Every few months someone in my Discord asks for board games like League of Legends, and the honest answer used to be “there is not really one that feels right.” Plenty of arena games borrow the aesthetic. Very few give you the actual grammar of a MOBA: pick a champion, build for it, scale up mid-match, win the fight that matters. Trials of MAYA is the first in a while I would hand to a lane veteran without a disclaimer.
Why it clicks for League and Dota players
The elevator pitch practically writes itself. @thesetupphase describes a creator turning a MOBA into a board game and opens on the exact question we all ask: “What if you took a MOBA game, like League of Legends, and somehow turned it into a board game? This is Trials of Maya, an upcoming tactical arena combat game.” The key swap is simple: “instead of clicking abilities on a screen, you’re playing cards.” Then comes the part any Dota 2 or League player recognizes instantly, the mid-game power spike: “your champion actually gets stronger as you play the battle. As you progress, you can gain upgrades and unlock new abilities. So the champion you start with becomes significantly more powerful by the end of the game.” That is the leveling curve, on cardboard.
What is Trials of MAYA?
Trials of MAYA is an expandable card-driven arena combat game. It combines three genres: MOBAs, classic 90s tactics games, and TCGs without booster packs. It plays 1 to 4 players in 60 to 180 minutes for ages 14 and up. Siege runs as 2v2, The Battle for Dhaara, and 1v1, Skirmish for Vyati. It launches on Gamefound September 8, 2026.
How it stacks up against other board games like League of Legends
If you want the mood in one line, TikTok BoardGames calls it a fun and brilliant MOBA to play with friends: “Trials of Maya is a fun and brilliant MOBA to play with your friends.” They also flag the sliding three card system as the standout, which handles energy and tempo the way cooldowns and mana do in the client. The endorsement that sealed it for me came from someone who actually competed in the digital scene. In a lifelong MOBA player’s review, Gaming Caravan, a former League of Legends tournament commentator, ranks it “number four out of 490 games” and says “It felt so natural to me.” He goes as far as “It truly is in its own category,” which is high praise from someone who has seen the genre from the inside.
Should you pick it up?
If your search history is full of games like League of Legends and you have been let down before, this is the one to actually test. You choose from a roster of completely asymmetric champions, build a deck, and drop into the arena, and the closing line from that first pitch fits perfectly: if you like MOBAs, deck building or tactical combat, this might be one to try. I have only watched the previews of the prototype, not the finished game, so keep that in mind. It is live on Gamefound now and playable on Tabletop Simulator, so grab a champion and see if it feels like home.
Rulebooks and public metadata are on BoardGameGeek, the full breakdown is on the official page, and the campaign is live on Gamefound now.