Westeros player returning to the LCG format -
To get back into the game I picked up the core set and two chapter packs: War of Five Kings and Calling the Banners. Am I missing something or are the Chapter Pack cards weak compared to the Core Set? Yes, there are a few useful cards in the CPs, but most of the Core Set cards seem relatively competitive and the set only has one copy of most cards. And the Chapter Packs do not address the key missing element in the Core Set - lack of Plots.
I am also not a big fan of the Winter / Summer meta in the second set of chapter packs. It seems like you need a lot of key cards for a playgroup to make this work - much more than buying one of each chapter pack and sharing with the group. Would like to see an emphasis on building up the core mechanics rather than concentrating on specialized Global effects like Winter / Summer.
I am thinking that most play groups would be better off picking up a second copy of the Core Set before buying any Chapter Packs.