazon.
+Michael Reppenhagen Hi Michael, the pieces are compatible, and people have actually played with AotP pieces mixed with Heroscape, and the out come was that it was balanced... Just saying check out a few more reviews
+Tolarian Community College what upsets me is the lack of quality. No plastic pieces and cheap blank figures where Heroscape had good quality and 3D plastic pieces along with decently detailed figures. This is absolutely lazy.
+Winston_KillDeath The complete game can be had on amazon for less than $30; what do you expect? How much does it cost to build the Heroscape setups like in the video? $100? $200? $300? More?
+cfusionpm what I'm saying is I would have gladly paid a higher price for a better game. Even $30 is too pricy for cardboard and blank mold injection wobble figures.
+cfusionpm originally, you could get the master set 1 for under $50, with something like 30 fully painted figures, a ton of painted terrain. thinking back, that was pretty damn cheap XD
I'm a little disappointed you didn't actually... review the game itself? I understand build quality and such are valid points, but how does the game itself play? To me this really is a glaring oversight for a "review"
+darkdomino I played the game and when I do board game, I have to know the rules inside out. Sadly, the play experience itself was short-lived due to friends with A.D.D. Firstly, the game's rules are poorly detailed. There are are so many situations not explained in the rulebook and the accompanying FAQ, that WoTC had to release an online FAQ to answer the mountain of questions. It was a nightmare playing the first few times, bc every other move would end up becoming "How does this interaction pan out?" Gameplay is fairly unbalanced, I'd say. Red is very very powerful, with fast creatures that revive and hit hard. Chandra herself has many direct damage spells that can easily clear obstacles. Green seems to be the least useful, with most effects relying on dice rolls (or giving you more die rolls). White is reliable, but plays primarily as a defensive force. I can't speak for Black or Blue, bc I didn't play with them as allies. I only got to see my friends play them against me, and... it was fairly easy to roll them with Red. Overall, I, too, am disappointed in the Arena of Planeswalkers. I was hoping it would finally be MTG Tactics in physical form (or at least something akin to it), rather than an MtG skin for HeroScape.
I own this and my wife and I STILL play it once in a while but we modified our play with our own 'House Rules'. We actually allow some MTG cards from outside of the game in a limited quantity, and it makes it SICK FUN!!
+tanman1110 Not quite, the review is through the eyes of Magic player looking at a board game called Magic. That seems like a fair perspective to take.
+tanman1110 I have to agree with the professor. As a lover of heroscape this game is complete crap. When I first saw it I was kind of excited but after realizing the unbelievably poor quality I was very disappointed. as a game yes it is a lot of fun, but as far as quality goes it is a complete fail.
+tanman1110 its still a shitty board game in terms of quality. and the biggest downfall of heroscape was that it got stale after the third playthrough of it. i can only imagine how boring the 'mtg heroscape' gets with the fact that is has even less variables in its gameplay mechanics. soooo.... he actually did a pretty good review.
While I agree that he overstates the importance of the game not being "magic" enough all the other points about the quality of the materials and the lack of terrain are spot on. This is a saddly sub-par port of the wonderful Heroscape.
+Kelley Willingham agreed. i actually still have all my heroscape stuff. i dont play anymore but it would be fun to revisit it. i wonder if my local card shop would want it >_>
It wasn't created to be revolutionary, it's just a casual board game. Also, to tell everyone to not buy the product, and in the same moment tell everyone to be sure to pick up your coffee mug, says quite a bit about you. While i will agree that the quality of the game will never be the standard from which board games are judged, it's just a neat casual game, don't be so negative.
I don't think this review was the from the correct angle. This is a board game. It isn't card sleeves or a binder. It is a game, so yes, component quality is important, but it is not the deciding factor for a pass of fail grade...gameplay is. By this reviews reasoning, the greatest game ever made would be a fail if the paint job was substandard. Professor, i'd part 2 this review for posterities sake if you plan to do more board game reviews in the future and want them to be taken seriously. I'm not saying this review is without merit, just that it is incomplete and focuses on the wrong aspect of what makes a board game great, the game.
Me a few friends played this game because one of them got it for free, and guess what? This is the most horrendous boardgame out there, i prefer game of thrones which is one of the best out there, and this boardgame once you understand that the game is not even complete, because they are selling parts that should of been in the main game, is going to get sold as extra content. The game is broken beyond repairs, liliana is so Over powered in this game its crazy, oh and yes the quality sucks deeps
Have played tons of board games and play Heroscape, and I feel that this board game is beyond poorly done. I can let the components quality slide since it is a really cheep game, but the mechanics for the planeswalkers are not well balanced. In addition the rules are not very detailed. Jace is also very broken. Unless I am thinking incorrectly you can kill another planes walker by simply taking control of them and walking that planeswalker back and forth between groups enemies for the lamest kill ever.
Every game will have its detractors, but gameplay-wise, Arena of the Planeswalkers has been praised by most of the most respected board game reviewers on CZcams, including Tom Vasel from The Dice Tower. I too think that the professor has not been fair while reviewing this game. Not explaining one moment about how to play the game other than just comparing it to Heroscape? That's a bad review. Also, why compare this to the card game? You should compare this to what the card game is EMULATING. The MTG TCG emulates a battle between planeswalkers that summon creatures and cast spells. This board game does exactly that. You control a Planeswalker, you summon creatures and you cast spells. It can't have the same mechanisms as a TCG, it has its own, and it's a good board game at it. Not the greatest. But a good board game for those who did not play Heroscape, those who did and want to see the system brought back to life, and those Magic players that want another good gaming experience with a brand they love.
I played heroscape for years. Collected all the figures, enjoyed building maps and armies, and went to various events. When I first heard they were doing a heroscape-esque game with MTG characters i was thrilled. THEN I SAW THE ACTUAL PRODUCT. It's a mockery of what it used to be. It sucks that Heroscape never really got the recognition it deserved. It was a sadly expensive product and only stayed alive through the niche players. But i still wish that Wizards/Hasbro supported it.
+Anthony Racano Yeah, I spent a lot of time talking with several hardcore Heroscape players from a few local game stores, and their reactions were all identical to what you just described.
+Tolarian Community College I'm a HUGE Heroscape fan owning thousands and thousands of those beautiful hexes. (I can vouch for +Anthony Racano being another Heroscape megafan). Yep, it uses the Heroscape ruleset primarily, but they did modify it to be more Magic-y. I don't think it is the superficial reskin you made it out to be. Is it Magic? No, but it does have the flavor (as you point out), and importantly tries to respect the color pie. They did add cards-in-hand, a totally new thing to Heroscape. I'd say the system is 60% Heroscape, 20% MTG and 20% general board gaming miscellany. And that's reasonable, I think. If you were trying for some reason to turn Heroscape into a trading card game, I would expect you would lean much more on trading card mechanics and such than Heroscape ones. Why would the reverse be any different? Plus you're judging the interactions available in this very limited base game to what's available in the rich wealth of Magic's history. I think you'd be wise to wait until a few of the expansions come out before writing off Arena of the Planeswalkers as not feeling Magic-y. You're totally right that the component quality isn't what us Heroscapers are used to, but there are a reasons Heroscape was discontinued. Production costs really were the primary component, at least if you can believe Rob Daviau, Mike Grey and others that were on the inside. At the price point they were trying to hit for this game a lot of corners WERE cut, and that's unfortunate. I agree on that for sure. (Not sure the comparison to clix is fair either given the different price points between this game that that. Apples and oranges. Might as well complain about the quality of clix compared to Warhammer.).
Tolarian Community College I used to play Heroscape as a kid and pulled out my old tile set. The game gets a lot better with extra terrain. As for the cheap quality, it was $30 so it could be used as a standalone board game. As far as flavor goes, they did also have rhox and kor (which are magic specific) and gave creatures that were fitting for each of the planeswalkers as well as giving well translated versions of various keywords. Overall, it wasn't great, but I think you misrepresented a few aspects of it. It's probably around the 'C' range as it is a fun playable game out of the box and is fully functional.You're grading system usually requires a product to be inherently broken to get a Fail, and this product is capable of doing what it wants to do and advertises.
+Tolarian Community College I think that's the problem though. This game ISN'T made for hardcore Heroscape players. It's a streamlined version aimed at MAGIC players. And it hits that mark wonderfully. All the characters play and behave like they should. Spells, creatures, and attacks all make sense to the individual characters and color pie. The game is quick and easy to set up and play. It offers diverse gameplay for up to five people. The all-inclusive set box is extremely well-priced. This game is EXACTLY what a Magic player would want, if they are looking for a board game that captures the idea of battling Planeswalkers and creatures against each other. I am disappointed in the lack of critical examination in this "review."
Arena of the plansewalkers is also A LOT more affordable than Heroscape. I agree that AOTP is bland, but heroscape has some pretty cheap extra pieces such as castles and bridges that are compatible with the AOTB board. I'd rather spend $20 on a board game and then $60 getting new pieces than spend $250 on a board game. Also, I assume that the game will get better as time progresses, it is still a very new game.
Wizards frequently add new mechanics in magic, it wouldn't be a big deal to add some new features to the game later on. In the future Wizards might add featured such as castles to the game, but I feel like now they just want to build the game up slowly so that they can keep bringing out new expansions and material to keep the game interesting, rather than having the game be e same for 2 months before ever having a new set. I personally see a lot of potential in this game.
I would be *extremely* surprised to see a product like this get sequels. And to the best of my knowledge, that never happened and it’s sunk without a trace.
i feel like this review is a bit too critical on the idea that this is "not magic the gathering". i too have opened the box and was a bit underwhelmed at the quality of the components, I understand and mostly agree with the review. as far as the idea of this this product to be "not magic the gathering" seems to be based on the difference of mechanics within the game. yes in this game you do not have lands and have to pay a manna cost for your spells, but you do interact with your creatures and world in the same manner, you have enchantment, sorcery, instants and creatures, all acting in a similar manner as they do in the card game. you also have a deck of cards that you draw from every turn that give that same randomness that card games can have over miniatures games. as far as my opinion on being a heroscape reskin, i somewhat agree but challenge that is that necessarily a bad thing? heroscape was a fun game game that the had some measured success and one i think players mostly enjoyed, so "reskining" a game into a property that is much more popular, makes more sense if you are wanting to redistribute a game that you feel will sell. i feel it is fair to say that this product is magic the gathering but only in a different form from the one we all love. go out give it a try and see if you like the mechanics as well as i did. thanks for all the hard work professor love your videos:)
Same here, great little merger between table top wargaming and Magic lore/spell casting. At the time as a newbie to MTG, I didn't know what self contained casual MTG product to get, this seemed self contained and casual, so I got it. Great fun. In hindsight I should've got a duel deck, which I eventually did.
Wow I was actually considering buying this due to apparent similarities to Heroscape - Thank you so much for this video, great quality as always and certainly helped me make my mind up.
Some friends and I bought this game on a whim at Walmart a couple of months ago must as a change of pace. Most of my friends and I, myself happen to be very knowledgeable of MTG and avid players of the card game. This being said, we went in knowing that this isn't the card game. Its not. Its Arena of the Planeswalkers. Well known characters like Gideon and Jace facing off. Planeswalkers summon creatures, particularly in squads and specific "heroes" in upcoming expansions(not really a thing in Heroscape), and you use spells. Which are adapted to the board game but generally keep the same idea behind the card(Fog cancels all damage for a turn, Duress includes a function that makes an opponent discard a card, and oh you can just imagine the +x/+x for white creatures). Overall its a generally solid game, made for expansions, which to me is the only issue. Because I wanted more of the game immediately. Literally stayed up 12 hours the first night playing this game. Planes walkers are decently balanced(yeah lilianna and jace SEEM op, but that's where strategy and cards come in. Combos are king, and make the game interesting and keep it from getting too stale and once again, expansions will only make that better. However, as to quality, you got some shitty pieces, because yeah Nissa looks like a Goblin, but I don't have a single piece that doesn't sit flush on the board.
+Tolarian Community College; Perhaps some DND videos are in order? I enjoy 4th edition as a "bare-bones, build the world around you edition - lore wise." Mechanically speaking, it isn't horrible either - especially with homebrew being a thing. My party and I have done more than extensive work on our lore, and I feel that some discussion on which edition offers what would be an excellent upcoming video.
+The Dungeon Master Exactly! There's so much already present and flavorful! Again, I reiterate that I build on top of that with my group, and it is among one of the most interesting and satisfying things to write about - heck, we've created pages upon pages just on how reanimation and souls work in our world.
+The Dungeon Master I'm in the 2nd edition is best edition camp, I'm afraid. What can I say? Old fogey. But 5th is alright! It is! Doing a 5th Ed campaign right now.
+The Dungeon Master I'm in the 2nd edition is best edition camp, I'm afraid. What can I say? Old fogey. But 5th is alright! It is! Doing a 5th Ed campaign right now.
Another great video Professor! You are the sole reason I started playing MTG and I even bought the KMC Hyper Matte sleeves for all my decks just because of how highly you recommended them.
Heroscape doesn't have spells, right? Or central planeswalkers? This review seemed very empty to me. No comments on the actual gameplay. Lots of whining about "It's not exactly MTG"-OK, so what? We already have MTG's game mechanics in MTG. You can't just port everything from one genre to a completely different one and except even 20% of them to create a good game.
1) You can paint the figures yourself or paint over your planeswalkers. 2) You can add terrain by buying Heroscape terrain on ebay. 3) You actually get a lot of game pieces for the money you spend compared to other board games with figures. 4) The expansions add more variety & strategy to the game. 5) Heroscape has figures that are compatible with this game (Goblin Cutters, Fen Hydra, Venoc Vipers, etc).
I loved heroscape as a kid so naturally when I saw this I wanted to buy it as soon as it was announced. Now when I got the game none of the bases were bent, (did you leave this on your porch prof?) and the paint job was of similar quality to heroscape of old. Now as for the cardboard, while I was disappointed at getting only 4 pieces of stackable terrain, the flat cardboard base was actually kinda cool as it can be used as a base layer for further terrain without taking up the space that actual plastic would take up. What I am getting at is that herosacpe was the beginners mini game. No painting required (unless you want too) no awkward terrain to spend hours or days constructing (again unless you want too). Just set up and play. In all honesty, the gameplay is not bad in my opinion and this review so obsessed with QUALITY, QUALITY, QUALITY! does a disservice to the actual fun and hours of enjoyment you can get out of the game. I love your reviews on quality for sleeves and deck boxes and binders! But this is not an accessory. This is a game. Albeit aimed at a young teenage audience. Not mature, older, experienced board gamers and mini-gamers, but a game none-the-less.
The HeroScape fansite can be found here: www.heroscapers.com/community/index.php There is a "Sales and Trades" thread for the buying/selling of HeroScape if you want it. Most of the stuff there is very reasonably priced. The base game can be found for around $40 there.
Prof... did you read my mind ? I was just thinking about this game (and considering buying it for Christmas) while coming back from work today ! Glad to see this review, this is a really cold shower ! I'll find something else for to satiate my Magic addiction !
One of the biggest reasons Heroscape shut down was the sheer expense of the product. That's why there aren't many mini games around anymore. Making a cheap mini game, from a marketing standpoint, was a better move than trying to sell an expensive, outdated product idea, when you could just buy an older product for cheaper.
Heroscape was my jam. I got the Starter Set, Castle Set, Mini Lava Expansion, and an Elven Warrior Set for X-Mas once. I bet I still have those lying around somewhere.
This game is pretty fun when played with more then 2 players and using old heroscape materials. Basically it sucks in the box but if you happen to have heroscape stuff kicking around it's actually a pretty good time
+Freakymonify Really? I was able to take out both Gideon and Chandra with no issue as Nissa, even though they had somewhat teamed up against me. The Chandra player had previous experience playing, where I didn't, too.
My family already has a few boxes of Heroscape sets, so what we ended up doing was playing this game with a board built from Heroscape hex pieces. That ended up being pretty good fun but I wish they'd included the terrain pieces with this as well, since it's nowhere near as fun without them.
Since this shows up among other reviews for the game itself, it might be good to mention that as a board game in itself it's pretty good. The professor trashes the game for not having any real magic card game components. That's not what I would want from a magic board game, personally. If I wanna play the card game, I'll go play the card game. Also I feel like the comparison between the heroscape terrain and the AoP board isn't quite fair. We're talking an entire game (which I picked up for around 40€) being compared to a 500+$ game table. Of course the board is a little underwhelming, but technically nothing is stopping you from combining it with heroscape terrain. The game is far from flawless, but not as bad as it's made out to be here in my opinion.
I've played the game about 5 times. I have to ignore the really cool Magic components because I'm playing with a 6 year old who's learning how to read, but I like it. He loves it. I can't wait for the January's eldrazi expansion.
I do own the hero scape starter set, which costed around 100$, so this game is a great deal. I like its uniqueness from heroscape, because you can play spells and in heroscape your goal was to just eliminate the enemy team, in this game you can have fun thinking of strategies to kill the opposing planeswalker. This game is a lot of fun to play for 30$ (although i got mine on amazon for just 22 :) ) Its so much more fun with the heroscape terrain, so I would not buy it unless you have some or are willing to get some. These days its pretty cheap. But If you have 30 bucks to burn i would definetly consider this. Its really cool seeing 3D battles agaisnt some of your favorite cards. Nice reveiw professor, but I think you were comparing to herocape more than it shoul be. Its target is mtg players. and with a price less than an event deck, I would say this should deserve a C. When you play it with some of your closest friends and family, its pretty fun!!!
The last thing most magic players want to do is get themselves hooked on heroscape, so luckily this version doesn't seem very good.One giant money sink of a collectable game with ongoing updates to buy is enough for most people I hope :)
Awesome vid.. even with the volume off i wouldve came to the same conclusions... my mother wanted to get me this for Christmas, thank your deity that i talked her out of it saying "dont waste your money, its a cash grab"
also... heroscape was a pretty cool game.. wish it never went under.. only problem i had was that you needed a lot of room and time to set up the board just to play a little.. then had to break down... it took more time to set up and break down than it didnto actually play
+Tristin Wolfe Your comment coincides with mine; this will be a booby trap mostly for parents who think they'll be giving a cool christmas gift to their maybe little kids about their hobby, without having a true idea about what the game is about, but, it has Magic: the Gathering stamped on the box and why would a company like this lie to it's customers? Right? Right?
+Tristin Wolfe If you liked heroscape, then the gamplay is pretty similar. It uses the same "game engine" and if you had any terrain it is compatible with AotP. People have also played using units from both games and concluded that they are close in point cost. Check out other reviews, they would be more helpful.
I think your review is pretty spot on like all you other reviews, but i have this to say. I played this over the weekend with my friends and actually found this to be a lot of fun, we had the special edition of it that came with more 3d terrain which helped with the lack of 3d terrain. For the overall game, I would say it was actually quite well made with incorporating a strong MTG feel to the Heroscape system, it actually felt the way I imagine planeswalkers would fight each other in a more action packed scenario. The way you summon creatures and play spells felt very natural to me. The why my friends and I played was that you start off with your planeswalker on the board and each turn you generate 30 mana to cast spells/creatures. This way no one starts with their entire army on board and forced everyone to really think and strategize. As well each planeswalker felt very unique to their character as portrayed in the lore, their creatures and spells also felt perfect for the way I think anyone of them would battle. I personally played Liliana and loved how all of her spells played exactly the way a normal black deck out play and it was all attuned to work as a zombie tribal(which is one of my favorite tribes). So in my opinion everything as far as gameplay and mechanics felt spot on perfect to be a figure based MTG game. Where this great idea completely falls on its face is the quality of the physical product, the figures are far below average quality and are made with cheap materials. The main "arena" you'll battle is mostly flat and doesn't allow you to really experience how good the combat system actually is. The 3d terrain is very limited, the plastic is actually the same good quality as Heroscape but it isn't painted! and the cardboard cut outs are rubbish. So heres my overall conclusion, the system, mechanics, spells, and creatures are all spot on perfect and I believe someone talented is in charge, because truly all the different planeswalkers are all unique and are evenly balanced if you know how to play against different mono-colored decks. If i only judged the game on that I could give it a solid 8.5/10. Only reason it would have a perfect score is that there are only 12 card decks for each planeswalker, but each spell fits perfectly for their respective play style. Now if i were to judge this game on its physical products it would have a 2/10 easily, everything is simply sub-par. So the real score would be... But wait theres more! If you were to take the flat terrain and mix it with Heroscape terrain it actually makes a great base for something great! This system this game as put forth is actually wonderful, there is an expansion with 2 more planeswalkers, more spells/creatures, and a new game mode of 1vAll. So before i can give you a real score know that there are better things instore for this game. If they continue with more expansions there can eventually be some real customization to make unique decks and armies, and if you go and purchase some extra terrain you can have a real customized battlefield. So even now with just the basics and some extra terrain the game is quite good. But right of the box the physical product is so lack luster it drags my overall rating to a 4.5/10. That's not to say it hasn't sparked an old passion for Heroscape, and with the new MTG feel, in the coming weeks I'm going to try to come up with ways to incorporate rules to allow you to take you already existing cards and play them right into the this game. I'm hoping to find others to bounce ideas for making new rules for existing cards and such. I've got high hopes for this game! Keep up the good work sir and merry christmas!
I'd say that if they put more work on it the game could be great. For people that don't play magic it could be a hero scape skin, but they could have built a sistem to connect to magic itself. Maybe a commander based game with planeswalkers as commanders working similar to Yugioh Duelists of the Roses. You could play a magic game at the side of the arena and that would affect your gameplay (if you play a land you could put that type of terrain in the arena near your planeswalker, creatures would spawn near the planeswalker and spells would be limited to a range equal to your walker's casting cost to reflect him using the spell and the power of the planeswalker itself... But no, we got this.
I have the game as a gift and I have to disagree with this review. The game is fun, the quality is enough (good for the MSRP Price) and I don't care if it's Heroscape with a Magic skin on it. I didn't even knew that there was a game called Heroscape. All the Planeswalkers are powerful and balanced, and there is fun for many hours. CONS: the rules manual could have much much better explanations and some of the material is thought to be used with future expansions but that's not even said anywhere; the terrain lacks depth and strategy after some matches, it could include more hexagons...and that's it. I painted the figures myself and I enjoyed the process.
I whole heartedly disagree. As a Magic player, I love this game. You don't talk at all about the strategy and gameplay, both of which are very fun. You also talk about mediocre quality, but don't mention price (it's extremely well priced). This video seems to want to dissuade people from buying it when, in my experience, all my Magic friends have found the game to be quite enjoyable. The spell cards, creatures, and abilities all reflect perfectly the gameplay style and flavor of a a particular planeswalker. Yes, the terrain is a little bland, and no the figures aren't high quality, but the game itself plays wonderful and is fully wrapped in flavor for every card and game piece. But most importantly, it's not a $100+ game. It's $29.99. And for $30, it's great fun for up to five Magic fans.
I'd say the game itself is OK at best. I've played it a few times with friends, but the lack of terrain and some rule clarity issues kept this from being anything great. If the maps were a bit more varied you might of had something here. To those that say that the expansions will make it better, while it may be true you do not judge something based on future content. I do not subscribe to the idea of paying for a game, then paying again to get the game it should have been. That's just dumb.
If you like heroscape, you will love this. It is a re-skin kind of like the dynasty warriors gundam or hyrule warriors. the only thing really lacking is the hex pieces but if you already have a bunch, this game is awesome.
I purchased this, but I purchased it knowing full well it was pretty much MTG in name alone. I understood it was a different take on the Heroscape rules, and the few times I have played it, I have found it to be relatively fun. However, there are certain planeswalkers that can feel very over/underpowered. But since I already had a huge box of Heroscape landscape to use with this, it made for a much more interesting and enjoyable game over the standard cardboard pieces.
I feel like they were taking a shot in the dark with this item. They didn't include the build up terrain to keep the price low so it could appeal to all players. In reality it really hurt them. Personally if they went full out with this item and it was $50-$80 it would do better in the long run.
I loved this review! I had no idea that there were figuratively no terrain pieces in the box. I only wish you ad posted this review a few months ago so I wouldn't have asked my parents for it for Christmas. Oh well, Amazon has return policies for a reason.
So yeah this is one of those "Don't give a damn, it's fun and semi-cheap" moments where I say "If it appeals to you, get it. If not, don't." If they'd kept the same depth that Heroscape had, you'd be looking at at least a doubled price point. This thing feels like a good way for people to try tabletop combat games for $40.
This, Duels and MTGO all show that the Hasbro overlord are only interested in our money. Which is a painfully short term goal and will only lead to less people playing in the long run. Wotc have done an amazing job of growing and looking after it's fan base but the recent money grabs are goign to do more harm in the long run.
My best friend and I bought this game just before a blizzard kept us in our apartment for a full week and over that time we morphed the rules into what is now an unteachable game that has far too many new rules to ever teach someone lol. It's also our favorite game though. Sometimes we do a "full draft" and mix and match all the squads via a draft format.
Okay I was totally on board (accidental pun) with the cool landscape pictures until I saw that flat cardboard bullshit. I was looking forward to a review of this so I could get a good look at it. What a letdown.
As always - thanks for your honest review! I love your style and presentation. My only advice is to explain a bit of the gameplay itself. Many of us have never had the chance to play Heroscape back in the day and some information on the mechanics themselves would be welcome. Other than that, great job!
My friend purchased this, and 5 experienced MTG and board game players sat around for an hour trying to figure out how to summon units and what the restrictions for casting spells were, or at least what the costs in the bottom right were for. We read the rules front to back and they were so sparse that we ended up playing EDH instead.
I got Arena of the Planeswalkers and BOTH expansions for $25 total off Amazon this holiday. Well worth it for that price. The miniatures aren't that bad-- I'm painting my generic ones and they look decent for plastic. The cards and artwork that come with the game are pretty good. I do agree that they should release some terrain packs for the game...
I have been going back and forth on whether i want to get this, especially now since there has been an expansion. I do have some heroscape terrian, but not some of the more impressive pieces XD But the main reason ibe been wanting to get this is because i had the idea that it would be interesting to use this to mix the movement mechanics of the game to then see who you would play a game of magic against and see what planeswalkers you would ultimately fight. For instance if you confront another planeswalker, you and that planeswalker must battle each other in a normal game of Magic. Then, in real time, the other planeswalkers who are not currently in conflict continue to take turns in dice rolling. This would mean that a planeswalker could interrupt a two dueling planeswalkers. (And then there could be other mechanics could be implemented like escaping a battle, height advantages/disadvantages, how gaining mana outside of conflict would work and so on.) So in sort, i think this should have just been made to play magic in a different way, like a 3D version of planechase or something. And again, even with this idea, im still not sure if i should get it. I think the main problem still is the quality of the miniatures. XD
Thank you so much, professor. I'm always opened to board games and was almost going to buy it. I still remember the old figures from Battletech. Some came in plastic form, some in metal form. A friend of mine painted them with so much love and added so many details ... this is what I would've liked from this figures. They could've been better in quality and there should've been the option to paint them all by yourself to get a unique item. I'm sure that there wouldn't have been a higher cost for WotC by increasing the quality.
You didn't talk about the gameplay. I never played Heroscape, but that's how it was described to me. It's actually quite fun and I split the cost between four friends ($6 each) so it was well worth it. I have played it several times and while 1v1 gets old pretty fast, the multiplayer is interesting. I look forward to seeing what the expansions add and I think that given time, the figures will improve and landscapes will be added. I would encourage people to try it, especially if you can split the cost between friends.
Buy some terrain and this game is awesome. Me and my friends wrote our own rules to make the gameplay easier too. Also we use it for D&D too. All in all its expansions made it way cooler. With all the terrain laid out it takes up a six person dinner table. Throw in about 6 friends and this game gets crazy
My girlfriend got me this for my birthday, its just sat in the same place since and i have absolutely to interest to play it. Ive told her i just wish shed just play a little magic with me, that would be the best gift of all
I was looking at this game wondering if it was worth purchasing to try something different around the kitchen table but this definitely steered me away. I think I will spend the $50 on more cards or sleeves or anything else that I will use
Heroscape was a pretty big part of my childhood. Wish I knew where it was. I own this one however, I've played it with a few times. I see what it was doing and I like it, but it'll never be what Heroscape was. -Jagon
As always, great review! One thing of note, with my Heroscape hat on, it seems they didn't try too hard on getting the spells and summoning mechanics to work properly within the Heroscape game. There's a sub-forum for the game on heroscapers.com that is littered with questions and clarifications on how/when spells and summoning work. They even have a formal reply from Hasbro reps clarifying confusing terminology and timing.
+Aerosheik HeroScape hat on is welcome and appreciated! I have played HeroScape, but was not an enfranchised devotee, so I did a lot of talking with some major HeroScape players down at my local game store for better perspective on that part of the review. Appreciate yours as well! Cheers!
+Tolarian Community College Thanks, always glad to help. If there were a game I like as much as Magic: the Gathering, it'd have to be Heroscape. Unfortunately, your assessment is spot on. That said, I'll still probably pick up the expansion in January to see if they add any depth to the game, or at least more terrain. :)
I bought this when it came out, and a bunch of my friends love it. We play it when we don't feel like playing magic the gathering. A combination of the DnD board games, and this anyway. It's a lot of fun.
If anyone (still) wants to get the game, it's for sale at Amazon for $24.99, a steep discount from the MSRP of $39.99. Not a suggestion, just an FYI for the community.
This review was a roller coaster for me. As an old player of the game, when I saw the couple Heroscape pieces I went "Whaaaaaa?" and "must buy," but then I saw and heard the rest. Crash and burn. Ah well, time to ebay one of the "newer" sets, y'know, for my D&D group... >_>
It would be SO nice if Hassbro made the Arena Of The Planeswalkers terrain compatable with the Heroscape terrain, it would be cool if you could play as any of your favorite planeswalkers in Heroscape's terrain.
i had this game in my hands at the store last week, i put it back on shelf. something felt off about it. glad to see i didnt purchase it. thanks for the review.
+sanitydistortion Yeah, it was a neat game and too bad it never really cemented. People who love the game really LOVE it, and that says something about its unique and awesome qualities. Again, maybe if they had really invested in this...
Tolarian Community College Agreed, the whole terrain thing seems to be the biggest strength that Heroscape has compared to other board games, and eliminating that... Well... Yeah.
I bought the Walmart version, which comes with extra land pieces and other extra stuff for the same price. If you do want to get this, get the Walmart version with the extra parts. Same price, more land pieces. And this was on sale for $20 + tax, which was worth it for that price. From what I've read from other reviews, this is an ok game that really needs an expansion (which came out) to flesh it out... but that also means spending another $20 to make a game better...
As an avid Magic player of nearly 20 years, and with a girlfriend of 5+ years, I wish I could have linked her this video a few weeks ago before she decided to purchase this product (and the BFZ expansion) for me for Christmas! I understand that she's disconnected from the (our) hobby and only had best intentions at heart. I'm sure many of us can relate, whether it be significant others or relatives... We played 1v1 together, and it was kinda fun, though the rules felt a bit complicated. I completely agree that it lacks the MTG feel. However, it does appear to require strategic thinking, which I like. We plan to play again soon. Hopefully we'll both enjoy it, otherwise I'll just have a bunch of poorly manufactured figurines to place amongst by MTG bookcase.
I really miss heroscape, still have my stuff lying around somewhere, It was always sorta like a easier to pick up and play version of warhammer to me, which when it was around, was exactly the kind of thing I wanted to play.
The pieces are supposed to be dipped at the based for the red damage counters. Yes, it's pretty much Magicscape and the board leaves much to be desired, but this leaves room for a lot of growth. There is already an expansion coming soon. I feel you might be overly critical on something that is supposed to be simple. Also, the price is very reasonable, especially if you look at the price of most board games on the market.
'Twas. It's still my favorite game, and frankly, if Hasbro restarted production of the original, they'd make a TON of money. I got this knowing that there weren't any LAND pieces because I had some, and this allowed me to make more spread out boards. I was also interested in seeing how the new pieces would mesh with the originals. I've tested out a couple of ideas; so far they seem to... With restrictions.
This really disagree with this review, if you take the game individually it is a 39 dollar board game with 30+ minis that is great value compare to most other board games where you get 5 or six small unpainted minis. I do think the lack of the terrain pieces is a problem but with the current rules if they put a substantial amount in then movement in the game would bog down and be slow. I am also disappointed that you don't even mention the game play and say if the board game is fun or not, which is its most important aspect.
my roommate bought this game. have you seen the minis? they're laughable in quality. theyre barely worth more then the plastic they were molded from in my opinion.
I think it is entirely possible to make MTG themed games that arent actually Magic. I know I'd love to see things like a Tabletop module for Ravnica, a resource management tabletop game with a timed element (like most have) of the resistance trying to build and mount an army to defend against the invading Phyrexians on Mirroden, things like that. I think they could work perfectly well, as long as its clear its MTG themed and not a board game of the card game.
I just played this game for the first time last night. This guy is off his rocker. Trample, haste, spells that reflect MTG spells. It is Magic: The Gathering. I enjoyed it and you can now start to buy expansions and build better spell decks to your liking. I say give it a shot.
I picked one of these up the other day, looked at the horribly detailed and poorly painted figures, and just put it back on the shelf. $30 HA not even worth $3
Thank you, Professor. I was considering getting this to play with my kids as a "gateway drug", easing them into MTG. Glad I watched this before I wasted my money on repackaged crap. On a brighter note, you have piqued my interest in Heroscape. I may ask some fellow nerds at my LGS about it, as they play everything under the sun in there, they most likely will have played it. Again, thank you for this.
I got into Magic the Gathering from reading the Magic Origins Planeswalkers stories. For me, this was a cheap way to experience these characters on the tabletop. To get a single Jace would be twice as much, at least! I'm not ready to commit to that.
I gotta disagree with the low quality being such damming feature. As a person who has spent hundreds on games like X-wing miniatures, and Imperial assault, I was pleased to get a complete game for only $18. Yes Arena is low end, but the game play is simple, easy to learn, and fun. And with the expansion out it now allows you to deck build, and army build. I don't mind spending hundreds on a beautiful, quality game, but it's also nice to bolster my collection with a fun game for under $20. I'm glad they went budget.
You missed out gameplay. This is a great, tactical, fast and fun board game with MTG elements. Even from a gameplay perspective. Chandra is fast and aggressive but low health, Liliana and her creatures resurrect, Jace can teleport via trickery and piece placement to confuse opponents etc. This paired with the magic cards of sorceries and enchantments and you have a very tactical yet casual and fun MTG themed board game, with MTG elements from the TCG/CCG. For £10, 30 miniatures of good to average quality is great, heck I saw alot of reviews on Amazon of people buying it for D&D minatures alone.
"This is Heroscape with a Magic the Gathering flavor." SOLD.
+Michael Reppenhagen Now that I've watched your full review, oof. I thought they had all those great ideas in mind when they were making these. It turns out they just borrowed some ideas from Heroscape and threw a Magic skin on it with terrible quality. Why not just make a standalone Heroscape port that people who still play Heroscape could then use the pieces of?
In fact, I would really love it if they just completely molded the Heroscape universe into Magic with crossover in both. (So, we get legendaries from the cards in Heroscape form and old Legends from the game like Agent Carr and Raelin popping up as Magic cards.) It could have been really subtly done and really exciting - revealing Utgar as a plane and Marro has a tribal creature type. They wouldn't have had to brew up new worlds for ages. I guess it just takes too much effort away from the card game. It's a real shame their spending so much time brewing up exciting new universes like Zendikar, Ravinca and Innistrad.
Seriously, Wizards, stop being lazy.
+Michael Reppenhagen This "review" does not cover the actual mechanics of the game. All of the cards, abilities, creatures, and Planeswalkers act and play uniquely. Each of which carry over the essence of their respective character's gameplay style, mechanics, and operation. I don't know what else you could expect about a board game based on a card game. I thought the mechanics were handled wonderfully and it translates into fun and diverse gameplay. Watch the review by The Dice Tower for an actual look at how the game plays.
Keep in mind that it would also cost you more than $200 to buy a playable-out-of-the-box copy of Heroscape, while this game is currently $25 on Amazon.
+Michael Reppenhagen Hi Michael, the pieces are compatible, and people have actually played with AotP pieces mixed with Heroscape, and the out come was that it was balanced... Just saying check out a few more reviews
*Heroscape* looks freaking awesome, I'd play the shizz out of a evolving terrain style game like that!
+docterfantazmo You can still find it for sale if you dig around enough, despite it being discontinued. Was a really neat game.
+Tolarian Community College what upsets me is the lack of quality. No plastic pieces and cheap blank figures where Heroscape had good quality and 3D plastic pieces along with decently detailed figures.
This is absolutely lazy.
+Winston_KillDeath The complete game can be had on amazon for less than $30; what do you expect? How much does it cost to build the Heroscape setups like in the video? $100? $200? $300? More?
+cfusionpm what I'm saying is I would have gladly paid a higher price for a better game.
Even $30 is too pricy for cardboard and blank mold injection wobble figures.
+cfusionpm originally, you could get the master set 1 for under $50, with something like 30 fully painted figures, a ton of painted terrain. thinking back, that was pretty damn cheap XD
I'm a little disappointed you didn't actually... review the game itself? I understand build quality and such are valid points, but how does the game itself play? To me this really is a glaring oversight for a "review"
+darkdomino I played the game and when I do board game, I have to know the rules inside out. Sadly, the play experience itself was short-lived due to friends with A.D.D.
Firstly, the game's rules are poorly detailed. There are are so many situations not explained in the rulebook and the accompanying FAQ, that WoTC had to release an online FAQ to answer the mountain of questions. It was a nightmare playing the first few times, bc every other move would end up becoming "How does this interaction pan out?"
Gameplay is fairly unbalanced, I'd say. Red is very very powerful, with fast creatures that revive and hit hard. Chandra herself has many direct damage spells that can easily clear obstacles.
Green seems to be the least useful, with most effects relying on dice rolls (or giving you more die rolls).
White is reliable, but plays primarily as a defensive force.
I can't speak for Black or Blue, bc I didn't play with them as allies. I only got to see my friends play them against me, and... it was fairly easy to roll them with Red.
Overall, I, too, am disappointed in the Arena of Planeswalkers. I was hoping it would finally be MTG Tactics in physical form (or at least something akin to it), rather than an MtG skin for HeroScape.
He didn’t Need to review gameplay because it’s a pre excising game with a crappy mtg skin
I own this and my wife and I STILL play it once in a while but we modified our play with our own 'House Rules'. We actually allow some MTG cards from outside of the game in a limited quantity, and it makes it SICK FUN!!
Just look up a review for Heroscape and that's how it plays but not 3D dimensional and no customization
He did review the game itself or at least explain what it was
It's played like Heroscape but flat literally and figuratively.
Love how every single Magic product I search for is reviewed in extreme detail by this guy. Love the honesty and high standards.
The review is seen through the eyes of a magic product and not a board game.
+tanman1110 Not quite, the review is through the eyes of Magic player looking at a board game called Magic. That seems like a fair perspective to take.
+tanman1110 I have to agree with the professor. As a lover of heroscape this game is complete crap. When I first saw it I was kind of excited but after realizing the unbelievably poor quality I was very disappointed.
as a game yes it is a lot of fun, but as far as quality goes it is a complete fail.
+tanman1110 its still a shitty board game in terms of quality. and the biggest downfall of heroscape was that it got stale after the third playthrough of it. i can only imagine how boring the 'mtg heroscape' gets with the fact that is has even less variables in its gameplay mechanics. soooo.... he actually did a pretty good review.
While I agree that he overstates the importance of the game not being "magic" enough all the other points about the quality of the materials and the lack of terrain are spot on.
This is a saddly sub-par port of the wonderful Heroscape.
+Kelley Willingham agreed. i actually still have all my heroscape stuff. i dont play anymore but it would be fun to revisit it. i wonder if my local card shop would want it >_>
It wasn't created to be revolutionary, it's just a casual board game. Also, to tell everyone to not buy the product, and in the same moment tell everyone to be sure to pick up your coffee mug, says quite a bit about you. While i will agree that the quality of the game will never be the standard from which board games are judged, it's just a neat casual game, don't be so negative.
I don't think this review was the from the correct angle. This is a board game. It isn't card sleeves or a binder. It is a game, so yes, component quality is important, but it is not the deciding factor for a pass of fail grade...gameplay is. By this reviews reasoning, the greatest game ever made would be a fail if the paint job was substandard. Professor, i'd part 2 this review for posterities sake if you plan to do more board game reviews in the future and want them to be taken seriously. I'm not saying this review is without merit, just that it is incomplete and focuses on the wrong aspect of what makes a board game great, the game.
Me a few friends played this game because one of them got it for free, and guess what? This is the most horrendous boardgame out there, i prefer game of thrones which is one of the best out there, and this boardgame once you understand that the game is not even complete, because they are selling parts that should of been in the main game, is going to get sold as extra content. The game is broken beyond repairs, liliana is so Over powered in this game its crazy, oh and yes the quality sucks deeps
Have played tons of board games and play Heroscape, and I feel that this board game is beyond poorly done. I can let the components quality slide since it is a really cheep game, but the mechanics for the planeswalkers are not well balanced. In addition the rules are not very detailed. Jace is also very broken. Unless I am thinking incorrectly you can kill another planes walker by simply taking control of them and walking that planeswalker back and forth between groups enemies for the lamest kill ever.
+Kainius The Great You say it best, sir.
You dont understand. Even the rules are fogy. I didnt know how to play until i looked up like 3 tutorials a few months ago.
Every game will have its detractors, but gameplay-wise, Arena of the Planeswalkers has been praised by most of the most respected board game reviewers on CZcams, including Tom Vasel from The Dice Tower. I too think that the professor has not been fair while reviewing this game. Not explaining one moment about how to play the game other than just comparing it to Heroscape? That's a bad review. Also, why compare this to the card game? You should compare this to what the card game is EMULATING. The MTG TCG emulates a battle between planeswalkers that summon creatures and cast spells. This board game does exactly that. You control a Planeswalker, you summon creatures and you cast spells. It can't have the same mechanisms as a TCG, it has its own, and it's a good board game at it. Not the greatest. But a good board game for those who did not play Heroscape, those who did and want to see the system brought back to life, and those Magic players that want another good gaming experience with a brand they love.
I played heroscape for years. Collected all the figures, enjoyed building maps and armies, and went to various events. When I first heard they were doing a heroscape-esque game with MTG characters i was thrilled. THEN I SAW THE ACTUAL PRODUCT. It's a mockery of what it used to be. It sucks that Heroscape never really got the recognition it deserved. It was a sadly expensive product and only stayed alive through the niche players. But i still wish that Wizards/Hasbro supported it.
+Anthony Racano Yeah, I spent a lot of time talking with several hardcore Heroscape players from a few local game stores, and their reactions were all identical to what you just described.
+Tolarian Community College I'm a HUGE Heroscape fan owning thousands and thousands of those beautiful hexes. (I can vouch for +Anthony Racano being another Heroscape megafan). Yep, it uses the Heroscape ruleset primarily, but they did modify it to be more Magic-y. I don't think it is the superficial reskin you made it out to be. Is it Magic? No, but it does have the flavor (as you point out), and importantly tries to respect the color pie. They did add cards-in-hand, a totally new thing to Heroscape. I'd say the system is 60% Heroscape, 20% MTG and 20% general board gaming miscellany. And that's reasonable, I think.
If you were trying for some reason to turn Heroscape into a trading card game, I would expect you would lean much more on trading card mechanics and such than Heroscape ones. Why would the reverse be any different? Plus you're judging the interactions available in this very limited base game to what's available in the rich wealth of Magic's history. I think you'd be wise to wait until a few of the expansions come out before writing off Arena of the Planeswalkers as not feeling Magic-y.
You're totally right that the component quality isn't what us Heroscapers are used to, but there are a reasons Heroscape was discontinued. Production costs really were the primary component, at least if you can believe Rob Daviau, Mike Grey and others that were on the inside. At the price point they were trying to hit for this game a lot of corners WERE cut, and that's unfortunate. I agree on that for sure. (Not sure the comparison to clix is fair either given the different price points between this game that that. Apples and oranges. Might as well complain about the quality of clix compared to Warhammer.).
Tolarian Community College I used to play Heroscape as a kid and pulled out my old tile set. The game gets a lot better with extra terrain. As for the cheap quality, it was $30 so it could be used as a standalone board game. As far as flavor goes, they did also have rhox and kor (which are magic specific) and gave creatures that were fitting for each of the planeswalkers as well as giving well translated versions of various keywords.
Overall, it wasn't great, but I think you misrepresented a few aspects of it. It's probably around the 'C' range as it is a fun playable game out of the box and is fully functional.You're grading system usually requires a product to be inherently broken to get a Fail, and this product is capable of doing what it wants to do and advertises.
+Tolarian Community College I think that's the problem though. This game ISN'T made for hardcore Heroscape players. It's a streamlined version aimed at MAGIC players. And it hits that mark wonderfully. All the characters play and behave like they should. Spells, creatures, and attacks all make sense to the individual characters and color pie. The game is quick and easy to set up and play. It offers diverse gameplay for up to five people. The all-inclusive set box is extremely well-priced. This game is EXACTLY what a Magic player would want, if they are looking for a board game that captures the idea of battling Planeswalkers and creatures against each other. I am disappointed in the lack of critical examination in this "review."
Arena of the plansewalkers is also A LOT more affordable than Heroscape. I agree that AOTP is bland, but heroscape has some pretty cheap extra pieces such as castles and bridges that are compatible with the AOTB board. I'd rather spend $20 on a board game and then $60 getting new pieces than spend $250 on a board game. Also, I assume that the game will get better as time progresses, it is still a very new game.
Wizards frequently add new mechanics in magic, it wouldn't be a big deal to add some new features to the game later on. In the future Wizards might add featured such as castles to the game, but I feel like now they just want to build the game up slowly so that they can keep bringing out new expansions and material to keep the game interesting, rather than having the game be e same for 2 months before ever having a new set. I personally see a lot of potential in this game.
+Ashton Coates that is a very good point as well start and see if people are interested and then build on
I would be *extremely* surprised to see a product like this get sequels. And to the best of my knowledge, that never happened and it’s sunk without a trace.
i feel like this review is a bit too critical on the idea that this is "not magic the gathering". i too have opened the box and was a bit underwhelmed at the quality of the components, I understand and mostly agree with the review. as far as the idea of this this product to be "not magic the gathering" seems to be based on the difference of mechanics within the game. yes in this game you do not have lands and have to pay a manna cost for your spells, but you do interact with your creatures and world in the same manner, you have enchantment, sorcery, instants and creatures, all acting in a similar manner as they do in the card game. you also have a deck of cards that you draw from every turn that give that same randomness that card games can have over miniatures games. as far as my opinion on being a heroscape reskin, i somewhat agree but challenge that is that necessarily a bad thing? heroscape was a fun game game that the had some measured success and one i think players mostly enjoyed, so "reskining" a game into a property that is much more popular, makes more sense if you are wanting to redistribute a game that you feel will sell. i feel it is fair to say that this product is magic the gathering but only in a different form from the one we all love. go out give it a try and see if you like the mechanics as well as i did.
thanks for all the hard work professor love your videos:)
I got it at Walmart for $10... Never played magic before it and it was so worth it, got me into magic completely
tshort99 got mine at five below. Me and my girl like it .
Same here, great little merger between table top wargaming and Magic lore/spell casting. At the time as a newbie to MTG, I didn't know what self contained casual MTG product to get, this seemed self contained and casual, so I got it. Great fun. In hindsight I should've got a duel deck, which I eventually did.
Got mine at Toys R Us before they closed down for $5. Haven't played it yet, but I really want to.
Wow I was actually considering buying this due to apparent similarities to Heroscape - Thank you so much for this video, great quality as always and certainly helped me make my mind up.
Some friends and I bought this game on a whim at Walmart a couple of months ago must as a change of pace. Most of my friends and I, myself happen to be very knowledgeable of MTG and avid players of the card game. This being said, we went in knowing that this isn't the card game. Its not. Its Arena of the Planeswalkers. Well known characters like Gideon and Jace facing off. Planeswalkers summon creatures, particularly in squads and specific "heroes" in upcoming expansions(not really a thing in Heroscape), and you use spells. Which are adapted to the board game but generally keep the same idea behind the card(Fog cancels all damage for a turn, Duress includes a function that makes an opponent discard a card, and oh you can just imagine the +x/+x for white creatures). Overall its a generally solid game, made for expansions, which to me is the only issue. Because I wanted more of the game immediately. Literally stayed up 12 hours the first night playing this game. Planes walkers are decently balanced(yeah lilianna and jace SEEM op, but that's where strategy and cards come in. Combos are king, and make the game interesting and keep it from getting too stale and once again, expansions will only make that better. However, as to quality, you got some shitty pieces, because yeah Nissa looks like a Goblin, but I don't have a single piece that doesn't sit flush on the board.
This guy really hates this game.
almightyzentaco it's fun but not really magic
almightyzentaco I play it and it my fav
I want to see the rest of the Dungeons and Dragons rant.
+Firevine My D&D rants would go on and on and on for hours....5th edition is alright, at least. Better than 4th!
+Tolarian Community College;
Perhaps some DND videos are in order?
I enjoy 4th edition as a "bare-bones, build the world around you edition - lore wise." Mechanically speaking, it isn't horrible either - especially with homebrew being a thing. My party and I have done more than extensive work on our lore, and I feel that some discussion on which edition offers what would be an excellent upcoming video.
+The Dungeon Master
Exactly!
There's so much already present and flavorful!
Again, I reiterate that I build on top of that with my group, and it is among one of the most interesting and satisfying things to write about - heck, we've created pages upon pages just on how reanimation and souls work in our world.
+The Dungeon Master I'm in the 2nd edition is best edition camp, I'm afraid. What can I say? Old fogey. But 5th is alright! It is! Doing a 5th Ed campaign right now.
+The Dungeon Master I'm in the 2nd edition is best edition camp, I'm afraid. What can I say? Old fogey. But 5th is alright! It is! Doing a 5th Ed campaign right now.
That barren, flat map was surprisingly depressing.
Another great video Professor! You are the sole reason I started playing MTG and I even bought the KMC Hyper Matte sleeves for all my decks just because of how highly you recommended them.
I was looking up reviews for this game because it's cheap on Amazon right now, and wow, seeing a young prof is just, really interesting.
Heroscape doesn't have spells, right? Or central planeswalkers?
This review seemed very empty to me. No comments on the actual gameplay. Lots of whining about "It's not exactly MTG"-OK, so what? We already have MTG's game mechanics in MTG. You can't just port everything from one genre to a completely different one and except even 20% of them to create a good game.
1) You can paint the figures yourself or paint over your planeswalkers.
2) You can add terrain by buying Heroscape terrain on ebay.
3) You actually get a lot of game pieces for the money you spend compared to other board games with figures.
4) The expansions add more variety & strategy to the game.
5) Heroscape has figures that are compatible with this game (Goblin Cutters, Fen Hydra, Venoc Vipers, etc).
I loved heroscape as a kid so naturally when I saw this I wanted to buy it as soon as it was announced. Now when I got the game none of the bases were bent, (did you leave this on your porch prof?) and the paint job was of similar quality to heroscape of old. Now as for the cardboard, while I was disappointed at getting only 4 pieces of stackable terrain, the flat cardboard base was actually kinda cool as it can be used as a base layer for further terrain without taking up the space that actual plastic would take up.
What I am getting at is that herosacpe was the beginners mini game. No painting required (unless you want too) no awkward terrain to spend hours or days constructing (again unless you want too). Just set up and play.
In all honesty, the gameplay is not bad in my opinion and this review so obsessed with QUALITY, QUALITY, QUALITY! does a disservice to the actual fun and hours of enjoyment you can get out of the game. I love your reviews on quality for sleeves and deck boxes and binders! But this is not an accessory. This is a game. Albeit aimed at a young teenage audience. Not mature, older, experienced board gamers and mini-gamers, but a game none-the-less.
Man, I wish I was alive for heroscape! As a teenager who plans on becoming a civil engineer, it looks like a lot of fun!
The HeroScape fansite can be found here:
www.heroscapers.com/community/index.php
There is a "Sales and Trades" thread for the buying/selling of HeroScape if you want it. Most of the stuff there is very reasonably priced. The base game can be found for around $40 there.
Prof... did you read my mind ? I was just thinking about this game (and considering buying it for Christmas) while coming back from work today !
Glad to see this review, this is a really cold shower ! I'll find something else for to satiate my Magic addiction !
One of the biggest reasons Heroscape shut down was the sheer expense of the product. That's why there aren't many mini games around anymore. Making a cheap mini game, from a marketing standpoint, was a better move than trying to sell an expensive, outdated product idea, when you could just buy an older product for cheaper.
Heroscape was my jam. I got the Starter Set, Castle Set, Mini Lava Expansion, and an Elven Warrior Set for X-Mas once.
I bet I still have those lying around somewhere.
T4silly go find them, there is a bit of money in them bow.
This game is pretty fun when played with more then 2 players and using old heroscape materials. Basically it sucks in the box but if you happen to have heroscape stuff kicking around it's actually a pretty good time
You forgot to mention the fact that the game itself is terribly unbalanced, with Jace being stupidly strong and Nissa ridiculously weak.
+Freakymonify No, that is pretty accurate mtg wise.
Cynicism incarnate--what can I say? Jace pandering knows no limits. Of course they'd push him.
+Freakymonify Really? I was able to take out both Gideon and Chandra with no issue as Nissa, even though they had somewhat teamed up against me. The Chandra player had previous experience playing, where I didn't, too.
+Freakymonify Complaints about balance range wildly from one planeswalker to the next.
+Freakymonify Jace is indeed strong but Nissa too. You just have to use well her extra movemet skills and extra damage spells
My family already has a few boxes of Heroscape sets, so what we ended up doing was playing this game with a board built from Heroscape hex pieces. That ended up being pretty good fun but I wish they'd included the terrain pieces with this as well, since it's nowhere near as fun without them.
I'm just happy for "new" heroscape pieces circulating, even if it's only a few per box.
Since this shows up among other reviews for the game itself, it might be good to mention that as a board game in itself it's pretty good. The professor trashes the game for not having any real magic card game components. That's not what I would want from a magic board game, personally. If I wanna play the card game, I'll go play the card game.
Also I feel like the comparison between the heroscape terrain and the AoP board isn't quite fair. We're talking an entire game (which I picked up for around 40€) being compared to a 500+$ game table. Of course the board is a little underwhelming, but technically nothing is stopping you from combining it with heroscape terrain.
The game is far from flawless, but not as bad as it's made out to be here in my opinion.
I've played the game about 5 times. I have to ignore the really cool Magic components because I'm playing with a 6 year old who's learning how to read, but I like it. He loves it. I can't wait for the January's eldrazi expansion.
I found the base game and both expansions new in the box for $15 at a garage sale. I am happy with what I got for $15!
I don't care if it's MTG or Heroscape the game is a good game overall and
I do own the hero scape starter set, which costed around 100$, so this game is a great deal. I like its uniqueness from heroscape, because you can play spells and in heroscape your goal was to just eliminate the enemy team, in this game you can have fun thinking of strategies to kill the opposing planeswalker. This game is a lot of fun to play for 30$ (although i got mine on amazon for just 22 :) ) Its so much more fun with the heroscape terrain, so I would not buy it unless you have some or are willing to get some. These days its pretty cheap. But If you have 30 bucks to burn i would definetly consider this. Its really cool seeing 3D battles agaisnt some of your favorite cards. Nice reveiw professor, but I think you were comparing to herocape more than it shoul be. Its target is mtg players. and with a price less than an event deck, I would say this should deserve a C. When you play it with some of your closest friends and family, its pretty fun!!!
The last thing most magic players want to do is get themselves hooked on heroscape, so luckily this version doesn't seem very good.One giant money sink of a collectable game with ongoing updates to buy is enough for most people I hope :)
Awesome vid.. even with the volume off i wouldve came to the same conclusions... my mother wanted to get me this for Christmas, thank your deity that i talked her out of it saying "dont waste your money, its a cash grab"
also... heroscape was a pretty cool game.. wish it never went under.. only problem i had was that you needed a lot of room and time to set up the board just to play a little.. then had to break down... it took more time to set up and break down than it didnto actually play
+Tristin Wolfe Your comment coincides with mine; this will be a booby trap mostly for parents who think they'll be giving a cool christmas gift to their maybe little kids about their hobby, without having a true idea about what the game is about, but, it has Magic: the Gathering stamped on the box and why would a company like this lie to it's customers? Right? Right?
+Tristin Wolfe If you liked heroscape, then the gamplay is pretty similar. It uses the same "game engine" and if you had any terrain it is compatible with AotP. People have also played using units from both games and concluded that they are close in point cost. Check out other reviews, they would be more helpful.
I think your review is pretty spot on like all you other reviews, but i have this to say. I played this over the weekend with my friends and actually found this to be a lot of fun, we had the special edition of it that came with more 3d terrain which helped with the lack of 3d terrain. For the overall game, I would say it was actually quite well made with incorporating a strong MTG feel to the Heroscape system, it actually felt the way I imagine planeswalkers would fight each other in a more action packed scenario. The way you summon creatures and play spells felt very natural to me. The why my friends and I played was that you start off with your planeswalker on the board and each turn you generate 30 mana to cast spells/creatures. This way no one starts with their entire army on board and forced everyone to really think and strategize. As well each planeswalker felt very unique to their character as portrayed in the lore, their creatures and spells also felt perfect for the way I think anyone of them would battle. I personally played Liliana and loved how all of her spells played exactly the way a normal black deck out play and it was all attuned to work as a zombie tribal(which is one of my favorite tribes). So in my opinion everything as far as gameplay and mechanics felt spot on perfect to be a figure based MTG game. Where this great idea completely falls on its face is the quality of the physical product, the figures are far below average quality and are made with cheap materials. The main "arena" you'll battle is mostly flat and doesn't allow you to really experience how good the combat system actually is. The 3d terrain is very limited, the plastic is actually the same good quality as Heroscape but it isn't painted! and the cardboard cut outs are rubbish.
So heres my overall conclusion, the system, mechanics, spells, and creatures are all spot on perfect and I believe someone talented is in charge, because truly all the different planeswalkers are all unique and are evenly balanced if you know how to play against different mono-colored decks. If i only judged the game on that I could give it a solid 8.5/10. Only reason it would have a perfect score is that there are only 12 card decks for each planeswalker, but each spell fits perfectly for their respective play style. Now if i were to judge this game on its physical products it would have a 2/10 easily, everything is simply sub-par. So the real score would be...
But wait theres more! If you were to take the flat terrain and mix it with Heroscape terrain it actually makes a great base for something great! This system this game as put forth is actually wonderful, there is an expansion with 2 more planeswalkers, more spells/creatures, and a new game mode of 1vAll. So before i can give you a real score know that there are better things instore for this game. If they continue with more expansions there can eventually be some real customization to make unique decks and armies, and if you go and purchase some extra terrain you can have a real customized battlefield. So even now with just the basics and some extra terrain the game is quite good. But right of the box the physical product is so lack luster it drags my overall rating to a 4.5/10. That's not to say it hasn't sparked an old passion for Heroscape, and with the new MTG feel, in the coming weeks I'm going to try to come up with ways to incorporate rules to allow you to take you already existing cards and play them right into the this game. I'm hoping to find others to bounce ideas for making new rules for existing cards and such. I've got high hopes for this game!
Keep up the good work sir and merry christmas!
Seriously how can they have non flat bottoms on their game pieces, that is insane. Thanks for this video professor.
I'd say that if they put more work on it the game could be great.
For people that don't play magic it could be a hero scape skin, but they could have built a sistem to connect to magic itself. Maybe a commander based game with planeswalkers as commanders working similar to Yugioh Duelists of the Roses. You could play a magic game at the side of the arena and that would affect your gameplay (if you play a land you could put that type of terrain in the arena near your planeswalker, creatures would spawn near the planeswalker and spells would be limited to a range equal to your walker's casting cost to reflect him using the spell and the power of the planeswalker itself...
But no, we got this.
I got all three sets, we have 5 player battles regularly. I’ve always loved that dumb little game :)
I think that Hasbro wanted to try to unload extra stock they had.
I have the game as a gift and I have to disagree with this review. The game is fun, the quality is enough (good for the MSRP Price) and I don't care if it's Heroscape with a Magic skin on it. I didn't even knew that there was a game called Heroscape. All the Planeswalkers are powerful and balanced, and there is fun for many hours. CONS: the rules manual could have much much better explanations and some of the material is thought to be used with future expansions but that's not even said anywhere; the terrain lacks depth and strategy after some matches, it could include more hexagons...and that's it. I painted the figures myself and I enjoyed the process.
I whole heartedly disagree. As a Magic player, I love this game. You don't talk at all about the strategy and gameplay, both of which are very fun. You also talk about mediocre quality, but don't mention price (it's extremely well priced). This video seems to want to dissuade people from buying it when, in my experience, all my Magic friends have found the game to be quite enjoyable.
The spell cards, creatures, and abilities all reflect perfectly the gameplay style and flavor of a a particular planeswalker. Yes, the terrain is a little bland, and no the figures aren't high quality, but the game itself plays wonderful and is fully wrapped in flavor for every card and game piece. But most importantly, it's not a $100+ game. It's $29.99. And for $30, it's great fun for up to five Magic fans.
I'd say the game itself is OK at best. I've played it a few times with friends, but the lack of terrain and some rule clarity issues kept this from being anything great. If the maps were a bit more varied you might of had something here. To those that say that the expansions will make it better, while it may be true you do not judge something based on future content. I do not subscribe to the idea of paying for a game, then paying again to get the game it should have been. That's just dumb.
+SkrapHunta A big part of the issue is that the game has to keep the price point low enough for someone to get suckered into trying it first.
+SkrapHunta you know the maps are like 100% customizable right? and the rules are really simple.
Because of rules issues we've had to make house judgements before. I also don't call a small hill and "ruins" variety.
If you like heroscape, you will love this. It is a re-skin kind of like the dynasty warriors gundam or hyrule warriors. the only thing really lacking is the hex pieces but if you already have a bunch, this game is awesome.
I purchased this, but I purchased it knowing full well it was pretty much MTG in name alone. I understood it was a different take on the Heroscape rules, and the few times I have played it, I have found it to be relatively fun. However, there are certain planeswalkers that can feel very over/underpowered. But since I already had a huge box of Heroscape landscape to use with this, it made for a much more interesting and enjoyable game over the standard cardboard pieces.
I feel like they were taking a shot in the dark with this item. They didn't include the build up terrain to keep the price low so it could appeal to all players. In reality it really hurt them. Personally if they went full out with this item and it was $50-$80 it would do better in the long run.
I loved this review! I had no idea that there were figuratively no terrain pieces in the box. I only wish you ad posted this review a few months ago so I wouldn't have asked my parents for it for Christmas. Oh well, Amazon has return policies for a reason.
So yeah this is one of those "Don't give a damn, it's fun and semi-cheap" moments where I say "If it appeals to you, get it. If not, don't." If they'd kept the same depth that Heroscape had, you'd be looking at at least a doubled price point. This thing feels like a good way for people to try tabletop combat games for $40.
i got it at target for $15 so value
Found it walmart for $5. Worth every penny. XD
Mall of America $5 or less store was selling then for $5 each. I bought two.
This, Duels and MTGO all show that the Hasbro overlord are only interested in our money. Which is a painfully short term goal and will only lead to less people playing in the long run. Wotc have done an amazing job of growing and looking after it's fan base but the recent money grabs are goign to do more harm in the long run.
My best friend and I bought this game just before a blizzard kept us in our apartment for a full week and over that time we morphed the rules into what is now an unteachable game that has far too many new rules to ever teach someone lol. It's also our favorite game though. Sometimes we do a "full draft" and mix and match all the squads via a draft format.
i wish they would bring this back and put some real heart into it it could have been a really good game to play
Okay I was totally on board (accidental pun) with the cool landscape pictures until I saw that flat cardboard bullshit. I was looking forward to a review of this so I could get a good look at it. What a letdown.
Thanks for this review. I was wondering about this game for a Christmas gift. That Liliana though. *shivers*
Heroscape led me on the slippery slope onto full on Warhammer 40k.
YES, finally I get my MUG !
Thank you so much :)
Just an Info, the 2 Mugs arrived already :D
I didn't expect them before X-Mas ... and they are so great ... LOVE THEM ! :D
THANK you so much.
As always - thanks for your honest review! I love your style and presentation. My only advice is to explain a bit of the gameplay itself. Many of us have never had the chance to play Heroscape back in the day and some information on the mechanics themselves would be welcome. Other than that, great job!
My friend purchased this, and 5 experienced MTG and board game players sat around for an hour trying to figure out how to summon units and what the restrictions for casting spells were, or at least what the costs in the bottom right were for. We read the rules front to back and they were so sparse that we ended up playing EDH instead.
If you subtract 200 points from the Planeswalker (i.e. the deck of spells) the figures actually fit with the original Heroscape game quite well.
Liliana looks like a troll :D
I got Arena of the Planeswalkers and BOTH expansions for $25 total off Amazon this holiday. Well worth it for that price. The miniatures aren't that bad-- I'm painting my generic ones and they look decent for plastic. The cards and artwork that come with the game are pretty good. I do agree that they should release some terrain packs for the game...
I have been going back and forth on whether i want to get this, especially now since there has been an expansion. I do have some heroscape terrian, but not some of the more impressive pieces XD But the main reason ibe been wanting to get this is because i had the idea that it would be interesting to use this to mix the movement mechanics of the game to then see who you would play a game of magic against and see what planeswalkers you would ultimately fight. For instance if you confront another planeswalker, you and that planeswalker must battle each other in a normal game of Magic. Then, in real time, the other planeswalkers who are not currently in conflict continue to take turns in dice rolling. This would mean that a planeswalker could interrupt a two dueling planeswalkers. (And then there could be other mechanics could be implemented like escaping a battle, height advantages/disadvantages, how gaining mana outside of conflict would work and so on.)
So in sort, i think this should have just been made to play magic in a different way, like a 3D version of planechase or something. And again, even with this idea, im still not sure if i should get it. I think the main problem still is the quality of the miniatures. XD
Thank you so much, professor. I'm always opened to board games and was almost going to buy it.
I still remember the old figures from Battletech. Some came in plastic form, some in metal form. A friend of mine painted them with so much love and added so many details ... this is what I would've liked from this figures. They could've been better in quality and there should've been the option to paint them all by yourself to get a unique item.
I'm sure that there wouldn't have been a higher cost for WotC by increasing the quality.
Better to have discount Heroscape than no Heroscape.
You didn't talk about the gameplay. I never played Heroscape, but that's how it was described to me. It's actually quite fun and I split the cost between four friends ($6 each) so it was well worth it. I have played it several times and while 1v1 gets old pretty fast, the multiplayer is interesting. I look forward to seeing what the expansions add and I think that given time, the figures will improve and landscapes will be added. I would encourage people to try it, especially if you can split the cost between friends.
Buy some terrain and this game is awesome. Me and my friends wrote our own rules to make the gameplay easier too. Also we use it for D&D too. All in all its expansions made it way cooler. With all the terrain laid out it takes up a six person dinner table. Throw in about 6 friends and this game gets crazy
My girlfriend got me this for my birthday, its just sat in the same place since and i have absolutely to interest to play it. Ive told her i just wish shed just play a little magic with me, that would be the best gift of all
I was looking at this game wondering if it was worth purchasing to try something different around the kitchen table but this definitely steered me away. I think I will spend the $50 on more cards or sleeves or anything else that I will use
Heroscape immediately caught my attention. Loved that game.
Heroscape was a pretty big part of my childhood. Wish I knew where it was. I own this one however, I've played it with a few times. I see what it was doing and I like it, but it'll never be what Heroscape was. -Jagon
As always, great review! One thing of note, with my Heroscape hat on, it seems they didn't try too hard on getting the spells and summoning mechanics to work properly within the Heroscape game. There's a sub-forum for the game on heroscapers.com that is littered with questions and clarifications on how/when spells and summoning work. They even have a formal reply from Hasbro reps clarifying confusing terminology and timing.
+Aerosheik HeroScape hat on is welcome and appreciated! I have played HeroScape, but was not an enfranchised devotee, so I did a lot of talking with some major HeroScape players down at my local game store for better perspective on that part of the review. Appreciate yours as well! Cheers!
+Tolarian Community College Thanks, always glad to help. If there were a game I like as much as Magic: the Gathering, it'd have to be Heroscape. Unfortunately, your assessment is spot on. That said, I'll still probably pick up the expansion in January to see if they add any depth to the game, or at least more terrain. :)
Thanks so much for this review. Was seriously considering buying this. Won't now. Keep up the great video content. Respect from Denmark!
I am surprised that they haven't made a MTG Monopoly yet.
+Poke-Vlog Or MTG Breakfast Cereal. Jace-Os
+Tolarian Community College chandra fire wiskey
I bought this when it came out, and a bunch of my friends love it. We play it when we don't feel like playing magic the gathering. A combination of the DnD board games, and this anyway. It's a lot of fun.
If anyone (still) wants to get the game, it's for sale at Amazon for $24.99, a steep discount from the MSRP of $39.99. Not a suggestion, just an FYI for the community.
This review was a roller coaster for me. As an old player of the game, when I saw the couple Heroscape pieces I went "Whaaaaaa?" and "must buy," but then I saw and heard the rest. Crash and burn. Ah well, time to ebay one of the "newer" sets, y'know, for my D&D group... >_>
Well, with The Guildmaster's guide to Ravnica, the Miniatures in this board game can be used for a D&D game now.
It would be SO nice if Hassbro made the Arena Of The Planeswalkers terrain compatable with the Heroscape terrain, it would be cool if you could play as any of your favorite planeswalkers in Heroscape's terrain.
+Ruben The Human It is compatible, they fit together perfectly :)
i had this game in my hands at the store last week, i put it back on shelf. something felt off about it. glad to see i didnt purchase it. thanks for the review.
Heroscape sounds absolutely awesome...
+sanitydistortion Yeah, it was a neat game and too bad it never really cemented. People who love the game really LOVE it, and that says something about its unique and awesome qualities. Again, maybe if they had really invested in this...
+sanitydistortion It is.
Tolarian Community College Agreed, the whole terrain thing seems to be the biggest strength that Heroscape has compared to other board games, and eliminating that... Well... Yeah.
Found this at a thrift store for 8 bucks. Barely worth 8…
I bought the Walmart version, which comes with extra land pieces and other extra stuff for the same price.
If you do want to get this, get the Walmart version with the extra parts. Same price, more land pieces.
And this was on sale for $20 + tax, which was worth it for that price.
From what I've read from other reviews, this is an ok game that really needs an expansion (which came out) to flesh it out... but that also means spending another $20 to make a game better...
As an avid Magic player of nearly 20 years, and with a girlfriend of 5+ years, I wish I could have linked her this video a few weeks ago before she decided to purchase this product (and the BFZ expansion) for me for Christmas! I understand that she's disconnected from the (our) hobby and only had best intentions at heart. I'm sure many of us can relate, whether it be significant others or relatives... We played 1v1 together, and it was kinda fun, though the rules felt a bit complicated. I completely agree that it lacks the MTG feel. However, it does appear to require strategic thinking, which I like. We plan to play again soon. Hopefully we'll both enjoy it, otherwise I'll just have a bunch of poorly manufactured figurines to place amongst by MTG bookcase.
I really miss heroscape, still have my stuff lying around somewhere, It was always sorta like a easier to pick up and play version of warhammer to me, which when it was around, was exactly the kind of thing I wanted to play.
The pieces are supposed to be dipped at the based for the red damage counters. Yes, it's pretty much Magicscape and the board leaves much to be desired, but this leaves room for a lot of growth. There is already an expansion coming soon. I feel you might be overly critical on something that is supposed to be simple. Also, the price is very reasonable, especially if you look at the price of most board games on the market.
'Twas. It's still my favorite game, and frankly, if Hasbro restarted production of the original, they'd make a TON of money.
I got this knowing that there weren't any LAND pieces because I had some, and this allowed me to make more spread out boards. I was also interested in seeing how the new pieces would mesh with the originals. I've tested out a couple of ideas; so far they seem to... With restrictions.
hehe, meant that to be a reply to +Doctorfantazmo. Oops!
This really disagree with this review, if you take the game individually it is a 39 dollar board game with 30+ minis that is great value compare to most other board games where you get 5 or six small unpainted minis. I do think the lack of the terrain pieces is a problem but with the current rules if they put a substantial amount in then movement in the game would bog down and be slow. I am also disappointed that you don't even mention the game play and say if the board game is fun or not, which is its most important aspect.
my roommate bought this game. have you seen the minis? they're laughable in quality. theyre barely worth more then the plastic they were molded from in my opinion.
Pro tip paint the figures use Heroscape terrain and Arena of the Planeswalker rules.... It is fucking awesome can confirm.
I think it is entirely possible to make MTG themed games that arent actually Magic. I know I'd love to see things like a Tabletop module for Ravnica, a resource management tabletop game with a timed element (like most have) of the resistance trying to build and mount an army to defend against the invading Phyrexians on Mirroden, things like that. I think they could work perfectly well, as long as its clear its MTG themed and not a board game of the card game.
thanks for review. keep up the great work you do.
I just played this game for the first time last night. This guy is off his rocker. Trample, haste, spells that reflect MTG spells. It is Magic: The Gathering. I enjoyed it and you can now start to buy expansions and build better spell decks to your liking. I say give it a shot.
I picked one of these up the other day, looked at the horribly detailed and poorly painted figures, and just put it back on the shelf. $30 HA not even worth $3
Thank you, Professor. I was considering getting this to play with my kids as a "gateway drug", easing them into MTG.
Glad I watched this before I wasted my money on repackaged crap.
On a brighter note, you have piqued my interest in Heroscape. I may ask some fellow nerds at my LGS about it, as they play everything under the sun in there, they most likely will have played it.
Again, thank you for this.
I got into Magic the Gathering from reading the Magic Origins Planeswalkers stories. For me, this was a cheap way to experience these characters on the tabletop. To get a single Jace would be twice as much, at least! I'm not ready to commit to that.
nothing will ever replace mtg tactics god I miss that game
Well, time to buy Heroesscape!
I gotta disagree with the low quality being such damming feature. As a person who has spent hundreds on games like X-wing miniatures, and Imperial assault, I was pleased to get a complete game for only $18. Yes Arena is low end, but the game play is simple, easy to learn, and fun. And with the expansion out it now allows you to deck build, and army build. I don't mind spending hundreds on a beautiful, quality game, but it's also nice to bolster my collection with a fun game for under $20. I'm glad they went budget.
You missed out gameplay. This is a great, tactical, fast and fun board game with MTG elements. Even from a gameplay perspective. Chandra is fast and aggressive but low health, Liliana and her creatures resurrect, Jace can teleport via trickery and piece placement to confuse opponents etc. This paired with the magic cards of sorceries and enchantments and you have a very tactical yet casual and fun MTG themed board game, with MTG elements from the TCG/CCG. For £10, 30 miniatures of good to average quality is great, heck I saw alot of reviews on Amazon of people buying it for D&D minatures alone.