Hello,

I got a game budget of around 100$, so I plan to buy two expansions with the core set. Which one should I get first?

Thanks!

Lords of Winter, Kings of the Storm and Queen of Dragons all work well with the Core set, as they each expand a House contained therein (Stark, Baratheon and Targaryen respectively).

Princes of the Sun and Kings of the Sea add Houses to the game that are not in the Core Set, so they may require some additional cards from chapter packs to really build a good basic deck, so I wouldn't recommend starting with these.

I would suggest getting the Core Set first and playing a few rounds to see which of the houses you like best, and then base your expansion purchase on that. I will say that I feel both Lords of Winter and Kings of the Storm make for stronger additions to the Core Set than Queen of Dragons does, but if you find you are loving Targaryen, don't hesitate to get the box. House Lannister does not have an expansion box yet, unfortunately (though I expect we'll see one at the end of the year/ early next year the latest).

Thanks a lot!

Actually, I would like to play with Lannisters (can't wait for the 5th!).

I'll follow your suggestion, though, the plan was to buy 1 core + 2 exp to pay shipping only one time. But since it seems difficult to obtain the core set at 30$ (no idea why, but it's unavailable on Amazon.ca), I will probably buy the core set at 40-50$ and then buy some expansions at Amazon.

If you need to provide cards for multiple people, it is often a good idea to get a second (and even third) copy of the core set. Having multiple copies of the same card is really a boon, and it expands your card pool for some customization while keeping the number of individual cards lower, making it easier for new players to get familiar with the game and the different mechanics and keeping all four houses relatively balanced. And if you find you really want to get expansions and chapter packs, those core sets still won't be a wasted investment, because many cards of the core set are highly desirable in a number of decks, so you'll be happy to have multiple copies.

But if you're only getting the game for yourself and one other player (and therefore don't need all four houses to be balanced), going with two expansion boxes is good as well.

Saturnine said:

Actually, as long as you get the reprinted Kings of the Sea (that comes with 3x of each card), you should be perfectly capable of building a Greyjoy that can hold its own against the Core Set decks. The same is true for Martell with Princes of the Sun (either the old 2x of each or the new 3x of each card which is not out yet). The only thing is that you need to know enough about deckbuilding to pare down the 3 copies of 60 cards into one deck of 45 to 60 cards (depending on whether you want to match the other Core Set decks or make a regular-sized 60 card deck). Of course, to incorporate any of the other expansions into the Core Set you will need to know a little about deckbuilding as well. After playing a few games with the Core Set decks, you will start to pick up the basics of how what proportions of different kinds of cards you want in a deck and should be able to start tinkering with the Core Set decks or putting together a Greyjoy or Martell deck from their expansions.

Regarding second Core Set vs. expansions vs. chapter packs, it depends on what you want. If you plan on staying pretty casual, the Greyjoy/Martell expansions are good because they give you two more "stock" options for house decks to play. If you think you want to get into deck customization, you might look into the chapter packs because they provide cards for each house so that none starts to get ahead of the others in terms of deck options. If you find you really like one or two houses, the expansions Saturnine mentioned are good for fleshing out the deck from the Core Set. If you plan on getting more serious about optimal deck building, a second Core Set is a good idea. There are a lot powerful staple cards in the Core Set that it is nice to have multiple copies of. If you are just playing with your own limited card pool, you can focus on the other options to provide variety to your decks, but if you want to play with other serious players with their own collections access to a second Core Set helps a lot.