Hello

A friend & I are interested in playing A Game of Thrones LCG. I picked up the core set at the weekend and enjoyed it and then thought I'd look at getting some additional cards… only to find that about 40 different expansions/chapters had been released!

So… without breaking the bank, what sets would you recommend getting to start off with?

And does organised play have different formats - for instance is there a "type 1" which allows all cards, and then an "type 2" only allowing certain sets - something that might help new players with a starting point etc?

FYI - we don't really have any house preferences, being able to build a few decks that we can play between us if the main goal.

Thanks!

ertai999 said:

Standard Recommendations:

1. Buy a second Core Set. This allows you to build more competetive decks out of those cards.

2. If you want to add Greyjoy and Martell, buy those Deluxe Expansions (King of the Sea and Princes of the Sun).

3. If you have a favorite house, buy that Deluxe Expansion as well.

4. Check out articles and recommendations @ CardgameDB.com - lots of good info about chapter packs there.

Organized Play:

All LCG cards are legal for Tournaments (very few CCG cards are legal, but you probably won't have to worry about that). Lots more info about tournament winning decks @ CardgameDB.com

I've seen this "buy a second core set" advice thrown around a lot on various forums but really for a new player who is just playing with their friends, it is rubbish. What does a second core set get you? More of the cards you already have. Excitement rating = 0. What's the justification? To be more competitive. Well, may I ask, with whom are you trying to be more competitive with? Your friends, who have access to exactly the same card pool as you? Or with the tournament crowd, with whom you need every single expansion pack released ever anyways plus the core set x3. The best answer for new players just entering the game and playing only with their peer group (who all probably don't have their own core sets and are sharing cards) is to get the deluxe expansions for the houses you and your friends enjoy playing most. The Greyjoy/Martell expansions are also a good bet.

Thanks for the advice!

We are mainly going to be playing for fun, non-competively.

I think we will be sharing the card pool as well, but if we can make a couple of decent decks each then that would be good

Sounds like 2 core sets and each of the Greyjoy/Martell sets between us should get us starting… and then after that we can slowly expand

Even if you don't plan to play in Tournaments (I don't), a second Core Set is often a good buy.

The expansions have 3 of each card, which enables you to have a fuil playset of those cards.

Having more than one of a given card in your deck increases your chances of drawing it, and enables you to play duplicates on your characters -- the only ones you get in the Core are Robert and Rhaegal.

There are also plots in the Core Set that you might want to play in more than one deck at a time, or that more than one player might want to be playing in a particular game.

wildefox said:

wildefox said:

First, because you need 2 to build a 60-card deck from that card pool (House expansions also solve this problem). Second, because there's only a couple of major characters with multiple copies in the Core Set, so you can't even try to build a more consistent, custom deck without additional copies of those cards (many of which are still very playable at all levels despite other versions of them having been released since the Core Set). Third, because you may want more than one copy of some of the plots.

Amuk said:

Right, a second core won't make a "competitive" deck exactly (definitely not teir-1), but it will make a more consistent deck, and provide for an overall better play experience imo. Since the Martell and Greyjoy come in triplicate, they would have a significant advantage over 45-card singleton core decks without getting an additional core. This doesn't include plots though - the plots for Greyjoy in particular are pretty bad, and should be switched out with some of the extra plots from the extra core.

You can make a 45 card deck which is equal to the core set decks out of the GJ and Mart boxes. IF you are looking for a more consistent deck buying the house expansions will not only give you a more consistent deck, but a better deck than buying a core set x2 or even x3 IMO.

The question is how does the person want to play the game? Most of the recommendations for second or third core set seem to be predicated on one of two assumptions, 1. the person is going to want to compete in a tournament and therefor will "need" (or at least be best served by) owning every card x3, or 2. the want more consistent decks and a second core set is the best way to achieve that.

Not every new player is going to cleanly fit into these two and I'd like to see us as a community move away from these stock answers and ask a question or two and try to tailor the answer a little bit more to their needs.

Penfold said:

Uhoh. Here we go again. I wish these new-player threads could be stickied…

I don't disagree with you Penfold. Certainly players are throwing out their own opinions based on either how they got into playing or their preferred play-style, especially competitive players. However , he did provide us his stipulations in his OP: that he doesn't want to break the bank and he wants to build a few decks to play, and that he has no house-preference. Therefore, people said if you want to play other houses to get GJ and Martell. People may have recommended that he get Lords of Winter if he had a preference for Stark, but he doesn't have a preference. Also, a second core is not the only path to building consistent decks, but it is certainly the best "bang for your buck" in terms of cost to card ratio without unbalancing the houses. The reason I personally recommend a second core is because it's cheaper than buying four deluxe expansions, and I think the deluxe expansions over-advantage the core houses if GJ and Martell have just their deluxe boxes.

If you're upset about people throwing out the stock answers, just remember that it doesn't mean that they don't apply or aren't valid. Or perhaps you think there should be more explanation so that it isn't just a stock answer without context? I do appreciate you providing another perspective for the OP though. Certainly, if the OP thinks he wants to spend over $100 for the deluxe expansions, vs. $35-40 for another core, that's a good way to go as well.

again guys, thanks very much for the info