Now that I've officially been brainwashed by all the FFG coverage, demo footage, Richard Garfield AMAs, and other discussions, I'm thinking about my path into Keyforge.

For veteran CCG players like myself, my friends, and many of you, I'm wondering if I want to just skip the core set and go directly into a blind deck.

Why? Counters/components are easily replaced by something else, and the rulebook will be online (I believe it already is). So, knowing that I'm going to have 2 decks I'll play once or twice each, that everyone else has, doesn't seem too appealing to me. tweakbox appvalley https://vlc.onl/

Thoughts?

I think you mean, can you skip the Starter Set bundle for Call of the Archons? If so, then that is up to you. I kind of like them for the fact that some of the cards are printed differently in the starter decks than in the actual game.

There are currently three sets to choose from, and each one has a certain set of cards that can only be found in them. Heck, in the third set you can't even get Sanctum or Mars as it introduces two new houses.

Cards from older sets gain new uses against cards in newer sets (see Guilty Hearts).

If you are just starting, buy a couple decks from each set and have a blast. You can use anything you want for counters, as long as they are easily deciphered.

The latest release, Worlds Collide also provides more "jump on" options.

You can just get a deck blind. You can also get a "deluxe starter" which is basically a deck with all the tokens.

https://www.fantasyflightgames.com/en/products/keyforge/products/keyforge-worlds-collide-deluxe-archon-deck/

All the way up to a super fancy set up.

https://www.fantasyflightgames.com/en/products/keyforge/products/keyforge-worlds-collide-premium-box/

As well as the intro 2 player box.

But then if you play other games, you've probably got more than enough counters from all of those to use.

If you want counters, get the worlds collide starter or deluxe starter. If you don't, then just buy decks from any set. These would be the 2 most fun options in my friend group.

I specify the worlds collide starter because they used user feedback to make it better than the call of the archons starter. Its not a huge difference, but why not get the slightly better option.

2 hours ago, Simplegarak said:

All the way up to a super fancy set up.

https://www.fantasyflightgames.com/en/products/keyforge/products/keyforge-worlds-collide-premium-box/

Something that people seem to miss is that the Premium Box doesn't include all the tokens, there are no Keys, no Æmber, and no Damage tokens. (You do get armor tokens and a fancy dial style chain tracker though).

If you're getting into the game, a 2 player starter for 25 bucks is a good place to start.
Rules are available online, though the latest version isn't searchable... but there are resources out there that may be of some help with that.

2 hours ago, blinkingline said:

Something that people seem to miss is that the Premium Box doesn't include all the tokens, there are no Keys, no Æmber, and no Damage tokens. (You do get armor tokens and a fancy dial style chain tracker though).

If you're getting into the game, a 2 player starter for 25 bucks is a good place to start.
Rules are available online, though the latest version isn't searchable... but there are resources out there that may be of some help with that.

Wow! I didn't even realize the Premium box won't come with keys. Thanks for the heads up on that one!

I might just upgrade to some nice metal keys instead of throwing my money on the box then. After all I bought a Broken Token wooden chain tracker and have been pretty happy with that.

For those that are interested in what the different products contain, there's a table here: https://archonarcana.com/index.php?title=Sets#Products_3