When this game was first announced and teased about, many people were intrigued yet skeptical. We've always known Magic the Gathering to be just a trading card game, so how exactly would the mechanics that make the game what it is translate smoothly to a board game? Turns out the answer is: amazingly well. If you are familiar at all with the game Heroscape, a hex-based strategy game from Hasbro that was discontinued in 2012, then this game will be very familiar to you as the basic rules are the same. However the integration of Magic means a revamped system with some new and different mechanics, making this a fresh experience for even Heroscape players. For everyone else who has never played Heroscape (such as myself), this game is definitely worth playing.The game takes place on a constructable battlefield composed of cardboard tiles that interlock with each other like puzzle pieces, featuring a grid of hexagonal spaces where the figures will stand. A few plastic hex tiles are included to provide a third dimension to the game as height-based terrain, which was a key factor in Heroscape's popularity. Cardboard props act as obstacles, making some hexes inaccessible and providing cover from line-of-sight. The overall gameplay is an army-based strategy brawl, and various included scenarios provide guidelines on how to construct the playing field based on how many people are playing. The game can accommodate 2-5 players, with a 2v2 team variant.Players choose one of the Planeswalker figures to be the leader of their army, each representing one of the five colors of Magic and thus have gameplay strategies based on the color philosophy from the original card game. White focuses on team-wide effects and higher defense, blue uses many disruption tactics to counteract or stall other players' plans, black has fast ways to destroy units while being able to revive its own, red goes for hyper-aggressive tactics, and green is incredibly mobile and can strike from afar more effectively than other colors. I have played with all five colors, and there isn't one I didn't like; all feel well balanced with great potential for more creative strategies as I play them more.The basics of the gameplay involve summoning creatures to expand your army, trekking across the map to get in position, and then ultimately take down the opposing Planeswalker(s). Units have abilities that can create variance in the game, so a session isn't simply a prettier-looking version of checkers. Players also have access to a small deck of cards containing spells that when cast provide a wide variety of effects; this is the most notable difference between this game and Heroscape, which did not have spell cards. Figuring out when is the best opportunity to cast a certain spell adds a new layer of strategy to the game, and the combination is much smoother than many of us have anticipated. Putting all of this together, you have a surprisingly simple yet elegant strategy game that actually only takes about 30 minutes for two players. Many war-style games with armies and fleets tend to drag on for hours, which can be off-putting to people who don't want to lose an entire night of board gaming to a single game. If you have a war-based strategy gaming itch you need to scratch, Arena of the Planeswalker is a fantastic choice.Despite all this, why did I only give this product 4 stars? The included rules are oddly vague. Certain weird interactions that come up often are not thoroughly explained in the rulebook, and many interactions involving spell cards are implied to work in a certain way only if you apply the rules taken from the Magic card game instead. This is not surprising of course, but to people who have never played Magic these interactions do not seem obvious and create confusion. If the game wants to appeal to a larger crowd besides just Magic players, a much clearer set of rules is necessary.Most notably, however, is the fact that the game is built to support expansions and customization of armies and decks. However none exist at the time of this review and expansions are said to show up in 2016. This game has the potential to be deeper and more complex with customizations, yet we have no access to that power. That doesn't necessarily mean this base set is bad without it, but it's difficult to tell how well expansions will work if we don't even have any to use as examples.Overall, the game is solid. It's an amazing bargain at only $30, and well worth playing by anyone with a passing interesting with the concept. Magic fans will enjoy a chance of pace from the usual card gaming, and others will definitely enjoy the fast-paced army combat experience. Do not let this game fly under your radar just because of the idea that it's some weird Magic board game, for it is much more than that.Quick Notes: I play this with some of my students after school (ages 14-18) and they love it. For $20 this is a steal with so much replay value and intricacies. If you have Heroscape, see compatibility notes below. Takes about 10 minutes to explain, because it is complicated.Longer Review: The game is played by 2-5 players in which you each control a Planeswalker and two squads of creatures. Scenarios are included, but the easiest way to play this is "death match," in which you play until you are the last player standing. The game has elements of luck (dice control attack and defense, cards are drawn) but mostly strategy. With Glyphs and a few pieces of topography, as well as a somewhat customizable playing board, you can get a lot of mileage out of this game. A 1v1 game will last 30-45 minutes; 3 players may reach 70 min, 4 players 110 mins, 5 players can reach almost 150 mins.If you have Heroscape, this game is quite compatible. The hill tiles in AoP are simply Heroscape tiles, so feel free to throw in some land hexes from Heroscape to add to the customization. I would ditch the cardboard walls for Heroscape's Ruin Walls and throw some 7-hex tiles in. Similarly, the dice are Heroscape, the mechanics are Heroscape, etc. I haven't tried adding Heroscape armies into this game, however, so there may be some balancing issues you may encounter, especially since the AoP armies are balanced with the summoning and enchantments in mind. If you're a huge Heroscaper looking for a fix, this will do it, but be warned that this game does not use Order Markers. Personally I never used Order Markers; in AoP (and in my Heroscape games) you pick your Army Card each round at the start of your turn. Additionally, you have to summon your creatures (2 figures per turn) in a manner similar to Iskra and the Rechets, and if your Planeswalker is still alive you can use a deck of spell cards to swing the game in your favor. The final difference between Heroscape and AoP is that some of the USquads have health, and the damage counters are placed on the base of the figure. Otherwise, everything is the same. Line of Sight, Height Advantage, Climbing, Water, Engagement, everything.If you've never played Heroscape, it's still fun, but Heroscapers will get the most out of this.Las miniaturas son de baja calidad y las que vienen pintadas tampoco son una maravilla. El juego es solo pasable y el tablero es bastante feo. Por el precio no se puede pedir más, pero en general es un producto mediocre.