Magic The Gathering: Arena of the Planeswalkers Shadows Over Innistrad Board Game by Hasbro - Strategy Game for Adults & Teens - Perfect for Game Nights & Fantasy RPG Enthusiasts

MTG:AOTP-Shadows Over Innistrad is a new base game/expansion for the Arena Of The Planeswalkers series. The original base set was great with my only real criticisms being that the instructions were a little vague and that you didn't really have any options for deck/army building. But Hasbro and Wizards of the Coast are finally looking to change that.As an expansion, Shadows Over Innistrad (as well as the previously released Battle for Zendikar) really put those concerns to rest. With 4 new Planeswalkers and a number of different colored spell cards and squad/hero figures, player have a wealth of new customization options to explore. While this set is lacking in colorless creatures and cards, the options for the included characters as well as the previously released ones are varied and can better suit a player's unique style. This set also comes with 4 double sided terrain boards that can either expand the original base set arena or be flipped over to let players battle in all new bizarre plane of the multiverse, filled with all-new wonders and horrors: Innistrad.As a base set, this is a solid game, however the included scenarios leave a bit to be desired and the lack of terrain boards/pieces mean battles will start to feel familiar rather quickly. But the characters and creatures in this set are more than enough to keep new players interested for tons of playthroughs. There are 4 new Planeswalkers including 2 multi colored Planeswalkers that allow for a more broad range of customization and strategy and a werewolf character that can change forms and gain different abilities.Overall, while I personally feel that Shadows Over Innistrad makes for a better expansion than a base game, it is great fun on its own and serves as an absolutely perfect starting point for new players. The instructions are marginally better than the original but still not perfect, so if you are a new player and get lost remember that the internet has tons of forums and tutorial videos that will clear up any confusion.As a whole, the 3 available sets for Arena of the Planeswalkers now open up the game so much more and give it that really deep experience that I think alot of people have been craving, but still leaving the option open for lighter, casual play that I think set it apart from its predecessor Heroscape. I really, really enjoy this game, in fact it's easily among my favorites, probably of all time. I enjoy all of it's sets so far and I really hope it's successful enough to keep going. I highly recommend this set, and if you're a new player don't hesitate to start here.