So recently I decided to get back into competitive gameplay and started with MtG. After playing a couple tournaments I have quickly realized how much it really costs to be competitive in the game, and that has been a turn off for me. The by-product of this, though, was that I have had the chance to see this game in action a couple of times at the comic shop.

Doing some research and looking at a few products this game seems more up my alley as to how much I would want to spend at any given time for this game, something that doesn't eat too much out of my wallet. From what I have read the community is really great, the people I have talked too are extremely friendly and have even spent a little time to explain the game to me while playing.

My local shop has a league on Friday nights that has quite a few people (I want to say 8-10 maybe?) so my interest is peaked. As to where to start, however, I do not know. I do know there is the "core" set, which I assume is where I should start. I am looking for some advice as to how to get things started and hop into my first games soon to experience this game.

Thank you for your time and consideration!

You will definitely need a Core set to start. The new one (blue logo) has the new damage deck, which you'll need for tournament play starting in January 2016. You might want to ask whether the league has already switched over. For a relatively casual environment like that you might also be able to share a deck with your opponent, but ask about that too.

Other than your Core set, you'll probably want some more dice (the Core sets only come with three of each color, which will often require rolling in stages), which you can either get from a second Core set or one of the dice packs.

After that, given that controlling your rate of spending is an object, it'll be a question of what faction you want to fly to start. The downside of starting with a new Core is that the TFA expansions aren't available yet, so the only way to fly more than one T-70 or more than two TIE/FOs is to buy a second of the new Core sets. But depending on what's available at your local store you can probably get to a reasonable casual list with relatively few expansions from where you start.

I recommend getting somebody who already plays to run you through a couple games with their ships, so you can decide what you like flying.

Figure out which faction you want to play, if its rebels or imperials I suggest a copy of the old core set to go with your new one. It gives you more ships and doubles of the important cardboards. This will let you play with friends that are not yet addicted, I mean not yet players. Plus its how you get luke and r2. From there I suggest watching some of the many matches on youtube and figuring out what ships you like.

Lastly if you find yourself short on ship buying cash, sell some of those overpriced magic cards. Thats how I payed for my initial purchase.

Do you know which side you want to play yet? You can always go super cheap and buy just the ships you want. If you aren't sure, see if the local guys will let you borrow ships. I've lent mine out to new players all the time.

I will say that the meta is wide open right now. It's been dominated by a 2 ship build with large based ships dominating the tournament scene for a couple years now. The official tournament rules have changed to allow half points for a large based ship that is half damaged. This is because large based ships became a points fortress in tournament play and their numbers were obscenely higher in high level play. Twin Laser Turrets (as well as a few other changes) are also good counters to the type of meta that dominated for 2 years. So, right now, the meta is kind of wide open. It's a good time for those that are clever to figure out new ways to use old toys....or new ways to use new toys to win big.

If you are looking to jump in and buy "the list" that everyone says is great on the internet, it's a bad time, since everything is in a state of flux. If you are looking to come in and learn the game, get good, and have a lot of fun, it's the perfect time.

I'd suggest talking to the gamers at your FLGS and seeing if they'll let you try the game out a few times with some borrowed ships to get a feel for it. Myself, I always encourage any new players (or yet-to-be players) to come out, try the different ships and factions to get a feel for them, and see which are to your liking. You may want to get one of the core sets - either the original release which covers the Original Trilogy pilots (Luke & Biggs and others) or the new Force Awakens core set, which has the new pilots and X-Wing/TIE from the yet-to-released movies.

This game can get *very* expensive if (like myself) you succumb to the Must Buy Everything! mentality, but I've had several years to do it. I can't imagine trying to do what I've done compressed into a few months. Beyond that, I'd hold off going to crazy too fast. Get a feel for what you like first. Then buy everything anyways.