Do people buy 3x quantities of everything, including core sets? Do you need 3x quantities of everything to be competitive in the LCG environment? Does a competitive LCG environment exist (yet)?

I haven't bought a thing since gencon and am now wondering if I should create what would probably be a tremendous waste of trees by getting three core sets...

3x of each Chapter Pack is probably not necessary. You buy 1, look at the cards in it, and if you want extra copies of any of the 10 "1 each" cards, you buy more or find someone who wants multiples of a different "1 each" and go in together or trade. I just can't see everyone needing 3 copies of each CP (although different people will obviously want 3 copies of different CPs).

3 Core Sets is a little harder to decide. Probably 2 for basic deck building, but $40 and all those "dead trees" to get the 3rd copy of a relatively select few cards is a harder justification. I'd think find a friend who primarily plays different Houses, buy 5 between the two of you and split up the 5th for the 3rd copies you really want.

And I would agree that it's too early to know if there is a competitive LCG environment yet. The leagues that have started are a bit more self-contained, so while they are probably very competitive locally, I don't see them as a larger "competitive environment." And we haven't heard much of anything about Hedge Tourneys and their results. A lot of them are being played in the "old standard" format, too....

I personally have two Core sets, and find that it gives me a great deal of flexibility in constructing decks, especially since a few cards, like Robert Baratheon or income locations already come in multiple. I can, however, definitely see how having three copies of cards like Flame Kissed would greatly improve my decks... I'm just not willing to justify having three copies of the Core set to my wife, who is already skeptical about the necessity of two Core sets..

I suppose it just depends on your situation...

ktom said:

see i've bought a 3rd and contemplated a 4th core set, becuase i really like the nuterals in there and have at least one jon snow in every LCG deck i've built. Also some of the events (while reprints, i don't have) are nice to put 2x or 3x in most of my decks (support of the kingdom or distraction usually unless they get pulled (most often in a lanni deck) for other events.

While i buy 3x of every CP becuase i need (ocd compulsion probably) a playset of every card (my wallet likes the switch over!), I've posted on here somewhere (and as been mentioned in other threads) how many of each cp I think you need (not the best authority, but a guide) and i tried to include some commits for house choices as well.

All along I've tended to buy 2x of Chapter Packs. I think one of them (whichever has the To Be a... events in it) I ended up buying a third. I do have two core sets, but one is still in shrink. Right now my understanding is that there's three formats that we'll likely be playing in NYC (and I imagine other groups will be similiar):

Standard: I don't think there's any card in the Core Set that I've yet wanted more than one copy of that isn't a reprint I already have. So, so far no pressure on me to open more than one Core Set. The 2x chapter packs approach, as noted above, has been mostly sufficient.

LCG: Like Standard in that you can use 3x of any "legal" card, but the cutoff for "legal" falls b/w 5KE and the first chapter packs. This format will apply to Hedge tournaments under FFG's OP. I'm not clear when those will start (is the first one next month so signup for it is due this week?) or if NYC will be initially doing them --my focus has been pushing the League play:

League: I think this is a modified version of the LCG format. So cards banned for LCG are banned for League (not positive about that). League limits you to only 1x Core and 1x of, over the course of each six week season, four different chapter packs. So multiple copies of the core set or specific chapter packs are not helpful for League play. Right now this is were my attention is as this seems like the format that is most embraceable by first time players and any players who dropped the game some time ago and want back in. I played Standard last night with Alex, but that'll probably be my last Standard game for a while as I turn my attention fully to the League for at least a little while trying/hoping to get people playing AGOT view the League.

LetsGoRed said:

there is actually a hedge tourney for this month (Battle of Casterly Rock or some such) which you could sign up for before Dec 29th (the first date of league signups) not sure if that got extended with the league signups. Hedge Tourney's can be in any format you wish them to be (i.e. we are playing legacy melee this month and LCG joust (i think) next month). Yes, the signup for next months is this week (the 17th is the deadline).