I'm thinking about getting into the LCG for this or CoC. I have not played either and I'd just like to hear opinions on how much of the new sets are "enough" for players.

What I want to have is enough cards for two players to make a variety of competitive decks to play against each other. As I understand it, buying one of each LCG set will get me at least one of each card, correct? Are there also extra "commons" so that there are enough duplicates to satisfy two players?

I know it is difficult to answer without getting a lot more details out of me, but please let me know what kind of player you are and what has worked for you, sticking just to the LCG sets for AGoT.

My initial thought is that two of the core and each expansion should be fine, but I'd like to know if others have managed with less or found that they needed more to get four or whatever of a certain card.

your thought is a good one. 2 core sets and 2 CPs will give you enough cards to make two - four solid decks without worrying about being tournament quality.

There is a notew i'd like to make though that you can have up to 3 of a single card inyour deck and all 3 of those (if non-unique) can be used in play at once so there might be a CP or two you might want to eventually get 3 of (to have 3 of the 1 ofs in that CP, i.e. some events) but that can be pushed off and isn't even needed if you never run across a card you want 3x of in your deck.

Hope you do get into the game, it is a lot of fun casually as well as competitivly.

Thanks, Lars, very helpful!

As a follow-up, I think I'm going to start with just buying one of each set. To score some free shipping though, I can double up on a couple things.

To maximize getting decent cards towards the 3 card limit, would I be better off getting a second Core set, or a few of the expansion packs? Again, I am purchasing with the thought of getting at least enough for two players.

If the expansion packs, which ones would generally be recommended for maximizing a new player's options?

Personally, I would buy two Core sets before getting any of the Chapter Packs. The Core sets include more utility cards that you will want to fill out your deck with, before the more situational cards found in the Chapter packs. That's just me though..

Another question--will the Chapter Packs always be available or will they be phased out over time in favor of different cards or card combinations in packs?

Supposedly the CPs will eventually fade away, but we don't know the details (if I was a magic 8 ball my answer would the future is uncertain )

This is a system that has always done reprints though, so i cant; really tell you if you will or will not see the cards in the CPs again.

Lars said:

A good point.

Each Chapter Pack is supposed to have just the one, original print run. Once that print run is sold out, there will not be a second printing. The missing variable, though, is that we do not know how large a print run is, nor what the "shelf life" of a single print run might be. Apparently, there is still not trouble getting ahold of the first Chapter Packs from 10 months ago.

That said, as Lars points out, just because a Chapter Pack may become sold out and no longer in print does not mean that select cards will not be reprinted in future packs or versions of the Core Set.