First for clarification, my gaming group is moderately competitive in all games we play, and they feel no remorse for beating me mercilessly even if the odds are entirely in their favor.

I started playing AGOT last week and am having fun playing melee against my friends. The problem I have now is that they are using competitive decks and I am using either the standard Targ or Stark deck that they provide for me. I feel right now, and they agree, that I am at a disadvantage and I want to step-up my game so I can compete properly.

I've searched for decks, but I can't separate to find out what is a competitive start. So with that in mind, what are the various competitive deck options I can choose to shoot for among the different houses and what are their key strategies?

Thanks =)

The Core set decks are roughly balanced against each other, but your first stop on the way to deckbuilding will be one of the house-specific expansions - Kings of the Storm, Kings of the Sea, Lords of Winter, Queen of Dragons, Princes of the Sun (or Lions of the Rock, coming out at the end of this year). That'll get you the first leg-up with whichever House you're comfortable with, and will give you 90% of the cards you need to build a great deck. From then on, you're looking for specific Chapter Packs for cards to boost that particular House and the style you're wanting to play them in.

What House are you actually looking to play, or perhaps the better question is what style would you like to play?

I just got started and was wondering which house would support a stay alive, protect yourself strategy, stall type of strategy. Thanks for any advice.