If you’re trying to build a beginner Netrunner card pool right now, buying singles is the slowest and most annoying way to do it. You end up chasing missing staples, paying weird prices, and still not having two complete decks to actually play.

The good news is that modern Netrunner is set up to make this easier. Between beginner-friendly core products and print-and-play options, you can build a playable pool on purpose, without turning it into an eBay side quest.

What “card pool” means (and why singles are a trap for beginners)

A “card pool” is just the set of cards you allow yourself to build decks from. New players usually go wrong in one of two ways:

• They buy too little and can’t build anything except the tutorial decks.
• They buy too much and end up with a cardboard closet that feels like homework.

Singles make both problems worse. They tempt you into “just grabbing a few more” while still leaving gaps that matter (economy cards, core breakers, common ice, etc.). And you don’t learn faster because you own more cards. You learn faster because you play more games.

So the goal is simple: get to two functional decks quickly, then expand in clean steps.

Step 1: Start with System Gateway (on purpose)

If you want the least painful start, anchor your pool with System Gateway. It’s built specifically as a learn-to-play product, and it’s meant to be the cornerstone of a collection.

Play it straight for a bit:

• Run the teaching decks as-is.
• Then try small swaps from the deckbuilding cards.
• Keep notes like “this card felt dead” or “i wish i had more ways to get credits.”

This phase is underrated. A smaller pool makes it obvious what each card is doing. And when you’re new, that clarity matters more than “options.”

Step 2: Choose how big your beginner pool should be

Here’s the fork in the road. Both routes work. Pick the one that matches your reality.

Option A: Minimal beginner Netrunner card pool (Gateway only)

This is the “we just want to play” option.

Do this if:

• you’re learning with a friend at home
• you want a tight experience you can actually internalize
• you don’t want to build eight half-baked decks

The tradeoff is that your deck variety will be limited. You can absolutely get a bunch of great games in, but you won’t have a deep bench of alternate builds yet.

Option B: Beginner Netrunner card pool with Core Sets (Gateway + Elevation)

If you want a bigger sandbox without going full “collect everything,” build around the Core Sets concept: System Gateway plus Elevation.

This is a sweet spot because it stays coherent:

• still approachable
• still replayable
• more cards to explore once you’ve learned the basics

In my opinion, this is the best “serious beginner” pool because it adds variety without blowing up complexity.

Step 3: Add System Update 2021 when you want more classic staples

Once your games stop feeling like training wheels, add System Update 2021. It’s not designed as your first purchase. It’s designed to expand what you can build after you already have the basics down.

Think of it as:

• more deckbuilding texture
• more identity options
• more “classic” tools that show up in lots of archetypes

If you add it too early, it can feel like noise. If you add it after 20 to 40 games, it feels like a real upgrade.

Step 4: Print-and-play vs printed sets (pick your pain)

You can build your beginner Netrunner card pool without singles in two main ways:

Print-and-play (fastest and cheapest)

Print-and-play is exactly what it sounds like: print the PDFs, cut them, sleeve them with a backing card, and go. It’s not glamorous, but it works, and it’s extremely accessible for new players.

What to watch out for:

• cutting neatly matters more than you think
• use opaque sleeves so backs don’t give anything away
• keep one “standard backing card” type so thickness stays consistent

Printed sets or decks (cleanest table experience)

If you hate cutting cards (valid) or you’re building multiple decks for a group, printing full decks or full sets is the smoother route. You spend less time fiddling and more time playing.

This is also the better option if you’re aiming for events, because consistency and readability matter when you’re tired, on a clock, and trying not to misread a card at the worst possible moment.

Step 5: Sleeves matter more than beginners expect

If you take nothing else from this post, take this: use opaque sleeves.

Between different print runs, different card backs, and different printers, card backs can vary. Opaque sleeves keep gameplay fair and keep your proxies feeling like “normal cards” in hand.

If you’re doing print-and-play, sleeve the printed front with a real backing card behind it. It makes the deck shuffle normally and prevents the “i can feel which card this is” problem.

Step 6: Build a small deck roster instead of endless deckbuilding

Here’s a practical way to learn faster with a beginner Netrunner card pool:

1. Keep two “baseline” decks (one Corp, one Runner).
2. Make one change at a time and play 3 to 5 games.
3. Only then decide if the change stays.

A beginner mistake is rebuilding the whole deck after every loss. That’s just randomness with extra steps. You want patterns, and patterns need repetition.

If you want variety without chaos, build a roster like this:

• 1 teaching-friendly Runner deck
• 1 teaching-friendly Corp deck
• 1 “aggressive” Runner deck
• 1 “aggressive” Corp deck

Even with a limited pool, this gives you matchups that feel different, without requiring you to understand everything at once.

A simple “no singles” checklist

Use this like a menu, not a commandment.

Phase 1 (learn the game)

• System Gateway
• Opaque sleeves
• A pile of backing cards (any standard-size cards you don’t care about)

Phase 2 (expand the sandbox)

Pick one:

• Add Elevation (to form a strong Core Sets style pool)
• Or add System Update 2021 (if you want more classic deckbuilding tools)

Phase 3 (build toward how you actually play)

• If you mostly play at home: add one set at a time when you’re bored, not when you’re anxious.
• If you want organized play: align your adds with the format you’re targeting and keep your pool intentional.

Common mistakes (so you don’t step on the rake)

• Printing everything at once “so you’ll be set.” You won’t. You’ll just have more cards you don’t understand yet.
• Using non-opaque sleeves. It feels fine until it doesn’t.
• Constantly rebuilding decks from scratch. You learn more by iterating than by reinventing.
• Treating deckbuilding like the entry point. Playing solid lists teaches you what good cards do, then deckbuilding starts to make sense.

Wrap-up

A beginner Netrunner card pool is not about owning a ton of cards. It’s about owning the right small pool so you can play real games, learn patterns, and actually enjoy the bluffing and pressure that makes Netrunner great.

Start with System Gateway. Add either Elevation or System Update 2021 when you’re ready. Use opaque sleeves. And skip singles until you know exactly why you’re buying a card.

Note: i wasn’t able to verify any live internal blog URLs on netrunnerandroid.com (the domain returned access errors during research), so i did not include internal links in this draft.