What set(s) to start with?

[squires]

So I played the game back during the movie blocks then fell away.  Recently my interest returned and was looking for a booster box or two for some casual games.  I;m starting with some Shadows starter decks.  Would a box shadows boosters be the way to go or should I get cards from a different set? 

[Not a Zombie]

Shadows is good cause its cheap and has the new sites, but I wouldn't get any sets after shadows. 1-10 are all good, although 8 (mount doom) and 9 (reflections) are spendy and pretty rare.

[The New Guy]

The Two Towers is good as well. And I like Helm's Deep(plus cheaper).....

[ununtrium]

Start from the beginning and get your hands on Set 1 (FotR) and proceed from there. Towers block is also quite good, but do not start with RotK block until you have a firm grip (and corresponding card pool) on the first two blocks.

Don't buy into anything beyond set 10. It is too complicated (WotR block) and too expensive (Hunters block) afterwards ...

[itjunkie]

set 1 is still the best. start there...set 4 is also really good. probably cheaper to buy a whole lot from someone quitting the game or getting the specific cards you need though.

[The New Guy]

And if you need a place to buy cards here is a link:http://wholesalegaming.com/lotr/ This is where I buy my cards from. Very good prices. And I've had no trouble with the seller at all.

[jdizzy001]

set 19 is cool.  However, it is true that after set 11 things got out of hand.  Sadly, they brought it all back home too late.  Set 19 was very mild in comparasion to 15-18.  WTG forever!

[legolas3333]

Agree with Jdizzy, everyone complained about how bad some of the cards in ages end were, but thats what it was like before the power curve in reflections, ages end had like 10 good cards and 30 bad ones but that was about what the dispersion was before reflections/siege

[leokula]

I'd say don't go with Fellowship of the Ring only. It has very limited fellowship options, while Two Towers offer a lot more on its own. Thinking of available decks to build from sets:

Fellowship of the Ring - rainbow fellowships, sauron grind, nazgul, moria and beatdown uruk... great shadows btw.

Two Towers - rohan, rangers, elves, hobbits with treebeard, uruk site control, uruk tracker, uruk archery, southron archery, easterlings, dunland.

Also, you can't go wrong buying reflections.

[Jerba]

Buy movie block cards. They are the most readily available for cheap. Check Hill's for decent prices on complete sets. Movie block is the best way to play the game. Shadows just ruins the game with new cultures and resistance, etc. Stick to movie block and then you won't be complaining when you can't find any Hunter, RoS, or T&D.

Just a word of advice.

[Rathmaker]

Yup, movie blocks. 

Although I have all the other sets I hardly play anything past it.  The game is not as fun ( to me), and my friends I play with from time to time do not have anything from the Hunter's Block (or very little from it).

[itjunkie]

well, you can't really build a deck with just reflections... so it's best to start before that:)