Stats:
No. of players: 2
Amount of time to play: 60-120 min
Age requirements: 8+
Set-up time: 5 minutes (if your spellbook is already assembled)

Paladin vs Siren is the newest expansion for Mage Wars Arena. It adds two new mages with unique playing styles and new creatures and spells.

Paladin vs Siren Expansion Description:

This latest expansion adds a valiant Paladin and a charming Siren to Mage Wars Arena. If you have not played Mage Wars Arena you can read my overview and review of it here. This post is going to focus on the new elements introduced in this expansion.

The Paladin has a unique resource type, Valor that he collects from different spells and abilities. He may then spend Valor to activate up to three different auras. These auras grant him permanent bonuses that cannot be removed or dispelled. The Paladin may also issue a Challenge to a creature up to 2 zones away. This grants him and his foe the ability to re-roll any number of their attack dice when attacking each other. If the Challenged creature attacks anyone besides the Paladin, he gains one Valor. The Paladin is trained in the Holy and War schools.

The first water mage, the Siren surfaces to rule the arena with her aquatic and amphibious creatures. She uses Siren’s Call to beckon foes to her or enhance a friendly creature’s Melee attack. She can also extend the time up to two of her song spells last by marking them with Fermata markers and paying mana based on the level of the affected spell. Her army of creatures consists of sharks, mythical sea creatures and pirates. She is trained in water, pirate and song spells.

Some new conditions and effects are introduced in this expansion. Snatch lets you pull foes towards you. Grapple lets you restrain creatures; they are penalized on their attacks and must escape. Suffocate causes you to slowly lose health.

Two new spellbooks styled for each new mage are included as well as suggested starting spells for each mage. You also get new condition tokens and a total of 264 spell cards.

Quick Review of the Paladin vs Siren Expansion:

The Paladin vs Siren Expansion adds two more mage builds to Mage Wars Arena. The Siren introduces the water mage and comes with lots of fun and powerful creatures. While the Paladin gives the Holy school a mage that can bring the fight to this foe.

The components for this game are great. The spellbooks, look fantastic and the card and token art is really nice. The tokens are thick and durable and the rules are well written and easy to follow.

Some people might think a water mage is silly to bring into the arena. But don’t worry; the Siren brings the ocean and its inhabitants with her. She has terrain spells that flood areas and powerful creatures that thrive in the water. The mighty Kraken grabs its prey and gnaws on it while sharks react more ferociously when there are creatures with Bleed conditions. It all makes thematic sense and is fun to play.

The Paladin is fun but a little more complex with is Valor resource. But he plays very differently than the other Holy mages. If you prefer their style you will still like the new spells added to the school from this expansion.

If you have Mage Wars Arena and the Paladin or Siren sounds interesting pick up this expansion. Even if they aren’t you cup of tea, the Paladin vs Siren expansion adds some fun spells and creatures for any mage’s spellbook.

Score and synopsis: (Click here for an explanation of these review categories.)
Strategy 4 out of 6
Luck 4 out of 6
Player Interaction 6 out of 6
Replay Value 4 out of 6
Complexity 4 out of 6
Fun 5 out of 6
Overall 5 out of 6