Summoner Wars 2nd Edition Starter Set

Product Type: Standalone starter set.

Summoner Wars 2nd Edition Starter Set is a complete entry point for Summoner Wars, containing everything two players need to start playing. This set includes two complete faction decks: the Phoenix Elves, led by Queen Maldaria, and the Tundra Orcs, led by Grognack.

Summoner Wars is a tactical card-and-board game where each player controls a summoner and faction army, using movement, summoning, positioning, events, and combat to defeat the opposing summoner. The Starter Set can be played on its own, and it can also be expanded with any Summoner Wars Second Edition faction deck.

Contents include: 34 Phoenix Elves cards, 34 Tundra Orcs cards, 8 custom dice, 1 paper battle mat, 1 rulebook, and various tokens.

Boardgamegeneral's advice:

"Summoner Wars 2nd Edition is a game that has been streamlined compared to its first edition, with some of the more questionable mechanics, like killing your own units for magic, removed. The rules are very easy to teach and learn. The challenge and depth come from knowing the factions and how they play.

The Starter Set is worth it even if you already own the Master Set. You essentially get two factions at a lower price than two separate faction packs, plus everything else this box contains. The Phoenix Elves, especially, are a really cool faction, with a summoner who can quickly reposition allied troops to her own defence. The extra tokens mean you are unlikely to run out, and the extra dice mean you do not have to pass dice around the table. The paper battle mat keeps the set nice and affordable. While there is no official 2v2 mode, the extra mat gives creative players room to experiment with larger setups.

For total newcomers, this box is the perfect starting point. Even with only two decks, it offers plenty of replayability, since each game can develop very differently depending on which cards come out and when. If you have the Starter Set, you do not need the full Master Set to expand the game; you already have what you need to play, and additional faction packs can be bought separately."